026 Expert, Woman

The sun began to dim, and the darkness of night approached. In the blink of an eye, their second day in this forest was drawing to a close.

Having witnessed that battle, the group felt not only a sense of shock but also a growing interest in the world of high-level players. Setting aside the monster that resembled a giant dragon, those individuals who had fought it were genuine players. Although they ultimately failed to defeat the beast, the combat prowess they displayed filled the group with longing for their own future in the game: it was possible for them to become that powerful, too.

Thus, throughout the day, as they trekked aimlessly—the strange noises they had heard before the fierce battle never resurfaced, and they eventually attributed them to the aftermath of that fight—the most frequent topic of conversation was the world of high-level experts. The "Young Master of Jie City" was clearly skilled at this—or perhaps, at boasting—so the day’s conversation became his stage. Unfortunately, young Meng Zhu had some knowledge of the professional scene. While the kind-hearted girl didn't like to undermine others, there were times when even she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Back when Duan Fenglei was under my command, he was one of the top fighters among my many subordinates. He wielded the Divine Wind Profound Thunder Art; with a mere gesture, he could summon winds and draw lightning, turning his enemies into charcoal..."

"Uh, Young Master, isn't Duan Fenglei the guild leader of Jianghu? I've never heard that he knows any martial arts..."

Duan Qing, hiding to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Or: "I heard that a few days ago, Wings of Freedom and Justice’s Blade had an earth-shattering battle on the outskirts of the capital, El Tania. It involved the struggle for the second and third rankings among the alliance guilds, and both sides went all out..."

"Is that so? I heard that Taibama took his people on a quest, and they had a conflict with us—uh, no, I mean with the people from Wings of Freedom—which turned into a huge melee..."

Although there were many such instances, most of the time the Young Master told exciting stories about the world of *World of Freedom*. He spoke of the grand scene when the first wave of renowned experts rushed the level rankings at the game's launch; a player revealing their own miraculous encounter online; or a duel between two experts after a friction in the city. There were simply too many things to talk about, and they remained enthusiastic throughout the entire day and night. Duan Qing himself was quite interested in these matters; after all, his knowledge of the gaming scene had become outdated, and he had lost track of many things. Every time he heard names both familiar and unfamiliar, he felt a faint sense of nostalgia—and curiosity.

However, seeing the excitement on the faces of these new players as they discussed those people and events, he ultimately felt a sense of joy. It was a sign of the world’s vibrant vitality.

A-Niu didn't participate much in these discussions. The young man seemed not only new to *World of Freedom* but new to gaming in general, and he didn't grasp many of the names or concepts. Yet, he didn't lack the fiery spirit of youth. When he heard descriptions of duels between experts, he would exclaim, "Wow!" or "That guy is really strong!" and then press for the person’s name, their strength, and how powerful they were.

Naturally, having transformed into a curious child, one particular question followed quite naturally: "So, among the professional players right now, who is the strongest?"

When A-Niu asked this, the conversation stopped for a moment. Duan Qing, who had been following along and listening with interest without participating, certainly wasn't going to offer an opinion now. Meng Zhu wanted to speak but hesitated, looking quite uncertain. Instead, the Young Master chuckled: "In this world, heroes emerge in every generation. Look at the leaders of the top guild, Jianghu; many of them are fierce fighters. We won't even mention Duan Fenglei; his brothers, Duan Shanhe and Duan Shanyue, have also made a name for themselves... And there's 'Freedom Flying,' the leader of the second-ranked guild; you tell me how strong he is, right? Then there’s the boss of Justice’s Blade, Dongfeng Ramen, who has countless famous deeds, and Cangyun Bulei, the leader of Lanshan, who has even more stories... Oh, and don't forget the recent sensation, the Dragon of Jingdong, Lu Bandeng..."

A-Niu looked exceptionally excited, as if he agreed, but Duan Qing spat out the water he had just been swallowing: "Jing... Dragon of Jingdong? What the hell is that? Does he sell electronics?"

"Jing! The Jing from Jingzhou! Watch out, or he'll come and beat you up! Besides, he chose that title himself; it’s none of your business. Though I heard his subordinates first suggested 'Dongjing,' and he beat them up for it..."

"Tokyo... Hahahaha!"

Duan Qing laughed even harder. Meng Zhu, beside him, covered her forehead and hurriedly changed the subject: "We've been talking for ages, but you still haven't said who the strongest is..."

