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"Now, we can finally say that we have officially surpassed the Freya Familia and become the strongest faction in the city in all but name!"

This statement was made not only in Loki's Familia headquarters, but also in every corner of the city and the Netherworld.

No one fails to praise the feats of these leaders, and no one fails to admire the strength of these heroes.

Of course, as one of the main characters, Leo's name has spread all over the world, receiving countless praises and amazement.

In fact, he gained far more fame and renown than Finn and others.

Who made him the youngest and fastest-growing of all the Lv.7s?

Some already believe that before long, this strongest monster newcomer in the lower realm will completely surpass [Fierce Warrior] Ota and become the first being in modern times to reach Lv.8 or even Lv.9.

At that time, modern adventurers will once again emerge who can match the highest combat power of the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia, two millennia-old families. Humanity will once again have a leader and the hope of completing the three adventurers' quests and defeating the final monster king, the one-eyed black dragon.

Therefore, they are looking forward to it and hoping for it.

…………

The underground city, level 18.

While countless people were discussing, praising, and extolling Rio, Rio himself quietly left the Familia's headquarters and came to this labyrinthine paradise.

He walked slowly through the silent, deserted forest, heading deeper into the woods. Even when he encountered monsters that came from other floors, he did not fight them, but instead scared them away, focusing solely on traversing the lush greenery.

Crystal-white light poured down from the dome, illuminating the maze-like amusement park like sunlight. The light filtered through the lush trees, falling on the ground and forming streaks of white, creating a truly beautiful scene.

And so, Leo walked through the woods and came to the pond.

Leo stared at the familiar pool of water for a long time without reacting.

"...Leo."

He didn't know how much time had passed when a familiar girl's voice reached his ears, waking him up, but not making him turn around.

The girl didn't seem to care and went straight to Leo's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

The two looked at the pool together, as if they had returned to that day more than a year ago.

"you say……"

After a long pause, Leo suddenly said something.

"If I hadn't ended up here and had met you taking a shower here, what would have happened?"

Upon hearing this, Ais seemed to recall what happened that day, and her pretty face flushed slightly for a moment.

After all, that day, she stood completely naked in front of Leo and even pulled him out of the water.

However, Leo's question also gave Ais an idea.

What if... I hadn't met Leo?

Ais suddenly realized that she hated this hypothetical scenario and that kind of future.

With that in mind, Ais spoke without hesitation.

"That's not possible."

why?

Because their meeting was already a fact.

“Yes.” Leo smiled and murmured, “I can’t even imagine that possibility.”

It's not that I can't imagine the past being changed, but that I can't imagine what the changed future would be like.

"We still have a long way to go and a lot to do, right?"

"……Um."

The two looked at each other and then laughed together.

The future has been changed, at least compared to the story that should have happened in this world, and they will continue on their way.

This is where they started.

But this will definitely not be their end.

(Finish)

Author's Closing Remarks

The main story and the epilogue are two different stories, both about the same protagonist with some differences, and this concludes the discussion.

It can't be called a perfect ending, but at least it was completed as planned.

Hmm... It's time to breathe a huge sigh of relief again.

I have to say, this is another book that I've been dragged down by real-life issues. I just can't seem to balance family and writing properly, which always delays updates and makes them consistently unsatisfactory.

I'm quite annoyed, but I don't want my wife to say "Are we holding you back?" again.

Between family and writing, I ultimately lean more towards family, which has led to my writing becoming increasingly unsatisfactory. But this is due to my limited abilities and has nothing to do with any other factors or people. I can only look for the reasons within myself.

So this time, we estimate we'll need to take a relatively long break.

One of the children is already in school, and the other will start school next year. Once they grow up, they won't need anyone to worry about them anymore, and they should be able to focus on their writing then.

I don't know how many people are still reading my books. I just hope that when I release a new book next time, I can satisfy myself and everyone else.

I hope everyone will see a completely new me then.

Thank you all for your support so far, and thank you for following us all this way.

Thank you so much! — (bows)