"Guaranteed buy-one-get-one-free?"Kurose Akira stared at the Bond Trait, his face lit up with undisguised delight.
Wasn't this effect practically broken?
Adventurers obtained through recruitment—aside from the difference in their relationship to each other—would otherwise have identical trait attributes.
If he ended up with two Loserines, wouldn't their combat power instantly double?
And if it were two Ivshas… cough cough—that scene was far too beautiful to even imagine.
Suddenly, Akira caught onto a crucial detail.
"This special event quest… doesn't seem to conflict with the previous hidden quest?"
Which meant he could completely finish the White Rose's Soul quest and participate in this special event at the same time—
Double rewards.
Takeoff.
"There are still five days…" Akira calculated silently. "I need to hurry and complete tasks to raise Ivsha and the others' levels."
Five days wasn't long, but if he went all out, there was still a chance to push Ivsha and the others past level 20 before the event began.
After a moment of thought, Akira began selecting suitable commissions for Ivsha and Alice.
Since their strongest combatant, Loserine, was currently absorbing memory fragments and unable to fight, it made sense to assign Ivsha and Alice to non-combat-oriented E-rank quests for now—things like collecting Moonlight Essence at Moonlight Peak, or searching for a lost ruby necklace.
These were tasks that could be completed while Loserine was unavailable, and given Ivsha and Alice's current strength, they should be able to handle them with ease.
"Let's go to Moonlight Peak first and collect Moonlight Essence."
Akira looked out the window.
Night had already fallen. Moonlight poured down like water, illuminating the land in tranquil silver. It was the perfect time for a quest that required gathering moonlight.
That said, the quest description clearly stated that the task consumed a large amount of mana.
This made him wonder—were Ivsha and Alice's mana reserves sufficient?
"Ivsha, Alice—we're heading out for a quest."
Akira stood up from his seat and called toward the guild hall.
"Okay~ Master~""Yes~ Mr. Akira~"
...
In a flash of white light, Akira emerged from the teleportation array atop Moonlight Peak.
The summit was bathed in pure moonlight, bright as day. A beam of white radiance descended from the heavens, as if a celestial maiden were about to step down into the mortal world, lending the entire scene an air of mystery.
Alice looked around curiously and asked, "Master, how do we collect the moonlight?"
Akira smiled. "Of course, we use a special container to gather Moonlight Essence."
As he spoke, he took out a small jade bottle from his pocket.
The bottle was a pale, elegant blue-green, with a finely etched crescent moon on its surface—as if it had been crafted specifically for collecting moonlight.
Ivsha stepped closer, her gaze drawn to the bottle in Akira's hand. She examined it carefully and asked in confusion, "Mr. Akira, are we supposed to collect the moonlight into this jade bottle?"
Akira nodded. "Mm. This is a tool specially made by the Moon Goddess Empire for harvesting moonlight."
"I've heard of the Moon Goddess Empire, but I've never had the chance to visit it myself," Ivsha said, her curiosity clearly piqued. "I've also heard that it's a kingdom founded on religious faith—but different from the Holy Light Church?"
Akira nodded again and continued, "That's right. Compared to the Sun Theocracy, the Moon Goddess Empire keeps its faith strictly within its own borders. They don't even allow people outside the empire to worship the Moon Goddess. The Sun Theocracy, on the other hand, spreads the teachings of the God of Light across the entire world."
What surprised him, though, was the fact that the Sun God and the God of Light seemed to be the same deity.
Or perhaps there were hidden truths behind the scenes—secrets that led the followers of the Sun Theocracy to embrace the God of Light instead.
Either way, matters involving gods were still far beyond his reach at this stage.
All of this knowledge had come from books in the library. While searching for information he needed, Akira had also learned about other nations—and the more he read, the more he realized just how vast this world truly was.
The regions covered by just the human nations alone already exceeded the total landmass of Blue Star, not to mention the existence of elves, beastfolk, demons, and countless other races.
This world was unimaginably immense.
Far beyond what any game should be.
Even if tens of thousands of people worked nonstop, not for centuries—but for millennia—they still wouldn't be able to create something on this scale.
Clearly, this world was far more than just a game.
"I see… Mr. Akira really is incredibly knowledgeable~" Ivsha said, gazing at him with affection.
"Cough, cough~"
Akira cleared his throat awkwardly.
He really didn't know that much—everything he'd said came straight from books. As for what the Moon Goddess Empire was truly like, he hadn't seen it with his own eyes either.
"Let's hurry and collect the moonlight. The moon's about to be covered by clouds."
Akira quickly handed the jade bottle to Ivsha. Only she, with her abundant mana reserves, could gather the pure moonlight efficiently.
"Okay~"
Ivsha nodded, took the jade bottle, and stepped into the moonlight, focusing intently.
She gently guided the moonlight, drawing the silvery glow like fine threads into the jade bottle in her hand. It was easy to see the bottle slowly filling under the moon's radiance, emitting a faint, shimmering glow.
[Moonlight Bottle is collecting Moonlight Essence: Progress 1%]
While waiting, Akira turned his attention to Alice.
He noticed she was staring up at the moon, lost in thought.
"What's on your mind, Alice?"Akira asked, puzzled.
"N—nothing~ Master~"
Alice lightly shook her head. In her clear sky-blue eyes, there was a faint haze—something unsettled, something she was trying to hide.
As if she didn't want her sadness to affect anyone else.
"..."
Though Alice said nothing aloud, her thoughts echoed clearly in Akira's mind.
"Moonlight Witch… my lady…""I can wash clothes, cook meals, clean rooms—I can learn anything! o(╥﹏╥)o""Please… don't abandon me. Don't leave me alone!""..."
Akira looked at Alice's face.
The voice in her heart was steeped in loneliness and helplessness.
Memories of the past wandered through her mind like a nightmare—she desperately needed someone to save her.
Poor little thing.
"Alice."
Akira immediately issued a command.
"Y—yes, Master? What are your orders?" Alice instantly wiped away her gloom, putting on a sweet smile as she hurried over.
"Massage my shoulders. Knead my legs. Your master is tired."
"Yes~ Master~"
Alice happily moved to Akira's side, gently massaging his shoulders and legs, diligently playing the role of a maid. Her earlier sorrow vanished in an instant as she devoted herself wholeheartedly to serving her master.
Just as Akira relaxed into Alice's attentions and waited for Ivsha to finish collecting the moonlight, Ivsha suddenly turned her head.
Moonlight bathed her exquisite face, making her even more captivating. Yet there was a trace of faint worry in her expression as she pleaded softly,
"Mr. Akira… my mana… seems to be completely depleted~"
..
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