Chapter 13: The Girls’ Team Ventures Forth

“Alright then, if you all believe this arrangement works best, so be it,” Hank conceded.

“However, Xue Hu, my dear, should you ever have a change of heart, our doors are always open for you.”

Observing Xue Hu’s unwavering resolve, he ultimately chose not to press her to join his team.

“I believe we should head out to hunt monsters immediately.

Time is of the essence; if no one manages to capture the Azure Dragon within seven days, we’re all slated for collective elimination!”

With that, Hank and Kabasiji exchanged nods and proceeded towards the forest entrance.

Before leaving, Kabasiji glanced back at the ‘Girls’ Team,’ his thoughts remaining a mystery.

“Come on, let’s go hunt some monsters ourselves! We can’t let those men outdo us!” Chen Lili exclaimed, hooking one arm around Xingxing’s neck while her other hand playfully tugged at Xue Hu’s small hand.

Her golden ponytail bounced energetically behind her head, betraying her palpable excitement.

“This game’s only combat profession is Warrior; does that mean we all have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with every monster?”

“S-Sister Chen,” Xingxing stammered, carefully recalling Nina’s earlier words.

“I remember the system once mentioned c-consumable items, and also… magic orbs.

W-we shouldn’t have to fight m-monsters hand-to-hand, right?

There s-should be spells we can use.

O-otherwise, why would we even have a m-mana bar?”

“Hmm, you’ve got a point,” Chen Lili conceded with a nod.

“If we’re limited to just punching monsters, this game would be rather basic, and our mana would be completely pointless!

Xue Hu, what are your thoughts on this?”

‘I believe it would be best if we start by finding a few weaker monsters to practice on; that way, we can grasp the game’s mechanics,’ Xue Hu wrote on her wooden board.

‘Furthermore, this game includes crafting professions, which certainly won’t be mere decorations.

I suspect that later monsters will be extremely challenging, necessitating food that grants buffs and equipment that boosts our defenses.’

“Hmm, your reasoning is quite sound as well,” Chen Lili affirmed with another nod, readily agreeing with Xue Hu’s assessment.

Without further ado, she charged headfirst towards the forest entrance.

“Charge! We girls absolutely cannot let them win!”

The three members of the ‘Girls’ Team’ stepped out of the safe zone one after another, venturing into the perilous wild forest.

At that very moment, a figure emerged from a nearby house: it was the Shamatte-styled individual.

Although the player was female, their in-game avatar was male, prompting the narrator to refer to them with male pronouns for consistency with the game persona.

He surveyed his surroundings, noting that everyone else had departed, leaving behind only the stoic NPCs.

Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.

‘Ah, if only I didn’t want to team up with others to fight,’ he mused aloud.

‘Damn this quest! It forces me to capture the Azure Dragon alone, granting me double experience when solo and halving it when in a party.

It practically forbids me from teaming up with anyone!’

‘And that Hank, what an utterly irritating fellow! He caused my confidential mission to fail, costing me a staggering 500 reward points! What a colossal loss!’ the Shamatte-styled individual fumed, clenching his fists in frustration.

‘If only this game allowed player-killing, I’d ambush him when his health was low and finish him off!

No, I won’t dwell on it; it’s infuriating me.

I’d better just hurry out and hunt some monsters!’

Soon, all players within the safe zone had ventured into the wild forest.

They were now poised to face the trials and tribulations brought forth by the monsters of the enchanted woods!

“Well, look at these puny monsters! They can’t take a punch at all; I knocked them down with a single blow! Hahahaha, I truly am incredible, aren’t I?” Chen Lili crowed, hands on her hips, as she gazed excitedly at the several mushroom sprites sprawled on the ground before her.

“Xue Hu, it seems your prediction was off; these monsters are far too weak.

We only need to reach Level 200 to capture the Azure Dragon! Now, let’s see who among us gets there first!”

‘Sister Lili, I believe you’re oversimplifying things!’ Xue Hu wrote on her wooden board, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

‘While it’s true we lack items and equipment, we’re all Level 100!

The monsters you’re currently fighting are merely Level 1!

Observe; we’re not even gaining any experience points from these creatures!

We absolutely need to venture deeper into the forest and confront higher-level monsters!’

“Oh? Is that so? No wonder these creatures seemed so feeble!” Chen Lili exclaimed, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she gave the mushroom sprite’s corpse a few frustrated kicks.

“In that case, let’s hurry deeper into the forest and discover what other monsters await us!”

She was just about to pull Xue Hu along when, suddenly, Xingxing shrieked and ran towards them.

“Aaaah! Get away from me! Shoo! Don’t come any closer! Sister Chen, help! There are bugs here!”

Both Chen Lili and Xue Hu followed the sound, turning their gazes towards Xingxing.

It turned out several hornets were chasing her.

These hornets, each as large as a human, certainly looked formidable—yet…

Chen Lili, with practiced ease, swiftly dispatched all of them, knocking them to the ground.

‘Seriously, they’re just minor monsters from the newbie zone; you can one-shot them with a single touch!’ Xue Hu wrote, holding up her wooden board in exasperation.

‘Is there really any need to be so terrified?’

“N-no, I’m sorry,” Xingxing stammered, lowering her head in embarrassment, her voice growing progressively softer.

“I-I’m just rather s-scared of bugs, so…”

Xue Hu, however, paid no heed to her apologies.

Relying on her extensive experience from years of playing RPGs, she immediately stepped forward to ‘loot the corpses.’

Just as she expected, she ‘pulled out’ several small yellow objects from within the hornets’ bodies—‘Honey’!