Eva smiled as she spawned with her hood still down, which was how she left it when she logged out. Her soft cheeks and glowing creamy skin, coupled with her small and blood red lips made anyone who looked at her lose their composure greatly.
How could one person have the kind of perfect visage that was only present in paintings and media? She looked just like the western depictions of the Goddess of Beauty, which many felt was unrealistic.
Her hair was a bright green that was cut short, only reaching her shoulders at best. Her eyes were so black that it was like staring into an abyss that stared back. In fact, one could see a miasmic swirl in her eyes, which made one's soul feel like it was being drawn in.
Of course, aside from the physical aspect was the mental manipulation from her bloodline that enhanced her beauty in the eyes of any onlooker. It was the same thing for Draco, or anyone of the Lucifer or Amaterasu Lineages with the Dark Angel or Celestial Maiden Inheritances respectively.
Draco took in the sight of his own Celestial Beauty while she took in the sight of her Handsome Devil.
The two were so enraptured with each other that it was sickening and quite frankly, irritating. If only one could reach into the world and whack them on the head…
Eventually, they managed to stop ogling each other and hugged tightly. Draco kissed Eva deeply and throughly, an action which she reciprocated wholeheartedly.
After all, Draco was extremely tired and slightly distressed after working for two days non-stop, doing the same bloody thing over and over again. However, seeing his soulmate filled him with peace and joy.
Eva had been in a rough spot, because no matter what she did, she was unable to take the disappearance of Draco for too long. She had only managed to hold on the first time because she had the herculean task of making Umbra the perfect guild before he came back.
But one could see the strain it put on her to be away from Draco back then, especially with her random episodes of insanity and madness.
After separating from their kiss, Draco first asked:
"How are you?"
"I'm a bit tired. It took a bit longer than I planned to get out of Japan, but I'm gone now. I just started my flight to the Central Country, so I should be able to stay online for 3 days at most." Eva replied softly.
Draco nodded. "That should be enough. Here's what I did while you were away…"
Draco filled her in on the quests he had set out for the members of Umbra, as well as the Angel's Kiss he had just crafted.
"I was unsure of how you wanted me to handle that aspect of the management, so I decided to wait until you returned. Though, I am surprised that you decided to be so benevolent to the members of Umbra." Eva remarked with a strange expression.
Draco laughed. "I guess that getting you back in my life really did make me a lot more mellow."
Eva blushed but didn't lower her head, an act which Draco found cute.
"Oh, this is for you."
Draco pulled out the Abyssal Ring and gave it to Eva. She inspected it and nodded her head, wearing the ring without any reservations.
"Hehe, are you trying to propose to me? Let me tell you right now, my answer is yes!" Eva teased with a cheeky grin.
Black lines appeared on Draco's forehead. "You… why would I need to propose to my soulmate? There is literally no one else who I could call my wife!"
Eva didn't blush this time, because she knew it was the truth. She and Draco were permanently bound by fate, sharing one destiny together. It could be felt by each of them and inferred through the hellish events that they both went through before reconciling in this life.
Right now, Draco had 1 Divine, 4 Legendary and 5 Epic items.
For the Divine, It was the Eyes of Caelo.
For the Legendary, it was the Hawkeye Bow, Phoenix Cry Arrow, Seal of Camelot and Dragon Soul.
For the Epic, it was the Fire of War, Mjolnir, Pair Dadeni, Heart of the Woods and the Etz Chaim Seedling.
Draco had some other Epic skills, like the Omnipotent Archer passive skill and the Tactics Tradeskill.
He also had some unclassified items and skills like the Soul Bond skill with Roma and his Dragorugio set. Even though the set had been ranked as Epic, that was just an indicator of its current power level, not its actual rarity. It had an (Evolvable) tag too, with no mention on exactly how to evolve it.
Eva had one Epic and one Legendary item, being the Eye of Heaven and the Abyssal Ring respectively. She had been too busy managing Umbra to properly abuse her knowledge to gain items like Draco did, but that would not be a problem going forward now that they were together.
Still, despite the lineup that would make his past angsty self lose him mind, Draco was unsatisfied and so was Eva. Their goals had drastically changed from the ones they set out in their past lives.
Their horizons had been broadened due to their continued success so far, so they wanted to reach the top. Not to mention the immense physical challenges they would meet in order to reach there, just the time required was disheartening.
As such, the Evil Duo decided to do a bit of progression while they had time.
Draco and Eva blinked from the Guild Hall and appeared near the coast of the seas. Sturgehaven was not located in the center of the Cario Continent, but at the south-westernmost edge. It had two borders that were connected to the endless seas, but it's maritime development was pretty low.
