(Back on Earth, the next day)


    While preparing for his next floor raid, Rocky made a surprising discovery during his time at home with Riva.


    Since Baby Chun had developed a deep fondness for Earth and its food, Rocky decided one day to let the little beast out of his soul space while Riva was present in the house, and although Rocky was initially afraid of how Riva would react looking at the energetic little bunny, to his pleasant surprise, Riva immediately took a liking to the tiny creature.


    "Master? Who is this thin human? Why does she keep looking at me in such a creepy way?" Baby Chun asked Rocky upon seeing Riva for the first time. However, it wasn''t long before the two became close friends.


    Baby Chun''s infectious energy and curiosity drew Riva out of her shell, encouraging her to be more active as she yed with him. The little beast wanted to smell everything, taste everything, and was irresistibly cute and cuddly.


    For Riva, spending time with Baby Chun was a therapeutic experience. Thanks to Chun, she smiled and giggled for the first time since her release from imprisonment.


    Overjoyed, Rocky allowed both Baby Chun and Mama Chun to roam freely around the house in their bunny forms, adding two unexpected family members to the Yadav household.


    Mama Chun, who had already been present in the underground prison cell when Rocky rescued Riva, was familiar with her condition and felt sympathy for her. She promised Rocky that she would look after Riva when he wasn''t around, which came as a great relief for Rocky.


    Though this meant that Rocky now had to embark on dangerous floor runs without his trusted mount, he felt mentally at ease, knowing that Riva would no longer be alone in the house.


    With Baby Chun to y with and Mama Chun to ensure her safety, Rocky could face the challenges ahead with greater peace of mind.


    ********


    A few days passed quickly, and soon the day to reunite with the team came.


    As Rocky made his way to the True Elites Guild Headquarters, the first one to meet him there was Erin who had returned to Earth alongside him after theirst raid.


    "Good morning Sir Rocky! Are you ready for another run?" Erin asked, as Rocky greeted him back and squeezed his shoulders to disy his readiness to hunt.


    "I have learnt a new spell…. I can now dispel poisonous fog when needed.


    I think it will prove useful in critical situations" Erin said, as he reported to Rocky about his improvements in the past few days.


    "Most impressive, Erin, I too have learnt new sword skills" Rocky said, as Erin smiled and gave him a double thumbs up.


    Just as the two were about to discuss more about their improvements, Kronos arrived at the gathering venue, with a shiny new sword in hand.


    "Yo boys… check this out! A semi legendary grade weapon! Isn''t it cool?" Kronos asked, proudly swinging the sword which gleamed brightly under the room''s LED lights.


    Although the leather grip on his sword seemed to have degraded a bit, the de itself was immacte and breathtaking and both Erin and Rocky immediately congratted Kronos for obtaining such a fine piece.


    "This sword must have cost millions! How did you manage to afford it, Sir Kronos?" Erin asked, as Kronos chuckled out loud at this question.


    "I grew up poor Erin…. I know cheap ces that most people don''t" Kronos said, as he swung his new de around some more, trying to look cool.


    It was clear that he was obsessed with his new toy and overjoyed to have it, with how lovingly he kept gazing at it again and again.


    Finally, thest to arrive was Buhara, who seemed to be a little wobbly at the knees by how he walked.


    "Oh look! Buhara is here–" Rocky said, raising his hand for a high five, which Buhara gave him with a big grin on his face.


    "Oye, Orc, why are you walking so funny today?" Kronos asked, pointing at Buhara''s legs, as Buhara immediately blushed at the question.


    "Puny humans and whatever species you are…." Buhara replied, pointing towards Kronos, as he gazed towards the ceiling in pride.


    "Buhara is happy to announce that he is officially married now.


    Yesterday Buhara married his childhood crush Sohara and then made love to her all night!


    Yess….. Buhara is a real man now" said Buhara flexing his upper body muscles, as everyone beamed in joy at this joyous piece of news.


    "Ayeee! Congrattions my man!" Said Rocky, as he gave Buhara a warm congrattory hug.


    "You always missed her during university…. I''m happy you ended up together" said Erin as he gave Buhara a gentle hug, still seeming afraid that Buhara would crush him if he went in for an actual one.


    "Congrattions Orc! But if you did all the banging yesterday then why are your legs weak?


    It should be the girl who feels weak in the knees, unless you have let your rear seal be prated instead of doing the pration" Kronos teased, as Rocky and Erin burst outughing at the joke.


    "Of-Course not! Buhara is a prideful orc!" Said Buhara in protest, as he began stomping his feet and flexing his quads to show that he had very strong feet.


    The merry atmospherested for a few more minutes as the group shared details of their activities over the past few days, until it was time to enter the tower once again.


    The moment Rocky began talking about strategy and the challenges that the team might face on floor23 everyone immediately turned serious as they knew that their life/death depended on it.


    Over the past week, everyone except Buhara hade to the realization that they needed to grow significantly stronger if they hoped to survive the weekly floor raids, and had begun working towards that goal.


    As everyone acknowledged, that as challenging as Floor 22 had been, Floor 23 was sure to be even tougher.