Chapter 214: Ronali and Rony [2]

Kaisen hurled a rock with a casual flick of his wrist, sending it flying through the air like a meteor on a mission. Thanks to his overpowered stats, the rock practically hit warp speed, zooming way farther than any normal person could manage.

But he knew the two in front of him—members of the cat tribe with ears sharper than a gossipy neighbor—would hear it, and just like he expected, they dashed off toward the noise like cats chasing after a laser pointer.

As his thirty-second invisibility skill wore off, Kaisen shimmered back into existence, standing uncomfortably close to the duo. His heart skipped a beat, not out of fear, but from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

One wrong move, and he'd be about as stealthy as a fart in a library. Sure, he could easily overpower these two, but there was no point in painting the rocky landscape red if he didn't have to.

Besides, their conversation about killing humans and something about the Ashbourne king piqued his interest.

'Ah, just as I thought—this is the Ashbourne kingdom.'

He mused, eyes narrowing as he checked the map in his HUD. The map had updated, but only partially, with some clouds still covering large areas. However, a name had popped up, clear as day:

'Ashbourne Kingdom.'

Normally, Kaisen would've shrugged, walked away, and left the NPCs to their scripted lives. But this felt different. These two weren't just chatting for the sake of idle banter—they were dropping lore bombs left and right, talking about a new place and a kingdom.

This could be connected to his new questline, and if there was one thing Kaisen loved more than overpowered stats, it was a juicy questline.

With a smirk, he decided to stick around. After all, he wasn't just going to let some new lore pass him by. Not when it could mean the difference between a boring side quest and the next epic chapter in his grand adventure.

'Gotta talk to them, figure out what the hell's going on, and more importantly, get the lowdown on this kingdom.'

Kaisen thought, his curiosity practically vibrating at a higher frequency than his normal thirst for adventure.

But why was he so damn curious about this kingdom? Flashback to the Evershade Kingdom, in the palace, where he and Alice had engaged in some under-the-table shenanigans—quite literally—foot jerking under the table during what was supposed to be a civilized tea meeting.

Queen Roslyn had mentioned this particular kingdom during that chat, between the sips of tea and the accidental toe touches. She'd painted a grim picture of a cruel, tyrannical king who treated his subjects like dirt and waged war against anyone within sword-swinging distance.

And the juiciest part? A bunch of players like him were now under this tyrant's thumb, much like Kaisen and his crew were under Queen Roslyn's, only with way less tea and footsie.

'Alice and Lloyd had hinted that these players might be living in a completely different lore universe than us.'

That meant there was a solid chance these players saw the Evershade Kingdom—his crew's turf—as the enemy. And that could only mean one thing: potential player-on-player fight.

Ronali snapped, delivering another slap to his head. Sure, Dad might not be the strongest warrior out there, but... well, Dad's still Dad.

"Yeah? And what did he do when the village elders mocked him?"

Rony shot back, rubbing his head.

"That's because they're village elders. You don't talk back to your elders, no matter what."

Ronali huffed, feeling her anger start to bubble up. Rony suddenly turned around with a sheepish grin.

"So, Oneechan, you admit that the village elders were right, huh?"

Ronali's eye twitched at her brother's dumb retort. It was clear he'd been waiting to drop that little nugget to justify his obsession with catching humans. She almost laughed at his audacity—almost. But being the big sister wasn't about letting things slide, so she did what she did best.

Slap!

"Don't talk back to me, idiot! Do whatever you want!"

Ronali roared, stomping away like a hurricane on a rampage.

The elders' words? Pure nonsense. But what could she do? They were like a mountain she couldn't climb, and maybe she was just a coward in the face of their tyranny.

Rony watched his sister's retreating form with a smirk. As she stormed off, he made a silent vow.

"One day, Oneechan, one day I'll be strong enough to protect you and this village. No more marrying idiots! Even if Dad insists on obeying these stupid rules, I'll fight for you."

He clenched his fist with the determination of a boy dreaming of becoming a hero—like the one who defeated the Night Shades. Though he'd never admit it out loud, considering the hero was a human. But deep down, he wanted to be just like him.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his reverie.

"Seems like you need a new daddy, kid?"

Rony whipped around, eyes wide, to see a handsome young man standing there with a grin that looked like it had been borrowed from a cat burglar.

Rony's eyes gleamed with hunger. His prey had arrived.