The trio continued eastward along the winding dirt trail as dusk settled over the hills. The sky bled from gold to deep indigo, the first stars pricking through like scattered diamonds. With their auras suppressed and the amulet keeping Ignis's presence in check, the forest around them finally behaved normally—birds called in the canopy, small creatures rustled in the underbrush, and the evening felt almost ordinary.

Almost.

Ignis could not stop looking around. Her golden eyes darted from one wonder to the next: the way fireflies began to drift between the trees, the silhouette of a distant deer grazing on a hillside, the faint scent of night-blooming flowers carried on the breeze. Every few steps she spun in place or craned her neck, crimson hair whipping around her face.

"Adam! Look at that—the moon's coming up already! It's huge!"

A moment later, "Whoa, those bugs are lighting up like tiny suns!"

Then, "The grass smells so good! Why does everything smell so good?!"

Lilith walked with her usual graceful calm, but the corner of her mouth kept twitching upward. Finally, when Ignis nearly tripped over her own feet staring at a cluster of glowing mushrooms, Lilith let out a soft, melodic laugh.

"You're acting like a hatchling seeing the world for the first time," she teased, voice warm in their minds. "It's adorable."

Ignis stuck out her tongue playfully. "Can you blame me? Everything down there was dark and smelly and trying to eat us. This place is amazing!"

Adam, walking between them, couldn't help but smile. Seeing Ignis so openly joyful eased some of the constant weight on his chest.

Then Ignis suddenly grabbed his sleeve and tugged him off the path.

"Adam, Adam—look over here! There's a plant that's sparkling!"

She dragged him to a small cluster of delicate white flowers growing in the shadow of an old oak. The petals were closed into soft buds, but from within each one came a gentle, pulsing silver-white light—like captured moonlight.

Adam crouched beside her, curious. The moment his gaze focused on the blooms, a familiar golden panel flickered into view.

[ Item Identified: Moonlily (High-Grade Alchemical Reagent) ]

- Grows only under open sky in areas of strong natural mana.

- Primary Effect: Potent stabilizer for light- and life-aspected magical cores.

- Secondary Effects: Enhances regeneration potions by 40–60%, mild detoxification, improves clarity of mind when brewed into tea.

- Caution: Ineffective against void-corrupted or abyssal essences.

Ignis's eyes shone with hope. "Adam… this light feels pure. Maybe if we make it into medicine, it could help fix Alice's core?"

Adam's heart tightened at the mention of Alice's name. He reached out and carefully brushed one glowing petal, feeling the gentle warmth it gave off.

For a moment he let himself imagine it—Alice waking up inside his soul, her teasing voice back in his mind, her void essence whole again.

But the system's description was clear.

He shook his head gently. "It won't work on her, Ignis. The corruption in Alice's core is void-based—deep abyss stuff. This lily is strong against poison or dark magic, but the note says it's useless against pure void damage."

Ignis's shoulders slumped a little, but she nodded. "Oh… okay."

Adam ruffled her crimson hair affectionately. "But you're right about one thing—this is valuable. The regeneration boost alone will help us stay in fighting shape on the road, and who knows what else we can brew with it later."

He carefully plucked three of the healthiest blooms, wrapping them in a soft cloth from their stolen merchant supplies before slipping them into the Pouch of the Hoarding Gnome.

Ignis perked up again almost immediately. "Then let's keep an eye out for more cool stuff! Maybe the next glowing thing will be the one that fixes her!"

Lilith joined them, leaning down to study the remaining flowers with mild curiosity. "The surface world does have its treasures. We'll gather what we can along the way."

Adam stood, looking out over the darkened valley. Somewhere far beyond those hills lay the Blasted Frontier, and beyond that, the domain of Asmodeus—where answers about the void might finally be waiting.

Night had fully claimed the sky by the time they decided to make camp in a small, sheltered hollow beside a babbling stream. The moon hung low and bright, silvering the grass and turning the water into a ribbon of liquid light. Their stomachs—long accustomed to raw monster flesh or nothing at all—were growling in unison.

"We need real food," Adam said, pressing a hand to his abdomen. "Properly cooked. I'm not eating another glowing beetle raw."

