Chapter 144 : Level Up
Level Up
A few minutes later, Gu Yanxi was walking alone along the wide avenues of the Main City, moving hurriedly with a look of tension on her face.
Anyone who saw her at this moment would probably just take her for a slightly pretty, green newbie player, not knowing that inside her backpack were quietly lying five pieces of purple epic equipment.
It could be said that this set was currently the most powerful set of gear in terms of stats in Legend of Kaloran.
Even as a complete beginner who had never touched online games before, Gu Yanxi couldn't help but feel a deep sense of amazement the first time she saw the stats panel for the Blood Moon Executioner set.
Her skills already seemed so freakishly good, and with overwhelming advantages in both equipment and level, and working so hard... No wonder Cecilia could become the world's number one player.
Thinking of this, the pressure in Gu Yanxi's heart doubled, and she quickened her pace.
One didn't need to think to know just how valuable this set of equipment was. If anything went wrong on the way to get it repaired, even selling herself might not be enough to cover the loss.
"Entrusting me to repair such an important thing... does Cecilia really trust me that much?"
Amid her nervousness, the thought suddenly made Gu Yanxi feel happy. Her cheeks flushed, with no sense of being treated as a mere tool.
Since Cecilia trusts me this much, I absolutely can't betray her trust!
A few minutes later, she arrived at the door of a weapons shop and looked inside. Seeing a few players browsing around, Gu Yanxi didn't go in right away but waited by the door.
It wasn't until those players left that Gu Yanxi glanced around, made sure no one was paying attention to her, and quickly walked in.
The repair fee for epic equipment was expensive—an entire set, even more so.
Fully restoring the durability of all this gear cost a total of 3 gold coins. Although Gu Yanxi had enough to pay for it, Chen Zixuan felt bad about making her shoulder the cost, so before she left, he'd given Gu Yanxi 5 gold coins specifically for this purpose.
Once the equipment had been repaired, Gu Yanxi hurried back to the inn along the route she remembered.
To her surprise, the room door was slightly ajar this time.
"What could Cecilia be doing inside?"
Curious, Gu Yanxi gently pushed open the door, and the scene in the room came into view.
There was no one else, just that same girl named Cecilia, so perfect she almost didn't seem to belong to this world.
At the moment, she was sitting leaning against the narrow wooden window, wearing a white dress, bare feet hanging down. One hand rested lightly on the window frame, the other naturally dropped at her pale, slender thigh. Her long silver twin-tails, like the finest fox fur, were smooth and close-fitting, wrapping tightly around her petite body.
Her light blue eyes were half open, as if she'd just awakened from a dream, quietly gazing out the window at the street below. On her lovely face was a sorrow that seemed forever impossible to unravel.
So delicate and frail; just looking at her would make anyone feel pity.
Even as a fellow girl, at this moment, Gu Yanxi had to admit that the softest part of her heart felt just the tiniest stir.
"You're back... Welcome."
The creak of the door did eventually startle the girl; she slowly turned her head to look at Gu Yanxi. After a brief silence, she spoke gently.
In truth, Chen Zixuan was extremely perceptive; he'd already heard her coming up the stairs.
Gu Yanxi lowered her head slightly, eyes cast down, avoiding Chen Zixuan's gaze before speaking, "Mm, I'm back. The equipment is repaired."
Though they'd spent so long together, she still wasn't quite used to how the two of them had become friends so suddenly.
At this moment, Gu Yanxi's feelings were complicated. She was certain that before entering this game, she'd never met anyone like Cecilia before. Her distinctive appearance was too striking to forget or mistake.
And yet—Cecilia gave her an inexplicably familiar feeling, whether in the way she spoke or acted.
As if the two of them had known each other for a very long time.
Could there really be such a coincidence?
The world is so big—maybe it really was just a coincidence...
Even Gu Yanxi herself had forgotten—her original reason for playing this game was just to look for Chen Zixuan.
Consciousness is a strange thing.
Perhaps, subconsciously, she had already found her version of Chen Zixuan. Who knows.
Suddenly, Gu Yanxi remembered something and looked up, saying, "Oh, there was some money left after the repairs. I'll give it back to you."
The repair cost was 3 gold coins; Chen Zixuan had given her 5, so 2 remained.
"Keep it. You might need it for something else later,"
Chen Zixuan replied casually. Two gold coins weren't enough to worry about.
"Then I'll give you back your equipment," said Gu Yanxi.
She came into the room, took the freshly repaired Blood Moon Executioner set out of her backpack, and placed each piece on the neatly made bed.
When she took out the silver-white short chestplate and saw how little curve it had, Gu Yanxi finally realized—even someone as perfect as Cecilia wasn't entirely flawless...
Stealing a glance at the girl's chest, which was utterly flat beneath that white dress, and then lowering her gaze to her own impressive assets, Gu Yanxi, for some reason, felt much better all of a sudden. A calm smile curled at her lips.
Next, since she needed to change equipment, and for the sake of politeness, Gu Yanxi stepped out to the corridor. Chen Zixuan stayed alone in the room, face slightly red as he took off the white dress and re-equipped the Blood Moon Executioner set.
The door opened.
Like a dream suddenly shattered, the girl-next-door in a white dress seemed as if she had never existed; the one who stepped out of the room was still the Cecilia that Gu Yanxi knew so well.
A blood-red scarf as dark as night, a silver chestplate, a black skirt, eyes that seemed tired of the entire world—confident, composed, cold, strong, and decisive...
The ID 【Cecilia】 was the very embodiment of the combat ceiling among players in Legend of Kaloran.
"Where are we going next?"
Even though she could already guess the answer, the sense of pressure from Cecilia was so strong that Gu Yanxi asked instinctively.
"Same place as at noon."
Clenching his right fist, Chen Zixuan answered, full of confidence.
There were still three days before the week was up, and with so many Sawtooth Crocodiles in the Mutant Jungle, he could definitely reach level 12 by the end of the day—and if they pushed hard enough, maybe even challenge level 13.
Following the same route they'd taken that morning, the two of them avoided the crowds, returned to the Mutant Jungle, and once again began the repetitive process of grinding monsters.
And so, after who knows how long, Gu Yanxi couldn't remember how many bottles of bait potions she had made. One Sawtooth Crocodile after another was lured out and felled at the feet of that invincible girl.
The blazing sun, once high overhead, gradually sank in the sky. In the end, Chen Zixuan, as expected, reached level 12. And, in team mode, Gu Yanxi had the benefit of shared experience, rocketing her up to second place on the player level ranking!
With Cecilia leading the way, the world's second player to reach level 10 was born!
.......
There's not much more to write about this part. The next chapter will skip forward in time.