Chapter Seventeen: A Crisis of Affection!

Page (1/3)

Hearing the system’s prompt, Zhao Nan immediately rejected the idea of announcing this to the world. Faced with this situation and the existence of Finina, only one thing came to Zhao Nan’s mind.

A humanoid pet!

Yet, there was no pet panel appearing within his bracelet. Which meant that, so far, “Global Monster OL” had not yet met the condition of a hundred players owning pets. The pet system had yet to officially launch. This was only a simplified pet system, which meant Zhao Nan could at most view Finina’s character information, and her ownership was only temporary.

But why was there a favorability rating? Shouldn’t it be a loyalty stat for pets? Was it because this was the simplified pet system?

Though his mind was filled with questions, just looking at Finina’s starting attributes was enough to fill him with delight! With stats like these, no matter which class she was trained in, her potential was limitless.

After leaving the weapons shop, Zhao Nan glanced at Finina, who followed silently behind him, and suddenly felt a headache coming on. In his past life, he rarely interacted with women, focusing instead on leveling up and survival. In such a precarious environment, only those significant figures had the leisure to talk about love.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go?” Zhao Nan asked, forcing himself to sound casual.

The quest required either journeying together or fulfilling a wish of the other party.

“I’ll just follow you. It doesn’t matter where you go. You don’t need to ask me.” Behind the mask, her voice was gentle and cool.

Just listening to her speak felt as comforting as a spring breeze, but the thought of the face hiding behind the mask made Zhao Nan feel awkward.

“How long do you mean to follow me?” Zhao Nan frowned.

“Until I feel it’s enough.”

“…Fine.” Zhao Nan exhaled. “I’m going to continue with my tasks.”

Finina nodded in understanding.

Zhao Nan shrugged and took a few steps forward, when suddenly a breeze blew from behind. He turned instinctively, only to find the spot behind him completely empty… The weapons shop of Haidion had vanished into thin air!

…

Since Finina had clearly stated her intentions, Zhao Nan decided not to dwell on other matters for now. In his previous life, he’d owned several pets, though they’d all fallen in battle. Still, he was no stranger to pet training.

If he couldn’t figure out the situation, he’d just treat Finina as a pet for the time being.

About pets… Zhao Nan quickly searched his memory, then made a beeline for Dongyuan City’s shopping district.

“What is this…” Finina looked curiously at the store before her.

“This is the Dongyuan Pet Supermarket,” Zhao Nan explained as he pushed the door open.

Since the pet system hadn’t officially launched, the pet supermarket was rather deserted. Zhao Nan ignored the cashier’s professional smile and headed straight to the merchandise section.

Before the game initialized, this place was just a small supermarket. Afterward, the layout hadn’t changed much, but the storefront, goods, and architectural style had all been altered.

“Beef flavor, small box, 50 copper… Chicken flavor, small box, 50 copper… Chocolate flavor, 80 copper… By the way, Finina, which flavor do you like?”

“What is this?”

“It’s your rations!” Zhao Nan replied, scanning the shelves. “Come on, which flavor do you like? We need to hurry with the quest, don’t waste time.”

“You eat this yourself.”

With that, Finina walked out the door, but didn’t go far, choosing instead to stand alone at the entrance.

“Ding! Finina’s favorability drops by three percent. Warning: If favorability falls below fifty percent, the pet may leave!”

Zhao Nan was stunned. A pet that didn’t like rations? Did humanoid pets have special tastes and dislike these flavors?

Grumbling inwardly, Zhao Nan had no choice but to leave the store. Perhaps, if she got hungry, she would find something to eat on her own.

After stepping outside, though he couldn’t see her expression, those gem-like eyes kept fixed on him, making him feel uneasy.

Was this really necessary…

Shaking his head, Zhao Nan decided to deal with the last piece of his novice equipment before worrying about anything else.

Page (2/3)

A player could equip a total of eight pieces of armor (clothes, hat, pauldrons, bracers, gloves, belt, pants, shoes), one weapon, up to ten rings, a necklace, and two amulets.

To obtain the novice clothing, he needed to complete the quest to clear out the Meowing Cats. After some thought, Zhao Nan wandered through Dongyuan City.

As for the hidden class, who knew when that would come to fruition? For now, the plan was to reach level ten and then advance to the mage class. After reaching level ten, he’d have a bit more freedom to take on some rewarding quests.

His mind was filled with guides from level zero to fifty.

“Auntie requests your help in finding the necklace stolen by the Meowing Cats. Will you accept the quest?”

“Accept!”

“The wandering swordsman ‘Sword Qi Five or Six Meters’ asks you to collect ten Meowing Cat claws. Accept the quest?”

“Accept!”

…

After picking up all the nearby quests, the next step was to stock up on supplies. By the time he was done, dusk had already fallen. Conveniently, monster hunting at night granted extra experience, so Zhao Nan made his way toward the city gates without hesitation.

“Zhao Nan!”

Suddenly, a delighted and somewhat familiar voice called out. Turning around, he saw it was Xu Yang.

