As the first light of dawn filtered through the leaves, I woke up with a long stretch.
“I haven’t slept this soundly in ages,” I thought to myself.
Thanks to the invisible barriers I had set up around the perimeter last night, the depths of the forest felt as safe as a fortress.
Still, sleeping on the hard ground had left my body stiff and aching all over.
A few paces away stood Luna.
She was either still fast asleep, or mimicking the rhythm of breathing to disguise the fact that she was awake.
We had a long day ahead of us.
I decided to whip up a good breakfast for the both of us and rolled up my sleeves.
The best part about this world was that my in-game inventory had been preserved down to the very last millimeter.
From the depths of my bag, I pulled out some meat from the rarest, most delicious monsters I had hunted back in the game.
Stoking the campfire, I began preparing a mouth-watering sauté tossed in special sauces.
The moment the aroma of cooking meat drifted through the woods, Luna sat up, rubbing her eyes.
By reflex, her hand immediately darted to the spear resting beside her, her eyes scanning the surroundings frantically.
However, she was quickly defeated by the heavenly scent wafting into her nose.
Easing her grip on the spear, she cautiously stepped closer to the fire.
Handing her a steaming plate, I said, “You can dig in before it gets cold.”
Then, I took a step toward her to tidy up the spot where she had been sleeping.
The moment she saw this, she startled and leaped backward like a startled cat.
Despite her top-tier intuition, I still hadn’t helped her overcome that deep-seated fear of enslavement; winning her trust was going to take time.
Although elves were notorious for being a superior, arrogant race, their damn obsession with ‘pure blood’ meant they could never unite, forcing them to live split into tribes instead.
And don’t get me started on dragons…
every other word out of their mouths was ‘pureblood.’ Back when I played the game, these racist cutscenes were so tedious that I used to skip them constantly.
Now, I found myself standing right in the middle of them.
While she ate her meal in silence, I dismissed the camping gear I’d used throughout the night back into my inventory with a single wave of my hand.
Looking up, I caught Luna staring at me, her eyes wide with awe and sparkling.
She looked utterly spellbound as she ate; clearly, it had been a long time since she’d had a warm, decent meal.
I offered a faint smile.
“Where are we heading first?”
Wiping her mouth politely with a handkerchief, she whispered, “You are a very strange human.”
I spread my arms wide and grinned.
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
Scanning me up and down, she noted, “The regions with dwarf technology…
I suppose the devices there could provide what you are looking for.”
I furrowed my brows; I absolutely loathed anything artificial.
“How could artificial things ever surpass the pure beauty offered by nature?
I don’t like that idea.”
Luna raised her eyebrows, her tone turning slightly defiant.
“Fine then, let us go to my homeland.” Her voice suddenly dropped.
“Even though I was betrayed by my own family, my name still carries weight and influence there.”
“A wonderful offer,” I smiled.
“But I really don’t want a political headache so early into our journey.”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and she threw her arms up dramatically with a sarcastic sigh.
“Then the active volcanoes of the dragons are quite a sight to behold, my lord.”
The moment I heard that, I practically jumped to my feet.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Definitely worth seeing.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Assuming I was joking, she muttered, “Right, of course…”
Before long, we reached the heart of the Dragon Lands.
Standing atop a massive hill, the view was breathtaking.
Luna turned around and offered a slight curtsy.
“Welcome.
These are some of the dragons’ most famous tourist spots.
There are healing baths heated from deep beneath the mountains, though only nobles with appointments are admitted here.”
As she spoke, I didn’t miss the slight hint of envy and longing for the baths lingering in her eyes.
“Do you know how to fly?” I asked out of nowhere.
She gave a gentle nod.
Within seconds, I wrapped my golden mana around the both of us like a cocoon.
Our feet left the ground, and we began gliding down the cliffside toward the valley where the baths lay, drifting smoothly like birds.
The guards below immediately picked up on the mana fluctuation.
Two massive half-dragons blocked our path with menacing growls.
Calmly, I pulled out those top-tier badges from the old world from my inventory and shoved them right in front of their eyes.
The moment the soldiers saw the crests stamped on the badges, the color drained from their faces; they hastily cleared out one of the most luxurious baths entirely and ushered us inside.
Stepping through the steaming doors, Luna was still in complete shock.
