[Defeated Inferior Demon Commander—EXP +5000! Contribution Points +30!][Demon Nest Destroyed—Contribution Points +100!]
"Compared to the demon nest in Red Maple Leaf Territory, the one near Falling Star City feels noticeably easier…"Kurose Akira patted the scorched surface of his Flame Demon Armor, sighing in quiet amazement at how smooth the battle had been.
The full set of elite-quality Flame Demon Armor granted him the raw power needed to charge straight into combat. Combined with the sword techniques Loserine had personally taught him, he had successfully cut down several low-tier inferior demons during this mission.
However, since many players had participated in the fight, the credit for destroying the demon nest's core was shared rather than his alone. As a result, he only received 100 contribution points for that part.
Including the contribution accumulated from killing inferior demons, his total contribution now stood at 250 points. While it fell short of the 425 points he had earned back in Red Maple Leaf Territory, the sheer ease of the battle made it feel like nothing more than mowing down weeds.
"Thank you all so much for your help!""Falling Star City will always welcome you—brave adventurers!"
The lord of Falling Star City personally expressed his gratitude to the players and adventurers who had taken part in the event mission, thanking them for restoring peace and safety to the city.
He even sent out fine wine and beautiful women to celebrate the victory.
Kurose Akira, however, showed no interest. Ordinary human women had long since lost their appeal to him.
After returning to the guild, he removed the heavy Flame Demon Armor. Sweat soaked through his clothes, releasing a scent that was unmistakably his own.
"Mmm~ it smells so good~"
The moment the armor came off, Ivsha latched onto him, pressing her body close and greedily inhaling his scent~She even tried to extend her long, sharp tongue, eager to lick every inch of his skin.
"Ivsha! Control yourself!"
"Ah~"
Kurose Akira gently flicked Ivsha on the forehead, reminding her to calm down and stop thinking about lewd things all the time.
Left with no choice, Ivsha finally backed off and used the break to return to her prayer chamber, tidying up the various "overused" items inside.
Kurose Akira headed into the bathroom, washing away the exhaustion and rinsing every trace of sweat from his body.
After his shower, he stepped out and saw Lucia and Loserine playing a game of chess together. The two of them shared many common interests—during their downtime, they preferred reading, chess, and tea, savoring moments of quiet tranquility.
The elven sisters, meanwhile, were playing with the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterflies. Their natural affinity with elemental mana made the butterflies especially fond of them.
Naturally, the task of nurturing the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterflies with mana fell to the sisters. As for Alice, she was busy throughout the guild, diligently fulfilling her maid duties and ensuring everything remained clean and orderly.
"Hah~ the atmosphere in the guild is really peaceful," Kurose Akira exhaled softly.Aside from Ivsha constantly thinking about lewd things, everything felt perfectly normal.
He glanced at the time. It was only one in the afternoon—still enough time to complete one or two commission quests.
Or… he could head over to investigate the demon nest in the Shadow Mountains.
Coincidentally, there was a D-rank commission located in the Shadow Mountains, which he could take care of along the way.
As he pondered this, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the Snow Porpoise Egg. Ever since it had shown a faint reaction with the help of the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly last time, it had returned to complete stillness over the past few days.
Had a new life truly begun to form inside it?
And if it did hatch… would it be a snow porpoise?Could it be used as a mount?
Anticipation stirred within him~
In addition, Kurose Akira checked his remaining Trait Inventory. He still had two unused traits: [Corpse] and [Undying Flame].
"Can Undying Flame and Corpse be combined?"
He murmured to himself. The combination seemed viable—and potentially quite powerful.
Still, there was no need to rush. Undying Flame was an ultra-rare trait. If he added another ultra-rare trait later, he might even recruit another mythical-quality adventurer.
After a short rest, Kurose Akira stood up and addressed the guild members.
"It's about time. Let's head out and take on a mission."
"Understood, Guild Master!""As you command~"
Everyone put aside what they were doing and followed Kurose Akira toward the mission location.
With a flash from the teleportation array, they arrived near the demon nest in the Shadow Mountains.
Because this demon nest was far from any city, there were relatively few participating players. Demon nests were high-difficulty instances for players, after all, and ensuring the safety of guild adventurers was crucial. Without military support, casualties were a real risk—so caution was only natural.
Of course, the fewer players involved, the greater the rewards.
The moment they arrived near the demon nest, they were spotted by another player guild.
"Hey, friend—are you here for the special mission too?"
A green-haired male player approached Kurose Akira, confusion written across his face.
Kurose Akira noticed that the man looked pale, as though he had just been through something unpleasant.
"Yeah. You don't look so good—did something happen?" Kurose Akira asked.
"Don't even get me started," the player sighed. "The demon nest in the Shadow Mountains is way more complicated than we expected. Several guilds came together for this mission, and we've already lost over a dozen adventurers. I'm planning to give up."
Kurose Akira swept his gaze over the adventurers behind him—every one of them was injured.
"Brother, if you're planning to go deeper into the demon nest, you'd better be careful," the player added. "A necromancer has defected to the demons. He's turned a lot of our adventurers into undead under his control."
"Thanks for the warning."
After delivering that caution, the player immediately led his guild members away.
Kurose Akira stroked his chin, pondering the situation.
Clearly, this D-rank commission overlapped with a special event mission. The necromancer in the Shadow Mountains had joined forces with the demons in the nest, targeting adventurers who came to suppress them.
Judging from the levels of that player's guild members, most were above level 20—some even nearing level 30.
Rough estimate: he would need to deal with over a dozen undead adventurers in the level 20–30 range…
"This is going to be far more troublesome than expected."
He murmured quietly and continued advancing toward the demon nest.
When the demon nest finally came into view, eerie green fog blanketed the distant forest, partially obscuring the entrance. To venture inside, they would have to pass through that fog.
And within that vision-blocking environment, countless demons and undead could be lurking—waiting eagerly to hunt down unsuspecting adventurers.
Nearby, several other player guilds were gathered, discussing strategies to destroy the demon nest's core. They paid little attention to Kurose Akira's arrival—only sparing him a casual glance before resuming their discussion.
Kurose Akira understood at once. These players had likely banded together to tackle the demon nest, but its difficulty had exceeded their expectations, resulting in delays—and even casualties.
Now, it seemed they had recruited additional players and were preparing for another push.
Some of the adventurers were visibly high-spirited—far too confident for people who had already suffered a defeat.
"There's something terrifying hidden in this fog…"Alice's soul perception picked up on something abnormal.
"Thousands upon thousands of vengeful undead spirits."
Lucia's pupils glimmered with golden light as she spoke softly."But that's all."
As she finished speaking, she raised the Scepter of the Sun and tapped it lightly.
In the next instant—
Brilliant golden light erupted forth…