"I'm not a Druid."
Chu Tian answered unconsciously, lost in his memories.
"Huh?"
Dream’s Horizon blinked at him, a question mark practically floating above her head.
"Oh, I mean—my name is 'I’m Not a Druid'!"
Chu Tian broke into a cold sweat. He suddenly realized how easily his chosen name could be misunderstood.
"Pfft—then why did you pick the Druid class?"
The girl giggled, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Ah, it’s a long story. Anyway, why are you grinding here? What level are you?"
Chu Tian quickly changed the subject. He couldn’t exactly say, *Oh, I was forced into this class by the system*, could he?
Besides, this was the question he’d wanted to ask since seeing her. He found it hard to believe anyone else had already reached Level 5 like him.
"I’m Level 3! I was just curious and used the 'Teleport: Emerald Forest' skill. When I got here, I thought it was so pretty that I wandered around… and ended up grinding here."
*So that’s how it was.* Chu Tian let out a sigh of relief.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Dream’s Horizon tilted her head.
She thought Chu Tian was amazing—his attacks were ridiculously strong.
"I’m here for my Moonkin Form quest. Honestly, the mobs here are pretty tough. You should go back to the starter zone to level up."
He wasn’t lying. For an average player, these monsters were no joke. He had no idea how she’d managed to grind here alone—and even reach Level 3.
*As expected of a future top-tier player. Not to be underestimated.*
"Yeah, I was about to head back. But the 'Teleport: Emerald Forest' skill doesn’t work here. I have to return to the barrier first."
Chu Tian checked his own skills—sure enough, the teleport option was grayed out.
Seeing his silence, Dream’s Horizon hesitantly asked, "Big Brother… could you take me leveling with you?"
Chu Tian wasn’t keen on the idea, but her hopeful expression made it hard to refuse.
"Fine. But once I finish my quest, I’m leaving."
"Yay! I’ll invite you to the party!"
Dream’s Horizon immediately sent him a group request.
*Ding… System Notification: Dream’s Horizon has invited you to join her party.*
*Ding… System Notification: Dream’s Horizon has sent you a friend request.*
Two prompts popped up in quick succession. Chu Tian accepted both.
Truthfully, he was curious about this future elite player. Plus, while partying with a lower-level player would slightly reduce his own EXP gains, the monsters’ levels would also scale down due to the level difference.
With her in the party, the mobs dropped to Level 4. Though Dream’s Horizon would still suffer level penalties, her damage was negligible anyway—Chu Tian could carry the DPS.
"By the way, Big Brother, what item do you need for your quest? I’ve gotten a lot of drops here!" She trotted after him.
"A 'Moonfeather Plume' from the Moonkin."
He answered absentmindedly while cleaving through another monster.
After he killed a Ravenclaw Shieldguard, Dream’s Horizon came running over, holding a feather the size of a pig’s ear.
"Is this it?"
Chu Tian took it curiously.
*Ding… You have obtained a 'Moonfeather Plume.' Bring it to the peak of the Ravenkin Nest to summon the Ravenkin Chieftain. Reduce its HP to 30% to proceed to the next quest stage.*
*It’s actually the quest item?!*
With a teasing grin, Chu Tian dangled the feather in front of her.
"Little girl, if you give this to me, I’ll finish my quest and leave~"
"Ah…"
Dream’s Horizon froze, clearly flustered. But she quickly recovered.
"O-Okay! Then… let’s go back to the Emerald Forest together!"
"Heh."
Chu Tian chuckled and stuffed the feather back into her hands.
"Just kidding. Hold onto this. You’ll need it for your own quest when you hit Level 5."
Dream’s Horizon stared at the feather, then at Chu Tian as he turned back to slaying monsters. Her eyes curved into happy crescents, dimples appearing as she shapeshifted into a pink panther and joined the fight.
With **Lacerate** unlocked, combat became much smoother. Opening with the skill stunned enemies for 5 seconds. Though the bleed damage depended on skill execution, in short fights, the DoT barely mattered.
To Chu Tian’s surprise, Dream’s Horizon also had **Lacerate**.
*Some people are just born lucky. Life’s unfair.*
By now, it was almost 7:50 AM. They’d been grinding for over an hour, yet the quest item still hadn’t dropped. Chu Tian was tempted to just ask for the feather back.
After clearing two more mobs, they retreated to a safe spot.
"Let’s stop here. The game’s about to shut down. We’ll log back in at 5 PM."
"Shut down? Why?" Dream’s Horizon looked puzzled.
"Insider info—*Heaven’s Path*’s daily runtime is 6 PM to 8 AM. Probably to avoid interfering with real-life work and school."
Chu Tian pulled the excuse out of thin air.
"Ohhh… Got it! Then I’ll log off first. I still have homework. Big Brother, I’ll wait for you at 6 PM!"
Without waiting for a response, she vanished—logged out instantly.
*"Uh… you believe me just like that?"*
He shook his head and disconnected as well.
Unbeknownst to him, at 7:59 AM, Dream’s Horizon secretly logged back in—just in time to catch the system announcement.
*Ding… Server shutdown imminent. Next activation at 18:00. Countdown: 42 seconds.*
"Big Brother wasn’t lying! He’s not a creepy uncle tricking little girls. He’s a good person!"
Satisfied, she logged off again.
Chu Tian would’ve been speechless if he knew.
---
Exiting the game, Chu Tian removed his helmet and stretched on the bed. He grabbed his outdated, battered phone and checked his bank notifications.
*"Hehehe…"*
He grinned like an idiot, counting the zeros in his balance.
*Knock knock knock.*
He didn’t need to guess—it was Luoluo. The only people who knew his address were his ex, Yu Xue (who’d broken up with him), and the girl next door.
*Luoluo… the girl who was 'Yi Yi' in my past life.*
A conflicted feeling rose in his chest.
He didn’t know how to face her—the girl who’d deceived him, yet stayed by his side until the end.
And in-game… they’d crossed lines. More than once.
Though it was just a virtual world, seeing Luoluo in that pink spaghetti-strap pajama last night, her fair shoulders exposed, had brought back memories of his time with 'Yi Yi.'
Suppressing the heat creeping up his neck, he opened the door.
Luoluo stood there in a beige casual outfit, her hair in a ponytail, face free of makeup. Her skin was so fair and smooth it looked like you could pinch water from it.
For a moment, Chu Tian froze.
In his eyes, 'Yi Yi’s' face overlapped with Luoluo’s. Though *Heaven’s Path* altered appearances, it didn’t change one’s inherent attractiveness.
The two beautiful faces merging nearly made him pull Luoluo into an embrace.
"Senior, let’s grab breakfast together?"
Luoluo smiled, her dimples showing.
"Uh…" Chu Tian reined in his impulses. "S-Sure. Let me get ready first."
He awkwardly rubbed his neck.
"Hurry up! I’m starving!"
To his shock, she marched straight into his room and plopped onto his messy bed without hesitation.
"Uh… Luoluo, I need to change."
He pointed at his basketball tank top and shorts.
"Pfft—who are you trying to impress? We’re just eating downstairs. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and let’s go!"
Completely unfazed, she made no move to leave—even flicking a corner of his crumpled bedsheet aside.