"What about Kerr?" Kenley tried to keep his composure as much as possible, hoping things wouldn't get any more complicated.

  "Kerr is the easiest. She's probably hidden the boots in the well, the underground cellar, or maybe the attic. Nothing too difficult—just search carefully, and you'll find them."

  Thank goodness. The last one wasn't too bad. At least it followed the logic of a game. One house had a magic-trapped door that had to be bypassed or disabled. Another had a cellar guarded by a Rank Three Black Mountain Spider. And the last one? A simple treasure hunt.

  Still, the order of tasks mattered.

  First, he'd deal with the easiest one—the hide-and-seek game.

  Then, he'd handle the magic-trapped door.

  Finally, he'd face the spider.

  As a professional gamer, Kenley instantly broke down the quest into clear steps. After all, this was just an item-exchange mission, not a combat one, which made things significantly easier.

  "Alright, I think I've got the general idea. Is there anything else I need to know?" Kenley asked, still feeling a little uneasy.

  "Oh, just one more thing," Smith said with a sly grin."You'll have to measure their foot sizes yourself. Heh."

  Kenley smacked his forehead. Seriously? Oh well, it was just a foot measurement. He could just check their usual shoes—not a big deal.

  Before leaving, Kenley emptied his backpack, selling off a pile of worthless white-tier gear to Smith. At first, the blacksmith scowled, clearly reluctant to accept such useless junk. But with Kenley's legendary negotiation skills, Smith begrudgingly agreed—not just this time, but from now on as well.

  Although the gear was all low-tier, selling everything netted him 1.3 gold coins. Combined with the 1.7 gold he already had, that made exactly 3 gold coins.

  Finally, with the mission accepted, Kenley exited the blacksmith's shop, exhaling in relief. The sky had already turned a deep orange—twilight was setting in.

  Nightfall was approaching.

  With three locations to visit, the task would definitely take a long time.

  First things first—he needed food.

  Placing a hand on his stomach, he realized that he had been so busy all day that he hadn't even felt hungry.

  "Tia, are you hungry?" Kenley asked absentmindedly.

  Tia's expression dimmed slightly."Master, have you forgotten? I'm a vampire…"

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  "Oh, right. I almost forgot about that." Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Kenley's heart ached a little. Becoming a vampire meant never being able to enjoy human food again. That was… unfortunate.

  Curious, he asked,"As a vampire, do you really only survive on blood?"

  Tia frowned slightly."To be honest, I don't know for sure. But I'm not hungry right now. If you want to eat, Master, please don't hold back on my account."

  Kenley fell silent for a moment.

  "…Alright. It's already late, and nighttime isn't ideal for completing the quest. I think I'll—"

  Suddenly, he whipped his head around, staring intently in one direction.

  Tia flinched at his abrupt movement. What's wrong?

  Kenley's expression turned serious. He kept his gaze fixed on a single point for a long time before finally speaking:

  "Don't say a word. Just walk. Don't look back."

  What's going on?

  Tia didn't question him. Whatever her master told her to do, she would obey. She gave a small nod and silently followed his lead.

  Kenley kept walking, turning corners multiple times, leading them through an intricate path.

  Tia finally realized something was off. This route… was a classic evasion maneuver.

  Someone was tailing them.

  Her mind flashed to Auber, the nobleman's son who had insulted them earlier that day.

  If someone harbored ill intentions toward her master, he was the most likely culprit.

  She fell silent as well, following closely behind Kenley without a word. Every now and then, she subtly tilted her head, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was tailing them.

  "Don't look back." Kenley frowned, reminding Tia.

  "Mm!" Tia responded softly, though she found it strange—how were they supposed to investigate their pursuer without looking?

  She remembered clearly: Kenley was a warrior, not a ranger. He didn't have any scouting or counter-tracking abilities.

  Yet, Kenley continued weaving through the city's alleyways, his path becoming increasingly secluded. The farther they went, the fewer people there were—until finally, they arrived at a completely deserted corner.

  Suddenly, Kenley yanked Tia aside and swiftly threw the Cloak of Light over both of them.

  In an instant, they vanished.

  The alley fell into an eerie silence. No figures. No animals. Only the dim, fading twilight cast a faint glow over the empty space.

  Then, a set of light footsteps entered the alley.

  Both Kenley and Tia remained utterly still, their gazes locked on the alley's entrance.

  Under the dim twilight, a mysterious figure stepped into view—clad in a green elven cloak, their face obscured.

  "A ranger?" Kenley was startled.

  He could see it clearly now—the stranger carried a bow on their back, a dagger at their waist, and wore the signature light-footed shoes of the elven race. A classic elven ranger's setup.

  To be honest, if not for the Ring of Life, Kenley wouldn't have noticed the tail at all.

  In his game vision, there was a mini-map, and the Ring of Life highlighted any living beings within a 50-meter radius.

  The moment Kenley left the tailor's shop, he noticed a light marker on his mini-map—staying exactly 30 meters behind him. At first, he assumed it was just a coincidence. After all, this was the royal capital, and it was normal to have people walking in the same direction.

  But when he left the tavern, that same marker followed him inside. And when he exited the tavern, the marker left right after him.

  That immediately raised his guard.

  Following once could be a coincidence. Following twice—maybe still a coincidence. But three times? That wasn't chance. That was intentional.

  Kenley had no choice but to be cautious. This wasn't a game—it was reality.

  Identify!

  Kenley's eyes gleamed as his game vision immediately displayed the figure's status screen:

  【???】

  Class: Ranger

  Race: Elf

  Level: 15 (First Rank)

  HP: 93/93

  MP: 73/73

  RP: 150/150

  No name?

  That was new. This was the first time he had encountered a situation where"Identify" didn't reveal a target's name. It seemed there were limitations to the skill.

  But Kenley's biggest concern wasn't just the elf's identity—it was whether this person had allies.

  And more importantly—why were they following him?