Chapter 21 Wilderness Mission (4) - Three-in-One for VIP Membership
Fafnir looked down at the girl, his expression unreadable.
Xia Ying met his gaze calmly, as if she were not under the dragon's control and the intruder had not approached.
"Alright." The dragon grinned, revealing sharp teeth, but then withdrew its claws. "I'll settle the score with you later, Xia Ying."
Hercules' eyes burned like flames as he roared a deafening battle cry and charged at the dragon.
Faced with the enemy's provocation, Fafnir suddenly unfolded his membranous wings. The sudden gust of air not only blew Xia Ying to the horizon, but also made the pillar of fire he spewed out even more turbulent and violent.
Xia Ying was blown around by the gust of wind and tumbled several times in the air, her eyes never daring to leave the battle below.
That was a battlefield belonging only to the giants.
With their physical bodies alone, the combined power of the two sides was enough to shatter mountains. The Golden Apple Garden was quickly destroyed by this disaster. The blazing dragon fire ignited the trees, turning everything in sight into a living hell.
The battle in the sea of fire grew increasingly intense, gradually evolving into a pure contest of fire and blood. Xia Ying saw Fafnir break off a spear with his dragon tail during the fierce battle, while Hercules used his heavy shield to defend against the flames and hurricane.
Hercules charged forward with his shield, momentarily shattering the dragon's fire. In the brief moment of this chaos, he threw aside his spear, grabbed his longbow, and drew a poisoned arrow from a quiver made of snake heads.
The dragon swooped down on the giant, poisoned arrows flying from the taut longbow. Fafnir did not retreat at all; the arrowheads tore through the dragon's scales and pierced deep into the dragon's flesh. At the same time, he had already arrived in front of Hercules.
In the blink of an eye, a new sun rose from the dragon's chest, and it raised its head and opened its enormous mouth.
A physical torrent of destruction surged forth, engulfing everything in the world.
That dragon fire was not the golden-red color Xia Ying had ever seen before, but the purest incandescent white, with a core that was even a void and darkness that devoured light.
The pale dragonfire distorted perception, ignited space, and what it tainted did not burn, but decomposed and annihilated.
The heavy shield could no longer withstand the dragon fire; it was gradually eroded away, and then it was Hercules's turn.
His steel-like body began to crumble, but his indomitable will remained strong. The giant was engulfed by white flames, yet he refused to fall until he turned to ashes.
The dragon transformed into human form, pulled a poisoned arrow from its shoulder, and blood gushed out, falling onto the ashes along with the thrown arrow.
Fafnir looked down at all of this, his golden dragon eyes revealing a hint of satisfaction.
Xia Ying returned to the ground, the shock of the battle still lingering in her heart. So when Fafnir reached out to her, she suddenly remembered the devastating white dragon fire from before and almost couldn't help but retreat.
But she held back.
Fafnir paused for a moment as his hand touched her face, then laughed happily and instead pinched her chin: "Did you see everything clearly just now?"
Xia Ying nodded.
“Very good.” The dragon’s golden eyes shone brightly. “Remember this well.”
Xia Ying, bearing the weight of her humiliation, thought to herself: What does this mean? Is it to make an example of someone?
"Beep! Wilderness Quest #70: [Golden Apple Sanctuary] is complete."
"Please distribute the following spoils: 100,000 Opal Coins, Magical Tools..."
Fafnir impatiently interrupted the notification sound: "The opal coins are mine, and that useless magical artifact is for the succubus."
Realizing that the enemy was indeed the main force that had defeated Hercules, Xia Ying, who hadn't even caught a whiff of money, once again swallowed her anger.
Before they could even confirm what the loot was, a flash of white light teleported them back to the Wilderness Hall.
"Ding! New student [Xia Ying] has completed the mission [First Encounter with the Wilderness] and has obtained 1000 [Opal Coins], gaining the qualification to independently challenge the wilderness mission."
"Ding! New student [Xia Ying] has completed the hidden quest [Fighting Monsters Above Her Level], and has obtained 2000 [Opal Coins] and the equipable title {Challenger}."
{Challenger}: When equipped with this title, your stats will increase when challenging enemies stronger than yourself. The greater the difference in strength, the greater the increase, but it cannot exceed the enemy's own strength. There is no cooldown.
Xia Ying stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "This skill seems quite useful to me..."
