Chapter 23: The Fish That Got It All in One Go

Area Shout—

[Scott: Is anyone nearby? Can you help me?]

[Old Li: Where are you?]

[Scott has requested to add you as a friend. Do you agree?]

Agree.

After becoming friends, the other party sent a message.

[Scott: I’m not sure of the exact location, but it’s probably somewhere near the center of the coral forest.]

‘The central area?’ Old Li pondered for a moment.

Because he had been in a hurry to clear the dungeon, he hadn’t had time to explore the central area yet.
Now was a good opportunity to take a look while rescuing someone.

Old Li pushed aside the dangling branches of various colors with his hand while clearing a path with his machete, walking towards the center of the forest.

Right now, everyone was gathered by the testing altar.
No one had started doing quests as diligently as Old Li yet.
Even Huahua and Yan Shuangwen had stayed in their rooms to study their newly acquired skills.

By the way, the dungeon they had cleared before was called the Trial of Knowledge by the system.
When players cleared it for the first time, they could get a random skill book that matched their own school.

And as the first-clear team, Team One Two Three’s reward had already been automatically sent to their skill bar.

Old Li had received [Defensive Rune], which could increase his body’s defensive ability by embedding it in the so-called magic acupoints.
The more the body was tempered, the greater the coverage area, duration, and defensive effect would grow.

Old Li now chose to transfer the defensive array to his hands, so even if he was pricked by the thorny coral tree fruits on the branches, his skin would only be left with a white mark.

Getting off track.

In short, the forest was unusually deserted today.
Their two messages were the only ones left in the area shout.
Usually, at this time, it would have probably been spammed past by now.

Thinking this, Old Li lifted the machete in his hand and chopped down from above, fiercely splitting open the branches blocking his way.

‘This should be the center, right?’

The surrounding environment was unusually open.
In the center was a giant coral tree two or three times larger than the others.
Old Li looked around but couldn’t find where the player who had called for help was.

“You’re here.”

A calm voice came from above.
Old Li looked up abruptly.

A merman with a silver-gray tail was hanging upside down in mid-air, his tail firmly caught in a net of several ropes.

“Could you lend me a hand?” The player nodded at him and made a polite request.

Only then did Old Li react.
He very readily swam up, trying to help the other untie the rope.

“How did you end up like this?” Old Li was a bit curious.

“It’s probably some boring trap or prank by someone,” the gray-tailed merman’s voice had no fluctuations, as if the unlucky person hanging here was some other insignificant person, not himself.

“That’s indeed a possibility,” Old Li nodded.
After all, players were a group of creatures so idle that their tails ached, always wanting to come up with some new tricks.

He had even seen a player before who was committed to tasting all the plants in Sea Realm, completely ignoring how poisonous the plants looked, and would just snip off the head and tail and stuff them into his mouth.
So he was also one of the frequent visitors to the resurrection point.

The trap right now, perhaps some hunting enthusiast had taken an interest in the animals in the coral forest and wanted to catch one to have a look?

‘Speaking of which, are there animals in the coral forest?’
Old Li’s thoughts drifted a bit, and the movements of his hands couldn’t help but slow down.

The merman being rescued also felt this.

“If you can’t untie it, can I borrow your machete?” Old Li heard the other ask.

Old Li’s mind suddenly flashed with the consequences of Huahua borrowing his machete before, and he decisively refused.
“Wait a little longer, don’t be in such a hurry to commit suicide! It’s 500 contribution points, after all. Wouldn’t it be better to save it and exchange it for some other item?”

The youth: “…”

He bent his waist with effort, arching his body into a bow shape, grabbed the rope above, and climbed up a few times, looking at Old Li at eye level in a relatively normal posture—

“I meant I could use the machete to cut these vines.”

Only then did Old Li realize he had misunderstood.

He couldn’t help it.
The glorious achievements of this machete were too numerous—

From the necks of merfolk above to all kinds of trees and vines below, it had dealt with them all.

After getting the correct rescue method, the sturdy ropes were quickly cut.
Old Li’s golden machete still maintained its undefeated myth.

Only after the other was freed did Old Li see his appearance clearly—this player named Scott had semi-long, gray, choppy hair of a light color, and an unremarkable appearance.

“Thank you for your help. Otherwise, I might have been stuck in this place for a whole day,” the gray-haired youth thanked him.

Old Li waved his hand in embarrassment and said, “It was just a small effort.”

“In return, I think I can tell you some news,” the gray-haired merman straightened his messy clothes and looked at him very seriously.

The perspective shifts back to Sykes’s side.

Having learned from his previous lesson, Sykes decided to start with the 123 team, which he was more familiar with—after all, their current level was also at the forefront of the players.
If they went out to explore, they might also be the team with the fastest exploration progress.

Since the decision was made, the next step was to take action.

But the 12as a whole, and they didn’t seem to need another person to join.

How could he get in touch?

Sykes thought of the process of Yan Shuangwen joining and decided to imitate him.

By the way, he firmly rejected the various strange scripts Ella had given him, such as “[Picking Up an Amnesiac Merman]”, “[The 999th Encounter]”, “[The Domineering Merman is Obsessed with Me]”, and so on.

Heaven knows where it learned so many strange things.

The rescue process went very smoothly.
The Scott he played successfully became friends with Old Li.
After the other saved him, he logically proposed to repay him.

“In return, I think I can tell you some news, about the next major event in Sea Realm…”
Sykes acted out the script as he had imagined.

But unexpectedly, the one who disrupted his plan was none other than Old Li, who was right in front of him.

“Wait!” Old Li interrupted him after listening for only half of it.

Old Li had never been the type to take advantage of others, especially when the other was a child.

Besides, under the premise that the truth of the news could not be confirmed, what if…

“?” Sykes tilted his head.

With his movement, his silver-gray hair also tilted to the other side.
A small ahoge on the top of his head, no longer suppressed by other hair, stood up stubbornly.

Old Li’s gaze was completely attracted by that ahoge, his eyes involuntarily moving with it.

‘This child looks so polite, he definitely can’t be a liar!’ he concluded without hesitation.

Only when the boy’s hand waved in front of him did Old Li come back to his senses.

“I mean, this was really just a small help. It’s not worth you exchanging such important information for it,” Old Li said with a somewhat helpless smile.

“Are you a student? Is this your first time playing a game?” he continued.
“Do you know that everyone wants such important information, so…”

Sykes was genuinely confused.
“Then you don’t want it?”

“Of course I want it, but I can’t take advantage of a child.”

“A child…” Sykes hadn’t expected the obstacle to his success to be here.
“I’m not a child.”

But the other party didn’t seem to believe him at all, and after he said this, Old Li seemed even more disbelieving.

[Master, you might as well try asking the other party for some reward,] the little butler, who was 99% reliable, suggested.

“Alright then. My providing information also comes at a price. Besides thanking you for saving me, you also have to take me with you to participate in this event,” Sykes tentatively proposed.

He had originally planned to get familiar with the other after giving the news and then find an opportunity to join their team.

But now it seemed… not that troublesome?

Old Li breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed.
“No problem, follow me.”

Sykes: “…”

He looked at Old Li’s back as he turned to lead the way, his mood somewhat complicated—

‘Did I really just get it all in one step?’