Chapter 148 | Strange Envelope

Chapter 148: 148 | Strange Envelope

"Which is quite a sad thing," the village head said quietly.

He stopped walking and turned to face Andrew fully. His expression was serious now—the warmth of the dinner host replaced by the gravity of a man who understood what was at stake.

"On behalf of the blacksmith," he said, "I would say thank you. And on behalf of this village."

Andrew nodded. "It’s my pleasure."

The old man held his gaze for a moment, then nodded in return. He resumed walking, and Andrew fell into step beside him.

---

They had moved well away from the mansion now, putting distance between themselves and the busy center of the village. The street was quieter here. The torches were fewer. The sounds of the village—distant voices, the clatter of equipment, the occasional shout from a player hunting in the fields—faded into a gentle background hum.

The village head stopped in a corner—a quiet, shadowed spot where two walls met and the torchlight barely reached. He turned to face Andrew, his expression shifting into something more purposeful. More deliberate.

He reached into his clothing and brought out an envelope.

It was plain. Unremarkable. A simple paper envelope, sealed with a drop of wax stamped with the village’s emblem. Nothing about it suggested that it contained anything of value.

But Andrew knew better than to judge by appearances.

"Here," the village head said, holding the envelope out to Andrew. "Here is your advancement application."

Andrew took the envelope. It was heavier than it looked—not physically, but in significance. He could feel the weight of it in his hands, the weight of what it represented.

"Once you get to the Hall of Heroes," the village head continued, "you give them this letter. They will allow you to choose a much rarer class instead of an ordinary one."

Andrew’s eyes widened slightly.

A rare class.

Not an ordinary class—the standard, run-of-the-mill classes that most players received when they advanced past level 10. Warrior. Mage. Archer. Rogue. The basic templates that thousands of players shared, with standardized skill trees and predictable growth paths.

A rare class was different. Unique. Powerful. Classes that came with specialized skill trees, exclusive abilities, and growth potential that far exceeded the ordinary. Classes that most players didn’t even know existed, because the conditions to unlock them were so specific, so demanding, that almost no one ever qualified.

And this letter—this plain, unremarkable envelope—was the key.

"I’m sure you would impress the masters in the Hall of Heroes," the village head said, a faint smile touching his lips. "They have been waiting for someone worthy for a very long time."

Andrew looked down at the envelope in his hands.

Then he looked back at the village head.

"I won’t let you down," he said.

The village head studied him for a long moment. He nodded once, firmly, and placed a hand on Andrew’s shoulder.

"I know you won’t," he said quietly.

After handing the envelope to Andrew, the old man smiled softly. "I only have this single letter," he said. "I would have given it to the little girl if not for the fact that... I don’t think she would be able to handle what might happen if she gained those classes."

Andrew’s eyes flashed.

He knew exactly who the village head was talking about. Aurelyx. The old man had actually wanted to give the letter to her first, which meant this letter was even more special than Andrew had initially thought.

"I wanted to give her this letter," the village head continued, "but I had to give her another one instead. It might be the reason she’s still hanging around here. Or maybe she truly does miss the village. Who knows."

Andrew blinked and looked down at the letter in his hands, wondering what made it so precious. He quickly checked it through the system interface.

**[ Item: Letter from the Village Head, John ]**

That was it. No other description. No rarity rating. No details about what it did. Just a name.

But Andrew had learned something new. The village head’s name was John. He still didn’t know the man’s surname, but the first name was more than he had known before.

"Thank you," Andrew said, nodding respectfully. He stored the letter safely in his inventory.

The village head let out a long, tired breath. "All right, let’s head back," he said. "I’m pretty tired now."

Andrew nodded, and the two of them walked in comfortable silence back to the village head’s mansion.

When they arrived, the village head’s daughter led Andrew to the same room he had slept in during his previous visit. It was a simple, clean room with a modest bed, a wooden nightstand, and a small window that let in the cool night breeze.

Andrew thanked the daughter and lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes, ready to log out and get some much-needed rest in the real world.

But the system stopped him.

**[ You cannot log out due to being in combat mode. ]**

Andrew didn’t flinch. He didn’t sit up. He didn’t look around frantically. He simply opened his eyes and glanced indifferently at the darkest corner of the ceiling.

"How long do you plan on hiding there?" he asked flatly.

For a split second, nothing happened.

Then, in the top corner of the ceiling, two glowing crimson eyes opened. They stared directly down at him, unblinking and bright in the darkness.

Aurelyx was resting perfectly on the ceiling, her body flat against the wall as though gravity didn’t exist for her. She hung there like a spider, motionless, her vampire bloodline allowing her to defy the laws of physics with effortless ease.

"How did you sense me?" she asked, her tone filled with genuine curiosity.

Andrew shrugged against the pillow. "What do you want? I’m pretty tired right now."

Aurelyx snorted. She pushed off the ceiling and leaped downward, landing softly on the wooden floor beside his bed. Her feet made absolutely no noise—not a single creak, not a single tap. The silence of her landing was unnatural, a clear trait of her vampire bloodline.

She stood over him, her crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark room.

"The village head gave you the letter, didn’t he?" she asked.

Andrew blinked indifferently and frowned slightly, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "What letter? What are you talking about?"

Aurelyx narrowed her eyes. She studied his face, watching every micro-expression, every twitch of his facial muscles. She even activated her bloodline ability, using her enhanced senses to listen to the flow of blood inside his body. She monitored his heartbeat, his pulse, the rhythm of his breathing—searching for a flaw, a spike, a skip. Any sign that he was lying.

She found nothing.

His face was a mask of calm confusion. His heartbeat was steady. His blood flow was normal. There was not a single physiological sign of deception. It was as though he was genuinely telling the truth.

Aurelyx frowned deeper. "If he didn’t give you the letter, why did you two go outside and talk for so long?"

Andrew glared at her, his patience thinning. "How is that any of your business? It’s basically man stuff. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to log out."

He turned over, pulled the blanket up, and tried to activate the logout function again.

**[ You cannot log out due to being in combat. ]**

Andrew frowned. He opened his eyes and turned his head—only to find Aurelyx’s face barely three inches from his own.

She was leaning over the bed, her nose almost touching his, her crimson eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at him. Her hair hung down around her face like a dark curtain, blocking out the rest of the room.

"I’ve never seen blood like yours before," she muttered, her voice soft and entranced. "I’ve never smelled blood like yours. It smells... divine. It smells incredibly nice. But at the same time... it smells abominable."

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes glowing brighter. "What is the rank of your bloodline?"

Andrew’s eyes flashed with cold killing intent. He glared at her, the atmosphere in the room suddenly turning heavy and dangerous. "Don’t you think you’re being invasive with your questions? Can you please get out of the room so I can log out? I’m pretty tired."

The killing intent radiating from Andrew was real. It pressed against Aurelyx’s skin, sharp and cold, a silent warning that he was not in the mood to be toyed with.

Aurelyx frowned at his reaction. But then, slowly, a smile spread across her face. She retracted her head, pulling back from his personal space.

"All right," she said lightly, straightening up. "I’ll let you go this time."

Andrew shook his head, watching as she turned and slipped out of the room, her movements as silent as a ghost.

The moment the door clicked shut, the combat mode was lifted. Andrew let out a long breath, staring up at the ceiling where those crimson eyes had been.

He closed his eyes, and this time, the system allowed him to log out.