Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

The third day after Elva went into seclusion.

The dragon's nest was much quieter than Luo Ye had imagined. Without the mini black dragon basking in the sun on the pedestal, and without the occasional arrogant grumbling from the soul link, the entire obsidian castle fell into an almost deathly silence.

Luo Ye sat on the stone steps of the main hall, holding a low-level magic core in his hand, casually playing with it.

Dark purple magical veins flowed through his fingertips, casting flickering light and shadow on his face.

He was thinking about a very serious question.

Is this world really just a game?

If this is a game, why does Seraphine's gaze send chills down his spine? Why does his heart race when Elvia touches the back of his hand with her tail?

Why are the reactions of those NPCs more realistic than in any other game he's ever played?

If it's not a game, then what are the system panel, attribute values, skill bar, and favorability prompts in his mind?

He took a deep breath and silently recited in his mind, "System."

[Yes, host.]

A semi-transparent light curtain unfolded before his eyes, and a familiar UI interface appeared in his field of vision.

Attributes, skills, tasks, favorability—every data point is clearly visible, accurate to one decimal place.

"System," Luo Ye asked, his voice echoing in the empty main hall, "is this world really a game?"

The text on the screen flickered, then a reply appeared:

[Of course it's a game world, host. System panel, numerical quantification, skill system, affinity system—all of these are core components of a game world. Would I lie to you?]

Luo Ye stared at the line of semi-transparent text and remained silent for a long time.

The system's tone remained mechanical and certain, carrying an air of self-righteousness that "asking this question is redundant."

"Then why... does everything here feel so real?"

[A highly realistic and fully immersive game—that's its selling point. Didn't you choose this game in the first place because it claimed to offer a '100% realistic experience'?]

Luo Ye fell silent.

The system is right—he really did get hooked because of that selling point.

100% realism, every NPC has independent AI, every questline has multiple branching endings, and the entire world dynamically evolves based on player behavior.

The initial promotional slogans were increasingly extravagant and enticing.

But the question is—is he really just a "player"?

He has been in this world for over a decade.

He grew up here, fought here, met countless people here, and experienced countless things here.

If this is just a game, then what about his memories, his emotions, and his choices?

[Cognitive bias detected in the host. Recommendation: Avoid overthinking. Enjoy the game, the story, and the interactions with the female characters—that's the right way to play.]

Luo Ye looked at the line of text and suddenly smiled.

He stuffed the magic core into his pocket, clapped his hands, and stood up: "You're right. I really overthought things."

Since it's a game, he can play it however he wants.

So, if he runs away, there shouldn't be any problem, right?

Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.

Eluvia was indeed very good to him, so good that he sometimes had the illusion that "it wouldn't be bad to just stay here."

But he knew in his heart that he was the player and she was an NPC, and there could be no real outcome between them.

Anyway, I've successfully changed my class to Dragon Knight, so I've barely managed to achieve my mission objective.

Moreover, he is now caught between two dragon kings, and his situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. The flames of this hellish battle have already reached the tips of his hair.

If he doesn't run away now, once Serafina's next move is made, he won't be able to escape even if he wants to.

While Elvia is in seclusion, and before Serafina takes any further action—if we don't leave now, when will we?

Having made up her mind, Luo Ye turned and headed towards the exit of the Dragon's Nest.

His steps were light and firm, carrying a sense of relief that he had finally made a decision.

Then he crashed into a transparent barrier.

With a muffled thud, Luo Ye was thrown back, staggering several steps before regaining his balance.

He covered his nose, which was stinging from the impact, and stared in disbelief at the empty air in front of him—there was clearly nothing there, yet his hand could not penetrate that invisible barrier.

"What's going on?"

He tentatively reached out and touched a warm yet resilient energy film with his fingertips, as if his path was blocked by an invisible rubber wall.

He pushed harder, but the barrier didn't budge.

He tried several other directions—the entrance to the dragon's nest, the side gate, and even the secret passage in the back mountain—but every exit was tightly sealed off by the same barrier.

Luo Ye stood at the entrance of the dragon's nest, looking at the barrier that faintly glowed with a dark purple light in the air, and his lips twitched.

"Eluvia, you really are..."

At the same moment, deep within the Dragon's Nest, in the underground Dragon Source Palace.

In the deep underground space, the source of shadow surges endlessly like a thick tide of ink, forming a huge and slowly rotating vortex.

At the very center of the vortex, a colossal dragon, its body entirely black, lay curled up asleep. Dark gold patterns flickered on the surface of its scales, and the dragon's breath it emitted caused the entire palace to tremble slightly.

Her consciousness was slowly repairing itself in a deep dormancy, with the surrounding shadow essence enveloping her body like warm amniotic fluid, gradually filling the gaps in the dark wounds left by the battle of the Rift Valley.

Seemingly sensing someone's movement, Eluvia chuckled: "Stupid dragon knight, trying to run away? No way."

On the ground, Luo Ye rubbed his nose, preparing to look for a new exit.

Then a deep voice, tinged with obvious laughter, came from behind.

"My lord Dragon Knight, where are you headed?"

Luo Ye paused for a moment.

He slowly turned around, and the light of the barrier silently dissipated behind him.

In the shadow of the stone dome, a pair of amber vertical pupils appeared out of nowhere, their pupils glowing faintly in the darkness, like two embers suspended in the air.

A fully grown black dragon slowly emerged from the shadows.

Its size is much smaller than Eluvia's dragon form, but it is still almost twice as tall as Luo Ye. Its shoulders and back are covered with deep black scales, and its muscles are smooth and full of explosive power.

The dragon's wings folded at its sides, the wingtips drooping onto the stone slab, making a slight scraping sound.

Most striking is an old scar running down its right cheek, from the brow bone to the edge of the upper jaw, below its right eye, adding a touch of roguishness to the dragon's face.

"My name is Salta," he tilted his head, his amber vertical pupils on his scarred face sweeping over Luo Ye without any politeness, before exhaling a thin breath from his nostrils.

"Responsible for guarding the safety of the Eternal Night Dragon's Nest. Before His Majesty went into seclusion, he specifically instructed me that I might..."

He paused, a meaningful smile spreading across his face, revealing half of his gleaming white dragon teeth: "...take the opportunity to run away."

Luo Ye remained expressionless: "I didn't intend to run away, I just went out for some fresh air."

"To get some fresh air?" Salta strolled leisurely around Luo Ye for half a circle, her tail swishing slowly behind her.

"The interior of the Dragon's Nest is folded up, as large as the entire royal capital. Do you need to go outside for some fresh air?"

"Besides, do you really think I'm stupid to try every single exit of the dragon's nest just to get some fresh air?"