Their surroundings changed drastically, they were no longer in a small hall or even a room, and now all that surrounded them was a dense forest.
Before the rift completely engulfed them, Rain had time to savor how badly the hero's face contorted.
There was no point in holding back against the hero, because regardless of Rain's actions, it was only a matter of time before the hero wanted to finish him off.
So why not enjoy it?
"Why did you grab me?!"
Realizing that his hand was gripping her waist and pulling her against him, Aelorian immediately tried to pull free. After a few seconds, his grip loosened, allowing her to escape.
Now every touch from him reminded her of those humiliating defeats in their sparring sessions, making her situation even more embarrassing. So she preferred to turn her attention elsewhere.
"That guy, Cale, did he want something?"
Aelorian remembered him approaching her earlier during the break and now she managed to notice him waving at them and wanting to say something to them before Rain carried her over to the place.
"He probably just wanted to wish us luck in the test."
Carelessly, Rain replied, looking around at his surroundings.
She stared at him for a couple seconds, as if weighing his words.
"I see."
Finding nothing dangerous in their surroundings, Rain shifted his gaze to his hand.
He, as well as Aelorian had magical bracelets on his arm after entering the rift.
Clicking on it, he realized their two main functions: the first allowed them to know each other's location, and the second showed the number of points they had earned, which was now 0.
Rain knew that time flowed much faster in the rift than outside, so he wasn't in much of a hurry.
At that time, Aelorian noticed something on the ground and pointed in that direction.
"We're that way."
Wondering if she had found something, Rain decided to follow her. He soon realized that what she had found were monster tracks.
Aelorian felt as free as possible in the forest and, as a born hunter, was quick to find even the faintest traces of monsters.
'Having her on the team will cut down on search time tremendously.'
Thanks to her, it didn't take them long to come across the first group of monsters. They were about 8 orcs with large clubs, surveying the area.
"Rain, I'll take the four in the back, while you hold off and deal with the others."
When her words went unanswered, she turned to Rain and noticed him staring into the space in front of him.
"Rain?"
At this moment, Rain wasn't paying attention to the monsters in front of him or her words because a new window popped up in front of him.
[Main Quest]
"Don't address me like I'm your dog."
Aelorian said irritated, but not wanting to waste time she began her search.
Throughout the day, they mostly encountered weak monsters, and if there were any strong ones, they were quickly dealt with by their combined efforts.
As the day drew to a close and it began to get dark, they found the most convenient and safe place from the monsters, and then set up camp there, remembering to set up a few traps just in case.
"In this artificial rift, they even managed to recreate the cycle of day and night."
Rain muttered, looking at the setting sun, or at least what looked very much like it.
Aelorian sat nearby, but it wasn't the beauty of the setting sun that drew her gaze, but the young man in front of her. As much as she didn't want to deny it, putting aside the dirty tricks he had used against her earlier, he did have the power to prove a point. In the entire day spent behind his broad back, she had unwittingly come to a conclusion.
'Maybe he's not so bad.'
However, that thought quickly evaporated and her expression froze when she saw what he pulled out of his storage ring.
'...He brought... a bed with him?!'
While she was trying to comprehend what she had just seen, Rain relaxed and lay back on the bed he had just pulled out.
'Just like Master Astrid said, it really is much better than sleeping on the bare ground.'
Noticing the elf's shocked face with a hint of envy, he patted the bed with a smirk.
"Don't be shy, there's always enough space for two here."
At his words, Aelorian quickly came to her senses, turning away.
"Hmph, I'd rather sleep on bare rocks than get in the same bed as you."
"Whatever you wish~"
Without coaxing her, Rain lay back on the bed again, making satisfied noises from time to time.
"So soft and warm~"
'Do you have to say that out loud?!'
Aelorian shrieked to herself, but didn't say it out loud for fear of making things worse.
'Calm down, I've spent my whole life in the woods and I've always slept in trees, so I'm not the least bit attracted to this bed. Not one bit.'
Eventually she managed to fall asleep with complicated emotions on her heart.
°°°°
When Rain opened his eyes, there was still a local semblance of the moon in the sky, casting a faint moonlight over the surrounding area.
Before he could wonder why he was awake so early, he felt someone's gentle hand fondling his gradually hardening cock.
'What the...?'
Rain threw back the blanket and saw two red pupils staring at him. All his drowsiness was gone instantly, and a chill ran down his spine.
"...Liana?"