Exquisite skill combinations, precise timing, and a sense of composure that allowed one to handle any crisis with ease… with just a slight display of these traits, one could easily capture the heart of the Aura of Main Heroine, Meng Wange…
— That was indeed my original plan, but…
However, after only half an hour, or perhaps a little over one hour, Su Wanli was already starting to feel a headache coming on.
Even though the opening game CG and character creation interface were well-made, and the background lore was clear and concise, the rest…
After leaving the Novice Village, everything from the NPC dialogue instructions to the quest objectives was a complete disaster.
Before they had even cleared two or three dungeons, every enemy she and Meng Wange faced was just a repetitive mob.
If these were just random experience packs scattered across the map, it might have been fine, but they were all enemies that had to be faced in the main questline…
The most disgusting part was that the enemies’ skills and moves didn’t change at all; only their stats continued to bloat.
After an hour, the only impression the combat left was — hitting a green-caped Goblin with a Wooden Sword, hitting a red-caped Goblin with an Iron Sword, and hitting a purple-caped Goblin with a Silver Sword…
Well, perhaps this was just a common flaw in games from an older era with insufficient production capacity?
If the protagonist’s growth system was well-designed, she might have been able to overlook it.
However, while the game provided many slots in the skill bar, after playing for so long, her only attack methods as a Warrior were still just Horizontal Slash and Vertical Slash.
The auxiliary skills were just Small Battle Cry, Medium Battle Cry, and Large Battle Cry, and the defensive skills were Small Defense, Medium Defense, and Large Defense…
Meanwhile, the Boss moved even faster, capable of killing her instantly the moment it acted, leaving no room for skill or strategy — it had become a pure numbers Boss, completely unrelated to skill combinations or timing.
…This was agonizing.
Now, after one hour of torture, they were stuck here once again.
How could this be… Was she deceived by a decently produced opening CG? Was this actually a complete and utter kusoge?
If she gave up right now and switched to the next game, she might still barely have enough time. But if she did that, the image she wanted to build would completely collapse.
Damn it, she had actually brought Meng Wange to play a kusoge right from the start… She would definitely have a negative impression of video games now. She had to find a way!
Think of a way…
“…Ha… *yawn*…”
Oh no, even though they had only been playing for a short time and weren’t even one-fourth of the way through, she was already starting to feel sleepy. Based on her past experience, this was the precursor to quitting a game…
No, even the seriously ill Meng Wange hadn’t said anything yet. How could she be the first to bow her head to such a garbage game?
Just a little more effort! It must be because her level wasn’t high enough. If she went back to the previous map to grind those purple-caped Goblins for a while…
Just then, Meng Wange’s fingertips lightly brushed Su Wanli’s shoulder, and a soft voice sounded in her ear —
“Miss Su, if you are starting to feel tired, would you like to take a short rest?”
It was over… Hearing such a tempting voice at a time like this made her feel as if her soul was being pulled right out through her skull.
“…No, there’s no need. We must finish this game today.”
Su Wanli bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to wake up. She controlled her character to turn around and head toward the previous area where the purple-caped Goblins gathered —
“Meng Wange, we’re going to level up now. As long as my character can withstand the Boss’s first two attacks, find a way to heal my HP back up. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Speaking of which, it was quite strange. Before this stage, although the battles were difficult, as long as she wasn’t killed instantly, they always managed to win narrowly in the end. Her HP was always maintained within a relatively safe range, preventing her from being knocked down in one hit.
No, it wasn’t actually strange.
It was all because she had a genius Priest in her party —
Despite needing to ask about basic controls at the beginning, the Aura of Main Heroine, Meng Wange, had quickly mastered the rhythm of combat. Her skill combinations and usage were already at a master level.
Honestly, are talent points free? Couldn’t she have put them into something more “useful”!
Playing so seriously, she wondered if the girl had felt any sliver of joy from this one hour of gameplay. Perhaps to Meng Wange, this was just a pile of nutritional-less numbers…
No, she couldn’t lose confidence. If even she gave up, Meng Wange would definitely get discouraged as well, falling into a dull stalemate with no joy at all…
As long as she continued to act enthusiastically, Meng Wange, who was experiencing this type of game for the first time, should be able to feel at least a little bit of fun, right?
