Kurose Akira's gaze locked tightly onto Lucia's exquisitely sculpted ankles, as flawless as carved jade, a trace of intoxication surfacing in his eyes.
Lucia's jade-like feet were like lotus blossoms just lifted from clear water—imbued with an otherworldly holiness, yet subtly laced with a tantalizing allure that tugged at the heart.
No wonder she had been able to threaten his Holy Light so easily just moments ago.
Faced with Akira's unabashed, focused stare, Lucia merely flicked her eyes toward him, then parted her lips and said calmly,"I'll be going back now."
"Mm."Akira snapped out of it and responded briefly.
It was late. Indeed, it was time for Lucia to return to the Holy Light Church.
She stepped forward lightly, as if golden ripples bloomed beneath her feet, heading toward the teleportation array.
As she walked, Akira noticed—almost absentmindedly—that droplets of water slid down from her jade-like feet and fell onto the wooden floor of the guild hall. Each droplet was like a diamond, reflecting the surrounding holy radiance, emitting a dazzling brilliance like stars scattered across the night sky.
A faint fragrance still lingered in the air from her presence. Akira took a soft breath, the corner of his lips lifting into a knowing smile.
As expected of the Saintess of the Holy Light Church.
"Sleep~"
Akira stretched lazily, then turned and headed for his bedroom, planning to finally get some proper rest.
But the instant he pushed open the door, what greeted him was Marei Rhein lying peacefully atop his small wooden bed—and the freshly repaired bed had collapsed again.
Akira frowned.
Hadn't he already prepared a comfortable mattress for her? It was placed right in the corner of the bedroom.
That mattress was soft and springy—surely far more comfortable to sleep on.
So why was she still occupying his bed?
With a sigh, Akira walked over to Marei Rhein and tried to lift her.
Very quickly, however, he realized—he couldn't move her at all.
That terrifying weight filled him with despair.
Even when he exerted all his strength, he couldn't budge Marei Rhein in the slightest. He couldn't even lift her tail!
This thing's weight had to exceed several thousand tons!
"What are you doing?"
Marei Rhein's voice suddenly rang out, shattering the silence. She woke from her sleep, her crimson eyes fixing on Akira, flames of irritation flickering within them.
Akira pointed solemnly toward the small bed in the corner."That is your bed."
Marei Rhein snorted coldly, disdain written all over her face."Hmph~ Human, have you ever seen a dragon sleeping in a doghouse?"
"Doghouse?!" Akira was speechless. "That's a deluxe infant dragon mattress I bought at great expense—specially picked for you!"
He had clearly bought it so she could sleep more comfortably. How did it turn into a doghouse in her mouth?
"No matter how much you spent, it's still a doghouse."Marei Rhein shot a chilly glance at the mattress, then closed her eyes again."I've already left my scent on this bed. It's mine now."
"???"
"Go sleep over there!"
"I'd rather die than yield!"
"!"
In the end, after a bout of chaotic struggle, Akira could only resign himself to letting Marei Rhein sleep together with him on the same bed.
Before closing his eyes, he made a firm decision—Tomorrow, he had to buy a bigger, sturdier bed.
Preferably the kind that could fit five or six people.
Only then would it survive Marei Rhein's weight.
As Akira drifted into sleep, his consciousness was instantly pulled into the dreamscape created by the World Tree of the Elves.
"Phew~"
He let out a soft sigh. At last, he could enjoy a moment of relaxation.
At the same time, curiosity stirred within him.Which beautiful Elf Queen would be waiting for him in the elven cottage tonight?
When he pushed open the door, a pure, sacred white figure entered his vision.
Akira couldn't help being drawn in by that captivating silhouette.Today's Elf Queen seemed… a little different.
Her snow-white ceremonial gown was tinged with a silvery sheen, glittering brilliantly under the sunlight.
Moreover, the tear mole beneath her left eye marked her identity clearly—the orthodox Elf Queen.