"Uh..." Returning to the question, the Young Master looked awkward. He stopped his shameless boasting and smoothed his hair with a hint of seriousness: "It's hard for me to say, especially when you ask so suddenly..."

"Doesn't the Alliance have a ranking list? Why don't you just introduce him to the people on that?"

"Pfft, everyone knows that ranking list is full of padding; it's only good for reference or to watch the fun. Besides, do you know how many experts exist outside the public eye? Lu Bandeng isn't even on the list. And what about Yun Meng from the game *Fantasy Continent*? He caused such a huge stir, with so many people hunting him down, only for it to end in vain. With that kind of person and that level of strength, how could he not be on the list? Though, it seems I haven't seen the ID 'Yun Meng' in this game..."

"And that madman Spartacus, and Mr. Cut... so many experts..."

"So, you see..." He clapped his hands after listing so many. "The people in the Alliance who only use official tournament results to confirm rankings are just plain stupid. How many people actually go and compete in tournaments anyway?"

The Young Master’s tone was full of resentment. A-Niu, for once, was surprisingly in agreement, though it was unclear which part of the speech had struck a chord. After a short while, the Young Master added in a low voice:

"However, there is one person who once dominated the rankings whom I absolutely admire."

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? Blade of Breaking Heaven."

"…Who is that? Is he very strong?"

A-Niu naturally hadn't heard the name. Although Meng Zhu hadn't been playing long, she had heard of it: "That 'chuunibyou' patient? The one who retired three years ago?"

"What does it matter if he was 'chuunibyou'? If you have the strength, you have to show off, you know... His was the only 'first place' I ever respected. 'The Strongest Man,' 'The Game Slayer,' 'Peak of the Firmament'—his titles and deeds..."

"It's 'Summit of the Firmament'," a voice corrected from the side.

"Uh, it means the same thing. In any case, during those few years in virtual gaming, he won so many championship trophies his hands must have been soft from holding them. He defeated countless former experts and held the number one spot on the personal power rankings for three consecutive years; no one could shake him. Look at the current 'number ones'—none of them have the aura that Blade of Breaking Heaven had back then, tsk tsk..."

The Young Master paused, then sighed, using his short blade to snap a branch nearby: "He truly was a legend. It’s a pity that for some reason, he suddenly left. Sigh..."

For once, Meng Zhu didn't undermine the Young Master and remained silent. The naive A-Niu looked at the two of them with an expression of confusion, not understanding the weight of the silence. Duan Qing, who had been quiet all along, smiled with a hint of distress.

"It’s not as mysterious as you make it sound; he was just an ordinary person. At the very least... he suffered many setbacks and made many foolish mistakes."

"…What are you talking about?" The Young Master turned, looking quite displeased with Duan Qing’s comment. "What do you know? Don't think that just because someone retired, you can talk about them however you like. He wasn't like those hacks on the current rankings who do nothing all day but try to stir up trouble..."

"Now that you mention it..." the young girl said, as if realizing something. "You did say you used to be a professional. Do you know some secret? Looking at how you stayed silent just now..."

Before Duan Qing could explain, the Young Master spoke first: "Who are you trying to fool? 'Qingshan Sword God,' is it? I've never heard of such a person in my life..."

As if returning to his old self, the Young Master launched into another string of nonsense, and A-Niu was soon back to exclaiming in amazement, the team atmosphere returning to his rhythm. Duan Qing understood, however: this Young Master wasn't very strong, but he was likely an old player, and he harbored a sense of hero worship for the name 'Blade of Breaking Heaven.' Because of Duan Qing's earlier remarks and his constant interference, the Young Master was likely feeling resentful, but since that era from three years ago now felt like a joke to most, he chose to shift the topic and avoid it.

It was all vanity; why obsess over it? He untied his water bag from his waist again and took a few gulps—every time he heard such topics, he felt the urge to drink something, though here, there was only plain water. He took a deep gulp, swallowed with a loud *gulp*, nearly choked, pounded his chest in pain, and finally let out a long breath, slowly recovering.

Truly... when life is going poorly, everything seems to go wrong.

He smiled self-deprecatingly, suddenly thought of something, and turned to the person wearing a black cloak: "Would you like some water? To take a rest?"

The person shook her head.

Duan Qing thought for a moment and left it at that. The girl, meanwhile, amidst the shouting between the two naive youths, noticed his gesture and curled her lip in the dark.

