“Lucoco, do you need help?”
Are, who had gone to tuck Yinuo into bed, returned with a light step.
“No need. It just looks scary, that’s all,” Lucoco said with a pout.
Su Yue whimpered in a low voice, “Lucoco, your sister is blind! Waaah!”
Du Lin followed right behind her, her voice trembling.
“I can’t see! I’m terrified of the dark! Lucoco, please don’t leave me tonight, okay?”
The two “charred lumps” scrambled up and clung to Lucoco’s body.
“See?”
Lucoco nudged her chin toward them, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward.
“… I see.”
Are maintained her elegant smile, turned, and walked away quietly.
—
A night passed, and it was another beautiful new day.
As the morning light grew stronger, the snowfield reflected a dazzling halo.
On the deck, shouts rose and fell in rhythm.
“Second set of radio calisthenics!”
Du Lin raised her hands high, praising the sun.
“The morning… sun… is so cold…”
Su Yue stretched her arms while grumbling lazily, yet her movements were unexpectedly precise.
The two were full of life, practicing a very ancient style of radio calisthenics.
“Morning, you two,” Lucoco said slowly, her hands crossed inside her sleeves.
“Morning, Lucoco!”
They replied in unison.
“Are we leaving?”
Lucoco looked into the distance.
“Let’s go!” “Moving out!”
The two cheered and skipped off the deck, splashing droplets of un-solidified water into the air.
Two Starfire Falcons stood tall and proud, having waited patiently for some time.
“Lucoco, take these so you don’t get hungry.”
Are walked to Lucoco’s side carrying a food box, her eyes brimming with tenderness as she watched the excited pair.
“Thank you, Sister Are!”
Lucoco took the food box eagerly and stored it in her bracelet.
She waved her hand and chased after the other two.
“We’re heading out!”
Are placed a hand over her heart and smiled lovingly.
“I hope you have fun.”
“We will!”
—
A loud cry echoed across the snowfield as the two Starfire Falcons soared into the sky.
Their crimson wings sliced through the morning mist like meteors streaking across the heavens, trailing faint wisps of flame.
The snowfield receded rapidly beneath them as ice crystals and morning light converged into a fairy-tale landscape.
There, amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the towering snow peaks marked the starting point of their hunt.
The wind howled, punctuated by the clear cries of the Starfire Falcons and the silver-bell laughter of the girls.
Their shouts intertwined, drifting through the air like a prelude to the adventure that lay ahead.
—
Spring comes to the east and autumn arrives late; the prelude is long, yet time flies like a galloping white horse.
In the blink of an eye, the true beginning had arrived.
It was like a child constantly looking forward to summer and winter breaks, only to realize that the years had slipped away and there was no longer a need to wait.
Although, it seemed only Lucoco had been waiting.
“Ha! Whirlwind Slash!”
Several surrounding monsters were slain in a single strike.
“Binding! Fusion, Explode!”
Vines coiled with the precision of spirit snakes, locking down an agile elite monster.
In the next instant, a roar of an explosion erupted on the creature’s head, the firelight reflecting off the snow.
“Holy Light, distinguish friend from foe!”
Arrows of Holy Light fell like rain, completely wiping out the remaining monsters.
**[Notification: The quest ‘Lucia’s Final Trial’ has been completed. You may proceed to the Manor for stage delivery.]**
—
“Is it finally time?”
Du Lin stowed her wand and sighed as her gaze swept over the withered leaves covering the mountains.
“Aw, man,” Su Yue stretched.
“Let’s go, let’s go home!”
She laughed and lunged toward Lucoco.
Lucoco shifted slightly, dodging the “sneak attack” as her right arm transformed back into a tentacle.
“In times like this, aren’t you supposed to embrace each other and cry?”
She gathered all the monster remains together and dumped them in front of Du Lin.
“Now that you’ve said that, I suddenly don’t feel like crying anymore!”
Du Lin’s budding emotions collapsed.
She tapped her finger, and the monster remains were all sucked into her Player Bag.
Su Yue lunged at Lucoco again…
And missed again.
Pouting, she gave up her pursuit and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting toward the sky, “Biggie! Smalls! We’re going home!”
*Cree!*
*Caw!*
The two Starfire Falcons took flight from the distant forest, soaring toward the trio’s position.
—
It had been four years.
Just like the classic opening line of a primary school essay buried deep in memory: time flies like an arrow, and the sun and moon move like a shuttle.
Both Du Lin and Su Yue had grown significantly taller, and their strength was nothing like it used to be.
