"These three traits…"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly, his gaze shifting back and forth between the three trait entries and Lucia.
Obviously, none of these traits fit Lucia's identity as a holy maiden.
"Refresh!"
[Zombie][Minotaur][Slime]
…?
Akira scanned the newly refreshed traits, his brows knitting together again.
Racial traits could sometimes bring unexpected surprises—after all, they might grant Lucia innate abilities from other races.
But in Akira's eyes, Lucia was the only normal human in the guild.
He had no intention of letting her lose that identity.
"Refresh!"
[Battle-Hardened][Likes Tattoos][Holy Hymn]
"Hm? Holy Hymn?"
When Akira saw one of the newly refreshed traits, confusion flickered across his face.
This one felt… different.
Special.
It seemed like the kind of trait that might produce unexpected effects.
After a brief moment of consideration, Akira made his decision.
He selected [Holy Hymn] for Lucia.
[You have successfully added a new trait to Adventurer Lucia — Holy Hymn!]
[Holy Hymn: As a holy maiden of the Church of Light, Lucia will be accompanied by her exclusive background music upon each appearance.Holy Hymn chanting lasts for 30 minutes. During this time, Lucia's attributes increase by 50%, and she gains 50% damage reduction!(When Lucia is alone with you, a special Holy Hymn will be unlocked.)]
"…Huh?"
Akira's eyes flashed with surprise as he read the trait's effects.
A 50% increase to all attributes.
And 50% damage reduction.
During the duration of the hymn, Lucia would be peerless among adventurers of the same tier.
Absolutely dominant.
And then…
His gaze dropped to the parenthetical note at the end.
His brows furrowed.
A special Holy Hymn… when she's alone with me?
What exactly was that supposed to mean?
Akira glanced at Lucia, curiosity and faint anticipation rising like a tide in his chest.
At that moment, Lucia was completely absorbed in examining the Saint Maiden Fruit.
Beneath her white veil, her gold-and-crimson eyes shimmered with a subtle light, brimming with curiosity.
This was the first time Akira had ever seen her look so genuinely intrigued.
"This thing…" she murmured softly, "…is quite nice~"
Satisfied, Lucia slipped the Saint Maiden Fruit into her pocket.
She turned her gaze back to Akira, cool composure interwoven with unmistakable delight.
"Today, we're exterminating the final two demon lairs, correct?"
"Yeah."
Akira nodded, then turned to Viola.
"Viola, given the current situation, you'll stay at the guild for this operation."
Viola was still being hunted by Prince Tylus of the Starfall Kingdom, the king's own younger brother—a man of terrifying influence and authority.
And these two high-risk demon lairs were located close to the royal capital.
Avoiding the prince's eyes there would be nearly impossible.
Leaving Viola at the guild was the safest option.
As for whether Akira's identity in the forest had already been exposed…
Judging from everything so far, it didn't seem like it.
The knights and soldiers from that encounter had been dealt with completely.
No survivors.
And there was no indication that anyone else had been watching from the shadows.
As for the Starfall Kingdom soldiers they had encountered earlier, they had only witnessed Marei Rhine in her dragon form.
They hadn't seen any of the other guild members.
So information about Akira couldn't have been relayed through Prince Tylus's faction.
However…
There was still one unknown variable.
That player—the one Akira had killed after he murdered one of Akira's guild members.
Akira rubbed his chin, his brow tightening.
That player had escaped the scene, and the clash had definitely left behind traces.
But—
At the time, Akira had been in his half-dragon transformation.
Dragon scales covered part of his face.
And he had been riding Azkman's mount.
It wasn't guaranteed that the player could accurately identify him.
Moreover, Akira had no intention of personally participating in the high-tier demon lair extermination.
His presence wouldn't appear on the battlefield at all.
…Wait.
Akira suddenly frowned.
Even if the player couldn't identify him—
They would absolutely recognize Azkman.
Which meant…
Would they assume that it was the Celestial Consort Guild that had intervened to save Viola?
Cough.
Too many uncertainties remained.
The potential danger couldn't be ignored.
Precautions were necessary.
On top of that, Frey and Flora were currently undergoing the baptism of the World Tree.
Two combat forces temporarily unavailable.
And Viola couldn't fight either.
Akira couldn't help but question whether their manpower was truly sufficient.
But—
The guild still had Lucia and Marei Rhine, both Mythic-tier adventurers.
Along with Loserine, wielding the Legendary weapon Oathbound Sword.
And Ivsha, who had already unlocked two magical crests.
Such overwhelming combat power should be more than enough.
Oh—right.
Almost forgot.
There was also Alice.
Cute.
Charming.
Dangerous in her own way.
As for the exact personnel assignments…
They'd discuss that in detail once they arrived at the Celestial Consort Guild.
Beep beep beep—
A new message notification rang.
Akira opened his chat interface.
It was an invitation from Fiona Xu to join a group chat.
He accepted.
The moment he entered, his vision was flooded with a barrage of anime-style questionable images.
Naturally, he wasn't particularly interested.
He skimmed them briefly before checking the member list.
Sixteen people total.
Fiona Xu herself.
And fourteen other players, all assisting her in securing first place in this event.
Luke Bo:"Yo? Isn't that Akira? @Kurose Akira!"
A message popped up immediately.
Then another followed.
Sylvia Shen:"Akira, are you here for the Twin Demon Lairs too?"
"Twin Demon Lairs?"
Sylvia Shen:"Yep~ These two demon lairs are interconnected, so everyone calls them the Twin Demon Lairs."
"I see."
Akira nodded lightly.
Julian Shen:"With Akira joining, our chances just went way up. I was worried we'd lose to another faction."
Finn Fu:"Julian, you're worrying too much. Sure, Akira's guild is strong—but with my cousin here, no other faction even matters. Be honest, do you really think getting first place is difficult? For someone about to be promoted to an A-rank guild, this is child's play. Easy!"
Luke Bo:"Little cousin's at it again with his daily routine."
Sylvia Shen:"O(∩_∩)O Haha~ Finn just loves hyping up Sister Fiona every day. Akira, don't mind him~"
"Oh."
Akira didn't particularly care.
Though he hadn't realized that Finn was Fiona Xu's cousin.
At that moment, Fiona Xu sent another message.
Fiona Xu:"@Kurose Akira, I've already sent you the teleport coordinates. You can teleport directly to my guild when you're ready."
Finn Fu:"?"
Luke Bo:"?"
Sylvia Shen:"?"
"..."
A string of question marks flooded the chat.
Clearly, they were confused.
Akira responded calmly with a single line.
"Wait a bit. Still in the shower."
Finn Fu:"?"
Luke Bo:"?"
Sylvia Shen:"?"
"..."