Liam walked along the forest path, his boots crunching over dry leaves.
Vix padded beside him, tail wagging happily. The little wolf pup would stop every now and then to sniff the grass or chase a floating bug, only to quickly return to Liam's side. Even in his previous life, Liam had never owned a pet. And yet, this little guy…
"Aoooo—!"
Vix suddenly let out a soft howl and stopped in his tracks.
Liam turned. "What is it?"
Ding!
[Alert: Your companion has detected a rare treasure in the vicinity.]
[Void Sense Activated]
Liam's eyes lit up.
"Treasure, huh?" He crouched beside Vix. "Can you show me where?"
Vix gave another excited bark and dashed to the right, into a thicket.
"Whoa—hey, not so fast!"
Liam pushed past the low branches and followed the little pup deeper into the woods. After a few dozen meters, Vix stopped before a hollow tree stump. He sniffed the air, then dug with his front paws.
Within seconds, a faint blue glow shimmered beneath the soil.
Liam quickly stepped forward and brushed aside the dirt. His eyes widened.
Ding!
[You have discovered: Moonshade Lotus (Rare Herb)]
[Effect: Can be used to craft mid-tier healing potions or sold for 25 gold coins]
Liam carefully harvested the lotus, wrapping it in a cloth.
"Not bad at all," he said with a grin. He turned to Vix.
Liam reached down and scratched behind the pup's ears. "Good job, buddy"
Vix yipped proudly and wagged his tail.
"Alright, let's head back. With you by my side, I can definitely speed up a few of my plans"
-----------------------------
By the time Liam reached Duskwind Village, the sun had begun to dip below the treeline. The warm golden light bathed the rooftops in a peaceful glow, contrasting the storm of plans swirling in his head.
He entered the inn quietly and went straight to the room where Aria was staying. The door was slightly ajar.
Peeking in, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, hands resting gently on her knees. Her breathing was steady. Her aura calm.
Liam smiled. She looked a lot better.
He sneakily went inside and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey."
Aria's eyes snapped open. She turned sharply, her hand instinctively reaching toward her waist—only to stop when she saw him.
"…Liam."
"Sorry," he said softly, holding up a hand. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Aria took a breath, calming herself. "It's alright. I was… meditating. Trying to feel the flow of my mana again."
"Any luck?"
"Nope, absolutely nothing. Whenever I try to feel mana, I only feel a dark red haze all around me."
"Don't worry about it. We will find a way." Liam stepped inside, and Vix followed. The mall pup immediately trotted toward Aria and sat in front of her, tilting his head.
She blinked. "Is that… a wolf cub?"
"Yeah," Liam said. "Name's Vix. Picked him up earlier."
"You picked him up? What about his mother?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, he was alone.. and it was more like he picked me," Liam smirked. "Long story."
Vix gave a small whine and gently nudged his head against Aria's knee.
Aria's expression softened. She reached down and ran her hand over his head. "Look at him... He's so adorable."
"Don't let that fool you. He's got a few tricks already."
"I can tell," Aria said with a slight smile. "He emits a dark aura, but somehow it is not threatening but soothing. It's strange. I thought I'd be nervous around something like this again. But he…"
"Yeah, he seems different," Liam said quietly
She met his gaze, then looked down at Vix again.
"Who's a good boy?"
Vix barked once, as if in agreement.
Soon, Liam, Aria, and Vix moved to the inn's dining area soon after. It was a slow evening, with only a few other patrons sat scattered at the tables.
Liam and Aria picked a quiet corner and ordered some basic dishes for themselves.
After settling in, Aria asked Liam "So, what's the plan?"
Liam placed a small pouch of herbs and crystals on the table.
"First, I'm selling off everything I gathered from farming earlier—including this." He unwrapped the Moonshade Lotus briefly before covering it again. "It seems like a rare herb and should fetch a decent price."
Aria nodded. "What next?"
"Next," Liam leaned in, lowering his voice, "I will head to the black market to complete a payment for an item that I had asked for."
Aria blinked. "Black market? It seems like that was the place where I got caught earlier."
"Yup. But don't worry, this time, I will be going alone. It might be tricky if they are nearby and sense your curse."
"Hmm.. okay, and what about the item?"
"It is a Spirit Taming Charm. It should help me tame higher level beasts and make them do my bidding."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Like Vix?"
"Vix is… different. He's not bound by any charm. But this charm will help me with something else. It will help me boost my strength massively, and then I would be able to hunt even stronger beasts and take up bigger quests."
"Okay, but where do we loo?k"
Liam grinned. "Shadowfang's Lair"
Aria leaned back slightly. "That name sounds… familiar. I had overheard some villagers whispering about the village chief asking an adventurer to take it down."
"Yup, it is a level 40 beast that's been attacking supply wagons near the village and sometimes wrecking farmlands. However, Shadowfang is not my main objective."
"You don't want to take him down?"
"More than that. I want to find his lair."
Aria looked confused. "Why?"
Liam's voice lowered even more. "Because I know for a fact that deep inside his lair… there's something else. A hidden beast."
Aria's eyes widened. "A hidden boss?"
"Yes, a tier 2 boss"
A/N: Every 100 levels is 1 tier. Levels are assigned by the system, while tiering is the system used by NPCs in Eternal Nexus
She stared at him like he was crazy. "Are you serious? I don't mean to be rude, but you do not seem to have reached even mid tier 1. Do you want to take on a tier 2 boss? "
"I know."
"Then why—?"
"Well, I don't need to kill it, as long as I am able to make it submit, that is enough. Besides, I have some tricks."
"Because I don't plan to kill it now. I just want to scout it. And maybe—just maybe—tame the beast protecting it."
Aria went silent.
After a moment, she said, "You're insane."
Liam chuckled. "Probably."
She looked at him, then down at Vix, then back again. "But if anyone could pull it off…"
"…It'd be me," Liam finished for her.
"Humph. Narcissist." Slightly cursing, Aria started eating her food.
"But I trust you. I am sure that you can do it."
As the fire crackled beside them, Liam leaned back in his chair. He hadn't said everything, of course. Not about the Dark One. Not about his rebirth. Not about the penalty he was going to take for saving Aria.
It was not that he did not trust Aria, but it was better to leave some things unsaid and wait for the right time than create further complications.
Suddenly, he heard a system prompt.
Ding!
Player Liam has spent 5 days ingame. Forced logout in 30 minutes