“Oh, Ava… your daddy is actually a crybaby!! Waaaah, he’s crying!”
“It’s true! It’s true! Waaaah—how pitiful!”
“The [censored] official team, I [censored] your [censored]! Why would they make this into some [censored] documentary?!”
Luke stopped his fake crying and collapsed onto the sofa, pointing at the laptop screen and cursing.
A gentle, watching Female Priestess, a tearfully beautiful Lucoco… and a dense wall of bullet comments, such as:
“My wife is so cute!”
“Baby, don’t cry, hug hug.”
“Waaaah, she’s become such a little crybaby.”
“I’m dying!”
“Haha, she couldn’t hold it in at the end, could she?”
“Sister Are is amazing!”
“My turn! Hand me the tissues!”
“Oh my… this little cutie’s crying face is so appetizing… I’m digging in!”
“That’s clearly Holy Water! I’m licking it up!”
“Negative review! Why was the clothes-changing scene cut?!”
The screen was filled with comments that were almost entirely unhinged…
“Eh? Are you not moved? Ava’s getting all wet watching this; she’s about to short-circuit~ Waaaah!”
“Who brought this box of pure milk on the table?”
“It was obviously the world’s number one super-invincible, cosmic-tier mature-yet-beautiful Sister Bai He!”
“What kind of benefits did she give you? Was there any groping of the handsome man on the sofa?”
“Does nursing count?”
“Then where is my bottle?”
“When the police took her away, she took it with her.”
“What about the money for the new security bars on the windows?”
“It’s already been turned into a little dress for Ava! Look! Is it pretty?”
“Hmm, not bad, not bad—but lace doesn’t really suit you, Miss Intelligent Servant.”
“Then Master should just make Ava bigger, shouldn’t he?”
“Let me ask you, how many of those locked-up game terminals have you managed to get back?”
“Over the past few months, I’ve gradually collected sixteen. They’re getting more and more expensive now, Master.”
“The Demon King is gone, so of course they’re getting expensive.”
“Why don’t you just give in to Sister Bai He? She’s a super-rich lady!”
“If I sold you, I could buy even more!”
“I’m so sorry! I’ll go make some food for my dear Master!”
“Sixty more will be enough, Ava.”
“Yes, yes~ Your little baby knows.”
***
While Ava went to cook, Luke began to look over the information regarding the destinations he could head toward.
Three choices:
The first choice: Head north directly into the Salvatien Empire.
This would lead into a no-level-limit zone (Level 1+).
It was rich in resources and had a massive population, but if one wasn’t careful, they might be “handled” by those overly passionate Players and become an emotionless quest machine.
The second choice: Head west and enter the Kingdom of Versadis.
For certain reasons, this place had the fewest Players; it was a Level 1–40 zone.
The resources were average, but it had many novelties.
The folk were honest, and people from the Demon Realm often came by to “exchange pointers.”
The third choice: Head east and take a boat north to the Kingdom of Crovanir.
This was a Level 1–80 zone with medium resources and the highest number of Players.
Perhaps he could even run into the two currently undergoing the Trial.
‘Let the heavens decide! I’ll toss a coin!’
‘Heads for North, tails for East, and if it stands on its edge, West!’
Unable to find a silver coin, he decided to use a nut instead.
Okay!
The nut settled…
West!
Toss it again…
Still West…
Try again…
Still West…
‘See? Even the heavens think I should take the second path.’
“Master, the food is ready!”
Ava banged a pot lid.
“Coming!”
…
“Master, how much can those terminals help Ava grow?”
“About 5 centimeters.”
“Yay! I’m getting closer to the 1 meter milestone!”
“Mm-hmm. I’m full, I’m full. Time to continue the adventure!”
“Have fun, Master.”
Ava nimbly cleared the dishes.
*Gulp, gulp, gulp*—after finishing two bottles of *SAN-Leda*, Luke put on his game terminal.
With a jolt as his consciousness was pulled, he entered the game.
***
In Estella, it was midday when Lucoco woke up in the camp tent.
She first thanked the great Goddess of Life from the bottom of her heart and then climbed up from the soft lap she had been using as a pillow.
“Let’s head out, Sister Are.”
“Okay.”
Are’s face was, as always, graced with a smile.
After deactivating the [Perception Block] and putting the tent into her Player Bag, Lucoco climbed into the driver’s seat.
She watched as Are placed their luggage in the back and sat firmly in her seat.
“Sister, how about we start our journey from the Kingdom of Versadis?”
“Whatever you say.”
“Sister Are, you really act just like a nanny.”
“That’s right.”
Are’s smile deepened.
