"Ivsha… I…."
"Nope~ the prayer program isn't finished yet~""Next time! Definitely next time!""Alright then~ next time it is~"
Hiss—
Kurose Akira pulled off the VR headset, his entire body shuddering uncontrollably.
The impact of Ivsha's prayer chamber had been far too intense—so intense that he had almost lost himself in it, nearly abandoning his kind, pure-hearted nature!
"Eight already?"
Only then did Akira realize it was eight in the morning. His meager six hours of sleep had been completely squeezed dry by Ivsha.
Strangely enough, he felt no sleepiness at all. The images lingering in his mind were still frozen on the scene of "guiding" the succubus nun…
"Ahem—model students go to school!"
Akira hurried into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and headed out for school.
And because Akira had been awake all night, somewhere far away, a certain queen could only sit alone upon her jade bed. A hint of confusion surfaced on her face as she murmured softly to herself:
"That little one… was he awake all night?"
...
After school, Akira rushed home without delay and logged into the game.
Back at the guild, Loserine was still in the training hall, focused intently as she practiced her swordsmanship. Ivsha, meanwhile, was chatting idly in the guild hall with Alice, Flora, and Fuli. As for Lucia—she didn't seem to have arrived yet?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a teleportation gate flashed with dazzling white light.
Lucia stepped lightly through the door, an exquisitely crafted box hanging from her hand.
She generously handed the box to Ivsha, smiling softly."These are specialty pastries from the Sun Church Nation. Their flavor is quite exceptional."
When the box was opened, rows of golden pastries lay neatly inside, looking irresistibly tempting.
"Thank you~""Wow! It smells amazing~""They look so delicious!""..."
Everyone picked one up to taste, and the exquisite flavor left them openly amazed.
Then Lucia personally handed a pastry to Akira and said,"You must try it. This is a specialty of the Sun Church Nation—I think you'll like it."
Akira accepted it. "Thank you."
At the same time, Lucia's information flickered across his vision.
[Current Personality: Affluent, Generous]
His gaze then shifted to the pastry in his hand.
[Sunlit Beauty (Elite): Consuming it relieves fatigue and grants a 20% increase to all attributes. (Duration: 1 day; only duration stacks)]
"?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Akira's eyes. An elite-quality pastry?
The value of a single piece was at least equivalent to several silver coins. And Lucia had brought twenty of them for the guild.
Rough estimate—this single snack was worth an entire gold coin!
A true rich lady.
Lost in thought, Akira placed the pastry into his mouth and took a bite.
In that instant, it felt as though warm sunlight burst across his palate, the pastry's gentle sweetness spreading between his lips and teeth. The sensation was exquisite—beyond words.
"Not bad, right?"Lucia asked with faint anticipation in her voice.
"Delicious."
Akira nodded. The taste truly was different from ordinary pastries—worthy of being a Sun Church Nation specialty.
Lucia had also brought a portion for Loserine, but unfortunately, the undead couldn't eat food.
So Akira ate Loserine's share as well.
After finishing the pastries Lucia had brought, Akira immediately led the guild members to begin the day's mission.
"Let's move. It's time to head to the Red Maple Leaf Territory."
"Yes, sir~"
White light flashed from the teleportation circle as Akira led the guild into the Red Maple Leaf Territory.
He first went to Baroness Idys's estate, but Idys herself was nowhere to be seen. Instead, two knights awaited him.
"The Baroness has ordered us to lead the knight order in assisting you with the destruction of the demon nest," one of the female knights said.
Akira glanced at them—both were above level 35. As for the knight order they mentioned, it numbered around fifty, all of them over level 30.
Idys's preparations were thorough. With a knight order supporting them, pushing deep into the demon nest would be far safer.
"Hey, kid."
Suddenly, the male knight standing beside the woman shouted at Akira."I heard it was you lot who took down that level-40 Flame Demon yesterday?"
"And?" Akira asked calmly, though the man's tone sounded like he was picking a fight.
"Haha, nothing bad! Name's Glen. Thanks to you, my sister's unit escaped that Flame Demon's claws. She's the pretty one with short black hair."
So that black-haired female officer from before… that was his sister.
"Just doing what I could," Akira replied with a faint smile.
"All right! Let's move out already!"
Glen strode forward, his heavy armor clanking loudly."I don't plan on spending the night inside a demon nest!"
