Deep in the Mist Forest, the night was like ink.
As the curtain fell on that battle where the few overcame the many, Ye Yi was in no rush to take little Bing Xin away. He knew the aftershocks of that battle were just beginning to spread, and this was exactly part of his plan—building momentum.
In this era of information explosion, fame itself is a resource. To establish his own power and oppose those massive conglomerate guilds, simply grinding monsters alone wouldn't be enough. He needed the name "Yi" to become a totem in the hearts of freelance players and a nightmare in the eyes of the major guilds.
At this moment, the game forum was completely boiling over.
The heat from the previous post about the "Ghost Mage" hadn't yet faded when a new pinned red post appeared out of nowhere, with an even more shocking title:
"Violent Aesthetics! The Counterattack of a Red-Named Mage and a Good-for-Nothing Priest! 2V5 Wipes Out the Angel Guild's Main Team! High-Definition First-Person Footage Attached!"
The poster was one of the onlookers at the time, and quite craftily, they had enabled a paid-viewing mode. In just half an hour, the view count had broken one million, and the paid download count exceeded one hundred thousand.
The video content started from Iron Shield taunting little Bing Xin, to Ye Yi appearing to make the bet, and then to that thrilling encounter in the Mist Forest; everything was recorded in detail.
If the previous video displayed Ye Yi's cunning like an assassin, then this one completely showcased his ferocity and dominance like a warrior.
Forum comment section:
"1st Floor (Data Emperor): I slowed the video down ten times. When that mage parried the 'Holy Light · Tie Bi' attack, the weapon angle was a 45-degree diagonal cut, utilizing the system's hidden 'Force Unloading' mechanism. This was definitely not luck; this is textbook-level melee combat! Worship the great god!"
"24th Floor (Onlooker): Am I the only one focusing on that priest? Full intelligence build? One heal knocked a rogue dizzy? Can even heal the enemy to disrupt attack rhythm? This game can be played like this? My worldview has collapsed..."
"88th Floor (Angel Guild Hater): Awesome! So satisfying! I've long found that bunch of bullies from the Angel Guild unpleasant. Who is this big boss called 'Yi'? I want to have his babies!"
"156th Floor (Anonymous): Heard it's a former pro player making a comeback? This operation awareness is at least at the top ten level of the ladder, right?"
...
Outside the Azure Dragon main city, the Angel Guild's temporary encampment.
"Clatter!"
A delicate porcelain cup was smashed fiercely onto the ground, fragments splashing everywhere.
Lin Tianyu (Wings of Holy Light) sat on a tiger-skin-covered armchair, his face so gloomy water could drip from it. In front of him, Tie Bi, Judgment, and others, who had just respawned and had their levels dropped back to 9, were hanging their heads, not daring to let out a breath.
"Trash! All of you are trash!"
Lin Tianyu pointed at Tie Bi's nose and cursed: "I spent heavily to equip you with the best gear and pay your salaries, and what's the result? Wiped out by a freelance mage bringing along a dead weight? And now I have to spend fifty thousand gold coins on a bounty?"
Tie Bi gritted his teeth, his face flushed red: "Guild Master, that person... he's really weird. His strength judgment was higher than mine, and he knew our skill cooldown times like the back of his hand. I suspect he's an internal tester, or he's using some kind of cheat..."
"Shut up!"
Lin Tianyu interrupted him impatiently. "I've already asked the officials; the data is all normal. What does that mean? It means they are just better than you! Better than you bunch of highly paid good-for-nothings!"
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart. As the successor to the Tianyu Group, although he was arrogant, he was by no means stupid.
He clicked on the video again, his gaze locked tightly onto the black magic sword in Ye Yi's hand.
"It can have Growth, can lifesteal, and can break armor..." A trace of greed flashed in Lin Tianyu's eyes. "Such a divine artifact is too wasted in the hands of a freelancer."
He turned his head to look at a man in black in the corner who hadn't spoken.
"Night Shadow, contact the 'Blood Twilight' mercenary group. Tell them I have a big deal. No matter where that 'Yi' hides, I want him dead back to level zero. And that sword, it must be dropped."
The man in black nodded slightly, his figure dissolving into the shadows.
Lin Tianyu sneered, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
"Yi... I admit you have some skills. But in the face of capital power, individual bravery is just a joke. The game has only just begun; let's play slowly."
...
Deep in the Mist Forest.
"Achoo!"
Little Bing Xin rubbed her nose and muttered softly: "Is someone cursing me?"
"They're praising you."
Ye Yi casually swung his sword, slicing a level 13 "Mist Wraith" in two.
"Praising that Holy Light Strike of yours for landing accurately."
At this moment, the two were pushing toward the deepest part of the forest.
The monster levels here had already reached 14-16, a forbidden zone for the vast majority of players at this stage. But with the coordination between Ye Yi and little Bing Xin, these monsters fell like harvested wheat.
After that battle, little Bing Xin seemed to have had her meridians cleared.
She was no longer timid, instead trusting Ye Yi's commands completely.
"Bing Xin, three on the left, open with Holy Light Strike to pull the aggro."
"Got it!"
"Watch your mana control, use basic attacks to finish them off."
"Understood!"
Possessing the double experience talent, Ye Yi's leveling speed was already shockingly fast. And in a party state, although experience was split, the extremely high monster-killing efficiency actually made the leveling speed even faster.
Only three hours passed.
As the last elite monster fell, golden light lit up on Ye Yi again.
[Congratulations on reaching level 18!]
And little Bing Xin also leveled up to 14 like a rocket.
"Great God... no, Captain." Little Bing Xin looked at her level, feeling like she was dreaming. "If we level up this fast, will we be banned by the system?"
"Don't worry, this is a technical bonus."
Ye Yi glanced at the time. More than ten hours had passed since he entered the game.
His physical body in reality should be starting to feel tired, but in a state of extreme mental excitement, he didn't have much sleepiness.
"Level 18."
Ye Yi clenched his fist, feeling the overflowing power in his body.
According to the progress of his previous life, it would take at least three days for the first tier of players to reach level 18. And he had only used half a day.
"Time to go back."
Ye Yi put away his magic sword and looked toward the novice village.
"Go back? Aren't we going to the main city?" Little Bing Xin asked, puzzled.
"Before going to the main city, there is one last thing to do." A trace of nostalgia flashed in Ye Yi's eyes. "To go get a ticket to the future."
If he didn't get that item, the difficulty of his job change quest in the main city would be hell-level.
"You log off and rest first." Ye Yi said to little Bing Xin. "Long periods of mental tension are bad for the body. Tomorrow morning at eight, we'll meet at the entrance of the job change hall in Azure Dragon City."
"Ah? But..." Little Bing Xin was obviously reluctant to leave this thigh.
"Behave." Ye Yi's tone was unquestionable. "This is an order. Maintaining a good state is also a required course for a data-stream priest."
"Oh... alright then." Little Bing Xin nodded obediently. "Then you get some rest early too, Captain."
Watching little Bing Xin's figure turn into white light and log off, the smile on Ye Yi's face gradually faded.
He turned around and disappeared into the darkness alone.
"Wang Saoting, I'm coming to collect the final reward."