Inside a private box at the teahouse,
Aurora remained online.
She had always shared a close bond with Belle. Since Belle was currently tackling a dungeon tonight, as her older sister naturally couldn't rest easy.
Even if Shura was a so-called genius who could clear content by simply lying down, Aurora still harbored some concern.
It was perfectly reasonable—after all, the Samsara Tower's dungeons were infamously dangerous.
That's why she waited.
When the broadcast suddenly announced that Shura had once again achieved a Super God rating, Aurora's lips curved slightly into a smile. She muttered under her breath:
"Shura… you've done it again."
At the same time, she exhaled a breath of relief.
If Shura succeeded, then surely that girl Belle had also completed the mission, right?
"I wonder what kind of rating Belle got? If she managed to score an A, that would already be impressive."
Just as she was thinking this, another system-wide announcement rang out in the Samsara Plaza:
"Congratulations! Samsara player Belle Morwyn performed outstandingly in the 'Venom: Deadly Guardian' dungeon within the Samsara Tower. During the mission, she eliminated 12,219 symbiotes, far surpassing the dungeon requirements, and achieved the highest rating: SS!"
"!!!"
Aurora's expression changed instantly. She sat up straight, eyes widening.
"Double S rating?!"
She repeated it to herself, shock written all over her delicate face.
Even she had never achieved an SS rating!
But moments later, her surprise gave way to joy, and she laughed freely.
"That girl Belle must be over the moon right now."
Just then, the system prompted her:
"You have a new communication request. 'Adam' is inviting you to a video call. Please respond promptly."
Hearing this, Aurora's eyes flashed, and then she calmly accepted the call.
The screen lit up.
A middle-aged white man with deep-set eyes appeared on the screen. His appearance was plain—even slightly bald—making him look like any average person.
If someone saw him on the street, they would never suspect that this was Adam, the world's number-one expert and the only player to ever achieve a comprehensive S rating in strength.
Of course, this was just a disguise—a persona Adam had created when he first entered the Samsara space.
"Good evening, madam," Adam greeted with a polite smile.
Aurora Morwyn returned the smile. "Mr. Adam, what brings you to contact me so suddenly?"
"I want to propose a cooperation."
Adam got straight to the point—time was short, and the Samsara space would be closing soon. There was no time for pleasantries.
"Cooperation?" Aurora asked, still smiling. "What kind?"
"I know that Belle Morwyn is your younger sister. That genius—Shura—helped her achieve an SS rating. Given that, your relationship with him must be quite… special. I'm hoping you can persuade him to bring one of my friends along for a dungeon run."
Without waiting for her reply, Adam added, "Aurora, I heard you just cleared the 28th floor? As a sign of good faith, I'm willing to share key information about the 29th-floor dungeon—Avengers 3."
Aurora's smile faded into a cold smirk.
The arrogance of this guy—it ran deep in his bones.
He thought that offering a mere dungeon tip would be enough to get her to convince Shura to carry someone through a mission?
It wasn't even a question of whether she could convince Shura. Even if she could, she wouldn't do something so foolish.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Adam. I'm afraid I can't help you. You'll have to contact Shura yourself."
As she said this, Aurora couldn't help but sigh softly.
Shura truly was remarkable.
Even a man like Adam had to beg him for help!
She had heard the rumors—that Adam viewed Shura as a dangerous rival and had long sought to eliminate him.
Adam didn't appear surprised by her refusal. He gazed at her through the screen and calmly upped the offer:
"Aurora, if it's a matter of sincerity, I can give you something else—an exclusive item. It can erase the Devil Fruit ability in your body and let you obtain a new one."
"..."
Aurora's eyes flickered with emotion.
In her younger days, she had foolishly consumed a highly embarrassing Devil Fruit. It had severely limited her growth ever since.
Such things weren't uncommon in the Samsara space.
The Third Stage of the One Piece dungeon rarely awarded powerful Devil Fruits—players often got stuck with subpar ones.
To get a strong Devil Fruit, one had to challenge the second stage of the One Piece dungeon.
But how many people could resist the temptation of superpowers and survive long enough to reach it?
She never imagined Adam had an item that could erase a Devil Fruit ability.
She had to admit… she was tempted.
This was exactly what she needed most right now.
But.
Aurora still shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Adam. I appreciate your sincerity… but I must decline."
Adam's brows finally furrowed. He asked directly:
"Aurora, let's not dance around it. What do you want?"
This request—to have Shura carry someone—was extremely important. Far more critical than just "helping a friend."
"Adam, you misunderstand. Shura is his own person. No one can force him to do anything. Besides… I've heard that you've been plotting against him in secret. Do you really think he'd agree to your request?"
"Hostility is hostility. Cooperation is cooperation," Adam replied calmly. "That genius is smart—he knows how to distinguish between the two."
"I'm powerless here," Aurora said flatly. "You'll have to try your own luck."
With that, she hung up.
She wasn't afraid of Adam causing trouble. Nor was she worried about him threatening Belle.
Belle was her younger sister, and her identity was no secret in the Samsara space.
Everyone knew who the top 100 players were.
The unspoken rule was simple: resolve personal grudges in private, but don't involve family.
Endangering someone's loved ones would shatter that balance.
And if anyone broke that rule…
Everyone would unite to strike them down.
"You have a new communication request. 'Sventovite' is inviting you to a video call. Please respond promptly."
She had just ended her call with Adam when another request came in.
Sventovite—ranked third in the global leaderboard.
Aurora declined it without hesitation. She already knew what he wanted—the same thing Adam did.
She opened her friend list and clicked on Belle's account, sending her a video request.
Moments later, the screen lit up.
"Sis! You're still online? I was just about to look for you!"
Belle Morwyn beamed. Her beautiful face glowed with joy, clearly having just received her mission rewards.
[TL/n: Changing how Belle calls Aurora from Cousin to Sis. The first one was done to make it easier to remember that she's her cousin. Now that everyone knows who she is, I'm changing it back to normal.]