Unexpected Kill and a New Journey

Yan had obliterated the boss in a flash…

Yet, a wave of panic washed over him.

He had explicitly intended to control the pace of their dungeon clear!

How had a single attack instantly annihilated the boss!?

How was he ever going to explain this to Tian Jiu!?

Nervously, he glanced at Tian Jiu, dreading that she might discern his peculiar stats and consequently brand him an unscrupulous cheater.

What he failed to realize, however, was just how profoundly Tian Jiu, a newcomer to the realm of full-dive VRMMORPGs, lacked even the most basic understanding of the game’s mechanics.

“Yan, that was incredible!”

Meeting Tian Jiu’s eyes, alight with admiration, Yan found himself scratching his head in mild embarrassment.

“Is the Lancer class truly that powerful!?”

Witnessing Tian Jiu on the verge of developing a profound misunderstanding about the Lancer class, Alice swiftly waved a hand, eager to clarify.

“That’s not quite it, Tian Jiu,” Alice explained, a wry smile playing on her lips. “It’s just that Yan’s circumstances are rather unique; other Lancers wouldn’t find clearing a boss quite so effortless.”

“Oh? Is that how it is?” Tian Jiu’s small eyes widened with profound confusion, seemingly making even less sense of the situation.

“Well, in short, Yan is simply exceptionally strong, and has been for a very, very long time.”

Alice, apparently unable to offer a more coherent explanation, could only resort to this simple statement.

“Oh.” Tian Jiu nodded, a hint of comprehension dawning in her expression.

“Let’s put that aside for now; it’s time to distribute the equipment.”

Yan offered a wry smile, deftly shifting the topic.

Truth be told, the equipment dropped by this particular boss amounted to nothing more than useless junk in Yan’s discerning eyes. Thus, after a quick glance at Tian Jiu, still clad in her rudimentary novice gear, he unceremoniously dumped all the boss drops from his inventory into hers.

“This… I couldn’t possibly accept this…”

Tian Jiu hastily waved her hands in refusal, a blush of urgent crimson rising on her fair cheeks, as she promptly pushed the items back towards him.

“I did absolutely nothing. It’s already mortifying enough that you carried me through the boss fight; how could I possibly take more from you?”

“These items are of no use to me.”

Yan, however, adamantly pushed all the dropped items back into Tian Jiu’s hands, then regarded her with a look of stern righteousness.

“Consider this: I can instantly obliterate this boss with a single strike. Do you truly believe I’d covet anything it carries?”

“Pfft.” Tian Jiu couldn’t help but chuckle, amused by Yan’s earnest absurdity. Reluctantly, she accepted the dropped items, offering him a grateful thank you.

“Let’s proceed to the next area, shall we? After all, didn’t we fight through that boss precisely to access the next region?”

Yan proposed.

“Oh, mm!”

Tian Jiu nodded, then quickly followed in Yan’s footsteps, together stepping into the shimmering teleportation portal that had materialized at the cave’s terminus.

“Woah!”

With a flash of light, a bustling, vibrant marketplace materialized before the group. Before Yan could even indulge in a moment of sentimental reflection on returning to this familiar locale, Tian Jiu, standing beside him, let out an excited gasp.

“This must be a snack street, mustn’t it!?” Tian Jiu’s gaze swept across the dizzying array of shops and bustling stalls, prompting her to voice an incredulous question: “Is this genuinely a game?”

The air itself was thick with the commingled aromas of countless snacks, while the shouts of street vendors, indistinguishable from those of a real-world bazaar, made such a thought unavoidable.

Yan watched the ‘inexperienced’ Tian Jiu, a smile involuntarily gracing his lips.

He recalled that when he himself had been a novice in this very game, his reaction upon first stepping into this place had been remarkably similar.

Yet, he had eventually come to understand that it was precisely these vistas—so akin to reality, yet subtly distinct—that rendered full-dive VRMMORPGs immortal. Not even the regulations enacted by the United Government (TL Note: The governing body of this world, often referred to as ‘Lianhe Zhengfu’ in Chinese web novels) could stem the tide of real-world inhabitants falling in love with such a beautiful world.

“This is the Wind Star Hills region, where Wind Star City is situated. It also happens to be the largest open map area currently available in