"Are you kidding me? With money you get clothes, gear, jewelry—and most importantly..." Drake's grin turned absolutely lecherous. "I can afford to take sexy women on proper dates!"
THWACK!!
Elsa's staff cracked against Drake's skull with precision, leaving a bump that would throb for hours.
"Why do you have to be such an absolute pervert?!"
"And why do you act like a violent ice gorilla?!" Drake shot back, rubbing the growing lump.
Elsa's grip tightened on her staff, frost forming around her feet. "Say that again, and it'll be your last coherent thought."
"Mercy!" Drake yelped, diving behind the older man. "Bartholomew, witness protection!"
"I'm afraid you've dug your own grave," Elsa growled, stalking him.
Bartholomew watched their deadly dance with obvious amusement. "You two are absolutely perfect for each other."
Elsa stopped dead in her tracks, her face turning crimson. "P-Perfect?! With *him*?! That's... that's completely ridiculous!"
Drake peeked over her shoulder with a knowing smirk. "Smooth as ice, your highness."
"I'll freeze you into a popsicle and sell you to children!"
Bartholomew's laughter filled the ruined shop. "The heart sees what the mind denies, my dear."
"You're both impossible," Elsa muttered, but her anger was already fading into embarrassment.
---
Bartholomew's expression suddenly grew conspiratorial. "Elsa, did you manage to acquire... you know what?"
Her blush deepened to scarlet. "No, I was... interrupted... by those two psychopaths before I could complete my purchase."
Drake raised an eyebrow. "Now you're both speaking in riddles?"
"Don't worry," Bartholomew smiled warmly, patting her shoulder. "When the shop's rebuilt, I'll import exactly what you need. Consider it a personal favor."
"Really?!" Elsa's face lit up. "Thank you so much!"
"My pleasure, dear child."
"Come on, Drake." Elsa brushed dust from her skirt. "We should collect that bounty before someone else tries to claim credit."
Drake stretched, joints popping. "Yeah, let's get this show on the road..."
Bartholomew waved them off. "Be safe, you two. And remember—treasure what you've found in each other."
---
As they stepped outside into the afternoon sun, the townsfolk—who had been hiding during the chaos—began emerging from behind barrels, doorways, and overturned carts.
"Are those the adventurers who saved us?"
"Wait... isn't that Lady Elsa Liana?"
"They actually destroyed the Fearscar Twins!"
Whispers rippled through the growing crowd.
Elsa blinked in confusion. "What's happening?"
Drake grinned. "They're just processing how we absolutely demolished those wannabe villains."
"I... see."
Suddenly, a group of vendors, shopkeepers, and inn owners formed a semi-circle around them—their expressions serious.
Elsa's hand moved instinctively toward her staff. "Why are you blocking our path?"
Drake cracked his knuckles. "Looking for round two?"
One elderly shopkeeper stepped forward, his weathered hands trembling. "We saw everything."
Another nodded gravely. "Every moment of your battle."
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"The Fearscar Twins have terrorized our community for months," the shopkeeper continued. "They struck randomly, viciously. No one dared stand against them—we all feared for our lives and livelihoods."
"We were cowards," added a baker, shame in her voice. "Waiting for someone—anyone—to save us."
"You didn't owe us anything," a third voice chimed in. "But you fought anyway. You ended our nightmare."
The crowd shifted, and the older voice grew stronger. "We filed complaints with the authorities. Posted bounties through the guild. But the Twins were too unpredictable, too dangerous. The Solar Knights always arrived after the damage was done."
"We felt helpless. Trapped in our own homes."
"But now..." The shopkeeper's voice broke slightly. "Now we can sleep peacefully again. Our children can play in the streets without fear."
Elsa and Drake exchanged glances, the weight of genuine gratitude settling over them.
"It's really nothing special," Elsa mumbled, her cheeks pink. "We kind of destroyed Bartholomew's shop in the process, so... hardly a perfect victory."
The crowd chuckled warmly.
"Don't worry about that," an innkeeper assured them. "We're all pitching in to rebuild it better than before. It's the least we can do after what you've given us."
Elsa felt her throat tighten. "I... I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything, Lady Elsa. We're the ones forever in your debt."
As one, the entire crowd bowed deeply.
Drake's inner monologue kicked in: *These people... they're genuinely good. Smashing those twins' faces was totally worth it for this moment alone. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.*
"Sorry for delaying you," the shopkeeper said as they straightened. "Have a wonderful day, both of you."
"You too," Elsa replied, returning their bow.
"By the way," another voice called out, "we all know Lady Elsa is nobility, but you, sir—how do you know her?"
"Friends," Drake grinned easily. "I'm Drake Lorenzo. Pleasure to meet you all."
"What a strong name! Now tell us—we witnessed your incredible fighting skills, but we never saw your Echoform manifest. What type is it? Mage class? Warrior? Assassin?"
Drake's mind went blank, panic shooting through him.
*Oh shit. Perfect timing, old man. They just finished thanking us and now they're putting me under a microscope.*
*What the hell do I say?! I can't tell them I don't have an Echoform—they'll question everything about my power. And I definitely can't explain that I'm from another world with a cheat system!*
"I'm betting warrior class," someone speculated. "He went toe-to-toe with that axe-wielding maniac!"
"No way, definitely mage type. Did you see those shadow techniques?"
"Had to be assassin class—he moved faster than the eye could follow."
Cold sweat beaded on Drake's forehead. *I'm completely screwed. They're all waiting for an answer. This is it—game over.*
"So, Sir Lorenzo..." the shopkeeper pressed. "What classification is your Echoform?"
