"Alice, could you pass me that balloon over there?"
"Here!"
"Can we not put peaches in the fruit platter?! I hate that thing!"
"My apologies, Miss Rhine! I'll eat the peaches myself right away!"
"…"
The moment Kurose Akira announced that they would be throwing a party tonight, the entire guild sprang into action.
The hall was soon transformed. Streamers, ribbons, glowing mana-lamps, and floating decorative sigils filled the space with color. Balloons bobbed gently against the ceiling. Long tables were arranged neatly, draped in cloth. The once-solemn guild hall now radiated warmth and celebration.
And yet—
Kurose Akira sat quietly in the center of it all, staring up at the golden plaque mounted high on the wall.
Cream Puff Fantasyland.
The name shimmered proudly in radiant lettering.
His guild name had already appeared on the C-rank Guild Leaderboard. There was no official ranking yet—after all, they hadn't participated in a guild war—but the name was now visible to every guild C-rank and above.
"…Sigh."
He let out a quiet breath.
His eyes shifted to the current top guild on the C-rank leaderboard: 10 wins, 2 losses.
Impressive.
C-rank and C+ guilds shared the same leaderboard. Guild wars were matched based on win rate, ensuring opponents of similar strength.
That said, the ranking itself offered no tangible rewards. It was more a symbol of prestige—a banner of honor.
Guild wars came in many formats. One-on-one duels. Team-based cooperative battles. Each with unique rule sets.
In standard guild wars, adventurers were protected by the world's laws. No matter how intense the fight, death was impossible.
But there also existed a special type.
A true gamble.
In those matches, both guilds placed everything on the line.
The victor would claim all of the loser's assets.
Even their adventurers.
The defeated guild would be left with nothing.
"A-rank guilds…"
After reviewing the C-rank board, Kurose Akira skipped B-rank entirely and opened the A-rank rankings.
More than four months had passed since the game launched.
And yet—
Only twenty-three A-rank players existed.
The difficulty spoke for itself.
His own guild's progression speed wasn't slow.
But it wasn't top-tier either.
Some guilds operated on 24-hour rotation schedules. By leveraging sheer adventurer count, they cleared missions nonstop, rapidly accumulating experience and rank.
As for resource shortages?
They solved that with money.
An experience tome that granted 10,000 EXP cost one gold coin.
For Kurose Akira, that was still a steep price.
Even after reaching C-rank, his guild assets totaled only about 300 gold.
Converted entirely into EXP tomes, that would yield 3,000,000 EXP.
But pushing past level 50 required far more than raw experience. Equipment, rare materials, specialized upgrades—all mandatory.
If he had to choose between EXP books and epic-grade equipment…
The latter provided far more immediate combat value.
"Speaking of equipment…"
He leaned back in his chair, thinking.
Now that the guild had some funds, it was time to upgrade everyone's gear.
They had money now.
Each person getting one epic—
Cough.
He suppressed the thought.
Maybe not that extravagant. Not yet.
Just as his thoughts drifted, a teleportation circle flared to life.
Loserine and Lucya stepped through.
He had dispatched them earlier to clear daily missions. Since daily commissions refreshed every day, there was no reason to let them go to waste.
They were simple tasks.
The two had completed all three in under thirty minutes.
"Welcome back. Good work."
He rose with a smile and submitted the completed commissions.
Gold +9EXP +90,000 (50% Bonus Applied)
"Perfect timing~ We're just about ready~"
Ivsha approached, carrying a large pot of steaming soup.
The aroma was rich and intoxicating. Rare ingredients floated within—clearly high-grade nourishing materials.
The dining table was already packed with dishes of every variety, waiting for Lucya and the others to return so they could begin together.
"If everything's set… then let's start."
As his voice fell, everyone took their seats.
"Mr. Kurose, allow me."
Ivsha poured wine into his glass with graceful elegance.
She then turned to Lucya.
"Your Holiness, would you prefer juice or wine?"
Lucya hesitated briefly.
"Wine."
"Of course~"
"Thank you."
Kurose Akira watched Lucya's glass carefully, hesitation flickering across his mind.
He knew her alcohol tolerance.
It was… not reassuring.
Aside from Lucya and Ivsha, everyone else opted for juice or milk.
Kurose Akira stood, raising his glass high.
"To celebrate our guild's promotion to C-rank—cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Glasses clinked. Laughter filled the hall.
The party began in high spirits.
And then—
The scene shifted.
"This soup…"
Near the end of the banquet, something changed.
The lively atmosphere dissolved into eerie silence.
One by one—
After tasting Ivsha's carefully prepared soup—
They collapsed.
Lucya. Alice. Mare Rhine. Loserine.
All unconscious.
Only Kurose Akira and Viola remained awake.
The reason soon became clear.
The soup appeared to affect only females.
Viola, being strictly vegetarian, had never touched the soup—and was thus spared.
"Alice…?" Viola gently shook the girl beside her.
No response.
Confused, she looked toward Kurose Akira for answers.
He could only shake his head helplessly.
He had no idea what was happening either.
At that moment—
Ivsha, who had been slumped beside him, slowly opened her eyes.
She glanced around at the sleeping figures.
A satisfied smile curved her lips.
"It seems everyone quite enjoyed my… special cooking."
Her gaze shifted to Viola.
"Viola~ You should sleep too."
"I… I… um~"
After a brief pause—
Viola obediently lowered her head onto the table.
Feigning sleep.
"…?"
Kurose Akira blinked.
Viola was surprisingly compliant.
Before he could react—
Ivsha had already moved.
She slipped onto his lap with fluid grace.
Her slender fingers cupped his cheeks.
Her body swayed gently, warm and soft against him. Heart-shaped pupils shimmered faintly in her eyes as she whispered in a velvety voice:
"Mr. Kurose… it's time to enjoy the main course~"
"Wait. Here? Isn't this a little—?"
His eyes flicked toward the unconscious girls around them.
Performing a prayer to the Holy Light beside Lucya and the others felt…
Questionable.
Ivsha merely giggled.
"Don't worry~ They're all asleep. Even if you're a little loud, they won't wake."
As she spoke, she began loosening the restraints of holy light around herself.
"Still… if they suddenly wake up—"
He did not want their guild's celebration turning into a scandalous spectacle.
"Oh, Mr. Kurose~"
Ivsha cut him off with a playful pout.
"You say no, but your body is very honest~ In that case… I won't hold back."
"…?"
"Mr. Kurose~~"
A faint voice interrupted.
Lucya.
Bathed in residual holy radiance, she slowly stirred awake.
She pressed a hand to her temple.
"My head… Did I get drunk again?"
Her gaze steadied.
"Ivsha?"
"Saintess~"
Ivsha showed no trace of panic.
Instead, she smiled—radiant and inviting.
"Would you like to join us?"