Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 499: Wandering Into Some Kind Of Unchaste Act
Putting aside that slightly unrealistic idea, Steven figured anyone with half a brain would know that—unless he was abusing some kind of malicious bug—something this rare had to be a one-of-a-kind item.
Even if he wanted to farm it, the so-called administrator of this world, Hypergryph, definitely wouldn't allow that kind of nonsense. Besides, he didn't really have a reason to anyway.
He stuffed the pearl into his inventory and didn't bother thinking about how to use it just yet. There were plenty of situations where consuming that kind of power might be necessary. If he really shoved the whole thing down Yamato's throat, who knew what kind of monster that girl would evolve into.
An overpowered weapon wasn't all that fun anyway. He could talk it over with Nian later and decide what to do with it then.
As for now—staring at the still unbelievably lively swamp, and thinking about how long it would take before all the trapped wraiths were fully released—Steven decisively chose to bail.
The boss was dead, the rewards were secured. He genuinely couldn't think of a single good reason to stay at the crime scene. If the Ursus troops showed up and started asking whether he'd just slaughtered one of their nationally protected creatures or something, explaining himself would be a nightmare.
So without hesitation, he opened a black hole and warped straight back to the Infected camp.
The moment he returned, Steven noticed something unexpected: all four of the girls, Margaret, Alina, Talulah, and Yelena, were all sitting together around a campfire. The instant they sensed his arrival, all four pairs of eyes turned toward him at the same time.
"Talking about me?"
Steven didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. He grinned broadly as he walked over, deliberately sitting down opposite them with a carefree look.
"Yes," Talulah said bluntly. "We were saying that you definitely ran off to deal with that thing that showed up earlier. Knowing your personality, you're not the type to let grudges last overnight. You're petty like that."
Though her words were biting, Talulah's eyes still kept scanning her boyfriend up and down, as if afraid she might find an injury.
"And judging from that stupidly cheerful grin on your face," she continued, "I'd say that thing probably didn't end well. Every time you do something like this, you use that dumb smile to cover it up."
For once, Yelena didn't stand on the opposite side of Talulah. Instead, she nodded seriously.
Steven didn't really bother defending himself. Whether he was hard to read or not depended on the moment. Sometimes he was unpredictable to the point of absurdity; other times, he was painfully easy to see through.
More importantly, Talulah was right. He really had taken care of that thing.
"I think you've all misunderstood me," Steven said, spreading his hands with an innocent look. "I'm not that petty. I'm just straightforward. She wanted to see me, so I gave her a chance to. Now that we've talked it out, our grudges are settled. A happy ending for everyone, right?"
The two girls looked very much like they were holding an impromptu public trial just for him. With no way out, Steven could only turn his gaze toward the one person who hadn't spoken yet—Alina, the gentlest and easiest to talk to among them—silently asking for help.
Alina didn't pile on like the others. Instead, she gently handed her boyfriend a cup of hot water, then shifted closer to him, sitting just a bit nearer.
In truth, she was the real focal point of today's chaos. She understood better than anyone how much effort Steven had poured into protecting her—and just how much thought he'd devoted to her safety.
Yet when all those words of gratitude reached her lips, Alina found herself unable to say them out loud. In the end, the only thing she could do was to return them with her most sincere heart—to repay this young man who had taken on so much unnecessary trouble for her sake.
"Still… you did great. If you're tired, do you want me to massage your shoulders or something?"
Like a gentle wife welcoming her husband home after work, Alina leaned in and whispered softly into Steven's ear with her sweet, tender voice. If she remembered correctly, the only favor Steven had ever asked of Talulah was something like back-pounding or massages.
Over the past few days, she'd learned a thing or two from the aunties and grannies around the Infected camp. This just happened to be the perfect chance to put those skills to use.
"You're really spoiling him," Talulah said, watching her teammate defect right before her eyes. She could only roll her eyes lightly before shooting Steven a sharp, tsundere glare.
"I'm telling you, he's exactly the kind of person who takes advantage and still acts smug about it."
"Heh—then doesn't it look like someone should be thanking me properly today?" Steven immediately perked up at Talulah's expression, unable to resist poking at her.
"I worked myself to the bone for someone today, you know."
That single sentence rendered Talulah completely speechless.
When it came to what happened today, she truly had no grounds to argue. Forget a simple thank-you—if Steven seriously said she should go wash up and wait for him in his room, she wouldn't even have a valid excuse to refuse.
But seeing the smug, victorious look on Steven's face made it impossible for her to swallow that frustration. In the end, she could only puff out her cheeks like a wronged little victim, glaring straight into his eyes.
"Well, massages and back-pounding and all that," Steven said, rubbing his hands together as a mischievous grin crept onto his face, "you really should take good care of me today. But we can save that for tonight."
Clearly, some dangerous new idea had just popped into his head.
Just as he was about to add more fuel to the fire, he caught sight of Yelena beside him—wearing a wicked grin that looked suspiciously similar to his own.
"If you put it that way," she said leisurely, "then I don't feel tired at all anymore. Those two might owe you a favor, sure—but if I remember correctly, someone here owes me one."
With the smile of a victor, Yelena—who only ever showed this side of herself in front of Steven—acted in a way far more fitting of her true age, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Instead, she gave him a knowing look, occasionally tossing a provocative glance toward Talulah, as if openly challenging her.
After all, she'd been dragged into this whole mess purely to help Steven out. If he was already settling accounts, there was no way she wouldn't be included.
Besides, Yelena's instincts were screaming at her: if she let Steven keep running wild like this, who knew what stage the three of them would reach by tomorrow?
For the sake of her own love life, she knew one thing clearly—
Now was not the time to be shy.
"Then should I give you a little back-pounding and massage too?" Steven said thoughtfully. "Though honestly… I don't really see what you'd need it for. I mean—how should I put this—well, you're not like a certain little fire dragon. You've developed pretty well for your age."
Since what Yelena said was technically true, and he really did owe her this favor, now that she'd brought it up so openly, he had no choice but to take it seriously.
A massage?
Steven's gaze drifted briefly toward Yelena's chest—those impressive peaks that perfectly matched his mental definition of "big, white, fluffy bunnies." No matter how he looked at it, that felt more like a reward for him than repayment to her.
But if not that… what else? More candy, maybe?
While his mind was busy calculating what kind of gift would be appropriate, Steven's mouth didn't stop moving. He continued bantering with Yelena, all while taking the opportunity to casually stab Talulah again with a few well-aimed words.
Watching his little fire dragon get flustered—was there anything more relaxing or satisfying than that?
After all, wasn't this exactly why he'd been running himself ragged dealing with the mess on the tundra?
To protect moments like this—easy laughter, warmth, and companionship.
Just then, a hesitant voice came from the edge of the campfire, abruptly breaking the increasingly ambiguous atmosphere.
"Um… I don't really need to be repaid or anything," the voice said softly. "But if possible… could someone send me back first?"
Only now did Margaret speak up, sounding faint and cautious. She clearly felt that if she stayed any longer, she might somehow get dragged into the so-called "massage squad" as well.
To prevent herself from accidentally wandering into some kind of unchaste act, she decided this was absolutely the moment to assert her presence.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M