‘Aya Jiu~’
‘Daddy, you can do it!’ Aya Jiu clenched her tiny pink fists, giving Aya Tone an adorable cheer.
‘Hmm…’
‘This home is no longer habitable. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll just find a random spot and sit there for the entire day.’ Aya Tone mused.
But Big White’s subsequent words immediately cut off his escape route.
“Master, I’ve already told Miss Wushuang and the others that we’ll meet at the guild entrance at nine in the morning.”
“…”
“Big White, come in. I need to speak with you.”
Aya Tone took a deep breath, shedding his previous gloom. With a forced smile, he pulled Big White into the bedroom.
To Big White, however, that smile was no less terrifying than the grim reaper’s.
“Master, no! We can’t! Aaaah! Yamete~”
Big White tried to pull out the little master, but Aya Tone remained utterly unmoved, his expression clearly stating, ‘You say what you want, I’ll do what I want.’
As the bedroom door closed, only the bewildered Aya Jiu remained in the living room.
Little Aya Jiu lay on the sofa, murmuring, “Wow.”
****
The next day.
Aya Tone trudged along the tactile paving, his face drooping.
He continuously pondered how to avoid the dreadful future of being dragged out shopping.
Recalling the photos Big White had sent her yesterday—amusement parks, shopping malls, pedestrian streets, snack shops—everything he could possibly imagine was there. If he were dragged through that entire routine again today…
‘Heh heh, I’ll die!’
Just thinking about it made Aya Tone’s brain tremble.
‘No! Instead of this mental exhaustion, why not spend the money wisely and go play in a dungeon!?’
‘Hmm? Dungeon? Damn, that’s a great idea!’
The moment this thought emerged, it uncontrollably seized Aya Tone’s mind, and his sluggish steps suddenly became light.
‘Yes, yes! It’s settled then, what a delightful decision! After all, I’m a practical combat instructor. If my students come to me wanting to play, how can I not let them experience the local customs (dungeons) and human touch (grinding) of Yan’an City? It just wouldn’t do! Genius!’
****
“Big Sister Bai~”
The moment Aya Tone arrived at the guild entrance, before he could even clearly see who it was, he felt a powerful impact wave hit his head.
“What the… hell!”
But before he could finish, a pair of large hands wrapped tightly around him, and a delicate girlish fragrance wafted to his nostrils.
“Hmm? Big Sister Bai, your chest…” Lin Ling giggled and instinctively reached downwards, only to find no undulation whatsoever—a completely flat expanse.
‘Big Sister Bai’s chest! It’s gone???’
Lin Ling’s heart seized with panic. She picked up Aya Tone and meticulously examined the chest that should have been well-developed, wondering why it had sunken in.
‘Gone? Really gone? But yesterday, when we parted ways, Big Sister Bai’s chest was still boing-boing! Only one night has passed, what great horror did Big Sister Bai experience!?’
“Lingling! That’s not Big Sister Bai!” Ye Liu, who had arrived late, shouted, trying to warn her, but it was already too late.
“Yezi, what are you talking about?” Even Lin Ling, despite her usual simple-mindedness, sensed something was amiss, and the smile on her lips became somewhat forced.
Yet, it is human nature to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, so she subconsciously excluded the correct answer.
‘Daren’t open my eyes…’
“Heh heh, I never had those to begin with.” Aya Tone, his feet dangling off the ground, looked at Lin Ling with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Isn’t that right, student Lin Ling?”
“Ah, haha, what lovely weather! Teacher, how did you suddenly end up in my hands?” Lin Ling stiffly turned her head, forcing a smile that was halfway to a cry.
‘Wuwuwu, I know I was wrong, can time restart? Didn’t Big Sister Bai say we’d meet at the same time and place today? How did it turn into Teacher…? I’ve been tricked…’
‘You speak, keep speaking. I’m listening.’
“Aren’t you going to put me down?” Aya Tone pouted, not particularly bothered by being mistaken for someone else.
