Yan looked up, glancing at Alice beside him with a wry smile.
“It seems those two won’t be online today.”
“Oh? Is that so~”
Alice drew out her words in a tone of utter boredom, giving a gentle nod.
“Qing Bai, that girl, said something like…”
Yan spread his hands in exasperation, a bitter expression on his face.
“‘Are you an idiot? School’s starting soon, so of course, this young lady needs to get herself properly sorted out! Ah, ‘game addict’ Mister probably has no concept of school starting, my apologies.'”
This arrogant young miss dared to speak to him in such a manner, a muscle twitching in Yan’s tightly furrowed brow.
It was fortunate Qing Bai wasn’t in front of him; if she had been, he would surely have given her a chop to the head.
Having calmed his slight irritation, he looked at another message in his friends list.
Compared to Qing Bai, the reply from the adorable Tian Jiu was far more comforting, and Yan’s mild annoyance immediately softened.
He gave a slight shrug, then looked at Alice.
“Tian Jiu said she’s feeling a bit unwell and won’t be able to come online today.”
“Is she alright?”
Alice’s slender fingers gently gathered the soft, sky-blue strands of hair that had fallen across her face, tucking them behind her ear. She blinked slightly, revealing a look of concern.
“I asked her, and it seems like nothing serious. She told us not to worry…”
Yan offered a helpless smile. That little one, Tian Jiu, was even thinking of others; truly a gentle and endearing soul.
“Alright then.”
Thinking of Tian Jiu’s awkwardness in communication yet her unconscious care for others, Alice couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“In the end, it’s just you and me, Yan…”
Alice lightly tilted her head, pinching her chin.
“Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since we had an adventure with just the two of us.”
Yan chuckled softly, remarking with a touch of emotion.
“Feeling a little nostalgic, are we?”
“Mhm.”
Alice responded with a soft smile.
He remembered back on the old server, before Yan established the guild, and even after it stabilized and he gradually retreated, Yan had always adventured with Alice, accompanying each other until they reached max level—until Yan inadvertently deleted his account…
Well, there was no use complaining about it now. At the very least, now, on the new server, Yan had made new friends and established a new guild. And just like before, he was adventuring with Alice.
As he thought this, his clear eyes drifted to Alice’s exquisitely beautiful profile beside him, a faint smile gracing his lips.
“Hm?”
Alice noticed his gaze and turned her face, her bright, smiling eyes meeting Yan’s. She let out a charming sound of inquiry.
“No, nothing…”
Yan laughed as he stretched both arms high above his head, letting out another long, languid stretch that dispelled the lingering fatigue from his body.
He then rallied his spirits, a smile gracing his face, and turned to walk forward.
“Let’s go, let’s adventure.”
He called to Alice, striding forward without a backward glance.
“Yes, alright.”
A sweet smile still graced Alice’s face. She simply responded, and naturally fell into step behind Yan.
****
Windstar Hills Region, North of Black Forest Graveyard
“Talk about adventure, yet here we are, grinding levels again.”
Yan muttered to himself with a wry chuckle.
Wielding his [Spear of Dominion], he effortlessly slaughtered the surrounding mobs. With Tian Jiu and Qing Bai absent, he could freely unleash his fully specialized attack attributes.
This entire map was populated by mobs around level fifty-four, while most players were still hovering around level forty-five. Few players, he presumed, would choose to wander through a map populated by such ‘high-level, powerful mobs’.
Yan, however, still dispatched them with a single spear thrust each.
He easily selected one mob after another, using a normal attack to activate the Spear of Dominion’s inherent ability. In but a fleeting moment, Yan’s form would flicker before the selected target, his guaranteed-hit normal attack instantly obliterating the skeletal mob.
“Ah, an RPG loses its ‘adventure’ charm once it’s been cleared.”
As he repeated the monotonous leveling process, he couldn’t help but complain.
“Pfft.”
Alice couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth with a slender, pale hand.