If they could barely handle a single grinding spot back then, they could now sweep across an entire region.
Their levels were still stuck at Level 18, and their overflow experience had stopped accumulating once it reached the cap for Level 25.
However, their combat techniques and skill proficiency were worlds apart from before.
Cabbage No. 1 in a certain pickle jar: ‘Brothers! Let the humans see our infinite possibilities!’
Cabbage No. 2 in a certain petri dish: ‘Today’s humidity is up by 0.213%, I’m going to die!’
Perhaps many Cabbage No. 1s were also hidden near the River Basin.
As for Lucoco…
She still looked the same.
She had stopped growing a month after she was born.
Half-Demons were unique; their physical growth happened in stages, and age acted more like a safety net mechanism.
Low-level Half-Demons reached maturity in a year or two.
But someone of Lucoco’s level had to follow a five-year evolution path.
In a few days, it would be five years since Lucoco’s birth, marking her formal entry into the childhood phase.
Only then would her body undergo new changes.
Then there was a ten-year growth period, a fifteen-year mature phase, and apparently some kind of ultimate form, much like the evolution of a digital monster.
As for her strength, her rank was still BOSS rank, and her level was locked at Level 25, the pinnacle for monsters in the Echo Territory.
Because her rank was too high, she gained no experience no matter how many nearby monsters she killed.
In her normal state, her stats were quite terrifying, already crushing a standard Level 40 elite monster.
If she activated her Demon King’s Authority, Lucoco was confident she could effortlessly kill an opponent of the same level and rank.
In fact, she rarely used her Demon King’s Authority at all.
—
After returning to the Manor, Du Lin submitted the quest to Lucia.
**[Quest: ‘Lucia’s Final Trial’ has been completed. The follow-up quest ‘Our Journey’ has been unlocked.]**
**[Quest Objective: Please travel to the nearest town and purchase sufficient supplies. There is no need to return for submission.]**
**[System Notification: The quest has ended. Detected an intimate relationship between the Player and a special entity; the Echo Territory area’s forced expulsion effect has been disabled.]**
**[System Notification: The Holy Knight Trial quest has begun. Please proceed to the quest location within the time limit.]**
—
Tonight, the Manor was brightly lit.
The dining table had been set up on the deck, creating a unique atmosphere beneath the night sky.
Golden candle flames swayed gently in the breeze between the plates and glasses.
The long table was covered with a clean linen tablecloth, laden with a feast more lavish than any holiday celebration.
The glasses held fruit wine recently brought up from the cellar, the liquid reflecting an amber glow under the candlelight.
Perhaps the fragrance of the wine was too intoxicating, for everyone sat in silence.
It wasn’t until their glasses clinked that laughter and chatter finally brightened the spread on the table.
The light reflected in their eyes, as if trying to imprint this fleeting warmth into the depths of their memories.
Smiles were often tinged with silence, unable to hide the bitterness of the impending separation.
When the warmth of the banquet began to fade, the food on the table remained mostly untouched.
When the first light of tomorrow’s dawn covered the earth, some would have to pack their bags and embark on a new, unknown journey.
On the walls of their hearts, a silhouette belonging to the Echo Territory would remain, preserved forever in memory.
Sebas passed out after only one glass and was hauled back to the smithy.
Lucia, who had been rowdily trying to get Lucoco to drink fruit wine, was now dead drunk.
She was carried off by Are, stumbling back to her room.
Yinuo and Luti ran out to the grass, performing “drunken fist” techniques while making “Awoo” and “Shasha” noises.
Only one dazed “drunkard” remained at the long table.
“Lucoco! *Hic*…”
Du Lin’s cheeks were crimson.
She let out a hiccup and wobbled as she draped an arm around Lucoco’s shoulder.
“Sister… *hic*… Du Lin…”
Lucoco turned her flushed little face, looking dazed at the clear, handsome face so close to her own.
After being forced to drink several glasses of fruit wine by Lucia, her little brain was starting to draw blanks.
“Mmm… so cute…”
Du Lin gave her smooth, tender cheek a soft peck.
She slowly straightened up but didn’t forget to grip Lucoco’s small hand.
“Let’s… go to sleep… *hic*…”
“Waaaah!”
Su Yue, equally drunk, suddenly stood up and spread her arms, swaying as if she might fall at any moment.
“Sleepy time!”
The three of them wobbled and supported one another as they dizzily drifted back into the cabin and crawled into Lucoco’s bedroom.