This was due to the fact that sh.i.p.s were continually sunk by sea monsters. If the monster population on land was 30% of all that existed worldwide, then the seas would hold 70%!
Richmond and the other Hidden Powers might be able to acc.u.mulate enough experience if they slaughtered all the sea monsters to reach the cap, but they dared not.
Why?
It had already been shown that the God of the Sea had left his heritage in the City of Atlantis. To dare to go around slaughtering his people, wouldn't that be asking for death?
One should not forget, the Gods were not banned from returning to the world. They were more like NEETs, who had willing locked themselves inside without wanting to come out again.
However, killing a few monsters near the shores was okay. Otherwise, Poseidon would be mocked to death for being overprotective by his fellow Gods.
That was the plan Draco and Eva had.
Even though they had led Divine-tier guilds, their maritime expansion had been really limited. The sea was definitely rich in resources, but it could not be harvested properly due to the circ.u.mstances surrounding it, leaving it a bit like a hobby for most players or guilds.
Hardly anyone used the sea to develop, and not even Draco or Eva dreamed to touch the sea in this life… that is, before the map to the Vault of the Deep.
With Poseidon's Trident more than likely being deposited in there, along with other various sea-related items and legacies, this would allow Umbra to dominate the sea, an area which even the native NPCs could not touch.
Draco thirsted for this greatly, because despite wanting to maintain his advantage as a reincarnator, he also wanted to enjoy his life and experience new things. This was why the different sections of Boundless appealed to him so much.
When he entered those worlds, he would be just like he was now, a noob with no idea of what was there, having to explore everything from scratch.
While still in the Western Fantasy section, there were many things he did not know, but even so, he had a general idea of them, removing their novelty.
Imagine going back into the past by 10 years. Yeah, you'd ace all the exams and become hot shit among the boys/girls for being mature and savvy, but that was just the fantasy version of it.
Imagine having to wake up everyday in the morning to go to school, having to listen to teachers who were probably even younger than you talk you down, and having to re-do everything you did.
Reincarnation was desired by those who wanted to fix mistakes in their life, but it was only meaningful if almost every moment of your life was a mistake. Or if your life was riddled with mistakes that snowballed into something worse, like becoming a criminal, drug addict or a failure.
However, if your life was successful with a good paying job, a significant other who loved you and friends who you trusted, then reincarnation would be cool but very, very tedious. You might have made a mistake in the past like getting into a serious fight, trusting an ex who cheated on you or the like, but most of those things just made you a better person and helped to shape your success.
Going back and having to go through it all would be just making an already pretty good life essentially perfect, with almost no meaning except just doing everything again, but without even a single flaw.
Draco's own reincarnation could be described as this in a general sense. Even though his greatest failure and regret had been fixed, his life so far had been smooth sailing.
He had gained items he never even touched in his past life. He found out his true heritage and had unlocked his bloodline, reaching his pinnacle state. He had created a guild that would reach levels that he never even touched before. He had gained his soulmate back and was about to make a family.
Draco's life was perfect so far. There were a few ups and downs, but he was generally living the idealized version of a reincarnation fantasy that everyone wanted.
Unfortunately, - and the Evil Duo were aware of this - they were playthings to fate. They had been turned against each other in the previous timeline as Draco's future had been shattered and replaced with endless suffering that hardened him greatly.
He had gone from a soft and everyday 'good' guy to a heartless rabid dog that attacked anything he disliked and did whatever he wanted to achieve his goals. Eva had been turned from an obsessed and troublemaking girl to a depressed and self-loathing bag of flesh that wanted nothing more than to end it all.
They had both been irrevocably scarred by their actions and choices in the previous timeline, and it all came to an end when Draco won.
However, he had been killed not 10 minutes later, like some entity had just been waiting for him to win so that it could end the opening prologue of the play.
After he died, she was purposely kept alive to witness the events that occurred afterward before she died too. Only, her future soul dissipated instead of being reincarnated, because a new timeline had been created.
If two timelines existed but there was one cycle of reincarnation, how could two souls belonging to the same person exist? As such, the new timeline took priority, while the old one would be 'deleted' at a certain point.
As such, only Eva's memories could be sent back, but it was almost the same as having her soul sent back, except for one 'small' difference.
One difference both Draco and Eva failed to comprehend and that most spectators would slide under the carpet.
If Draco's future soul was sent back to the past, where did the soul of the past version of himself go?
That was a very pertinent question to the story of Draco and Eva, the Greatest Son of Lucifer and the Celestial Daughter of Amaterasu.
...........
Draco and Eva arrived in a small coastal city that smelled of salt and fish, even as far as the gates. The roads were untarred and left bare, since the folk there were mostly commoners.
They wore cotton jackets with no sleeves for both s.e.xes, with the males baring their hairy chests while the females had something like a tank top which covered their chests but left their n.i.p.p.l.es on display.
