Chapter 5: The Onset of the Beast Tide

Under the black-haired youth’s gaze, Song Ze froze, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He gave the other a deep look. The black-haired youth tilted his head, his crimson eyes carrying a pleading expression, appearing utterly harmless.

Anyone would find it impossible to abandon such a fragile person.

But Song Ze’s face paled, and his hands trembled slightly. His heart raced so fast it was hard to breathe, and he feared the sound would be heard, raising suspicion.

He was terrified. The more harmless the other seemed, the more it reminded him of the horrific scenes from the game.

Moreover, the gruesome corpses nearby spoke volumes of how casually the other had killed them, like a child playing with toys.

Now, the Demon Princess undoubtedly intended to make him her new plaything.

Song Ze, who knew the Demon Princess’s temperament well, understood this clearly.

If he made a single misstep, he would end up like those corpses.

Even if he managed to pique her interest, it would only mean a more nightmare-ish plot awaiting him. Trying to raise her favorability was sometimes no different from descending into hell.

Realizing this, Song Ze’s legs nearly gave out.

When the black-haired youth saw that Song Ze ignored him, he tilted his head in confusion, his eyes pleading, helpless. “Brother, please, please save me.”

He tremblingly reached out to Song Ze, as if only the adventurer before him could rescue him from this mountain of corpses and sea of blood. He was his sole salvation.

— The hope of dawn. “Please.”

No one could refuse him.

Then, without hesitation, Song Ze turned and ran.

‘Are you kidding? If I don’t run now, am I waiting to be entangled by the Demon Princess?’

‘Besides, while I can’t return to reality without completing the quest, who would want to go back? This actually suits my wishes!’

At that moment, due to extreme fear and worry for the future, Song Ze tapped into his otaku body’s potential, quickly leaving the abnormal area behind.

Later, wiping the sweat from his forehead, Song Ze saw no one behind him and sighed in relief, feeling as if he had shed a heavy burden. Even if killed, he wouldn’t try to raise Andreya’s favorability!

Back in the forest, the black-haired youth stood up, his crimson eyes watching the direction Song Ze had fled, a innocent smile on his face.

“He ran away?”

“…How interesting.” He raised a hand to the void, and immense magical power spread out. “Then I’ll give you a little help.”

“But my prey won’t escape.”

****

After running for a long time, Song Ze finally stopped to rest, supporting himself against a tree, panting heavily and wiping the sweat from his brow.

He couldn’t tell if the sweat was from the intense exercise or from sheer fright!

After escaping that area, he initially encountered no magical beasts, as if they were wary of something… After all, the Demon Princess was a top-tier existence among demons, inspiring instinctual fear in beasts, keeping them away.

But after escaping, Song Ze’s luck seemed to run out. He encountered various monsters along the way; if not for his speed and the protection of the storage ring gifted by Aliel, his mere level 16 self would have been forced to reload his save!

‘I’ve worked so hard to raise 81 favorability—I absolutely must survive!’ Song Ze gritted his teeth. If he had to reload, he might just spit blood.

Moreover, according to the game’s progression, the beast tide was likely imminent. He had to find others.

But in the next moment, Song Ze stepped into empty air.

‘Help! Help! The ground below is covered in thorny grass. Am I going to be disfigured this time?’

At that moment, Song Ze almost started crying, tightly shutting his eyes and shielding his forehead with his hands.

Unseen by him, a complex blood-red pattern flashed on his wrist. In an instant, an invisible force enveloped Song Ze—

When he landed, instead of the disfiguring weeds, he felt soft grass with a hint of sunlight. Stunned, he opened his eyes and looked around.

Though the forest looked similar everywhere, the fresh vegetation and the concentration of demonic energy indicated he had left the depths of the Dark Forest.

‘What just happened?’

Song Ze was puzzled. Even in the game, teleportation wasn’t possible this early without scrolls or magic arrays, and solo teleportation only unlocked later. So how did he…

“Song Ze?”

