The air in the cavern was so heavy it felt as though Kaeya were breathing through water. Each breath dragged against her lungs, thick and cold, carrying the scent of damp stone and something feral beneath it. The silence pressed down on her senses, broken only by the slow, deliberate ripple of shadow coiling around the massive beast before her.

The Shadowfang Dire Wolf stood tall at the center of the cavern, a predator sculpted by darkness itself. Its fur shimmered with an unnatural void-black sheen, not reflecting light but devouring it, as if the shadows had chosen to cling to its body. Molten golden eyes burned within that darkness, sharp with intelligence and utterly devoid of mercy. Every subtle shift of its shoulders radiated restrained violence, like a bowstring pulled to its limit, waiting only for the moment to snap.

The wolf curled its lips, exposing fangs longer than daggers. Its growl rolled through the cavern, low and guttural, vibrating through the stone and straight into Kaeya’s chest. Her instincts screamed. She tightened her grip on her sword, heart pounding as the beast suddenly whirled, jaws snapping with a sound like cracking stone.

She raised her blade to block—

And then someone leapt in front of her.

Warm liquid splashed across her face. Blood. Too much blood.

Kaeya jolted awake with a sharp gasp, her body slick with sweat, her heart hammering violently against her ribs. Moonlight filtered through the leaves outside her window, gentle and silver, a stark contrast to the nightmare that still clung to her mind. It took several breaths before she realized where she was.

A dream.

An old one.

The Shadowfang Dire Wolf... the cavern... and the figure who had stepped between her and death. Her maid. Her guard. The woman who had died protecting her when Kaeya was still a child.

Kaeya rubbed her eyes slowly and sat up. She had grown used to these dreams over the years, but they never truly faded. Pulling on a simple dress, she stepped outside, letting the cool forest air calm her racing thoughts.

It had been two months since she arrived in this forest.

In that time, she had learned one very strange truth: Tyler lived a life unlike anyone she had ever known. By day, he farmed patiently, obsessively claiming that the act itself granted him strength. His farming skill is unique even among other people who has same skill.

By night, laughter echoed from his home, mingled with girls.

At some point, even the orange cat girl had joined those nights.

"Just like my father," Kaeya muttered under her breath, a mix of irritation and weary familiarity in her tone.

Nearby, the spider girl lingered on her webs, peeking down with open curiosity. Kaeya wasn’t sure when —or if— she would decide to join that strange circle as well.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted a crow gliding above the treetops. Unlike ordinary birds, it refused to fly over the fenced territory, instead circling cautiously.

Kaeya moved without hesitation.

She followed the crow through the forest, leaping across stones and roots until she reached a rock by the river. There, the crow settled atop a figure cloaked in shadow.

"Princess," the man said, kneeling immediately.

"Stop that," Kaeya replied softly. "Here, I am only an adventurer. Speak. Any leads?"

The shadow-cloaked spy hesitated. "We do not believe the druid resides within this forest. However... we uncovered a clue. If a druid lives nearby, it would be where the natural wood element thrives most strongly."

Kaeya stared at the flowing river, deep in thought.

"Looks like I need to ask his help again."

Kaeya made her way back toward the flower fields, her steps light but her thoughts heavy. The forest around her was calm, almost deceptively so, leaves whispering softly in the breeze as sunlight filtered through the canopy. As she neared the fields, she noticed movement among the crops—slow, unguarded, familiar.

"Tyler..." she called out, quickening her pace.

Then she stopped.

Tyler was lying flat naked on his back in the middle of the field, arms spread as if he had simply collapsed there, staring up at the sky. Sitting and riding on his lower half was Serena, in her cat-girl form, her tail swaying as she pumped faster.

Kaeya pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Even in the daytime," she muttered, casting him a look sharp enough to cut stone.

Tyler turned his head slightly, clearly having given up on dignity. "It’s not my fault," he said defensively. "She jumped on me out of nowhere."

Suddenly Serena let out of moan and took everything that Tyler let inside her.

Serena grinned, then— without a shred of shame— shifted back into her orange cat form and hopped off his chest, trotting away as if nothing had happened.

Kaeya let out a slow breath and shook her head. There was no point commenting further; she had learned that trying to impose normal standards on Tyler’s daily life was a waste of energy.

"I need your help," she said instead, her tone turning serious. "I want to know where the nature element is most concentrated in this forest. Not just present—dense. Can you use your Eye of the Jungle to find it?"

