My Roleplay System
Chapter 192: Wild and Untamed

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Wild and Untamed

In a cozy little café nestled in a back alley, a young couple sat, savoring the shop’s specialty tea.

Both were strikingly attractive, drawing glances from the few other patrons.

As the sun neared the horizon, its warm orange light streamed through the windows, illuminating the couple in a gentle, golden glow.

The scene was so picturesque that many of the customers—and even the staff—couldn’t help but be captivated.

The young man set his cup down, gazing toward the setting sun after taking a sip. Noticing the annoyed look his companion shot him from across the table, he couldn’t resist a small smile.

"Are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing here?" she asked, her amber eyes staring back at him.

"Didn’t I already tell you? We’re on a date," the young man said, raising an eyebrow at her seemingly strange question.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" His female companion, however, was not buying it.

Lake, feeling helpless, could only shrug in response. "Believe it or not, the choice is yours. I’m just stating the obvious. If you were to see two people sitting in the exact spot as us, drinking the exact same tea, and having a casual conversation just like us, wouldn’t you say that they were on a date?" Lake reasoned, but Kate only shot him a cold stare.

She watched him sip his tea as if this whole ordeal was the most natural thing in the world. He’s definitely up to something again, she thought, narrowing her amber eyes.

"Perhaps. But if I knew that the female companion, much like myself, was also brought here without any explanation, I would probably have very different thoughts from what most people would assume," Kate replied sarcastically.

However, Lake continued to play dumb. "Is that so? Then I guess it’s all good. After all, you know that we’re on a date."

As Lake spoke, he suddenly froze, his carefree smile solidifying. A terrifying chill crept up his spine as he met Kate’s sharp gaze.

He quickly coughed to clear his throat, a more somber expression replacing his grin. He patiently waited until Kate’s riled-up mana began to calm.

If he had continued to mess around even a second longer, it was hard to tell whether Kate would’ve attacked him or not.

Kate’s expression returned to normal, and Lake secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was currently 5 PM, and the two of them had just finished talking over the deal with the demons a few hours ago.

Lake had suggested stopping by the café before heading back, and while Kate had no objections at first, sitting idle for over an hour had left her feeling increasingly agitated.

"So, why are we here?" she asked again, taking a sip of her tea after noticing Lake’s change in expression.

"We’re on a hunt," Lake said nonchalantly, his gaze never leaving the street outside.

A hunt.

Kate’s stomach sank. She glanced toward the window, half-expecting some monstrous creature to come crashing through. But there was nothing—just the peaceful hum of the café and the quiet streets beyond.

Quietly placing her cup back on the table, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had just been through a Rank Three raid not long ago, and hearing the main culprit behind it speak of another hunt had instantly put her on edge.

So this is why he dragged me here, she realized. The pieces began to fit together: the way his eyes kept scanning the alley, the peculiar calm in his tone, and his refusal to leave.

There was just one thing that left her somewhat puzzled. "Aren’t we in a city?"

"Your point?" Lake didn’t even bother to look back, replying as if she were asking the obvious.

With a sigh, Kate didn’t bother to continue pressing him. She knew she wouldn’t get any straight answers if she continued to press, so she decided to ask some vague questions instead.

"Is it strong?" Kate asked.

"Not really," Lake replied casually.

From that response, Kate understood that while their lives likely weren’t in danger, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park either.

"Rank Three?" she continued, her voice tinged with caution.

"Not quite. It’s only Peak Rank Two," Lake answered, still gazing out the window.

Kate let out a small sigh of relief. She’d asked the question more for reassurance than necessity—she really couldn’t deal with another high-level Rank Three creature so soon after the last one.

"Are we trying to kill it?" she asked finally.

"Nope," Lake said, his tone maddeningly nonchalant.

Kate didn’t need any further explanation to piece together his intentions. She knew his track record too well. If Lake wasn’t planning to kill it, there could only be one other reason.

He wants to tame it. Her eye twitched slightly as the realization sank in, and she let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Alright, I understand our purpose. But how long are we planning to stay here?"

"Hm... Maybe till nightfall?" Lake replied vaguely.

Seeing that he had no intention of giving her a straight answer, she resigned herself to fate and ordered something to eat while they waited.

Luckily, the café had a wide range of side dishes to keep her distracted.

Soon, another two hours passed, and the café was nearing closing time.

Kate was scrolling through her wristwatch while Lake continued to stare out the window.

By this point, they were the only customers left in the shop. Noticing that neither of them showed any signs of ordering anything or leaving, one of the staff quietly approached them, prepared to see them out.

However, before the staff could escort them out, the bell above the door chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer.

"Ah, sorry, miss, but we’re currently closed," another one of the staff near the entrance said to the new arrival, whose gaze quickly swept around the shop.

Soon, her obsidian eyes landed on Lake and Kate, who sat by the window. Without saying anything, she raised her index finger and pointed toward them. She didn’t need to speak for the staff to understand her question.

"We’re so sorry about that, but they were here long before closing time, and our staff was just about to see them out. I hope you can understand," the staff member said politely, bowing slightly.

The woman took one last look around the shop before turning and leaving.

Kate didn’t seem to pay much attention to what was happening at the entrance, instead speaking to the staff who had approached them.

"Let’s go," Lake suddenly said, grabbing her attention.

Hearing the finality in his tone, she knew that it was time. After dealing with the staff, the two of them left the store, walking down the alleyway under the starry sky.

"Where to now?" she asked, surveying their surroundings. She noticed they were heading deeper into the alleyways, where not a single soul was in sight.

Lake didn’t reply, coming to an abrupt stop. In front of him was a dead end, dimly lit by the pale glow of the moon.

A lone figure stood there, watching them with a fierce gaze. Her grayish hair, matted and uneven, fell over her shoulders like a wolf’s mane as her obsidian eyes scanned them for any trace of trouble. She wore denim shorts and a white tank top under a torn trench coat. Her disheveled appearance and unkempt hair suggested she hadn’t bathed properly in days.

Kate glanced briefly at the figure and immediately recognized her as the person who had entered the café just moments ago. Her mind raced, considering various possibilities.

"Who are you?" the fierce-looking woman asked, looking ready to pounce on them at a moment’s notice.

By now, Kate had pieced together what was happening and had already begun to slowly back away. The wild and untamed nature of the woman before them, the mention of a hunt, and the long wait at the café.

This psycho... Kate cursed Lake in her mind once more before stepping back completely, leaving the stage open for him.

Lake, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, a devilish smile creeping across his handsome face.

"Who are we?" he said, his tone casual yet unsettling. "We’re hunters."

The woman’s frown deepened further as clear displeasure crossed her face.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

Instead of answering, Lake took a step into the shadowed alley, rolling his neck and wrists as if warming up.

"I see," the woman replied, her expression hardening with understanding as a wide grin slowly formed on her face, revealing the sharp fangs hidden underneath.

She could sense the faint battle intent emanating from him and responded in kind.

Taking her hands out of her coat pockets, she unfolded her clenched fists, revealing sharp, talon-like claws.

"If it’s a fight you want," she growled, "you should’ve just said so."