A sliver of pale white light appeared on the horizon; the morning was crisp with dew and draped in a light fog, with distant mountains rolling like waves and the ruins of a town silhouetted against the skyline.
Behind the rubble of a building, a young girl woke from her hazy slumber, tilting her head slightly as the dark strands of hair at her temples slid across her cheek, her eyelashes fluttering.
When she opened her eyes, she was met by a lively little kingfisher, its head tilted, its tiny, bright black eyes the size of rice grains filled with curiosity; its feathers were azure, with the shafts gleaming an oily green under the sunlight.
Sevia quietly locked eyes with the little bird, a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth as she tucked the falling hair behind her ear, her soft earlobe hidden beneath her loose hood.
She slowly closed her eyes, wrapping her grey robe a bit tighter around herself while leaning against the edge of the worn-out sofa.
Before today’s journey began, she wanted to... sleep in for just a little while longer.
Since the weather was so beautiful, she had to greet the new day in the best possible state of mind.
Coo~
Coo coo~
Sevia opened her eyes again.
The morning sun shone down on an endless desert, a desolate scene stretching beneath the greyish-white gravel of the wasteland.
Sevia wandered across the vast earth, her face dusted with dirt, her gaze lowered.
She wasn't searching the ground for beautiful flowers or resilient blades of grass to inspire her creativity, nor was she looking to compose a poem to praise this wonderful day.
She was simply too hungry and was looking for food.
The phrase "haggard and starving" would have been the most fitting description of her current state.
It had been several days since she had eaten a full meal.
She desperately wanted to eat bread, drink some water, and perhaps even rest her head on a soft pillow for a short nap.
Things that were ordinary for many had now become a luxury for the girl.
The long duration of her wandering had left Sevia exhausted in both body and mind; if she didn't find a place to rest soon, she didn't know how much longer she could hold on.
She could clearly feel herself gradually drifting away from this world; although the ground beneath her feet was solid, her existence felt increasingly ethereal, and everything around her seemed surreal.
Her consciousness felt as though it were imprisoned in a birdcage outside the world, only able to watch her hollow body walk across the vast land from an observer's perspective; neither the sunlight nor the birds were truly experienced by her actual self.
Sevia was walking along the twilight line where it intersected with the world line; if she could not anchor her existence soon and deepen her connection to the world, she would be caught and devoured by the monster of loneliness.
"Leave everything to me."
"Can you give me food?" Sevia asked. "I'm really so hungry."
"?"
The hope in her heart received no answer.
Perhaps, perhaps she should go to a civilized town and trade for some rations; her creations could assist people with meditation, and her paintings, if hung in a room for a long time, could nourish the owner’s spirit sea.
The sound of her music could soothe inner turmoil and anxiety, and her beautiful voice could carry souls away from the decadence of the mortal world.
If only someone would give her a piece of bread, just one piece of bread....
She was willing to sing for them all day in exchange.
Sevia’s peripheral vision swept across the cracked earth, and her eyes suddenly lit up—she had spotted a greyish-brown pear!
It lay quietly beneath a pear tree that was on the verge of dying; despite its skin being as dry as old bark and its interior likely being rotten and infested with insects, it appeared so sweet and tempting.
As if she had found an inexhaustible spring, the girl cupped it in her hands, a circle of light shimmering in her eyes.
"Today is..." Sevia murmured as she ate the pear, using a quill to record her time and thoughts on yellowed paper. "New Era Calendar, Year 533, February 10th."
She wanted to record everything she saw and felt during her travels to share with those around her at the end of the journey.
If the story had a happy enough ending, she thought, then all the hardships of the journey would become precious memories in the future.
"Where should I start the entry?"
"Let's start with... I woke from a haze and saw a beautiful creature bearing a branch of new life, chirping softly; the breeze brought a sweet tenderness, and weary memories rippled in the dazzling sunlight, as the nectar’s sweetness graced the beautiful dawn~"
After finishing the core, Sevia lost her interest in writing poetry; she tucked away the paper with a grimace and stood up to continue her journey.
Before long, the towering city walls gradually rose from the horizon. She came to a halt.
"HP -197. You have dealt thrust damage (lethal damage) to 'Evil Spirit Leader Ulric'."
"You have obtained 'Ghostly Gauntlets (refined grade)' and 1 Season 11 'Matrix Cycle Life' exclusive season chest."
Angelina retracted her thrusting spear and pocketed all the loot.
The surrounding players were completely stunned.
