Seeing Elara actually take the initiative to approach the Executioner, White-Hair Big Sis freaked out, her bandaged hand yanking Elara’s little skirt in a panic.

  She tugged so hard and fast that Elara nearly faceplanted—oh, and more importantly, her petticoat flipped up, flashing her panties.

  Elara threw a suspicious glance back, but after noticing White-Hair Big Sis’s eyes didn’t seem pervy or anything, she let out a sigh of relief.

  “Well, duh, how could White-Hair Big Sis be like me… Wait, no, I’m a pure, wholesome brave overflowing with positive vibes—there’s no way I’d think like that.”

  That’s what Elara told herself, but her eyes totally yeeted a sneaky peek at White-Hair’s black combat skirt—yep, safety shorts underneath, what a bummer.

  “Are you nuts?! That’s an Executioner! You just saw how terrifying it is!”

  White-Hair Big Sis’s face was a hot mess of panic—she was so scared she couldn’t even think straight.

  “But, like, I can feel it doesn’t mean me any harm.”

  Elara shook her head. More accurately, that thing was legit scared of her.

  “No way, don’t joke around—run, quick! Big Sis will hold it off for you a bit longer!”

  White-Hair Big Sis wiped her tears, yelling at the top of her lungs.

  Elara couldn’t help but pat her head to chill her out. “Big Sis, seriously, no worries—look, it’s already here!”

  White-Hair Big Sis’s eyes went wide with terror, only to see that hulking two-to-three-meter-tall humanoid beast creeping super close.

  Sure, it had a human-ish shape, but it was covered in fur, crawling on all fours like a total doggo.

  “Roar, roar, roar!”

  The Executioner panted, circling Elara once before flopping onto its back, belly up—like a turtle doing a dramatic flip.

  Elara, who’d been a tiny bit nervous deep down, saw this and instantly knew what was up. This wasn’t a dog—it was the doggo!

  Just, y’know, kinda ugly.

  “Pat pat, good boy, good boy, Lil’ Roary’s such a good boi!”

  Elara stretched out her tiny hand, gently stroking its freaky triangle head.

  She decided right then and there—this dude’s name was Lil’ Roary now.

  Under Elara’s soft lil’ pats, that scary triangle head started wagging all comfy-like, letting out submissive whimpers from its mouth.

  “See? This guy’s just a lil’ pupper, totally harmless! Big Sis, with me around, you don’t gotta be so spooked.”

  White-Hair Big Sis stared with teary, wide eyes, rubbing them hard like she couldn’t believe her peepers.

  Did she get it wrong? Was this thing not an Executioner?

  White-Hair’s mind was a whirlwind of doubt. Truth is, she wasn’t the seasoned pro hunter she bragged about being—she was just a newbie who’d barely left the city a handful of times.

  What an Executioner even looked like? She’d only heard vague stuff from her squad sisters.

  Maybe she did mess up.

  “W-Who said I was scared?! I’m, like, the genius hunter who solo’d the Lightless Sea!”

  White-Hair’s cheeks went red, pouting hard as she huffed.

  She tilted her head all tsundere-style, but her side-eye sneakily scoped out the Executioner, curiosity and a hint of jelly vibes shining through.

  “Is this thing really harmless? I… I kinda wanna pet it too—can I?”

  White-Hair couldn’t hold back anymore.

  “Go for it, pet away!”

  With Elara’s green light, White-Hair edged closer super cautious-like. But before her hand even reached out, Lil’ Roary sensed her coming, arched its back, and let out a screeching wail from its triangle head—like a ghost shrieking, spooky as heck!

  White-Hair let out a yelp, nearly yeeting herself off the boat.

  “Liar! That’s totally an Executioner! How’s it harmless?! Who are you—some kinda demon?!”

  White-Hair burst into sobs. This red-haired loli in front of her was way scarier than the Executioner!

  How else could a monster like that be so chill around her?

  Was this chick some high-tier familiar, an evil god’s servant, or even a freakin’ spokesperson?

  Big Sis was bawling her eyes out—how was Elara supposed to comfort her?

  Elara, single across two lifetimes, had zero clue how to handle this.

  She kicked the Executioner to shush it and make it scoot aside, then sank into some serious pondering.

  She was just as confused, tbh. Was she actually reborn as some evil god or something?

  But, like, why didn’t she feel any powers then?!

  This needed some hardcore research.

  Fresh off the interdimensional boat, this world didn’t seem all that safe—she had to make sure she could survive.

  Forget everything else—just this White-Hair Big Sis alone was way stronger than her. That glowy sword move? Elara knew she couldn’t pull that off.

  And White-Hair seemed kinda noobish, meaning there were probs even tougher peeps out there.

  “Evil being, why’d you drag me up here just to toy with me like this? I, Bonnie Skadia, hunter extraordinaire, have my pride! If you’re gonna kill me or chop me up, just make it quick!”

  Oh, so her name’s Bonnie, huh.

  But… toy with her?

  That’s not how Elara would play if she was playing!

