Chapter 339: Two Monsters and a Maid

Luke returned from his short expedition to help Princess Charlie level up. Night had already fallen, and the forest around him was dark and silent. But as he pushed through the brush near his cave, torchlight flickered in the distance.

A group of soldiers waited at the entrance, led by Allison. Some faces he recognized, Miriam, Cecilia, others were new. Their armor caught the light: iron plates, some light, some heavy, all engraved with the same insignia, a dragon. He’d seen it enough times to know it was the crest of House Rhiannon.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Allison said.

Luke sighed, closing Charlie’s interface with reluctant fingers, his excitement fading into quiet frustration.

“We need to discuss war strategy,” Allison continued.

“Figured as much,” he replied.

He gestured toward the cave. “Inside. Better place to talk.”

It had been days since he’d last seen her, and even then, their exchanges were brief. Allison was constantly surrounded by people now, commanders, advisors, nobles. Like Erza, she was treated as royalty here. And, technically, she was one.

She followed him, but when the soldiers moved to do the same, Luke turned back.

“Not you,” he said. “My cave, my kingdom, my rules.”

The soldiers froze, exchanging awkward glances.

“You already know why I’m here,” Allison reminded them.

“B-but…” one began, but her sharp look shut him up immediately.

Eugene, the most loyal of the bunch, stepped forward. “If you need anything, Lady Rhiannon, I’ll come at once.”

“Yeah,” Luke said dryly. “She’ll text you.”

The soldiers didn’t laugh. Luke didn’t care. He walked inside without another glance, leaving them outside under the torches.

Allison followed in silence.

The tunnel led to the deeper section of the cave, where Luke had built his small underground home. It wasn’t fancy, but it was solid, his own space, his own rules.

“So,” he said, setting some food out from his storage. “You’ve got a fan club now?”

She smiled faintly. “Weird, right? They swore loyalty to me. Said they want to join my family’s faction once we return to Earth.”

“At least they’re optimistic,” Luke said, pouring water into a wooden cup. “Assuming there’ll be a ‘return’ to begin with.”

He was ready for a long strategy talk, but when he looked up, Allison was tossing a heavy bag into the corner. Then came a mattress, pillows, even a blanket, all pulled straight from her storage item.

“Wait,” Luke said slowly. “What exactly are you doing?”

“I’m staying here. Temporarily.” She stretched and exhaled. “I’m exhausted, Luke. I’m taking a few days off.”

He froze mid-pour. That was not what he expected.

She flopped down onto the mattress, lying right in the middle of the room.

“You know,” he said, setting the cup aside, “there are other rooms in this cave that could work as an actual bedroom.”

“I’m too mentally drained to care,” she murmured, eyes on the ceiling.

Luke approached and handed her the cup of water. She took it, and as her fingers brushed the wood, a faint chill spread through it, the water inside cooling instantly to a perfect, refreshing temperature.

“Unofficially, I’m here to push my rank as high as possible,” she said, sitting down and taking a sip of water.

“Good excuse,” Luke replied.

“So, I’ll have to head out now and then to kill monsters and level up, but I’ll stretch my stay here as much as I can.”

Luke was quietly grateful for people like Allison, Mason, and Erza in this tutorial. Without them, he’d be stuck managing an army of nearly two thousand. His plans were already crazy enough with just him and Charlie. How could he possibly convince anyone else to let a giant snake eat their arm for the sake of a strategy? His methods worked, but only because they were his.

“How’s the final plan coming along?” he asked.

“The main goal is still to get the core team to the peak of our ranks before we outline the actual battle strategy. There are too many unknowns. Like, am I supposed to fight the Midnight Lord or the Witch? Do the war bosses appear all at once, or one after another? We can’t rely on a single plan; it has to be adaptable, with different contingencies for each scenario.”

Once Charlie unlocked her second epic skill, he figured he could start contributing to that plan too, especially with the potential trump card waiting if she chose that level 45 Pugilist skill.

“What about the Wild Zone chests?” Luke asked.

That was one of their standing operations. Every event chest, whether from the two Safe Zones or deep in the Wild Zone, had to be collected. The more potions they stockpiled, the better.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“They’re taking everything they can find,” Allison said. “What used to be suicide missions are now standard practice. Fighting a Midnight Warden used to terrify people; now they hunt them for the experience. The reward events have turned into double bonuses. The events draw the Wardens in, which makes them easier to find and kill.”

That idea had come from Luke himself, just like his strategy of making noise in the capital to lure out the Midnight Watchers. Sometimes he wondered if that was the tutorial’s real intention all along. The clues had been sitting right there, hidden in plain sight. Wardens weren’t just guards protecting the chests; they were part of the reward. Kill a Warden, gain experience, maybe loot a rare drop, and claim a chest filled with gold, food, and potions.

The ‘players’ weren’t surviving the tutorial anymore. They were mastering it.

Allison yawned, almost in sync with him.

“I think we’re both exhausted,” Luke said.

“I’ve been awake for days.” She stretched her arms, rummaged through her bag, and pulled out a shirt.

He blinked. I’m pretty sure that used to be mine.

Luke picked up her empty mug from the floor. “I’m heading to bed too. Been awake a few days myself.”

“Oh, right. Good night, Luke.”

“Good night, Allison.”

He walked to the next room, planning to take a long, quiet bath before finally crashing. And of course, before he did, he made sure to remove his necklace, just so Artemis wouldn’t be watching.