They carefully walked away from the black castle. All the monsters inside had been defeated, and there were no threats left.

Seraphelis was still inside Ethan's sword, while Nuwa grew curious about Jared's daughter.

"She's inside my sword," Ethan replied.

"Inside your sword? What do you mean?" Nuwa asked.

"It's a little hard to explain in detail. But that's what happened."

They kept walking, following the guild team ahead of them. After everything they had been through since the mountain valley, everyone had learned to stay alert.

There were several places filled with monsters, one of them being the black savanna—a cursed land where undead could appear from dark magic runes.

Since the only way out of the mountain valley was through that place, they had no choice but to go through it.

One of them stepped onto the black savanna. Even the smallest touch from a player could activate the black runes scattered around the area.

"Those black runes again," the female mage muttered.

Ethan and Nuwa entered the area. Luckily, the cooldown for the aggressive mode of his soul servants had ended.

That meant Ethan could use the power of all three of his soul servants to break through the undead crowd.

"What should we do now?" the female mage asked.

Before she could even finish, Ethan was already sprinting ahead of them.

"Maelis, Neryss, Jack!"

"I need your help," he ordered firmly.

[Maelis Terraheart (Lv.1) || B rank || Passive → Aggressive || 100 MP]

[Neryss Abyssborn (Lv.1) || SR rank || Passive → Aggressive || 1000 MP]

[Jack Spearsun (Lv.1) || A rank || Passive → Aggressive || 250 MP]

Ethan's three soul servants responded to his call. Their small chibi bodies glowed with bright light, transforming into their adult human forms.

Seeing that display of power, the female mage from the guild team felt relieved they hadn't ended up fighting Ethan.

"We really wouldn't stand a chance against him," she said quietly.

Nuwa ran behind Ethan, using him as cover while he charged forward, cutting a path that his three soul servants cleared.

Not wanting to get surrounded by undead or left behind, the four guild players quickly followed Ethan's lead.

From afar, Ethan could already see the edge of the black savanna below. They were close.

Every now and then, he swung his sword hard at any undead that got close—shattering their bones in a single strike.

Finally, he and Nuwa reached the lower edge of the black savanna.

Ethan looked back and saw the four players running out safely as well.

"Huff... that was terrifying," the female mage sighed.

Ethan said nothing. He'd already done enough by clearing the way through the undead horde.

Now that they were out of the cursed area, they began heading down the mountain.

It was still around eleven in the morning, meaning Ethan only needed about six hours to reach the village below.

Going down the mountain was much easier and faster than climbing up.

They encountered a few monsters along the way, but Ethan killed them instantly without anyone's help.

One skill strike was more than enough to crush them.

The journey ended when they reached the forest beyond the village. As they came out of the woods, the villagers welcomed them warmly—even though only Ethan and Nuwa had actually completed the side quest.

"Thank you for finishing that side quest," Jared said, bowing slightly.

"No problem. Your quest gave us some good rewards too," Ethan replied.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Stay in our village for a few days. We'll treat you well," Jared offered.

Ethan and Nuwa glanced at each other, then nodded. Ethan turned to the four players who had come down the mountain with them.

"What about you guys?" Ethan asked.

"It's already dark, and the forest is dangerous. We'll probably stay the night before leaving tomorrow," the female mage said.

Jared nodded. He had to provide them with a place to stay too, even though their team failed to complete the quest.

Still, his top priority was making sure Ethan and Nuwa were well taken care of.

As the sun slowly set, the moonlight spread across the land. Ethan and Nuwa were given the best house to rest in, complete with food prepared by the villagers.

The four other players, on the other hand, only got a small house to sleep in—no food included. That alone made them feel jealous.

"What should we do next?" Nuwa asked, holding an apple she'd just bitten.

"We'll go look for Lara and the others," Ethan replied.

"If there's a big city somewhere, we'll probably find them there," he said.

"Is there really a place like that?"

"This world is huge. It can't all be just forests. We found a village, didn't we?" Ethan said.

"If there is a big city, why do you think Lara and the others would go there?"

"A city is a symbol of civilization. They're not animals—they'd look for safety in a place like that," Ethan replied.

Nuwa nodded, though she still had no idea where that city might be.

While they were talking and eating, someone knocked softly on the door.

Nuwa stood up and opened it. Standing there was the female mage from the other guild team, still wearing her guild outfit and carrying her weapon.

"You?" Nuwa asked.

"I'm Cersei. There's something I want to talk about," Cersei replied.

Nuwa turned to Ethan for approval. Ethan sighed and motioned for Cersei to come in so he could hear her out.

She sat down on the sofa, while Nuwa stood beside Ethan, who was seated on a single chair.

The three began talking in the living room.

"What is it?" Ethan asked.

"It's about the weapon you took, Ethan," Cersei said.

"One of the rare weapons we gave you belonged to our priest. It's the only one she had," Cersei explained.

"Without her priest staff, she can't heal us in the next battle."

"So, you want me to return this?" Ethan asked, showing the Rare-ranked priest staff to her.

Cersei nodded. The weapon legally belonged to Ethan now, so she couldn't force him to return it.

Still, if Ethan was willing to consider something else, she had a proposal.

Surprisingly, Cersei took out a Pink Feather from her inventory.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, unsure of what it was or what it could do.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Let me show you," Cersei said.

She held the pink feather in her hand and spoke directly to it—not a skill, not a spell, just a name.

[Pink Feather Activated]

[Name: EthanArk]

As soon as she spoke, a pink orb floated out from the item and drifted toward Ethan, entering his chest.

His body instantly heated up, his breathing quickened, and his eyes locked onto Cersei.

The orb had gone straight into his heart, sending strange impulses through his body.

"W-What did you do to me?" Ethan asked in confusion.

His body grew warmer, and a tight sensation spread through him. Still, Ethan managed to stay conscious and think clearly.

"Pink Feather... is this some kind of arousal item?!"

"Exactly," Cersei said calmly.

Then a system panel appeared before Ethan, showing something he had never seen before.

He couldn't believe such a system existed in the game.

[Cersei has implanted the Pink Feather in you]

[Do you want to proceed?]

[Y/N]

"What happens if I press [Yes]?" Ethan asked.

"Then your body and mind will be controlled by your desires. If you refuse, the pink orb will leave your body and everything will go back to normal," Cersei explained.

Of course, Ethan immediately pressed [No], letting the orb leave his body and return to Cersei's Pink Feather.

His body cooled down again, his breathing steadied, and the tension faded completely.

"That's too bad. I actually like strong men like you, Ethan," Cersei said softly.

"So that's your way of getting your friend's weapon back? Not impressive at all," Ethan replied coldly.

"I'm out of options. Tell me—what can I do instead?" Cersei asked.

Ethan stood up and looked toward Nuwa, who still watched him with concern.

Seeing that Cersei knew about the Pink Feather made Ethan realize she probably had a lot of information about this event world.

"I need information," Ethan said.

"Information?"

"Tell me—does a big city exist in this event world?"

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