After all, Big White was molded precisely after his current appearance, so being mistaken wasn’t entirely surprising. However, Lin Ling saying his chest was gone suddenly made him feel a bit offended.
“Oh, oh, oh.” Lin Ling quickly put Aya Tone down.
She rubbed her palms together, then seemed to remember something, immediately stopping and tucking her hands behind her back.
She chuckled awkwardly, “Uh… Teacher, have you finished your work?”
“I’m done. Why are there only three of you today? Where’s Fire Wushuang?” Aya Tone’s gaze swept past Lin Ling, landing on the two figures behind her, Ye Liu and Liu Fei, but Fire Wushuang, who was usually with them, was nowhere to be seen.
“Wushuang said she had something to do at home… so it’s just us today.”
“Alright then.” Aya Tone made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his eyes.
He was genuinely disappointed; with one less free laborer, how could he not be?
“Wait here for a moment, I’m going in to grab something. Then, Teacher will take you to have some fun,” Aya Tone chuckled, then skipped excitedly into the guild.
Before long, he reappeared before the trio, holding a registration card.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Wait, have you eaten?” Aya Tone paused his steps.
He recalled seeing a news report not long ago, stating that some girls, to maintain their figures, either skipped breakfast or ate very little. They were about to engage in strenuous physical activity; how could they manage without a full stomach?
“Teacher, we’ve all eaten. The hotel’s special breakfast was plentiful and filling,” Lin Ling said, even patting her bulging stomach.
“Oh, that’s good then.” Aya Tone nodded in satisfaction.
‘Teacher is so kind, even caring if they’ve had breakfast.’
Seeing this, the three exchanged glances, each seeing the same touch of emotion in the others’ eyes. And so, moved by his concern, they boarded the trap car and eventually arrived at an E-rank dungeon.
****
“…”
“Kyaa! A ghost!!!”
Aya Tone stood at the dungeon entrance, pulling out the dungeon information provided by the guild.
[E-rank Ghost Realm, Monsters: Low-level Phantoms, unconscious, driven purely by instinct, physical attacks ineffective, those with fragile minds should enter with caution.]
“Hmm, not bad. A free haunted house, with rewards after clearing it. Excellent!”
Aya Tone was simply *too* satisfied with this dungeon! Therefore, he had no intention of intervening.
“Teacher, don’t just stand there watching, come help!” Lin Ling and the other two had completed their transformations, their red, blue, and yellow figures constantly intertwining.
They were clumsily fending off the wandering spirits floating in the air. They hadn’t expected Aya Tone’s idea of ‘fun’ to be a dungeon.
The National Education Bureau had regulations strictly prohibiting unapproved students from entering dungeons. Although their strength far exceeded E-rank, they hadn’t undergone systematic training. Facing mysterious monsters like wandering spirits for the first time, it was inevitable that they would be at a loss.
“Don’t lose your composure. These wandering spirits can’t harm you, just enjoy yourselves,” Aya Tone said with a laugh, grabbing a nearby floating phantom and playing with it, experiencing the joy of a Senior Ju.
It was a pity the wandering spirit had no consciousness, otherwise it would probably have complained.
[Ghost: I’m a ghost, why isn’t this person afraid of me? Can you at least respect my profession?!]
Ghosts like these cannot be touched if one’s soul power (mental strength) isn’t strong enough. For most novices, they would rather face more dangerous monsters than deal with these visible yet untouchable specters.
Moreover, the true horror of a Ghost Realm isn’t these specters, but the fact that prolonged stays within it will drain one’s life force. In severe cases, one might even become one of the wandering spirits. In milder cases, one would at most have a nightmare and be perfectly fine the next day.
That’s why this E-rank dungeon card remained. At the same time, Aya Tone held several similar dungeon quests in his hand, not high-level, but still challenging for novices—perfect for passing the time.
What a mean teacher.