Noi leaped, the grappling hook cushioning her descent to the ground, narrowly escaping the devastating strike from the watchtower.
Her heart pounded, adrenaline surging through her veins.
The relentless flurry of high-intensity maneuvers had left the girl, new to this strange world and tasting combat for the first time, teetering on the edge of exhaustion.
Her limbs trembled, begging for respite.
But the moment of reprieve never came.
The goblin leader charged, its massive hand gripping a spiked mace that promised no mercy.
Noi’s breath hitched, her body screaming for rest she couldn’t afford.
With a sharp “whoosh”, she fired her grappling hook backward, the rope yanking her away.
Her legs could no longer carry her; she was running on fumes, resigned to whatever fate awaited.
Then, another hook shot past her shoulder—Xing Chen.
His target was clear: the vengeful goblin leader bearing down on her.
The flame-haired youth drew his black blade, and Noi’s heightened senses caught a strange phenomenon—the ambient mana in the air seemed to be sucked into the weapon’s edge.
Her eyes widened in awe as the black blade clashed with the mace.
The collision was brief, almost comical, as the massive weapon spun away like a golf ball, vanishing into the distance without a trace.
A torrent of mana surged through the encampment, its force knocking Noi to the ground.
Her chest scraped against the earth as she slid, only stopping when her grappling hook reached its anchor point.
She gasped, pain flaring through her body.
“Ow… that hurt,” she groaned, clutching her side.
“You okay?” Simon’s voice cut through the haze, his glowing, oversized gauntlet catching the light as he rushed to her side.
After confirming she was unharmed, he tossed down a barrier scroll, enclosing them both in a protective dome.
On the other side, Xing Chen was flung back by the recoil of his own attack.
Undeterred, he used the momentum, springing off a nearby structure to charge the goblin leader again.
With a single, precise slash, he severed its leg, toppling the beast entirely.
“Get ready, Noi! Close your eyes!” Simon called out, raising his gauntlet—a miniature sun blazing with power.
Noi, ever curious, covered her eyes with her hands but peeked through her fingers, unable to resist.
The elemental gems embedded in Simon’s gauntlet glowed fiercely, their vibrant hues fading to a ghostly white.
A concentrated surge of elemental energy gathered in the palm’s central gem, then erupted skyward in a dazzling wave.
It burst into a radiant shower of elemental rain, cascading down and dissolving the smaller goblins into ash, inescapable and merciless.
“You done already?” Xing Chen’s voice rang out from afar, laced with mockery.
Simon fired back, “What, you in a rush to finish first? I’ve still got one more shot!”
No sooner had he spoken than a final, vibrant energy blast tore through the air, piercing the goblin leader clean through—and grazing Xing Chen, who’d been locked in combat with it.
The gauntlet, drained of its power, sputtered out.
Its elemental stones turned pale, like flawed, milky jade.
Simon’s face twisted with regret as he stared at the ruined gauntlet.
Noi, her eyes earnest, met his gaze.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Huh?” Simon blinked, caught off guard.
He hadn’t expected such sincere gratitude from her, so unguarded and unlike her usual demeanor.
‘Well, damn,’ he thought.Â
‘There’s a woman I can’t quite figure out.’
He waved it off, shrugging.
“Just venting a bit. Don’t mind me.”
Flames rose from the battlefield where the goblin leader had fallen.
Xing Chen, as always, emerged from the fading embers, revived.
His windbreaker was shredded by the energy blast, revealing a chiseled torso, muscles taut and defined, with a tantalizing V-line dipping below his waistband, beckoning curious eyes.
Brushing ash from his pants, Xing Chen shot Simon a wry look.
“You really don’t hold back, even for your own team, huh?”
“Says the guy who slacked off and let a little girl take all the risks,” Simon retorted.
“This was just payback for Noi.”
Xingchen snorted, wrinkling his nose.
“Hey, the capable ones do the heavy lifting. I’m just a useless nobody, right?”
After sweeping the battlefield to ensure no goblins remained, Simon strutted to the fallen leader’s corpse and hopped onto its chest, gloating.
