Chapter 11

Qin Yan lowered her head, showing no surprise at all, clearly she wasn't a fool. She took two steps forward, clasping her hands behind her back. A gentle breeze lifted the strands of hair by her ears, reflecting the streetlights and making her look dazzling and enchanting. Qin Yan turned around, staring into Yang Ye's eyes, and said softly:

"No."

"Uh, no, can you think about it some more?" Yang Ye was frustrated; this was both expected and unexpected.

"Brother Xiao Ye, you're only in your twenties, and you can make money. We're not a good match, and my family still..." Qin Yan spoke gently.

"Debts? Look, I made 60,000 yuan in one day. How long would it take to pay back 120,000? What are you worried about?" Yang Ye tried to persuade her, but he instantly felt like he had been given a "nice guy card." He now understood how the tree spirit felt when its stats dropped after being given a card. He felt the same way—his stats were dropping, and he felt terrible.

"No, it's still no!" Qin Yan said firmly.

"Uh... how about this..." Yang Ye had a sudden idea, "Let's compromise, okay?"

"Compromise? How can we compromise?" Qin Yan was puzzled. Could love be compromised?

"I mean, you be my—test girlfriend!" Yang Ye said proudly, thinking he was a genius.

"Test... girlfriend? What's that?" Qin Yan's eyes widened; she had never heard of such a thing.

"Well, it means it's a trial, not an official relationship. We just test if we're a good match, and if not, we can end it anytime." Yang Ye explained.

"Can... that really work?" Qin Yan felt like she was being tricked.

"Of course it can. Alright, you're my test girlfriend now, just like an official girlfriend, but we can end it anytime without any consequences." Yang Ye sounded like a creepy uncle trying to trick a cute, innocent little girl.

"Okay... okay." Although it felt strange, it didn't seem entirely wrong.

"YES!!"

"Ha, from now on, you're my girlfriend. Let's go home!"

...

Poor Qin Yan was thus tricked by the cunning Yang Ye, but it seemed both of them were happy. Yang Ye was so excited he almost couldn't sleep, and Qin Yan was so happy she couldn't sleep either, dreaming of Yang Ye and waking up with a blush...

...

The next day, Yang Ye slept until ten o'clock. He hadn't rested at all the previous day, and this sleep was incredibly refreshing. After getting up and washing up, he ran to Qin Yan's house, ate some cold food to fill his stomach, and then went straight into the game.

With clear vision, Yang Ye appeared in Rainfall City.

The surroundings were still bustling with players, wearing various equipment, as if he had stepped into medieval Europe.

Yang Ye glanced at his quest. The hidden quest from Nago was completed, and he could turn it in. The previous boss had leveled him up to 12, and the next hidden quest required level 13. He could go grind in the wilds for a while, and also level up Lilina, who couldn't gain experience in dungeons and had to grind on wild monsters, making it very difficult. This was the most frustrating part for players with followers—leveling them up was a hassle.

At the entrance of the Wolf Troublemaker dungeon.

Nago stood there as usual, motionless, accepting applications from all players. Yang Ye walked up and started a conversation.

"Chief Nago, as you wished, my team and I have defeated Fangtooth and completed your mission!"

Nago lifted his head, his eyes gleaming from under the dirty rag. "Yes, the Battle of Promise. I have seen your bravery. Thank you for your contribution to the Nago tribe. Here is your reward!"

[System: You have completed the hidden quest: The Lone Defector. EXP +220,000, Gold +15. Reward: Fangtooth's Proof of Leadership ×1]

Fangtooth's Proof of Leadership (Combat Accessory - Gold Tier)

Equipment Level: 15

Physical Attack +110

Magic Attack +90

Physical Defense +100

Magic Defense +80

Strength +70

Intelligence +50

Stamina +70

Spirit +50

Inspire: My teammates are here, hahaha! Healing and recovery effects are increased by 20%, and duration of continuous recovery effects is extended by 3 seconds.

Summon: Where are my minions? Come help me! Attacks have a 2% chance to summon a Nago Wolf to assist in battle, with 50% of the summoner's attributes, lasting 1 minute, with a 1-minute cooldown.

Active Skill: Wolf God's Blessing: Increases all attributes by 5%, deals 30 additional damage, increases movement speed by 60, and increases physical and magic defense by 3%.

Passive Skill: Mark of the Wolf Clan: Attacks have a 2% chance to knock back and interrupt the target's current attack.

[System Announcement: Congratulations to the Battle of Promise for completing the hidden quest, uncovering the Fangtooth tribe's plot. The Abyss difficulty of the Wolf Troublemaker dungeon is now open. We look forward to your challenges!]

[System Announcement: Congratulations to the Battle of Promise for completing the hidden quest, uncovering the Fangtooth tribe's plot. The Abyss difficulty of the Wolf Troublemaker dungeon is now open. We look forward to your challenges!]

[System Announcement: Congratulations to the Battle of Promise for completing the hidden quest, uncovering the Fangtooth tribe's plot. The Abyss difficulty of the Wolf Troublemaker dungeon is now open. We look forward to your challenges!]

