Chapter Nine: Reunion

The three figures quickly vanished from the area, and because he had to deal with the attacking wandering zombies, Zhao Nan soon lost track of them. Though he seethed with resentment, he could do nothing but swallow it back down with a sense of helplessness.

Zhao Nan retreated to a safe zone and gazed at the corpse of the taekwondo coach, now gradually growing cold. His eyes reflected no emotion. He had grown accustomed to such sights… though this wretched game still filled him with bitterness.

Sometimes Zhao Nan harbored a naive hope: to find the hidden system behind the game, pummel it soundly, and force it to restore the world to its original state. But such dreams were nothing but delusions… In his previous life, which lasted three years, he had never heard of anyone finding the system’s location.

“It’s best to just focus on finishing the quest,” he told himself.

After composing his mind, Zhao Nan pressed on with the task of eliminating wandering zombies. Thanks to the Medusa Ring he wore, he dispatched them at a noticeably faster pace, and he did not encounter any more elite monsters. Normally, after an elite monster dies in a given area, it takes at least forty-eight hours for another to respawn. Zhao Nan knew, however, that the next elite monster would no longer be human, and such monsters had lost even the potential to evolve.

By noon, the zombie-slaying quest was complete. Now that he was level five, these zombies could only grant him a single experience point each. Upgrading from level five to six required six hundred experience points, and after finishing the quest, he had gained only a few dozen points.

Next were the Frenzied Rabbits, monsters even lower in level than the zombies. With the power of his Fireball spell, Zhao Nan could dispatch them with a single blow.

In “Global Monster Online,” when a monster’s level falls more than three below the player’s, the experience gained from killing it decreases sharply. Zhao Nan now gained virtually no experience for killing level zero or one monsters, and only a single point for level two ones.

Still, as he slaughtered Frenzied Rabbits, his Fireball skill advanced again, reaching level three. In this game, the maximum skill level was ten. Only by using special items could one evolve skills further, but such scrolls would not appear until the average world level reached twenty-five; there was no point in rushing.

Next came the task of gathering moonflowers, a crucial step in completing the hidden class quest. Zhao Nan glanced at the darkening sky, and with a resigned sigh, concealed himself alone among the Frenzied Rabbits.

To reach the moonflower gathering area, he had to pass through the territory of level five Frenzied Bulls. At night, with monsters’ attack power increased, the danger was immense.

Zhao Nan lay quietly on the ground, watching the Frenzied Rabbits bathed in the glow of the luminous orbs. Each rabbit was nearly twice the size of an ordinary one, sporting two massive incisors and ears as long as an adult’s arm—lethal weapons in their own right. Some calmly grazed, others dozed on the ground. The corpses of those Zhao Nan had killed had already vanished, and the area was once again teeming with monsters.

Bored, Zhao Nan opened his character sheet. From level zero to five, with the help of a double-points card, he had gained ten free attribute points. But he hadn’t decided how to allocate them.

In his previous life, he had reached level forty-nine as a swordsman. Now, as a mage, he was unfamiliar with how to build the class, and he needed to weigh his options carefully.

“I’ll see if I can get that hidden class first. If not, I’ll reconsider my plans,” Zhao Nan mused silently.

With two rings enhancing his stats—seven attack points and four base attributes—he could handle level five or six monsters easily. So long as he was cautious, he was confident even against level seven foes one-on-one.

Night had fallen completely. In the darkness, the Frenzied Rabbits’ crimson eyes glowed ominously. Suddenly, a shadow darted rapidly across their territory.

Zhao Nan immediately braced himself. After being robbed once, he dared not underestimate the madness of players at this stage.

“Help—!”

But as he caught sight of the figure, he heard a plea for help. Under the faint light of the luminous orbs, he saw a pair of red eyes closing in behind the person.

“A woman? Wandering alone at this hour—she must have nerves of steel…”

“Please, help me!”

The safety zone’s light was stronger, and the woman evidently saw Zhao Nan and called out to him for aid.

Zhao Nan frowned, but stepped out of the safe area. Cold-blooded as one might become in this game, to lose all humanity would mean losing oneself entirely.

Since the advent of the game, humanity had suffered endless deaths. Three years into his previous life, global population had fallen below ten million and was still declining.

“Get down!” Zhao Nan shouted.

The figure obeyed immediately, dropping to the ground. A Fireball shot over her head and exploded behind her.

“Run!” Zhao Nan called out again.

Another Fireball followed, detonating in front of the advancing rabbits, halting their charge.

Under Zhao Nan’s cover, the woman quickly reached the safety zone. As the light brightened, Zhao Nan finally saw her face clearly.

“It’s you!”

“It’s you?”

Both froze in surprise. The woman wandering so boldly at night was none other than Xu Yang… The memory of their accidental encounter flashed through Zhao Nan’s mind.

Perhaps from the exertion of running, Xu Yang’s cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily, her lips parted.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yang said softly, “Thank you…”

Zhao Nan nodded, saying little, and began to recall what he knew of Xu Yang. She was a high school senior English teacher, a prestigious university graduate, twenty-four years old, friendly, and extremely attractive—a favorite among the students and staff.

That was about all he could remember.

Suddenly, Xu Yang shrieked, dropping to a crouch in front of Zhao Nan and exclaiming in panic, “Don’t look!”

Was it really necessary…?

Zhao Nan rubbed his forehead in exasperation. The woman must have suffered repeated attacks; most of her clothes were torn to shreds, exposing large swathes of skin—her modesty barely preserved.

“Here—put this on, if you don’t mind it being dirty.”

Zhao Nan stripped off his own shirt and tossed it to Xu Yang. Since entering the game, he hadn’t cared about his appearance. The long-sleeved garment was stained with dried blood, presenting a ghastly sight. Xu Yang hesitated, taken aback.

“Or would you rather stay like this and risk someone else seeing you?”

“No!”

Xu Yang hastily pulled the shirt over herself, then whispered shyly, “Thank you…”

“It’s nothing, just a shirt.”

“You helped me last time, too…”

At this, Xu Yang flushed again, stealing a glance at Zhao Nan. Noticing he seemed unconcerned and lost in thought, she hesitated before speaking again.

“Um… what’s your name?”

After a moment, Xu Yang’s composure returned and she asked once more.

“Zhao Nan.”

“Zhao Nan… so you’re Zhao Nan?”

“You know me?” Zhao Nan asked, surprised. He recalled having no particular connection with this beautiful teacher.

“Your homeroom teacher is always talking about you in the office. I bet every senior-year teacher knows your name… Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it…”

Zhao Nan shook his head with a wry smile. “So my bad reputation really does precede me…”