Because she was focused on researching the new title, she didn't notice that the lobby announcement also sounded at the same time as the [Student Handbook] notification:
As Xia Ying regained her senses, she suddenly noticed countless gazes directed at her from every corner of the desolate hall.
"..."
She raised her head, cautiously glancing around, trying to subtly and without leaving a trace analyze the emotions and intentions of the various gazes...
Fafnir's approach was even more brutal and direct.
The dragon's gaze swept over the onlookers, who all retreated in fear, and the strange atmosphere in the hall immediately dissipated.
"They're gone."
Fafnir casually activated the teleportation, and Xia Ying had to jog to catch up. She reached out and grabbed his cloak, and a white light enveloped the two of them, taking them back to the dragon's lair.
Xia Ying suddenly sank into a pile of gold coins from the smooth, hard floor of the desolate hall. She struggled to pull her ankle out of the coins and suddenly saw Fafnir flap his wings, fly to the sky above the dragon's nest, and then spread his arms.
"Land, my treasure!"
As he spoke, countless gold coins appeared in the air...
Sensing what was about to happen, Xia Ying quickly turned her head and looked around for the nearest cover. Her gaze fell on the huge golden bed, and she immediately ran over and crawled under the bed like a cat.
The next second, 100,000 opal coins suspended in the air fell like a sudden rain, crashing to the ground one after another with a crisp, tinkling sound.
The dazzling golden rain continued for quite a while. When Fafnir had finished enjoying the beautiful sound of the rain, the mountain of gold coins in the dragon's nest seemed to have grown slightly taller.
Fafnir surveyed his radiant nest with satisfaction, flapped his membranous wings and flew back to the ground. With one hand, he lifted the heavy golden bed and pulled out the cat... no, the succubus, that had been hiding underneath.
The succubus struggled violently, baring her teeth and brandishing her ferocious expression: "What are you doing? Put me down right now!!"
A brutal and evil light shone from the golden dragon's eyes: "We still have a score to settle, Xia Ying."
The dragon threw her onto the golden bed. Xia Ying rolled to a corner of the bed, tensely on guard. As the black cloak slipped to the ground, Fafnir leaned in. Xia Ying remembered the pale dragon fire that seemed to evaporate everything.
She imagined the irresistible destruction that the dragon's enemies would experience, and instinctively closed her eyes, but the burning and death did not come.
Xia Ying felt a slight itch on her cheek. She opened her eyes and realized that it was a strand of dark red hair falling down, gently tickling her cheek.
Fafnir's fiery, golden eyes shone so brightly that everything else in the dragon's lair paled in comparison.
He pinched a stray lock of Xia Ying's long black hair between his fingers and slowly stroked it upwards from the ends.
Then, his fingers stopped on the side of the girl's face and gently pinched her earlobe.
Xia Ying suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right ear, followed by a faint metallic clanging sound.
The dragon twitched its fingers slightly, and the magical power quickly healed the small wound. Xia Ying raised her hand to touch it, and felt a cool, feather-shaped earring on her right earlobe.
"That's all?" Xia Ying asked incredulously. "Your revenge is just to get my ears pierced?"
"Who said it was revenge?" the dragon said arrogantly. "It's a reward, to commend you for bringing me a barely commendable battle and victory."
Xia Ying was deeply skeptical of the dragon's unusual leniency, but the [Student Handbook] immediately triggered an automatic search, and after a while, a magical artifact explanation prompt sounded:
"【Wind God Earrings】: They grant you the power to command the wind, allowing you to learn to fly even without wings."
This sounds like a really good product! And Xia Ying happens to need it!
Xia Ying cast a surprised look at Fafnir, who lazily explained, "It's just flying; overall, it's not very useful."
Fafnir reached out and fiddled with his earrings. The gold tassels, adorned with gemstone fragments and hanging from delicate little feathers, clinked together, producing a pleasant sound that made him smile. "But they're beautiful."
Is being born able to fly really that amazing?!
Xia Ying said reluctantly, "Then I'll say thank you anyway..."
Fafnir neither acknowledged nor responded to her thanks, and proceeded to take off his upper garments, tossing Xia Ying a crystal bottle in the process.
Xia Ying hurriedly caught the expensive-looking bottle and asked him in confusion, "What is this?"
"【Immortal Delicacy Wine】, a elixir that can cure curses." Fafnir tossed aside the cloth, half-reclined, and exposed the arrow wound inflicted by Hercules during the Wilderness quest to Xia Ying. "Help me apply the medicine."
