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Zane wasn’t some virtuous saint—if someone made a move, they had to be prepared to handle the consequences.

Without Starry, Zane wouldn’t have had the confidence to act this boldly. After all, in the early stages of the game, sheer numbers were an undeniable advantage. But now, it was a fair 2v2.

Once the slime’s skill effect wore off, Starry and Zane turned and charged straight toward the remaining two players.

“You killed our leader! I’ll fight you to the death!” Rainflower Wave roared, raising his sword as he charged.

“Wave!” Rainflower Jack called out.

“What?” Rainflower Wave turned back in confusion.

“This is all a misunderstanding. We accidentally triggered the slime’s skill and nearly got everyone wiped out. It’s normal for these experts to be angry. Let’s apologize and end this here,” Rainflower Jack said, his eyes darting as he tried to smooth things over.

Rainflower Wave clenched his fists but ultimately let them fall to his sides. “Fine. Sorry, it’s our fault.”

“……”

Zane wanted to roll his eyes.

Wow, they really know how to put on a show. Forget it. It is better not to antagonize random factions early on. While he wasn’t afraid of them, being targeted later would be annoying.

After finishing off the remaining slimes, Starry and Zane turned and left without another word.

“You’re just going to let them go like that?” Rainflower Wave fumed.
“Of course! Do you really think we can take them on? That woman could probably kill you in two strikes!” Rainflower Jack snapped.
“No way!”
“Why not? Do you think the slime’s 12 defense was fake? With your measly 4 defense, she might kill you in one hit!”
“……” Rainflower Wave fell silent.

…

In total, Zane and Starry had collected 70 portions of Slime Mucus. The drop rate for the mucus was surprisingly high—roughly one drop every two or three kills.

“Uncle, I’ve brought the mucus you asked for!” Zane called out, stopping the busy man.

“Huh?” The uncle looked up, clearly surprised that Zane had managed to collect the mucus. “You kids are pretty capable. How about helping me move some stuff next?”

Zane immediately waved his hands. “No thanks… I think I’m better suited for combat!”

“Haha, fair enough. Alright, bring out the mucus you’ve collected,” the uncle said, pulling out a large bowl.

“Sure thing.” Zane and Starry stepped forward and poured 50 portions of Slime Mucus into the bowl.

As the bowl filled up, the uncle’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “My goodness… Did you wipe out the entire slime population?!” he exclaimed.

Zane scratched his head. “Not quite! They started respawning before we left.”

“That’s plenty—more than enough to last us a long time!” the uncle said excitedly.

Only 50 portions and you’re already overwhelmed? Uncle, you’re slacking. Of course, Zane kept that thought to himself. No sense risking a reduced reward.

“I didn’t expect that in the village’s time of need, we’d have brave warriors like you step up! You’re a blessing to the entire village!” the uncle said joyfully. “Here you go, Emberveil and Stardust. Since you’ve gone above and beyond, this is your well-deserved reward.”

A golden flash signaled Zane’s advancement to level 5. Now, at least he could break through some defenses and deal a bit of damage, instead of just leeching experience. Starry, on the other hand, was still sitting at level 5, 70% experience.

Zane was just about to leave when he heard, “Wait, young man.”

“Uncle, is there something else?” Zane asked, puzzled.

“Alas!” The uncle sighed deeply and retrieved a delicate necklace from a wooden box, “My daughter went missing when she was ten years old. She was always curious about the world outside. I think she must have left the village.”

“I don’t know how she’s doing now. Back then, I had prepared this necklace as a birthday gift for her… Can you deliver this necklace to her for me? And this letter,” the uncle said, pulling out a worn envelope.

“If… if you can’t find her, then just keep the necklace. Consider it yours,” the uncle added with a tone full of sorrow.

“Alright, I’ll do my best. Can you tell me her name?” Zane asked.

“Her nickname is Lila. Most of us in the village share the surname He.”

An S-rank quest? Zane wondered. Why would a simple search mission be rated so highly?

Although he hesitated for a moment, he decided to accept. After all, there were no penalties for failure. There was no reason to refuse.

As he walked out of the house, Zane examined the necklace’s attributes.

The envelope was also a quest item. It didn’t seem useful for now, so Zane tossed it into a corner of his inventory to collect dust.

Slimes were no longer meeting their needs. On their way back, Zane noticed several groups of players already forming parties and heading toward the slime territory.

*It is time to venture deeper.

Zane circled several distinctive small huts, hoping to find something useful. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to gain—some houses were locked, while others were occupied by people too busy to talk.

In fact, Zane had tried forcing a conversation earlier and lost a bit of favorability. He wondered if that might affect future progression.

Now that I think about it, Zane reflected, when the old man gave Starry the S-rank quest, he mentioned that most of the village’s young people had fallen ill. That should mean the pharmacy would be in high demand.

But during his search, the pharmacy had also been closed. Something felt off.

…

While Starry stood by, watching silently. Zane pressed his ear against the pharmacy door, trying to make out any sounds coming from inside.

“Well, well, isn’t this our little noob here? Already level 5? And look, the beautiful Stardust is here too.” Suddenly, a voice greeted them.

Zane turned his head to see Endless Sea, the same player who had previously mocked him to his face. Endless Sea was also level 5 now. Being able to solo level up so quickly was no small feat—this guy clearly wasn’t average.

“Who are you?” Zane asked, acting clueless. His male character hadn’t met Endless Sea before, so he needed to play it convincingly.

“Stardust didn’t tell you? I saw you two fighting slimes earlier. Stardust’s movement skills were incredible—not a single attack landed on her. It’s the first time I’ve seen such godlike evasion. As for you… well, sacrificing yourself for others earns you a few pity points, I guess,” Endless Sea remarked smugly.

Zane’s face darkened. Who gave you the right to evaluate me like that?!

“What are you doing here?” Zane asked.

“Oh, I just turned in a quest and leveled up. I’m wandering around the village now, and I saw you here… checking out this door.” Endless Sea seemed to realize his wording was off and quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person to spread rumors about someone’s kinks. You’re safe with me.”

Zane resisted the urge to have Starry stab him right then and there. “I’m trying to listen for any sounds inside. There might be some kind of special quest.”

“Oh? And did you hear anything?” Endless Sea asked, intrigued.

“Not yet… Wait, hold on, there’s something!” Zane said as he caught the sound of footsteps growing louder.

It’s here!

Suddenly, the door swung open without warning, and Zane, caught completely off guard, fell forward and landed on the figure who had opened it. Before Zane could react, system notifications popped up in front of him.

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