In the end, the Community of "Will o'wisp" passed through the Cross-Gate together with Ren Kuroda and his group, heading for the South District.
As for Will o'wisp's request, Ren accepted that as well.
Just as Leticia had said, they were destined to stand against the so-called Demon King Alliance sooner or later—and Maxwell happened to be one of its members. If they were enemies by default, then while protecting Vera, why not earn a little extra on the side?
Besides, after the Fire Dragon Birth Festival, their Community's finances had taken a brutal hit. Buying land, constructing new facilities—every bit of profit they'd made had evaporated. They were deep in the red now.
The heavy pouch of gold coins from Will o'wisp made refusal practically impossible.
The South District felt entirely different from the North and East.
Its architectural style and local customs carried a flavor all their own. The streets bustled with demi-humans of every imaginable race. Shops lined both sides of the roads in impressive numbers, clearly signaling that commerce here far surpassed the North and East.
Even griffins—rare sights in other districts—could be seen occasionally slicing across the southern skies.
From an overall perspective, this place matched perfectly the "fantasy otherworld" image so many reincarnated adventurers raved about. A classic fantasy backdrop. Beast-eared demi-humans. Colosseum-like arenas. Iconic landmarks everywhere.
It was the sort of place that made would-be adventurers' hearts swell with longing.
Walking down the southern streets, Ren's group drew more stares than anyone else around.
The reason was simple.
They were far too conspicuous.
One man leading at the front. A procession of beautiful women following behind him. From petite cuties to elegant older-sister types, every single one of them was stunning.
And even Ren himself—objectively speaking—was easily among the most handsome men on the entire street.
It was the kind of formation that practically forced people to look twice.
The largest Community in the South District was "Dragon Horn Gryphon." It functioned similarly to an alliance-type organization like Thousand Eyes, with most of its members being various demi-human races.
Its internal structure was divided into divisions known as "One Horn," "Two Wings," "Four Claws," and "Six Scars," each name inspired by the characteristics of the mythical Dragon Horn Gryphon itself.
The current Alliance Chair was the leader of "One Horn"—a woman preparing to inherit the title of South District Floor Master:
Sarah Terudorake.
Hearing that surname might ring a bell.
That's right—Sarah was the elder sister of Shandora and Mandara from the North District.
In fact, she had originally been meant to become the North District's Floor Master. But due to various circumstances, she relocated to the South. Rumor had it that the former Floor Master entrusted her with something significant, which ultimately led her to assume leadership of "One Horn."
The Harvest Festival was the South District's grand annual celebration.
Every year during this time, powerful Communities across the district hosted a wide range of Gift Games. Though the prizes were often nothing more than agricultural products harvested by the Communities, the festive atmosphere alone was enough to ignite excitement.
Before participating in Dragon Horn Gryphon's large-scale events, most visiting Communities would warm up by joining smaller Gift Games scattered throughout the district.
Ren and his group, after strolling through the streets for a while, had already encountered a staggering variety of bizarre competitions.
One in particular stood out:
A competitive eating Gift Game.
And inside it, they spotted two familiar faces—Kasukabe Yō and Aisha from Will o'wisp.
The two girls stood out immediately among the participants. It wasn't simply because they were cute.
It was because every other competitor was a massive creature—griffins, dragon horses, and other gigantic magical beasts.
Compared to those enormous bodies, the petite Kasukabe Yō and Aisha looked smaller than fingernails.
What were they even competing against?
This wasn't about combat strength—it was about appetite. How could humans possibly out-eat griffins and dragon horses?
These phantasmal beasts consumed meals equivalent to more than ten adult humans as a baseline. In fact, the Gift Game seemed designed specifically for them.
And yet—
When the competition began, a shocking scene unfolded.
The girl named Kasukabe Yō stared at the table overflowing with food, her eyes lighting up instantly. Then she began eating in a calm, orderly manner.
At first, everyone assumed she was just there to fill the numbers.
But after dozens of minutes passed, something unbelievable became clear.
Several of the gigantic beasts had already withdrawn—defeated by their own overstuffed stomachs.
Yō, however, continued eating at almost exactly the same steady pace as when she began.
Her table manners were elegant. She didn't wolf down her food. There was no frantic stuffing.
And yet—
The mountain of dishes before her visibly shrank at an unnatural speed.
More absurd still, she had already consumed an amount equal to her own body weight… yet her stomach remained perfectly flat.
Aisha, determined not to lose face, had joined the contest as well—but she was eliminated in the first round. Now her belly was swollen like she was ten months pregnant.
In the end, even the reigning champion—a griffin—was forced to concede defeat, utterly unable to eat another bite.
When the host announced Kasukabe Yō as the final winner, the girl politely raised her hand and asked:
"Um… would it be alright if I finish the rest before I leave? Wasting food is shameful…"
Silence fell.
Ordinary magical beasts already consumed over ten times a human's portion. Yet this seemingly delicate girl had eaten the equivalent of more than a dozen such beasts combined.
It was a horrifying spectacle.
And that wasn't the only strange Gift Game on display.
Since this was the South District—home primarily to demi-humans and magical beasts—many of the competitions favored participants of that nature.
But Ren's group was, frankly, absurdly overpowered.
Even when facing demi-humans and magical beasts on their own turf, they rarely lost any event they entered.
For example, a Gift Game involving commanding animals in combat was completely dominated once Ratine and Argel joined in. The other contestants were swept aside without resistance.
In a flying speed competition—open to anyone with "wings"—Leticia's blood-red wings left the fastest griffin unable to even glimpse her taillights.
And now—
A tug-of-war Gift Game.
Ren was one of the participants.
And interestingly enough, he ran into a familiar face yet again.
The boy standing opposite him had initially looked bored. But the moment he saw Ren, his expression lit up with excitement.
"Well, well… if it isn't Ren Kuroda. I didn't expect to meet you here."
He rolled his shoulders, grinning.
"If this were a fight to the death, I'd admit I'm not your match—for now. But if we're only comparing raw strength…"
He left the sentence hanging in the air, eyes gleaming with challenge.
The rope between them tightened.
The crowd leaned in.
The Harvest Festival was just getting started.