SWNOVELXO Chapter 41 - Naturally gifted player
“They’re all players.” A hint of irritation flashed in Jiang Zi’s eyes. So many people were around, disturbing her precious time alone with Little Tang Yuan.
She softly reminded Tang Yuan, “Remember to turn off the world chat. It gets really noisy with this many people.”
Meanwhile, she typed a line on her keyboard and pinned it at the top of her Livestream:
‘Anyone using World chat for shoutout will have their ID recorded and be banned for a month.’
The text was highlighted in red and bold, taking up half the screen. The large characters were cold and unyielding, making many excited players rushing toward them slow their pace.
【Sister Era means what she says. Don’t try your luck.】
【Hahaha, so cold, just like you.】
【Can’t you see Sister Era is with her girl? No sense of timing, barging into their private time.】
【Honestly, Sister Era’s avatar standing next to Sweetheart Tang Yuan looks like a scavenger, hahaha.】
Tang Yuan watched as the crowd surrounded them but then changed course toward the spirit beast forest ahead, launching a wild, aimless assault on the beasts.
“Huh??” Tang Yuan quickly grabbed Jiang Zi’s hand, worried about getting separated by the wave of players. “Why are they in such a hurry? Is there a beast raid today?”
Jiang Zi shifted slightly closer, speaking near her ear, “It’s probably because it’s the weekend. Students have time off, so it’s busier.”
Though they were just avatars in the game, it felt as if the two of them were really close, a growing sense of intimacy lingering between them.
“Let’s change spot then. It’s too crowded here.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Zi followed Tang Yuan to a quieter area, where Tang Yuan set down another teleportation charm.
They teleported to a village nestled in the foothills. This area had fewer players and mostly NPCs. There were main storyline quests here, but Tang Yuan hadn’t bothered with them, so she never triggered any.
Jiang Zi opened the map and marked a spot, a subtle hint for those looking for guides. She didn’t say a word and continued to follow behind Tang Yuan.
【So out of character.】
【Toward Tang Yuan: never lets her words go to waste. Toward fans: doesn’t say a word.】
【Tang Yuan? Is it ‘that’ Tang Yuan?】
【You know, they do sound alike. Both of them are really similar.】
The comments were quickly drowned in the sea of messages, as Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi’s followers were still relatively few, some of whom also played the game.
However, Skyward Era had a massive following. With over a million viewers in the livestream, the rapid-fire comments made it hard for any discussion about Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi to stay visible for long.
Once they reached a quieter area, there were still a few players around, but compared to the outer area, they could be ignored.
Tang Yuan let go of Jiang Zi’s hand, indicating that she should fight the beasts herself, and promised to step in if things got dangerous.
She then found a high vantage point, sitting there and waiting.
At first, she watched closely, afraid that Jiang Zi might be defeated by the spirit beasts. But soon, Jiang Zi’s movements were smooth and flawless, even capable of taking on higher-level beasts. In less than half an hour, her level soared as if she were playing on fast-forward.
Tang Yuan watched, completely stunned. “Huh??”
Jiang Zi downed another spirit beast, extracting its core, then purchased a tool for easy absorption.
Thunderclouds gathered—she was about to break through to the next stage.
Tang Yuan let out a swear, her tone tinged with envy and jealousy. “Is this what they call a naturally gifted player?!”
Seeing the lightning almost striking, Tang Yuan quickly flew to Jiang Zi’s side, tossing a heap of talismans and items to shield against the lightning strikes.
Tang Yuan set down the lightning protection artifacts and sheltered Jiang Zi under a barrier. All the while, she muttered, “Eighteen lightning strikes… I should have at least let you take a couple of them yourself.”
Jiang Zi gently pushed her out of the danger zone, unable to hide the amusement in her voice. “Would you really let me?”
“I just don’t want you to fail today and have to wait until tomorrow to try leveling up again.”
“Hmm… fine,” Jiang Zi replied, as always, knowing how to appease her.
As expected, Jiang Zi endured all eighteen lightning strikes without a hitch, not even scorching the hem of her in-game outfit.
Seeing Jiang Zi break through to the Golden Core stage, Tang Yuan wasted no time and grabbed her hand, heading straight into a hidden dungeon.
“This time, we won’t hire any help. I’ll guide you through it. Too many people just make things harder.”
“And!”
Tang Yuan’s voice turned serious, making Jiang Zi tense, thinking she might had discovered something.
Tang Yuan’s tone was full of suspicion. “Your gameplay is so smooth—have you been secretly practicing?!”
Jiang Zi: ……
She hadn’t expected that question at all and realized she might have overestimated her.
With a tone of exasperated fondness, she replied, “I haven’t been secretly practicing. I’ve been waiting to play with you.”
“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Tang Yuan quickly let go of her doubts, took her hand again, and led her toward the treasure spot marked on the map.
Jiang Zi was worried Tang Yuan might trigger a trap, so whenever they entered a danger zone, she subtly disarmed the mechanisms, making their path through treacherous areas as smooth as walking on flat ground. They reached the treasure location with ease.
Jiang Zi’s actions were so seamless that even viewers watching the stream with magnifying glasses couldn’t catch her moves. Watching this, they felt like they were playing a completely different game, collectively questioning their gaming skills.
Tang Yuan didn’t expect to get the treasure so easily. She handed it to Jiang Zi with a smug smile, saying, “If I told people I’m the game developer’s daughter, they’d probably believe it.”
Jiang Zi paused as she accepted the gift. “Hm?”
【Congrats on becoming a mom, Sister Era.】
【Who else gets my humor, hahahaha!】
【Sistar Era’s bewildered face is spot on.】
【I see you as my wife, but you see me as your mom?】
Jiang Zi picked up the item, then mused, “I guess that’s… not too bad…”
Tang Yuan was caught off guard. “What?”
She thought back to her earlier joke, chuckling foolishly before adding with a touch of pride, “No way, my mummy would be upset.”
Jiang Zi let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
Even with Jiang Zi as a walking cheat code, they spent a solid three hours navigating the Thunder Realm. Many players recorded the stream, reviewing it repeatedly until they figured out some of the tricks, then eagerly dived into the realm to hunt for loot themselves.
It was already past midnight when they returned to the game’s main hub.
Tang Yuan rubbed her eyes, her voice tinged with drowsiness as she said, “I’m logging off. I haven’t even shower yet, so sleepy.”
Jiang Zi, concerned, said, “Don’t use the bathtub if you’re too tired—you might fall asleep, and it’s dangerous.”
“Mm…” Tang Yuan replied, her sleepy voice coming out as a soft hum that sent a shiver down Jiang Zi’s spine.
Jiang Zi glanced at the stream, realizing it was still live. With a dark expression, she yanked out the internet cable, ending the broadcast at lightning speed.
Fans who were suddenly booted from the stream: …?? Excuse me?
Tang Yuan opened her friend request list and cleared it in one click. Being at the top of the wealth rankings, she was pretty popular, with a constant flood of requests. So, she didn’t think much of it.
After logging off, the voice chat cut off as well.
Jiang Zi’s smile faded as she removed her headset and turned to look at the computer screen.
She quietly stared at it for three minutes before finally shutting down the computer.