Xia Ying, holding the medicine bottle, reluctantly moved closer to the other person. Because she was too slow, the impatient Fafnir grabbed her and pulled her onto him.
To avoid hitting her wound, Xia Ying quickly braced herself on the golden bed frame with one hand. She lifted herself slightly off the dragon's chest, poured the thick, fragrant ointment from the medicine bottle onto her hand, and gently spread it into a medicinal liquid in her palm.
The arrow wound had stopped bleeding, but the wound still looked horrific. In addition to the shocking sight of the puncture wound itself, black veins like roots extended from the wound and spread outwards, standing out conspicuously against the pale skin.
Xia Ying applied the elixir to the black silk threads, and sure enough, the curse began to fade: "Is this the curse? Is there something wrong with Hercules' arrow?"
“Hmm,” Fafnir replied absentmindedly, his eyes lowered.
After that, the two hardly spoke again. Xia Ying carefully rubbed the black veins with her fingertips, which were covered in medicine, and quickly dispelled most of the traces of the curse.
However, the wound did not heal quickly. Xia Ying looked at the hideous scar and couldn't help but be amazed that even a powerful dragon could be injured like this.
Fafnir suddenly asked, "Is it over?"
Xia Ying paused for a moment, then handed the crystal bottle back to the other person: "It's over..."
"Then go to sleep," the capricious dragon said succinctly, suddenly reverting to its dragon form and flipping the unsuspecting Xia Ying over.
Xia Ying rolled around twice on the golden bed, and the crystal bottle accidentally slipped from her hand and fell to the bottom of the bed. The dragon didn't care about the precious elixir at all, but instead lay down and used its tail to curl the girl up beside it.
According to the will of the dragon's nest master, night suddenly fell, the treasures were all taken away, the gold coins were kept silent, and the dragon's beautiful dream was being prepared in earnest.
"Wait a minute, I still have questions to ask!" Xia Ying protested, pushing away the dragon's tail. "You haven't told me about the 63rd Wilderness Mission yet!"
“I have been generous enough in my favor to you. Now you should think about what to do next, Xia Ying.”
The dragon spoke arrogantly and unreasonably, wrapping its tail around Xia Ying's body like a human hugging a favorite toy before going to sleep.
"Okay, I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep now."
######
Xia Ying's sleep was not restful.
For most of the night, bizarre and fantastical dreams continued unabated. Sometimes she heard the whispers of lush forests, sometimes she saw the footprints of giants traversing the mountains, and then terrifying white fire engulfed everything. In the desolate emptiness of destruction, a cursed arrow suddenly pierced through the flames that devoured heaven and earth.
Xia Ying suddenly opened her eyes, only to be met with darkness, while the giant dragon that had destroyed everything in her dream was sleeping soundly beside her.
She gazed at the towering dome of the dragon's nest and gradually lost her sleepiness.
What should I do if I can't sleep?
Xia Ying naturally had the same thought that every modern human who understands the wonders of mobile devices would have.
Then I might as well play on my phone for a while.
She took out the Student Handbook, first opened the quest section, and checked the reward magic item from the Golden Apple Sanctuary that she hadn't had time to check before going to bed.
Its name is [Blood of Hydra].
【Hydra Blood】: The blood of the nine-headed serpent killed by Hercules, containing the deep resentment of the basilisk Hydra before its death. It can be obtained as a drop from the Wilderness quest #70, 【Golden Apple Sanctuary】.
Xia Ying's gaze lingered on the few lines of simple, incomprehensible instructions for a long time before she summoned the magical artifact.
This is also a bottle, but unlike the crystal bottle containing the [Immortal Delicacies Wine], it is a black bottle that looks ominous.
Xia Ying opened the bottle, and the strong smell of blood hit her head, so she immediately tightened the cap again.
She thought for a while, then temporarily put away the [Blood of Hydra], switched out of the quest section, and began browsing the "Abyss Forum".
As soon as I opened the Wilderness Hall forum, the most discussed posts at the top of the page popped up in my view:
Shocking! The Crimson King has appeared in the Hall of Desolation with the rumored extinct succubus?!
Xia Ying suddenly felt a little numb.
Nevertheless, she clicked in to take a look. The abyssal creatures were discussing the incident of Fafnir and the succubus appearing at the same time in the post. Some of the commenters vividly described the scene in the Wilderness Hall at that time, while others questioned the authenticity of the event. A considerable number of abyssal creatures were also full of curiosity about the existence of the "succubus"...
