"A Night of Lanterns, Monsters, and New Evolutions"
"How cute," said Loli as she approached Liora and carefully hugged her, while the girl simply stood there, a little confused.
Lua, on the other hand, was observing the house where Liora used to sleep. If she was going to stay with them, it wouldn't be good to spend the night in a place missing an entire wall. Her gaze fell on a large piece of bison hide, and she immediately walked over. Using branches she gathered nearby, she started to prepare a tent.
"Are you going to make a tent?" asked Sig with interest.
"Yes," Lua replied calmly as she continued working.
Then Sig got an idea while looking at Loli and Liora.
"Then… let's have a sleepover!" she said suddenly, making Loli look at her in surprise. Then her eyes shifted from Lua to Liora, as if weighing the idea.
"I'm in!" she replied right away, with enthusiasm.
Alfred, seeing the scene, stepped up to Lua decisively.
"Miss Lua, allow me to help you," he said courteously, immediately starting to organize the area with surprising professionalism.
"Then… we'll have to make a tent too. Is it okay if we borrow some hides?" Bert asked, looking at Lua. She nodded calmly, giving them permission.
Bert and Edward set to work building another tent near the fire.
"Ha ha ha! It's been so many years since I last set up a camp…" said Ganfall with a smile, joining them as he arranged the materials.
Liora, unsure how to help, simply started crafting more lanterns. Lua had already prepared several frames for her, so she sat down with a frown, fully focused on her task.
Meanwhile, the others finished setting up two tents: one for the girls and one for the men.
The truth was, the players were exhausted. As soon as everything was ready, they settled in and fell asleep without much ceremony, while Lua watched them and shook her head. They were noisy and disorganized, but she knew deep down they were good people.
While Loli and the others prepared makeshift bedding, Liora managed to finish two more lanterns, although she failed with two others. Even so, she had a proud smile on her face: she felt useful.
Lua approached and gently patted her head.
"Let's go lie down. Leave them on the tent. If the two who left come back, they'll probably want to buy them. Even if you're not here, they'll leave the money," Lua said softly.
"Okay," Liora replied as she stood up and brushed off her dress in case it had gotten dirty.
Lua went into the tent and lay down. Liora stared at her for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but before she could ask, Lua simply pulled her close against her chest and closed her eyes.
The girl smiled broadly before doing the same. Of course, Loli ended up in the other corner, kicked out by Sig… otherwise, there was no way they would let her sleep in peace.
...
"Come to me, you damned rabbits!" Joe shouted as he ran through the forest, drawing as many of them as he could. The animals, their bright red fur blessed by the night, chased after him furiously. There were at least twenty.
Joe weaved in zigzags, and when he reached the rendezvous point with Dean, he grinned from ear to ear. Dean appeared from the opposite side, running with an improvised quiver strapped to his back.
Joe leaped up to a branch where the lantern they had bought was hanging. He barely touched it with his fingertips, activating its blue glow that lit up the entire clearing.
Instantly, the rabbits' red color and enraged expressions vanished, leaving them confused.
Joe landed on the ground, turned around with a mocking grin, and declared:
"Let's see if you're so brave now!"
He charged at them, his gauntlets glowing with a reddish light. The first rabbit flew backward with a single punch.
The others tried to leap at him, brandishing their horns, but Joe dodged like a seasoned boxer and answered each attack with a blow that set them ablaze.
Meanwhile, Dean fired arrow after arrow. Although they didn't do much damage—since they hadn't been crafted by an artisan and weren't blessed by the system—every projectile found its mark, usually an eye. Several rabbits were blinded before they collapsed.
"Hahahaha!" Joe shouted with almost crazed laughter, drunk on the adrenaline of being on the brink of death, though he knew if he fell he would simply respawn.
His movements grew faster without him noticing. At that moment, his Berserker skill activated. His body expanded, muscles swelling, and his skin took on the same reddish hue as the rabbits. His speed also increased.
The wounded animals tried to flee. Joe leaped into their midst, crushing them to finish them off.
Dean aimed with clinical precision at their vital points. Each arrow left a rabbit unable to move. Finally, he drew a knife Loli had lent him and began dispatching them one by one while collecting his arrows.
You have slain 40 Horned Rabbits.
The party has gained 2,000 experience points.
You have defeated night-blessed enemies. You gain +200% loot and experience.
You have gained 4,000 experience points.
"Now we can evolve… Though honestly, we're not that lucky. If what those kids said is true, we might as well leave the bodies here. When the lantern goes out, we'll collect them… and get some rest in the meantime," Joe said decisively.
