Windwalk Hills – Dark Forest Region
‘Leveling up really is best done in areas with plant-type monsters,’ Yan mused, watching the black branches before him writhe like tentacles.
These were the iconic ‘Black Treants’ of the Dark Forest.
The entire forest was densely packed with these Level 35 monsters, seemingly inexhaustible no matter how many were slain.
His previous thrust had drawn the treant’s aggro, causing it to extend its tentacle-like branches and lash out at Yan.
Yan wielded the long spear in his hands, shifting his weight backward.
His right hand slid down the shaft, pulling it downwards and to the right, while his left loosened its grip, allowing the spear to glide.
With a sudden, upward flick, the cold glint of the spearhead impaled the monster before him, the vibrating tip piercing deep into its body.
Collapse Spear!
This was one of the Lancer’s skills, a maneuver also found in traditional spear arts, which Yan executed with practiced ease.
Under the effect of Collapse Spear, the monster was slightly knocked back, stumbling two steps with its balance disrupted, its HP now halved.
‘Ah, it’s been a while since I couldn’t one-shot a monster,’ Yan thought, a sense of novelty washing over him.
Yan gave a wry smile, glancing at the [Weakening Spear] in his hand.
‘Well, it’s probably for the best that I didn’t one-shot it, especially with Tian Jiu and Qing Bai watching,’ he mused.
Yan turned his head, observing Qing Bai, who, like him, was soloing a monster nearby.
Behind her, Tian Jiu stood, clutching her staff, her gaze fixed anxiously on their battle.
It seemed that the moment anyone sustained an injury, she would instantly cast a healing spell to restore their health.
He reassured Tian Jiu, “It’s only a Level 35 monster; there’ll be no problem at all.”
As Yan spoke, offering comfort to Tian Jiu, he unleashed a sweeping attack.
The sharp spearhead sliced through the monster’s body, bringing the treant’s HP to zero as it dissolved into shimmering fragments.
“Oh…”
Upon hearing Yan’s words, Tian Jiu’s tense expression eased slightly.
She then comfortably settled into the role of a ‘salted fish’ (TL Note: Chinese slang for someone who is lazy or does the bare minimum, typically leeching experience or rewards from others’ efforts), content to leech experience.
There was no alternative; their choice of the Level 35 Dark Forest region over higher-level areas was due to Tian Jiu’s current level of 25.
If they ventured even one level higher, they would exceed the ±10 level experience bonus range, preventing her from gaining any experience.
Moreover, the Cleric class was inherently ill-suited for grinding monsters.
Thus, she dutifully ‘idled’ (TL Note: Chinese slang for doing minimal effort, similar to ‘salted fish’, often used in gaming to describe players who contribute little but still reap rewards), avoiding burdening the other two and simply soaking up experience.
Yan smiled faintly at the obedient Tian Jiu, then resumed slaying monsters.
“Hey, just how high is your attack power…”
Qing Bai frowned slightly, watching Yan dispatch a treant with just two or three skills.
“I’ve only killed two over here, and you’ve already taken down six?”
Qing Bai grumbled, yet her hands never ceased their motion.
Flipping through her grimoire, she swiftly conjured multiple Fire Orbs.
Even when striking the treant, which suffered 20% increased damage from fire attacks, its HP only dropped by a quarter.
‘I’m already equipped with the [Weakening Spear], and you still think my damage is too high…’
Yan chuckled, a helpless thought crossing his mind.
“Well, I am six levels higher than you, so it can’t be helped.”
“Now it’s five levels higher.”
Qing Bai retorted indignantly, a flash of white light enveloping her as she reached Level 30.
“No, still six levels.”
As if to challenge Qing Bai, a flash of white light also enveloped Yan, his level ascending to 36.
“Hmph! I refuse to believe it!”
Qing Bai let out a soft, indignant huff, redoubling her efforts to slay monsters and level up.
Yan shrugged helplessly, also increasing the pace of his monster slaying.
Watching Qing Bai and Yan engage in their competitive monster-slaying race, Tian Jiu offered a helpless smile.
She quietly settled beside Alice, as one after another, flashes of white light, symbolizing level-ups, illuminated her.
In this manner, what would have been a monotonous and dull cycle of grinding for experience slowly transformed into an enjoyable pastime.
This process continued for two days.
With the [Weakening Spear] in hand, Yan could fearlessly lead the others in hunting monsters, naturally accelerating their leveling speed significantly.
‘Of course, the experience couldn’t compare to what Level 40 monsters offered,’ Yan pondered.
‘Had it not been for Tian Jiu, he would likely be around Level 45 by now, considering he had always leveled up by fighting higher-level monsters.’
In the blink of an eye, Yan reached Level 39, Qing Bai Level 36, and Tian Jiu Level 32.
Given that higher levels required substantially more experience, it was natural for the level gap among those consistently grinding and sharing experience in the same party to gradually shrink.
“Let’s call it a day here.”
Yan glanced at the time, a smile playing on his lips, stating that it was almost six o’clock in real-world time.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll take you all to the Level 40 area to level up.”