“Are you okay? And Lady Aliel?”

With a clamor, several people approached. They were Aliel’s subordinates, looking battered from evading powerful magical beasts.

Most of their previous prejudice against Song Ze had faded. After all, he had stayed with Lady Aliel despite the danger, an act they couldn’t match.

Seeing him safe, they relaxed.

Their arrival interrupted Song Ze’s thoughts. He stood up, sensing a change in the atmosphere—a surge of spiritual energy—and immediately knew who was coming. Sighing with a tearful expression, he said, “Lady Aliel… he saved me and let me escape, but he himself… If I had known, I would have rather stood in his place. It would be better than this…”

Everyone’s faces changed. They dared not imagine the loss if something had happened to Aliel; it would be a huge blow to the entire academy.

“I’m fine.” A somewhat deep voice sounded. Aliel’s tall figure appeared behind the crowd. He was still as handsome as ever, his clothes immaculate, and the grass perked up wherever he stepped.

Song Ze noticed everything. Normally, Aliel wouldn’t release so much natural energy, but after killing that aberrant beast, he had probably unsealed his power, leaving residual energy that hadn’t been withdrawn.

Everyone looked at him excitedly. “Amazing, Lady Aliel!” “To escape from such a beast unscathed—it seems Lady Aliel’s strength has increased.”

But Aliel ignored the others and walked up to Song Ze.

Song Ze knew it was time to perform. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he didn’t cling as usual but cautiously looked up, reaching out as if wanting to touch, yet afraid to, fearing the person before him was just an illusion.

Aliel gave him a deep look. Just as he was about to act, the demonic energy in the area surged and became chaotic. The ground began to tremble, and bestial howls echoed continuously.

Everyone turned to see countless birds flapping into the sky, some falling back as if pulled by an unseen force. Their hearts sank.

“What’s happening?”

“It sounds like many monsters… What could it be?”

One person’s face turned pale. “I’ve heard rumors that before the beast tide decades ago, similar phenomena occurred. Could it be—”

His words froze everyone. All had heard tales of the beast tide—even a baptized paladin squad wouldn’t survive, let alone students like them.

They didn’t want to believe it, but in the next instant, a magical beast burst from the grass and was quickly dispatched.

That was just the beginning.

As more beasts appeared, everyone’s expressions grew grim. They realized it was too late to flee; the only chance to survive was to stick with the strongest among them.

Another ferocious beast charged—

Instinctively, Song Ze grabbed the hem of Aliel’s clothes. ‘Too terrifying! Now the only way to live is to stay with Aliel!’

Feeling the tug, Aliel turned to see the youth looking up at him with adoration in his eyes.

Those star-blue eyes held undisguised trust and carefully hidden fear. The hand clutching the fabric trembled slightly but was suppressed as Song Ze whispered, “Lady Aliel, keep going.”

That starry gaze pierced Aliel’s heart, and he unconsciously softened.

Then he took Song Ze’s hand and pulled him into an embrace, holding him tight.

Buried in Aliel’s chest, Song Ze was stunned. He never expected Aliel to do this—though Aliel’s favorability was high, he was still a tsundere…!

But Aliel’s cross-dressing was so successful; he could actually hold him so securely.

On the other side, a horde of beasts finally struck, triggering screams of fear.

Amidst the chaos, Aliel drew his sword and coldly faced the monsters.

Song Ze felt violent tremors as if a natural disaster had struck.

‘But then again, the beast tide is not much different from a catastrophe.’

“Don’t be afraid,” Aliel’s voice was very soft, yet it cut through the noise, landing gently in Song Ze’s ear, shielding him from any glimpse of the bloodshed outside.

“It’ll be over soon.”

“Lady Aliel…” Song Ze murmured from within his arms, sounding a bit lost.

Aliel paused.

Song Ze could clearly feel Aliel’s embrace tighten slightly.

Then a low, gentle, yet firm voice sounded.

“Call me Aliel, not ‘Lady.'”