The giant Slimes were utterly speechless.
Even though they didn't have much intelligence, seeing that dazzling light earlier, they thought the boy before them was about to unleash some kind of hidden ultimate move.
But… just this?
What the heck was that "Air Cannon"?
Didn't hurt one bit!
"Figures… if I don't fully pass out, it won't trigger properly."
Bennett's face was full of dejection.
Of course he recognized that skill—
Air Cannon was the move of Patamon from Digimon Adventure.
But Patamon was only a Rookie-level Digimon; naturally its skill wasn't all that powerful.
"Haah… if I get the chance again, I have to earn a better reward from Boss Han's shop."
Bennett muttered under his breath.
But it looked like there might not be a next time—
the giant Slime was already charging toward him.
Still, despite his terrible luck and constant misfortune, Bennett wasn't the type to easily meet his end.
Even in danger, someone always showed up to save him.
Sure enough, at that critical moment—
crack!
A streak of lightning split the air, and a figure dropped from above, landing in front of Bennett.
A powerful burst of lightning blasted the giant Slime backward, forcing it to regress into an ordinary Slime.
Seeing the boy draw his blade, the Slimes panicked.
One look at his eyes—
yep, definitely someone they couldn't beat.
The Slimes bounced away in retreat.
The silver-haired boy didn't chase them. Instead, he turned and helped Bennett up.
"You… okay?"
"I'm fine. Thanks, Razor."
Bennett let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the gray-haired boy.
Razor was one of his few close friends.
"If only that random skill card had triggered properly, I could've handled the Slime myself."
Bennett said with some regret.
It had cost him a full 100,000 Mora!
But he wasn't too upset.
The fault wasn't with the card—it was with his own rotten luck.
After all, Bennett's bad fortune even influenced things around him.
From that perspective, he was pretty "amazing."
"Random… skill card? The black card you just threw?"
Razor asked curiously.
He'd been drawn over by the earlier commotion.
When he arrived, he saw Bennett downed on the ground, tossing out a black card.
Curious, Razor held back and didn't act immediately, choosing to watch.
When the card burst into dazzling light, Razor was stunned.
He hadn't thought his friend had something so incredible.
But then came the crushing letdown—
Air Cannon?
What kind of nonsense move was that?
It hit the Slime like a feather tickle, completely useless.
The buildup was massive, yet the payoff was trash.
Finally, when the Slime rushed in again, Razor had no choice but to step in.
"No, no, it's not like that! That was just my bad luck! The random skill card is really strong, normally!"
Bennett quickly explained.
And he told Razor everything about Boss Han's manga shop.
"Reading… manga… gives rewards?"
Razor's amber eyes gleamed with interest.
It sounded strange, but since it was his friend saying it—he chose to believe.
And besides, he'd seen that black card with his own eyes.
It did work, just with pitifully low power.
Knowing his friend's bad luck, Razor accepted that explanation.
"Wanna go together?"
Bennett invited.
His current condition wasn't good enough for adventuring anymore.
Better to head back to Mondstadt and read manga.
"Okay."
Razor nodded.
If the shop really was as magical as Bennett described, he had to see it for himself.
Because he wanted to become stronger.
Strong enough to protect his companions… his Lupical.
And so, the two left together, heading back toward Mondstadt.
Mondstadt — Angel's Share Tavern.
Lumine and Paimon were seated at a table, happily drinking.
"This tavern's wine is really good."
Lumine took a sip and smiled.
She usually didn't drink,
but once in a while? It wasn't bad.
"Hehe, I think so too."
Paimon nursed her little cup happily, one sip at a time.
"Traveler, may I sit here?"
A voice came from the side.
Both Lumine and Paimon looked up curiously.
It was a man with golden hair, a cloak draped behind him, and an eyepatch over his right eye.
"Uh… sure."
Lumine wasn't good at refusing, so she nodded.
Besides, from his manner, it seemed like he already knew her.
Was he here for her?
Indeed—this golden-haired man was Dainsleif.
In the original timeline, Lumine would have met him after joining the Adventurers' Guild, through a commission.
But lately, Lumine and Paimon had been spending all their time at the manga shop.
She hadn't joined the Guild yet—so this was their first meeting.
Still, Dainsleif had become curious about her.
Since arriving in Mondstadt, he'd heard countless tales about this so-called "Honorary Knight."
Most notably—the day of the Stormterror crisis, when a colossal Wind Dragon appeared.
That detail had caught his attention deeply.
Coupled with her resemblance to someone he once knew—he came to meet her himself.
"And that little one by your side is…?"
Dainsleif looked at Paimon, still sipping away at her drink.
"Emergency food."
Lumine said with a smile.
"Hey! Totally wrong!"
Paimon huffed in protest.
"Having someone to accompany you on your journey… not bad."
Dainsleif's gaze drifted, as if recalling something from long ago.
"You… seem to know me?"
Lumine asked curiously.
"My name is Dainsleif. May I ask you a few questions? The price—this meal is on me."
He avoided her question, instead making his own offer.
"Say yes, Lumine! Free food!"
Paimon cheered instantly.
Why spend money when you could freeload?
Better to save the Mora for more manga!
"Very well, Mr. Dainsleif, please go ahead."
Lumine agreed.
She was also curious what kind of questions this strange man wanted to ask.
"There are no right or wrong answers—only reflections of attitude."
Dainsleif paused, then began.
"First question: during Mondstadt's dragon crisis, you and the one called Venti, the Anemo Archon, worked together to end it. In your view, who was the key to resolving the disaster?"
"You—how do you know Venti is…!"
Lumine frowned slightly.
She hadn't told anyone. By rights, Venti's identity shouldn't be exposed.
"I know all that I must know. Answer me."
Dainsleif's tone was calm.
"Boss Han!"
Lumine answered without hesitation.
Even though Boss Han hadn't fought directly,
whether it was fending off Stormterror or purifying him at Starsnatch Cliff,
she needed great power to succeed.
And that power all came from Boss Han's manga shop.
So, in her eyes, the true key was Boss Han.
"That's right! It was Boss Han!"
Paimon chimed in eagerly.
"Boss Han?"
Dainsleif furrowed his brow.
He hadn't heard that name before.
"He's the owner of a manga shop."
Lumine explained, describing its miraculous qualities.
"So it's that so-called 'scam shop' everyone whispers about…"
Understanding dawned on Dainsleif's face.
On his way to Mondstadt, he'd overheard rumors about a strange manga shop—
they said you could obtain incredible things from it.
Creatures called Digimon.
Delicacies like none other.
The Good Hunter's famous golden fried rice was supposedly born from there.
At first, he'd dismissed it as idle gossip.
The claims were too absurd.
But now, hearing even this Traveler say so…
it stirred his interest.
Could that manga shop truly be so extraordinary?
"If that's the case, perhaps I should pay a visit myself."
Dainsleif thought silently.
~~--------------------------------------
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