The Instant Boss Kill

“Tian Jiu, it seems this is your first time playing this game, isn’t it?”

As they stepped into the shadowy maw of the cave, Yan inquired about Tian Jiu’s experience with the game.

“Hmm… to be honest, this is my very first experience with a full-dive game…”

“What?! No, you can’t be serious.”

Yan exclaimed, turning to stare at Tian Jiu, his footsteps involuntarily slowing to a crawl.

“So, you’re telling me you have absolutely no knowledge of full-dive VRMMORPGs?”

“Hmm…”

Tian Jiu lowered her head, resembling a small kitten caught in the act of mischief.

“I’m not blaming you at all,” Yan assured her gently.

Yan offered her a warm, reassuring smile.

“On a different note, I’ve just realized you’re only level five. To attempt a boss at such a low level… it truly shows how unfamiliar you are with these kinds of games.”

Yan sighed, a helpless expression crossing his face as he glanced at the team window, where the number ‘5’ glowed beside Tian Jiu’s ID.

“It seems that previous party wasn’t entirely heartless, bringing you along to attempt a boss fight.”

“Everyone was so kind, it’s just because Tian Jiu was too useless that…”

Tian Jiu’s self-deprecating words were cut short by Yan’s raised hand.

“There’s nothing to be done about it, really. It’s not your fault, Tian Jiu. You’ll get the hang of it as you slowly familiarize yourself with the game. For now, just observe and learn from others.”

Yan’s hand, almost instinctively, began to ruffle her hair again.

A moment later, he snapped back to awareness, hastily withdrawing his hand.

“Ah, my apologies, I just…”

“No… it’s quite alright.”

Tian Jiu suddenly looked up, her face already flushed crimson with shyness, yet she met Yan’s gaze with serious intent.

“If you enjoy patting my head, Yan, please feel free to do so.”

“Ah… what I just said, that was…”

As if realizing the brazenness of her own words, Tian Jiu shyly buried her face, her fingers intertwining in an awkward display of embarrassment.

“B-because… your hand, Yan, it’s so big. It reminds me of my grandmother, who always looked after me and would often pat my head just like that…”

A soft chuckle escaped Yan’s lips.

Yan let out a laugh, then, seeing Tian Jiu’s puzzled expression, he offered a gentle smile and an explanation.

“My apologies, truly. It’s just that you remind me so much of a friend I have in real life. She also lives with her grandmother. I used to pat her head all the time, so much so that I started to wonder if that was why she never grew any taller.”

“…”

Noticing Tian Jiu’s sudden silence, Yan’s eyes widened as a realization dawned upon him.

“Could it be… Tian Jiu, are you also this petite in real life?”

Yan’s gaze swept over Tian Jiu’s virtual avatar, which clearly stood no taller than 1.6 meters.

Her cheeks burning, Tian Jiu slowly nodded.

“Pfft.”

Yan couldn’t hold back another chuckle.

“Hey! It’s not nice to make fun of a girl’s height, you know!”

Alice suddenly popped out from behind, raising a hand and delivering a sharp rap to Yan’s forehead.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Yan cried, clutching his forehead and looking at Alice with an aggrieved expression.

“I wasn’t mocking her, I just found it incredibly cute.”

Alice must have definitely ramped up Yan’s pain perception settings.

Otherwise, it would be utterly terrifying for an AI with no combat capabilities to inflict pain on him, a player optimized for maximum HP.

“I genuinely believe Tian Jiu must be an adorable girl in real life, because my friend who resembles you so much is exactly the same.”

Yan offered his straightforward compliment with a sincere smile.

“Th-thank you,” Tian Jiu murmured, shyly accepting his praise.

Then, a question surfaced in her mind.

“Yan, why didn’t you assume I was a boy playing a female character?”

“It’s true, boys playing female characters is quite common in RPGs,” Yan conceded, “but Tian Jiu, I’m certain you’re not one of them.”

“Why?”

Tian Jiu questioned, a hint of confusion in her voice.

“Because, Tian Jiu, you simply give off the vibe of an adorable girl.”

Yan chuckled, completely unconcerned by the deep crimson blush that now stained Tian Jiu’s cheeks.

“Yan can be quite mischievous sometimes, can’t he?”

Alice quipped, looking at Tian Jiu as if to solicit her agreement.

“When you invited me to the party earlier, I thought you’d be such a gentle person!”

Tian Jiu pouted, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.

“It turns out you play pranks just like any other boy.”

“Well, I am just a normal boy, after all.”

Yan shrugged helplessly, resuming his trek deeper into the cavern.

“Oh, by the way, Yan.”

Following their playful banter, Tian Jiu seemed to have brightened considerably, prompting her to address Yan directly.

“Why did I only see one Alice after joining the party? Isn’t Alice an AI companion assigned to every player?”

“The term ‘companion’ is certainly a fresh one…”

Alice let out a helpless chuckle, then gently took Tian Jiu’s hand.

“Allow me to answer that for you~”

Tian Jiu’s hand trembled ever so slightly at Alice’s sudden touch, but she offered no resistance.

“Because there has only ever been one Alice, from the very beginning~”

Alice smiled softly, looking at Yan and Tian Jiu by her side, her crimson lips parting to explain the intricacies of her own existence.