Truthfully, Level 35 treants no longer offered him much experience, which was why Qing Bai and the others had begun to catch up to his level.
“Yay!”
Tian Jiu, ever innocent and guileless, exclaimed with an excited smile.
“Ah… Level 40, huh…”
Qing Bai’s expression seemed less than pleased, bordering instead on anguish.
“Are we really going back to that hellish map?”
It turned out that in the old server, the scorching heat of the Bit Lava Region had tormented every player, leaving them with a psychological trauma associated with the place.
‘Qing Bai still hasn’t discovered the [Camphor Berry Smoothie] recipe, has she?’
Yan was somewhat surprised, having assumed that a veteran player like Qing Bai would surely have noticed the recipe by the later stages of the game, even if she hadn’t found it initially.
He had, however, utterly failed to realize just how careless the young lady before him could be in-game.
How could she possibly notice a recipe sold by an NPC tucked away in a small corner of Windstar City?
Alice gently reminded Qing Bai, “There’s a way to deal with the heat, young lady.”
“Eh? What way?”
Qing Bai looked at Alice, puzzled.
Alice, however, remained silent, instead turning with a faint smile to Yan.
Yan said with a mischievous grin, “Well, you’ll find out when the time comes.”
“Hmph, if you won’t tell me, then don’t…”
“This young lady doesn’t even want to know.”
Qing Bai huffed indignantly, then, fuming, used a teleportation scroll to return to Windstar City.
Yan let out a soft chuckle.
He then turned to Tian Jiu. “Let’s head back too.”
“Mhm.”
Tian Jiu nodded obediently.
Yan raised a hand and gently ruffled Tian Jiu’s hair.
By now, he no longer felt it improper to do so; in fact, it felt entirely natural to him (though, considering his thick skin, it probably always was).
He withdrew his hand, used a return scroll, and his body was gradually enveloped in a soft blue light.
With a faint blush on her cheeks, Tian Jiu also produced a return scroll and teleported back to Windstar City.
The group reconvened at the café, then one by one, logged off.
Yan ordered Alice a crepe, then waved goodbye. “I’m logging off now. Goodnight, Alice.”
“Mhm, goodnight, Yan.”
Alice smiled, accepting the crepe, and waved back at Yan as she spoke.
‘Well, it’s a bit early to be saying goodnight,’ Yan mused, ‘but I probably won’t be logging back on today, so there’s no harm in saying it to Alice now.’
With a faint smile, Yan brought up the logout interface, and his blue-shrouded form slowly faded from Alice’s sight as he logged off.
****
Precisely at half-past six, Yue Mingyan finished dinner and stepped out of his house.
He had developed a good habit of practicing spear arts at the training grounds every evening.
His physical fitness, which had deteriorated due to the lazy lifestyle of summer vacation, was now steadily improving.
At this moment, he wielded his spear as usual, re-enacting the spear arts he had long memorized, over and over again.
“Good evening, Xuerou.”
Catching sight of a petite figure passing by behind the tiled wall, Yan paused his movements and greeted Liu Xuerou with a smile.
“G-good evening.”
Liu Xuerou responded with a hint of shyness.
Although they still lacked common topics of conversation, their relationship had softened considerably of late.
Lately, Yue Mingyan would often see Liu Xuerou pass by this way during his evening spear practice, and each time, they would exchange simple greetings.
‘It seems Xuerou’s situation has indeed improved,’ Yan thought.
‘At the very least, she’s no longer confining herself indoors as she did years ago.’
A faint smile touched his lips.
Though he didn’t know why Liu Xuerou passed by every evening, the mere fact that she had found the courage to step out of her room was a significant step forward.
After exchanging greetings, silence fell between them once more.
With a faint flush on her cheeks, Liu Xuerou nodded slightly at Yan, indicating her intention to turn and depart.
As she nodded, the silver filigree butterfly necklace adorning her pristine neck swayed gently.
It was a birthday gift from Yue Mingyan, and she seemed quite fond of it.
For Yue Mingyan, it was a great boon that his gift was so well-received.
He quietly watched Liu Xuerou’s figure gradually disappear into the depths of the alley.
[Zutto Hikari no Naka Kinou made wa Nakatta, Ashiato wo Tadotte Kita Hodo ~♪~♪~♪ (TL Note: Japanese song lyrics, meaning ‘Always in the light, until yesterday there were no footprints, following them as far as I could.’)]
Before he could fully collect himself, the ringtone of his phone suddenly sounded from his pocket.
–Hello?–
He instinctively slid to answer, not even glancing at the caller ID.
–Who is this?–
–Your old man.–
Nan Shi’s voice came through.
A mixture of annoyance and amusement welled up in Yan’s heart.
Only a close friend like Nan Shi could evoke such a complex swirl of emotions with a single sentence.
He retorted with a laugh, –What does my son want with his old man?–
–Hurry up and log on.–
Nan Shi’s voice carried a hint of impatience, but this was his usual demeanor, so Yue Mingyan didn’t take offense.
–Solo.–
Upon hearing that single word, a spark ignited in Yan’s eyes.
–New server?–
–New server.–
–Alright! I’ll be right there.–