A Fateful Gaze

“Well…”

“Where can I find a beautiful girl who is neither yandere nor gentle and virtuous?”

In recent days, his yearning seemed to have grown so intense that Aile constantly appeared in his dreams. Upon waking each morning, a peculiar stuffiness settled in his chest, as if someone had truly slept cradled in his arms.

‘Am I on the verge of losing my mind?’

Mingqian mused that he might never have the chance to experience a normal romance with a beautiful young woman in this lifetime. After watching Su Wanqing depart, Mingqian prepared to return to his rented room.

To hasten a change in his circumstances, he needed to initiate the next simulation as soon as possible.

‘To my surprise, the potion I was given last time actually shortened the simulation cooldown.’

Ever since he learned that certain items originated from another world, he had begun accumulating points to exchange for them. According to his calculations, just 500 more herbs would reset the simulator’s cooldown to zero.

He had endured humiliation, shouldered burdens, and lived frugally these past days, all in anticipation of this very moment.

[Points credited: 1000]

This time, no matter what, he vowed to bring back a beautiful young woman!

He strode forward, purchased the necessary items, and noticed that the usually quiet Quest Department was bustling with activity today.

‘Is there a new secret realm?’

‘How wonderful, but my strength is still too meager to venture forth with them.’

In the early days of supernatural abilities manifesting, many had tragically underestimated their capabilities, only to be kicked to death by roadside goblins. Mingqian, for his part, did not believe his own strength was sufficient to explore a secret realm.

At least not with only a rudimentary grasp of magic.

A truly great man remains silent until his moment to astound arrives!

He was determined to make his condescending colleagues look at him with newfound respect, and to thoroughly humble that arrogant superior!

He suddenly looked up, and across the distance, a beautiful blonde girl with an ethereal aura floated into view.

Her gaze was fixed intently on Mingqian, causing a shiver of unease to run through him.

At first, Mingqian assumed the girl wasn’t looking at him, perhaps he was merely obstructing her view.

He offered an apologetic smile and took two steps to the right.

Yet, the girl’s gaze followed him like a shadow.

When he moved to the left, she mirrored his movement.

…

This level of intense, burning scrutiny was an entirely new experience for him.

Her eyes, brimming with enchantment, longing, and a touch of grievance, were utterly consumed by a maelstrom of complex emotions.

The girl’s face bore a striking resemblance to someone he knew, though that person only existed within the simulated world.

A girl named Chris, he reasoned, couldn’t possibly be here.

However, there were also many differences; this girl wore a refreshing Western-style dress and had a magic staff tucked into her waistband.

If it were Chris, she would surely be carrying the [Flowing Light] he had gifted her.

Recalling the string of events from recent days, Mingqian concluded that his nerves were simply overly sensitive.

No one had been pressing down on him in his sleep at night, nor was any girl staring at him; that face was merely a coincidental resemblance to Chris.

The vast world held countless wonders, and coincidences were not unheard of.

When he chose to entrust his life to Aile, it inherently meant he had forsaken his promise to Chris.

He should have accompanied the girls until the very end of their lives, yet life was about trade-offs—to want everything was a child’s choice…

He wished that one day, he too could become a child again.

Enough of this complaining about life; it was time to embark on a new simulation and ascend to the pinnacle of existence!

Given the girl’s unnervingly intense gaze, he swiftly departed from the area.

****

Chris arrived at the Quest Department as usual to accept a mission.

Having been in this world for some time, they had established a firm foothold, relying on their extraordinary strength.

This world, where strength reigned supreme, perfectly allowed them to leverage their unique talents.

To better prepare for their master’s arrival, they had purchased two villas in the city center.

Having explored several difficult secret realms consecutively, they were, in a word, incredibly wealthy.

As points could be converted into money, she had long since stopped bothering to count the zeros in her account balance.

She even drove a Tesla, and her clothes were purchased outright from the Seven Hills family in the city center.

Though Chris possessed neither a driver’s license nor any understanding of fashion, in this era, there was nothing that money couldn’t solve.

She publicly declared herself a mage, stored her sword in a spatial ring, and bought a cheap magic wand from a street vendor.

Yet, everyone around her praised it as a divine artifact.

When she arrived in this world, her spatial ring still contained numerous cultivation resources and items, though none of them were currently useful to her.

Cultivation demanded a tranquil mind, but her sole focus now was finding her master.

Typically, Chris only accepted quests that offered quick rewards and presented a decent challenge.

However, it made little difference to her, as long as it wasn’t as perilous as her first foray into a secret realm…

She stretched slightly and yawned, and even these small, consecutive movements drew the sidelong glances of passersby.

Such was the inherent charm of the young woman.

This world was truly fascinating, especially things named ‘potato chips,’ ‘soda,’ and ‘computers.’

Even a genius like her hadn’t fully grasped their intricacies.

‘Miss Chris! You’ve finally arrived; this mission specifically requests you…’

Chris took the file from her hand, a frown creasing her brow.

‘You know my requirements. Who is this man who appeared out of nowhere?’

‘Th-that’s… the son of a high-ranking official. A super-powered individual like Miss Chris can surely protect him, right…?’

Cold sweat beaded on the female employee’s forehead.

While Chris was generally approachable, she possessed certain inviolable boundaries.

Firstly, she never spoke to men.

Secondly, she only teamed up with her sister.

The reason Chris accepted missions from her was because she respected these boundaries.

However, this particular task had been forced upon the employee by someone powerful, and she found herself unable to refuse.

She hoped that, given their rapport over the past few days, the girl might just agree…

‘Um, for my sake…’

Chris cast a chilling glance at her, her golden pupils devoid of any trace of pity.

‘Who gave you the illusion that I would obey your words?’

Her voice was frigid, and the female employee instantly fell silent.

She tossed the file back into the employee’s hands, then scoffed and turned to rejoin her sister.

In her original world, who would dare speak to her in such a manner?

Just as she prepared to lead Eliza home, the young woman’s world was struck by an unprecedented tremor.

The moment her eyes landed on that person, all extraneous noise in the world vanished.

Despite the surrounding clamor, her world became so utterly silent that she could only discern his voice.

His gentle breaths, the subtle sound of him swallowing, and the slightly listless gaze born of weariness.

It was the very person she had yearned for, adored, and desperately sought.

The one who had appeared in countless dreams, the one who would dissipate like smoke whenever she reached out.

Now, he stood vividly before her.

Chris even wondered if this was merely an illusory dream, a fleeting hallucination that would vanish once it ended, leaving her to resume her endless quest for her master.

‘…Sister.’

She gazed blankly at Eliza, feeling for a moment as though the world around her began to fade.

Her head spun with dizziness.

‘Sister, I think I’m losing my mind.’

‘I think I saw Master smiling at me. Is this a dream?’

‘What a blissful dream… I truly don’t want to wake up.’

‘Chris, this isn’t a dream.’

‘It’s not… a dream?’

Chris fiercely pinched her own cheek, a jolt of pain making her wince.

‘~~~~~!!!!!’

Chris let out an inarticulate gasp, her eyes welling with tears the instant she beheld him.

Disregarding the astonished stares of those around her, she prepared to follow that figure.

Eliza caught her by the shoulder.

‘Wait, Chris, this might be a test from Master.’