Startled by the sudden embrace, Bai Xia instinctively began to resist and form words, yet before they could escape her lips, she swallowed them back. Even her movements of protest softened considerably.
It was clear to her that Tian Zheng harbored no ulterior motives; he was simply concerned she might accidentally be instantly killed or become a hindrance. Having chosen to ‘hug his thigh’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to rely heavily on someone, especially for support or success), Bai Xia possessed a degree of self-awareness.
Thus, despite a lingering discomfort, she decided to endure for a while longer; after all, circumstances dictated this course of action, leaving her with no other recourse.
As the final wild wolves closed in, Tian Zheng, his gaze fixed entirely upon them, initially retreated with Bai Xia in tow. He skillfully used the surrounding trees to buy them some precious moments before once again drawing near.
His freshly refreshed Cycle Slash (TL Note: A skill name, ‘lunhui zhan’) erupted instantly, simultaneously launching one wild wolf into the air while a burst of energy from the blade wounded another closing in. Yet, at that critical juncture, the third wild wolf’s attack was already upon them, leaving no room for evasion.
Tian Zheng absorbed the blow directly, sacrificing nearly a fifth of his health. But in that brief window, he unleashed an Arc Slash followed by a relentless barrage of attacks, leaving the two wolves before him with one slain and one grievously wounded!
Then, with a swift kick, he sent the wolf that had inflicted further damage soaring backward. Though this wasn’t a game skill and thus caused negligible harm, it successfully created a small but crucial distance between them once more.
The demise of three Level 5 wild wolves, however, unexpectedly granted Bai Xia—who had until then been little more than a liability—another level-up, endowing her with rudimentary combat abilities.
Thus, in the very next instant, she unhesitatingly slipped free from Tian Zheng’s grasp, her weapon, imbued with dark power, clutched firmly in hand. She then moved to assist him in dispatching the fourth wild wolf, which was already critically wounded.
In this manner, the six wild wolves that had posed such an extreme threat were, in the blink of an eye, reduced to just two. Though these remaining beasts were in perfect condition, their ability to menace the duo had been severely diminished.
Gazing at the remaining pair, Bai Xia found herself brimming with eagerness. Having just witnessed Tian Zheng’s impressive display, she couldn’t help but feel a growing itch to jump into the fray herself.
The man, seemingly discerning her unspoken desire and in an apparently good mood due to the sudden alleviation of pressure, quipped playfully, “How about I leave these two to you?”
“Alright!”
No sooner had the words left his lips than Bai Xia charged forward.
Tian Zheng parted his lips, a helpless expression clouding his face. Despite his casual offer to leave them all to Bai Xia, he remained acutely aware of the situation, directly closing in on one of the wolves and, with a flick of his sword, drawing its aggro.
Compared to his direct approach, Bai Xia’s movements were markedly more cautious. Yet, in a truly ungracious display, the wild wolf utterly ignored her advance, charging instead straight for Tian Zheng!
Bai Xia was momentarily speechless. Was she truly so harmless, or did this man simply possess a naturally ‘taunting face’ (TL Note: A gaming term referring to a character or player whose actions or appearance naturally draw enemy aggression)? Incensed by the blatant disregard, she instantly accelerated, then launched herself high into the air with a powerful push from her feet, delivering a heavy kick to the wolf’s head before it could even register her presence.
Stunned by the unexpected blow, the wolf, nearly toppled to the ground, let out an enraged roar before finally snapping its jaws at her.
“Hmph, come on.”
Bai Xia’s gaze was sharper and more focused than ever. She had just observed Tian Zheng evade with apparent ease, but attempting the same movements herself, she now grasped the true difficulty involved.
Fortunately, assassins were a class renowned for their agility. Thus, after a perilous dodge that narrowly avoided the wolf’s maw bristling with fangs, she gripped her dagger, infusing it with power to extend a dark energy blade. In the very same instant of her evasion, she plunged it downwards into the wolf’s neck!
In reality, such a strike would have been sufficient to sever its neck clean through, but within the confines of the game, it merely chipped away a small segment of the wolf’s health bar.
The combination of level suppression and her complete lack of proper equipment left Bai Xia feeling a touch helpless about the meager damage she inflicted.
