The towering figure of the ancient ape gradually diminished, and Zhen Bupo reverted to his human form.
He stood alone on the empty arena, the long hem of his brown silk robe fluttering in the wind.
Producing an antique folding fan from an unknown place, he held it to his face, instantly embodying the image of a dashing, handsome young lord.
‘Could he be a classical handsome man who can transform into a demon? Now I’m starting to wonder if this game is a Xianxia (TL Note: A genre of Chinese fantasy fiction involving immortal heroes and cultivation) game,’ Yan thought, a helpless smile gracing his lips as he witnessed the scene.
With the battle here concluded, Yan swept his gaze across the other arenas.
The fellow on the other mid-sized arena wasn’t worth much attention; he was merely an ordinary intelligence-based mage, likely to lose his spot before the end.
Yan now wished to observe Zhen Bupo’s fighting style more closely, preparing himself in case they met in the activity’s final battle.
Unfortunately, the crowd of spectating players seemed to have been intimidated by Zhen Bupo’s previous monstrous transformation.
For a time, no player dared to step onto the stage to challenge him, which left Yan feeling somewhat helpless.
“Huh? Is that little girl who just went up to Arena One a Pugilist?”
An Dong’s voice suddenly rang out, prompting Yan to turn his head, only to see An Dong’s face contorted in an expression of profound bewilderment, his features nearly twisting into a knot.
Seeing him like this, Yan couldn’t help but look towards Arena One out of curiosity.
On Arena One, a petite, loli-sized girl slowly emerged from the blue传送 (TL Note: Teleportation) light.
She possessed a head of vibrant, gem-green short hair, and on her delicate face, a pair of sparkling, clear eyes blinked as they surveyed her surroundings, seemingly captivated by the arena map she found herself in.
What truly drew attention, however, was not her charming appearance, but her equipment.
It appeared to be a black priest’s robe, yet it differed from the relatively thick and conservative priest’s robes with their long, wide sleeves.
This garment was even sleeveless, leaving the girl’s slender, pale arms exposed.
The light fabric barely encased her tiny frame, and the black ultra-short skirt just skimmed her thighs, a considerable distance above her knees.
Yan finally understood the reason for An Dong’s confusion, for he himself was now somewhat baffled.
Had it not been for the thin white gloves unmistakably adorning the girl’s hands, he would never have associated her profession with that of a Pugilist.
Her attire didn’t resemble a priest’s robe, nor did it look like a Pugilist’s light leather armor.
Not only did her clothing clearly lack any leather, it also appeared to offer minimal defense.
Furthermore, Pugilists’ attire, even for females, rarely featured skirts, as their attacks were swift and required extensive movement; such a short skirt would undoubtedly lead to indecent exposure.
But what about those gloves? And she didn’t seem to have any other weapons…
Yan furrowed his brow slightly, mirroring An Dong’s perplexed expression.
“Hey, An Dong, are there Pugilists like that?”
He curiously sought assistance from his companion, only to find that Ivan’s expression was identical to both of theirs.
“Emmm… probably… maybe?”
Ivan, the young boy, furrowed his delicate brow on his innocent face, answering with uncertainty.
“It’s just that I haven’t seen the gloves on her hands among any of the gauntlets currently available; they’re quite pretty.
I’ll definitely get an appearance like that later.”
He gazed at the white gloves on the girl’s hands, which were as thin as silk, an expression of longing and envy on his face.
Yan also noticed this detail; most Pugilists’ gauntlets looked quite peculiar… no, perhaps ‘hardcore’ was a better word?
In any case, they were typically massive and had a tough texture, making thin, skin-tight white gloves like the girl’s quite rare.
He glanced at Ivan’s dark, heavy [Iron Plate Gauntlets] hanging at his waist, their colossal and robust appearance contrasting sharply with Ivan’s innocent and nimble young figure, making them seem incredibly awkward and strange.
It felt as peculiar as a grizzled ronin-like Japanese samurai wielding a Western rapier, or a classical European knight shouting “Golden Bell Shield” while drawing a Tang hilt saber.
When playing a game, who wouldn’t want a good-looking and suitable appearance?
It was no wonder he wished to swap for gauntlets with an appearance similar to the girl’s gloves.
Watching Ivan’s eyes sparkle with stars, Yan chuckled helplessly, then turned to An Dong beside him.
An Dong was staring at the girl’s unique black outfit on the arena, lost in thought.
“Ah, I just remembered something.”
He scratched his head, suddenly exclaiming.
“Oh… darn it, darn it, how could I have forgotten this?”
“What’s wrong?”
Yan looked at him, puzzled.
“My wife told me to farm a bunch of materials to give her later so she could make me new armor.”
An Dong scratched his head, a frustrated expression on his face.
“But I completely forgot.”
“Ah, this…”
Yan raised an eyebrow, looking at him with confusion.
