Chapter 51 : Gu Yanxi?
Gu Yanxi?
Hearing a voice from behind, the silver-haired girl flicked her twin tails and turned around, looking at them suspiciously.
What? These three young players don't play fair, trying to trick or ambush me, a 17-year-old comrade?
Is this okay? This is not okay.
Thinking of this, Chen Zixuan's expression became even more unfriendly.
Although she was currently in the weakened state after [Blood Burst], with her attack and speed only at 50% of normal, she still had no problem dealing with these three newbie players.
When the girl's eyes flashed with hostility, brother Yu immediately panicked, his brain turning to mush from nervousness. He hurriedly said, "We... we didn't mean anything else. We're just passing by, that's all. By the way, did you get any good loot just now? Like, say, any epic equipment?"
Chen Zixuan's expression grew colder at these words, and her hand already moved to the hilt of her dagger at her waist.
Honestly, who in their right mind would just happen to stroll around somewhere like Mired Swamp? Would you choose a garbage dump for a casual walk?
Hmph, "just passing by," huh? The three of you are clearly prepared!
Originally, she wanted to teach them a lesson, but Chen Zixuan thought about her red name status—it was about to disappear.
If she killed again, she'd have to grind monsters for a long time to clear it. She hesitated.
Forget it, peace is best. Let's all play fair and not fight amongst ourselves.
"It wasn't a world-class boss, nothing good dropped. I'm busy—leaving now."
With a blank expression, Chen Zixuan turned to go.
"Hey! Wait, boss, can we at least add you as a friend?"
Brother Yu hurriedly reached out to block her.
Seeing Chen Zixuan about to leave, the other two became anxious as well.
They rushed forward, assuming a triangle formation and tightly surrounding her.
"I advise you all to think carefully before acting!"
Chen Zixuan's patience finally reached its limit, and she nearly spat the words out from between her teeth.
Seeing Cecilia angry, brother Yu realized things had gone wrong and rushed to explain, "We really don't mean anything else, we're just... just concerned about you! Are you hurt? You look like you're in bad shape, are you low on health? I happen to—"
He broke off suddenly.
He suddenly felt a subtle sting at his waist.
Then, a number slowly appeared above Brother Yu's head.
-59
As his companions watched in horror, he slowly lowered his head and saw a delicate, pale hand tightly gripping a black dagger, buried deep into his abdomen.
His health instantly fell below half, into the danger zone.
"Don't try anything with me."
The silver-haired girl pulled out the dagger, sheathed it with a cold snap, and left a frigid sentence before turning and walking away from the swamp.
The three were left behind, standing dazed like statues, watching the proud figure gradually disappear.
"Yu... Brother Yu, are you okay?"
Only when the girl was far away did the Sharpshooter regain composure and stammer a question.
"I... I'm fine."
Brother Yu slowly lowered his head, staring blankly at the wound on his belly.
Wait! I was just stabbed... by Cecilia...?
Recalling that stunningly beautiful face, filled with disdain and impatience, for some reason, a wave of joy surged in his heart, as if he had just unlocked a strange new trait...
At this moment, the female player who had remained silent suddenly muttered timidly, "I, uh... recorded the whole thing just now..."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
After stabbing that young man, Chen Zixuan felt quite satisfied.
Yet, at the same time, she was rather dissatisfied.
Because you're dissatisfied, that's why you feel satisfied—such is philosophy.
The benefit was that she finally got rid of those three newbies. She didn't kill anyone, so her [Wanted] penalty didn't worsen.
But the downside was that attacking players was still a violation, punished by the system.
Chen Zixuan would have to kill 18 more water ghouls to clear her red name entirely.
After waiting about ten minutes, the weakened state ended. Chen Zixuan headed for a densely populated monster area, where a dozen water ghouls roamed the swamp.
A nearby water ghoul was first to sense her presence and shambled toward her, howling with its ruined voice.
The silver-haired girl's face stayed blank as she drew her dagger and advanced.
A little over ten minutes later, with a system notification sound, Chen Zixuan's [Wanted Status] was finally lifted, and the red name above her head gradually faded away.
By now, the swamp around her was littered with water ghoul corpses.
"So troublesome... I'd better stop killing players."
She sighed helplessly and walked toward the edge of Mired Swamp.
Her backpack still held several blue equipment pieces and two skill books for other classes—hopefully, she could sell them for a good price later.
Just as she was about to leave the swamp, a hunched figure suddenly appeared in Chen Zixuan's vision.
This was a newly-spawned water ghoul. The rot hadn't set in deeply, and even though it was covered in mud, Chen Zixuan recognized the familiar clothes.
The words she wanted to say caught in her throat, her heart weighed down.
Even knowing it was only an NPC, Chen Zixuan hesitated for a long time.
In the end, she slowly drew her dagger and, imitating the manner of those cultists, awkwardly traced a cross upon her chest.
"Mr. Priss, I don't know what to say... I'll send you to join your granddaughter."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Leaving Mired Swamp, the mud and water ghoul fluid clinging to Chen Zixuan faded into sparks of light, dissolving into the surrounding air.
Finally free from the stench of rotting corpses, her mood lightened slightly.
She re-equipped her pitch-black cloak, and after more than ten minutes, she stood before the towering gates of the main city.
It was lunchtime; many players had logged off to eat in the real world.
Yet, many others were still bustling in and out of the city gates, hurrying to various wild zones for battle.
Snippets of conversation about Cecilia drifted by now and then, but Chen Zixuan kept her eyes forward, blending with the crowd as she passed through the gates and reached the city's central plaza.
The plaza was crowded with players; just a quick glance gave Chen Zixuan a headache.
She thought she had better find a quieter spot to set up shop.
She wandered aimlessly through the plaza. Just as she spotted a less crowded area and prepared to move over, a familiar female voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Hello, can... can you teach me how to play this game?"
Chen Zixuan's breath caught, and he turned instinctively to see a beautiful, clear face.
Gu... Gu Yanxi?!