Since "picking up" this woman last night, she hadn't said more than a few words, often hiding away by herself, lost in thought. After the initial sympathy had passed, the girl felt a sense of wariness; after all, the woman was high-level—one could likely take all four of them on without a problem. And even when they set up camp to rest at night, this formidable player hadn't shown any sign of friendliness or cooperation, choosing to sit alone under a tree.

But the girl understood that not many players could maintain a cheerful mood after the crushing defeat of yesterday's battle.

After the battle ended yesterday, the group checked the scene. The giant man and the person who had been slammed against the tree were dead beyond repair; their bodies would likely despawn soon. The female player who had been swept into the bushes was still alive, but judging by her state, she had suffered serious injuries.

Through the frantic first aid of the others, the woman finally regained consciousness. She stared blankly at her surroundings, seemingly still caught in the stupor of being surrounded by that monster. It was only after Duan Qing and the others called out to her for a long time that she snapped out of it and began trying to figure out the situation through these passersby.

Duan Qing identified their team as newcomers from Greenstone Village who had discovered her while on a quest. Pretending to be ignorant, he asked about her origins and what had happened.

The woman fell into silence again. As time ticked by, her white-armored body began to tremble. She sat there, fists clenched, and only after a long while did she squeeze out a sentence: "Incompetent... utterly useless..."

Duan Qing didn't catch the full meaning, but seeing her cold expression and the ID above her head, he understood why her attitude was this way.

Xue Ling Huan Bing.

What a cold-sounding name.

The woman later showed a normal level of friendliness. She first honestly admitted to being a high-level player, then explained that her team had come here, encountered danger, and been wiped out, leaving only her alive. She then asked if there was room in their team, or if they could act as guides to lead her out. She promised not to interfere with their quests and even offered to help them solve problems if necessary...

Her composed demeanor, her seasoned negotiating tactics, and the inadvertent air of leadership she exuded—even the thick-headed A-Niu felt this woman was no simple person. Meng Zhu even pulled the distracted Duan Qing aside to privately discuss the matter with the seemingly harmless but actually cunning older man.

After all, this female player was very strong... Nearby, the sword mark carved into the ground from who knows how far away remained, silently watching them like a warning.

In the end, they accepted the woman named Xue Ling Huan Bing. The group briefly explained their quest and their basic status. After the woman guaranteed she had her own food and water and could take care of herself, Duan Qing stated that as long as they could complete their search task, they—as the "locals"—could lead her to the outskirts of the Emerald Forest, but nothing more; they were incapable of doing anything else.

Xue Ling Huan Bing agreed helplessly. Their previous team had carried maps and data with markers, but those were mostly with the fallen members, and with their deaths, they were now meaningless. However, giving up like that was impossible; it didn't align with the interests of her guild. She didn't know the progress of the Jianghu guild, and other factions would surely send people over. Even though she was in this state, the others were likely in the same position, so even if she were the only one left, there was still a chance.

Most importantly... giving up didn't fit her style.

It seemed she would have to take it one step at a time—she looked at this group, clearly composed of novice players, and made up her mind.

The woman stood up shakily, clutching her long sword. Because of the previous battle, her armor was no longer white, stained with countless specks of mud. Combined with the bandages Meng Zhu had wrapped around her heavily injured waist, she looked quite disheveled. The woman didn't seem to care about her appearance, but as she stood up, her cloak snagged on a bush, pulling her off balance.

She turned back, annoyed, and spotted the offending cloak. A chill returned to her face; she stomped her foot in frustration and ripped the cloak off, throwing it into the brush. Seeming to feel that her display was a bit petty, she untied a small pack from her waist and took out a rough, black cloak, draping it over herself.

Duan Qing, watching from the side, shook his head inwardly: "A woman in a fit of rage is truly terrifying..."

The now-full team set off again. The woman, now cloaked in black, looked back at the devastated battlefield. She likely knew that the others had already searched the area, and it was probable that she was the only survivor.

She caught up to the group, pulling the edge of her cloak closer, a sense of helplessness creeping into her heart: "How could it come to this? It shouldn't have been like this. After preparing for so long..."

What now? she asked herself silently. A feeling called confusion gradually grew from the depths of her heart.

This day was the 30th of the 3rd month of Earth, in the 795th year of the New Calendar. In the red glow of the evening, the man named Mo Shang Qingshan led a team, joined by the woman named Xue Ling Huan Bing, as they headed into the depths of the Emerald Forest.

The wheels of fate turned; a new page was born.