Chapter Seventeen

Cheng Yuan realized he had miscalculated. Only when he pulled out a bundle of tent fabric from his hiking backpack did it finally dawn on him that something was off. “Did they expect me to just live inside the instance?” Cheng Yuan glanced at his hiking pack; this motherly love was a bit too heavy.

Wang Ningning and Xu Hao’s backpacks weren’t as big as Cheng Yuan’s, but they were stuffed as well. When they arrived at Xichuan University, upperclassmen from the university greeted them. After a brief exchange between teachers from both sides, the students were left to sort themselves out.

Following the Xichuan upperclassman to the dormitory, they were told, “This is your school’s dorm. I’ll take you to the cafeteria in a bit, then to the open instance. You over there, you can put your bag down.” Cheng Yuan walked over to a bunk, leaned back, and with his hiking backpack, toppled onto the bed like a turtle on its back.

Once he shrugged off his pack, Cheng Yuan immediately felt lighter. Ever since he’d boarded the coach, it felt like he’d been carrying another person—79 jin, no, that was conservative, at least 79 kilograms. This overwhelming motherly love was nearly suffocating.

Noticing Cheng Yuan gasping for breath, the Xichuan upperclassman’s eyes gleamed with a touch of pity. He recalled his own first days, and while not entirely unrelated, it was exactly the same. His parents had practically tried to fit the whole house into his bag. Once Cheng Yuan had caught his breath, the upperclassman continued, “Come with me, I’ll show you the next two places.”

After a ten-minute walk, the upperclassman led them into the cafeteria. “This is Cafeteria No. 1. Breakfast is from five to nine, lunch from eleven to two, dinner and late-night snacks from six till three in the morning. There are two other cafeterias, but they’re on different campuses, an hour’s bus ride away. The instance isn’t over there either, so let’s not waste your time. We’ll head straight to the instance area.”

After another half hour, the upperclassman brought them to a pond and pointed at the blue vortex hovering above it. “This is the instance you’re allowed to access. Other instances aren’t open for now. If a teacher or another student offers to take you to another instance, be sure to state your identity, so they don’t bring you somewhere too difficult.”

He then explained that for the next fifteen days, their time was their own, and a teacher would notify them when it was over.

Cheng Yuan returned to the dorm to unpack, determined to see exactly what was in his bag. After ten minutes, he stared blankly at several bottles of seasonings. “What? Am I supposed to survive in the wild or something?”

He rummaged for another half hour, then, with his little tiger in tow, his father’s fishing gear slung over his shoulder, and a pile of barbecue parts and condiments, he set off for the instance. It was now obvious his mother never intended for him to leave the instance at all.

Some time later, standing by the lake, Cheng Yuan glanced at a fishing guide on the ground. According to his father, it contained all his hard-earned wisdom from years of fishing across the land. “Step one: bait the spot.” Cheng Yuan looked at half a bucket of fish bait, thought for a moment, then tossed a handful into the water. Following the instructions, a few minutes later he stopped, sat on a small stool, and began assembling the barbecue rack. Once it was ready, he realized a key problem—he didn’t have a kitchen knife. How was he supposed to gut and grill a fish?

At that moment, he noticed his little tiger practicing the Tiger Roar Thunderclap among the leaves. With its enchanted golden claws, wasn’t it perfect for the job? As Cheng Yuan waited patiently, a girl’s voice drifted from behind him. “Senior, I’m not interested in dating right now. I need to focus on my studies. I’m going fishing.”

“That’s fine, no problem, I’ll wait for you,” came a reply.

A moment later, the sound of someone pushing through the underbrush, and the little tiger bared its teeth and claws, growling at the person disturbing its practice. Suddenly, a massive figure loomed before the tiger. It looked up at the enormous mouth full of teeth and two small crimson eyes above those stubby arms—what kind of monster was this? Cheng Yuan, I’m scared! The little tiger let out a loud cry. Hearing the noise, Cheng Yuan put down his bamboo pole and rested it on a nearby stand.

Turning around, he saw a gigantic black Tyrannosaurus rex beside a girl. “Bloodrage Black Tyrant Dragon, it’s huge!” Cheng Yuan’s exclamation drew Quan Xiayu’s attention away from the little tiger to him; she hadn’t noticed him before as he was sitting.

Seeing Cheng Yuan, she couldn’t help asking, “Who are you?” Cheng Yuan replied, “I’m Cheng Yuan, a student from Xining No. 3 High School.” The girl understood. “Ah, you’re part of that group of high schoolers. Is this little one yours?” Cheng Yuan nodded and called to the little tiger, “Come here.”

The little tiger immediately rushed into Cheng Yuan’s arms, rubbing against him furiously. Envy flickered in Quan Xiayu’s eyes. “You two seem close.” Cheng Yuan nodded, gently stroking the little tiger in comfort, saying, “Don’t be afraid. As long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t attack you.”

After a few moments of whimpering, the little tiger walked over to Quan Xiayu. Just as she wondered what it was up to, the little tiger climbed the tree behind her. Cheng Yuan was surprised—he hadn’t expected the little tiger to have such skills. He watched as it nimbly scaled the tree and called out, “Be careful, don’t fall!”

After a brief response from the little tiger, Cheng Yuan left it to its own devices.

He turned back to his fishing. Quan Xiayu, also lugging fishing equipment, told Cheng Yuan she had the same plan. The Black Tyrant Dragon lay down beside Cheng Yuan, tail dipping into the water. Quan Xiayu was nearby; the two were separated by the four-meter-long dinosaur, which served as a boundary line.

Cheng Yuan stared at the water. Why was nothing biting? Just then, a familiar female voice rang out, “Xu Hao, keep going, I smell water up ahead.” Minutes later, Xu Hao and Wang Ningning spotted Cheng Yuan. Without turning, he casually pointed, “Fish over there. Let’s keep some distance.”

The Black Tyrant Dragon lifted its massive head, glanced at the two, then lowered it again. At that moment, Cheng Yuan noticed his float dipping below the surface. He gave his rod a tentative twitch, and a dark shape flicked its tail, sending ripples across the water.

Excitement surged through Cheng Yuan as he reeled in, the line taut with a strong pull. It felt like a big one. The others’ attention was drawn to him. Quan Xiayu watched the dark outline on the surface. “Looks like a small two-pound carp.”

A few minutes later, Cheng Yuan gazed at the spiny carp before him and sighed. Then he called to the big tree behind him, “Come down.” The little tiger quickly scampered down and ran to him, head cocked in curiosity.