Has this news spread this far already?!
Xia Ying painfully left the thread.
To distract herself, she started browsing other posts on the Wilderness Hall forum.
The most common type of post here is strategy sharing posts or strategy help posts related to wilderness missions. Xia Ying browsed several in a row and finally confirmed that many wilderness missions have a so-called "best solution".
She couldn't help but wonder: what is the best solution for [Golden Apple Garden]?
Regardless, despite the price she paid (mainly Fafnir), she still managed to complete [Golden Apple Sanctuary]. Xia Ying then continued to immerse herself in the exploration forums.
Besides mission walkthrough posts, there are two other types of posts that are quite popular here:
One type is the resource and magic item trading post. Some wilderness quest guides require certain resources or specific magic items, and players often use these posts to acquire them. Players who have completed quests also sell magic items they no longer need, primarily through trading with Aupol coins and barter.
Secondly, there was a recruitment post for a strategy team. Strategy teams were divided into fixed teams and temporary teams. Xia Ying understood that this was somewhat similar to "guilds" and "random teams" in online games.
After gaining a basic understanding of the functions and structure of the Wilderness Hall, Xia Ying began searching for information related to "Wilderness Mission #63: [Argo]".
However, no matter how she searched, she couldn't find any relevant information. Perhaps, as the old goblin lady in the Wilderness Hall said, this wilderness quest had been forgotten for a long time.
Just when she was about to give up, Xia Ying noticed a strange post:
Still struggling to find guides for wilderness missions? You're definitely missing these three best ways!!!
What a charade! But somehow my hand just clicked on it without me even realizing it.
Xia Ying, whose pain points were precisely hit, couldn't help but read the post.
"As we all know, wilderness missions are an essential part of life in Cocytus. They are not only a necessary condition for some freshmen to pass the [Circle Internship], but also provide a large amount of Aupol coins and magic item rewards."
So, how can we search for mission guides more quickly and effectively? Please don't overlook the following three best methods!!!
First, you can search in the Wilderness Hall section of the Abyss Forum…
Xia Ying was furious at the machine's answer: "Isn't that obvious? Who asked you to say it?!"
"Secondly, you can join some powerful strategy teams, which usually generously share mission information with their members... Of course, in order to join, you often need to complete a difficult entry test."
Xia Ying thought for a moment: This is indeed a piece of new information that is somewhat useful.
She continued looking down.
"Finally, there is the simplest and most effective way."
I had a feeling of déjà vu about this post; it has this familiar marketing vibe!
Xia Ying glanced at the poster's ID and, sure enough, it was the hooded monster who always appeared in her dreams.
“The one who eats”.
I wasted so much time watching this long string of ads!!
Xia Ying was so angry that she punched and kicked the air. The dragon, perhaps dreaming of something, curled up slightly and used its tail to pull the restless succubus into the center of the circle formed by its body, guarding her like a treasure chest.
Xia Ying looked up and saw the dragon's enormous head very close, its long, slow breaths like the pulse of a mountain ridge.
...Never mind, let's go to sleep. I have an early class tomorrow.
Xia Ying turned off her phone screen.
Sleepiness returned, slowly seeping into her body.
#####
In the latter half of the night, Xia Ying was no longer plagued by nightmares.
However, this does not mean that she has achieved a peaceful and dreamless sleep.
As for the reasons?
Of course, it's because another uninvited visitor has arrived.
“I’m here to apologize this time,” the hooded eater stammered. “Last time I think I got a little carried away and almost ate the succubus… I’ve been reflecting on that ever since, really…”
“Wait, I have a question for you first,” Xia Ying said, staring at him. “How much do you know about [Golden Apple Sacred Garden]?”
The diner paused for a moment, but still answered honestly, "...[Golden Apple Sanctuary] is the 70th Wilderness Quest. The quest involves guarding three golden apples from Hercules. It's a high-difficulty quest, and the reward is 100,000 Opal Coins and the magic item [Blood of Hydra]."
"Not bad, you do know quite a lot." Xia Ying curled her lips and continued, "So, how do we conquer [Golden Apple Sacred Garden]?"
"First, we should evacuate the dryads and wood spirits who are hostile to the invaders, and place water nymphs and streams along Heracles's path to soothe his pain and exhaustion."
Xia Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Wouldn't this just allow intruders to reach the Golden Apple Tree without any hindrance?"