“That’s for ambushing me, you big lug!”
Unnoticed by the trio, the goblin leader wasn’t quite dead.
A strange, chaotic energy pulsed from its body, spreading outward.
Only Simon, still bouncing gleefully on its chest, remained oblivious.
Noi and Xing Chen sensed it simultaneously, a prickling unease.
“Get down!” Xing Chen shouted, sprinting toward the beast to stop its revival.
But Noi was faster.
Her dagger flashed, plunging into the goblin’s forehead without hesitation.
Unsatisfied, she stabbed its heart, neck, and groin for good measure, ensuring it was well and truly dead.
“Uh… what just happened?” Simon asked, bewildered, completely out of the loop.
Xing Chen, arriving a step too late, severed the goblin’s head with his black blade.
He gestured for Noi and Simon to step back, then unleashed a burst of fire mana, incinerating the corpse until nothing remained but ash.
With the threat neutralized, Xing Chen exhaled, glancing at Noi.
“How’d you know?”
She shook her head.
“I saw its hand twitch toward the mace. I just acted first.”
‘So that’s it…’ Xing Chen had thought she’d sensed the alien energy too, but her sharp instincts had beaten him to the punch.
The goblin leader’s revival attempt stemmed from a chaotic factor—an artificial infusion of alien energy, likely tied to the nobles Simon had mentioned.
The motive was unclear, but it reeked of conspiracy.
“Sharp eyes,” Xingchen said, deflecting with a casual tone.
He kept the truth to himself, unwilling to burden them with speculation.
Simon nodded, his gratitude genuine.
“Noi, you’ve saved my life multiple times today. I couldn’t repay you in this lifetime, so I guess I’ll owe you in the next.”
“…No need,” Noi muttered, her voice flat.
Simon’s theatrics left her momentarily speechless.
To ensure no goblins lurked in the dungeon below, Xing Chen ventured back in, Simon trailing behind to “check the results of his efforts.”
With nothing else to do, Noi followed.
“So, this is your grand contribution?” Xing Chen asked, covering his nose as they stood before a scrawny goblin slumped against the dungeon door, pants soaked with urine.
Noi peered closer, recognizing it instantly.
It was the first creature she’d encountered in this world—the goblin guard she’d choked into unconsciousness, still out cold and clearly frail.
“Yup, that’s him,” Simon admitted.
“Used a language scroll to make him a spy, but he passed out before he could be useful.”
The truth was, Simon had also spent a slave contract on the creature, hoping to salvage some value.
He wasn’t about to let that go to waste.
“Can you handle it?” Xing Chen asked.
“I’m clearing out every goblin in this place. If you can control it, I won’t report it.”
“Easy peasy,” Simon replied.
He doused the goblin with water from an elemental stone, cleaning it up, then hoisted it over his shoulder.
The trio headed toward the surface.
As they walked, Xing Chen handed Noi a wall-mounted candle to light their way.
Inspecting his grappling hook, he noticed the internal pulley was loose.
“Simon, your homemade hook gun’s kinda shoddy. It’s already falling apart.”
“You’re using it like a maniac! What hook gun could withstand that abuse?” Simon shot back.
“This is handmade craftsmanship, not some assembly-line junk, and you’re still complaining?”
He took the candle from Noi, checking Noi’s hook gun.
It was in better shape than Xing Chen’s, serviceable for a while longer.
“Got a warranty?” Xing Chen asked, half-joking.
“I can fix it, but it’ll cost ya,” Simon said, never missing a chance to squeeze value from Xing Chen.
“Typical. Not a shred of elven hospitality in you,” Xing Chen teased, shaking his hook gun.
The parts rattled loudly, proving its poor durability.
“Pfft, that’s just your stereotype. The elves of Mosode Kingdom are way stingier than me,” Simon retorted, oiling Noi’s hook gun before handing it back.
“I’m heading to the tea house branch nearby to have a chat with that noble. If fate allows, we might cross paths in Wagner Town. I’ll fix your gear then.”
