"Brilliant~"
Kurose Akira immediately activated the recording function, perfectly capturing the instant Loserine's smile bloomed. The image felt like that once-in-a-lifetime moment when your sister-in-law, dressed in a light, skimpy swimsuit, invites you to a private date in the bathroom—rare, precious, and dangerously memorable.
As for Akira's slightly childish behavior, Loserine paid it little mind.
She quietly closed the door, then drew her sword and carved four words into the wooden surface:
"No Entry for Idlers."
Akira stared at the words, momentarily puzzled.
After all, there were no outsiders in the guild—so who, exactly, were these "idlers"?
"Guild Master~"
Once everyone's rewards had been fully distributed, Beiafurie once again couldn't help herself and eagerly asked Akira, "Are there any more tasks you can assign us?"
Akira genuinely appreciated the elf sisters' enthusiasm for work—but he also knew better than to let them overexert themselves.
These two little ones looked barely fifteen or sixteen, okay~Of course, elves were a long-lived race, and appearances weren't a reliable indicator of age.
Still, one thing was certain: Beiafuro and Beiafurie were definitely not very old.
"Furie, Furo," Akira asked instead of answering directly, "are you hungry?"
The question made the elf sisters glance at each other. Truth be told, they were hungry.
That was only natural. Two consecutive combat missions had drained nearly all their mana and stamina—hunger was unavoidable. They weren't like Loserine, who didn't feel hunger or thirst at all.
The two little cuties nodded lightly, pecking the air like baby chicks.
"Then let's eat first," Akira said gently. "Once you've filled your stomachs, I'll assign you your next task."
"Okay!"
After eating and drinking their fill, it was time for a relaxed and pleasant midday break.
Even the task-obsessed elf sisters couldn't resist the warm, gentle sunlight. Sitting on wooden chairs by the window, they soon began to doze off.
Akira was no exception. He sprawled lazily across a sofa in the guild hall, scrolling through messages on the World Channel and various game forums.
From the chatter, he learned that several guilds were aggressively pushing toward an A-rank evaluation. There were even rumors of a wealthy tycoon bankrupting himself—spending hundreds of millions to build his dream guild. And yet, the vast majority of players were still stuck at F-rank or E-rank.
All kinds of lives, all kinds of stories. Humanity really was endlessly diverse~
Akira glanced at his own guild finances. After deducting daily expenses and adventurer salaries, he had roughly twenty-five gold coins left.
And that was with Loserine and Alice requiring no salary at all. Sigh~ making money really wasn't easy.
After a brief lament, Akira turned his attention to the remaining two quests.
One combat quest. One lifestyle quest.
The combat quest required him to hunt down a creature known as a Snow Porpoise—a magical beast rumored to be formed from condensed ice and snow, resembling a dolphin. He had never seen one personally.
The lifestyle quest involved gathering specific medicinal herbs for a physician. It didn't demand advanced skills, but it required immense patience and meticulous attention.
After some thought, Akira decided to take Loserine and Alice with him to handle the Snow Porpoise hunt, while Ivsha would lead the elf sisters to complete the herb-gathering task.
With his decision made, Akira stood up and scanned the guild.
Everyone had rested for over an hour. They should be mostly recovered by now.
"Is everyone well-rested?" Akira asked politely.
"Guild Master~"
"Are we starting the mission?"
Beiafurie and Beiafuro jumped to their feet, eyes shining with anticipation. Still, the faint trembling in their legs betrayed the fact that their mana hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Mhm."
Akira nodded lightly and proceeded to explain the assigned tasks in detail.
"We promise we'll complete it!"
The elf sisters immediately overflowed with enthusiasm once they received their mission.
"Then let's go, my dear elves~" Ivsha said with a gentle smile. She felt an instinctive fondness toward these two pure, unblemished elves.
"Mhm!"
Under Ivsha's guidance, the three of them calmly stepped into the teleportation array.
As soon as they departed, Akira rose to his feet, ready to lead Loserine and Alice to their own destination.
Perfect timing—once this mission was complete, Alice's character quest would enter its second stage, unlocking her second Soul Weapon.
"Let's move," Akira said.
"Mhm," Loserine and Alice replied in unison, sticking close behind him as they stepped into the flickering teleport gate.
As the white light of teleportation faded, they arrived at the mission site.
What greeted them was an endless world of pure white.
Akira immediately felt a headache coming on.
"So cold!" He shivered despite himself. Even with his greatly enhanced physique, the raging wind and snow were difficult to endure.
He hurriedly activated the [Sunny and Cheerful] trait, causing warmth and light to radiate from his body, barely holding back the blizzard's assault.