“My lord…
who exactly are you?” she asked.
I didn’t answer.
By the time I stowed my clothes into my bag, I was left wearing nothing but a white towel.
Luna look away in embarrassment, turned around, and slowly slipped out of her own garments.
I let myself sink into the warm, mineral-rich water of the bath.
Moving to a corner, I turned my back to her so she could feel at ease.
After a moment, the rippling of the water told me she had stepped in.
Turning my head slightly, my breath caught.
The moonlight filtering through the high windows washed over her pale skin.
Glowing brightly against her skin were those ancient crest tattoos, symbolizing elven nobility and lineage.
These tattoos were an elf’s identity, and the tattoos of those completely exiled from a family would be forcefully stripped away using magic.
Luna’s tattoos were still perfectly intact.
So, she had lied to me; she hadn’t been exiled from her family.
I decided not to bring it up.
Relaxing my body, I leaned my head back to watch the ceiling.
The hot water seemed to numb my skin, melting away the fatigue of the past few days.
However, my eyes caught the reflection in the water.
Luna was still incredibly tense, sitting motionless in the pool.
One of her hands was gripping the hilt of a small dagger she had concealed in the towel behind her.
To avoid stressing her out any further, I conjured a small, matte barrier spell that blocked her line of sight.
This way, while I gazed up at the sky, she could see me, but I wouldn’t be able to see her.
Watching the ceiling, I tried to come to terms with the reality of this world, but no matter how I looked at it, it made absolutely no sense.
I must have drifted off for a moment…
When I snapped out of it, I heard the splashing of water from behind the barrier.
Realizing she was hidden behind it, Luna had let her guard down, splashing water into the air like a child and amusing herself.
I didn’t want to spoil her fun.
Quietly activating my magic, I teleported directly back to our room at the town inn.
Sitting on the bed while still soaked, I left a parchment scroll on the table.
I scribbled a note on it: “Whenever you feel like it, just tear this scroll, and you will be teleported straight to this inn room.” Whether she chose to come or not didn’t really matter to me; it wouldn’t cause me any trouble either way.
Changing my clothes, I collapsed onto the bed and drifted into a deep sleep.
When I opened my eyes, the room was filled with the wonderful aroma of food.
Luna had used the scroll to return, and seeing that I was asleep, she had gone into the kitchen to prepare a meal.
I bolted upright out of bed.
Though startled by my sudden movement, Luna didn’t drop the ladle in her hand.
I noticed the slight tremor in her shoulders and the tension in her hands.
To put her at ease, I stepped out onto the room’s balcony.
We were on the top floor of the inn, and the entire city stretched out beneath our feet.
Massive dragons patrolled the skies continuously, and the vibrant hum of the marketplace below reached all the way up to us.
When I stepped back inside, the table was flawlessly set.
Luna, exhausted from finishing her tasks, had stretched out on the couch.
No matter how guarded and fierce she appeared on the outside, she was a kind-hearted soul at her core.
Just as I was about to sit at the table, a bird began tapping its beak against the window.
Turning my head, I saw a piece of parchment rolled up and clutched in its talons.
I let the bird inside and unrolled the paper.
“Kaan, I urgently need a healer instructor.
As you’ve probably noticed, no race in this world focuses on healing magic like they did in the game.
If you’re interested, just tear this scroll.”
A smile tugged at my lips.
“Ermo’s demanding tone never changes,” I muttered, slipping the parchment into my pocket.
Evening had finally arrived.
Rubbing her eyes, Luna asked in a sleepy voice, “My lord…
what are you doing on the floor?”
I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, my back turned to her as I meditated.
Realizing she was awake, I stood up.
“Luna, do you know of a nice beach around here?”
She arched her eyebrows, shooting me an implying, suspicious look.
“I do…
but it is quite far away.”
I took a step toward her.
“Distance doesn’t matter.
If you can clearly visualize that beach in your mind, we can teleport right there.”
She took a step back, her mouth hanging wide open in astonishment.
“Teleport?
But that is an incredibly high-level and expensive spell, my lord!
Are you certain you want to waste such a valuable scroll just for a beach?”
Perplexed, I scratched my head.
“What scroll?
I’m going to cast the spell directly myself.”
