"Take this—
Heavenfire Greatsword!"
In the forest, fallen leaves fluttered about.
The crimson-golden greatsword danced gracefully, its flames twisting like a dragon. Blood scattered, drip by drip, from the center of the fiery blaze, blooming into eerie red lotus flowers.
Finally, amidst the dying wails of the beast, the dazzling fireworks faded away, leaving only a girl standing alongside her sword, panting heavily under the glaring sun.
"Finally... won!"
Ariel's face was smeared with blood, yet the excitement in her eyes was impossible to conceal. After hours of intense battle, she had at last defeated the magical beast, which had proven far stronger than she'd initially anticipated.
Though her body was drained of energy, her spirit felt remarkably uplifted—like she had ascended to a higher plane of existence.
Indeed, only battles fought on the knife-edge between life and death, against evenly matched opponents, could satisfy her!
"Congrats."
Her mentor's equally delighted voice rang in her ears:
"Defeating a sovereign-level magical beast speaks volumes of your abilities. At your age, possessing such strength would have been exceedingly rare even in my time."
"Hmph, my goal isn't just to surpass my peers!" Ariel scoffed disdainfully.
"That ambition is admirable indeed," her mentor replied with a smile.
"Now, go claim your spoils of victory."
Hearing the word "spoils," Ariel's eyes lit up. She glanced at the corpse of the magical beast lying on the ground and felt her heart start thudding uncontrollably.
Strangely, she'd been far less nervous during the life-and-death struggle against the beast itself.
She swallowed hard and walked forward slowly. Kneeling beside the beast, she retrieved a small knife she carried with her.
Under her mentor's guidance, she carefully cut into the beast's corpse, meticulously extracting its precious materials piece by piece.
"The fur—worth at least fifty thousand Emil."
"The claws—thirty thousand Emil."
"The teeth—one hundred thousand Emil."
Listening to her mentor's appraisal, Ariel realized her hands were trembling uncontrollably. But she forced herself to steady her excitement, taking a deep breath before extracting the most valuable treasure—the core.
A magical beast’s core embodied the essence of its strength, possessing a wide range of uses. The purer and mightier the core, the more priceless it became.
And thus, the value of this core was...
"At least a million!" Her mentor’s voice was definitive.
A million…
One million.
One million!
Ariel felt as if she had been transported to a valley, with those three magical words echoing endlessly around her.
One million... one million... one million...
This was one million!
She could barely imagine how large a case can hold a million Emil!
How euphoric!
"How odd, Mentor."
Ariel took a deep breath and rubbed her reddened eyes, speaking as though pondering life’s mysteries:
"Back when the black market was still open, I could earn a million Emil too. Yet somehow, today feels far more exhilarating."
"That’s the satisfaction of hard-earned rewards."
Her mentor smiled, saying,
"As I told you before, poverty will never keep you bound for long. You have too many ways to make money. If anything, your earlier struggles were merely temporary."
"Right, exactly—it's just temporary!"
Ariel gripped the core tightly, feeling all the frustration and vexation of the past few days dissolve completely.
No more dry black bread for dinners.
No more agonizing over every cent, calculating expenses to the last coin.
And no more borrowing Lea’s money, making herself feel like a freeloader!
This was only the beginning—a remarkably good beginning. From now on, Ariel Bugard would never be shackled by financial struggles again!
One day—both in power and wealth—she would utterly surpass that damnable Moen Campbell!
"Ah, right, Lea! I have to tell Lea this great news immediately!"
Ariel nearly leapt with excitement, glancing instinctively at the sky.
"Oh no, it’s already so late. She’s probably realized by now that I’ve snuck out…”
"But it doesn’t matter! Lea won't be mad at me. Do you know why? Because I’ve earned a million Emil—a million Emil!"
The thought of Lea possibly scolding or chastising her for sneaking out in the middle of the night was completely cast aside.
Her mind was already racing, planning how to allocate this grand fortune upon reaching Elizel.
First off, she would repay Lea—no matter how often Lea said repayment wasn’t necessary. It had to be done because the ninth rule of the "How To Master Seductress" stated: In matters of affection, until mutual feelings are confirmed, both parties must remain on equal footing.
Next, she'd buy maintenance supplies for her beloved sword, as well as various materials she and Lea might need. Especially materials for crafting magic scrolls. Once those ingredients were collected, she could rake in even more profits!
After all, Elizel surely had its own black market too!
And then… after all of that would come the main event.
It was rumored that their group would be staying in Elizel for three days. With such ample time combined with her abundant funds, she could...
Go on a date!
Yes, she could invite Lea on a date!
Though it might not be appropriate to label it as such, asking Lea to stroll through the city together, just the two of them, creating intimate moments—how was that not a date?
This was the perfect opportunity to deepen their bond!
“Haha, darling Lea, here I come!
Beautiful date, here I come too!”
Picturing all these delightful scenarios, Ariel took an eager step forward to retrace her path back downtown.
…
“Hmm?”
“Huh huh?”
“Huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh?”
Ariel’s excitement hadn’t yet fully dissipated, but she now froze in place, staring blankly at the scene before her.
It looked as though a hurricane had swept through the area. Nearby trees had been flattened, snapped in two, or uprooted entirely, creating a vast clearing with craters resembling meteor impacts.
The formerly dense and shadow-filled woodland where sunlight rarely penetrated now appeared barren as a plains. Casting her gaze far into the distance, she could see the ominous depths of the Deathbane Forest looming ahead.
"Men-Mentor? Did I come to the wrong place? Or have I been caught in an illusion?" Ariel's face paled as she stammered.
“You haven’t gone astray, nor are you under any illusion.”
Her mentor’s tone took on a grave note as she spoke heavily:
“These are marks left by battle—no, marks left by a clash between top-tier entities. Two individuals… no, at least three of The Crowned! Combined with traces of powerful magic. This area had been sealed earlier, which is why I didn’t sense it before.”
“The C-Crowned?"
Ariel felt her mind lagging as though it were frozen.
What on earth had happened?
Why did a simple hunting trip and a two-hour delay result in her returning to this chaos?
And why were there three The Crowned involved?
Where did they come from?
Why did they fight here?
Were The Crowned so bored they’d randomly spar in remote forests?
I just don't understand this at all!
But most importantly…
Where is everyone? Where’s Lea?
Could it be…
Staring at the aftermath of destruction, an unbearable possibility arose in Ariel’s thought. Unable to suppress the sinking feeling, she collapsed to her knees, uttering a long and sorrowful cry toward the heavens:
“No—Lea—!”
