The coastal forest smelled of salt water and pine needles.

Kai rode his black horse at a steady pace along the winding dirt path.

Eliza wrapped her arms comfortably around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

The afternoon sun filtered through the green canopy above them to cast shadows across the road.

A loud crash broke the quiet peace of the woods.

The frantic screaming of panicked horses echoed through the trees.

’That sounds like a lot of trouble,’ Kai thought to himself, pulling the leather reins to turn his horse toward the sudden noise.

’And trouble usually means easy experience points.’

They burst through the dense tree line and found a wooden merchant wagon tipped onto its side.

Three large wolves with glowing purple eyes and rotting grey fur snapped their bloody jaws at a woman hiding behind a broken wooden wheel.

"Stay on the horse," Kai told Eliza over his shoulder.

He dropped to the dirt road and drew his blessed dagger from his belt.

He activated his Shadow Step skill to blink right behind the largest corrupted wolf and drove the dark steel straight down into the base of its neck.

The beast dropped to the ground without making a single sound.

The other two wolves spun around and lunged at him with bared fangs.

Eliza did not stay on the horse at all.

She dropped to the ground, raised her heavy crossbow, and fired a steel bolt right into the shoulder of the second wolf.

The creature stumbled sideways into the dirt.

Kai finished it off with a quick slash to the throat.

He spun around and kicked the third beast in the ribs to stagger it before plunging his sharp dagger directly into its dark heart.

[System Event: Corrupted Wildlife Cleared]

[Experience Gained: +150 EXP] 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Kai wiped the black blood from his blade on the tall grass.

He walked over to the tipped wagon.

The woman standing up was busy brushing dust from her expensive silk traveling clothes.

She had long pointed ears and sharp purple eyes that assessed him quickly.

"Thank you for the very timely rescue," the woman said.

She offered a smooth and practiced bow. "My name is Lora. I trade exotic goods along these coastal routes, and you just saved my life."

"I am Kai," he replied, putting his weapon away.

"This is Eliza. We are heading toward the port of Salthollow."

"Then we are traveling the same road," Sera smiled, looking between the two of them with keen interest.

"Please let me travel with you. I know all the best shortcuts, and my maps are the most accurate in this entire region."

Kai looked at Eliza, and she gave him a subtle nod of approval.

Having an experienced local guide would make the journey much faster.

They set up their camp a few hours later in a small clearing near the high ocean cliffs.

Sera fell asleep very quickly in her bedroll on the far side of the crackling fire because the half-elf merchant was entirely exhausted from the ambush.

Kai sat on a large fallen log near the flames.

Eliza walked over and sat down right next to him.

She pressed her warm thigh against his leg and rested her head gently on his broad shoulder.

The heat of the fire warmed the cool ocean breeze blowing off the dark water below the cliffs.

"She is very pretty," Eliza noted quietly, looking across the fire at the sleeping merchant.

"Are you going to try to recruit her into your bed too?"

Kai chuckled softly.

He wrapped his arm around Eliza’s waist to pull her closer.

"I am perfectly happy with the company I have right now. You are more than enough to keep my hands full."

Eliza smiled at the compliment and traced a light circle on his chest with her index finger.

"You are very good at saying the right words to women. It makes me wonder who taught you how to speak like that."

’I learned most of my dialogue options from dating simulators back home,’ Kai thought with a mental laugh.

’I definitely cannot tell her the truth about that.’

"I just pick things up as I go," Kai mumbled.

He looked up at the bright stars scattered across the night sky because he purposely avoided looking into her sharp green eyes.

"You are avoiding the question," Eliza teased him.

She shifted her weight smoothly so she could straddle his lap, draped her arms over his broad shoulders, and looked right into his handsome face.

"Where did you actually come from, Kai? You fight like a highly trained royal assassin, but you act like a wandering rogue. I want to know your real history."

Kai hesitated.

Explaining his transmigrator status was impossible.

He could not explain that he used to practice the combat mechanics of this exact world on a computer screen in another universe.

"I used to live in a very different place," Kai said slowly, choosing his words with extreme care.

"I met some very dangerous people there before I started traveling and actually spent time with a vampire succubus before I found you trapped in Greyhollow."

Eliza froze in place.

Her green eyes widened in absolute shock.

"You met a succubus? A real vampire of lust?"

"Her name is Millenia," Kai admitted.

He rested his hands on Eliza’s soft hips to keep her steady.

"She wanted me to join her court, even offered me a lot of magical power and some very wicked promises if I stayed by her side."

"And you just left her?" Eliza asked, her voice dropping to an incredulous whisper.

"Human men do not just walk away from demons of lust. They get eaten alive, or they become permanent thralls in their dungeons. How did you escape her grasp?"

’I am basically playing the main character right now,’ Kai thought, smirking into the dark shadows.

"I told her I was busy," Kai laughed softly.

He enjoyed the shocked look on her beautiful face.

Eliza stared at him for a long moment in silence.

The shock slowly melted away into something much deeper and far more heated.

A possessive spark flared brightly in her eyes.

The idea that he rejected a literal demon queen just to end up sitting by a campfire with her sent a thrilling shiver straight down her spine.

"You are insane," Eliza whispered.

She leaned her face close to his warm neck and bit his collarbone lightly, then let her tongue soothe the small sting immediately after.

"But I am very glad you walked out her door."

"So am I," Kai groaned quietly as her soft hips ground against his lap.

Eliza reached down and unbuttoned the top of his white shirt.

"If you are used to fighting off beautiful succubi, I am going to have to work very hard to keep your attention tonight."

"I think you are highly qualified for the job," Kai smiled, pulling her down for a passionate kiss.

The fire crackled warmly beside them. Lora remained fast asleep on the other side of the quiet clearing.

Kai surrendered to Eliza’s soft hands, letting the sound of the ocean waves drown out the rest of the dangerous world.