"That's true, but that's what we're here to do."
The diner told her.
"Hercules is one of the most frequently appearing bosses in the Wilderness. There are twelve Wilderness quests with him as the main enemy. In terms of the time sequence of the setting, [Golden Apple Sanctuary] is the second to last one."
"So, can I assume that Hercules in [Golden Apple Sanctuary] actually came from the sets of the first ten missions?" Xia Ying exclaimed. "No wonder he was exhausted. But what does that have to do with completing the 70th Wilderness Mission?"
He held up two fingers: "Xia Ying, in your opinion, which of the following situations would be less conducive to stimulating the willpower of the brave and indomitable Hercules...? Answer one: a dense forest full of dangers and traps, exactly the same challenges he has overcome before..."
I choose answer two.
"Bingo! Absolutely correct!!!"
Suddenly, the Eater transformed into a human cannon, blasting out a bunch of glittering colored strips from its hood. Xia Ying was startled, then brushed off the small colored strips from her body with a bit of speechlessness and disdain. Not getting the positive feedback she had imagined, the Eater couldn't help but slump down again.
"I thought you'd like this, I secretly rehearsed for so long..."
Xia Ying firmly refused: "Don't go off-topic."
"That's what the customer said."
"Of course, 0.5 Hercules are still difficult to deal with, but it's easier than 10 Hercules, right?"
Xia Ying nodded, agreeing with the other party's opinion. She stared silently at the strange monster in front of her, whose true face was concealed by a hood, thinking to herself: The Eater said he had a lot of information about wilderness missions, and it seems that this is true.
After confirming this, Xia Ying smiled.
The white mist in the dream transformed into a luxurious armchair. As the true owner of this place, she sat down comfortably and leisurely beckoned to the diners with her finger.
"Now let's talk about the time you almost ate me."
The diner pounced on the girl's knees like a bat, wailing and pleading, "Darling! I swear I'm so sorry! I'll do anything if you can forgive me!!"
"Are you really willing to do anything?"
“Uh.” The eater became a little more cautious. “I’m willing to do most things.”
"I'll take nine, you take one."
"Huh?" The other party paused for a moment, then became enthusiastic. "You're willing to establish a cooperative relationship with me?! But isn't a 90/10 split a bit too much..."
“My mentor is Fafnir, the one who makes beds with opal coins. Do you think I’d be short of money?” Xia Ying said bluffingly. “What other benefits do you have for me?”
"I have many advantages!" the diner listed one by one. "I am an information broker and a magical artifact dealer. I can help you get many things you want."
The negotiations have progressed to a point where they are very close to revealing Xia Ying's true, carefully concealed purpose.
"Oh, that sounds pretty good."
However, she managed to stay calm at the last moment.
Xia Ying casually tapped the armrest with her fingers and said something casually.
Xia Ying calmly stated her request to the diner.
Suddenly, dark matter flowed out of the diner's hood, spreading like mud over the chair legs and swirling around the girl's feet.
Xia Ying ignored the dark matter's lurking presence and looked directly at it, waiting for its answer.
“A very interesting request, but of course I will try my best to fulfill your wish.” As his voice rang out, ripples spread across the dark matter, forming the Eater’s ever-expanding smile.
The diner bent down in front of the succubus girl and kissed the back of her hand.
"Then, the deal is done, Xia Ying."
#######
Another morning arrived, and Xia Ying opened her eyes with heavy dark circles under her eyes, feeling that she hadn't slept well at all.
Fafnir, now back in human form, sat beside her and said coldly, "Awake? If you're awake, help me apply the medicine."
Xia Ying didn't say anything, obediently took the medicine bottle, climbed into Fafnir's lap where he was sitting with his legs spread wide, found a comfortable position to sit down, and carefully and slowly poured out the medicine.
Fafnir looked down at her very close. The succubus girl lowered her head slightly, spread the ointment, and applied it evenly to the wound caused by the poisoned arrow. She was so focused that she didn't blink, and not even her eyelashes moved.
They look so well-behaved, small, and cute.
In fact, Fafnir did not favor such things.
For example, powerful enemies, or treasures and gold.
The legendary extinct succubus is indeed very rare, but not so much that one would go through the trouble of keeping her by one's side and taming her alive.
As Fafnir was thinking this, he suddenly felt a sharp, electric-like pain in the scar at the corner of his eye.