Tyler sat up, brushing grass from his clothes, his expression thoughtful rather than playful for once. "I can help," he said slowly, "but Eye of the Jungle doesn’t work exactly like that. It enhances perception, awareness, danger... not elemental density."

Kaeya frowned. "Then how do I find it? The forest is overflowing with nature energy. I need to know where it gathers, where it’s strongest."

Tyler considered her words, then shrugged. "Normally, people use elemental reading stones for that. They resonate when they’re close to high-density zones."

Kaeya exhaled in frustration. "I don’t want ’normally.’ I want certainty."

He looked at her for a moment, truly looked at her, and the lightness in his eyes faded. "I get it," he said quietly. "But rushing won’t help. Give me a week. I’ll help you narrow it down properly."

"A week?" Kaeya echoed, tension flickering across her face.

"So much can happen in a week," Tyler added, as if reading her thoughts. "But panicking won’t make answers appear faster."

She he sitated, then nodded. She didn’t like waiting—but she trusted results.

Too much had changed in the past two months already. The Demon King had appointed three new Demon Generals. War had been declared against a neighboring kingdom. The Hero Party had been mobilized, barely holding the situation together. Every report Kaeya received carried the same undertone: temporary stability, fragile as glass.

And somewhere within all this chaos, a druid —real or rumored —might be the key to everything.

Kaeya turned her gaze back toward the forest, eyes sharp with resolve. She would not stop searching.

Even if the forest itself tried to hide the answer from her.

---

Night settled over the forest like a deep, living blanket. The fireflies drifted lazily between the trees, and the distant chorus of insects rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Inside the house, the atmosphere was unusually calm.

Serena sat across from Tyler, her legs tucked beneath her, tail curled loosely around her waist. For once, there was no teasing, no sudden pounces, no playful chaos. Even Tyler seemed surprised by the silence.

"I need to tell you something," Serena said at last, her voice softer than usual. "Do you remember my task?"

Tyler didn’t even look up. He had taken out a forest truffle, carefully slicing it with practiced movements before laying the pieces neatly onto the pan. "Like hell I remember it," he replied dryly. "You never told me."

Serena clicked her tongue. "You never asked."

She leaned forward slightly, eyes glowing faintly in the firelight. "My task is to join the demon army."

The knife paused mid-cut.

Tyler blinked once, then resumed slicing as if she had just mentioned the weather. "Oh. That." He shrugged. "There are beastfolk in the Demon King’s army anyway. It’s not exactly impossible. Besides, you don’t actually need to finish your task. As long as I finish mine, yours should count too."

Serena stared at him. "You’re way too calm about this."

Before Tyler could reply, a voice drifted down from above, light and amused. "He is correct. Since he made a deal directly with the Orion Tesseract, certain rules can be... bent."

Both of them looked up.

Dia was hanging upside down from a web near the ceiling, her pale hair spilling downward like a curtain. She was in her human form, dressed in a robe woven entirely from silk-like threads, swaying gently.

"Dia!" Serena’s tail shot up, wagging like an excited puppy’s. "You’re here!"

Dia tilted her head. "You’re not playing that strange game again, are you?"

"Do you want to join?" Serena asked immediately, eyes sparkling.

Dia considered it, expression distant. "I don’t know. I’ve died too many times in this world. Lost too many memories. I don’t really care if you end up with multiple wives." She glanced at Tyler briefly, then back to Serena. "But will you marry me in the real world? If yes, I’ll join too."

She said it casually, as if asking about tomorrow’s weather.

Tyler nearly dropped the knife.

Serena didn’t even hesitate. "He will," she said confidently, shooting Tyler a sharp wink.

Tyler’s mouth twitched. Once. Twice.

Without another word, he stood up, grabbed both of them—Serena squealing in laughter, Dia blinking in mild surprise—and physically tossed them out of the room.

The door shut.

Silence returned.

Tyler exhaled, rubbed his temples, and finally sat down to eat his dinner in peace.

As he chewed, he activated Eye of the Jungle.

The forest unfolded in his mind like a living map. He saw Kaeya moving swiftly through the darkness, searching new regions with relentless focus. Shadow Tribe operatives followed her at a distance, barely visible even to most senses. He saw the neighboring tribes, their camps glowing faintly with life and activity.

Tyler smirked.

"Looks like I got way too overpowered in the past two months," he muttered.

With a faint smile, he opened his status window.