Steel yourself and keep grinding.
There were actually many patterns to follow in the battle against the purple-caped Goblins: first, a Normal Attack, an Auto Attack, and a Normal Attack; then, assume a defensive stance to block a heavy hit, and continue using Auto Attacks to build resources; wait until the Goblin enters a Berserk state, and then command the Mage to perform a skill burst…
Normal Attack, Auto Attack, Normal Attack, Parry every three rounds, then repeat the cycle…
Auto, Auto, Auto, Parry, Auto, Auto, Auto, Parry…
…Her mind seemed to be wandering.
No, even if she ultimately couldn’t make Meng Wange like this game, she couldn’t ruin her chance to experience happiness, nor could she ruin her own image in her heart!
Hold on, Su Wanli, you can do it!
Auto! Auto! Auto! Parry! Auto! Auto! Auto!
…Auto… Auto…
—
Watching the black-haired Eldest Miss, whose very hair seemed to sway slightly along with her body, Meng Wange curled her lips into a soft smile and continued repeating the movements in her hands.
In less than one hour, she had watched Su Wanli go from being full of fighting spirit to gradually gritting her teeth. The force with which she pressed the buttons on the gaming console grew stronger and stronger, making her look like a grumpy little lion.
Despite this, after every victory, she would straighten her back just like the character in the game and give a small punch to the air. The corners of her mouth would tilt up slightly, as if performing some kind of victory ritual.
…How wonderful. Just watching this scene made her heart feel warm.
Although they had failed many times before this Boss, just as she vaguely began to worry if this time together was about to end, that proud Eldest Miss immediately pulled herself together and took her back to the previous map to level up.
As expected, she was still that Miss Su who wouldn’t give up easily.
But… now that she was already this sleepy, it wouldn’t hurt to take a short break, would it?
Seeing the black-haired Eldest Miss who had completely closed her eyes and begun to breathe evenly, Meng Wange smiled and supported the body that was about to fall toward the floor.
She adjusted her sitting position, allowing Su Wanli to rest her head more comfortably on her lap.
The girl’s cheeks were slightly flushed, though it was unclear if it was from her previous excitement or if she, too, had a slight fever. Her soft breath brushed against the skin of Meng Wange’s thigh from time to time, bringing a slight tickling sensation.
Really, she’s always so defenseless… ‘If I wanted to do something right now, you wouldn’t notice a thing afterward, would you?’
As if expressing a protest, Su Wanli frowned slightly and turned over in the chair. But because the space was too small, the posture became even more awkward, and she eventually ended up burrowing into Meng Wange’s arms to stretch out her body.
Gazing at those slightly parted, pale pink lips facing her, Meng Wange’s heart skipped a beat.
…If she wanted to do something right now, the Su Wanli afterward wouldn’t notice a thing.
As if driven by an unknown force, Meng Wange slowly leaned down until the distance between them was close enough to count each other’s eyelashes.
A voice deep in her heart whispered enticingly —
‘That’s right, keep getting closer until you can take everything away from her…’
Until her nose could almost feel Su Wanli’s body heat, the other girl showed no sign of waking up. Her lips moved slightly, as if she were mumbling something.
“…Parry… Normal Attack… Parry…”
“…Pfft.”
Meng Wange suddenly straightened her back, covering her upturned lips with her fingertips as she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
‘Hehe, playing games even in your dreams? That’s not a very good habit.’
But then again, Miss Su had earnestly requested that they finish the game today.
Meng Wange’s gaze lingered on Su Wanli’s exquisite face for a moment, then she reached out and took the other gaming console from between her fingers.
As for rewards and such, she would ask for those later. For now…
She saved both game progresses into new slots, then curled her finger and gave Su Wanli’s smooth forehead a light flick, causing the other girl to frown in dissatisfaction.
“…Hehe, let this flick be my warning.”
“Continuing to keep a dangerous person like me by your side might eventually turn into a serious crisis, you know?”