Hearing my words, she quickly scrambled back onto the bed and pulled the blanket right up to her face.
“You surprise me more with each passing day…
I used to go there with my family when I was a child.
It is quite beautiful and a hidden spot that nobody else knows about.”
“Perfect.” Clapping my hands together to begin packing the bags in the room using my mana, I said, “I’ll pack up the luggage, and you can change your clothes if you’d like.
Meanwhile, I’ll go grab some snacks for the road.”
The moment those words left my mouth, she looked at me with an expression of pure disgust and utter loathing.
Clearing my throat, I quickly corrected my phrasing: “I mean…
I meant my own luggage.”
Not looking entirely convinced, she turned around to rummage through her own bag.
“I’m heading down to the market, get yourself ready,” I said, and leaped off the balcony down onto the street.
I figured I could smooth over her annoyance by winning her heart back with some sweets.
Stepping into the town’s finest bakery, I had them pack up three of every single pastry they had.
When I returned to the room, Luna immediately bowed upon seeing me.
“Everything is ready, my lord.”
I stepped closer to her.
“Without hesitation, just picture that beach we are going to.”
She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.
The moment I snapped my fingers, reality shattered, and we found ourselves standing on an endless, deserted beach.
Wasting no time, I pressed my hands to the ground; drawing lines of fire, I mapped out the foundation for a structure resembling a cabin.
Then, using magic to fashion smooth logs from the surrounding trees, I built a cozy, covered shelter to last us the night.
Stepping back a few paces, I crossed my arms over my chest.
Looking at Luna proudly, I remarked, “See?
Building a house is just that easy…” right as one of the logs I had placed on the roof came crashing down with a loud thud.
Luna couldn’t help herself and let out a soft giggle at my expense.
“My lord…
if you wish, I can handle the rest.
When I was a child, we were taught how to interlock wood without using any magic.”
Laughing it off, I stepped aside.
“Alright, that’s on you then.”
While Luna settled our belongings into the cabin, I went for a stroll along the shore.
I left the boxes of sweets I’d bought on a wooden table on the beach, along with a small apology note.
Just as I was taking in the sea, something caught my attention.
There was a bizarre distortion of mana in the air.
We were being watched.
Sensing our sudden spike of mana on this deserted beach, some locals were tracking us from the shadows.
I ignored them for the time being.
To make sure she felt comfortable, I set up two lounge chairs quite far apart from each other on the sand.
However, emerging from the cabin, Luna dragged her chair over and placed it right next to mine.
Hearing me mumble to myself, she asked with curious eyes, “What are you talking to yourself about, my lord?”
Covering my eyes with my hand, I smiled.
“Never mind…
isn’t it about time we went for a swim?”
She snapped her face toward the sea, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“I…
I do not know how to swim.”
From the deepest, most absurd corner of my inventory, I pulled out a plastic swim ring and handed it to her.
Luna flinched again upon seeing the object.
“Don’t worry,” I said in a reassuring voice.
“As long as you slip this over your head and wear it around your waist, you will never sink in the ocean.
You can go out as far as you want.”
When she kept staring at me like she was looking at an alien, I added, “Besides, you’re an ice elf.
Worst-case scenario, you’ll just freeze the sea.
You’ve got nothing to lose.”
She nodded in agreement and hesitantly slipped the ring around her waist.
The seawater hadn’t fully warmed up yet; I shivered slightly at the cold when I first stepped in.
However, since Luna was already an ice elf, she didn’t show the slightest reaction to the cold.
While we were in the water, those hidden mana waves tracking us began to move as well.
Assuming they were just a simple gang of thieves, I held off on making a move for now.
Luna shrieked with fear at every tiny wave that lapped against the shore, yet at the same time, she looked like she was having the absolute time of her life for the first time ever.
Just then, a large wave swelled up from the sea.
As the wave surged toward us, Luna lost her balance and was about to tip over, but I quickly reached out, caught her by the shoulder, and pulled her upright.
She startled again at my touch.
She didn’t say anything, but the pure terror in her eyes spoke volumes.
“That’s enough fun for today,” I said calmly.
“Besides, I have a few things to tell you about this world, and about myself.”
Gently holding her by the shoulder, I began guiding her back toward the shore, toward the safety of dry land.