Chapter Thirty-Five: The Counterattack Begins

"Ye Chen, today I truly must see you in a new light. You’re a real man—when I, Xu Ruolin, saved you back then, it seems I made no mistake." Second Sister Drunken Yearning spoke cheerfully, her face radiant. She was the one who had rescued Ye Chen from the roadside and brought him to the studio, so his performance today made her feel proud, even happier than if she had accomplished the feat herself.

"Second Sister, you’re getting this excited over a few pills? You’d better brace yourself, because I have an even greater gift for you!" Ye Chen smiled slightly and reached into his backpack, pulling out a level 25 Silver Staff. He didn't need it for now, so giving it to Second Sister Drunken Yearning, who was a level 26 Elemental Mage, was the perfect way to put it to use.

[Staff of the Sacrificial King] (Silver Grade)
Attack: 210–436
Intelligence: +18
Constitution: +10
Required Level: 25

The silvery glow bathed the dim cave in dazzling light. Eight pairs of eyes stared unblinkingly at the staff, its entire body gleaming with silver. If the earlier special-effect pills had merely astonished the sisters, this Silver Grade staff thoroughly stunned them into speechlessness.

After a long moment, the girls finally regained their composure. Drunken Yearning even pinched herself hard while caressing the staff, confirming she wasn’t dreaming. Her beautiful eyes quickly filled with mist, and her voice trembled: "Ye... Ye Chen, are you really giving this to me?"

Ye Chen chuckled and corrected her, "Come on, Second Sister, I’m not giving it to you, I’m lending it. When I reach level 25, you’ll have to return it. But if you’re willing to pledge yourself to me, then I’ll give it to you for good."

Drunken Yearning’s lips curved into an alluring smile. "Pledge myself to you? If you dare ask, I dare give. Or should I come to your room tonight?"

Seeing her seductive eyes, Ye Chen instinctively swallowed. But noticing the unfriendly looks from the other girls, especially Ling Yue’s peculiar gaze, he quickly shook his head. "Forget it, Second Sister. Didn’t you claim you’re saving yourself for your future husband? I wouldn’t dare ruin that. Otherwise, if your husband comes after me, it wouldn’t end well."

Second Sister was bold in words, fond of playful flirtation, but expecting her to actually follow through was foolish. Rather than playing games with her, it was wiser to focus his efforts on Ling Yue. Speaking of which, Ling Yue had a figure that was quite something—curves in all the right places, gentle and sweet. Now that was a perfect candidate for a wife.

Ling Yue seemed to notice Ye Chen’s heated gaze. She lowered her head, her cheeks flushing slightly, probably remembering how Ye Chen had seen her changing that morning.

"In that case, I’ll gladly accept it. As for whether I return it when you reach level 25, that depends entirely on my mood." Drunken Yearning shot Ye Chen a sly smile, then added sincerely, "Thank you."

Ye Chen smiled and took out the Gale Sword from his backpack, handing it to his eldest sister, Sword City Beauty. "This is the weapon dropped by the Roaring Wild Tiger this morning—a rare-grade weapon for swordsmen. Perfect for you."

Sword City Beauty was surprised. "For me, too?"

Ye Chen nodded, opened the trade window, placed the Gale Sword inside, and confirmed the transaction.

Sword City Beauty accepted the sword and gave Ye Chen a half-smile, joking for once, "Are you planning to make me pledge myself to you as well? But my worth is far higher than Drunken Yearning’s. I’d need at least a gold-grade item."

"I’ll have to work hard, then." Ye Chen laughed wryly. If a gold-grade item could win him a beauty, he’d have hope for a harem of three thousand.

Finally, he handed the excellent-grade dagger to Ling Yue, asking her to pass it to Six Six, her roommate and close friend. Ye Chen felt this was a way to infiltrate the enemy ranks, or perhaps dismantle them from within. If Six Six accepted his gift, she might not help him pursue Ling Yue, but at least she wouldn’t interfere.

After the girls had finished equipping their new gear, Ye Chen waved his staff and smiled, "Now that we’re ready, let’s launch our counterattack."

"Counterattack! Counterattack! Let’s strike back at the Roaring Wild Tiger!" Second Sister Drunken Yearning was flushed with excitement, eager to test her new weapon’s power.

Sword City Beauty cast them both a gentle glare. "I never realized you were such a PK maniac, Ye Chen. Just like Drunken Yearning, the violent girl obsessed with killing and looting."

Ye Chen just chuckled, saying nothing. Drunken Yearning pouted in protest, swinging her Silver Staff. "Big Sister, stop pretending to be a good girl. In the past two years, the people you’ve killed could stretch from the south gate to the north gate of Wild Mountain City. Let’s hurry up and get going."

Sword City Beauty’s lips curled into a captivating smile. With a swift motion, she drew her Gale Sword and brandished it ahead, exuding the aura of a female general. "Forward! Let’s spill their blood and show the Roaring Wild Tiger gang just how formidable Green Feather can be!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The girls shouted together, like an army of heroines, faces alight with excitement—even gentle Ling Yue was stirred. Ye Chen feared his future gentle wife might be led astray by this band of wild women.

And so, after taking their Ghost Soul Pills, they charged toward the entrance of the mine under Sword City Beauty’s command.

"Lowly humans, you have angered the demons of the abyss. Prepare to face my wrath!"

Just as they approached the entrance, Ye Chen heard the furious roar of the Demon Berserker. On the clearing outside the cave, Roaring Wild Tiger was leading a group of players in a frenzied assault on the Demon Berserker, the ground littered with little demon corpses.

Ye Chen counted; fewer than twenty Roaring Wild Tiger players remained. This meant the little demons and the gold-grade boss had wiped out at least seventeen or eighteen of them. The gap in numbers had narrowed, greatly increasing their chances of a successful counterattack.

"Keep fighting! Give it your all! The Demon Berserker can’t last much longer—take it down, now!" Roaring Wild Tiger shouted encouragement to his team, but his own face was dark as thunder. What should have been a simple, easy operation had cost his top members a level, and his boss was furious. If he failed to take down this boss, his future prospects would be grim.

……………………………………

Please continue to recommend and favorite the story. Many thanks to the reader Wáng Chuāng for the reward—the first apprentice of this book has been born!