Chapter 29: A College Student’s Adventure — Pushing Their Luck
In the Under-Reality, a few days earlier.
The three girls stood on the rooftop of a building, watching the three boys gradually walk toward the distant ruins.
Their figures grew smaller and smaller.
Only then did the girls finally feel a sense of relief.
They believed those boys would definitely find a way out—and come back to take them away.
“As long as you just ask them a little, boys will still end up working themselves to death helping you.”
The blonde girl said with a hint of pride.
The other two girls simply nodded.
After all—
no one wanted to go down there themselves.
They stood at a high vantage point, watching the three figures grow farther and farther away.
Their mood slowly relaxed.
Until—
“Hey? What are they doing?”
The twin-tailed girl frowned.
The three boys in the distance were clearly moving—but it looked as if they were standing still.
The distance never seemed to change.
“Why aren’t they moving forward?”
Her tone began to grow impatient.
“I told you. Boys really are brainless creatures.”
The black-haired girl sneered.
“They don’t even know how to walk properly. All they do is rush forward—just a bunch of reckless idiots with some physical ability.”
Even as she said it, the unease didn’t completely leave her.
The three of them began commenting on the boys.
Their tone grew lighter.
More mocking.
But—
as time passed, they gradually fell silent.
Their mouths gradually went dry.
It felt like a long time had passed.
Yet the three figures in the distance were still there.
Neither approaching nor leaving.
“…What are they even doing…”
The twin-tailed girl’s voice carried a hint of irritation.
“Can’t they just hurry up, find something, and come back?”
After a while—
black mist began to appear in the distance.
At first it was only a thin layer.
Then it thickened rapidly.
Slowly swallowing the figures of the three boys.
“…Huh?”
Before they could react—
the three figures had completely disappeared into the black mist.
The girls lost sight of them entirely.
Some time later.
They began to feel uneasy.
But they didn’t know what to do.
And then—
two figures appeared before them.
“…Who are you?”
The three girls looked at the two women, finding them vaguely familiar.
“I am Maiden J.”
The white-haired girl spoke casually.
The moment she said it—
the blonde girl’s expression changed instantly.
“What kind of service attitude is that?”
Her tone carried obvious dissatisfaction.
“You made us wait so long. Shouldn’t you apologize first?”
She spoke as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
The other two girls nodded in agreement.
“Right. Just apologize and send us back.”
The blonde girl crossed her arms.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Xia Jiuwei looked at them, her gaze turning slightly colder.
Beside her, Lu Nian’an said nothing.
But beneath her feet—
a twisted shadow silently spread out.
The shadows were strange, as if composed of countless broken fragments stitched together.
The expressions of the three girls froze instantly.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
“I can send you back.”
Xia Jiuwei said flatly.
“But there is a cost—10% of your mental strength per person.”
The blonde girl’s expression changed.
“Isn’t it your responsibility to send us back?”
Her tone turned displeased.
“Why do we have to pay?”
She didn’t understand what “mental energy” meant.
But she understood something else clearly—
if she acted strong enough, people would eventually yield.
She had always been good at that.
“You might want to think about how you got here in the first place.”
Xia Jiuwei’s tone cooled further.
“Wasn’t it you who chose to play those things?”
“You caused this yourself, and now you expect others to clean it up?”
Her patience was clearly running out.
She turned to the other two girls.
“And you?”
“Pay 10% to leave, or stay here.”
The two exchanged glances.
After a few seconds—
they shook their heads slightly.
They were convinced that if all three refused, the other side would eventually back down.
“Fine.”
Lu Nian’an said calmly from the side.
“Then next time, the price becomes 20%.”
Her tone was flat, but carried no room for negotiation.
The pressure in the air tightened.
Just as Xia Jiuwei was about to lose her temper—
Lu Nian’an reached out and took her hand.
The next moment—
their figures vanished.
After some time, Xia Jiuwei resumed her “rescue work.”
Within the black mist, they quickly found one of the boys.
“Who are you?”
The boy looked at them warily.
“I am Maiden J.”
Xia Jiuwei replied calmly.
The moment he heard it—
his expression collapsed.
“Finally… finally someone came!”
His voice almost broke.
“Please! Send me back! I’ll do anything!”
His emotions shattered instantly.
Xia Jiuwei looked at him and smiled faintly.
“Simple.”
“Just pay 10% of your mental strength.”
Without hesitation, the boy nodded immediately.
The deal was accepted.
The next moment—
he was sent out of the Under-Reality.
The second boy they found reacted similarly.
Fear.
Panic.
Immediate agreement.
Everything went smoothly.
Until the last one—
whose reaction was… different.
They returned to a small house within the Under-Reality.
A fireplace burned inside, its orange glow flickering gently across the walls and their bodies.
The two sat side by side on the sofa, leaning against each other.
Outside the window—
a silent night.
Snow fell quietly, covering the world in white.
“Nia, what do you think he’ll face after going back?”
Xia Jiuwei asked softly.
“Probably mockery first.”
Lu Nian’an replied calmly.
“Then some half-hearted comfort afterward.”
Her tone was steady, without hesitation.
“Mm.”
Xia Jiuwei responded softly and said nothing more.
After a while—
she spoke again.
“Do you ever think… that what I do in the Under-Reality—saving people every day—is kind of stupid?”
Her voice lowered slightly.
“Some people might even think I’m some kind of selfless saint.”
Silence lingered.
Only the sound of burning wood remained.
After a moment—
“No.”
Lu Nian’an said softly.
“As long as you’re happy doing it.”
Her tone remained calm, unadorned.
But direct.
Xia Jiuwei didn’t respond immediately.
She looked out at the falling snow.
Her mind felt strangely blank.
—Happy?
She suddenly realized she hadn’t felt that in a long time.
Now, when she saved people, it was rarely interesting anymore.
Rarely satisfying.
Mostly just habit.
Even the reason she had started saving people in the first place—
she could barely remember it anymore.
After a long journey, the “hopeless romantic” finally arrived beneath the old building.
He paused, catching his breath.
Then grabbed the iron ladder and climbed upward step by step.
Only one thought remained in his mind—
He had to tell them how to get back.
In his imagination, a scene had already formed.
When all the boys abandoned them—
he would be the only one who came back for them.
And then—
those girls would surely look at him with gratitude.
Maybe, for the first time, they would truly notice him.
Thinking of that, he climbed faster.