Yet, she remained unhurried. After landing a few more opportunistic slashes, she once again created distance, using this particular wolf as a training dummy to steadily acclimate herself to the game’s combat mechanics.
This process was far from brief. Bai Xia meticulously chipped away at the forest wolf’s health bar, while Tian Zheng, despite having long since dispatched his own opponent, showed no inclination to intervene. In fact, even when Bai Xia was struck multiple times due to her mistakes, he resolutely held back from assisting.
Several minutes later, with only a sliver of health remaining, Bai Xia finally brought down the tenacious foe before her. Watching it howl as it disintegrated into fragments of white light, she promptly plopped down onto the soft grass.
“Phew… for a shut-in (TL Note: ‘sizhai,’ a Chinese term similar to ‘otaku’ or ‘hikikomori,’ referring to someone who spends most of their time indoors, often engrossed in hobbies like gaming), this truly is quite challenging.”
While her body registered no physical exertion, confronting her very first genuine enemy in this game left Bai Xia with a subtle yet distinct mental weariness.
More profoundly, however, she felt an exhilarating rush of excitement.
This was an accomplishment utterly impossible in real life, yet she had achieved it with her own hands. Through this process, she had gained experience and grown, and a nascent desire for even greater challenges had begun to stir within her—perhaps this was precisely one of the many appeals of such games.
Tian Zheng smiled, gathering the few wolf pelts and coins dropped by the forest wolf. He then moved to her side, settling down. “You performed admirably,” he remarked.
As he spoke, he initiated a trade, transferring all the collected items to Bai Xia. She met his gaze, offering no refusal.
Having secured their gains, the two paused for a brief respite. Only when Bai Xia’s health had fully regenerated did they resume their exploration of the surroundings, proceeding with considerably more caution this time.
Tian Zheng was, without a doubt, an exceptional teammate—possessing formidable skill, always maintaining a cool composure, and even managing to offer Bai Xia on-the-fly combat lessons and tactical tips during their skirmishes.
Though their impromptu alliance had been forged purely out of circumstance, prompted by that colossal snake, and they had known each other for mere hours, their synergy had blossomed with remarkable speed.
Tian Zheng carried no pretense, and Bai Xia, far from her seemingly soft and adorable exterior, proved to be quite different. After several hours of teaming up, their dynamic had surprisingly evolved, much like the camaraderie of old dorm mates raiding dungeons together.
This peculiar dynamic struck Tian Zheng as somewhat odd. Yet, he genuinely found no trace of a young girl’s typical indecisiveness or affectedness in Bai Xia. The only exception was her remarkably intense reaction whenever he accidentally made contact with her.
For instance, when he inadvertently bumped her backside—a purely accidental collision—his ‘little friend’ (TL Note: A euphemism for penis) had nearly been impaled by a dagger. Even within the game, the incident left him with a lingering sense of dread for quite some time.
Moreover, Bai Xia’s growth rate proved astonishingly rapid. In less than half a day, she had largely mastered the game’s combat mechanics, and as her level climbed, her fighting prowess became increasingly evident, significantly easing the pressure on Tian Zheng.
It wasn’t until past nine in the evening that a thoroughly delighted Bai Xia finally prepared to log off. Naturally, before doing so, she and Tian Zheng exchanged friend requests; after all, he had, in essence, become something of a half-master to her.
Furthermore, games were inherently more enjoyable when played with friends, and Tian Zheng was, without question, the very first friend Bai Xia had made within this virtual world.
Though their acquaintance had been brief, life often unfolded in such ways: some people remained strangers despite years of knowing each other, while others could touch your heart upon a first meeting.
For Bai Xia, of course, it wasn’t quite so dramatic; she simply found Tian Zheng’s demeanor and way of interacting incredibly comfortable, leaving her with the pleasant sensation that forging this friendship was indeed a good thing.
Moreover, he had proven exceptionally generous; almost every item they acquired throughout their journey found its way into Bai Xia’s game inventory, personally handed over by him.
All in all, Bai Xia was exceedingly pleased with a gaming companion like Tian Zheng. ‘Hmm… if only I could have more such generous friends, that would be even better!’ she mused.