Chapter 24: Heart of the Rose

“Ahhh, it’s really buzzing here today~”

Watching the groups of players struggle against swarms of Dark Bats in the Forest Ruins, I couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental.

After all, this was the first time I’d personally witnessed a grinding zone I created in action. 

Compared to the data feedback from Herentis’ Core, the real thing felt so much more… alive.

Hard to believe it was once a dead zone no one touched. Now? It was practically booming.

I could guess the reason, of course. Compared to nearby zones, the kill rate here was faster, the respawn rates better—it was practically a leveling paradise.

Maybe I should crank up the difficulty a bit? Raise the monster levels to spice things up?

…Nah. Now wasn’t the time for that. I shelved the idea for later.

Instead, I wandered to the edge of the ruins where a little informal market had sprung up and planted a sign:

“Buying Dark Bat Souls in Bulk — Any Quality, 1 soul = 1 copper!”

Maybe it was the rarity of someone actually buying monster souls, maybe it was my adorably tiny appearance—but I immediately drew a crowd of bored players with nothing better to do.

And yes, I had to emphasize the word “bored.”

“Hey there, lil’ cutie~ Wanna take a selfie with big bro? I’ll buy you candy!”

“Ahhh! You’re too cute! Let big sis give you a hug—just one~!”

“CAT EARS!? I wanna take you home and raise you as my pet!”

Staring at this horde of overly enthusiastic lolicons, I felt a wave of anxiety rise in my chest. Doing my best to channel peak moe, I puffed my cheeks and said in the sweetest voice I could muster:

“Big brothers and sisters… I-I’m only here to buy souls… Please don’t bully me~”

Maybe my act worked—or maybe someone finally noticed the generous price—because a few players began trading with me.

“You take white-quality souls too?”

“Yup! Any quality’s fine!”

“I’ve got an Exceptional one. Can I get more for it?”

“Nope~ Same price for everything!”

In just a few minutes, I’d gathered over 200 Dark Bat souls—most of them white-grade trash, of course.

To players, these low-quality souls were worthless. Even NPC vendors barely gave anything for them. But now that someone was buying them at a “high” price, everyone was happy to offload them.

A few curious folks asked why I was gathering so many.

I just told them, “Big sister gave me a quest. I don’t know the details either~”

Not that I was worried about anyone tailing me. After all, I was the only one who truly knew what these were for.

“Just a bit more to go…” I muttered after doing a quick count.

My goal was to promote one mini-boss and one elite monster to the next tier. But now I was thinking it wouldn’t hurt to collect a few extra souls—just in case.

Most of the soul-selling had died down, and the crowd thinned out. Finally, some peace and quiet.

I took the chance to observe how players fought the Dark Bats—studying their habits for future tweaks in ‘Persecute Players Patch v1.01’.

That’s when a pleasant voice spoke up from behind me:

“Little one, are you the one collecting Dark Bat souls?”

I turned around on reflex—and found myself looking up at a tall, elegant figure.

Silver hair cascaded past her shoulders, framing a refined, unpainted face that radiated nobility. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled with pride and confidence, somehow blending beauty and charisma into a single, stunning image.

It was the first time I’d seen someone pull off both cool and gorgeous so perfectly.

But I recognized her right away.

She was no ordinary player.

One of the upper management of Roseheart, one of the top ten guilds in the Aorwyn Empire: Dolan, the Silver-Haired Valkyrie.

Roseheart was famously an all-female guild, and their meteoric rise was often credited to their guild leader, Red Rose.

But insiders knew the truth—Dolan was the one who made Roseheart’s operations sharp, decisive, and powerful.

“Hmm? What’s the matter? Staring at me like that~” Dolan asked, clearly amused.

A few of the other beautiful Roseheart girls giggled behind her, their eyes curious as they looked me over.

“Ah! I-I’m sorry, it’s just… you’re really pretty, big sister…” I stammered, tongue-tied.

“Hehe, what a sweet little thing~” Dolan smiled. “As it happens, I’ve got a few bat souls on me. Still buying?”

“Y-yes! Of course!” I nodded quickly. “But no matter the quality, the price is still one copper per soul, okay?”

“Oh, I don’t need copper.” Dolan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me—not my face, but specifically at the top of my head.

“How about this—let me pet those adorable ears of yours, and I’ll give them to you for free~”

“Eh? W-wait—”

Before I could stop her, her hand was already on my fluffy cat ears.

“Yaaah!”

What caught me off guard even more was the sensation—my disguise had real tactile feedback!? The gentle pressure and warmth made me shiver and squeak instinctively.

But the culprit showed zero remorse.

“So soft~ Such great texture~ You’re not from the Beastman Empire by any chance, are you?”

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I puffed out my cheeks with a pout, glaring up at her with indignation.

“Pffft—too cute~” Dolan laughed. Unable to resist, she scooped me up and hugged me tightly.

“Okay, okay, I was wrong for not asking. Let me make it up to you, okay~?”

…How is this compensation?

It’s just an excuse to get closer!

But somehow, nestled in her warm, fragrant embrace, I didn’t really want to escape.

My face flushed bright red, and I turned away.

“Hmph.”

Unbeknownst to me, that single tsundere pout broke the restraint of every nearby Roseheart member.

“Dolan-sis, that’s not fair! I want a turn too!”

“I’ve got bat souls! Let me pet her tail!”

“I want the ears! They’re too soft! I can’t handle it! Cat ears are too powerful!”

“Here—twelve souls! Let me hug you, okay?”

“I’m not picky. I want everything!!”

…

Hehehe, late-night single-roll draw with a double rare SSR. Got so hyped I had to schedule this chapter early just for y’all.