Amidst the lake's gentle breeze, Kenley couldn't help but drift into memories. The mountains of Maine, the melodious organ sounds from the lakeside town of Myerzu, all seemed like a distant dream.
Farmers, weary but smiling after a day's hard work, returned in carts laden with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, their laughter blending with the soft waves of the lake. Patrolling cavalrymen exchanged friendly banter with passersby, their camaraderie undiminished by the day's duties.
The golden ripples on the lake resembled layers of shimmering scales, spreading forward endlessly. The breeze was soothing, and the grass, lush and vibrant. Occasionally, fish would leap from the water, sending up a burst of white spray.
Myerzu Town
Kenley led Tia to the shores of Lake Myerzu. Located east of the imperial capital, this massive lake spanned a full seven square kilometers. Standing at one end, gazing towards the other, the lake seemed to merge seamlessly with the sky, evoking a sense of boundless freedom. For a fleeting moment, one might even mistake it for the sea.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Tia's eyes sparkled with delight. It was her first time at Lake Myerzu, and she was instantly captivated by its serene beauty.
Kenley was no less mesmerized. He vividly remembered his first time here, back when he was just a novice. The breathtaking view had left him awestruck. The AR neural imaging technology was truly astounding—if not for seeing it himself, he would have found it hard to believe that all of this was within a game.
Seeing the lake again, he couldn't help but recall the past—how he'd been too excited to sleep that night, spending hours by the lake, grinding levels.
But reality was not a game. Here, there were no endless spawns for grinding. Life was singular, and monsters, once slain, did not return.
Unless, as in the game, a monster nest existed—then creatures would endlessly emerge from it, threatening the surrounding lands.
The game never explained in detail why these monster nests appeared. Perhaps some side quest mentioned it, but Kenley had neither the time nor the energy to care. After all, his days were filled with various professional battles.
"Master, this lake is so beautiful. Can we come back again?" Tia asked hopefully.
Kenley shook his head."We won't be returning."
"Huh?" Tia was stunned."We won't be coming back? Why, Master?!"
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Kenley froze—he had been so lost in his memories that he'd forgotten Tia was speaking to him.
"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Kenley hurriedly corrected himself."I meant that there won't be any more monsters coming back."
"Oh!" Tia breathed a sigh of relief, but she seemed to sense something."Master, were you thinking about something just now?"
Kenley quickly averted his gaze."N-No, nothing at all!"
"Really?" Tia leaned in, her big, bright eyes fixed on his face.
"Really! Of course, really!" Kenley raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
Spare me, he thought. Tia was currently in her infatuated state—any small sign would lead her to pester him relentlessly.
"But Tia is really curious!" she insisted.
"Mm!" Kenley, desperate to end the interrogation, suddenly leaned in and kissed Tia, leaving her no time to react.
However…
From a distance, Kate and his crew watched the scene with expressions of disdain.
"Hey, if that chick were mine, I'd definitely last a whole minute tonight! No way I'd go soft!"
"A minute? Bro, I'd have her stuck in bed for three days!"
"Three days in bed? You mean you'd let that vampire suck you dry for three days?"
"Shut up, all of you! That vampire's mine. I'm gonna love her like my own personal plaything," Kate sneered.
The others went pale—they all knew what Kate meant by plaything. While they'd always known Kate was a twisted bastard, the thought of doing such things to an undead, no matter how beautiful, was a bit too much.
"Hehe, boss, think I could get a turn too?" one of the lackeys chuckled lecherously.
"Scram!" Kate kicked him hard. As a well-known figure in the adventurer's guild, anyone aiming for his prey had better weigh their chances first.
"You'll be mine, just wait and see." Kate's grin widened as he stared at Tia.
"Master, is this the place?" Tia asked, standing before a certain hill. There was a dark, yawning cave entrance, its depths impossible to see.
"Tia, you're a vampire—you can see in the dark. Tell me, what's inside the cave right now?" Kenley asked, standing beside her and gazing into the darkness.
Tia shook her head apologetically."I'm sorry, Master. Please forgive my incompetence. The cave descends at an angle, so I can't see anything useful from outside."
"It's fine," Kenley replied without blame. After all, mole fiends loved burrowing in grassy areas. Their tunnels were intricate, like enormous mazes.
Kenley recalled how, once, a particularly meticulous player had mapped out the tunnels after slaying a mole fiend. The labyrinth was a chaotic web of passages, some of which led to dead ends designed to confuse intruders.
A mole fiend spent its life digging—if you spotted one on the plains, rest assured that a sprawling maze of tunnels lay beneath your feet, stretching for miles.
Of course, that didn’t mean any single passage was miles long—the total length was the sum of countless intersecting paths.
Thus, these mole fiends were born tunnelers. Being second-tier magical beasts, they were lethal to first-tier adventurers who ventured in unprepared.
Unless one advanced to the second tier and acquired new skills, facing a mole fiend at the first tier was nothing short of suicide.
Kenley drew his sword and angled it into the cave's entrance, using the noon sunlight to reflect a faint beam into the darkness. He saw nothing.
"Looks like that thing isn't at this exit for now." Speaking to himself, Kenley turned abruptly."Come on, Tia, let's check the other side."
Tia followed, eyes wide with curiosity. After all, Kenley had led them straight to this cave without consulting the locals or scouting ahead, as if he already knew it would be here.