He subconsciously raised his hand and touched the scar left by the [Kusanagi Sword].
Xia Ying straightened up, holding up the medicinal herb in her hand, and asked, "Should I apply some medicine to the wound at the corner of my eye too?"
“It’s not needed here,” Fafnir said. “I told you, it was left there on purpose.”
The succubus girl in his arms revealed a subtle smile that blended smugness and arrogance, her eyes seeming to say, "I knew it."
"You don't actually like me a lot, do you, Fafnir?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" the dragon reprimanded her lazily, sounding completely unangry. "This is none of your business. Go to the Instruction Tower."
Xia Ying looked up and asked, "Aren't you going to transform into a dragon today?"
"No, human form is more conducive to the recovery of arrow wounds."
"I see." Xia Ying thought for a moment, then went around behind Fafnir and gathered his red hair into her hands.
It was a very beautiful dark red hair, its color as pure as a pigeon's blood gemstone.
To prevent her hair from touching the wound, Xia Ying quickly and skillfully braided Fafnir's red hair into a loose but not disheveled side braid.
After she finished braiding her hair, she realized she didn't have any hair ties, so she asked the dragon, "Fafnir, do you have any hair ties or hair clips to hold your hair in place?"
Fafnir raised his hand, grabbed a handful of jewelry from thin air, and threw it all at Xia Ying.
Xia Ying hurriedly took them, selected a gold necklace adorned with teardrop-shaped rubies, and started braiding her long braid again.
After completing the final step of fixing, Xia Ying looked at her neatly combed long hair with satisfaction. Gold threads and rubies were woven into the hair, complementing her beautiful red hair.
"Just as perfect as I imagined!" Xia Ying jumped out of bed happily, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and exclaimed, "That's it then, I'm off to school!"
The girl disappeared into the teleportation array, and the dragon's nest suddenly became quiet.
The dragon retrieved a crystal mirror from the void and carefully examined the braided hairstyle the succubus had created. A smile unconsciously crept across its face, but it said:
"Well, it's barely passable."
#####
Xia Ying arrived at the teaching tower a little later than usual today. Apart from her, the other Crimson Crown Ring interns had already taken their seats.
...However, the atmosphere feels a bit strange.
Xia Ying turned to the harpy sitting next to her: "Harpie, what's wrong with everyone today?"
Harpy looked at her with innocent and curious eyes, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Xia Ying, are you a succubus?"
What to do? Xia Ying started brainstorming. Should she admit it? Or try to argue her way out of it again?
“I saw photos uploaded by other abyssal creatures in the succubus thread on the abyss forum,” the harpy said. “Although the photos are blurry, I have a feeling that it’s you.”
Xia Ying asked her, "Why do you think that, Harpie?"
“When I was born, succubi were almost extinct. But I know they have a strange attraction that fascinates creatures of the abyss.”
Harpie spoke to Xia Ying.
"You give me the feeling of the wind blowing from the plains at the end of winter... After smelling this wind, our tribe knows that the ice will soon thaw and warm spring and prey will soon return to our land."
Xia Ying tried to imagine it for a moment and couldn't help but admit, "That really is a wonderful feeling."
“That’s right!” the harpy laughed. “So, I love you as much as I love spring. I think that’s the magic of a succubus!”
“Alright, enough people already know anyway.” Xia Ying relaxed her shoulders. “Yes, Harpie, I am the succubus…”
"I knew it!" Harpie grabbed Xia Ying's hands, his eyes instantly sparkling like a hawk-owl.
Jormungandr entered the teaching tower at that moment. The harpy turned to look at the instructor and whispered quickly before returning to her seat, "It's alright, Xia Ying. I will protect you from now on."
On the other side, Teacher Jormungandr stepped onto the steps formed by planar magic and walked to the center of the teaching tower.
Xia Ying habitually opened her learning materials, waiting for the day's lessons to begin.
But today, before getting to the main topic, Jormungandr first looked around at the interns in the teaching tower. Xia Ying wondered if it was just her imagination, but his gaze seemed to linger on her for an unusually long time.
“I have graded your assignments,” Jormungandr said, then paused. “The assignments were very well done… well, in fact, they were better than I expected.”
Several abyssal creatures that had copied Xia Ying's homework shifted nervously in their seats.
"I would certainly prefer to believe that this is because everyone has perfectly grasped the course content. However, I feel it is still my duty to remind everyone."
The instructor gave a gentle smile.
