Chapter 16: The Template for Don Quixote

The aura radiating from the Measurer grew increasingly intense, and Yin Feixue refused to be outdone.

The clash of their powers directly buffeted Qin Yu, who currently possessed almost no combat capability.

‘Fortunately, I have Xiao Xue’s Blood-shadow Cloak, otherwise I’d be in trouble.’

Relying on the protection of the cloak, Qin Yu blocked the majority of the shockwaves.

The standoff in the void was far from over; Yin Feixue suddenly drew [Blood Rose] and sent a slash toward the Measurer.

Sword qi condensed from blood energy swept toward the floating Measurer, who dodged with a sidestep before summoning an Astral Ring.

Five celestial bodies orbiting the ring spun once before hurtling toward Yin Feixue one by one.

Yin Feixue charged head-on, closing in on the Measurer at high speed while nimbly evading the bombardment of the celestial spheres.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spheres struck the ground, triggering significant explosions, forcing Qin Yu to press himself against the wall to avoid the collateral damage.

Fortunately, the observatory tower suffered little damage; its walls were reinforced with specialized defensive magic, so there was no fear of them being destroyed.

With unstoppable momentum, Yin Feixue swung her sword at the Measurer.

The Measurer used the Astral Ring to block, and the two became locked in a stalemate mid-air.

“Bloodwood Coffin!”

Behind the Measurer, the Bloodwood Coffin summoned by Yin Feixue appeared.

The coffin swung open, and a powerful suction force surged toward the Measurer, who gradually began to falter.

“Since you have yet to awaken your Destiny, you can wait for your next life!”

The [Blood Rose] in Yin Feixue’s hand began to bloom.

With a flash of crimson light, the Measurer was impaled and dragged directly into the [Bone-Eating Blood Hell] formed within the coffin.

Only the sound of grinding and shredding echoed; this execution strike doomed the Measurer beyond redemption.

The Bloodwood Coffin snapped shut, returning to its normal appearance.

‘Cruel as always.’

As Yin Feixue’s Destined Relic, the Bloodwood Coffin was exceptionally powerful; aside from daily utility, its combat applications were enough to scare anyone to death.

Once dragged into the Bone-Eating Blood Hell, one had to endure the agony of ten thousand blade-wheels and a thousand cuts…

Yin Feixue landed near Qin Yu, the blood-lust from the battle still swirling around her, radiating a terrifying aura.

However, this meant nothing to Qin Yu.

“Good work~ But now that you’ve killed the Measurer like that, what about the loot he was supposed to drop?”

“Hmph, I knew you were going to ask that…”

Yin Feixue produced the [Star Measurer Set] and tossed it to Qin Yu.

“Xiao Xue, you’re so meticulous.”

The purple-grade Star Measurer Set possessed mana recovery capabilities far exceeding those of the Observer Set, and it was also the key item needed to reach the Blood Moon.

Therefore, the item wouldn’t be easily destroyed; Yin Feixue had likely retrieved it out of curiosity as to why the set hadn’t been shredded into pieces—she hadn’t actually intended to preserve it.

“What’s next?” Yin Feixue asked.

“To the top floor of the tower. Xiao Xue, I’ll have to trouble you to carry me up.”

Qin Yu opened his arms, but Yin Feixue had no intention of hugging him; she simply used her power to make him levitate and float up alongside her.

“Xiao Xue, you’re really not making this easy, are you?”

“Servant, I hope you recognize your status.”

“Aren’t I your lover?”

“That’s merely an incidental detail.”

Despite her words, Yin Feixue’s affinity for Qin Yu had risen to 68; it proved that what she said didn’t matter—what mattered were her true feelings.

The two reached the top floor of the tower. Qin Yu faced the direction of the Blood Moon and changed into the Star Measurer Set.

“Powers of the stars, please guide me on the path to the starry sky!”

At Qin Yu’s summons, countless tiny grains of stardust fell from the sky, forming a translucent bridge before them that led straight to the Blood Moon.

“Let’s go, Xiao Xue.”

Yin Feixue was the first to step onto the bridge, with Qin Yu walking beside her.

“Servant, will there come a day when you tell me everything about yourself?”

Driven by her curiosity about him, Yin Feixue asked the question. Qin Yu was simply too mysterious, and she couldn’t help but wonder.

“I will. But if you were to beg me right now, Xiao Xue, I would tell you everything.”

Qin Yu answered with a smile. He was perfectly willing to tell Yin Feixue everything, as long as she asked.

“Keep dreaming.”

Yin Feixue quickened her pace; she would never beg anyone. She intended to make Qin Yu open his mouth and tell her everything of his own accord.

The bridge to the Blood Moon slowly vanished behind them as they walked.

Some players exploring the Blood Soul Realm wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them, as they seemed to see two figures walking through the sky.

The shimmering bridge made Qin Yu and Yin Feixue’s figures flicker in and out of sight, sparking wonder among the players.

‘Those two silhouettes look a bit familiar…’

Sugar was still exploring the realm. Relying on her [Shadow Step], two purple accessories, and a purple shortsword, she was performing brilliantly, even taking down several Tier 3 monsters.

Treating the monsters like players worked perfectly for her, though there were subtle differences between full-dive combat and VR; fortunately, she was gradually adapting.

“It feels like there’s not much left to explore. Everyone has already gone to the main world to snatch resources…”

Sugar’s interest in the Divine Realm had entered a period of fatigue. Without any prior knowledge of the area, she could only run around aimlessly and grind mobs.

This was the downside of an open-world game without directed quests; Sugar chose to leave early.

[Do you wish to leave the Divine Realm early?]

[Warning: The safer Divine Realms can only be entered during the first seven days of the launch. Once you leave early, you cannot return!]

“Yes!”

Sugar chose “Yes” decisively.

[Evaluating character template…]

[Exploration summary: Nameless Graveyard, Abandoned Town…]

[Item summary: Purple ×5…]

[Skill summary: Shadow Step…]

[Kill summary: 5 Tier 3…]

[Hidden Challenge summary: Shadow Sprints…]

[Performing final assessment based on player performance…]

[Generating template…]

[Evaluation Rank: S]

“S? Is that the highest?”

Sugar felt a surge of excitement, but then she clicked to see the details.

“Fine, there are also SS and SSS ranks. Aptitude 7 seems pretty good, though.”

In the end, the character template Sugar received had an Aptitude of 7, which was a very strong start. It meant she didn’t have to worry about getting stuck at the frustrating Tier 6 to Tier 7 bottleneck.

[Teleporting player back to the main world…]

Sugar left the Blood Soul Realm.

Meanwhile, Qin Yu and Yin Feixue were nearing the Blood Moon. The closer they got, the stronger the sense of oppression became.

The Blood Moon was once the home of the Moon God; it should have been a bright, clear moon, but its current crimson state was inseparable from the corruption of the Evil Gods.

The moment he stepped onto the Blood Moon, Qin Yu felt as if he were stepping onto a cursed land…