Ignis's eyes lit up instantly. "Hunting? I'm on it!" She flexed her fingers, already half-shifting back toward draconic strength. "I smell something big and tasty that way."

Adam caught her arm before she could bound off. "Not alone. It's your first time hunting on the surface—things are different up here. Lilith, go with her. Keep her from accidentally roasting half the forest."

Lilith gave a lazy, elegant shrug. "Fine. Someone has to make sure the little flame doesn't bring back a whole herd."

Ignis pouted but didn't argue. The two women vanished into the dark tree line—Lilith silent as shadow, Ignis moving with eager, barely-contained energy.

Left alone, Adam set to work. He gathered dry branches and kindling, stacking them neatly before sparking a small, controlled fire with a flick of ember from his fingertip. The flames caught quickly, dancing warm and golden in the cool night air.

While the fire grew, he wandered the nearby meadow and stream bank, Hunter's Tri-Sense guiding him to interesting plants. He picked handfuls of fragrant herbs he didn't know the names of but that smelled promising: sharp green leaves with a citrus bite, tiny purple blossoms that tingled with faint mana and gave off a peppery scent, broad reddish leaves that released a savory, almost meaty aroma when crushed.

The system helpfully identified a few:

[ Wild Star-Thyme: Enhances flavor depth and tenderizes meat. ]

[ Moonpepper Cress: Adds gentle heat and slight numbing sweetness. ]

[ Emberroot Sprigs: Natural smokiness, mild healing properties when cooked. ]

He gathered them carefully, wrapping bundles in large leaves before returning to the fire.

A short while later, rustling announced the hunters' return. Ignis emerged from the trees dragging an enormous stag by its antlers—easily twice the size of any deer Adam remembered from Earth, with sleek silver-tipped fur and powerful musculature. Lilith walked beside her, looking amused.

"Look at this beauty!" Ignis declared proudly, dropping the carcass with a heavy thud. "Smelled delicious from a mile away. It tried to run, but…" She grinned, flexing. "Not fast enough."

Adam stared at the massive animal. "Yeah… that'll feed us for days."

He drew a sharp enchanted dagger from the Pouch of the Hoarding Gnome and set to work skinning and dressing the stag. His movements were clumsy—he'd only ever gutted dungeon monsters for essence, never for actual cooking. The hide came off in uneven patches, and he muttered curses under his breath as he fumbled with tendons and organs.

Lilith watched for a moment, then sighed theatrically. "Men. Give me that."

With a thread of Sovereign Silk, she expertly hoisted the carcass between two sturdy trees, letting the remaining blood drain cleanly into the grass below.

Adam cleaned the cuts of meat as best he could—thick haunches, ribs, tenderloin—then spitted large portions on green branches over the fire. He rubbed the meat generously with crushed herbs, moonpepper, and emberroot, hoping instinct and the system's hints would be enough.

The scent that rose as the meat sizzled was incredible—rich, smoky, with layers of spice and subtle sweetness he hadn't expected. Fat dripped into the flames, flaring brightly.

When the first pieces were done—crisp outside, pink and juicy within—Adam sliced them onto broad leaves to cool. He tasted a small bite first, chewing thoughtfully.

It wasn't restaurant quality. A little unevenly seasoned, some parts slightly over-charred, others still rare. But… not bad. Actually pretty good, considering he'd only ever cooked instant rice and fried eggs in his old life.

Ignis didn't wait for subtlety. She tore into her portion with unrestrained enthusiasm, eyes going wide.

"Adam! This is amazing! Way better than raw rat or spider legs!" Juice ran down her chin as she devoured another huge bite.

Lilith ate more delicately, but her expression softened with genuine pleasure. "It's… warm. Savory. The herbs you found sing together beautifully." She licked a trace of spice from her lip. "I've never tasted anything like this."

Adam felt an unexpected swell of pride. He handed them more slices, and for a while the three sat around the crackling fire in comfortable quiet, eating, laughing at Ignis's exaggerated moans of delight, passing around a waterskin filled from the stream.

Then his Tri-Sense prickled.

They were no longer alone.

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