The men wore cotton shorts while the women wore either short skirts or shorts as well. It wasn't because they were indecent, but because life here was always bustling, and one had to wear something comfortable for work that wouldn't chafe their skin all the time.
Besides, these were commoners, and one thing commoners in Western Fantasy always displayed was a lack of propriety. They weren't 'cultured' or prudish like noble or the elite, but very open to anything.
Commoners in Western Fantasy were also largely made to be very promiscuous. Jenny in the house near the edge of the village would have lost her v.i.r.g.i.nity by or before the age of 16, and would have loads of unprotected s.e.x with any of the guys that she liked within her age range in the village.
This was just an example, but it was the general belief. Of course, girls and guys who kept their purity till marriage also existed in commoner circles, but it usually meant that they were childhood friends who had loved each other for years.
This coastal city was called Belaro City. It was a small-tier city that had barely any authoritative presence except for a City Lord who was a Noble, and his family.
That was it, it was just them. Even then, they barely interfered with the lives of the commoners, leaving the commoners free to work hard. As such, the noble family that watched over this city had an extremely positive reputation.
Draco and Eva didn't bother to head anywhere or greet anyone. They went straight to the Adventurer's Guild branch and entered the building without fanfare.
This branch's hall was much smaller than the one in Cario City and a lot less lavish. It looked more like a small office in a low quality area rather than a branch of the Adventurer's Guild.
However, Draco and Eva knew better. There was an interesting secret this branch was trying to hide that had been uncovered near the end of their lives, and neither of them had the chance to explore it due to their battle reaching a climax.
As such, the pretty and clever Gentle Flower had quietly taken over. Noble Soul was also in the midst of a large scale Guild War against the 5th Divine Guild of their previous timeline, allowing Kamisuo, who stayed out of Guild Wars, to reap the benefits.
However, those benefits were now for Draco and Eva to enjoy!
Draco walked up to the only desk in the building and sat in the only seat for clients, Eva sitting on his lap and curling into him like a sleek feline.
The person on the other side was an old woman who had graying hair and looked very strict. She wore glasses and had deep frown lines on her face. She wore an official attire and was diminutive in size.
When her light gray eyes noticed Eva and Draco seated in front of her so informally, she frowned, but maintained her professional demeanor.
"Good day, how can I help you?"
Draco smiled and placed his Herald's Badge on he counter.
"Allow me access into the Underwater Wreckage dungeon."
When the old lady saw the badge on the table, her pupils sharpened greatly as she absorbed the weight of its implications. This was no small item, but something that could allow the holder to run unchecked across the continent!
However, it wasn't until she heard exactly where Draco wanted to go that her breathing stilled and her pupils narrowed almost into slits. Draco's calm and nonchalant smile, coupled with Eva's eeriness added to the effect.
These two… who were they? How did they know?
How did they know about one of the Adventurer Guilds few Legendary-tier dungeons? Especially one of the few that was linked to the sea?
However, she could not get an answer to this because it wasn't her duty to ask. It was like being accorded with the right to VIP lounges whenever taking flights with a certain airline company, and a middle-grade official demanded to know how you got it.
She could only take a deep breath and ask for their names.
"May I please know your names and the length of your expedition?"
"I am Draco, she is Eva. We will stay as long as we nned to."
Draco's reply was languid and civil, but it sounded unbelievably arrogant and showy in the ears of the old lady due to the status Draco possessed.
Still, what did that have to do with her? If the fellow really was a prick, then all she had to do was process his business faster so he could leave and she could get back to her life.
She drafted the applications and presented two emblems to Draco and Eva. The Evil Duo took them and placed them in their inventories before blinking away, stunning the old lady for a second.
However, she soon calmed down and shook her head.
"The youth are really too formidable nowadays."
......….
Draco and Eva appeared in front of a large galleon that had the figurehead of a siren. It looked more like a battleship than a merchant one, with many openings for cannons to peek through and unload their fire.
There were mortars, fire braziers and even two ballistae.
Draco and Eva climbed onto the deck, where they saw many NPCs but no players. If there was a player here this early in the game, Draco would call bullshit.
The NPCs here were all scaled down to Draco and Eva's levels, at Rank 1, level 23. They all stared at the Evil Duo as they boarded the ship with different expressions, some interested, some bored and some respectful.
Draco ignored them all and stood with Eva at the front of the group, making sure they were all one step behind them.
Legendary Dungeons were not like the other dungeons where one entered, fought monsters, opened chests and then killed the boss. Legendary and Divine-tier dungeons had their own quest lines and could be accessed at any level.
The moment Draco and Eva had received the emblems, the dungeon's quest had begun.
