"Thanks~"
Kurose Akira took the fruit, smiling as he gently ruffled Vilora's hair.
She always seemed to melt under his touch, her face lighting up with pure satisfaction and joy. Even the pair of delicate deer-like ears atop her head twitched happily, as if expressing her delight.
"Master, Master! Look at me!" Vilora suddenly ran off to the side, holding up a tree branch with both hands, her eyes sparkling with anticipation and pride.
"Hm?"
Akira turned toward her curiously, unsure what the little one was trying to show him.
Vilora began softly chanting an incantation. In an instant, the tip of the branch began to glow with a golden-green light. The radiance spread outward like budding treetops, branching and expanding in all directions.
In mere moments, the entire scene of Vilora's room underwent a complete transformation.
A lush forest flooded Akira's vision—he had once again entered Vilora's mental world.
But unlike last time, there were now two additional statues within the forest.
One depicted Akira himself. The other was Vilora. They stood on either side of the statue of the Goddess of Nature, as if guarding the sacred space.
"What is this…?"
Akira gazed at the three statues, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"These are spirit statues! They can bring benefits to Master!" Vilora explained excitedly. "But… I'm still too weak right now, so I can only create statues of myself and Master…"
"Spirit statues?" Akira walked closer, reaching out to touch one.
The moment his fingertips brushed its surface, a powerful wave of spiritual energy rippled through the depths of his soul.
[Nature Domain: You are currently within Vilora's spiritual domain. You are immune to all mental magic effects, and the power of your mental magic is increased by 100%!]
"The domain effect… increased?" Akira stared at the system notification, disbelief written across his face.
Just as he was focusing on the change, Vilora called out excitedly again, "Master! Look over here!"
Akira raised his head. Above his statue, a stream of clear water was gushing out continuously, like a miniature fountain.
"..."
He froze for a second, then lightly patted Vilora's head.
"Alright, it's about time. Kids should be going to bed."
"I'm not a kid! I'm already an adult!"
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
Since he was preparing to move tomorrow, Akira started organizing his belongings early in the morning.
Because Xu Feiyan's villa was already fully furnished with all necessary furniture and daily necessities, he decided not to bring along his cheap, unnecessary items, reducing the burden of moving.
"Phew…"
After a full morning of work, Akira finally cleared out everything he didn't need. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he felt an unexpected sense of relief.
Taking advantage of a short break, he opened WeChat and saw that Liu Xue had sent him a message.
[Kana's Bunny: How's the new place my sister and I got? (image)]
Akira browsed through the photo she sent. The sisters' new home wasn't luxuriously decorated, but it looked clean and tidy.
He replied, "That sofa looks nice. I'll move in tomorrow (*￣︶￣)."
[Kana's Bunny: ∑(OОO) R-really!?]
Akira: "Just kidding. I found a place."
[Kana's Bunny: I knew it was a joke! Where are you staying? Dorm?]
Akira: "No, at a friend's place."
[Kana's Bunny: Oh, my sister's calling me. Bye.]
"?"
Akira stared at the chat for a second, slightly puzzled, before continuing to tidy up.
Once everything was more or less done, he took a shower to relax, then turned on his computer and logged into the game world.
The moment he entered the guild, he saw Lucia sitting alone in the guild hall, leisurely enjoying her morning tea.
"You're here~" Lucia glanced at him and gently set down her teacup in greeting.
"Where is everyone else?" Akira looked around, noticing the hall was empty aside from her.
"They thought things were a bit boring, so they went to do daily quests with Loserine," Lucia replied casually.
"Oh, got it."
Akira nodded, not thinking much of it, and headed straight toward his bedroom.
But the moment he opened the door, he heard laughter coming from inside—Mare Rhine and the Progenitor Vampire, Canlutia.
"Hahaha! That imitation was way too spot-on!"
"Right? That human brat always—"
Before Canlutia could finish, the door swung open.
The instant they saw Akira standing there, both froze. The laughter vanished, their smiles stiffening.
Akira immediately understood—their topic had definitely been about him.
"What were you two talking about?"
He walked toward them, tone calm but probing.
"W-Why should we tell you!?" Canlutia crossed her arms, trying to appear composed, but there was a trace of panic in her voice.
"Talking behind my back?" Akira raised a brow and stepped closer. His height created a natural pressure that made Canlutia instinctively step back.
"N-No! Not at all!" Her eyes darted around, unable to meet his gaze.
That reaction only deepened Akira's suspicion. Smiling faintly, he suddenly reached out, grabbed her slender waist, and effortlessly lifted her into the air.
"Hey! What are you doing!? Put me down!" Canlutia cried, kicking her legs helplessly in midair.
"Talk. Or you're not getting any blood today," Akira said coldly.
"I told you, we weren't talking about anything! Why would this progenitor lie to you!?"
Dangling in the air, she flailed her smooth, jade-like legs angrily. "Put me down!"
Since all her attributes were tied to Akira, she had no way of resisting him under any circumstances.
"If you don't talk, I'm not letting you down," Akira replied, unmoved.
With this vampire progenitor, a firm approach was necessary.
At that moment, Mare Rhine chuckled softly, spreading her hands as if mediating. "Human, don't be so sensitive. We didn't say anything bad about you."
The moment those words left her mouth, Akira shot her a cold glance.