“Doesn’t sister-in-law know you have a match today?”
“Ah… it’s precisely because she knows I have the finals tonight that she insisted on making me a new armor.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yan nodded in understanding.
It seemed An Dong’s wife also wanted An Dong to win tonight’s finals, which was why she expressed her well wishes in this manner.
“So, are you going to farm materials now?”
“Yep!”
An Dong clenched his fist and responded with a smile.
Then, as if remembering something, he showed an embarrassed expression again.
“Ah… well, I’m a tank, you see…”
Oh, right, Yan had forgotten about that.
As a tank, An Dong’s monster-killing speed was incredibly slow, and it would likely be an eternity before he could farm enough materials.
“Lian, could you help me out…”
An Dong looked at Lian with pleading eyes.
“Sorry, I don’t seem to have time right now.”
Lian didn’t turn around, her eyes fixed intently on the hovering large screen, seemingly watching the intense battle between the two on the large Arena Five.
‘It seems she’s found a noteworthy opponent,’ Yan realized.
‘To make her so serious, a powerful player must have appeared…’
Yan also wanted to see who on Arena Five had caught Lian’s attention.
An Dong watched this scene, knowing Lian was out of the question, and for a moment, he was at a loss, only able to show a distressed expression.
Seeing An Dong’s predicament, Yan smiled helplessly, giving up the idea of watching the excitement on Arena Five.
He patted An Dong’s shoulder.
“Brother An Dong, I’ll go with you.”
“Huh?”
An Dong exclaimed in surprise, then showed an excited expression.
“Really? You can?”
His excited expression then slightly faded, and he scratched his head somewhat bashfully.
“But aren’t you still watching the matches, Yan? If you miss the chance to observe your opponents because of me, can’t formulate a strategy, and end up losing the finals, I’d feel terrible.”
He seemed even more concerned about Yan’s match than Yan himself.
Seeing such an honest and good-natured An Dong, Yan couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“It’s fine, Brother An Dong.
I reckon I’ll be fighting Zhen Bupo, and I’ve pretty much figured out his fighting style, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Besides…”
Yan smiled, pointing to Qing Bai and Tian Jiu beside him.
“Aren’t they here to watch for me?
If any noteworthy opponents appear later, they’ll tell me.”
“I see…”
An Dong’s expression relaxed, seemingly agreeing to Yan’s help.
“I… I want to go too.”
Tian Jiu, clutching her priest’s staff, spoke softly from behind Yan.
“Oh? Really? Don’t you want to watch the matches a bit longer here?”
Yan turned his head in surprise, looking at Tian Jiu’s slightly flushed cheeks as he asked.
“Wherever Yan goes, I’ll go…”
After saying that, Tian Jiu’s face grew even redder.
She shyly lowered her head, then quickly mumbled another quiet sentence.
“Anyway, I came here this afternoon just to watch the matches with Yan, so going to farm monsters with Yan is the same… after all, Yan even bought me milk tea…”
“Alright.”
Yan smiled, looking at the adorable Tian Jiu, and gently ruffled her hair.
“This young lady won’t be going.”
Qing Bai, however, stated firmly.
“This young lady needs to watch the matches a bit longer to prepare for the next activity.”
‘Ah, this young lady is truly competitive,’ Yan thought, ‘is she still bothered about not becoming the arena master?’
Yan smiled helplessly at Qing Bai and slowly spoke.
“Alright, that’s good.
Help me keep an eye out for any new, noteworthy opponents who might emerge.”
“Hmph.”
Qing Bai gave a short, muffled grunt and then said nothing more, seemingly concentrating on the matches.
“I’ll go too.
One more person makes farming materials quicker.”
Guan Ying, who had been quietly standing beside Xiao, suddenly spoke.
“Can you?”
Yan looked at him with a hint of surprise, speaking without any particular hidden meaning.
“Aren’t you supposed to be with Xiao?”
“I-I, why would I have to be with that guy!”
Yan hadn’t intended to tease him, but Guan Ying always became incredibly sensitive whenever Xiao was mentioned.
He blushed slightly, appearing somewhat flustered.
“Cough!”
He let out a soft cough, regaining his usual calm and resolute demeanor, befitting a great general.
“I’m not an arena master, so there’s no need for me to stay here.
Xiao and Ivan can stay here and just keep an eye on the players they need to.”
“That’s true.”
Yan nodded.
“Thank you so much!
For being willing to help me too.”
An Dong walked over excitedly, shaking Guan Ying’s hand with a smile.
“Haha, it’s nothing, just a small favor.”
Guan Ying said with a polite smile.
“Fantastic!
With the help of so many powerful players, we’ll definitely gather enough materials quickly!”
An Dong excitedly raised his clenched right fist.
“So, without further ado! Let’s set off now!”