Beep beep

    "What's up!"

    Siegfried answered the call with his wristwatch.

    "Uh... I just wanted to tell you that we're about to set up our tents at the beach. Where are you?"

    The voice on the other end replied.

    "I'm actually on my way to the beach. Which part of the beach?"

    Siegfried asked back.

    "At the far end of the western side. It's a good spot with a clear view of any beasts that might attack,"

    Rafael responded.

    "We're not too far from you. Once Peach Blossom has had her fill of walking around, we'll come join you."

    "Do you really believe that there is 'Master' person? What kind of person names himself ‘Master’? To have Blossom so enchanted, he must have put some kind of charming spell on her, right!?"

    Rafael asked worriedly, as Peach Blossom had been talking non-stop about a player named 'Master.'

    "I don't know, but I don't think Peach Blossom is under any spell. Her status is normal in every aspect. There's only one way to find out why my sister is so obsessed with this player named 'Master.'"

    "Which is?!"

    Rafael asked, excited.

    "To meet the guy myself. But I'm not going to look for him right now,"

    Siegfried replied, watching his sister play in the sea joyfully.

    "Why not? Don't you want to know what kind of person he is? Besides, if you delay this, you might just get an earful from Peach Blossom,"

    Rafael mentioned, recalling the last time Peach Blossom scolded him and starting to dread the thought.

    "I want her to level up first. The recent events in the Southern Sea Abyss have made me quite worried. If neither you nor I were with her, she might not enjoy playing the game as much. At the very least, Peach Blossom should be strong enough to protect herself,"

    Siegfried explained to Rafael why he was not in a hurry to find the player his sister was so fond of.

    "Hmm... I understand. Mages are tough to play at the beginning, but it gets easier as their skills level up and cooldown times decrease, allowing them to continuously cast spells, even if it consumes a lot of mana,"

    Rafael agreed.

    "Alright, see you at the camp then."

    "See you."

    Rafael replied. Siegfried ended the call and went to get his sister, who was intently looking for something.

    "Peach Blossom, let's go. I'm getting hungry,"

    Siegfried called out to his sister.

    "Eh! Where to?"

    Blossom turned to ask curiously.

    "To our guild's camp. It's not far to the west. We better go before it gets too dark to see,"

    The young man walked over, took his reluctant sister by the hand, and dragged her away without waiting for a response.

    ….

    What appeared before the weary Chang Long was an army of skeletons dressed in tattered clothes, wielding various weapons that dragged along the ground. They marched in rows, blocking Chang Long's path.

    "Heh heh heh... Just when I'm tired, you dare to obstruct my precious rest time!"

    Chang Long spoke with a chill in her voice, matching that of the skeletons. She wanted to lie down and rest at once, but it seemed she would have a tough time finding a moment's peace unless she cleared the area first.

    "Level 35 Tomb Guardian Skeleton Beasts appear,"

    A hundred skeletons raised their heads in unison, their fierce red eyes glaring at Chang Long and Kitsune as if they had a vendetta against them from past lives.

    Chang Long took a deep breath, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten as she inhaled the scent of the buppha garland, though the accumulated fatigue and injuries that the blood crystals could not fully heal left her nearly powerless.

    "What should we do, Master? They might be lower level than us, but there are so many, and our condition is..."

    Kitsune asked worriedly.

    "Hey, you guys, I want to enter the Pirate King's Tomb. Can you let me through?"

    Chang Long attempted to negotiate, hoping to avoid a fight.

    "No~"

    was their response.

    "What if I have a golden key?"

    "Intruders~"

    "Come on!"

    "No~"

    "I didn't even ask anything yet!"

    "Intruders~"

    "Do you only know two words?!"

    Chang Long raised her voice.

    "No~"

    "You skeletons!"

    Chang Long's patience snapped. She turned to Kitsune, who was looking for an opening among the tomb guardian skeletons.

    "Kitsune," her voice was as calm as the sea before a storm.

    "Yes, Master,"

    Kitsune responded apprehensively.

    "Let's send them to their final rest... Sea of Flames!"

    Chang Long invoked the skill immediately after speaking, and Kitsune, understanding his master's intent, also breathed fire onto the enemies.

    The beast massacre by Chang Long and her faithful pet began once again. She summoned a fire fortress after using the Sea of Flames skill to prevent the fire from spreading towards them. The skeletons howled in agony as they were slowly consumed by the flames. Those closest to Chang Long and Kitsune tried to attack but were intercepted by the intense flames from Kitsune. Some that managed to dodge encountered the fire fortress instead.

