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Only half a day had passed since Alicia ventured into the underground maze and vanished without a trace. Had it not been for someone leaking this information to the Sky Empire’s higher-ups through special means, their army wouldn’t have mobilized so swiftly.

‘Traitors!’ Richard’s heart seethed with rage. But for now, his focus was on the immediate threat before him.

“You conniving old man, scheming against me?” Richard growled, his body trembling with fury.

“And what if I am?” Emperor Beta’s smile faded, and his tone grew serious. “You have two choices: stay here and keep me company for a few days, or lower your tariffs by fifteen percent.”

Though the Jade Empire had weakened from its glory days, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. The Sky Empire couldn’t devour the Jade Empire whole, so they resorted to dirty tactics, slowly picking it apart in hopes of feasting on its remains one day.

“I choose to curse your ancestors!” Richard roared, slamming his fist down in fury.
“Heh, so be it.” Emperor Beta smiled darkly, thrusting his massive palm forward.

The ground shattered under the impact once more.

Meanwhile, in real life, morning had just broken.

Rakshasa slowly opened her eyes, still groggy and not fully awake. She glanced around and noticed no one beside her, though she had a feeling there should have been.

The sound of birds chirping outside stirred her mind awake.

‘Ugh, the birds are loud… Wait, I can still hear them? But… where’s Princess?’ Fully alert now, she quickly sat up. Glancing around, the familiar figure was nowhere to be found.

Holding onto a faint hope, she climbed out of bed and headed for the door. The living room was empty. So was the dining room. However, there was a freshly prepared breakfast on the table, along with a note.

Neatly written words filled the small note.

After reading the note, Rakshasa smiled warmly, her heart instantly filling with warmth. In a good mood after breakfast, she returned to her room and slipped back under the blanket.

‘It smells like Princess!’ She buried her face in the sheets, breathing in Yaeger’s lingering scent, and drifted into a daydream.

Meanwhile, in the [City of Chaos], “My bones feel like they’re breaking…” Yaeger groaned, lying in bed with a faintly pained expression. After being clung to by Rakshasa all night, her body ached in discomfort.

“If nothing crucial comes up again, I’m never staying at Rakshasa’s place overnight,” she muttered.

No one could handle being clamped down like a vise for an entire night.

“Maybe my male body wouldn’t have fared much better.” She shook her head with a sigh. In her male form, she worried Rakshasa might crush her entirely.

“Now that I think about it… if I ever regain my male body, how would I face Rakshasa?”

She knew that Rakshasa only had feelings for Princess. She had never met the male version of Yaeger. Rakshasa would probably respond with a kick to the head.

“Ah, forget it. Things will sort themselves out eventually.” Dwelling on it now was pointless, just a waste of time. Shaking off her unnecessary thoughts, Yaeger closed her eyes and re-entered the game.

In the wilderness outside Jade City, a flash of light marked Yaeger’s arrival.

‘I should grind a few waves of monsters to shorten my cooldowns,’ she thought, knowing full well that Jade City was fraught with danger. Adequate preparation was essential.

Drawing her gleaming [Dragon Abyss Sword], Yaeger smiled, “Dragonsorch, time to see what you’re made of.” With a swift leap, she vanished, her figure a blur as she sped away in an instant.

Ten kilometers from Jade City, flames erupted violently across the wilderness, shockwaves rippling through the area. Magic Beasts fell in droves, most of them dead before they could even utter a cry.

Yaeger’s skill cooldowns began to drop—[Shadow Skulk], [Phantom Step], [Lucky Star], and more began resetting one by one. With each wave of Magic Beasts she felled, her cooldowns shortened rapidly. Still, it irritated her that the more powerful abilities were taking longer to refresh.

Half an hour later… The cooldown for [Ancient Celestial Sword Formation] had finally been reduced. “Ugh, this is taking forever!” Yaeger groaned, noticing only a third of the cooldown had decreased.

Despite her high Luck stat, Yaeger realized reducing the cooldowns for her strongest abilities was much harder than expected. “I should really invest in some gear to lower cooldowns. That would be way more practical,” she muttered.

With a sigh, Yaeger shifted to a new location and resumed grinding. Another thirty minutes ticked by. Finally, the cooldown for [Ancient Celestial Sword Formation] finished, and the skill was ready for use.

“Finally.” With the ability reset, the tension in Yaeger’s shoulders eased. She sheathed her sword and darted toward Jade City at top speed.

As Yaeger left, players began arriving to grind in the same areas. The sight of the utterly decimated landscape left them speechless, as if a barrage of missiles had torn through the wilderness.

Outside the gates of Jade City, Yaeger strode forward confidently. The air around the city was thick with tension.

