Chapter 4: The Serpent’s Roar and a Sudden Blade

After finishing breakfast.

Lynne packed away his adventure gear and continued the journey, holding Vivian in one arm.

His destination was the elven capital, Alfheim.

According to the information stored in the ring, Lynne learned that his childhood friend had logged off in a secret realm within Alfheim.

There were no specific details, only a vague image of an underground palace. At its center stood a crystal coffin, surrounded by stone statues of elven guards standing watch.

Lynne immediately recognized it as the [Crystal Song Corridor], located deep within Alfheim’s royal forbidden grounds.

He recalled that this was a place players would visit after choosing the elf race as their starting race. After completing the early storyline, the queen would task them with investigating anomalies in the secret realm.

The crystal coffin originally held Princess Serina, who, tainted by the Black Tide, was sealed by the queen in an elven treasure, awaiting a way to lift the corruption.

However, in the game’s early stages, an attack by Black Tide’s corrupted creatures on Alfheim loosened the seal, ultimately causing Serina to fully succumb and become a corrupted being herself. After defeating her, players could even lie in the now-defunct crystal coffin for fun.

In the game’s lore, this was a significant event, but for players, it was just an early-game dungeon.

The setting had plenty of inconsistencies, though.

But that wasn’t important to Lynne. After all, this was just a niche game. What mattered more was why his childhood friend had logged off there.

That secret realm was trivially easy for her.

Wait a second—Lynne suddenly recalled that she had recently bonded with a new fairy. Could it be that she went to that realm to level up her fairy, decided to lie in the coffin on a whim, and then got stuck there after logging off?

Lynne knew his childhood friend well. She could be oddly fixated on strange rituals sometimes.

But at this point in time… Serina hasn’t been corrupted yet, right?

For a moment, Lynne’s emotions were complicated.

Regardless.

Now that he knew his childhood friend’s location, Lynne had a clear goal to move toward.

First, he would head to Alfheim and then find a way to enter the Crystal Song Corridor.

Fortunately, Sien Forest wasn’t far from the capital. As long as he exited the forest, passed through a small town, and kept going, he’d arrive soon.

Well… relatively soon.

“Sigh, too bad all my teleport points are gone. A single teleport spell would’ve saved so much hassle.”

Lynne let out a regretful sigh. The gods had replicated his system panel, but without the logout button.

In the game, teleportation magic was a convenience exclusive to players, but it required personally exploring and clearing map fog to set anchor points for teleporting.

Lynne had always found this odd. In a world full of magic, why such a restriction?

Eventually, he got used to it, chalking it up to the developers’ quirky design choices. But now, it was a real pain.

Unfortunately, the gods only copied the system’s functions, not his teleport points. It felt like starting a new account, staring at a pitch-black map waiting to be explored—a feeling that sapped his motivation.

Lynne was in that exact mood now, but with his childhood friend as his driving force, he grumbled a bit and pressed on.

“Daddy, I’m so sleepy…” Children’s sleepiness always came out of nowhere. Vivian had just woken up not long ago, yet she was drowsy again.

Lynne raised an eyebrow. “Vivian, didn’t you just wake up?”

“Mm… Daddy’s arms are too comfy… Zzz.” Like a lazy kitten, Vivian buried her face in her father’s chest, nuzzling before falling asleep mid-sentence.

Hearing Vivian’s steady breathing, Lynne could only shake his head.

The journey was monotonous, with nothing but trees around. Not just Vivian—even he was starting to feel bored.

“I really don’t know how I managed to grind through maps back then.”

“Strange, isn’t Sien Forest a starting area? Shouldn’t there be some monsters?”

Lynne sifted through his memories. Although the game’s open beta was still some time away, Sien Forest bordered the Black Tide region. There was no way he shouldn’t have encountered a single monster.

Corrupted creatures were beings eroded by the Black Tide, reduced to mindless, chaotic killers. Regular monsters, on the other hand, were the typical enemies in the game.

According to the game’s setting, players who chose the half-elf race would face an attack by Black Tide’s corrupted creatures in Sien Forest, triggering the tutorial.

But right now, it was a peaceful period. Even without corrupted creatures, there should at least be some regular monsters.

Yet, after walking so long, Lynne hadn’t seen a single one—not even a regular monster.

Was Sien Forest really this safe?

Could it be that the gods actually granted his wish to live a leisurely life with his childhood friend?