  Muttering to herself internally, a wild idea suddenly popped into Elara’s head.

  Evil god or not, why not just roll with it?

  Elara stuck her hands on her hips and let out a big “Haha!” “Fine, since you’ve seen through me, I’ll graciously admit it—I’m the evil villain who’s all about love and truth, the cute and charming Lightless Sovereign, the spooky and terrifying Queen of Darkness!”

  Bonnie heard this and got even more freaked out, her whole body trembling like a leaf.

  She’d thought this was just some jacked-up familiar with big power, but never in a million years did Bonnie expect her to claim she was the Lightless Sovereign, the Queen of Darkness?!

  To call yourself the Lightless Sovereign, you’d have to be on par with that entity, right?

  “What kind of nightmare-tier being did I just run into?”

  Bonnie’s pretty eyes went blank with shock.

  A thousand years ago, the evil god’s slumbering domain, the mad city of R’lyeh, rose from the sea. Endless floods drowned the world, sinking nearly every continent. Humanity’s shiny modern civilization was basically wiped out.

  Lucky for the survivors, later generations figured out how to live underwater, keeping the human bloodline alive.

  Now, humans are an ocean-dwelling species.

  The sea’s surface, stripped of starlight and moonlight, has long been the turf of creepy monsters and evil familiars, choked with toxic mist. Compared to underwater, the surface is way less human-friendly.

  This is a boundless dark zone where countless horrors spawn like it’s no big deal.

  The master of the Lightless Sea, the King of Darkness—what kinda entity even is that? Just thinking about it was enough to make you shake!

  As for why such a terrifying being would show up as a tiny, adorable red-haired loli? Bonnie figured it was probably just a random avatar she whipped up. After all, not everyone can stare down a god’s true form.

  Plus, she might’ve already clocked Bonnie’s secret little fetish and picked this look to mess with her. Tons of evil gods get their kicks from toying with mortals, right?

  At that thought, Bonnie’s righteous face flushed a bit, her heart doing awkward flip-flops.

  Her blush-worthy kink—had it been sniffed out? So embarrassing!

  “Oh, supremely noble Evil God Majesty, I, Hunter Bonnie, didn’t mean to disturb you. I humbly beg you, please stop teasing lil’ ol’ me—I’ll pay any price!”

  “Hmm, since you’re so sincere, I guess I can let you off the hook.”

  “Please allow me to offer you a treasure! I’ll trade something precious for your forgiveness—otherwise, I won’t sleep easy!” Bonnie said, all shaky and earnest, terrified Elara might say no.

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  Okay, fine. Looked like Bonnie wouldn’t chill unless she handed over something—she didn’t buy that an evil god would let her go for free.

  Free loot dropping right into her lap? Don’t mind if I do! Plus, Elara had a hunch about this boat’s secrets and needed stuff to test it out.

  Not that I’m a freeloader or anything—I’ll totally have her back later!

  Speaking of, what’s the most valuable thing Bonnie’s got?

  Elara’s big, gorgeous eyes glinted with some serious predator energy, scanning Bonnie’s youthful, perfect bod up and down.

  Like, y’know… that could work.

  Chastity’s pretty valuable, right?

  But nah, Elara’s not that kinda gal. By “that,” she meant Bonnie’s skills.

  This chick’s a hunter, after all—she could probs fetch some useful stuff for Elara.

  Back when she was chilling by the boat’s edge, casting her net, Elara had figured something out.

  Fixing up this janky little boat might just net her some rewards.

  Before, she’d plugged a hole in the bottom with that green crystal, and boom—a new cabin popped up with clothes and stuff.

  If she kept fixing it, who knows what else might happen?

  “You’ve seen it yourself—my ride’s kinda basic. I need some materials to fix it up. Go grab ‘em for me, and I’ll forgive you—might even toss in a bonus.”

  Elara put on her serious face, playing it all mysterious-like.

  How to fix it or what materials to use? She had no clue, but that didn’t stop her from dishing out orders.

  Those headaches could be Bonnie’s problem now.

  “Boat-fixing materials?”

  Bonnie blinked, glancing around. True enough, this wooden boat was all bumpy and moldy—total junk vibes.

  “I’ve got a chunk of Mandela Metal. Think it’ll catch your eye?”

  Bonnie asked super carefully, digging around in her little black skirt and pulling out a ping-pong-ball-sized, shiny silver hunk of metal.

  Mandela Metal?

  Why’s that name giving Wolverine claw vibes?

  Might be some good loot!

  “Pfft, some tiny trinket. Hand it over anyway!”

  Elara faked a scoff, acting all unimpressed.

  Bonnie quickly dropped to one knee, all respectful-like, and offered up the silver chunk.

  Elara took it, but inside, she was kinda stumped. Before, there was a hole in the boat, and she’d jammed that green crystal in to fix it. Now there weren’t any holes—so how was she supposed to use this Mandela Metal?

  “Eh, toss it aside for now—figure it out later.”

