"Drag the Elf Queen… into the abyss?"
Kurose Akira stared at the Elf Queen before him, his heart filled with confusion and deep contemplation.
First of all, he could clearly tell that the Elf Queen standing before him was not the same one he had met beneath the Mother Tree of the Elves.Yet despite that, there was undoubtedly some unfathomably deep connection between the two.
If he followed the system prompt's implication—Was this one the incarnation of the Elf Queen's evil thoughts?
He didn't dwell on it for long.
He chose to accept the quest.
"Accept!"
[You have obtained a Special Quest — Commission of the Elf Queen (1/2)]
[Quest Description: Locked (Speak with both Elf Queens to unlock the details)][Quest Reward: ?]
There was nothing to hesitate over.
By participating in this quest, he could gradually uncover the truth—and more importantly, determine which Elf Queen truly deserved his support.
After all, the prompt only said "drag the Elf Queen into the abyss."It never specified which Elf Queen.
And wasn't the one standing right in front of him also an Elf Queen?
Upon hearing Kurose Akira's answer, the Elf Queen's lips curved upward into a satisfied smile.
"Very good," she said softly. "I'll come find you again, little one."
With that, her figure slowly blurred—then vanished completely into the air.
At the same time, Kurose Akira gently opened his eyes.
He was back inside the guild.
Everything from the dream had disappeared without a trace.
The Elf Queen's peerless figure was gone as well—replaced by Alice's cute, familiar face.
"…Eh?"
"Alice?"
"Master~ good morning~"
"Would you like Alice's morning service?"
"..."
Kurose Akira logged out of the game, washed up, ate a light breakfast, then logged back in.
It was only seven in the morning in game time. The guild was utterly silent.
The only sound was Alice brewing coffee for him. Even Loserine was still immersed in slumber.
…Wait.Undead weren't supposed to sleep, were they?Was she meditating instead?
Taking advantage of the quiet, Kurose Akira first sent a letter to Princess Elina, asking whether she had time to enjoy tea together. His true goal was to ask her about the Elf Queen's usual place for relaxation.
Once that was done, he stood up and headed toward Loserine's room.
He finally had time today—he needed to hurry and complete her character quest to boost the guild's combat power.
"Loserine! Wake up! You're undead—you don't even need sleep!"
Kurose Akira pushed open the door and shouted.
But to his surprise, Loserine was already fully armored.
She shot him a cold glance at his sudden intrusion and calmly reminded him,"Next time, knock."
With that, she walked out of the room.
"Oh."Kurose Akira replied simply and followed her.
They arrived together at the training hall.
Today was the final knight training session. He had no idea what Loserine planned to teach him.
"You've now mastered basic swordsmanship and accumulated some real combat experience," Loserine said as she removed her Oathbound Sword from her waist. "Though you're still rough around the edges, compared to those who've never touched a blade, you're far ahead."
"Yeah."Kurose Akira nodded. "But I still feel like I'm missing something."
Against opponents lacking real combat experience, he could win easily.But when facing seasoned warriors, he always felt a lingering sense of inadequacy.
"Correct," Loserine said."What you lack is absolute confidence—confidence born from the heart. Trust your body. Trust the sword in your hand. Believe that they will lead you to victory!"
Was this… the legendary unity of man and sword?
"Now!"She raised her blade."Take up your sword and attack me!"
"Oh."
Kurose Akira answered and immediately lunged forward.
Thanks to the previous two sessions, his swordsmanship had improved significantly, his footwork far more stable.
But compared to Loserine—
He was still nowhere close.
With a single move, she effortlessly knocked his sword from his hand.
"Again!"
"Got it!"
Kurose Akira picked up his sword and charged again.
Moments later, his blade was sent flying once more—and this time, the shock sent his entire body crashing backward.
"Keep going!"
"Faster!"
"Don't stop!"
"Yes—that's the feeling!"
"..."
(What followed was an extremely intense sword-training sequence. One thousand words omitted…)
"Hah… hah…"
Kurose Akira panted heavily, his entire body soaked through with sweat from Loserine's brutal training, as if he'd just been hauled out of water.
But his efforts were not in vain.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a temporary status: Swordsmanship Mastery! (3 years)]
[Swordsmanship Mastery: As long as you possess a skill book, you can instantly master mid-tier and lower sword techniques!]
"Not bad~"
Kurose Akira smiled in satisfaction.
While Basic Swordsmanship allowed him to learn sword skills of all tiers—given time—Swordsmanship Mastery allowed him to instantly master mid-tier and lower sword skills upon using a skill book.
Compared to Kurose Akira's exhaustion, Loserine still seemed unsatisfied.
But she knew his stamina had reached its limit and did not push him further.
"Swordsmanship requires long-term accumulation," Loserine said as she sheathed her blade. "I hope the Guildmaster will continue to practice whenever you have time."
"Sure! I'll train with you when I'm free."
Kurose Akira nodded—if he had time. His schedule was packed, and Ivsha was always hoping he'd make time to "train" the Holy Sword…
"Mm."
Receiving his reply, Loserine gave a light nod. In her eyes, there seemed to be a hint of acknowledgment—like a mentor approving her disciple.
Just then, a system prompt appeared.
[Knight's Daily Training (Completed!)]
[You have obtained one free Skill Trait Refresh!][You have obtained an item — Medal of Honor!]
?
A flash of white light—and a silver-white medal appeared in Kurose Akira's hand.
[Medal of Honor: Required material for Loserine's Ascension!]
"…That's way more normal than Ivsha's ascension material."
Kurose Akira couldn't help complaining. Ivsha's "Succubus Candy" didn't look like an ascension material at all—it looked more like a novelty adult toy.
"This is…"
Loserine suddenly noticed the Medal of Honor. Her eyes filled with unmistakable longing.
"May I… have it?"
She looked at him with naked desire—exactly like Ivsha had before.
Kurose Akira's eyes lit up.
He knew very well how desperately adventurers wanted their ascension materials.
"Go ahead."
He handed the Medal of Honor to Loserine.
"Thank you!"
Loserine accepted it, placing it flat on her palm and admiring it carefully.
She looked like a child who had finally received the toy she'd dreamed of for years—her eyes sparkling with excitement and fulfillment.
Kurose Akira even noticed that Loserine's blue-glowing soul body shimmered like starlight at that moment.
Her emotions were surging!
[You have given Ascension Material to Adventurer Loserine.]
[Loserine's level has increased to Level 25!][All attributes +20!][Bond Skill unlocked: Knight's Loyalty!]
[Knight's Loyalty: You have obtained a knight's absolute loyalty! Experience required for leveling is halved!]
"Wait—experience halved?!"
Kurose Akira stared at the bond skill in shock.
This was absurdly powerful.
Half EXP meant he could level Loserine far faster with fewer resources—or funnel everything into her and create an overwhelmingly high-level adventurer.
As base stats increased, all multipliers and combat bonuses would scale even more terrifyingly.
[Loserine has obtained a new Trait!][Please choose one of the following three traits:]
[Blacksmith][Likes Eating Peanuts][Alcoholic]
"…Hmm."
After careful consideration, Kurose Akira decided to refresh Loserine's traits.
As his strongest combat unit, her traits had to be flawless—no room for error.
[Refresh successful!]
[Bitch][Supreme Sword Spirit][Idol Group Lead Vocal]