Another three announcements! All for the Battle of Promise!

The storm from the day before had gradually subsided, and Yang Ye hadn't expected a hidden quest to get him on TV!

Yang Ye glanced at the frenzied spamming in the world chat, shook his head, and refocused on the Fangtooth's Proof of Leadership in his hand.

Fangtooth's Proof of Leadership and Nago's Proof of Leadership were similar, but their attributes were slightly different. Fangtooth seemed to favor physical attributes, while Nago was more balanced. Was there another one that favored magic?

Not thinking too much about it, Fangtooth's Proof of Leadership was very suitable for a warrior, and the attached skills were excellent, greatly enhancing a warrior's survivability. Combat accessories were strong because they added both an active and a passive skill, giving two more skills than other items of the same level, making them very advantageous in both PvP and grinding.

Putting away the equipment, Yang Ye called to Lilina and headed east in Rainfall City.

The Abandoned Woods was a village left over from Rainfall City's early development. The original residents had moved away, and now it was inhabited by a group of outlaws, such as robbers and murderers, who were extremely violent. Because they had different AI from regular monsters, they gave more experience, making it a great place for solo grinding. However, the high AI also made them difficult for most players to handle. Incidentally, because these monsters were all criminals, grinding here to get a red name was much faster than in other areas.

Yang Ye's choice was clear.

Without hesitation, he started fighting. A single strike unexpectedly triggered a Rage effect, increasing physical attack by 20% for 3 seconds. It was better than nothing.

Grinding alone was indeed faster. Although the monsters had higher AI, they couldn't match players. Yang Ye relied on the healing effect of his level 5 silver necklace and efficiently cleared the monsters. When his health was low, he dodged attacks and healed; when his health was high, he took the hits and fought back. For a while, Yang Ye's level increased rapidly...

Lilina, on the other hand, gained some experience but her progress was slow. This would take a while... Yang Ye thought, frustrated, as he raised his sword, struck, and dodged. It was too easy; he needed something more challenging... Ah? Damn! An elite monster!

Elite monsters were stronger than dungeon bosses of the same level but had less health. The elite monster in front of Yang Ye was like that—low health, high attack, fast reaction, and AI that could easily overwhelm new players.

"Hehe, just what I needed!" Yang Ye chuckled, and with a swift movement, he charged at the elite monster.

Rogue Leader (Silver Elite Monster)

Level: 15

HP: 60,000/60,000

MP: 12,000/12,000

Physical Attack: 167~175

Magic Attack: 112~124

Physical Defense: 72

...

Skills: Gravity Strike: A powerful attack with a machete. Escape: Cops are coming! Run! When health drops below 2%, it will immediately escape, increasing movement speed by 120%. No drops.

The attack was high, but the rest was weak. As long as he used a Bold Guard to control it for two seconds, it should be manageable.

With the plan set, the fight began!

Yang Ye stepped forward and used a combo: Normal Attack + Gravity Strike + Diagonal Slash + Downward Slash + Backstep and Normal Attack. The damage broke 100 instantly, triggering Bleed and Armor Break effects, making subsequent attacks even more powerful. He also summoned a wolf to assist, making the battle even easier.

...

After more than an hour, the Rogue Leader was down to 2% health. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly pointed in a direction and shouted:

"Uh-oh, the cops are coming! Run!" Then he took off running.

But would Yang Ye let him escape? Of course not, "Bold Guard!" He stepped forward and used Normal Attack + Gravity Strike + Diagonal Slash + Downward Slash + Backstep and Normal Attack again. The Bleed, Armor Break, and Rage effects all triggered, killing the leader as quickly as possible.

[System: You have killed the Rogue Leader. EXP +330,000, Lilina +120,000]

[System: Lilina has leveled up to level 10]

Finally, level 10...

Looking at Lilina, she seemed different?

"Ah, brother, I feel full of strength..." Lilina glowed with a milky white light, the prelude to a stat boost?

"Uh... brother, it hurts a bit..." Lilina said.

Yang Ye couldn't help, but he comforted her, "Lilina, hang in there, it'll be over soon, and then you'll be much stronger!"

It was indeed over soon. In a moment, Lilina stopped glowing and returned to normal. Checking her stats—

Wandering Girl - Lilina (Hidden: Ultimate Human Weapon - Lilina)

Level: 10

Physical Attack: 67~71

Magic Attack: 49~52

Physical Defense: 43

...

Skills: Desperate Sasuke Tech Blade (Lilina briefly summons her former weapon and uses it. Duration 3 minutes, cooldown 5 minutes)

She had a skill! Although it was only one, it looked very powerful. This girl was not simple, but it was good. Now she could fight, making it much easier to kill monsters and level up together.

Yang Ye suddenly remembered that the system said Lilina would release a quest every 10 levels. Why hadn't she released one yet? Just as he was about to ask, a message box popped up—

[System: Lilina has released a quest to you. Do you accept?]