"This pair of bracers…"
Kurose Akira held the Phoenix Bracers in his hands, studying them carefully for a moment before muttering to himself,
"They smell really nice… What material are these made from?"
He couldn't help feeling curious. The bracers carried a faint fragrance, and their material wasn't hard and rigid like ordinary equipment. Instead, the inner layer was slightly soft, even warm to the touch.
Could it have something to do with the nature of a phoenix?
He didn't know the real reason, but when he slipped the bracers gently onto his wrists, a wave of comfort flowed through him like a quiet stream.
In addition, the Phoenix Bracers came with a high-tier spell—Phoenix's Kiss—which was undeniably powerful.
[Phoenix's Kiss (High-Tier): Summons an elemental phantom of a phoenix to fight on your behalf.]
A summoning spell?
Akira's gaze lingered on the description of Phoenix's Kiss, a spark of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
He wondered just how strong the phoenix phantom would be once summoned.
Since it was classified as a high-tier spell, its power surely wouldn't be trivial. Dealing with monsters around level fifty should be no problem at all.
"Thanks."
Akira sent a brief message of gratitude.
[Red: No problem.]
After that short reply, the other party immediately closed the chat window.
Akira continued admiring the Legendary equipment he had just obtained. To his delight, he discovered that even when he activated his half-dragon transformation, the bracers still fit perfectly around his wrists.
That alone left him extremely satisfied.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, something at the edge of the bracer caught his attention. There seemed to be a faint pattern there, drawn with some kind of fluorescent powder, barely visible unless the light hit it just right.
Could this equipment have a hidden attribute?
Akira leaned closer, staring intently at the pattern, trying to decipher its meaning.
However, after examining it for quite a while, he realized the so-called pattern was nothing more than a small, hand-drawn cat doodle.
"…."
Akira fell silent for a moment.
Then he calmly stored the bracers back into his backpack.
At this point, the guild's combat power had already been raised to its current maximum. There probably wasn't anything left—
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Akira suddenly remembered the ghost he had captured earlier.
With a flicker of thought, he summoned Miss Chastity.
But to his surprise, the ghost had somehow turned into a flat sheet of white paper.
"…What the hell?"
Akira frowned as he stared at her.
"How did you suddenly turn into a paper cutout?"
He simply couldn't understand how a ghost could abruptly transform into what looked like a paper figure.
He tried communicating with her, but Miss Chastity gave no response whatsoever.
Left with no other choice, Akira returned her to the Soul Crystal Sphere.
…
Time passed.
Before he knew it, it was already 6:30 the next morning.
Akira arrived at the guild early, only to find that Ivsha and the others were already there waiting expectantly. Lucia had also arrived ahead of schedule.
"Since everyone's here, let's move out," Akira said.
"Yes~!" everyone responded in unison.
Akira then led his guild members toward the royal capital of the Star Kingdom to participate in the final stage of the Demon Cave event.
The concluding ceremony of the event was being held in the vast plaza before the royal palace.
By the time Akira and his group arrived, hundreds of guild players and adventurers had already gathered there.
In addition, many nobles and lords of the Star Kingdom had also come to witness the occasion. They stood together, eagerly anticipating the moment when the Star Knight would slay the Demon King.
The moment Akira stepped into the bustling square, his eyes immediately spotted Lu Bo and the others.
"Su—uh, Akira! Congratulations on successfully advancing your guild to C-Rank! That's incredible!"
Shen Siqi and her cousin Shen Jun rushed over the moment they saw him, offering their congratulations in person.
"Thanks," Akira replied with a smile.
"Man, your guild's leveling speed is insane," Shen Jun said with a sigh. "It's only been a little over a month and you're already at C-Rank. That's just abnormal! It took me more than three months to reach C-Rank."
Shen Siqi shot her cousin an exasperated look.
"Bro, if you spent less time playing chess every day, you wouldn't be so slow."
"What? How did you know I hit Diamond yesterday with three straight wins?!"
"I wasn't asking you!"
Akira simply smiled faintly at their banter.
Then he glanced around and asked,
"Have the members of the Immortal Concubine Guild arrived yet?"
"They should be here soon," Lu Bo replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"I see…"
Akira's gaze drifted across the dense crowd as he searched for Idess.
At the same time, he noticed how the plaza had been divided.
The adventurers and guild players occupied the left side of the square, while the nobles of the Star Kingdom were gathered on the right.
In addition, representatives from nearby small kingdoms and tribal factions had also joined the left side, making it crowded and noisy. By contrast, the nobles' section on the right appeared relatively spacious.
After scanning the area for a while, Akira finally spotted Idess.
She was walking gracefully toward the plaza, surrounded by a group of female knights.
And as she moved forward, crimson rose petals drifted gently through the air around her, falling softly in her wake—creating a spectacle so grand and dreamlike that she seemed almost like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world.
The last time Akira had seen such a dramatic entrance was when the Elf Queen had appeared.
The moment Idess entered everyone's field of view, she instantly drew the attention of the entire crowd.
"Who is that woman?"
"Strange… why does her face look so blurry? Like it's covered by a thin mist."
"But even so… she still looks incredibly beautiful."
"I've heard of her. They say she's the most beautiful woman in the Star Kingdom. Even though no one has ever seen her true face, her reputation has spread everywhere. Makes you wonder what she really looks like."
"So she's basically the most beautiful NPC in the entire game? Can you romance her?"
"Keep dreaming. Someone at that level… we probably wouldn't even get the chance to talk to her."
"The most beautiful? I disagree! Isn't the Elf Queen supposed to be the most beautiful in the game's lore?"
"Huh? I thought it was the Gem Witch??"
"…"
Players were enthusiastically debating the "beauty rankings" of the Magic Continent.
Even Shen Siqi, despite being a girl herself, couldn't resist joining in the gossip.
Akira, however, had little interest in such topics.
He quietly led Elum over to Idess.
Since some of the knights accompanying her recognized Akira, he was able to approach her without difficulty.
When Idess saw Akira arriving with Elum, a faint red light flickered briefly in her beautiful eyes before she asked softly,
"How have the past few days been for you?"
Akira replied,
"Elum has been very well-behaved. We've gotten along quite nicely."
Although he hadn't interacted with the little one very often, Elum was remarkably sensible—and didn't eat much either.
Unlike Ivsha.
Who demanded it every single day!
"That's good."
Idess nodded with satisfaction.
Then she handed Akira a small bottle.
"What's this?" Akira asked curiously.
From his player's interface perspective, the bottle displayed nothing but question marks, revealing no information whatsoever about its function.
"A gift for you. Drink it," Idess said, watching him intently, clearly expecting him to consume it.
"A gift?"
Akira opened the small bottle with some confusion.
The moment the cork came loose, a dense and intoxicating fragrance spread into the air.
The scent felt strangely familiar. He had smelled something similar on Ivsha before—but for the moment, he couldn't remember exactly where.
Yet this fragrance was far stronger.
It seemed almost alive, constantly stimulating his senses… enticing him to drink it down in a single gulp.