Somehow I knew that what Sylvie wanted to talk about was something big, and I was right. To be honest, it caught me off guard. I was so busy these last few months that I didn't even realize this was how she felt. I was completely blindsided.

"Let's talk about this another time." I suggested after she told me what she wanted to talk about.

"Is Lee mad?" she asked, looking a bit sad.

I smiled at her and patted her head, which caused a red blush to appear on her face.

"Of course I'm not mad. It's just that there is a lot going on. This kind of thing... It's not time."

My words did little to comfort her, and I knew I couldn't leave things like this. I would have to give her an answer.

"I'm going away for a while," I explained, which caused a look of panic to cross her face. "I promise you that when I get back, I'll have an answer for you."

She put on a fake smile and nodded her head, trying to seem more cheerful.

"Can Sylvie come with?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll need you to stay here and protect the pack while I'm gone."

Her fake smile faded instantly.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll be back in no time."

She looked as if she was on the verge of tears but she quickly wiped them away.

"Ok."

Seeing how sad she was, I pulled her in and started petting her head but it did nothing to console it since this wasn't what she really wanted. But what she wanted, I wasn't sure if I could give.

I spent a few more hours with Sylvie, trying to console her until she finally fell asleep. When she was finally asleep, I left. With Isabella, Selthia, and Sylvie out of the picture, then it means I'll have to rely on Kumo to come with me. I think the werewolves here can do a good job of watching the settlement while I'm gone.

I quickly went to find Kumo. When I did, I explained about the demon I had to kill, and of course she immediately agreed to come.

"Wait, so aren't the others coming along with us?" she asked, looking a bit confused.

"No, they're not."

"So it's just the two of us," she mumbled in disbelief.

"Yes, unless you want to tell me something too."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"Oh, do you want me to leave some arachnids here to keep watch of things while we're gone?"

"No, bring them with us. We're going to need all the help we can get. I think my pack is strong enough to handle themselves while we're gone."

Since the skinwalkers had grown attached to Selthia, she had taken the liberty of training them. The werewolves, on the other hand, were infatuated by Sylvie, so I asked her to see to their training. They both worked hard to train their respective groups, and because of that, we had a few people who had managed to evolve and a few more who were close to evolving.

…

Since Starlit City was quite a ways away from where we were, it took Kumo and I a few days to get there. Along the way, we slaughtered countless monsters we came across, and about halfway through the journey, we joined up with a group of awakeners who were heading the same direction.

It was a group consisting of five: three males and two females. Unlike the others survivors we encountered, their goal wasn't to find a safe place where they could survive the apocalypse. Their goal was to level up and evolve.

There were quite a number of groups exactly like this. Groups consisting of awakeners whose sole goal was to level up by traveling from place to place, killing demons. Their sole goal was to reach their peak when it comes to strength. These strange groups called themselves adventurers.

I'm not going to lie, their idea sounded interesting. A pack and a settlement was good and all, but if I ever reached the point where I desperately needed to level up, becoming an adventurer seemed like a good option. And by the way they spoke, there were a lot of strange things happening in the world since the demons came.

They described strange places and events unfolding. I thought what happened at Allison's university was bad, but compared to what they were saying, it seemed like nothing. They even told me about a powerful awakener who managed to defeat a powerful demon who took over a city. they said that the awakener managed to evolve and awaken a bloodline.

Not only that but he now possess a demonic blade he took from the demon he killed. A weapon so destructive that it could destroy a mountain with a single swing. They also told me about other up and coming adventurers, people who were making a name for themselves in this apocalypse and garnered a lot of fans.

I couldn't help but feel a bit excited by some of the stuff they told me and wanting to experience it myself.

It was strange; the old me wouldn't have wanted to get involved with anything strange and would've preferred to stay in my settlement where I was safe.

Before the apocalypse, I was a guy who never knew the thrill of a good hunt. A wolf who was forced to hide his claws and suppress his instincts. That was why I used to feel so bored and unfulfilled. It took the threat of death and all sorts of craziness to finally wake me up.

Now I was free to do whatever I wanted. The world was full of predators and I intended to be the apex. The world was vast, and there was a lot of things to explore, but before that, I'll have to take care of some nuisances.

"Goodbye. It was great spending time with you both. You two make a wonderful couple!" The group of adventurers waved to us as they left.

Kumo and I waved back and saw them off with kind smiles. When they were finally gone, Kumo turned to me with wild eyes and a reddened face.

"Did you hear that, darling! They called us a couple!" Her face was burning up, and she could barely contain herself.

"Well, we are, aren't we?"

This time it looked as if she had blown a fuse as smoke started coming out of her head.

"Darling!" She squealed, and just before her legs went weak, I caught her.

"Hmm? Are you having a nosebleed?"

"I'm bleeding for you, darling! My blood, my soul. It's all for you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"My darling is touching me!"

"Calm down; your nose is bleeding faster. This can't be good for your health."

"I gladly die loving you!"

Kumo was as crazy as ever, but I bet a thousand years of searching for your soulmate then finally finding them would do that to you. I actually found her antics a bit amusing, but I couldn't let her know that since it would only rile her up further.

In the end, I was forced to scoop her up and carry her while she continued with her usual episodes.

"My Darling~ Hmm... What's that?"

She finally calmed down when she noticed something.

"Darling, do you see that faint outline in the sky… I wonder what it is. It looks a bit circular like a massive dome far off in the distance," she questioned.

"I've been noticing it for a while now. It must be the cocoon that is covering Starlit City."

It really was massive. The demon that created such a giant structure that could cover an entire city must be far more powerful than anything I've faced so far. This Moth Queen must be a monster among monsters.

And yet, I'll have to face it nonetheless.

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