She was already wearing a brand-new outfit—local clothing.

“What are you doing here?” Xu Yang hurried over.

“Heading out for a quest.”

“Oh…” Xu Yang nodded as if she expected that, then her gaze landed on Finina behind Zhao Nan. “Hey, who’s this?”

“A friend I’m teaming up with.”

It was better not to mention the pet system for now.

Xu Yang was briefly taken aback. “You’re actually teaming up with someone?”

Zhao Nan shrugged. It wasn’t anything strange—if the other person was capable, who wanted to go solo?

“Xiao Yang!”

A tall, burly young man approached Xu Yang. He carried a massive battle-axe on his back and was a full head taller than Zhao Nan. He glanced quickly at the two and asked, “Xiao Yang, who are these two?”

“This is Zhao Nan, also from our school! The other seems to be his friend,” Xu Yang introduced. “This is Cheng Feng! He looks a bit different, but he’s actually one of our teachers, the gym teacher.”

Cheng Feng smiled and extended his hand. “Zhao Nan, right? I think I’ve heard your name before. You’re quite well-known at school.”

Zhao Nan shrugged, shaking his hand, but his brow furrowed slightly. Cheng Feng quickly withdrew his hand and said to Xu Yang, “Xiao Yang, it’s getting late. You should finish your quest soon.”

“Oh, right…” Xu Yang lowered her head, then suddenly shook it. “Cheng Feng, I just remembered something. Wait a moment—I’ll be right back.”

“Alright. I’ll wait as long as it takes!” Cheng Feng smiled.

“Zhao Nan, you wait too. I know you’re in a hurry, but just wait a bit, okay?”

After a moment’s silence, Zhao Nan replied calmly, “Three minutes.”

“Okay! Don’t go anywhere!”

With that, she dashed off.

Cheng Feng turned to Zhao Nan. “So, Zhao Nan, you’re one of Xu Yang’s students?”

“No.”

“Heh.” Cheng Feng said casually, “I’m surprised someone your age managed to survive. Not bad!”

“It’s just luck, nothing special.”

“You’re training as a mage, right?” Cheng Feng sized him up. “Doesn’t look like you’re having an easy time.”

Page (3/3)

Zhao Nan looked at his right hand, flexing his fingers. They were already red and swollen. Only then did he reply indifferently, “True, mages can’t compare to melee classes early on, especially berserkers with their overwhelming strength.”

“Haha, as long as you know.” Cheng Feng clapped Zhao Nan on the shoulder and lowered his voice. “Let’s add each other as friends. As long as we’re all still alive, we should get along. Maybe one day you’ll need my help.”

Zhao Nan shook his head. “No need.”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait, where are you going?” Cheng Feng called out.

“My three minutes are up. Tell Xu Yang I’m not waiting.”

Cheng Feng was taken aback, then shook his head with a faint smile. “Heh, clever kid.”

“Zhao Nan—wait up!”

In the distance, Xu Yang’s voice rang out as she hurried over. Zhao Nan hadn’t gone far.

“I told you to wait. Why’d you take off so fast?” Xu Yang panted.

“Time’s up.”

“You…” Xu Yang gritted her teeth in frustration, then, deflating like a balloon, said, “Fine, I should have expected this from you. Here, take this!”

She handed him a box.

“What is it?”

“Open it and see for yourself.”

Cheng Feng came over, curious. When Zhao Nan opened the box, his expression changed slightly, but he said nothing.

Inside was a new shirt. Xu Yang blushed a little. “I ruined your clothes twice and felt bad about it. I picked a large size, it should fit. It’s not anything fancy, but it’s all I could afford. Besides, you don’t seem the type to spend much time picking out clothes. It’s not good to be running around half-dressed.”

Zhao Nan had planned to use the novice gear after finishing his quest, so he hadn’t bothered spending money on clothes.

“Thanks.”

“Try it on now. If it doesn’t fit, we can still exchange it.”

“As long as it fits, it’s fine.” Although he muttered, Zhao Nan still put the shirt on. If he refused Xu Yang’s request, knowing her, she’d pester him for a while.

“Not bad! Who knew you’d look good in anything!” Xu Yang nodded, satisfied.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

Just then, Cheng Feng spoke up. “Xiao Yang, your quest timer’s almost up!”

“Oh… I see.” Xu Yang said regretfully, “Well, Zhao Nan, most of us are staying together now. If you have time, send me an email. Going alone isn’t great. Hey, you—”

But Zhao Nan was already slipping away into the crowd.

Cheng Feng frowned slightly, then said in a neutral tone, “Xiao Yang, we should get going.”

Xu Yang nodded absentmindedly, muttering, “I wonder when I’ll see that guy again… What a troublesome student.”

She didn’t notice the cold smile that flickered across Cheng Feng’s face.

…

“Ding! Finina’s favorability drops by six percent! Warning: If favorability falls below fifty percent, detachment may occur!”

At the city gate, Zhao Nan turned to look at the silent Finina.

What on earth is going on?