Just as he was mentally apologizing to the gods for doubting their abilities.

Suddenly—his ears twitched.

It was one of the racial traits of elves, granting Lynne exceptionally sharp hearing.

He caught the faint sounds of combat nearby, accompanied by the roar of a dragon.

Wait—how could there be a dragon in elven territory?

No… how could a dragon appear in a starting area like Sien Forest?

Lynne’s expression shifted. Dragons were a staple in fantasy settings, so their existence wasn’t surprising.

But in the game world of Telasil, there was a Dragon Kingdom where most dragons resided. They wouldn’t normally show up in elven lands.

Unless—it was a dragon corrupted by the Black Tide. Only then would they lose their senses and wreak havoc everywhere.

During the closed beta, Lynne had chosen the human race, so he wasn’t familiar with the elf storyline.

Maybe there really was a dragon? His expression grew excited.

In the past, he would’ve rushed toward the action without hesitation, but now, with Vivian in his arms, he opted for caution.

He concealed his presence and aura, cast a swiftness spell, and quietly moved toward the source of the battle.

***

“Grr… Vile dragon! I won’t let you succeed!”

In an open clearing, an elven swordswoman stood, her silver armor battered and stained crimson with blood.

She propped herself up with a nearly broken sword, her eyes burning with unyielding defiance as she glared at the massive dragon before her.

The dragon exuded a sticky black mist, a clear sign of Black Tide corruption. Its scarlet eyes held nothing but raw, murderous intent.

Serina hadn’t expected to encounter a Black Tide-corrupted dragon here.

She had plenty of ways to escape. A temporary retreat to the capital to call for reinforcements would allow the elite guards to handle the dragon.

But if she let the dragon roam free now, it would rampage through nearby villages, causing countless casualties.

What would her mother do in this situation?

Her pride and duty as an elven princess surged within her, filling her body with strength. The young woman forced herself to stand, pointing her sword at the fearsome dragon.

“I, Serina Morningstar, swear here and now—for the people of Alfheim, I will bring you down, even if it costs me my life!”

Her sword blazed as if doused in oil, radiating a brilliant, fiery glow.

A tremendous power surged within her.

Serina knew the only way to defeat this dragon was to use a forbidden spell, trading her life for its destruction.

Perhaps sensing the threat, the dragon roared and dove toward her with outstretched wings.

“Come on, dragon!” Serina assumed a sword stance, raising her blade high. The worn sword, infused with refined magic, glowed with holy light.

The blade shimmered with a golden beam like a pillar of light.

She took a step forward, her emerald eyes locked on the dragon’s ever-growing form.

Just a bit closer, and her magic-infused strike would hit its mark with precision.

“Haa…” As the moment approached, Serina prepared to swing her raised sword downward—“Huh?”

To her surprise, the dragon didn’t dive toward her.

Instead, it veered mid-air.

Serina blinked in confusion. “What’s happening?”

The dragon changed direction?

Following its trajectory, she turned her head. At some point, a man in a black robe had appeared in her line of sight, holding a little girl in his arms.

Why was a civilian here? In her panic, Serina mistook Lynne for a villager from nearby.

“Run—!” she shouted desperately in his direction.

Gritting her teeth, she summoned the last of her magic and charged toward the dragon.

Her speed was like an arrow loosed from a bow, but no matter how fast she was, she couldn’t match the dragon’s speed.

In her vision, she was just one step away from reaching the dragon.

Yet that single step felt like an uncrossable chasm.

As the dragon closed in to tear the civilian—and the young child—apart.

Serina, what have you protected? She berated herself in anguish.

Even if the man’s appearance was sudden, Serina still felt deep regret for failing to protect Alfheim’s people.

If only she were stronger, would things have been different…?

Serina closed her eyes, unable to bear witnessing the man’s gruesome death.

“Finally, a monster. I was bored to death.”

A relaxed, carefree voice reached her ears.

Serina opened her eyes in confusion. Why would someone facing death sound so casual, as if they’d just spotted a small animal by the roadside?

But as she tried to make sense of what was happening…

In the next moment—

It was as if the sky had been swallowed by darkness. Then, a blinding white sword light sliced through the night, followed by a gush of blood spraying like a fountain.

“…The dragon’s head was severed?” Serina’s eyes widened in disbelief, her gathered magic dissipating.

In such a casual manner…?

Serina stared at the man she had mistaken for a civilian, as if she’d seen a ghost.