In the slowly spreading gloom of the teaching tower, Xia Ying coldly thought: Oh, so what? Anyway, I will pass. Don't underestimate human learning ability.
But in the next second, she suddenly realized what the problem was.
The practical assessment involved completing Wilderness Mission #63. This mission was a large instance that required 30 players to unlock, and the Crimson Crown Ring had exactly 30 interns.
That would be utterly disastrous!
Xia Ying, who had transformed into a miniature version of "The Outcry" in her mind, followed closely behind and became one of the students who broke through defenses.
After being thoroughly intimidated, the interns in this class studied with extra effort, and even the harpy, who knew nothing about studying, was writing furiously.
In Xia Ying's eyes, this challenge could no longer be described as a solo effort. She was very pleased with her classmates' hard work... until after class, Xia Ying accidentally caught a glimpse of the contents of Harpie's notebook out of the corner of her eye.
Xia Ying was almost in despair after reading it, and couldn't help but shout, "Don't give up! Harpie!"
The harpy turned her face, tears streaming down her cheeks: "I tried, but I just couldn't do it..."
Xia Ying looked at her and murmured to herself, "...There's no other way."
"What did you say, Xia Ying?"
"Harpie! Tell all the interns here to be early for their next class!!"
Harpie asked, puzzled, "Why? Are you here to copy homework? But you can't cheat on the final exam, right...?"
"Who said we copied homework!" Xia Ying quickly packed her things, activated the [Wind God Earring], and chased after the departing instructor. "I'm here to give everyone a make-up lesson!!"
“Oh, okay.” Harpie nodded blankly. “So where are you going now?”
Xia Ying turned around and shouted at her, "Go and find a way to get some past exam papers!!!"
Jormungandr walked toward the teleportation portal carved into the tower wall. Xia Ying lightly landed behind him and quickly followed: "Jormungandr, I have some questions I don't quite understand. Could you please answer them for me?"
Jormungandr turned his head and nodded slightly to her, but did not stop walking away: "Of course, Xia Ying."
"Do laws and magic elements have mutually exclusive attributes?"
"Yes, the relationship between the laws and the attributes of magic elements needs to be compatible."
Do different abyssal creatures achieve the same effect when applying the same law to cast magic?
"Not necessarily. It depends on the amount of magic energy the caster uses and their understanding of the laws themselves."
What are the key points of the final exam?
"..."
Jormungandr, who had already reached the portal, paused slightly and smiled at her.
"All the knowledge points mentioned in the course may be the focus of the exam."
After saying that, he stepped into the door without hesitation.
"Wait!!" In a moment of panic, Xia Ying grabbed Jormungandr's hand.
He stopped and turned to look at her.
"Uh, well..." Xia Ying racked her brains to come up with an excuse, "I still have a lot of questions to ask, so, could I... come to your apartment with you?"
The snake demon looked down at her face, and Xia Ying looked back at him expectantly.
Jormungandr suddenly asked, "Have you been sleeping poorly lately?"
Xia Ying then realized that the other person was looking at her dark circles.
"Not good." She touched the bruise under her eye and muttered a complaint, "I keep having dreams at night, and the bed is so hard."
“The necromantic cycle certainly makes it harder to sleep.” Jormungandr nodded, then took her hand and led her into the doorway. “Well then, welcome to visit, Xia Ying.”
Xia Ying jumped for joy and stepped into the portal together.
A breeze carrying moisture brushed against her face, the reeds swayed gently, and the beautiful and open wetland scenery was once again presented to Xia Ying.
Jormungandr led her into the water, his steps so gentle that not even the slightest ripple was stirred, as if a fish were silently swimming across the ripples.
In this tranquil setting, Xia Ying couldn't help but slow her pace. She carefully parted the clumps of cattails and reeds and followed Jormungandr into a tall metasequoia forest.
Jormungandr stopped where the fir leaves were the greenest, stretched out his snake tail, coiled it at the point where the water emerged, and then pulled Xia Ying to his side.
Xia Ying felt the scenery blur, and then she was placed on the smooth, cool snake.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the shirt trees, and the water rippled softly; everything was perfectly pleasant.
Xia Ying tried hard to remember why she came here: "Right, Jormungandr..."
Jormungandr lowered his gaze, gently rocking the water like a cradle, and whispered, "Sleep well, Summer Firefly."
……ah?
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Author's note: Thank you for reading this far, my friend!
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