Chapter 11: Awkward Introductions and Forming Teams

“Hey, big sister, I don’t think that’s quite right!

If you want to share your quest with us, that’s your business, but don’t try to morally blackmail us into revealing ours!”

The black-haired man with a buzz cut grumbled unhappily from the side.

“My name is Kabasiji.

As for my quest, please allow me to keep it confidential for now, okay?”

“What do you mean by that?

If we all keep our quests hidden, how are we supposed to fight monsters together later on?”

Chen Lili retorted indignantly.

“If you’re not going to cooperate, then I don’t want to team up with you.

What if your quest is to cause a teammate’s death?

How could I possibly entrust my back to someone like you?”

“Hmph, if you don’t want to team up with me, I don’t want to team up with you either!

Anyone who teams up with a ‘saintly b*tch’ (TL Note: A derogatory term for someone who is overly virtuous or hypocritical) like you is just asking for bad luck!”

Kabasiji’s retort was equally merciless.

He then turned to Hank and said,

“Your name is Hank, right?

Let’s team up.

Men aren’t as fussy as those women.”

“S-speaking of which, d-does this game have friendly fire?”

At this moment, the black-haired, long-straight-haired girl beside Chen Lili spoke up weakly.

She seemed very shy and timid, yet she still decided to voice her opinion.

“U-um, my name is Xingxing.

H-hello, everyone!”

“Don’t be scared, little Xingxing.

With big sister here, those men wouldn’t dare do anything to you!”

Chen Lili immediately pulled Xingxing into an embrace, stroking her hair as if she had found a treasure, and said,

“If they want to team up, let them.

We girls will form our own team and show them that we’re just as good at games!

Oh, and the little girl by the door, come over quickly!

Don’t be shy; come introduce yourself here!”

… Xue Hu felt a bit speechless seeing Chen Lili waving her over.

She hadn’t wanted to go up and chat with them, knowing that the more she interacted, the greater the chance of exposure.

However, their attention had now shifted to her, and if she didn’t go, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Xue Hu obediently walked to the front of the group.

She had created a loli-sized avatar.

The others, Hank and Kabasiji, were adult male avatars; Hank appeared as an uncle, while Kabasiji looked like a recent college graduate.

Chen Lili was a busty ‘big sister’ (TL Note: A mature, attractive woman), quite tall among the females, while Xingxing had a youthful girl’s physique, making her relatively shorter than the others—

Thus, everyone was taller than Xue Hu!

Xue Hu could only stand amidst the crowd, looking up at everyone else.

On the women’s side, it wasn’t too bad, as the height difference wasn’t significant, but for the men, it felt as though she were looking up at giants!

At that moment, Xue Hu once again regretted not having created a busty ‘big sister’ avatar.

Not only had she missed out on the ‘fun’ (TL Note: Referring to the perceived advantages or aesthetic pleasure of having a more mature avatar), but now she stood among the crowd like a tiny chick.

“Wow!

What an adorable little sister!

Come here and let big sister give you a hug!”

Chen Lili, who was beside her, got a clear look at the little one and immediately her eyes turned into hearts—

This was a game world, so such exaggerated expressions were quite common—

When the entire world was cartoon-styled, what couldn’t be achieved?

“Little sister, what’s your name?”

Hank enthusiastically stepped forward, observing Xue Hu intently as he asked.

“You’re so small, how did you end up in this game world?

Aren’t your parents worried?”

Xingxing remained hesitant and timid at this point, truly appearing very shy.

Kabasiji, however, spoke with a look of disdain.

“Hey, don’t let her fool you!

This is a game world; character appearances are all customized.

Who knows what she looks like in the real world?

Are you really taking a game character at face value?”

“My name is Xue Hu, and I am twelve years old.”

From somewhere, Xue Hu produced a wooden board and a black marker, then wrote on the board.

“Since I can’t speak, I can only use this instead (●’◡’●)ﾉ❤”

At this moment, Xue Hu’s inner thoughts were, ‘This game world is truly convenient.’

‘Although it appeared as if she were writing on the board with a pen, in reality, she was simply inputting ‘text’ onto the board through her thoughts.’

‘The principle was quite simple: this wooden board was essentially the in-game chat interface, displaying whatever one would normally type in a game.’

‘However, since everyone could chat directly via voice here, the method of typing was largely overlooked.’

“Oh dear, how pitiful!

To be mute at such a young age.

But it’s alright; big brother will help you clear the game.

How about teaming up with big brother?”

Hank seemed exceptionally enthusiastic, though it was unclear whether this was simply his nature or if there was some ulterior motive.

“Hmph, little Xue Hu is mine!

Don’t even think about abducting children, you pervert!”

Chen Lili immediately pulled Xue Hu into her embrace, glaring at Hank as she spoke.

“If she were to join your team, who knows what beastly things you might do!”

“Hey, don’t slander me like that!

I’m a decent person!”

Hank, having his character questioned by Chen Lili, retorted indignantly.

“In my opinion, you’re the one with problems.

Didn’t you see how you looked at little Xue Hu earlier, like a complete loli-con?”

“U-um… I, I have a question, th-then…”

Just then, Xingxing stammered her way into the conversation once more.

“U-um, over there, isn’t there still… still one more… Eek!

D-don’t hit me…”

Although Xingxing didn’t finish her sentence and crouched down, clutching her head, everyone still followed her gaze and noticed something.

Not far away, a young boy stood, quite handsome apart from his ‘shamate’ (TL Note: A flamboyant, often spiky, and brightly colored hairstyle, similar to emo or scene hair, popular in Chinese subculture) hairstyle—

He had been standing there silently for a long time, with no intention of coming forward to introduce himself.

It wasn’t until Xingxing drew everyone’s attention to him that he shot her a fierce glare, then, without a word, simply walked off toward his own home.