“This is so useful…”
Su Yun sat on a giant boulder at the edge of the training world. His fingertips repeatedly stroked the newly acquired gauntlet, the smile on his lips impossible to hide.
The gauntlet was entirely dark silver, its surface etched with fine magic-conduction lines that glinted coldly under the sunlight. It fit the size of his palm perfectly, feeling as if it were custom-made once he put it on.
He lightly clenched his fist, clearly feeling the magic slots inside the gauntlet warming up.
With a full eight instant-cast magic storage slots, he could store mid-tier spells in advance. This meant he could release them with a flick of his wrist during battle without any preparation time.
Even better, the gauntlet came with a 15% magic intensity boost, and its magic conduction was top-tier. He had just tried channeling a trace of lightning; the mana flowed without a hint of resistance, making it significantly smoother than casting bare-handed.
Some mid-tier mages who previously required he charge his power for half a second to kill could now be struck down instantly. With the gauntlet’s enhancement, a single punch would cause lightning to explode, potentially obliterating the opponent’s soul.
What satisfied Su Yun most was the interior lining—a layer of soft magic-patterned leather that was breathable and not stuffy. Even if he wore it for a long time, his palm wouldn’t sweat, ensuring his movements wouldn’t be affected during combat.
He swung his fist happily, the dark silver gauntlet cutting a sharp arc through the air with a faint whistling sound.
‘This is great! It’s just too good!’
This run was a total profit. Not only had he raked in a massive amount of credits, but he had also picked up such a treasure.
However, despite his excitement, Su Yun quickly calmed down. According to the old rules, he had to let Mo Qingqing look over the good stuff first. Only if she didn’t want it could he feel at ease keeping it.
Even if the crimson soul bead’s status panel clearly stated: ‘Equippable only by Su Yun.’
He still had to go through the motions — after all, it was always right to be cautious under Mo Qingqing’s watchful eyes.
As for the origin of the gauntlet and the soul bead, Su Yun had already come up with an excuse: he would just say he stole them from a red-name mage while they were caught off guard.
The training world was chaotic anyway, so such a claim was highly believable.
Su Yun played with the gauntlet for a while longer before pulling out the crimson soul bead to inspect it.
The soul bead rotated gently in his palm. The tiny heart-shaped speck of light inside trembled slightly, as if it were alive.
He weighed it in his hand and tucked both the soul bead and the gauntlet into his safety bag. Then, he looked up at the horizon.
The sun was setting, staining the clouds a deep, intense crimson. It looked like a sea of fire, casting a magnificent glow over the forest of the training world.
Flocks of returning birds streaked across the sky, their chirping clear and pleasant.
Su Yun shot a lingering glance toward the depths of the dense forest.
There were surely plenty of spoils waiting to be picked up, but it was getting late. If he didn’t head back soon, Mo Qingqing would likely grow impatient.
He brushed the dust off his clothes and turned to walk toward the academy.
—
After a brief moment of dizziness, Su Yun returned to the academy’s teleportation array.
He headed straight for the library.
At this hour, Mo Qingqing was most likely there, researching ancient magic texts.
The library was silent, save for the scratching sound of pen nibs moving across paper.
Su Yun softened his footsteps like a sneaking kitten. He carefully navigated through the gaps between the bookshelves until he reached the window-side table where Mo Qingqing usually sat.
Mo Qingqing was looking down at a book, her deep purple hair cascading over her shoulders. Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, spilling over her profile and tracing a soft silhouette.
She held a silver quill, occasionally writing or drawing on the pages. The aura around her was quiet and cold.
“I earned a total of 1,350 credits today, plus these items. Please take a look,” Su Yun said in a low voice as he approached the table, afraid of disturbing the other readers.
As he spoke, he carefully pulled the spoils out of his safety bag.
There was a blue Mid-tier Soul Bead, several green Low-tier Soul Beads, and that particularly striking crimson soul bead. Finally, he placed the dark silver gauntlets on the very top.
Most of the weapons weren’t anything special; only this pair of gauntlets was worth showing off.
Hearing him, Mo Qingqing looked up, her gaze sweeping over the items on the table. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the blue soul bead and a few materials nearby. She picked them up casually, her fingertips brushing over the patterns on the surface of the bead.
“Hmm… use the others yourself. If you don’t want them, throw them away,” she said indifferently.
Clearly, aside from the blue soul bead and the materials, the remaining soul beads and the gauntlet didn’t interest her at all.
Su Yun breathed a secret sigh of relief, though his face remained perfectly obedient.
“And the credits.”
As he spoke, he obediently pulled out his campus card. He stood on his tiptoes to place it on the table near Mo Qingqing’s hand.
It was only then that Su Yun belatedly realized a tragic fact.
Even if he stood on his tiptoes and straightened his back, only the top of his head reached above the table. His short little arms had to stretch straight out just to barely place the campus card down.
‘Dammit!’
Su Yun grumbled indignantly in his head, stealing a glance at his short little legs.
‘Can this body still grow?’
‘I’m way too short! If I have to look up to talk to everyone in the future, I won’t have any presence at all!’
While he was complaining internally, he unconsciously stayed on his tiptoes, trying to make himself look “taller.” That look of secret persistence didn’t escape Mo Qingqing’s eyes, and a hint of a smile immediately flickered in them.
‘This little thing is still so cute.’
Seeing his puffed-out cheeks and defiant expression, a wave of soft affection inexplicably rose in Mo Qingqing’s heart.
She set down her quill and, without a second thought, reached out to scoop Su Yun up and pull him into her arms.
“Ah…”
Caught off guard, Su Yun let out a soft cry, his entire body freezing up.
A faint fragrance instantly enveloped him—it was a scent unique to Mo Qingqing, a cool and pleasant blend of ink and magic potions.
Next, a smooth and slightly cool chin rested gently on the top of his head. The fuzzy sensation made him feel a bit itchy.
Su Yun couldn’t help but twitch his little ears, the pinkish-blue fur trembling slightly.
He instinctively tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against Mo Qingqing’s.
This was a habit he had long since developed to please her. After all, being well-behaved and obedient was always the right move in front of Mo Qingqing.
To be honest, if Mo Qingqing didn’t cause major trouble every few days and could be a bit more gentle and normal, Su Yun felt that following her wouldn’t be so bad.
At the very least, she wouldn’t mistreat him and would teach him life-saving magic. Occasionally, this sudden intimacy even carried a comforting warmth.
Unfortunately, reality was not a fantasy.
Su Yun knew very well that Mo Qingqing’s personality was unpredictable. There was no telling what kind of ridiculous stunt she would pull on him next.
It had almost become a pattern: every time he felt their relationship was easing slightly, she would use her actions to shatter his illusions.
At the thought of this, the tiny, almost imperceptible spark of goodwill he had felt for Mo Qingqing vanished without a trace.
Furthermore, living under someone else’s roof and being controlled at every turn without even a shred of freedom made a faint sense of disgust rise in Su Yun’s heart.
‘So what if she’s beautiful?’
Buried in Mo Qingqing’s embrace, Su Yun’s gaze gradually turned cold.
‘She’s nothing more than a perverted loli-con.’