Chapter 46: The Familiar Assassin and a Guild’s Shadow

We leisurely meandered, pausing to admire the scenery as we made our way, my eight tails carefully concealed to prevent any recognition of my true identity.

Strolling through the pristine, unspoiled mountains and rivers, bathed in a gentle rain, we felt a profound sense of freedom that had long since vanished from the real world.

“Hold on, I need to take this call…” Su Yingning suddenly halted, lightly tapping her earlobe with her index and middle fingers. “Hello? Fairy Sister?”

As her pet, I was privy to the conversation unfolding between Su Yingning and the person on the other end.

[Little Bei (TL Note: A nickname for Su Yingning), where are you? Do you have time? We’ve picked up a prerequisite quest to unlock a five-person dungeon, and if you’re free, we could tackle it together…]

“Well… I…” Su Yingning glanced at me, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

[If it’s not convenient, don’t worry about it. The rewards for prerequisite quests are usually nothing special. We can just finish it ourselves, and then we can still team up for the actual dungeon later… The quest description does say we can bring a full party of five into the instance, with shared rewards.]

“Hmm, I’m actually not very free right now… I’m in the middle of a quest, and I’m already halfway there. If it’s not super urgent, let’s just meet up a bit later.”

[Alright, then we’ll wait for you. We currently have three people: myself, Qingyu, and a friend of Qingyu’s– Little Bei, you should try to find one more person to join us.]

“Wow! The legendary, aloof master Qingyu is actually coming in person!” Su Yingning exclaimed with exaggerated delight. “It looks like this dungeon won’t be easy… I’ll finish up as fast as I can! I’ll be there immediately! Fairy Sister, don’t you dare secretly fill the party without me!”

[Don’t worry, my dear Guild Master– Then I’ll see you in a bit then– Bye–]

“See you soon– Bye–”

As Su Yingning ended the call, her energy seemed to surge tenfold. She seized my hand and, without uttering another word, began to sprint furiously.

“Come on, let’s go, let’s go! We’re seriously short on time!”

“Master, who exactly is Qingyu?” I found myself asking abruptly.

“Like Fairy Sister, he’s one of our guild’s vice-masters, an incredibly skilled assassin. We all suspect he might be an alt account of some legendary player, but he’s always been tight-lipped about his identity… Wait, though… Why are you asking about this?” Su Yingning managed to cast a suspicious glance my way even as she continued to run.

“As a thoroughly qualified pet, it is absolutely essential for me to ascertain whether my master maintains healthy social relationships… This, you see, directly impacts my future prospects as a pet.” I declared with utmost seriousness, immensely relieved that Su Yingning did not press for further explanation.

“Is that really the case… Never mind, let’s just run! We’re running out of time!”

We finally arrived, panting, at our destination: a basin nestled amidst mountains, approximately two thousand five hundred meters south of Pallet Town (TL Note: 真新村, ‘True New Village,’ is often translated as Pallet Town, a starting village in the Pokémon series).

This cluster of small mountains was remarkably conspicuous, not for lush greenery, but for its striking barrenness; everywhere, exposed, bald limestone dominated the landscape, contrasting sharply with the verdant, dense vegetation that thrived just beyond the mountains’ immediate perimeter.

“According to the maps adventurers have shared on the forums, this basin has three entrances…” Su Yingning called up the game forum from her system menu, and, while comparing the map, slowly guided me toward the small mountain cluster. We pushed aside one dense clump of bushes after another, eventually, and with considerable effort, locating a single entrance.

“Whew… that was truly well-hidden,” Su Yingning murmured, pulling out a handkerchief to dab the sweat from her brow.

“Any further ahead and we’ll be in the high-level monster zone… Surely no one would come to a place like this, right?” Su Yingning mused aloud, yet no sooner had the words left her lips than several male players, clad in green gear and clutching daggers, emerged from the cave entrance.

“[Zhaoge] has chartered this area for leveling! All trespassers, halt!”

“Zhaoge?” Su Yingning gasped, her voice laced with surprise. “Zhaoge actually has the power to monopolize a place like this for leveling? Truly befitting a major guild!”

The name Zhaoge was one I had heard Su Yingning mention before.

It was, in fact, an exceptionally large guild, one that not only rivaled Sword Sweeping the World but even held a slight edge over it!

“That goes without saying,” the speaker replied, observing us with a half-smile. “My apologies, ladies, much as I’d like to make your acquaintance, this is strictly business… The guild master has issued an order: no unauthorized individuals are permitted to enter today.”

“Alright then… What a wasted trip… Are the other entrances also blocked?”

“I’m afraid so, yes.”

The herb spawn points were located deep within the mountain-ringed basin; even the most peripheral ones necessitated entering the cave to be seen. Su Yingning, in a gesture of helplessness, spread her hands toward me, conveying her profound regret.

Suddenly, however, Su Yingning shivered violently, her gaze snapping upwards to fix intently on the speaker. “Wait… why do you seem so familiar? Have we met before? Could you possibly tell me your ID?”

Upon hearing Su Yingning’s seemingly flirtatious question, the male player’s spirits instantly soared. Yet, he still maintained a baseline of caution. “You look quite familiar to me too, beautiful… How about we add each other as friends after this guild event wraps up? For now, though, it’s not really convenient…”

The male player had, as was common, set his ID to hidden, thus his name was not displayed above his head. In this game, roughly ninety percent of players opted for this setting, with the remaining ten percent consisting of special non-player roles, such as idols or merchants.

“Oh dear, I seem to have dropped my peas!” I exclaimed loudly, then “accidentally” scattered a few peas right onto the player’s foot.

[You have actively attacked player Left Hand Reflection.]

“What are you doing! Watch where you’re throwing things!”

“My apologies, my apologies!” I reiterated, yet my peripheral vision remained fixed on Su Yingning’s expression.

Her face remained utterly devoid of emotion, and I, knowing her well, understood that such a blank facade signified deep thought, particularly about something decidedly unpleasant.

Suddenly, Su Yingning gripped my hand tightly, then spun around and began to walk away.

‘Left Hand Reflection… Yes, that’s it. That name, she would never, ever forget!’

‘This guy… he was one of the executioners from Sword Sweeping the World who took part in that city massacre!’

‘He’s an assassin! A truly despicable, professional kill-stealing assassin! That’s why his name constantly popped up in their field of vision!’

‘[Left Hand Reflection has killed you.]’

‘Even now, those system notifications still seemed to flash before her very eyes!’

‘Therefore, if her suspicions were correct…’

Su Yingning’s expression darkened perceptibly. “They’re not from [Zhaoge] at all. They’re… [Sword Sweeping the World]!”