    "Heh heh heh... This is the price for daring to disturb me,"

    Chang Long chuckled coldly. Despite the heat of the moment, Kitsune felt a chill hearing his master's voice.

    Finally, the relentless assault of fire skills from the master and her pet led to the total annihilation of the tomb guardian skeletons. The dim white light of the dying beasts surged towards Kitsune as usual. Both sat, exhausted from exerting their strength to the point where neither had the energy to collect the items dropped by the tomb guardian skeletons.

    "I can't take it anymore, Kitsune. I need to sleep,"

    Chang Long said, her voice trembling.

    "Me too, Master."

    As Kitsune's hoarse voice faded, both of them fell asleep right there among the scattered loot, indifferent to the possibility of more tomb guardian skeletons appearing. They were too exhausted beyond buppha garland’s ability to  rejuvenate.

    Chang Long was jolted awake by a strange noise close by. Initially, she thought more tomb guardian skeletons were attacking and immediately prepared for battle, grabbing the Sovereign Sword. However, looking around, she saw nothing amiss. Just as she started to relax, the noise echoed through the cave again.

    Gurgle, gurgle

    Chang Long was stunned to realize the source of the noise that had startled her. She looked down at her stomach and laughed inwardly. The thunderous noise that had her waking in alarm was not from any beast but from her own stomach grumbling heavily.

    "What was that noise, Master?!!"

    Kitsune, half-asleep, jumped up ready to fight. But looking around, he saw no enemy, just his master rummaging through her snake leather backpack for a cloth, a dining set, and the Cone of Abundance.

    "Master, there was a strange noise from somewhere,"

    Kitsune reported, thinking his master might not have noticed. Chang Long did not respond but set up the cloth on the ground and took out plates from the box.

    "Master... uh,"

    "Sit down, aren't you hungry?"

    Chang Long asked Kitsune, who was still puzzled.

    "Ah... uh, I'm hungry, Master. But, the noise..."

    Kitsune sat down, still unable to shake off his curiosity.

    "What do you want to eat?" Chang Long asked, ignoring Kitsune's question.

    "Uh... steak, please,"

    Kitsune answered, still puzzled but not pressing further.

    "Uh-huh, steak, right?"

    Gurgle, gurgle

    "..........." Kitsune

    ".........." Chang Long

    Kitsune smirked at Chang Long, who blushed slightly. She ordered steaks from the Horn of Abundance without saying anything.

    "If you want to laugh, just laugh out loud, okay! That thunderous noise was just my stomach growling!"

    Chang Long stood up, pointing and yelling at Kitsune, who was shaking with suppressed laughter. Given permission to laugh (more likely sarcastically, Kitsune thought), he burst into laughter.

    "Quiet! If you don't shut up now, you're not getting any steak!"

    Chang Long scolded, her face bright red. Kitsune immediately quieted down, afraid of missing out on his favorite food. They then quietly ate their meal together.

    After finishing their meal, Chang Long and Kitsune approached a dead-end wall, noticing a large keyhole in the center. Chang Long took out the wooden chest from her bag, placed it on the ground, and slowly opened it. Inside was a golden key with a giant squid head design, the guardian of the key chest.

    "Ready?"

    Chang Long turned to ask Kitsune.

    "Yes, Master! I'm fully prepared for battle!!"

    Kitsune responded, smiling broadly at Chang Long.

    "Uh-huh... then let's go,"

    Chang Long said, inserting the golden key into the keyhole on the stone wall and turning it.

    Creak!

    Grumble...

    ...

    The morning sea reflected the soft light of the sparkling sun. Chang Long, dressed in an emerald-green snake leather outfit with black scale patterns, stood admiring the sea. Her picture radiated in the eyes of someone who was approaching without taking their gaze off her back.

    "Master..."

    The call sounded sweet. Chang Long turned towards the voice and was stunned to see its source.

    "Peach Blossom."

    Peach Blossom, dressed in a white bridal gown, was walking towards Chang Long with a sweet smile. She reached out to loop her arm through Chang Long's and together they strolled along the beach.

    "I'm truly happy, Master. Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"

    The woman spoke sweetly, resting her head on Chang Long's shoulder. Chang Long gave her a warm smile in return, melting the woman without saying a word.

