Chapter 19: The Fire Fox Chieftain’s Wrath

“Yes, I believe you. Let’s continue grinding monsters and leveling up!”

Just then, Xue Hu displayed an immense amount of goodwill.

She quickly wrote on a wooden board, “Lili, I trust you. Xingxing, let’s get along well too!”

“Xue Hu, you…”

Xingxing looked at Xue Hu, who was expressing goodwill, with a hint of surprise.

In Xingxing’s mind, this little loli was hardly an easygoing person, known for her sharp words delivered with an unceasing smile.

Yet, here she was, “naively” forgiving Chen Lili, a truly dangerous adversary.

‘Perhaps things aren’t as simple as they seem,’ Xingxing mused, before finally nodding and reluctantly agreeing.

“Alright, I’ll trust you this once. Let’s keep grinding monsters.”

“Little Sister Xue Hu, I truly appreciate your trust in me. I promise to protect both of you!”

Chen Lili breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the awkward situation finally resolved.

She knew that if these two abandoned her, she would be forced to face the monsters alone, not only losing out on the experience bonus but also encountering far greater dangers.

She had already realized that the monsters ahead would only grow tougher, and without the support of teammates, she could easily lose her life at any moment.

“Oh, Lili, there’s no need for such formalities. Mutual support is simply what teammates are meant to do!”

Xue Hu wrote this with a beaming smile on her wooden board.

Then, looking at the newly spawned “Fire Fox Warriors” and “Fire Fox Mages,” she wrote, “Lili, the monsters have spawned again. Be extra careful this time; I don’t have many ‘Rainfall Orbs’ left!”

Chen Lili and Xingxing once again charged towards the monsters of the “Fire Fox Tribe.”

This time, Chen Lili single-handedly engaged all the “Fire Fox Warriors,” while Xingxing circled around to directly attack the “Fire Fox Mages” from the rear.

Xue Hu remained at the very back of the group, occasionally launching orbs and items forward, dealing damage while also restoring some health to her two teammates.

However, Xue Hu was naturally not so genuinely benevolent.

Chen Lili would ultimately be her enemy, and allowing her to reach level 200 first was, of course, a cause for concern.

Yet, Chen Lili was not Xue Hu’s only adversary; Xingxing, Hank, Kabasiji, and even the Shamatte-styled individual were all her enemies.

Fortunately, Xue Hu possessed her own unique advantage: her special mission was to assist others in capturing the Azure Dragon.

This meant that even if she didn’t reach level 200 herself, as long as she could help someone who *did* reach level 200 capture the Azure Dragon, she would still achieve victory.

Regarding the definition of “assisting others,” Xue Hu had already consulted the system, and the reply was simply “being in a party,” which made the task incredibly straightforward.

Her current concern, however, was what she should do if someone had no interest in the Azure Dragon, or if they secretly attempted to capture it alone.

Though so much had been said, these thoughts flashed through Xue Hu’s mind in but an instant.

She would absolutely not allow Chen Lili to die alone like this; it was better if Chen Lili leveled up to 200 quickly so that Xue Hu could then assist her in capturing the Azure Dragon.

Xue Hu had no worries at all that Chen Lili would attempt to capture the Azure Dragon by herself, as Chen Lili’s performance was simply too amateurish; going alone would undoubtedly be a suicidal endeavor.

Her only hope was that Chen Lili wouldn’t grow suspicious when Xue Hu, despite not yet reaching level 200 herself, offered to help capture the Azure Dragon, as such a reaction could very well expose Xue Hu’s special mission.

The monsters of the “Fire Fox Tribe” were densely packed, possessing low health and minimal defense, making them incredibly fast to clear.

In the blink of an eye, all three had gained many levels.

Chen Lili reached level 105, while Xingxing and Xue Hu both advanced to level 104.

The higher one’s level climbed, the more experience points were required, and the less experience was gained from defeating lower-level monsters.

Thus, even with a 40% experience bonus, Chen Lili only maintained a one-level lead over the other two.

“I’ve reached level 105 now. According to my previous calculations, once I gain another level, these monsters won’t provide me with any more experience points. We’ll have to find other, higher-level monsters to grind.”

Observing how little experience she was now gaining, Chen Lili addressed the other two.

“You… don’t have any objections, do you? After all, you won’t be getting much experience here either, will you?”

“Very well then, we’ll change locations after this wave,” Xue Hu wrote on her wooden board, nodding.

“I’ve accumulated quite a few fire-elemental orbs, so we can go and grind a wave of gold-elemental monsters now.”

Xingxing remained silent, and after seeing Xue Hu’s clear stance, she simply nodded quietly before checking her inventory.

“Foolish humans, why do you slaughter my kin? Your greed shall make you pay a heavy price!”

Just as Chen Lili struck down the last “Fire Fox Warrior,” a deep voice suddenly boomed.

Although the words felt rather chuunibyou (TL Note: A Japanese slang term, ‘chūnibyō,’ referring to ‘middle schooler syndrome,’ often used to describe overly dramatic or self-important speech or actions), all three immediately reacted.

‘Could this be a triggered event?’

Xue Hu felt the surrounding temperature suddenly surge, becoming so high it was almost suffocating.

Though they were within a game where players didn’t actually need to breathe, the realistic sensation still made them quite uncomfortable.

The trio looked towards the source of the voice, where a towering giant, roughly three meters tall, had appeared deep within the tribe.

It clutched a steel trident, its gaze fixed angrily upon the players.

Undoubtedly, with its fox-like head and tail, coupled with sharp-clawed hands and feet, this giant was unmistakably the leader of the “Fire Fox Tribe”!

Around its formidable presence, the very air seemed to shimmer and distort, a clear manifestation of the intense heat radiating from it.