"I – I'm really sorry…" Sera's voice trembled as she tugged the edge of her skirt up until her knees were safely tucked beneath it on the bed, sitting prim and small in front of me.
"I don't min—" I started, only to be cut off by her lowering her head and blurting again.
"I wasn't myself… I'm really sorry." Her forehead pressed into the sheets as if she was begging the bed to swallow her whole.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Haha…"
That only made her cheeks turn pink, and then red when she asked, without lifting her face, "H–how long…have I been sleeping beside you?"
"Whole night?" I answered, a little too casually.
Her blush exploded. If pink was embarrassment, then now she was a ripe tomato.
Beside me, Nexar's words flickered into existence:
[I expected her to wake up again at night. I could have seen something interesting while the essence was still flowing in her blood.]
I narrowed my eyes and turned inward.
Hey, Nexar. By any chance… are you a pervert?
[W–what do you mean? I, the great Nexar, have never had such an unholy personality!]
"Yeah, totally agree…" I muttered dryly, earning me a suspicious glance from Sera before she turned away.
She slid off the bed in a rush, still unsteady on her feet.
She swayed, catching herself on the table nearby, her breath uneven.
Then suddenly, she froze, as if a memory had hit her like a spear.
"Hey, Rune…" her voice was softer now, but trembling, "…what happened to Vorrak and his group? Did they.. did they do something to me?"
Silence weighed in the room for a long moment. I let out a quiet smile and walked toward her.
"I came to your house to give my answer… to the suggestion you made," I said calmly.
"But you weren't there. I wondered where you'd run off to in the middle of the night… then I remembered Vorrak heading toward the outskirts with his father's retainer. Since your father's keepsake sword was missing too, I rushed to the nearest SBV patrol guard."
Her eyes widened slowly as I continued, "We found them. Vorrak was tying you up when we arrived. You were unconscious, but the guards did their duty."
I stopped right in front of her, her pale eyes locking onto mine.
"Nothing happened to you."
Relief flickered through her gaze, softening it into a faint, fragile smile.
"So?" she asked after a pause, tilting her head up at me, "…what's your answer to my suggestion of bolting out of the village?"
"I'm all in," I said instantly, without hesitation.
Her eyes widened again, surprise flashing before it softened into a smile that almost glowed. "Well… someone's enthusiastic."
Then, with her face still burning red, she clutched at my shirt, knuckles trembling but grip firm. "…Thank you."
I placed my hand gently over hers, steadying it. "Don't think about it."
"Then let's pack up as soon as possible," Sera said firmly, determination flashing even through her still-flushed cheeks.
"Vorrak's father has connections with the SBV. It won't be long before he gets him out of their custody… and thinks about revenge on us."
I nodded. "You're right. It's already 10 A.M … We'll head out at night. That way no one will even know which direction we went in."
Sera nodded along quickly.
"Oh! and one more thing." I added, pointing a finger lazily toward the door.
"Don't go near the cattle shed. Guards might still be investigating the scene. I'd rather not bump into them before running away."
"Don't worry." She shook her head softly. "I plan to visit Sister Seraphina at the orphanage… and spend time with the kids there one last time before leaving."
She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at me with hopeful eyes.
"I know… why don't you come too?"
I rubbed the back of my neck and gave a weak smile. "I'm fine. You know I'm not good with kids. Just… tell Sister Seraphina I miss her too."
Her lips curved slightly as she crouched to the corner of the bed and picked up her boots.
Sitting down, she pulled them on one by one, the leather creaking faintly. "What do you plan to do till night? I'm worried…"
I shrugged. "I'm not as brave as you. I'll just hide somewhere until then. Let's meet up at the bridge before the forest, at 10 P.M."
Her brow furrowed, worry written all over her face. "Should I stay with you—"
I cut her off quickly, raising a hand. "No, no. Don't worry about me. We're going to stay together past 10 P.M. anyway, right?"
That made her cheeks flush again. She lowered her gaze, fiddling with her boots. "…Okay then."
Finally, she lifted her head, eyes shining with a small but steady smile. "Let's meet up at the bridge."
With that, she turned and left, leaving me alone with the silence of the room.
...And Nexar.
[Not gonna lie… dude, the speed at which you formed that story is top-notch.]
"C'mon, cut me some slack…" I muttered, lazily slumping back onto the bed, arms spread wide like I owned the place.
[Agreed.]
[Also, you might need to keep your participation in fights to a minimum around her. Rune is supposed to be weak, remember?]
"Yeah, yeah…" I replied, dragging out the words.
Then a grin spread across my face.
"Nexar, put those damn stats back where they belong." I gestured at the quest completion window hovering before me, the glowing progress bar draining away as the last trace of that cursed Ero's essence diluted out of her blood.
[Done.]
"Since today's the real beginning of the story according to my second walkthrough… doesn't that mean we're gonna repeat everything we did back then?"
The grin on my face widened, sharp and confident.
I could feel Nexar grinning back too. Except, he didn't have a face.
[You bet.]
A faint red string of aura flickered around me, wrapping tighter as my body responded.
My vision sharpened, my eyes shifting into a deep crimson glow.
"Then let's go…" I whispered, almost to myself, my grin turning feral. "Let's get that Etherium Crystal. I can't stand looking at this pathetic MP stat anymore."
