"So refreshing!"
Claire's eyes sparkled as she gulped down water from the lake in front of her. She scooped up more water with both hands and drank again.
The exhaustion from being chased by the snake monster just moments ago vanished instantly.
Raven did the same and let out a sigh of relief.
He didn't forget to wash his sweaty, pale face.
"By the way, that snake should be long gone by now. Now we need to find a level-two monster right away," he said seriously.
They had spent all their time just trying to escape that snake monster. As someone who was always on guard, Raven didn't want to live in the shadow of a failed mission.
At the very least, they had to complete the mission within the next two hours. Only then could he feel calm and at ease.
"Can we rest for a bit? I'm really tired," Claire said with a pouting face.
Raven was about to speak but quickly closed his mouth again.
"Alright," he replied reluctantly. "Just fifteen minutes, okay?"
Claire nodded enthusiastically. She slowly sat down on the grass and leaned back.
The stiffness and pain in her back eased almost instantly. Her physical condition was indeed terrible.
Running just two hundred meters had already exhausted her, and earlier she had run almost a kilometer.
Well, calling it "running" wasn't entirely accurate, since Raven had carried her on his back.
Still, she felt completely worn out, and the urge to take a nap slowly crept in.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, Raven snapped his fingers against her forehead.
"Don't sleep. We have to leave soon."
Claire's drowsiness instantly disappeared. She sat up and glared at Raven in annoyance.
"I just realized how annoying you are," she muttered.
Raven smiled and teased, "Oh? Do you regret teaming up with me? Remember—your food is with me. So you have to obey my orders. Otherwise, I'll leave you to starve."
Claire's eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth in anger.
"You…"
But the next moment, her expression shifted, and they both burst out laughing.
Claire knew Raven was only joking and didn't take his words seriously.
Raven slowly stood up and extended his right hand.
"Alright, let's go."
Claire hesitated. They hadn't even rested for fifteen minutes.
But she knew they had to keep moving if they wanted to survive in this unknown place.
Just as they were about to leave the lake area, a faint tremor ran beneath their feet.
They both froze and exchanged glances.
"Did you feel that?" Claire asked.
"Yes." Raven nodded slowly, his expression turning serious as he fixed his gaze on the lake's surface, which was beginning to ripple faintly. "It's coming from deep below. Could it be… a monster?"
Just as he finished speaking, a three-meter-long fish suddenly shot out of the lake and leapt high into the air.
"That…" Raven's eyes widened.
[STATUS]
Name: ???
Kind: Red-Finned Firefish
Age: 30+
Level: 2
Abilities: Cannon Blast (B), Agile Movement in Water (C), Hard and Sharp Scales (B), ...
Description: This fish belongs to the Redfin Firefish species. They are not dangerous creatures. On the contrary, they are of excellent quality, with delicious, flavorful meat. Their strength lies in water combat. If you want to defeat them, don't engage them unless you have water magic strong enough to control an entire lake. Their weak point is the underside of their belly.
When Raven checked its status panel, excitement surged through him. He hadn't expected to strike gold here.
Blast!
The fish fell back into the water, sending a burst of spray exploding across the lake's surface and drenching the surrounding land.
Caught off guard, Claire was completely soaked.
Claire: "…"
"Pfft!" Raven laughed. "You're so clumsy, Claire."
Claire wiped her face and shot him a resentful glare.
"Why didn't you pull me back?" she protested.
Raven chuckled and stepped closer.
"It's not that I didn't want to. I just reacted too quickly and didn't have time to think about you. Sorry."
Claire wasn't satisfied with his answer. She turned her face away, feeling both embarrassed and upset.
"[Ding! An emotional outburst from the targeted woman! Affection decreased by 5 points.]"
The affection gauge above her head, which had previously shown 55, instantly dropped to 50.
Raven was startled. It seemed that in Claire's eyes, his reaction had been seen as intentional, when in fact it wasn't.
Calming himself, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.
"Wipe your face with this."
But Claire was still pouting, as if she hadn't heard him.
Raven didn't get angry. Women were like this—easily sulking and needing to be coaxed gently and patiently.
The reason he had been able to win over so many clients was because he understood their weaknesses.
Take, for example, housewives.
What did they need most?
Some would say money, and that was partly true. But there was something else that was often overlooked—love, attention, and praise.
Being a housewife was often taken for granted. Many husbands believed it was something anyone could easily do.
But the reality was not like that. There was no job that was truly easy or comfortable, including being a housewife.
From the psychology he had studied, humans were unique beings with complex emotions that were difficult to fully understand.
However, there were still emotional patterns within everyone. If those patterns could be understood, influencing someone's desires and behavior became much easier.
In Claire's case, Raven knew exactly what to do. That was why he wasn't worried at all about her waning affection.
With a slow exhale, he cupped both of Claire's cheeks and gently turned her face toward him.
Claire froze at his sudden action. She stared into his violet eyes and felt a strange sensation, as if her soul were being drawn in.
"Don't move," Raven ordered calmly. He wiped the water droplets from her face, then gently dried them with a handkerchief.
"I already told you I didn't do it on purpose. So I'm sorry again. Don't be upset, okay? We need to work together to complete this mission, and I don't want us to fail."
His gentle touch, combined with his calm voice, made Claire feel both moved and embarrassed.
It turned out she had misunderstood the situation because of a small incident, and that realization made her feel guilty.
"I'm sorry."
She lowered her head, feeling sad and dejected. Raven had helped her fight so many monsters—even saving her from being chased by that snake.
But the response she had given him was childish. For the first time, Claire hated her own selfish nature.
"[Ding! Obtained 10 affection points!]"
Raven almost burst out laughing internally, but he quickly held it back and maintained a relaxed smile.
"It's okay," he said, patting her head gently. "As long as you realize your mistake, that's enough."
Claire felt relieved. She looked up at him with teary eyes.
Without her realizing it, from start to finish, she had already fallen into Raven's emotional manipulation.
Unfortunately, she would never know it. In the end, she would sink into a dark abyss and never be able to return…