    Chang Long gently brushed the hair off Peach Blossom's face. The woman looked up at her with dreamy eyes, finding her increasingly handsome (even though somewhat feminine), her gaze becoming harder to break the closer she looked, as if Chang Long radiated a soft aura.

    They continued their stroll until they came across a white flower arch set up on the beach, with a priest waiting alongside a group of people, including Siegfried, her beloved brother; Rafael and Draco, her brother's best friends; Kitsune, the handsome young man who adored following Chang Long; and several members of the Pendragon Guild.

    "Look, Master! The priest and the guests are waiting for us. Let's go and proceed with the ceremony!"

    Peach Blossom urged Chang Long towards the flower arch.

    "What ceremony?"

    Chang Long asked, puzzled.

    "Oh! You pretend to forget. Today is our special day,"

    Peach Blossom said with a sweet smile, continuing to pull Chang Long towards the arch.

    "Special day?"

    "Well... it's our wedding day,"

    Chang Long was completely dumbfounded. Today was supposed to be her wedding day with Peach Blossom? Why could she not remember anything about it? The priest and the guests approach them when they saw the couple hesitating to enter the ceremony area.

    "It's almost time, folks. Are you sure you still want to get married?"

    The priest asked as he approached them.

    "Of course!!"

    Peach Blossom answered immediately.

    "No! I disagree. You’re too young. Besides, you don’t even know him well!"

    Siegfried objected.

    "How can you marry Master? He's my lover!!"

    Kitsune added, looking annoyed.

    "No, I'm going to marry Master! Master, darling~ We're going to get married, right?"

    Peach Blossom turned to scold her brother and Kitsune, then shook Chang Long's arm, who was still stunned.

    "You need to finish school first. How old do you think you are? You haven't even finished high school, and you're thinking about getting married! Let him go and come with me right now."

    "That's right, Master already has me. How can you think of marrying him? Shameless girl, let go of my Master right now!!"

    Kitsune and Siegfried intervened, pulling the two apart, Peach Blossom clung tightly to Chang Long's arm, wailing, and demanding her brother and Kitsune to back off. Chang Long peeled Peach Blossom’s hands off and approached Kitsune who had been pushed away with concern.

    "Where are you going, Master!?"

    Peach Blossom asked, trying to hold Chang Long back but failed as her brother held her firmly.

    "I'm sorry, Peach Blossom. I can't marry you,"

    Chang Long said, pulling Kitsune into a hug.

    "Why not? We love each other, don't we!!?"

    Peach Blossom cried out in tears, her mascara running down her face.

    "Because... I am in love with Kitsune,"

    Chang Long said, looking affectionately at Kitsune. Peach Blossom was stunned into silence.

    "That's right! And we are already expecting a child,"

    Kitsune taunted Peach Blossom, pointing at his protruding belly.

    "Huh?!!"

    Peach Blossom gasped, shocked at Kitsune's suddenly swollen abdomen. She remembered it being flat just before.

    "As you see, I really can't marry you. I'm sorry... Goodbye,"

    Chang Long smiled sadly to Peach Blossom, then tenderly supported the pregnant(?) Kitsune and walked away.

    "Noooo!!!"

    Peach Blossom screamed, watching Chang Long and Kitsune sweetly walk out of sight. Unable to bear it, she grabbed a nearby rock and threw it with all her might, hoping to hit Kitsune, the wretched thief.

    Thwack!

    "Ouch!"

    Siegfried entered his sister's tent to find himself hit in the face by a flower vase that had been beside her bed, leaving a vase-shaped red mark on his forehead.

    "What on earth are you doing?!!"

    Siegfried yelled, waking his lazy sister.

    "Sieg! What are you doing in a beautiful lady's tent?!"

    Peach Blossom immediately complained upon seeing her brother holding his forehead beside her bed.

    "I came to wake you up, you sloth! Do you have any idea what time it is?!!"

    Siegfried pointed to his wristwatch in annoyance.

    "Ugh, okay, I got it... Leave so I can get ready,"

    Peach Blossom said, still half-asleep but her dream lingering in her mind.

    "Hurry up. If you keep dawdling, leveling up would be slow. And if your level won’t go up, the search for Master or whatever would be put off. Understand?"

    Siegfried warned her.

    Hearing that, Peach Blossom sprang to life, rushing into the tent's bathroom. Still upset with both her brother and Kitsune for ruining her dream wedding with her beloved Master. Siegfried, unaware of the dream's details, could not help but think that the player named Master could sometimes be useful.