Joe opened the evolution panel and almost picked an option at random. Dean, on the other hand, took his time studying the three evolutions that appeared before him. The one that caught his attention the most was the Archer class, so he chose it.
Joe and Dean's Evolutions
Half-Taurus
"Half-Taurus"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Beast Humanoid
Class: Taurine Warrior
Defense: High
Damage: High
Durability: High
Skills:
• Devastating Charge – Charges forward, dealing 200% physical damage and knocking down enemies within a 2-meter radius.
• Savage Endurance – Reduces damage taken by 15% while health is below 50%.
Description:
An evolution that fuses brute strength and ferocity. The body grows larger and more muscular, developing imposing horns and hooves capable of shattering stone. The eyes reflect the indomitable will of a predator.
Shadow Archer
"Shadow Archer"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Dark Humanoid
Class: Shadow Bowman
Defense: Medium
Damage: Moderate
Durability: Medium
Skills:
• Umbral Arrow – Projectiles ignore 30% of defense if the target is in darkness.
• Silent Retreat – Allows the user to quickly disengage while entering stealth for 3 seconds.
Description:
An evolution that grants mastery over darkness. The clothing turns black as night, and the eyes gain a violet glow. Every shot is a silent threat that can strike from any shadow.
Dean nodded silently while Joe flashed him a confident grin. Then both of them vanished back into the forest, this time carrying the lantern with them.
—
Lua woke up as she felt something warm shifting in her arms. She looked down and found Liora, who seemed to be awake but preferred to stay there, curled up, warm, and comfortable. Lua simply smiled in silence.
A moment later, Sig and Loli also began to stretch as a notification materialized in front of all of them.
[You have slept 8 hours – Perfect Sleep]
Blessing obtained: Body and Mind Renewed
For the next 4 hours: +100% experience gained, +50% mana and health regeneration, increased mental resistance. This effect is exclusive to deep rest inside the game.
"Wow, it really is worth sleeping here..." Loli commented with a drowsy smile as she got up to start preparing breakfast, just like she used to do in real life.
"If this keeps up, we'll end up moving into this world without realizing it," she added, letting out a small amused sigh.
Meanwhile, Sig stood up with a dazed expression, her hair so messy that Liora had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.
"What the hell...?" Sig's surprised voice echoed through the camp.
Lua immediately stood up with a serious look and stepped outside the tent. But when she saw what was in the middle of the camp, she paused in silence for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth worrying about too much.
Bert and Edward, who were coming out of the men's tent, froze with their brows furrowed in disbelief. Ganfall, however, remained calmly seated, weaving more baskets with an unconcerned air. He had probably seen it already when he woke up.
In the center of the camp stood three enormous piles of dead monsters: rabbits and a few brown-scaled lizards. There were so many that it was hard to even estimate a number.
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Joe and Dean, who were approaching carrying an improvised palanquin loaded with even more prey. But what truly left them all speechless were their new appearances and levels.
[Joe – Level 20 – Maniac]
[Dean – Level 20 – Marksman]
Joe was no longer the little cow-boy they used to tease. Now he was a genuine minotaur nearly two meters tall, with brown fur that highlighted the red flame-like tattoos covering his arms, as muscular as forged steel. His horns were now obsidian black, longer and sharper.
Dean, meanwhile, still had a recognizable posture, but his skin had turned a dark tone, and his elongated ears left no doubt: he had become a dark elf, with sharp features that looked almost sculpted.
"Seriously… you two were hunting all night?" Sig asked, approaching in disbelief.
"Of course," Joe replied with a satisfied smile, dropping the palanquin with a solid thud.
"You actually broke every leveling record in existence," Bert murmured, giving them a look that mixed astonishment and respect.
Edward nodded silently. He had once held the first solo leveling record… although neither Liora nor Loli counted since they'd received Lua's help.
"And why did you bring all this without even collecting the loot?" Sig asked, gesturing at the mountains of corpses.
"We both have Luck at 3," Joe replied, as if it were obvious.
"But with how much you killed, that doesn't really matter," Sig shot back, rubbing her forehead. "You've hunted more than all of us combined since we got here."
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Joe said calmly before noticing that Liora was staring curiously at the piles. "Little one, you got here just in time. Help me collect all this. If there's anything you want, you can keep it."
"Really?" Liora asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She glanced over at Lua, who nodded serenely.
"Of course," Joe confirmed with confidence. "Besides, we have to pay for the two lanterns we took. We didn't have those crystals on hand."