“I am your nanny. Please order me around as you like; I can do anything for you~”
“…Sister Are… You don’t have to be like this. I feel a bit embarrassed…”
“Aya~ that really is wonderful. It means Lucoco cares about me.”
“That’s true… Sister, sit tight! We’re heading out!”
The Floating Skiff slowly ascended.
*Whoosh!*
Lucoco drove her beloved skiff and zoomed away.
On the road to the Kingdom of Versadis, it didn’t take long before she spotted Players, all under Level 40, looking as if they were performing some sort of quest.
They were all people who had heard the rumors and rushed over to “happen upon” her.
Ever since the second day of her journey, when Lucoco had casually given a Player she “happened upon” a quest with a no-level-limit treasure box as a reward, things hadn’t quieted down for a moment!
Her plan to travel leisurely through the outskirts of the Echo Territory was completely ruined.
‘Maybe I should find some kind of alchemy mask to hide this tender face,’ Lucoco planned.
***
Now, before they reach the Kingdom of Versadis, I can tell you about the power system of Estella.
✧ Level: The well-known Level 1 to 100; a few individual existences can reach Level 150.
✧ Rank: Common, Elite, Boss, Lord, King, Sage, or Demon God.
✧ Imprint: Equivalent to a class. Magic and Warrior Markings have extra bonuses and usually come with a Rank bestowal, but they need to be activated or socketed. The Mark of Prosperity has no extra bonuses or Rank bestowal, but it does not need to be socketed.
✦
✧ Detailed Level System: Every 20 levels acts as a boundary point. Each boundary point opens an Imprint slot. At every boundary point, stats grow twofold—especially at the Level 60 boundary.
✧ Detailed Rank System: Just like the level nodes, every Rank represents a qualitative leap in strength.
✧ Imprint Awakening: Besides natural awakening, there is a critical age: 10 years old. If one cannot awaken an Imprint even after touching an Awakening Stone at the age of 10, the probability of becoming an Awakened later is microscopic.
Each time a Rank increases, one gains a new opportunity for Imprint Awakening.
However, if a Rank increase is obtained before the age of 10, the Awakened Mark will remain in a “hidden” state and will only officially manifest and be usable once the individual reaches 10 years old.
✦
When combined, for example: Under normal circumstances, a Level 60 Boss-rank monster can kick a Level 59 Elite to death.
However, ten Level 60 Elites might be able to go toe-to-toe with a Level 60 Boss.
But since a Level 60 Boss must have awakened an A-rank or higher Imprint, actual combat often results in a situation where a single Boss sweeps away 100 elites.
***
That’s all!
Several days have passed.
The destination!
Within the borders of the Kingdom of Versadis, a large town called Castia—or rather, the Royal Capital.
It wasn’t that Lucoco intended to go there.
It was just that after crossing the border, this was the nearest and most reliable place where someone could repair her temperamental Floating Skiff.
It was only a minor problem; an experienced mechanic could fix it.
Right now, she had to figure out a way to get down from this tree…
And then she had to go check the corpse of that Earth Dragon. I really didn’t do it on purpose, buddy.
…
“Miss Priestess, welcome to Castia~”
The guard checking Are’s Adventurer’s Certificate was extremely respectful.
Meanwhile, the guard checking Lucoco’s Adventurer’s Certificate leaned close to her ear and said mysteriously, “Little girl, be careful after you enter the city. In there, if you throw a brick, you’ll probably hit a Baron.”
He glanced over her eye-catching little face again.
“You look too attractive, and the city hasn’t been peaceful lately. Try to find a way to cover up. Also, watch out for those ‘pitiful people.’ I’m telling you this for your own good.”
“Thank you, Mis — Big Brother!”
Lucoco gave him an innocent and brilliant smile.
‘The capital is this chaotic? So much for honest folk.’
“Hahaha! No thanks necessary… No thanks necessary!”
The guard’s heart melted from her smile, and he waved his hand with a laugh.
‘See, older guys are suckers for this.’
Lucoco took Are’s hand and walked away.
…
Once the two figures disappeared into the bustling crowd, the guards began to whisper.
“Are they members of the Holy See from Lunes?”
“That Priestess is incredible. If her level were higher, she could be promoted to Bishop.”
“That little girl is no simple thing either. A Half-Demon, a growth-type Imprint [Logic Magic Affinity], and she’s an amplification class!”
“Tsk… she’s likely a talented seed being raised by the Church, sent here for training.”
“Tell the boys to keep an eye out. Such a cute little girl—we can’t let her be bullied.”
“True, true… if she really were bullied, we’d probably be blamed for poor security again, and they’d send even more clerics here~”
“Hmm… you’re not wrong!”
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