Chapter 59: The Enduring Hunt

What followed was remarkably straightforward.

The Red Water Dragon found itself in an inescapable predicament; it could neither strike us nor flee, short of severing its own neck.

Though capable of unleashing lightning attacks to shatter the rocks pinning it down, such a strategic thought unfortunately eluded its primitive mind.

Its AI was exceptionally rudimentary; every previous attack and call for aid stemmed purely from primal instinct. Regrettably, its inherent instincts offered no guidance on how to escape with its neck trapped beneath heavy boulders.

Now, Yingning and I had firmly reclaimed the initiative. We could advance to attack or retreat to safety at will, provided we remained vigilant against the Red Water Dragon’s lightning causing a secondary collapse that might bury us alive. With that singular precaution, there were no further concerns.

We could launch an assault, then retreat beyond the Red Water Dragon’s line of sight to rest and replenish our mana. We even had the option to return to town, stock up on supplies, and come back. The entire situation rested solely on our choices, for this once formidable, purple-named BOSS was now nothing more than a lamb awaiting its slaughter.

Just then, Yingning’s voice communication device chimed.

Yingning pressed a finger to her earlobe, accepting the call.

The call offered both video and voice-only modes; the latter, being more convenient, was the one the other party had chosen.

–”Hello, Fairy Sister?”

[My dearest Guild Leader Beibei, have you finished up yet?]

–”I’m afraid not yet…”

[How much longer will it take?]

Yingning cast a rueful glance at the Red Water Dragon before playfully sticking out her tongue in exasperation. –”It will likely be another three or four days before we’re done…”

[That long?! What on earth are you two doing? What kind of quest could possibly take three or four days to complete?]

–”Well… it’s an exceptionally high-experience… super-large chain quest… the kind that yields no rewards unless you complete the very last stage,” Yingning admitted, a hint of guilt in her voice.

[…That sounds like a real pain, but the rewards must be incredibly generous, right?]

–”They should be quite substantial… We’re still in the dark about the ultimate reward, though.”

For a purple-tier World BOSS, the rewards were, of course, bound to be immense.

The experience, in particular, would be staggering; she alone would claim every single point from this entire purple-named BOSS—a feat most players wouldn’t even dare to dream of achieving!

Soaring into the top ten of the leaderboards in an instant would be no mere fantasy!

Moreover, as her pet, I wouldn’t siphon off Yingning’s experience; instead, I would receive an additional, proportional amount, ensuring my level would also surge forward in tandem with hers!

Considering all this, even dedicating a full three or four days to whittle down this BOSS would undoubtedly yield an immense profit!

[Given the circumstances, there’s nothing for it. We’ll just gather a party and scout out that dungeon ourselves… We initially believed this quest would unlock an exclusive five-person instance, only to discover we’d merely received an entry ticket to a public dungeon… And to top it off, that dungeon is currently the most challenging in the entire game; not a single team has ever managed to clear it.]

–”That difficult… Even if we had the time, we might not be able to clear it, could we?” Yingning mused, a frown creasing her brow.

[Indeed, but it’s the very first official large-scale dungeon in Pursuit II! How could we possibly be content without at least venturing inside for a look around?]

–”You’re right about that,” Yingning chuckled, recalling how Gunfire Rose (TL Note: A guild name) had frequently engaged in such antics in the past.

Even with their abysmal gear, mediocre skills, and complete lack of coordination, whenever they stumbled upon a high-level dungeon, they would still brave life-threatening dangers to explore it, playfully dubbing themselves the ‘Gunfire Rose (TL Note: A guild name) Dungeon Sightseeing Tour’.

Despite knowing full well they stood no chance, and dying repeatedly, everyone remained remarkably cheerful.

Such was the singular charm of a smaller guild!

In large guilds, where power reigned supreme and every member vied to surpass another, such whimsical antics were utterly unthinkable, unlike the carefree spirit of a small guild such as theirs.

[Alright, then we’ll head off for our sightseeing tour first! By the time you two are finished, our levels will have risen, and it’ll be the perfect time to attempt a proper clear! Bye-bye~ See you later~]

–”Okay~ Bye-bye~ See you later~” Yingning replied, her gaze falling upon the nearly expired Red Water Dragon, and she was instantly filled with renewed vigor.

Though the Red Water Dragon presented a truly pathetic sight, Yingning, ever so conscientious, felt not a shred of pity for it.

I pondered this for a moment and quickly pieced together the full story—this creature was, after all, the perpetrator who had ambushed and slain a mother Thunder Dragon!

Nature was undeniably cruel; in the relentless struggle for survival, every creature became a perpetrator. Yingning, I presumed, had already come to appreciate this harsh reality within the game.

Consequently, the hand gripping her sword remained unwavering.

This was commendable; her kindness was genuine, not born of naivete.

Nonetheless, players like Yingning, who often found themselves sentimental over mere game data, were ultimately a rare breed. One couldn’t quite decide whether to call her emotionally rich or simply foolish.

Yet, if she were not this way—if she were a ‘normal’ player who viewed game data as mere playthings—then as her pet, I would likely be compelled to abandon the game. To imagine me sharing her triumphs and failures would be absurd; I wasn’t so base as to willingly become someone’s casually discarded toy. Such a person, even if they were my own sister, would hold no appeal for me.

What followed was simple: Yingning furiously hacked at the Red Water Dragon as if rolling her face across a keyboard, while I remained by her side, simultaneously striking the Red Water Dragon’s head with my priest staff, unleashing minor priest attack skills, and healing Yingning.

As my mana began to dwindle, we would retreat beyond the Red Water Dragon’s line of sight, settling down to meditate and replenish our health and mana.

After all, meditation was only interrupted by taking damage. Even while technically in combat, as long as we sustained no harm, remained stationary, and refrained from casting skills, we could still meditate normally to recover our resources.

The human female warrior’s meditation posture involved gripping her longsword with both hands, holding it aloft before her with the tip pointing skyward, as she silently invoked the name of Eli, the God of War.

My own meditation posture, as a demoness priestess, entailed raising my priest staff high in my right hand, silently intoning the name of Luya, the Goddess of the Moon and Life.

While the movements felt a touch embarrassing, fully immersing myself in the game made it surprisingly engaging!

Soon enough, Yingning and I reached the inevitable time to log off. We preemptively withdrew from the Red Water Dragon’s line of sight, then subtly concealed the cave’s sole entrance. It was already remarkably hidden, virtually impossible to discover without an intentional search, leaving little need for further alteration.

From then on, all we could do was pray—pray that no other player, blessed with a stroke of incredible luck, would stumble upon the Red Water Dragon within during the twelve hours we were offline.

–”You should head back now… I’m logging off. See you tomorrow.”

–”See you tomorrow.”

Despite her reluctance, Yingning eventually bid me farewell, only to be forcibly disconnected from the game by the system.

I instinctively moved to return to my pet space and log off, but then a sudden realization struck me.

Yingning and I had entered the game simultaneously; in fact, I had even logged in a fraction of a moment before her.

Why, then, had I not been forced out?

****