Without wasting a second, Liora ran toward the first pile and began collecting items. Unlike Lua, who could process everything in groups, the players could only gather loot one by one.
"Well, nothing to be done about it... Loli, can you help her?" Joe asked, nodding calmly.
"Why does it sound like I'm just the second choice?" Loli protested, frowning.
"Because you are," Joe replied with a shameless grin.
Loli raised a hand in a threatening gesture. She traced a rune in the air, and a small tornado shot out, lifting Joe a few meters off the ground before his weight and strength let him land solidly on his feet without any real harm.
"What the hell was that?" Joe asked, more curious than angry.
"Magic," Loli answered in a flat tone, walking over to help Liora.
Lua, who had been watching everything carefully, decided to intervene when she realized how long the gathering might take.
"If you form a party with Liora, her Luck bonus is shared," she said suddenly in her neutral voice.
Everyone turned to stare at her at the same time, wide-eyed. She could have done it all for them, but as Sia always reminded her, she shouldn't overprotect the players… though she had long since stopped strictly following that rule.
"Are you serious?" Sig asked, her expression solemn.
Lua nodded calmly.
"You really are a fake goddess of fortune, Loli," Sig teased, giving her friend a mocking look.
Without wasting any more time, they invited Liora into the party to try it out.
Joe was the first to test it, activating the loot from a rabbit.
[You have obtained: 1 Rabbit Horn]
[You have obtained: Rabbit Hide]
[You have obtained: 4 Mana Fragments]
[You have obtained: Recipe – Rabbit Stew]
"It's real…" everyone murmured, crowding around to look at the recipe.
"It's the same one I learned before," Loli commented, a spark of nostalgia in her voice.
"Everyone, get to work!" Sig shouted, raising her arms to rally the whole group.
Lua stepped up behind Loli and gave her a gentle poke in the back, making her let out a small yelp.
"What is it?" Loli asked, a bit embarrassed as she covered her back.
"Breakfast," Lua replied in her calm voice, though her stare left no room for argument.
"Right… Go ahead without me. I'll cook something quickly and then help you," Loli agreed, holding back a smile that lit up her face.
—
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Joe
Level: 20
Race Level: 2
Race: Minos (Rare – Mid-Low Tier, Physical Type)
Title: Maniac
[STATS]
Health: 480
Mana: 225 (7.5 × 30 INT)
Damage: 24 (Magic: 15)
Defense: 36 (1 base +20 Endurance +5 Gauntlet +10 Vest)
Strength: 200
Endurance: 200
Intelligence: 30
Speed: 70
Dexterity: 60
Luck: 3 (static)
EXP: 0 / 50,000 (to reach Level 21)
[EQUIPMENT]
• Fire Fist (Gauntlet) – Damage +3, Defense +5
• Wolf Hide Vest (Leather Armor) – Defense +10, +1 Endurance
[ABILITIES]
• Berserker – Level 1
• Devastating Charge – Level 1
Charges forward, dealing physical damage equal to 2 × Strength and knocking down enemies in a straight line. Cooldown: 30s.
• Savage Endurance (Passive) – Level 1
When Health falls below 10%, reduces all incoming physical damage by 15% for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 5 min.
• Pugilist (Passive) – Level 1
Each consecutive hit on the same target increases damage by +1 (resets if no attack within 3 seconds).
• Fire's Blessing (Passive)
Weapons with the Fire attribute deal +10% damage.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Dean
Level: 20
Race Level: 2
Race: Dark Elf (Rank 2 – Rare Rarity, Mid-Low Tier, Ranged Combat)
Title: Marksman
[STATS]
Health: 480
Mana: 690
Damage: 8 (Magic Damage: 46)
Defense: 6
Strength: 77
Endurance: 56
Intelligence: 92
Speed: 149
Dexterity: 186
Luck: 3 (static)
EXP: 0 / 50,000
[EQUIPMENT]
• Worn Cloth (No bonuses)
[ABILITIES]
• Precise Shot – Level 1
Carefully aims to deal +50% damage with the next shot. May fail if interrupted. Cooldown: 20s.
• Umbral Arrow – Level 1
Projectiles ignore 30% of the target's defense if it is in darkness.
• Silent Retreat – Level 1
Quickly retreats while entering stealth for 3 seconds.
• Shadow Arrow – Level 1
Fires a dark arrow that, upon impact, allows instant teleportation to the point of impact. Max distance: 5 meters. Cooldown: 20s.