Drake opened his mouth, panic rising. "Well, I—uh... it's actually—"
"We're going to be late!"
Elsa's hand clamped around his wrist.
"Late for our very important appointment!" she announced firmly.
"What appointment?" Drake blinked.
Elsa's glare could have frozen lava. "You know. *That* appointment."
"Oh! Right! That appointment! Totally slipped my mind! Gotta run, everyone!"
As Elsa practically dragged him away, the crowd called out cheerfully: "Visit us anytime—and thank you again!"
Drake waved over his shoulder. "Such genuinely nice people..."
---
Once they were out of earshot, Elsa released his wrist.
"Watch where you're going."
"Geez, what's your problem now?"
"There you go again, hogging all the attention."
"Wait... that's what's bothering you? You're incredibly petty sometimes."
"Shut up. I just saved your ass back there. You were completely cornered, and we both know you don't have an Echoform."
Drake's expression sobered. "...Yeah. That's true. Thanks, Elsa. I owe you one."
She suddenly stopped walking, her entire body going rigid.
"Drake."
"Yeah?"
Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "...Do you trust me?"
The question hit him hard. "Where is this coming from?"
"Just answer the question."
"I... yeah. I do trust you."
She studied his face intently, searching for deception. "Then why don't I feel the same trust from you?"
Drake's heart began to race.
"You know everything about me," she continued. "My past. My fears. My trauma. Why I am the way I am. But you? You've been dancing around the truth since the moment we met."
"Elsa—"
"Don't interrupt." Her voice trembled, but her resolve was unshakeable. "You claim to have no Echoform... yet you use abilities like shadow manipulation, perfect cloning, and mana control as if they're simple parlor tricks. I could train for a thousand years and never reach that level."
Drake's mouth went dry.
"Who are you really, Drake Lorenzo? What are your true goals? Why are you here, in this kingdom? And why..." her voice cracked slightly, "why do you protect me so fiercely? I want to trust you completely. I want to know the real you. But I can't if you keep hiding behind lies."
She stepped closer, her eyes boring into his. "Last night... when you touched my shoulder, I felt something. Something dark and ancient. Something that doesn't belong in this world. I don't know what it was, but it was definitely there."
Drake stared at her, feeling exposed.
*She's figured it out. She's seen through everything.*
He looked down, his internal conflict raging.
*Goddess Astral... will I be punished for telling her the truth?*
*There's no going back now.*
Taking a deep breath, he met her eyes.
"Elsa, I—"
BOOOOOOOOOM!!
A monstrous explosion erupted behind them, the shockwave knocking them both forward. Screams pierced the air as debris rained down, transforming the peaceful afternoon into chaos.
"What the hell?!" Drake spun around, adrenaline flooding his system.
Elsa's entire body began trembling, her face draining of color. Her voice came out as a broken whisper: "I know this presence... It's coming..."
"Elsa?" Drake looked at her in alarm. "What's wrong?"
She turned to him, her eyes wide with terror. "We have to run. Now—"
His enhanced vision focused through the smoke—a massive silhouette emerging from the destruction.
"ELSA!!" he roared in warning.
A clawed hand the size of a small table erupted from the dust cloud, slashing toward her with inhuman speed.
"NO!! I won't reach her in time—!"
Elsa barely had time to turn, her eyes widening—
SLAAAAAAASH!!
"AGHHH—!!"
CRASH! BOOM!
Her body flew like a broken doll, slamming into a stone wall with a sickening crack. Blood painted the stone in crimson streaks. She coughed weakly—ribs shattered, her side torn open, consciousness fading.
Her staff clattered away across the cobblestones.
"ELSAAAA!!" Drake sprinted to her, his heart hammering. "Stay with me—don't you dare die on me!"
Blood pooled beneath her as she whimpered in agony.
"What... what was that thing?" Drake asked, panic making his voice crack.
"Get... away..." Elsa whispered through gritted teeth. "Run..."
"NO! I'm not leaving you like this!"
"If you stay... we'll both die..." she gasped, blood flecking her lips.
"I can heal you! I have potions—just hold on, please!"
CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...
Heavy footsteps echoed through the sudden silence.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Predatory.
Each step promised death.
Elsa's eyes widened in absolute terror. "It's here..."
"What is?!"
LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB...
Drake's heart rhythm matched the ominous sound, then—nothing. His body refused to respond, every muscle locking.
*What... what is this crushing weight? I can't... I can't move at all!*
His muscles locked completely, paralyzed by a force beyond comprehension.
Through the settling dust, reptilian eyes gleamed like burning coals. The creature's presence was suffocating—a malevolent force far beyond anything Drake or Elsa had ever encountered.
*What... is standing behind me?*
When Elsa's blurred vision focused on the emerging figure, her soul nearly shattered.
"N-No... it can't be... Not here. Not in the capital kingdom..."
"WHAT IS IT, ELSA?!"
Her voice broke completely:
"...It's a SOULWRETCH."
Drake's blood turned to ice.
*A Soulwretch?! Here?! But how is that possible?!*
The creature's form began to solidify—an abomination that defied natural law. Undefined yet terrifyingly real, like a living nightmare given flesh. An eerie metallic glow pulsed beneath its eyes, revealing an intelligence that was both ancient and utterly malevolent.
Its killing intent leached the oxygen from the air itself.
The weight of its gaze pressed down on Drake, crushing and inescapable.
And in that moment—
Drake understood:
This wouldn't be a battle.
This would be an execution.
The creature's lips pulled back in what might have been a smile, revealing rows of obsidian teeth.
When it spoke, its voice was the sound of grinding tombstones:
"FOUND... YOU..."
—TO BE CONTINUED—