“Whether I’m the Alice accompanying Yan, the Alice accompanying Tian Jiu, or the Alice guiding every new player in this very moment, I am always the same singular AI. It’s merely a matter of different program instances engaging in individual conversations with each player.”

“Once a party is formed, the various Alice chat programs belonging to the players within that party merge, transforming into the single Alice that everyone in the team ‘knows.’ I doubt you’d want to see Alice suddenly learn Shadow Clone Jutsu and have several of me pop up at once, would you, Tian Jiu?”

“Hmm, indeed.”

Tian Jiu mused, the image of four identical Alices appearing simultaneously within the same party was enough to make her giggle.

“On a side note, when players aren’t in a party, other people’s Alices are invisible. While in a party, only one Alice is visible to all members, and players outside the party cannot see her. This same principle will apply to guilds once they become available.”

“I see…”

Tian Jiu murmured, nodding her head in a gesture of partial comprehension.

“In any case, if you have any questions about this game in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask me. My fundamental role is, after all, to guide players in enjoying this experience.”

Alice affectionately linked arms with Tian Jiu, conveying her words with a warm smile.

“Mhm,” Tian Jiu responded, offering a comforting smile.

“Speaking of which, aren’t you being rather derelict in your duties?”

Yan suddenly interjected.

“How did you let her wander all the way here to fight a boss at merely level five?”

It was only then that Yan recalled Alice’s crucial role; even for a novice like Tian Jiu, such a situation shouldn’t have occurred with an AI guide present.

“Ugh…”

Alice mumbled, shrinking slightly behind Tian Jiu, clearly aware of her lapse.

“I just discovered that the program handling Tian Jiu’s chat had some bugs. It was indeed my oversight not to provide proper novice guidance, but rest assured, the erroneous program has already been fixed.”

“That’s good then…”

Yan nodded, his idle chatter with the two abruptly ceasing, for…

…the boss’s lair lay directly before them.

Tian Jiu, too, recognized their proximity to danger.

Nervously, she drew her novice staff, trailing closely behind Yan.

“Yan, don’t worry,” Tian Jiu declared, a tremor in her voice.

“If you get hurt, I’ll cast my skills for you.”

As Tian Jiu nervously offered her support, Alice simply waved a dismissive hand in front of her.

“You don’t need to worry at all,” Alice reassured her.

“Yan will handle this Level 15 fixed boss with absolute ease.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

Tian Jiu, still half-doubting, lowered her staff.

She remained rooted to the spot, watching Yan advance resolutely forward with bated breath.

The stone wall before Yan suddenly opened into a vast chamber.

There, upon a stone platform, sat a colossal, ancient ape, its form withered with age.

As Yan continued his advance, the aged ape abruptly opened its eyes, which glowed with an ominous red light.

Level 15 Fixed Boss: [Cave Stone Ape]!

“Bosses in this game are generally categorized into two types: Fixed Bosses and Field Bosses,” Alice began, offering her expertise to Tian Jiu.

“Fixed Bosses are those that await player challenges within a designated boss room; most main story bosses fall into this category. Field Bosses, conversely, are those that spawn in specific game zones and continuously roam the map, much like ordinary monsters. However, most Field Bosses are also distinguished by an icon displayed to the left of their ID.”

Alice lectured Tian Jiu on some fundamental knowledge regarding *Companion God Realm*.

“Most event bosses are also Fixed Bosses. However, it’s crucial to remember that if a wandering boss event occurs, that boss’s roaming range won’t be confined to a single map like a typical Field Boss. They might traverse several maps, and some even appear only at specific times. Regardless of the boss type, players are required to be at a level comparable to, or even higher than, the boss’s rating to successfully defeat it. Only then can they hope to emerge victorious.”

“Oh…”

Tian Jiu mumbled, diligently trying to commit Alice’s exposition to memory.

“Finally, one last point: between a Field Boss and a Fixed Boss of the same level, the Fixed Boss will unequivocally possess superior combat power. This is because Field Bosses are inherently designed for solo play, whereas Fixed Bosses are typically tackled by a party, or even larger, coordinated teams.”

“Ah, but that kind of existence is an exception,” Alice added, gesturing towards Yan’s figure.

“Oh, is it already over?”

“Oh…”

Tian Jiu responded, a blank expression on her face.

Only after a moment did the realization hit her, prompting an astonished cry.

“W-wait, what?!”

She stared in utter disbelief at Yan, who now stood before the fallen ancient ape.

Hadn’t Yan just walked past moments ago? How could it possibly be over already?!

Yet, the ancient ape lay motionless on the ground.

As Yan withdrew the long spear embedded in its massive form, the creature’s body instantly dissolved into a myriad of glittering light signals, vanishing completely moments later.

[Conquest Successful.]

It wasn’t until the words [Conquest Successful] materialized in the air above the cavern that Tian Jiu finally processed the fact that Yan had instantly annihilated the ancient ape.

‘Hold on, this is…

Tian Jiu watched Yan, who, with a flourish, twirled his spear before sheathing it behind his back, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

To instantly kill a boss like that…

…was simply preposterous, wasn’t it?