"You've come~"
The Elf Queen smiled at Akira gently, like a spring breeze brushing past his face, as if it were washing away all fatigue.
"Mm."
Akira nodded, walked over, and sat across from her.
In front of this orthodox Elf Queen, he behaved with impeccable courtesy—like a refined gentleman.
"It's been a while. How have you been lately?" she asked softly, her voice filled with warmth and concern.
"Not bad. And you, Your Majesty?" Akira replied.
"I've encountered some unpleasant matters."Her beautiful eyes flickered, a trace of melancholy surfacing.
"If you don't mind, you can share them with me," Akira said earnestly. He was more than willing to help ease her worries—and he also wanted to learn more about the elven race. Besides, this beautiful queen possessed an unmatched snowy purity that held a unique attraction for him.
"I was just hoping to find someone to talk to," the Elf Queen said with a radiant smile. "If you're willing to listen, that would be wonderful~"
"Please, go ahead."
"Recently, three Dark Elves infiltrated the Elven Kingdom," she began.
Dark Elves?
Akira immediately recalled the commissions given to him earlier by the other two Elf Queens.He realized—they hadn't told the true Elf Queen about this matter at all.
"They were captured by the elves and are now imprisoned in the Gloom Prison," the Elf Queen continued. "I can sense that those children entered the Elven Kingdom with a purpose. But if we question them, we'll gain nothing. Even after leaving the elven race, elves do not easily betray their oaths."
At that, Akira understood her meaning."So you want me to investigate their true intentions?"
"No."The Elf Queen shook her head gently."I don't want you to break an elf's oath. Whether elf or dark elf, they all carry sincere hearts. It's only that their beliefs differ—or perhaps… they are dissatisfied with me as their queen."
A hint of helplessness surfaced in her eyes.
Akira knew the Elf Queen's weakness well.Self-blame and guilt constantly weighed on her heart, giving rise to darker thoughts.
"I believe the Dark Elves will eventually return to the elven race," he said firmly. "They will understand your difficulties. Everything you've done has been for the sake of the elves."
"You…"
The Elf Queen gazed at Akira quietly, profound light shimmering in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, she smiled—truly convinced—and spoke softly,"Thank you, little one. I'll remember your words."
"Cough, cough."
Akira cleared his throat and made a small request."Your Majesty… could you not call me 'little one'? I'm already an adult."
The Elf Queen tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering across her face."Then what should I call you?"
"Well…"Akira hesitated. He couldn't think of a title that was both appropriate and fitting. Calling him by name felt improper.
Guildmaster?
As he hesitated, her voice came again.
She laughed softly."I think 'little one' is quite adorable. Of course, I do have another, more suitable title."
"…What?"
"Kurose Akira, little friend~"
"..."
…Never mind."Little one" it is.
After that, Akira and the Elf Queen continued their conversation in depth. Only when the dreamscape began to fade did they part reluctantly.
When Akira opened his eyes, he felt a heavy pressure on his chest.
Looking down, he saw Marei Rhein sprawled across him like a kitten.
But—You're a dragon!Not a cat!
You're way too heavy!
Akira sat up and pushed Marei Rhein aside. This time, surprisingly, he could move her.
…Had she been pretending to sleep last night?
With a helpless shrug, Akira removed his VR headset and climbed out of bed.
After a quick wash, he headed to school.
When he arrived, he saw Liu Xue chatting animatedly on her phone, seemingly deep in conversation.
Akira walked up behind her. The girl didn't notice him at all.
He glanced over and saw that Liu Xue was chatting with a girl whose avatar was a pink pig.
The chat read:
Kana's Bunny:"So only that task is left now, right?"
Piggy Who Loves Desserts:"Yeah! Once that's done I can be promoted to E-rank! But that B-rank task seems way too hard… ┭┮﹏┭┮"
Kana's Bunny:"Don't worry. I'll think of something."
Piggy Who Loves Desserts:"Thank you so much, Sister Xue!! (cute pig sticker)"
Kana's Bunny:"..."