The guards at the gate were on edge, their eyes scanning every passerby like hungry wolves hunting for prey. But as soon as they recognized the approaching figure, their demeanor softened at once.

They quickly became as docile as puppies. Yaeger paid them no mind, walking through the gates with an air of indifference, as though the world revolved around her.

‘The tension in the city is thickening… Richard must be returning soon,’ Yaeger mused. The intensifying searches were clearly taking a toll on the citizens, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

‘If things are this tense, the higher-ups must be in a panic,’ she thought, smirking. ‘But no matter how hard they search, they’ll never find Alicia.’

Richard’s inevitable rage upon his return wasn’t her concern.

‘Time’s running out for them… and for me.’ With that thought, she headed straight to the commercial district, slipping into the auction house unnoticed through the back entrance.

On the third floor of the auction house, in the cozy office, Kastina sipped her black tea with delight.

The grand opening of the auction house had been a success, and on top of that, her beloved “lowly slave” had confessed to her. These three joyous events happening at once filled Kastina with immense satisfaction.

‘Huhuhu, my dear lowly slave… saying you want to enjoy the view from the top with me… Ah, I couldn’t sleep at all because of you! So annoying!’ she thought with glee.

Blushing furiously, Kastina set down her teacup and held her face, her mind filled with playful complaints.

Squeak!

The door swung open, and someone stepped inside.

Kastina looked up, her smile blooming like a summer flower. “Lowly slave, what brings you here so early?”

“You’re here early as well. I thought the place would be empty,” Yaeger said, closing the door behind her as she strode forward.

“It’s your fault!” Kastina huffed, rolling her eyes playfully.
“What did I do?” Yaeger asked, frowning in confusion.
“Hmph! Don’t act like you don’t know!” Kastina pouted, turning her head away with a playful grunt.

The longer Yaeger listened, the more confused she grew. ‘What is this even about? One second she’s all smiles, and the next she’s throwing shade. Figuring out this woman is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.’

“Anyway, Kastina, I need to gather some materials. Could you help me find them? It’s pretty urgent,” Yaeger said, steering the conversation in another direction.

“Hmph. Do I look like I’m swimming in free time?” Kastina crossed her arms, pouting like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Oh, is that so? Never mind then, I’ll find someone else.” Yaeger turned as if to leave.
‘Three, two, one…’

“Wait! I never said I wouldn’t help!” Right on cue, Kastina caught her by the hand before she could take another step.

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you,” Yaeger said, turning back with a smile.

“You’re such a tease,” Kastina huffed, rolling her eyes. Of course, she knew full well that Yaeger was just messing with her.

Once they sat down, Yaeger pulled out a pen and began scribbling the list of materials Little Blue had mentioned. Before long, the paper was covered with her neat handwriting.

“So many? It’ll take me a few days to gather all of these,” Kastina commented as she scanned the list.

“That’s fine. We’ve got a few days before Alicia comes back,” Yaeger replied, unfazed. “Oh, and keep an eye out for the materials for the [Berserk Drug],” Yaeger added. She hadn’t had time to gather any of them due to all the chaos lately.

‘I really need to start making that [Berserk Drug] soon. Losing half my health in every fight is too much. It’s painful!’

After sorting out the business details, Yaeger and Kastina settled down for a delicious breakfast together. Though she rarely ate much in real life, she always found herself devouring plenty in the game.

‘It feels like food is absorbed better in the game. Am I imagining things?’

After breakfast, Yaeger didn’t stick around to get into anything mischievous with Kastina. Instead, she strolled through the city streets on her own.

By now, the streets were packed with more players than NPCs. Every time Yaeger showed up, screams erupted all around her. It was starting to get on her nerves.

“Are they begging me to kill them?” Yaeger muttered under her breath as players scattered like startled birds.

“Forget it. Let’s go check on Allie.” Though she said it casually, Yaeger actually intended to treat her. Plus, she still hadn’t given her the Black Magic Crystal.

Without wasting time, she made up her mind. As she stepped forward, ready to dash to the Magic Academy…

“Princess!” Before she could take another step, a vaguely familiar voice called out from nearby. “I’ve finally found you!”

The voice grew louder as it approached, accompanied by an overwhelming aura. Though unfamiliar, there was something faintly recognizable about it.

‘Who could this be?’ Tensing up, Yaeger stopped in her tracks, her own aura flaring in response.

Whoever this person was, Yaeger knew she had to be ready for a fight. Their strength was undeniable, and they radiated danger. This opponent might force her to go all out.

Slipping the Holy Spirit Shard from her ring, Yaeger braced herself. Slowly, she turned to face the mysterious figure.

In the next moment…

Her eyes went wide with shock. “It’s you!” she gasped.