Karifa explained why she had ended up like this, and at the same time, sent a plea for help to the two who had saved her: "Please, save my village. I’ll pay any price—anything at all—if you can just help us."
Without hesitation, Albert agreed to the girl’s plea, not caring what dangers lay ahead. Chu Xueyue had expected this since morning. He knew full well that if he were in Hero State instead of his current ordinary form, he’d have agreed too.
Though Albert now lived as a former Hero in this city, he was still a Hero at heart. His agreement was only natural.
The plot involved a plague this time—exactly as Chu Xueyue had guessed. No need to dwell on it.
Yep, just as I thought. This quest NPC’s served her purpose. Next up, Albert’s main account will lead my alt through grinding mobs and leveling up. What’s the reward? Doesn’t matter—it’ll be starter gear anyway. That’s the proper Otherworldly Hero workflow. None of that max-difficulty nonsense from before. If the enemy hadn’t retreated early, I’d have lasted barely minutes.
After telling Karifa to rest, Albert grabbed Chu Xueyue’s hand and pulled him outside.
*I’m a guy, Albert. This hand-holding is awkward. What if someone sees us? Even if we’re in your house…* Chu Xueyue grumbled inwardly. Of course, he kept it to himself with an outsider present.
Once outside the room, Albert said, "We’ll set out later. We need to prepare some essentials. Same for you—this is a plague village. One slip, and we’re infected."
A plague village quest—so cliché. Back in his original world, Chu Xueyue wouldn’t have worried. It was just a game character; infections cleared after quests. But here, everything was real. And he hated being sick. Even as a Hero, he was just an ordinary person now.
"Got it. I’ll change into proper gear."
Realizing this, Chu Xueyue headed straight for his room. Annoying, but in this world, "changing gear" meant manually swapping clothes. There was a system panel, yet no equipment slot. *This world really is a broken game.*
Knock knock knock. Halfway there, someone pounded on the door—the first time anyone had knocked since Chu Xueyue arrived here. Neighbors rarely visited, so he knew no one well.
*Who is it? A salesperson? Do they even have those here?* He thought it but called out, "I’ll get it!"
First knock on my door in this world—kind of exciting, right?
"Coming! Who is it?" Chu Xueyue said eagerly. Too eager—he shoved the door open hard.
*BANG!* Then he remembered: his door swung outward. And the knocker had been standing way too close.
——From the perspective of the face meeting the door——
Ugh, Grandpa actually sent me here for a task. This dump shares a city with my home? I never knew such a run-down place existed behind the scenes.
Whatever. Just find the person Grandpa mentioned. If he knows them, why live here? Shouldn’t they be in the noble district?
What was Grandpa thinking? This was my first official task after graduating! He hijacked it, dumping me here. HQ had assigned a proper debut mission—one I could’ve aced with 100% completion. Doesn’t he know how crucial that is for my record?
Wait, where even am I? The map says this spot, but I’ve walked forever. Lost? Impossible. I graduated top of my class at sixteen, outpacing seniors. I joined the Investigation Squad smoothly. My flawless debut can’t be ruined by an outdated map! *It must be the map’s fault. I’ll buy a new one next time.*
Panicking, the top student looked up—and froze.
*Did I see that right? That door number matches my target. Check again. Maybe it’s smudged.*
She squinted. No mistake.
*Okay, I wasn’t lost.* She took two deep breaths, smoothed her excitement, tucked a strand of silky hair behind her ear, and flashed what she hoped was a perfect smile. Raising a pale hand, she tapped lightly on the door.
"Coming! Who is it?" A male voice answered. *Is this my contact? Who is he to summon Grandpa’s favor?*
She didn’t realize the door’s speed was off.
*Too late!*
Her face slammed into the wooden door.
——Back to Chu Xueyue’s view——
*Shit! Wrong move. Options:*
*1. Apologize immediately. Pay medical fees if injured.*
*2. Slam the door. Pretend nothing happened.*
Hero instincts kicked in. Chu Xueyue shut the door and turned to Albert. "Albert, turns out even your neighborhood has salespeople. All handled—I chased them off."
Before he finished, a thunderous crash echoed. A gust of wind whipped past his ear. He even glimpsed the door flying by.
An enraged voice boomed: "Who’re you calling a salesperson? Say that to my face!"