“After all, Yan, having come from the old server, knew precisely which maps were best for leveling at this stage. And with your ‘abnormal’ stats, it’s indeed hard to feel any sense of ‘adventure’…
“You’ve got a point.”
Yan could only feel helpless. He responded with a wry smile, yet his hands continued to slay monsters without pause.
“I feel as though I’ve been given a fresh start in life. Compared to my beginner days on the old server, I’ve avoided so many detours.”
“Yan didn’t really take many detours on the old server either, did he?”
Alice couldn’t help but retort, her face tilted slightly upward, as if recalling distant memories.
“I remember you were quite obsessed with ‘Companion Gods World’ back then, weren’t you?”
“Hey, hey, Alice, let’s not bring up old stories.”
Yan’s face flushed, and he quickly cut Alice off.
Back then, Yan was indeed exceptionally engrossed in this game; to call it obsession wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
He had meticulously researched every game function, every class skill, the attribute and damage calculation systems, and all types of items and equipment.
How else could Yan have become one of the top five on the strategy leaderboards?
Now, thinking back, Yan could only feel a touch of embarrassment.
Fortunately, he hadn’t established a guild during that period, and only a few of his close friends knew of his obsessive nature, so they wouldn’t bring it up as a ‘dark past’ to tease him.
Unfortunately, the beautiful maiden before him, sitting on a wooden stone platform, leaning casually against a tombstone, was precisely the one who had always been by his side, the one who had witnessed all his ‘dark past’ moments in the game.
“Oh~ Is that so… It was quite interesting, though…”\nStopped short by Yan’s embarrassment, Alice languidly licked her lower lip, a mischievous grin spreading across her pale face.
“Have mercy on me…”
Yan clasped his hands together and bowed his head, pleading with Alice.
Ah, Alice had already teased him about the [Magic Ring] incident before; Yan vividly recalled the terror of that moment.
‘When did this girl awaken her devious side?’ he mused inwardly, looking at Alice, who wore an angelic, serene smile but was, in reality, a devil on the inside.
On the old server, Alice’s language system was still immature. Back then, she was like an innocent, delightful little girl just learning to speak, utterly adorable. And she had gradually matured through her interactions with other players.
Yan, who had always adventured with Alice, had noticed this change and had felt immense satisfaction at Alice’s growth.
But how had she grown into such a gentle yet slightly mischievous individual?
Yan raised his eyes to the girl before him, who had finally managed to suppress her mischievous grin and tilted her head slightly towards him.
Well, she was still that exquisitely beautiful, ethereal maiden…
She was still the gentle, charming Alice who had stayed by his side through all their adventures, unwavering.
Yan only needed to realize this, and it was enough.
Perhaps this was how an adult Alice was meant to be.
Yan offered a helpless smile, his lips curving slightly, a sense of ‘My daughter has grown up’ (TL Note: A classical Chinese expression of a parent’s wistful pride and affection upon seeing their child mature) unexpectedly welling up in his heart.
‘Perhaps the current Alice isn’t so bad after all?’
“If Yan doesn’t want to talk about it, then we won’t.”
Alice extended an index finger and gently waved it before Yan’s eyes.
“Phew~”
Yan breathed a sigh of relief, the sensation of escaping his embarrassing ‘dark past’ proving immensely satisfying.
He once again wielded his long spear, clearing the surrounding mobs.
“However, if I tell Tian Jiu and Qing Bai about it behind your back, Yan won’t feel embarrassed, right~”
Upon hearing Alice’s devilishly sweet, melodic voice, Yan’s heart sank, and the spear in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp.
“Mhm, I’m sure they’ll find that topic very interesting.”
Alice placed her upright index finger against her cheek, a triumphant smile gracing her lips.
“Oh, come on, are you a genius or something?”
He retorted weakly.
She was definitely doing this on purpose, wasn’t she? Absolutely trying to amuse herself at his expense!
Where had the innocent, naive Alice of old gone?
Alice chuckled.
“Hehe, thanks for the compliment.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you! You fiend!”