"Agreed."
Before long, everyone mounted up and arrived at the demon nest's location. They couldn't ride horses inside, though—ordinary mounts couldn't withstand the demonic miasma. Just approaching it would drive them mad.
The area around the nest was already crowded with soldiers and players. Idys had issued orders: the demon nest must be destroyed today. As such, the Red Maple Leaf Territory's troops would be launching a full-scale assault.
Naturally, players weren't about to miss such a golden opportunity. They had been waiting here for a long time.
What they couldn't understand, however, was why the territory's knights were clustered around Akira and his adventurers—as though they were guarding them.
What was going on?
Had they hired the Red Maple Leaf knight order?
That didn't seem possible!
Hiring a group of level-30-plus knights would cost an absurd amount of gold.
That wasn't something a D-rank evaluated player could possibly afford!
Once the knight order had assembled, Glen stepped forward. His sharp gaze swept across everyone present before he barked out an order:
"The demon nest falls today! Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
At that command, hundreds of soldiers immediately sprang into action, forming ranks as they advanced into the demon nest.
At the forefront was Glen's elite knight order, charging in first to carve a path for those behind them.
Five hundred regular soldiers followed, and only then did the players and adventurers enter.
Akira, of course, stayed close to the knight order. In his hand was the Flame Magic Stone Idys had given him.
It was the key item needed to slay the Flame Demon Virgil. Without it, no one here could withstand the demon's undying flames.
"The environment in this demon nest is really harsh,"Akira remarked as he carefully observed their surroundings.
The interior resembled a vast lava cavern, filled with bizarre, jagged rock formations. Streams of magma occasionally bubbled up from beneath the ground.
The deeper they went, the more frequently lava appeared, and the temperature climbed rapidly—though it was still within tolerable limits.
"A demon nest is merely a passage connecting the Abyss to the magical continent," Lucia explained softly."The true Abyss is far more hostile than this."
"The true Abyss…"
Akira murmured under his breath. Curiosity stirred within him—and along with it, a growing desire to understand Idys's past.
After all, she was a succubus who had emerged from the Abyss.
She was shrouded in endless secrets.
"Knight-Captain! A group of low-tier Flame Demons has appeared ahead!"
A knight galloped back with urgent news. Almost as soon as he spoke, hundreds of low-tier Flame Demons surged toward them like a tidal wave.
"Just low-tier Flame Demons! We don't have time to waste here."
Glen swiftly drew his sword, issuing calm yet resolute orders."Knight order, charge! Cut us a path through!"
"Yes, sir!"
Under Glen's command, the knights launched a fierce assault. The level-10 Flame Demons were utterly helpless before them, their formation shattered in moments.
The hundreds of soldiers behind quickly joined the fight, mopping up the remnants.
Players seized the opportunity as well—each low-tier Flame Demon was worth one contribution point, after all.
Akira, however, was the exception. He couldn't afford to linger.
Glen's charge wasn't just to kill demons—it was to open the way for him.
"Kid, the road's clear. We need to keep moving,"Glen called out. Their objective was Virgil and the destruction of the demon nest—not wasting time here.
"Got it."
Akira nodded and followed the knight order deeper inside.
Their movement naturally caught the attention of some players, who immediately led their own adventurers after them.
After all, killing low-tier Flame Demons barely yielded any contribution. But landing the first kill on a high-tier Flame Demon—or personally destroying the demon nest's core?
The contribution points from that would be unimaginable.
Before long, they reached a vast open area. Beyond it lay only molten lava—no visible path forward.
"What's going on? Where's the demon nest core?""And the Flame Demon?""Did we take the wrong route?"
Confusion spread through the group.
Glen frowned as well. This was the place where they'd been ambushed by the Flame Demon before. Even though the one that attacked them had been slain, its presence here meant it had been guarding something.
"Don't tell me it's in the lava?"
A curious player stepped closer, staring into the flowing magma.
The moment he did, a massive hand wreathed in blazing fire shot out from the lava and grabbed him.
"Ahhh! Help me!"
"Who dares trespass upon my domain!"
A thunderous, rough voice boomed through the cavern, shaking the entire demon nest as violent tremors followed.
At the same time, a towering demon formed of raging flames erupted from the lava, glaring down at them as it roared:
"Foolish insects! You seek your own death!"