Outside the tool shed, the coffee forest plunged back into pitch blackness.
But they all knew this peace was only temporary.
The night had only just begun.
Cen Yao sat against the wall for a moment, slowly relaxing.
Since she already knew this was a temporary safe house, there was no need for pointless panic or fear.
She had clearly used an Invisibility Spell outside, stacking it with a Masking Spell, a Silence Spell, and a Scent-Obscuring Spell. Yet, those cat-headed employees had still pinpointed their location with precision.
What did that mean?
It meant these types of concealment magic simply didn't work well in this dungeon.
Or rather, they weren't completely useless, but they were heavily weakened by the dungeon's rules.
Cen Yao let out a silent sigh in her mind.
“Sigh, am I being targeted?”
The orb immediately came online to comfort her.
“Host, there's no need to be sad! This is the standard treatment for the strong. Look around the entire Horror Game—who else gets this kind of special treatment but you?”
Cen Yao: “...”
Would you like this kind of treatment if I gave it to you?
Heaven knew she was just an ordinary, plain Elementary Witch!
Of course, complaining was just complaining.
In reality, Cen Yao didn't feel much fear. Instead, a faint, warm excitement stirred within her.
The dungeon was finally stepping up its difficulty.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even have a chance to practice her magic.
She still had so many powerful spells she hadn't tried yet.
At this thought, Cen Yao's mood improved considerably.
She raised her hand. Vines rustled as they sprouted from the ground, quickly weaving into a small round table and two stools in the middle of the tool shed.
Once they were finished, she looked at her two temporary companions.
“Do either of you have any dietary restrictions?”
As soon as she asked, Cen Yao sighed with regret in her heart.
Ah.
When will I finally advance to an Intermediate Witch?
Once I reach the intermediate level, I can make my own space bags.
Just like the storage bags in cultivation novels, where you can stuff absolutely anything inside. That would be so convenient.
Pei Tinglan and Zhu Lingxi exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of confusion in the other's eyes.
But they still answered.
“None.”
“None.”
“Good, then.”
Cen Yao nodded to show she understood.
With a flick of her finger, she summoned the malatang she had marked earlier.
The next second, three steaming bowls of malatang landed steadily on the table.
One non-spicy.
One mild.
One medium.
The rich, savory steam instantly overpowered the damp, rotting smell of wood in the tool shed.
The aroma of chili oil, bone broth, and various meatballs and vegetables was incredibly potent, making this gloomy safe house feel a bit surreal in an instant.
Cen Yao called out to them.
“Alright, let's eat.”
With that, she naturally pulled the medium-spicy bowl in front of herself.
Pei Tinglan and Zhu Lingxi stared at the steaming bowls of malatang for a good while.
Neither of them seemed to fully process it.
After a long moment, they sat down at the table, still in a daze.
Zhu Lingxi quite naturally pulled the mild bowl over.
Pei Tinglan's fingers paused slightly. His gaze lingered on the remaining non-spicy bowl for a second. In the end, he said nothing, uncharacteristically refraining from making a sarcastic remark, and obediently pulled the non-spicy bowl over.
Cen Yao took a couple of bites, finding it a bit too hot.
Remembering something, she raised her hand and summoned several bottles of drinks.
Cola, Sprite, orange juice—she had them all.
The glass bottles and aluminum cans clattered onto the table, still carrying a light sheen of cold condensation.
“Drink whatever you like,” Cen Yao said, picking up a bottle of cola first.
Zhu Lingxi followed her lead, curiously picking up a bottle of cola as well.
She looked down at the bottle, copied Cen Yao's movements to open it, and then took a cautious sip.
The next second, Zhu Lingxi's eyes widened.
Her already bright eyes suddenly lit up as if lamps had been switched on.
“Miss Cen,” she cradled the bottle, looking quite amazed, “what kind of water is this? Why is it biting my mouth? But it tastes pretty good.”
Hearing this, Cen Yao and Pei Tinglan both stopped what they were doing.
They stared at Zhu Lingxi in unison.
Their faces wore a rare, identical expression of shock.
“You...” Cen Yao stuttered for a moment, “you don't know what cola is?”
“So this biting water is called cola.”
Zhu Lingxi looked down at the bottle and nodded seriously, then took another sip.
She had clearly accepted this concept.
Pei Tinglan's expression became indescribably complicated.
“You've never had it before?”
“No.”
Zhu Lingxi shook her head honestly.
She seemed to realize their reactions were a bit strange, so she paused before continuing:
“Before entering the game, I spent all my time in our clan's ancestral land, learning the inheritance of the Nuo. I had almost no contact with the outside world.”
Hearing this, Cen Yao and Pei Tinglan fell silent for a moment.
Their brains stalled for a second.
Then, they instinctively looked at each other.
This was the first time they had ever looked at each other without any underlying hostility.
So, she's from a reclusive clan?
That explained it.
Actually, ever since the Horror Game descended, many strange reclusive clans had suddenly emerged in the real world.
Mediums, spirit summoners, house-exorcists, gu-cultivators—all kinds of bizarre lineages.
And many of them adapted extremely quickly after entering the Horror Game.
Currently, at least half of the players on the Peak Leaderboard came from these kinds of reclusive clans.
Compared to ordinary players, they naturally had easier access to forces that normal people couldn't comprehend.
Thinking about it this way, it made perfect sense that Zhu Lingxi had never had cola before.
Cen Yao let out an understanding hum.
“So...”
She rested her chin in her hand, looking at Zhu Lingxi.
“Lingxi, are you the one ranked second on the Rookie Leaderboard, 'Nuo'?”
During her time at home, Cen Yao had occasionally lurked on the player forums.
She had seen many posts about “Nuo.”
She was practically a legend.
Rumor had it that she had only entered the game a month ago, yet she had climbed all the way from an F-rank player to a B-rank player, with her points propelling her straight to second place on the Rookie Leaderboard.
As for first place, it was that Architect.
Furthermore, “Nuo's” live stream was often featured on the homepage recommendations.
Even though Cen Yao hadn't actively sought it out, she had come across the name several times.
Zhu Lingxi was eating diligently with her head down. Hearing Cen Yao call her name, she hurriedly looked up.
With a meatball still stuffed in her cheek, her expression was incredibly earnest, showing she was indeed paying attention.
“Yes.”
She nodded.
She admitted it quite calmly.
Cen Yao wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, with Zhu Lingxi's strength and temperament, she couldn't possibly be a nobody.
She turned her head to look at the other side of the table.
“What about you, ex-idol?”
As Cen Yao spoke, she casually ruffled Zhu Lingxi's hair.
Mm.
It felt nice.
The girl's hair was very soft.
Zhu Lingxi didn't dodge the touch, simply continuing to eat her food obediently.
Pei Tinglan glanced up at Cen Yao.
“Siren.”
After uttering those two words, he lowered his head again and quietly went back to eating his non-spicy malatang.
Cen Yao: “?”
Rate on N.U.
