As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, resolute shadows of Yue Mingyan across the sweat-drenched ground of the empty training field, he persisted in his spear practice.
“Hah!”
Yue Mingyan leaped abruptly, soaring into the air.
His spear tip, which had been pointing forward, suddenly swept horizontally to his left-rear, while his right hand, gripping the shaft tightly, propelled the spear forward with the momentum.
The glinting spearhead plunged forcefully into the ground behind his right foot as if striking a seated opponent.
This was the “Returning Spear” (TL Note: A martial arts move, traditionally used in horseback combat to strike down an enemy pursuing from behind.), a technique originally designed for cavalry to unseat foes from horseback.
Without the inherent height of a horse, even with the added jump during practice, the spear tip inevitably buried itself in the earth upon completion, rendering it utterly without lethal force.
Nevertheless, it remained a crucial component of spear mastery.
Regardless of the spear arts system, techniques like the “Returning Spear” and “Thrusting Spear” were renowned and fundamental.
Fortunately, his family’s training ground was a stone platform overlaid with a layer of packed earth, so he needn’t fear damaging the floor or dulling his spear tip while practicing such moves.
With that thought, Yue Mingyan pulled the spear tip from the soil, then raised his right hand to wipe the beads of sweat from his brow.
‘Keep going.’
“ずっと光の中昨日までは無かった，足跡を辿ってきたほど~♪~♪~♪” (TL Note: Japanese lyrics from the opening theme of Sword Art Online II.)
The sudden ring of his phone from his pocket startled him, and Yue Mingyan, puzzled, reached into his pocket to retrieve it.
‘Who could be calling me so late?’
Without even glancing at the caller ID, he swiped to answer.
–Hello? Who is this?
–Who am I? I’m your dad!
The person on the other end of the line seemed furious.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Yue Mingyan couldn’t help but chuckle.
–What’s up, son? What do you need your dad for?
–You’ve got the nerve to ask that? Huh? You dog of a son, why haven’t you logged on all day today?
Everyone in the
Is this really my son?
How could my son, that internet addict (TL Note: A slang term for someone who spends an excessive amount of time online, often to the detriment of other aspects of their life.), possibly go a whole day without logging on?
The voice on the other end belonged to Nan Shi, Yue Mingyan’s university classmate and former roommate—a truly close brother.
Though Yue Mingyan no longer lived in the dorms, their bond remained as strong as ever, constantly bickering over who was the other’s father, a common playful way for male friends to joke about seniority.
–Ah… about that…
Listening to Nan Shi’s barrage of questions, Yue Mingyan offered an embarrassed, wry smile, re-embedding his long spear into the ground.
He then raised his left hand to awkwardly scratch the back of his head, despite knowing the other person couldn’t see him.
–Actually, I… accidentally… deleted my account…
–Huh!?
A massive sound of disbelief erupted from the other end of the phone, followed by an abrupt silence.
****
The awkward silence stretched for about ten seconds before a roar on the other end nearly shattered his eardrums.
Yue Mingyan hastily pulled the phone away from his ear.
–Are you an idiot!?
It wasn’t until Yue Mingyan held the phone far from his ear that the ringing in his ears gradually subsided.
–Cough, cough.
Nan Shi seemed to realize his lapse in composure, clearing his throat twice to calm himself, yet he couldn’t resist complaining.
–A clown who deletes their account, like those idiots on the forums, is actually my friend?
Yue Mingyan helplessly raised an eyebrow, then meticulously explained the entire situation, including how he had started fresh on the new server.
–…Well… anyway, I’m on the new server now.
Want to come along?
He spoke, nervously awaiting a response from the other end.
–Huh? Why would I, a perfectly sane person, go to a new server and grind from level one (TL Note: In gaming, ‘grinding from level one’ refers to the arduous process of starting a new character from the lowest level and leveling them up through repetitive tasks.) with an idiot who accidentally deleted their account?
‘Just as I thought…’
Yue Mingyan offered a bitter smile.
For a player who cherished RPGs, an account painstakingly built up was not something easily abandoned.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
–Unless… Nan Shi’s voice on the phone took on a chuckle.
–You create a new guild on the new server and invite me to join.
–Eh?
Yue Mingyan was stunned.
–’Eh’ what ‘eh’? If you’re not willing, I’m not coming to the new server.
–Ah! Willing, willing!
Yue Mingyan quickly affirmed, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.
He had already planned to start fresh on the new server, and that included forming a guild.
He hadn’t expected Nan Shi to agree to join him on the new server; having a familiar and powerful player join would naturally be a great advantage.
‘But…’
–What about the
–Huh? With the guild master and vice-guild master gone, it’s definitely going to disband, right?
Nan Shi stated it as a matter of fact, but the prospect of everyone in the guild, who had once played together, scattering in different directions was a sight Yue Mingyan wished to avoid.
–Um, Nan Shi…
Yue Mingyan found himself unsure how to begin.
–How about you stay with the
–No.
Nan Shi’s refusal was decisive.
–Eh? Why not?
Yue Mingyan was perplexed.
He recalled how Nan Shi, as the vice-guild master in the old server’s
He should love this game and the guild as much as Yue Mingyan did.
–Because what I love is the guild organized by Yue Mingyan, where everyone treats each other like family, showing mutual tolerance and help.
–Not the
–Eh?
Yue Mingyan failed to grasp his meaning.
–You really are an idiot, aren’t you…
Nan Shi on the other end of the phone sighed, presumably rubbing his forehead.
–What I mean is, the players in the
–But now that you’re not coming back, even if everyone pretends to play together, it’ll never be like before.
–That sense of disparity is something I cannot accept, so, I’m out.
Nan Shi spoke these capricious words, nonchalantly casting aside his responsibilities as vice-guild master—truly irresponsible of him.
Though, a certain guild master who had accidentally deleted his own account was hardly in a position to criticize.
–But…
Yue Mingyan wanted to say more; he didn’t want to see the guild members scatter.
Yet, the words wouldn’t come out.
–Don’t worry.
Nan Shi seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking.
–For now, I’ll handle the guild matters here, transferring the guild to the third-in-command (TL Note: ‘Third-in-command’ refers to the person holding the third-highest position of authority within a group or organization.), letting them reform a new guild.
–Anyway, your new server just opened not long ago, and the guild system hasn’t even been activated yet.
–Once I’ve sorted things out here, I’ll come find you on the new server.
Having said that, Nan Shi let out a soft sigh.
–Alright, then.
I’m hanging up now.
I still need to explain things clearly to everyone in the guild.
After all, a guild master suddenly disappearing without a word, then asking them to re-form a guild without a reasonable explanation, would likely be asking too much.
–Mm.
Yue Mingyan responded, nodding gently.
Nan Shi had already hung up.
‘It’s already dark, isn’t it…’
Yue Mingyan looked up at the sky shrouded in night.
‘Well, never mind, I’ll practice again tomorrow.’
With that thought, he returned his long spear to its rack.
‘Forming a guild, huh…’
‘Well, there’s no need to rush that right now.
The immediate priority is to raise my own level and Tian Jiu’s level first.’
‘If they’re willing to join my guild in the future, it would be a huge asset to my guild.’
‘Even if they don’t join, I’d still be happy to see players at my level emerge.’
‘After all, a game without opponents is quite boring, isn’t it?’
‘Though, with level 150 attributes at level 1, it’s probably hard for me to find opponents anymore…’
‘Anyway, I’m already invincible, so I’ll just keep leveling up with the girls.’