Nearly a week had passed since Dexter's infamous rampage in the PK Zone near Sunscar Kingdom.
Rumors of a glitch-exploiting players who could swap weapons mid-combat now dominated tavern talk across the region — especially in Sunscar's bustling plazas where the death toll allegedly exceeded two thousand victims, most perishing to those devastating Guillotine Blades suicide strikes base from the survivors.
Today, Dexter lounged against the stable counter in a new muscular form, his sculpted arms casually folded as he chatted up the flustered female clerk now handling mount sales.
"Come on, beautiful," Dexter leaned across the counter with a roguish grin.
"70,000 for a Sabertooth Mount? I'll make it worth your while..." His fingers drummed the wood suggestively. "Maybe trade you something... bigger?"
The clerk maintained her professional smile, though her ears reddened.
"Apologies, sir. Sabertooths are the most sought-after mounts for Uncharted Zone traversal. The price is firm."
'Damn. Should've found another horny male attendant,' Dexter mentally cursed.
He'd spent the past week exploiting that very weakness — dying repeatedly to respawn as different seductive forms, scamming free mounts from flustered male clerks. While it had skyrocketed his Combat Mastery to Level 52 and Specialization to 35, the suicide attacks meant he rarely kept loot. Only solo kills let him pocket the coins before respawning.
'Should I keep using mules after respawning? But after tasting a Sabertooth's speed, going back would be torture.'
'Damn this Warring Kingdom's economy. Even PK Zone veterans wear garbage gear...'
Reluctantly paying 80,000 coins, Dexter mounted his new Sabertooth and raced toward the southern Safe Zone gates where Stella wasted time gathering low-tier materials.
"Stella! Hop on!" He pulled her up effortlessly. "We're changing kingdoms!"
Though they could use a Traveler for instant teleportation, Dexter preferred the journey. Not just to save coin on luggage fees, but to feel Stella's arms around him as they rode.
"Dex," she whispered, nuzzling against his back, "when can I ride one alone?"
"When you can wear Tier V gear," he chuckled, one hand covering hers while the other guided the mount.
"But I know a cuter Tier IV mount you'll love." Squeezing her fingers, he added, "I'll buy you Combat Mastery Tomes so you can level safely."
Suddenly, he yanked the reins, halting the Sabertooth mid-stride.
"Stella... you're brilliant! I LOVE YOU!"
Flustered, Stella buried her face between his shoulder blades.
"W-what did I even do? I-I love you more..."
Dexter grinned at her reddish ears.
"Nothing... just realized I should help you gather materials for a while."
…
Dexter and Stella arrived at a Tier III zone between Sunscar Kingdom and Sand Worm Oasis.
"We can gather materials here all day," Dexter said, stroking the Sabertooth's fur. "Just tell me when you're hungry — we'll visit any shop you want."
"It's okay! I packed lunch," Stella replied, though her smile turned shy.
"Not much... I thought you'd be busy hunting in those PK Zones again." She fiddled with her bag's strap. "But we can share!"
After dismounting, Dexter lifted Stella down with unexpected gentleness, making her beam at his rare tenderness. He stored the Sabertooth in his OP Bracers, which shimmered as they transformed into a pickaxe.
'I forgot these bracers let me carry infinite weight.'
'Should I sell raw materials or craft them into gear for more profit?'
'I'll decide later... Damn it, I should've taken the Crafter path when I got these bracers. Stupid — thinking combat was the only way to grow stronger.'
They gathered both Tier II and Tier III materials together. While Dexter hunted animals for their pelts, Stella refused to participate — her face twisting in disapproval when he skinned a particularly cute fox. He quickly explained he needed the pelt to craft her a cuter outfit, which softened her resistance.
Thanks to his bracers' strange magic, Dexter's gathering became absurdly efficient. Every stone he mined somehow advanced his woodcutting skill, and each animal he skinned made him chuckle at the system's illogical mechanics. The bracers turned mundane tasks into comical power-leveling sessions.
'If I could level up life skills this easily, I should've done it from the start.'
'Well... better late than never.'
'Tomorrow, I'll create a guild — just for Stella and me... though maybe we'll let others join too.'
Dexter sprinted toward Stella, who was happily humming as she gathered cotton — though in her mind, she was picking flowers rather than plants.
"Stella... shall we have lunch?" he called out.
"Let's go! I'm getting hungry too," she replied, beaming.
They mounted the Sabertooth and rode to the dungeon entrance, using its overhang as shade rather than venturing inside. Stella spread out a picnic blanket from her bag, then carefully arranged an extravagant feast — far more than her earlier claim of "just a little lunch."
"You said it was only enough for you..." Dexter gaped at the spread, which could easily feed ten of him.
"Just eat!" Stella huffed, settling onto the blanket. "Be grateful I'm sharing at all!"
They ate together in perfect harmony — laughing, talking, and reminiscing like best friends reunited after years apart. Yet their nights burned even hotter than the desert sun blazing above the dungeon's mouth.
Dexter gently wiped sauce from Stella's lips, then ruffled her hair. Her radiant smile shone so brightly that his own meal lay forgotten.
"Thank you, Stella..." His thumb lingered on her cheek. "For making me whole again."
...
As dusk painted the sky in hues of amber and violet, they rode back to Sunscar Kingdom. Stella traded her entire collection of materials to Dexter while holding his hand.
"You manage them," she insisted, her fingers lingering against his. "I just want to be with you."
Dexter accepted the offering with a tenderness that surprised even himself. In this broken world, finding someone who believed in his dreams so completely was rarer than any Tier X material. Her trust was a gift more precious than all the kingdom's wealth.
Yet as they passed through the city gates, a shadow crossed his heart. The cruel truth haunted him — no matter how tightly he held on, the day would come when the system would tear them apart. Stella's laughter echoed through the torchlit streets, a fleeting melody he vowed to cherish in the inevitable silence to come.