  Elara looked around, couldn’t spot a use for it, and gave up for the moment, casually chucking it onto the boat.

  But then, something wild she didn’t see coming went down.

  With a thud, the Mandela Metal hit the wooden deck, and a dim light flashed. The silver chunk started melting and reshaping itself.

  In no time, a sleek, shiny silver mast—or maybe a flagpole, whatever—popped up on the boat.

  Could be a mast, could be a flagpole—just some kinda pole, who even knows?

  And just as Elara figured, once it showed up, the janky little boat grew bigger again.

  Too bad, though—it only got bigger, no new cabin this time.

  Probs ‘cause a little flagpole wasn’t a big enough upgrade for the whole ship.

  But right then, Bonnie saw it all go down and started shaking from the inside out.

  That was Mandela Metal, fam! Known all over underground London for being tough and sharp as heck—a must-have for crafting top-tier weapons.

  Even a mega-skilled blacksmith would need a roaring furnace blasting for seven days and nights straight to soften it.

  And now? This red-haired loli just yeeted it like nothing and turned it into a flagpole.

  Yeah, let’s call it a flagpole for now.

  Plus, that magic trick of making the boat grow outta nowhere? Bonnie couldn’t even wrap her head around it—never heard of, never seen anything like it.

  “Is this the power of the Lightless Sovereign? Too freaking epic!”

  Bonnie felt a legit chill. Would a being this crazy really let her go?

  She wouldn’t pull some weird magic on her, right?

  “Your offering’s, uh, barely passable. Got anything better?”

  Elara coughed, hiding her inner glee, keeping her face all stern. If she could snag a new cabin, she’d have cool stuff to reward Big Sis with—otherwise, it’d just be clothes or something lame.

  “O Supreme Queen of Darkness Majesty, I swear I don’t have anything else good on me! But I can go hunt for more—just spare my lil’ life!”

  Bonnie blurted out quick.

  “Hmm, nothing else, huh…”

  Elara rubbed her chin like she was deep in thought. “Fine, hmph! I’ll be super nice and give you one more shot. Listen up—I need better metals, and maybe some fancy fabrics too!”

  Since she had a flagpole now, she’d obviously need a flag to go with it.

  TBH, this whole “playing god and scamming lil’ sisters” thing? Kinda fun—mwahahaha!

  If Bonnie weren’t still here, Elara would’ve stuck her hands on her hips and cackled like a total villain.

  Poor Bonnie, though—scammed so hard, kinda feel bad for her.

  “As you command, Ruler of Darkness!”

  Bonnie let out a relieved breath, her vibe all proper and respectful.

  “Work for me, and it’s not like you won’t get paid—I’m all about fair trades. Since you handed over that trashy little thing, I’ll toss you some junk in return! As my follower, you can hit me up if you’re ever in a pinch.”

  Elara thought it over and went with that.

  She had no clue what to give Bonnie—something lame might get her clowned on, so she just called that Mandela Metal trash to play it safe.

  “Here, this is one of my seat cushions—take it and treasure it, got it?”

  The boat’s edge was wet, dirty, and moldy as heck. When Elara was casting her net earlier, she didn’t wanna mess up her cute skirt, so she’d rummaged through the cabin and found some dingy cloth to use as a cushion.

  A cloth cushion for Bonnie now, clothes as an excuse later—those outfits were all skimpy and embarrassing anyway; she’d look like a perv giving them out.

  For some reason, after Elara sat on it, the blank rag started showing weird patterns—like words, all wonky and scribbly, but she couldn’t read ‘em.

  Right now, the cushion was still warm, carrying a faint girly scent!

  “You’re giving me a cushion?”

  Bonnie curiously peeked at the thing Elara had used as a seat pad.

  No biggie at first glance, but once she looked closer, she freaked out hard.

  “T-These words… they’re in the mythic tongue, Nakal script! It’s loaded with forbidden knowledge that’s crazy hard to read!”

  Just one quick look, and Bonnie’s vision started twisting, her head spinning, nearly toppling over.

  But what shocked her even more? A noob like her staring at forbidden knowledge written in mythic script should’ve turned her into a mindless monster by now.

  Yet here she was, just a little blurry-eyed. The maddening urge was strong, but not unbearable.

  This had to be some kinda blessing from Elara Majesty!

  Gathering her courage, Bonnie took the “trash” rag, her heart flipping out with waves of awe, tears almost spilling over.

  If she could decode even a shred of this forbidden knowledge, she could ditch the “noob hunter” and “useless miss” labels for good!

  Trembling with excitement, Bonnie looked at Elara with total gratitude, a spark of fanatical devotion in her eyes.

  “From this day on, I’m Your Majesty’s most loyal believer! I’ll do everything I can to find the supplies and offerings you need!”

  Elara, totally thrown by Bonnie’s hype gaze, instinctively covered her lil’ butt.

  It’s just some rag I used as a cushion—why’s she this into it?

  Is White-Hair Big Sis secretly a weirdo?

  But, like, that might make her even more likable, lol—Elara was starting to stan her harder.