I walked through the forest, letting the crunch of dried leaves and the occasional flutter of wings guide my steps deeper.
Eventually, I reached it. The very same spot me and Nexar had gone to first thing during my second walkthrough.
The hidden dungeon.
Right beneath the cave of heynas.
"Man…" I breathed, staring at the dark maw of the cave. "This brings back memories."
[Yeah,]
[Like how you trembled on your feet, begging not to go in. I had to strip every single stat point you had, leave you with barely twenty HP and less than five combat stats, all just to scrape enough to buy that stealth coat.]
A vein popped on my forehead.
"…Yeah? Well, watch how I won't need you pulling that stunt this time." I scoffed, rolling my shoulders back and striding into the cave with exaggerated confidence.
Just as I stepped into the dark maw...
Ding!
A translucent blue window blinked open before my eyes.
Quest: Acquire Etherium
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (2-star)
Reward: +60 Stat Points
I blinked. "Huh? Did you give me this, Nexar?"
[Yes. As long as it falls under the plot and you're at the right location, I can shape it into a quest. The reward, however, is automatically calculated based on difficulty relative to your current abilities.]
"I see." I smirked, letting the window fade.
That's when the stench hit me. Rot mixed with iron. It clung to my nose, sour and thick.
They stepped into view. Six of them.
Heynas.
Their mangy fur bristled as their golden eyes gleamed in the darkness.
The three closest to me growled low and, strangely, backed up half a step.
I tilted my head. "Oh? We could do this the hard way… or the easy way. Your choice."
A guttural snarl ripped through the cave as the leader padded forward.
Purple threads of mana slithered from its body, sparking against the cavern walls.
"Hard way it is then."
They lunged.
The first came straight for my throat.
I raised my rusty sword, bracing myself. The blade didn't so much cut as it smashed.
The heyna's body went airborne and slammed into the cavern wall with a wet crack.
I grimaced. "Yep. Way too blunt."
Another claw sliced toward me, fast.
I ducked, feeling the wind of its strike brush the tips of my hair.
My sword came up from below in a wide swing, scraping against the creature's abdomen.
Sparks shrieked off stone as the force of my swing carried the heyna up, smashing it into the ceiling with a sickening thud before it dropped like a sack of meat.
Two more circled, snarling, but their hesitation was clear.
"Come on, don't get shy on me now," I said, grinning as my crimson eyes lit up the cave.
One dashed in from the left, fangs open wide.
I stepped into its charge, twisted my wrist, and the flat of my blade slammed across its skull.
Its jaw snapped sideways with a crunch and it toppled without so much as a whimper.
The last of the three, emboldened by desperation, leapt high.
Time slowed for me. I could see every ripple of its muscles, the saliva dripping from its maw, the faint shimmer of mana coiling around its claws.
"Too slow."
I pivoted, drove my sword up through the arc of its leap, and the beast's body folded midair before slamming against the cavern floor.
Dust swirled. Silence fell.
Only the leader remained, its mana burning hotter, purple threads now writhing like angry snakes. Its growl rattled the stone.
I rolled my shoulders, sword hanging loose in my grip. "Guess it's your turn, big guy.
The pack leader stalked forward, its mane bristling with energy as blue threads of mana crackled off its body, lashing the cavern walls with sparks. Each growl carried weight, like stone grinding against stone.
I exhaled, crimson light bleeding from my skin as red threads of aura spiraled around me, coiling like living fire.
The clash of colors lit the cave in violent hues. Blue against red, mana against aura.
The beast lunged, faster than the others by leagues.
Its claws slashed down, leaving jagged trails of blue energy in the air. I raised my rusty sword, steel screaming as it caught the strike.
The ground cracked beneath my feet, pebbles rolling from the pressure.
"Hah… you bite harder. I'll give you that."
The heyna roared, its mana threads condensing into jagged spikes that launched toward me.
I stepped forward, my red aura flaring, and swiped once. The spikes shattered like glass.
Then I moved.
One instant the leader's fangs were an inch from my neck, next, it was airborne, body wrapped in the glow of my crimson threads.
My blade, blunt as it was, slammed down with all the weight of my aura.
The beast hit the stone floor and didn't rise again.
"Mmm… that was worth stretching," I mumbled, shaking the dust from my shoulders as I walked toward the edge of the cave.
My fingers tapped lightly against the cold, uneven rock, echoing faintly through the cavern.
"Hey, Nexar… the glyph's somewhere here, right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the jagged surface.
[Yup! I think a bit to the right.]
I slid my hand across the darkness until my fingertips brushed against something… different. The grooves were deliberate, an intricate pattern carved into stone.
"Found it," I said, lips curling into a grin.
[Now pour some mana into it.]
I pressed my palm flat against the glyph and willed mana out.
The numbers on my status window dipped. 5… 3… 2.
A sharp throb stabbed through my skull like a migraine blooming in seconds.
"Ughh… I just poured some, and my head hurts like hell…" I muttered, staggering slightly.
But then the glyph lit up, glowing with a golden brilliance that filled the cave with warmth and menace all at once.
[Here we go.]
And before I could take another breath, the stone wall pulled me in. Darkness swallowed me whole, and I was dragged into the hidden dungeon.