“Any decent craftsman could patch this up, though,” he added, smirking at Xing Chen.Â
“I’m almost flattered you think so highly of my work.”
Their banter continued as they neared the surface.
Simon squinted, changing the subject.
“So, what’re your dreams? Or just… what do you want to do right now?”
“Get justice for the dead,” Xing Chen answered promptly, his gaze shifting to Noi, who seemed lost in thought.
“I… don’t know,” she said, shaking her head.
Her ahoge drooped, mirroring her uncertainty.
“And you, Simon? What’s your deal?” Xing Chen pressed, subtly nudging the conversation toward Noi.
“Me? Just a regular schlub with no grand ambitions,” Simon said, rubbing his chin.
“Traveling the world, eating, drinking, and having fun—that’s enough for me.”
He grinned, reminiscing.
“Sourcing goods for the empire, you run into all sorts of weird customs. The upside? Endless food and entertainment, never the same twice.”
“The elves in Mosode are naive and easy to fool, the nuns in Kashuya Parish wear those white stockings that really catch the eye, and the neon cities and Ferris wheels in the Utasi Continent are a sight to behold. Oh, and don’t get me started on the seafood fries at the No-Man’s-Land harbors…”
The corridor was short, and before Simon could finish, sunlight spilled through the exit.
He sighed, turning to face them.
“Am I rambling? Point is, this world’s got a lot of beauty worth experiencing. We should cherish it, right?”
His eyes lingered on Noi, a meaningful glint in them, before he smiled.
“Gotta go. Catch you later, if fate’s kind.”
With a wave, Simon slung the goblin guard over his shoulder and strode into the sunlight, leaving a warm impression.
Noi’s lips curved slightly.
She understood his intent—a gentle nudge to find her own path.
People like Simon, who offered guidance to a stranger, were rare.
In her past life, nearly half her existence was spent bedridden, robbed of the vibrant youth her peers enjoyed.
It had shaped her guarded, almost warped personality.
Now, some cosmic force had granted her a second chance.
Life stretched before her, vast and uncertain.
She believed there were things—people, places—that could stir her heart more than battle ever could.
Perhaps love, perhaps life itself.
“Not getting late?” Xing Chen’s voice pulled her from her reverie.
Recalling why she’d followed the flame-haired youth, Noi answered, “I want to head to the nearest town. Rest, regroup.”
She needed time—to process, to adapt, to learn the rules of this world.
Her body, remarkably attuned to her soul, moved with a strength she’d never known.
She could run, jump, fight goblins—a far cry from the frail boy she’d been.
But that perfect harmony with this female form unsettled her.
Was it a blessing or a complication?
Before today, she was a sickly teenager, barely eighteen, dragged into this bizarre world by some cursed game, transformed into a white-haired girl with curves she didn’t know how to handle.
Adjusting wasn’t easy.
Should she cling to her old habits, mindset?
Or let herself lean into this new femininity?
The question gnawed at her, unanswerable for now.
She’d leave it to the future to decide.
Xing Chen gave her directions to Wagner Town, then, worried she’d get lost, sketched a detailed map.
“I’ve got some business. Head out first. I’ll find you in town.”
He handed her the map and a delicate sachet embroidered with a vermilion bird, instructing her to keep it close.
It was a small gesture, giving her a short-term goal, a choice to make.
Xing Chen wouldn’t stay in Wagner long.
Their meeting was a chance, and his role was simple: guide a lost girl toward her path.
Her future was her own to forge.
Even if she became a problem, could one girl really bring down a world teeming with powerful beings?
Xing Chen doubted it.
“Hey, spacing out, old friend?” A foul presence interrupted his thoughts.
A misty figure materialized before him, revealing a black-robed captain wearing a half-mask.
“A captain-class alien in a backwater like this, clashing with the empire’s heroes? That’s suspicious enough to warrant some extra thought,” Xing Chen said, confirming Noi was far enough not to overhear.
He flashed a practiced, insincere smile at the captain.
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