At that moment, Loserine spoke thoughtfully. "I sense a trace of magical power mixed into this snowstorm."
"You mean… this blizzard is artificially created?" Akira scanned the surroundings. They weren't on a snow mountain at all—this was a vast plain, completely buried beneath pristine snow.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed something out of place: a small, isolated snow mound.
Curious, Akira approached it.
Before moving, however, he pulled Alice tightly into his arms. Unable to resist the cold on her own, the little girl had reverted into her doll form, nestling against his chest and soaking in his warmth.
Of course, that was assuming Alice wasn't lying to her master!
Brushing aside the snow, Akira was startled to discover that it wasn't a hill at all—it was the roof of a building.
His brow furrowed, and his gaze sharpened as he scanned the surroundings again.
It felt as though he were standing atop an entire nation sealed in ice.
"The Icefield Witch…"
Akira suddenly recalled Roxia's earlier mention of ice shards—and the many legends surrounding the Icefield Witch.
This witch had once frozen an entire nation—one as large as the Star Kingdom—single-handedly, locking it in eternal ice.
And now… he was standing right on top of that permanently frozen land.
"We need to find the target quickly, complete the commission, and leave immediately," Akira said through chattering teeth.
Even holy light couldn't dispel the bone-deep cold of this world. Once he got back to the guild, he was absolutely going to cling to Ivsha under the blankets…
Hearing his words, Loserine nodded.
She began searching the area for signs of the Snow Porpoise.
According to the quest description, Snow Porpoises were ice-element magical beasts, capable of hiding their icy bodies within falling snowflakes.
Finding them in this frozen wasteland was no easy task. Only keen perception could detect the subtle fluctuations of magic in such a cold world.
As an experienced Vowbound Knight, Loserine quickly picked up on faint magical disturbances among the swirling snow.
"There!"
She instantly drew her Vow Sword. A brilliant white blade arc tore through the air.
"Eeek—!"
A sharp cry pierced the sky as a snow-white dolphin burst out of the snow, arcing gracefully through the air before diving back beneath the snow and vanishing without a trace.
"Trying to run?"
Loserine snorted softly. Her sword flashed again, slashing into the blank expanse of white.
Akira watched calmly from the side, fully confident in her strength.
But just as he focused on the fight, another snow-white dolphin suddenly burst out of the snow near him, slamming toward him at blinding speed.
"Don't hurt my master!"
Alice didn't hesitate. She whipped out her oversized scissors and bravely intercepted the Snow Porpoise.
Even with Alice blocking it, Akira could feel the snow beneath his feet trembling.
"This is bad—there are more!" Akira frowned and immediately drew his sword, ready to fight.
Another Snow Porpoise erupted from the snow, charging straight at him.
"Get lost!"
At that critical moment, a descending sword arc pierced straight through the creature's body with perfect accuracy.
"These are just clones created by the Snow Porpoise," Loserine explained calmly after finishing it off. "The real body isn't here."
As she spoke, the Snow Porpoise's body melted into ice and snow, disappearing completely.
At the same time, Alice successfully defeated the other clone.
"Master, are you alright?" Alice asked anxiously, clutching her scissors.
"Mhm, I'm fine."
Akira gently pushed the scissors away. Honestly… that thing still kind of freaked him out.
"Do you have a way to locate the real body?" Akira asked Loserine.
"Yes," she replied with a nod. "I left a trace of my sword aura inside one of the clones. It will guide me to the exact location of the true body."
"That's possible?" Akira's eyes lit up. It was his first time hearing that sword aura could be used this way.
Then again, maybe only Loserine could pull this off. Her sword aura was infused with the power of the Vow Sword—a power that originated from the White Rose.
"I've found it!" Loserine suddenly exclaimed.
She locked onto the target.
"Follow me!"
She sprinted in a specific direction, with Akira close behind.
Before long, they arrived at the base of a towering snow mountain hundreds of meters tall.
At its base yawned a pitch-black cave. According to Loserine's guidance, the Snow Porpoise's true body was hiding inside.
"Master! I can smell a witch's aura!" Alice warned suddenly.
"A witch…" Akira narrowed his eyes. If this truly was the Icefield Witch's frozen domain, then it wouldn't be strange at all for Snow Porpoises to be creations of her power.
"Let's take a look inside first."
Akira stepped into the cave, lighting a torch to illuminate the darkness.
As they reached the deepest part of the cave, a glimmer of snow-crystal light caught his eye.
"This is…"
[Snow Porpoise Egg (Epic): An egg of the Snow Porpoise.(Don't lie to me! Dolphins are viviparous!)]