CHAPTER 76: THE DATE

She had been recommended to watch streams before — by colleagues, fellow Guild Masters, even a few friends who swore up and down that some rookie Awakener or another was worth the attention.

She’d tried them, of course.

She wasn’t clueless about the trend.

But every time, she found herself bored within minutes.

Yes, there was action.

Yes, there were flashy abilities and desperate battles.

But something about them felt hollow, scripted, more like an exhibition match than a genuine fight.

Lucius’s stream, though...

That had been different.

She had to admit she’d laughed a few times, something she never expected from watching dungeon footage.

She had originally tuned in because she was worried — worried about how reckless he could be, about what kind of mess he might drag himself into and the kind of team he had taken along.

She had every intention of watching with a critical eye.

But instead, she’d found herself smiling at the sharp commentary, chuckling when the unfortunate events happened one after another with his team, it was all great.

Well, except for Erika.

Vanessa pursed her lips at the memory.

She didn’t like the way that clumsy woman looked at Lucius, lips curling into shy smiles that felt more than professional.

But she had to admit — it was funny seeing Erika tug a mining kit out of her back armor as though she’d forgotten she was in a dungeon.

Vanessa shook the thought away.

"Thank you," Lucius said, taking a sip of the tea she’d prepared.

His satisfied sigh softened his features, the tension in his shoulders easing.

"Tastes nice."

She let herself smile faintly. "So... I know I was against your decision at first."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at her tone.

"But how did you know they would be perfect teammates?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I was wondering why you picked the worst people, but you showed they could be better."

Lucius blinked, her words sinking in.

’Did I?’ he thought.

All he wanted was a good show for the stream, something interesting enough to keep viewers hooked.

He hadn’t thought that deeply about the team’s growth or their worth.

But was that how people were seeing it?

"Yes," he said smoothly, placing the cup back onto the tray. "Even the people rated low can be strong."

"Thanks." Vanessa’s lips curved into a thoughtful smile as she lifted her own cup.

The steam curled against her face as she sipped. "I’ll get some rest then. I’ll stay home tomorrow."

"Oh?" Lucius asked, quirking a brow. "You don’t have any Guild work?"

Her smile widened, this time more mischievous. "Me and Villy rounded everything up for one day off."

Lucius stiffened, realizing what she was about to say before the words even left her lips.

"I was owing you a date," she whispered, leaning just a bit closer. "So get ready to go."

His breath caught.

It was exactly what he had wanted to bring up himself, but hearing her say it first threw him off balance.

"Yes," he muttered, exhaling a long sigh. "I just hope you won’t bring the Saintess around."

"I won’t," Vanessa said quickly, a little laugh escaping her as she lifted the tray.

She left the room gracefully, her figure framed by the doorway until it closed behind her.

...

And the next morning, Lucius and Vanessa were off on the road.

The car hummed steadily as it navigated through the streets, the early sunlight pouring through the windshield.

Lucius leaned back in the seat, arms crossed, stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye.

Vanessa was unusually composed, her hands steady on the wheel, her eyes forward, a faint smile tugging at her lips as though she carried a secret she was eager to reveal.

Well she did.

"So," Lucius finally asked, breaking the silence, "where did you decide we’re going for the date?"

He genuinely wanted to know.

Vanessa wasn’t experienced with romance — he knew that much but her first idea with the resort had been solid.

And truthfully? He needed something like that right now.

A day away from chaos, from streams, from guild politics. Just chilling in a pool perhaps.

"Shh." Vanessa lifted a finger to her lips, eyes sparkling with amusement. "It’s a surprise."

Lucius groaned. Surprises never boded well for him.

The cityscape gradually fell away, replaced by rolling fields and the occasional stretch of trees.

The road narrowed, then finally cut off.

Vanessa slowed the car and pulled into a small, grassy clearing.

Lucius stepped out, stretching his arms, expecting or at least hoping see a picnic basket, maybe a blanket spread out beneath the morning sky.

Something simple.

Something normal.

But his heart dropped.

Because standing in the middle of the field, humming faintly with corrupted mana, was a dungeon gate.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Vanessa stepped out after him, her expression oddly calm.

"Welcome," she said with a sigh of relief, as though unveiling something precious. "I reserved the gate for us."

Lucius turned toward her sharply. "For our date? You said this was a day off, didn’t you?"

She nodded firmly, her hands clasped behind her back.

Lucius wasn’t having it. "This is not a day off. This is — this is work disguised as fun!"

Vanessa only smiled, closing the distance between them before giving him a light push from behind.

"Come on. I wanted to try something different."

"Different?" His voice rose in disbelief. "This is a dungeon, Vanessa. You don’t call a dungeon romantic. You call it dangerous."

"We can’t go to luxurious places all the time," she argued, nudging him forward again, her eyes shone as she did.

"Sometimes we have to connect with Mother Nature."

Lucius deadpanned. "Dungeons aren’t a part of nature."

Vanessa only laughed, stepping back as she shoved him more firmly toward the gate.

Before he could resist further, she slipped her hand into his, gripping tightly as the dungeon’s energy swallowed them both.

The last thing Lucius felt was her fingers entwined with his a before the world around him dissolved into shimmering light.

’This wasn’t what I was thinking about at all...’ he thought bitterly, his voice echoing in his own mind as the gate pulled him within.

And then his thoughts drowned out.