"What! What do you want to compensate you for? You got what you wanted, don't act innocent!"
"Got what I wanted? What did I get? You, a several hundred-year-old, forcing yourself on a young man in his twenties. Have you no sha!"
"Say that again?"
"Say it again? You have no..."
Before John could finish, he felt a sudden surge of killing intent. As he turned around, he noticed a vine shooting up from the ground, aiming straight for his heart!
Seeing this, John quickly changed his tone.
"Shut up! I've made it clear, nothing happened today, we did nothing. Rember that!"
The Elf Queen turned around and with a wave of her hand, the vine coiled around John's waist and abdon, tossing him and his scattered clothes out of the chamber.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... What a crazy woman!"
John struggled to get up, put on his robe, and covered the kiss marks on his chest. The image of her perfect body involuntarily flashed in his mind.
"Cough, cough... How does this old woman maintain her skin? It's as smooth as a baby's."
"Of course. Elves live much longer than humans, easily living for thousands of years. So in human terms, she's just a woman in her early thirties, at the peak of her charm."
John: "???"
"Wait, you saw... you saw everything?"
"Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem!"
John's face turned beet red as he covered his face with his hands and muttered, "That was my first ti. Being forced was bad enough, but to have soone watch... this is just..."
"Who told you to always keep around? Even if I didn't want to look, I couldn't help it. But you, you don't know how to treat a lady gently at all. Such a rough man."
"I was just... Ugh, why am I even talking to you about this? You really need to break this habit. Spying on others is not a good thing, you know?"
John pinched the bridge of his nose, let out a long sigh, and left the palace.
On his way out, he ran into Elowen, who looked like he was in a hurry, as if sothing urgent had happened.
John stopped him.
"Elowen, why are you in such a rush? What happened?"
"Master John, I was just about to find you! Near the habitat, a labyrinth suddenly underwent a strange change. Many monsters that should only exist inside the labyrinth have suddenly erged.
The scout team we sent to investigate has also been trapped. I was on my way to report this to the Queen!"
"No need to bother the Queen. I'll handle this. Where is it? We'll go check it out."
"Well..."
Hearing this, Elowen hesitated.
It wasn't that she doubted John and his group's abilities—after all, they had defeated the terrifying behemoth. Their strength was unquestionable.
Elowen just felt that John, being a human and only a temporary resident, had already done enough. It seed unfair to trouble him with every issue.
Sensing Elowen's hesitation, John said wryly, "If you keep hesitating, your fellow tribesn will be in danger."
"Please, Master John!"
"No problem. I'll head back and get Exiled Immortal, and then we'll set out."
...
anwhile, Inside the Bedchamber
Hearing the entire conversation between John and Elowen, Elaria's tense nerves slightly relaxed.
"He may be a scoundrel, but he has a sense of justice..."
A faint pain in her lower abdon made Elaria bite her silver teeth gently.
Her mind was filled with the images of her recent encounter with John—their bodies pressed tightly together, she could still feel John's burning warmth and strong heartbeat.
"What on earth is happening..."
…
On the Other Side
After returning to his quarters, John went straight to Exiled Immortal's room and knocked on the door.
A mont later, Exiled Immortal opened the door slightly, peeking out cautiously.
"John, what's up at this hour?"
"Co with . There's a labyrinth nearby, and it seems there's so trouble."
"Now? But it's already dark..."
"Stop whining and hurry up. Helena is taking care of Lily, so you're the only idle one. If you don't co with , who will?"
Without waiting for a response, John grabbed Exiled Immortal by the ear and dragged him out of the room, then turned to Elowen.
"Lead the way, Elowen. We're heading out now."
"Thank you, Master John."
Although it was getting late, John and Exiled Immortal, being players, could still perceive their surroundings clearly.
As for Elowen, the elves seed to have a special ability to see their environnt even in the dark, so the trio's pace was as swift as during the day.
Within an hour, they arrived near the labyrinth.
Seeing the dried-up flesh at the entrance and the foul stench of rotting flesh in the air, John frowned and forced himself to approach, speaking in a low voice.
"This... seems to be fragnts of a Giant Claw Scorpion's shell. The Giant Claw Scorpion should be a monster deep within the labyrinth. Why is it at the entrance?"
"Not just that, Master John. Look here, this plant is called bloodvine, and it only grows deep within the labyrinth. This small piece of bloodvine is at least a hundred years old to be this thick."
Elowen, having lived here all his life, knew far more about the area than John.
To John, the labyrinth might just be a dungeon providing experience and gear for players.
But to Elowen, every minor change could lead to disastrous consequences, so he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Master John, is it possible that sothing within the labyrinth drove these monsters out of their habitats, forcing them to escape?"
"Usually, that wouldn't happen, but it's not impossible. We'll only know what's going on once we enter the labyrinth. By the way, you said the elven scout team got lost inside. Can you locate them?"
"It's a bit difficult. I can only sense their position vaguely within a five-kiloter range, and it's not very accurate. If it were Her Majesty, she could precisely locate our people even from dozens of kiloters away."
"Your queen is currently... unavailable. Five kiloters... it's not much, but it's better than nothing. Exiled Immortal, stop yawning. Lives are at stake, so stay alert."
"Got it, John."
Exiled Immortal shrugged and, with a thought, a wind rose around him, lifting the dried flesh off the ground. He gathered it and buried it underground.
As players, they wouldn't be affected by disease, but if the decaying flesh brought so sort of plague, it could be devastating for the natives.
After clearing the entrance, John and the others prepared to enter the labyrinth. John took out a torch from his player inventory.
Exiled Immortal led the way, controlling his flying sword to circle around him, ready to fend off any enemies that might attack from the shadows.
Elowen stayed in the middle, in a relatively safer position. Given his strength, it wouldn't be fair to have him guard the rear.
"Master John, if we encounter any unmanageable danger, please make sure you and Mr. Exiled Immortal leave this place imdiately."
"If we leave, what about you?"
"This is an elven matter. I already feel very guilty for troubling you repeatedly. If anything were to happen to either of you because of us, I would be truly remorseful, so..."
"Alright, enough talk. If things get really bad, Exiled Immortal and I won't hesitate to leave you behind. But with our combined strength, I doubt you'll get much of a chance to prove yourself."
John smiled and patted Elowen on the shoulder, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a faint glow in the distance, fleeting but unmistakable.
"Exiled Immortal."
"Yes, it seems there's soone or sothing ahead. Whether it's another player or a monster, let's stay alert. I definitely don't want to end up as a bug's nest in this dark, damp place."
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