Startled by being suddenly lifted, Bai Xia instinctively wanted to resist and say something—but the words died on her lips. Even her resistance softened considerably.
She understood Tianzheng meant nothing untoward; he was simply worried she might get instantly wiped or cause trouble. Since she’d chosen to piggyback on him, Bai Xia had enough self-awareness to accept it.
Though slightly uncomfortable, she decided to endure. The situation left no choice.
As the last wolves closed in, Tianzheng—fully focused on them—retreated while carrying Bai Xia, using trees to buy time before advancing again.
His freshly recharged Reincarnation Slash flashed out. One wolf flew upward; the explosive energy blade clipped another nearby. But the third wolf’s strike was already upon him—unavoidable.
Tianzheng took the hit head-on, losing nearly a fifth of his HP. In that split second, his Arc Slash and rapid follow-ups left the two wolves—one dead, one wounded.
He kicked the remaining wolf away. Not a skill move, so damage was negligible—but it created a small gap.
The deaths of the three Level 5 wolves granted Bai Xia, previously dead weight, another level-up. She finally gained basic combat ability.
Without hesitation, she broke free from Tianzheng’s arms, gripped her dark-energy-wreathed weapon, and teamed up to finish the fourth wolf—already on low HP.
In a blink, six deadly wolves were reduced to two. Though unscathed, they posed little threat now.
Watching them, Bai Xia felt a thrill. She’d only watched Tianzheng fight—it left her itching to try.
Tianzheng noticed. With pressure lifted, he joked lightly, “How about I leave them all to you?”
“Sure!”
No sooner had he spoken than Bai Xia dashed forward.
Tianzheng opened his mouth, a helpless expression on his face. Still, he moved toward one wolf, swinging his sword to draw its aggro.
Bai Xia approached her target cautiously. To her dismay, the wolf ignored her completely and charged straight at Tianzheng.
Speechless. *Am I really this harmless? Or does he just have a natural taunt face?* Annoyed, she sped up, leaped high, and slammed a solid kick into the wolf’s head before it reacted.
Stunned and nearly toppled, the wolf let out an angry roar and lunged to bite.
“Hmph. Bring it on.”
Bai Xia’s gaze sharpened. Dodging looked effortless watching Tianzheng—but doing it herself revealed the difficulty.
Thankfully, as an Assassin—a class built for agility—she barely evaded the razor-sharp jaws. In that same motion, she channeled power into her dagger, extending a jet-black energy blade and thrusting it down into the wolf’s neck.
In reality, that strike would’ve pierced clean through. In-game? Just a sliver off the health bar.
Level gap and zero gear left her damage output frustratingly low.
But she wasn’t rushed. After a few more slashes, she pulled back, using the wolf to steadily learn the game’s combat rhythm.
Minutes passed. Bai Xia slowly whittled the Forest Wolf’s HP while Tianzheng—having long finished his own foe—held back, even when she got hit due to mistakes.
Finally, with only a sliver of HP left, she defeated the stubborn enemy. Watching it wail and shatter into white light, she plopped onto the soft grass.
“Phew… No wonder it’s tough for a shut-in like me.”
Her body felt fine, but facing her first real in-game enemy left a trace of mental fatigue—and far more excitement.
This was impossible in reality. Yet she’d done it herself. Gaining experience, growing stronger, craving greater challenges—*this* was part of the game’s charm.
Tianzheng smiled, gathered the wolf pelts and coins, sat beside her. “Not bad.”
As he spoke, he traded everything to her. Bai Xia glanced at him and accepted without protest.
After stowing the loot, they rested until her HP fully recovered, then resumed exploring—much more cautiously this time.
Tianzheng was undeniably a great teammate: skilled, calm, and offering real-time combat tips.
Though they’d teamed up haphazardly because of that giant snake and known each other mere hours, their synergy grew fast.
He was down-to-earth; she was far from the soft, cute girl she seemed. After hours together, it oddly felt like raiding dungeons with the dorm guys back in the day.
Tianzheng found it slightly odd. Bai Xia showed zero indecisiveness or affectation—except for her extreme reactions whenever he accidentally touched her.
Like that time he bumped her butt unintentionally. She nearly impaled his “little buddy” with her dagger. Even in-game, he was shaken for minutes.
Still, Bai Xia improved rapidly. Within half a day, she’d mastered basic combat. As her level rose, her prowess eased Tianzheng’s burden.
Past 9 PM, thoroughly enjoying herself, Bai Xia prepared to log off. Not before adding Tianzheng as a friend—he was practically her half-mentor now.
Games were more fun with friends. Tianzheng was her first real friend in this world.
Acquaintanceship was brief, but life worked that way: some stay strangers for years; others feel familiar at first meeting.
For Bai Xia, it wasn’t that deep. She simply felt comfortable with how Tianzheng carried himself—a quiet sense that befriending him was a good call.
Especially since he was generous. Nearly all loot went straight into her inventory, handed over by him personally.
All in all? Bai Xia was very satisfied with Tianzheng as a gaming friend.
Hmm… More friends like him wouldn’t hurt.