She wasn't getting off easy either.
"Wait—"
"Hey!"
"Put me down!"
Just like that, Akira lifted both Mare Rhine and Canlutia—one in each hand.
Both of them were under 1.5 meters tall, their petite figures forming a stark contrast against Akira's tall build. They looked like two helpless little rabbits.
"If you just tell me, I'll let you go," Akira pressed.
"In your dreams! I would never betray my comrade!" Mare declared proudly.
"Exactly! We won't say a thing!" Canlutia chimed in.
"So united?" Akira raised a brow, genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected their alliance to be this strong. When had they gotten so close?
After a brief pause, his gaze sharpened.
"If one of you talks first, I'll grant her a small request. The one who doesn't… no dinner tonight."
"Hmph! I am loyal and righteous—"
Before Mare could finish, Canlutia instantly sold her out.
"I'll talk! Mare said your holy light is pathetically small to her!"
Mare: "?"
"Traitor!"
"That's not betrayal! That's resource allocation! This progenitor absolutely cannot go hungry!" Canlutia defended herself hastily.
"Oh, then don't blame me!" Mare snapped back immediately. "This vampire said your brain is full of white mush, that your lower head controls your upper head! She also said you're extremely interested in her backside!"
"Hey! Big-boobed lizard! I only said one thing—why did you say three!?" Canlutia shot back, then turned to Akira. "Mare also said you're her servant, and once she regains her strength, she'll step on you—crush you under her feet until you're nothing but white mush!"
"You flat-chested vampire, stop exaggerating!"
"You started it!"
Just like that, the two of them began exposing each other's insults nonstop.
Akira watched them, eyebrows raised, barely holding back laughter. Their "alliance" had collapsed far more easily than he expected.
Letting out a sigh, his gaze turned cold.
"Neither of you is getting off easy today."
…
"We're back~"
After helping Loserine complete her daily tasks, Ivsha and the others returned to the guild together.
As soon as they entered, they looked around, hoping to see their guild leader.
"Huh? Where's Mr. Akira?" Ivsha asked, puzzled.
"Yeah! Master isn't here yet?" Alice added, equally confused.
It was already nearing noon—why hadn't he shown up?
"He's in his bedroom," Lucia said lazily from the sofa.
"Okay! Thanks, Sister Lucia!"
Hearing that, Alice and the others immediately ran toward the bedroom.
"Master!"
But the moment they excitedly pushed the door open, they froze.
Inside, sharp whipping sounds echoed, mixed with Akira's stern scolding and the cries of Mare Rhine and Canlutia.
The sounds blended into a strangely intense atmosphere.
"Enjoy talking behind my back?"
Smack!
"Ahh—!"
"Human! Let me go!"
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"..."
The girls stood there, stunned, unable to move.
Only after Ivsha gently closed the door did they slowly regain their senses.
"What… is Master doing?" Vilora asked, clutching her branch, tilting her head in confusion.
Ivsha's expression flickered with awkwardness before she quickly composed herself.
Smiling, she replied, "Maybe… they're playing a game?"
"Really?"
"Mhm~"
Vilora and Alice were only half-convinced.
After all, the scene they just witnessed was… intense. Mare Rhine and Canlutia were tightly bound and suspended in midair, while Akira used a small branch to strike their backsides…
Was that really a game?
Lucia, on the other hand, remained relatively calm. She seemed used to Akira's behavior, merely rolling her eyes.
After a while, Akira stepped out of the room, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He looked a bit tired, but overall in good spirits.
Seeing Ivsha and the others had returned, he said, "Let's go. We're heading to the Elven Kingdom."
"What for?" Lucia immediately asked.
"The Undead Lord's first wave of skeleton army has reached the borders of the Elven Kingdom. We need to go," Akira explained as he began preparing a portal.
As part of his special commission to advance to C+ rank, he needed to ensure everything went perfectly.
Lucia's expression shifted slightly at the news.
According to the Holy Church's intelligence, the war wasn't supposed to start yet. So why had the Undead Lord moved ahead of schedule?
"Elena just informed me," Akira added. "Let's move. The Elven Kingdom needs our help."
"Understood!"
Without hesitation, Akira led the guild members into the portal.
He had just finished "educating" Mare Rhine and Canlutia when he received the urgent message from Princess Elena.
From what she conveyed, although war was imminent, the Elven Kingdom—currently at full strength—would have no trouble repelling the skeleton army.
The real concern lay in the endless tide.
These lifeless soldiers knew no fatigue. They would keep coming, wave after wave—that was the true terror of the Undead Lord.
As white light flashed, they arrived at the border of the Elven Kingdom.
On the towering walls, thousands of elven soldiers stood ready. Their expressions were resolute, bows gripped tightly, prepared to face the oncoming assault.
From the wall, several kilometers away, a massive sea of skeleton soldiers stretched across the horizon.
They stood in dense formations, advancing slowly toward the kingdom.
"There are at least over a hundred thousand…" Akira muttered, frowning.
At that moment, Elena appeared silently behind him.
A confident smile rested on her face, as if she didn't consider the invasion a serious threat.
"Don't worry. A mere hundred thousand skeletons are nothing to the elves," she said calmly, before issuing orders to the soldiers beside her. "Prepare yourselves. Let Guild Master Akira witness… the power of the elves."