Huu—
After consuming all five leaves of the Elf Mother Tree, Kurose Akira let out a slow breath and focused his gaze on his status panel.
[Kurose Akira]Rank: D-Grade EvaluationRace: HumanStrength: 220 / Agility: 220 / Mana: 240 / Constitution: 220Growth: UnknownSkills: (Expand)Traits: [Dragon Knight][Sunny & Upbeat][Mother-in-Law Slayer][Succubus Physique][Super Fan][Soul Snare]Notice: You currently have 150 unassigned attribute points!
"I need to think carefully about how to distribute these 150 points…"
Akira pondered for a moment, then began allocating them.
Strength, Agility, and Constitution each received 30 points, while Mana was given 60.
Given his current circumstances, increasing Mana provided a slightly greater benefit than the other attributes. The higher his Mana, the stronger his spells became—including enhancement-type magic.
After finishing the allocation, Akira turned his gaze toward the jade bed inside the wooden cabin.
There were no blankets on it—only a jade pillow.
"Come to think of it… can you even sleep inside a dream?"
Akira lay down on the jade bed, the question lingering in his mind. Would sleep even be possible in a dreamscape?
When he lay down, he had expected the hard jade surface to feel uncomfortable. Instead, to his surprise, it was exceptionally comfortable—like lying on a waterbed. A profound, indescribable sense of relaxation spread through his entire body.
On top of that, a gentle fragrance drifted around his nose, and before he realized it, he slipped into a deep sleep…
—
When Akira woke up, he removed his VR headset, stepped into the bathroom for a quick rinse, and then headed to school.
Today was Thursday. When he entered the classroom, there weren't many people yet.
Lately, his sleep time had been extremely short—five hours was enough to completely dispel his fatigue.
"Were you sick yesterday?"
Liu Xue walked over and asked with concern.
"Yeah, I wasn't feeling too great. But I'm fine now," Akira replied. As for the details, he didn't feel it was appropriate to explain everything to her.
"That's good to hear. Here—this is the review material you asked me to organize for you before."
She handed him a thick set of neatly compiled notes.
"Thanks," Akira said sincerely as he accepted them.
"Oh, and don't forget to come to the noodle shop on Saturday~" Liu Xue reminded him before leaving.
"Got it. I'll be there."
Akira nodded firmly in agreement.
…
After school, Akira returned home, ate something simple, and logged into the game.
The moment he entered, the first thing that greeted him was Ivsha's beautiful face. She was sitting in the guild hall, holding a Bible in her hands.
"Good morning, Mr. Akira~"
When she saw him, Ivsha's lips curved into a sweet smile.
"You're here pretty early today," Akira said in surprise. The in-game time was only a little past seven in the morning.
"That's because I skipped the nuns' morning prayer~" Ivsha replied with a gentle smile. Her eyes, brimming with affection, seemed to say: I just wanted to spend more time with you.
"Is it really okay to do morning prayer inside the guild?" Akira paused and asked.
After all, did it really matter where morning prayers were held?
"Of course~ Anywhere is fine. But first, you need someone to pray to. In the church, there's a statue of the God of Light. But here…"
As she spoke, a glimmer flashed through Ivsha's eyes, and she looked toward the only object of prayer in the guild.
Akira frowned slightly.
He'd fallen into the succubus's trap again.
—
An hour later, Lucia and the elf sisters arrived at the guild one after another.
At that moment, Akira was browsing the World Channel in the guild hall, while Ivsha was savoring a freshly made milk coffee—one she had personally prepared just moments ago.
"About what happened earlier… is there any result yet?"
Lucia walked over barefoot, her steps light and graceful, and asked softly.
"Yeah," Akira nodded. "The king of the Star Kingdom seems extremely confident. He's planning to permanently detain the armies sent by the other nations inside the royal capital—without triggering a war. As for the methods he'll use, that's still unclear."
He continued, "And based on the current situation, adventurers will eventually all gather in the Star Kingdom's capital as well. The ultra-high-difficulty demon cave has appeared near the capital."
This was information he had just learned while reviewing mission updates.
At present, more than half of the fifty demon caves had already been destroyed, so the system had revealed the exact location of the ultra-high-difficulty one.
Regardless of whether the remaining fifty demon caves were cleared or not, that highest-difficulty demon cave would appear near the royal capital three days before the Star Festival.
That meant the armies of various nations, adventurer guilds, and the demon legions from the cave would all converge on the Star Kingdom's capital.
It would become the final battlefield.
"..."
A chill flickered across Lucia's usually cool expression as she processed the information Akira had shared.
"I suggest the Sun Church Nation remain on standby—or at most, send only a small force and wait for the right moment to act," Akira offered his advice.
"So… you're planning to enter the royal capital yourself?" Lucia asked quietly.
"Yeah."
Akira nodded. Since he had chosen Idis, he would naturally take part in the battle personally.
Moreover, there were countless connections between Idis and Ivsha. No one knew whether Idis's death would have any effect on Ivsha.
He had a reason—no, an obligation—to participate.
"I understand what you're thinking."
Lucia nodded, having already made her own decision.
"Since everyone's here now…"
Akira stood up and addressed the guild members.
"I have six pieces of elite-grade equipment. Everyone, come claim one."
"Equipment?"
Everyone's eyes turned to him, filled with curiosity.
"Loserine, this one's for you."
Akira handed Loserine a pair of gauntlets.
[Snow Prince's Gauntlets (Elite): Attack Speed +30%!]
"Thank you."
Loserine accepted them and expressed her gratitude.
"And for you, Alice."
Akira handed Alice a pair of earrings.
[Shimmering Maid Earrings (Elite): Evasion Rate +30%!]
"Thank you, Master!"
Alice accepted them joyfully, clearly delighted with the gift.
"These are for the two of you."
Akira took out two bracelets and handed them to the elf sisters.
[Flame (Pure Water) Magic Bracelet (Elite): Fire (Water) Element Damage +30%!]
"Thank you, Guild Leader!"
The sisters accepted the bracelets happily, their eyes sparkling with affection for the items.
"Lucia, this one's yours."
Akira took out a golden hairpin and handed it to her.
[Hymn of Holy Light Hairpin (Elite): Light-element spell casting speed +10%!]
"I get one too?"
"Of course. You're a member of the guild as well."
Lucia looked at the golden hairpin in Akira's hand, surprise flickering in her eyes. It seemed this was the first time someone had ever given her a gift face-to-face—even if it was only an elite-grade hairpin.
"Thank you~"
"And finally…"
Akira took out Ivsha's gift.
It was a ring, set with a dazzling purple diamond.
"This is for you, Ivsha."
[Ring of Desire (Elite): Desire +20!]
"Would you put it on for me?" Ivsha asked expectantly.
"Of course."
Akira didn't hesitate. He carefully slid the diamond ring onto her finger.
"Look~ it's so beautiful~"
Ivsha admired the shimmering purple diamond on her ring finger, the heart-shaped reflections in her pupils flickering faintly.
Her actions immediately sparked imitation from the other guild members.
"Master, me too!"
"Guild Leader, please~!"
"..."
Amid the lively commotion, Loserine quietly put on her gauntlets. Compared to the others, her equipment leaned far more toward pure combat.
Naturally, she liked it very much.
Lucia, on the other hand, merely cast a casual glance at the golden hairpin in her hand, then shifted her gaze toward Akira, who was surrounded by the guild members.
After watching for a moment, the corner of her lips lifted slightly, forming a faint, almost imperceptible smile—as though she were quietly enjoying this amusing scene.