Chapter 22: The First Casualty and Shifting Alliances

The group stood silently in the safe zone’s plaza. Though it was night, the game environment mitigated the darkness, with only the scattered lights around them illuminating the area.

Yet, a profound sense of oppression had settled within the hearts of all the players.

“She… that woman… she’s dead? Are you certain?”

Hank’s gaze fell darkly upon Xingxing and Xue Hu, a stark contrast to his earlier cheerful demeanor.

“It’s only the first day, and people are already dying. If we encounter even stronger monsters later, won’t things become impossible to bear?”

“Sister Chen… ah, Chen Lili, she truly was a good person. Not only did she share all her secrets with us, but she even took a blow for me.”

Xingxing nodded, though her tone betrayed a distinct lack of gratitude.

“I watched with my own eyes as she burned to ashes right in front of me. Ugh, it was utterly sickening; that sight was truly horrifying!”

“Mm, she’s not wrong. Chen Lili did indeed die before our eyes, and the system’s words hold true.”

While Xue Hu disapproved of Xingxing’s attitude—Chen Lili had, after all, saved her life, yet Xingxing seemed not only ungrateful but even derisive—she refrained from comment.

After all, they would all be rivals eventually, and Xue Hu herself hadn’t intervened to help Chen Lili when she was attacked, so there was no point in ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘wushibu xiao baibu,’ meaning to criticize someone for a fault that one shares, but to a lesser degree; similar to ‘the pot calling the kettle black’).

“This won’t do. The system requires us to capture the Azure Dragon within a week, which means reaching level 200 within seven days.”

“We all started at level 100, and my brother Kabasiji and I are only at level 110 now.”

“Levelling up will undoubtedly slow down significantly, making it already a stretch to reach level 200 in seven days.”

“Now, with this precious nighttime taken away, we might not even make it to level 200 at all.”

Hank spoke with a worried frown.

“What level are you two? How about we team up and hunt together from now on?”

“That way, we can access higher-level monster zones and level up much faster.”

“We… we’re only level 105.”

“It’s all Chen Lili’s fault; she was too scared to push forward, constantly holding us back, and even used her skills to steal our experience!”

“And ‘Half the Sky’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning women hold up half the sky, often used to praise women’s capabilities), hmph, the weakness of women is precisely defeated by people like her!”

Xingxing viciously complained about Chen Lili, a tirade that left Xue Hu feeling uneasy.

Chen Lili’s skill only affected her own leveling speed, not her teammates’, and in truth, it was Xingxing who had been more of a hindrance in combat.

Such a blatant ‘villain making the first accusation’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘eren xian gaoguang,’ meaning to accuse someone first to preemptively deflect blame, even if one is the real culprit) was truly excessive.

Moreover, Chen Lili was dead, leaving no way to verify these claims, making Xingxing’s words entirely one-sided.

“How are your levels so low? Were you not serious about hunting monsters?”

“It’s normal for girls to be timid and afraid, but if you fight with us, as long as you follow my commands, I guarantee you’ll level up quickly and safely, without dying as fast as Chen Lili did.”

Hank clearly didn’t believe Xingxing’s attempt to pin the blame on Chen Lili, yet he chose not to expose her, instead trying to entice the two girls into his party.

“So, Xue Hu, have you decided? Come fight with us; it’ll be much more efficient and safer.”

There it was!

The moment Xue Hu saw Hank turn his attention to her, a wave of vigilance washed over her.

Hank’s focus had been particularly keen on her before, but Chen Lili’s presence had thwarted his intentions.

Now, with Chen Lili dead, Hank’s gaze immediately shifted back to her, confirming his ulterior motives and ill intent!

“I… fine, let’s team up and set out tomorrow!”

Xue Hu lowered her head, pondering carefully, and eventually accepted Hank’s invitation.

Despite its realistic feel, this was, after all, a game world where ‘matters between men and women’ (TL Note: A euphemism referring to sexual or romantic interactions) were impossible.

Therefore, even if Hank harbored a predilection for younger girls, he couldn’t actually do anything to her.

Seeing Xue Hu raise the small wooden board indicating her agreement to team up, Hank finally cracked a long-awaited smile.

Xingxing, feeling sidelined by Hank, seemed rather displeased, and surprisingly cast her gaze toward the equally inconspicuous Kabasiji, as if considering striking up a conversation.

On another note, Xue Hu still hadn’t seen a trace of the Shamatte-styled individual.

Had he gone home first?

Or was he still in the forest, yet to emerge?

“Oh, right, Brother Hank, where is that guy? He didn’t die in the forest, did he?”

Kabasiji, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

“He’s so antisocial; it’d be for the best if he died. Just one less competitor, I suppose!”

“No, I don’t think he’s dead yet, as the system hasn’t notified us of his demise.”

“However, that guy is certainly a wild card, but if he’s alone, I don’t think he can cause much trouble.”

Hank analyzed, stroking his chin.

“How strong can one person’s power be?”

“Forget about capturing the Azure Dragon; how many of these elite monsters at night could he even kill by himself?”

“Ah, is that so? But I still feel a little uneasy.”

“What if the system granted him some special ability, allowing him to capture the Azure Dragon alone? Wouldn’t that be him ‘stealing the chicken’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘touji,’ meaning to gain an advantage through cunning or underhanded means, often by taking credit for others’ work or achieving success through minimal effort)?”

Kabasiji looked at Hank, but his gaze drifted toward the Shamatte-styled individual’s room.

“We should really try to keep tabs on his whereabouts, to ensure he doesn’t secretly capture the Azure Dragon while we’re not paying attention!”

“Special ability? What kind of ability could it be?”

“Brother Kabasiji, are you suggesting you also possess some heaven-defying ability that could allow you to capture the Azure Dragon alone?”

Hank immediately retorted upon hearing Kabasiji’s words.

“Just now Xingxing mentioned that… what’s her name, Chen Lili, also had some ability. What was her ability?”

“Me? What ability could I possibly have? You were with me hunting monsters today; you saw it yourself, I’m just like you!”

Kabasiji quickly waved his hands, denying it.

“I don’t have particularly high attack power or thick HP; I definitely don’t have any special abilities, Brother Hank, you can rest assured about that!”

“Ah, you’re asking what Chen Lili’s ability was?”

“Well, it was that when she teamed up with us, she could steal our experience!”

“It only worked when she teamed up with girls, not with guys, which is why she didn’t join your team!”

Xingxing immediately declared loudly, nearly drowning out Kabasiji’s voice entirely.

Although Xue Hu found Xingxing’s act of slandering the dead utterly shameful, she said nothing, adhering to the principle of ‘mind your own business’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘shibuguanji, gaogaoguaqi,’ meaning to stay out of matters that don’t concern you).

“Stealing your experience? And you still teamed up with her?”

“Didn’t you say she told you about her ability?”

Hank sounded somewhat suspicious, though he ultimately didn’t press the matter further.

“Even with an ability like that, it’s nothing significant; it just means leveling up faster than others.”

“One person still can’t deal with the Azure Dragon alone!”

“If that guy also has a similar ability, then he’s truly nothing to fear.”

“Even if we let him reach level 200 right now, what good would it do? Could he defeat the Azure Dragon?”