Seeing the chat, Akira instantly understood why Liu Xue had spoken to him the way she did earlier.
So this girl had become best friends with that randomly assigned task player.
"S–Su Xuan!?"Liu Xue suddenly noticed Akira standing behind her and jumped in fright.
"When did you get there?"
"A while ago," Akira replied.
"Then why didn't you say anything?" she asked, brows knitting slightly.
"I didn't know what to say…"
"..."
After a brief silence, Liu Xue spoke softly,"You saw everything?"
"Mm."
"Do you have any questions?" she asked, blinking her bright eyes.
"How did you two meet?" Akira asked curiously.
"Her adventurer is friends with Vinnie. We got to know each other through the two elves," Liu Xue explained.
That jogged Akira's memory—Indeed, Liu Xue's adventurer was the elf Vinnie, and Lucia had mentioned before that the other girl's adventurer was also an elf.
"You're helping her with her tasks?" Akira pressed.
"Yeah. My own progress slowed down a bit recently, so I'm helping her out," Liu Xue nodded.
"Do you need my help?"
"Thanks~ but I'm on a special promotion commission to E+. Once my centaur female warrior levels up two more times, I can handle it myself," she said, shaking her head.
Akira nodded thoughtfully.
An epic-grade centaur warrior shouldn't run into trouble at this stage.
"But…"Liu Xue stared straight at him with her dark eyes."She's stuck. That B-rank commission is really hard."
B-rank…
Akira pondered this. Even for him, B-rank tasks carried extremely high difficulty.
Based on Lu Bo's team's strength, B-rank extermination targets were definitely above level 60—or involved high-difficulty maps, like infiltrating royal capitals.
"We're currently looking on the world channel for guilds capable of completing B-rank or higher missions," Liu Xue continued. "We're willing to pay the entire reward as compensation."
"Her task not only increased in difficulty—the rewards did too. There are 50 gold coins, plus an epic-grade item."
"Fifty gold coins for a B-rank task?"Akira was visibly surprised.
He only had around a hundred gold coins himself. One task paying fifty was huge.
He had heard that after being promoted to C-rank, player evaluations split tasks into two types.
One was daily commissions—lower difficulty, lower rewards, refreshable every day.The other was key evaluation tasks that determined rank advancement.
Daily commissions could be refreshed infinitely, with rewards scaling by evaluation rank.
But key tasks were limited in number. For example, Akira currently had 30 D-rank tasks. At C-rank, that number dropped sharply to 10—but rewards began including rare items.
B-rank commissions tempted Akira greatly.
But the difficulty was the real issue.
"Do you know the details of that B-rank task?" Akira asked.
"I think it's… helping a group of Dark Elves escape the Elven Kingdom?" Liu Xue replied after thinking. "Yeah, that should be it!"
At those words, Akira's gaze sharpened instantly.
Task collision?!
"When you get home, have that player add me," Akira said.
"You're willing to help her!?"Liu Xue's eyes lit up.
"Mm."
Akira nodded. Two rewards for one effort—how could he not be interested?
"That's great! I'll tell her right now!"
Liu Xue immediately sent the message.
Akira smiled faintly.This kind of win-win situation was his favorite.
Before he knew it, afternoon arrived.
Akira returned home and logged into the game.
The moment he entered, he saw a message from the guildmaster of the Xianfei Guild.
Concubine:"I'm waiting for you at the Golden Beach of the Sun Theocracy."
"Golden Beach of the Sun Theocracy?"Akira pondered. To reach the Sun Theocracy, he'd need to activate a teleportation array—and each use cost an extra ten silver coins.
Of course, he wouldn't be going alone.
Ivsha, the little nun of the Holy Light Church, hadn't been to the Sun Theocracy yet. This would be a good chance for her to see it.
But Ivsha alone wasn't enough.
After some thought, Akira decided to bring one more person.
Just as he was considering who to take—
The teleportation array suddenly flared with white light.
Lucia stepped gracefully into the guild hall…