Their guild had been making good progress in exploring the Evil Spirit Cave, and they had just seen the boss's health bar bottom out; they were about to use a coordinated burst of fire to finish off Evil Spirit Leader Ulric, and then this silver-haired girl just smoothly lunged out and stole the kill?
Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Angelina was about to leave the Evil Spirit Cave when members of the 'Grave of the Undead' guild blocked her path, their faces full of ill intent.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this?" one person shouted.
"You dare steal our stuff? You tired of living?"
"Do you think we’re pushovers?"
"I saw it, a season chest just dropped!"
"Our guild spent half the day figuring out the mechanics of this nightmare-level boss and wore down so much of its health. For you to just swoop in and take it is a bit unreasonable, don't you think?" A blonde youth stepped out from the crowd, his eyes, which should have been emerald green, now shrouded in a layer of gloom, with a faint aura of death emanating from him.
"Oh, I stole it," Angelina shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "And then what? You gonna kill me?"
She had developed a condition where she felt irritated at the mere sight of blondes.
Edward, the guild leader, saw his expression darken immediately; who in the grade 1 maps didn't know that the Evil Spirit Cave was the territory of the 'Grave of the Undead'?
For a solo player to suddenly pop out, steal the boss that rightfully belonged to them, and then speak so insolently—he had never been subjected to such treatment.
"Tsk tsk," Angelina leaned on her spear. "Good dogs don't block the road."
Edward was so angry he laughed; he had never seen such an arrogant solo player. Usually, any lone wolf encountering a large guild like theirs would be respectful, fearing they might be hounded into a corner.
"If you don't hand over the loot, you're not leaving today!"
"Give this ignorant fool a lesson!"
"Kill her and take everything she has!"
There was a chilling edge to Edward's smile; the opponent dared to be so arrogant alone, while they had twenty people on their side.
It seemed this was just a fool who didn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth; killing her would serve as a perfect example to show other players exactly what a heavy price they would pay for provoking the Grave of the Undead!
The guild members swarmed forward, surrounding the silver-haired girl in the center, each looking like a hungry wolf that had caught the scent of blood, their faces filled with excitement.
"Wait until we tear that face of yours off, then we'll see if you're still so arrogant!"
"Perfect, I haven't had a fresh meal in a long time. I want her arms!"
"Save the meat on her legs for me to have as sashimi!"
"I want to suck out her bone marrow!"
"The heart is the chewiest part!"
Angelina’s hand, which had been leaning on the spear, slowly lowered.
In less than half a minute.
"Wait... Listen... How can this be...?"
"HP -101! You have dealt thrust damage (penetrating wound) to 'Grave of the Undead Guild Leader Edward', the damage triggered a critical hit!"
Ignoring the blonde youth struggling desperately in her grasp, Angelina violently pulled the spear from his abdomen, bringing with it a large spray of crimson!
His health depleted to zero, and with a face full of resentment and unwillingness, Edward could only helplessly dissolve into light and vanish into the air.
The surroundings were a mess; the members of the Grave of the Undead guild were either dead or injured, lying on the ground wailing incessantly. Angelina went forward and delivered a finishing blow to each one, her spear thrusting down and lifting up as she sent them out of the dungeon one by one.
"S-So strong!"
At that moment, the newbie players who had been hiding in the shadows crawled out, their eyes filled with looks of worship!
"You're incredible, expert! You took them all down by yourself!"
"Sob, sob... we finally don't have to be bullied by them anymore."
The Grave of the Undead guild had been acting like tyrants in this area; solo newbies who wanted to level up had to obediently pay protection fees to these guilds and could only pick up scraps in the corners of the dungeon, and any rare items they found would be unreasonably snatched away.
No one dared to resist; this group of lunatics was infamous. They had heard many terrifying rumors about the Grave of the Undead paralyzing rival players in the wild, only to serve them up and eat them at a dinner table.
They had thought they would continue to be oppressed today, but then a silver-haired girl had suddenly appeared, helping them defeat these arrogant bastards and giving them a much-needed outlet for their pent-up anger!
However, the light of worship in those newbies' eyes soon vanished, replaced by a deep sense of horror.
Angelina pulled out her spear, flicked away the bloodstains from the tip, and walked toward the newbie players with a cold, mirthless smile....
A few minutes later, Xu Xiaoyou, who was climbing the tower with Akabane, froze in place.
Huh?
What was going on?
How did Anya end up with a red name again?
Rate on N.U.
