Chapter 13

“Thanks for the invitation. After playing games for so long, this is the first time I’ve heard so many announcements. I’m stunned,” whispered Clear Sky Autumn Moon.

Indeed, their previous reluctance had only been because they were extremely unlucky.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to open the boxes; their past experiences had taught them not to force themselves into environments that clearly weren’t suited for them.

You see, the five of them had once opened ten boxes and eight times ended up with subpar or useless items.

The items inside were often worth less on the market than the box itself.

So, the five made a bet: whoever opened items valued less than the box’s market price would have to make up the difference for the group.

Of course, if someone opened a good item, the others would send them red envelopes as a reward.

But so far, the number of red envelopes they’d received was minimal; most of the time, they were the ones compensating for losses.

And paying up was one thing, but admitting to being a jinx was rather painful.

Their bad luck wasn’t just an inside secret—it was even widely known.

When the system announcement came through, the world chat exploded with question marks.

[World]

Strawberry Peach Fruit Tea: Wait, isn’t that the Crane Rest Garden’s team? Aren’t they famous for their terrible luck? How did they suddenly get so many drops? Did their luck change?

Repeatedly Challenging the Master Realm: Where did they pray? Share the secret with us, please. I desperately need a streak of good luck.

Comments like these flooded the world channel, alongside others shocked by the team’s rapid dungeon completion.

Inside the instance, Clear Sky Autumn Moon and the others were equally surprised.

Of course, they hadn’t forgotten their rules.

“Xiyin, here’s a red envelope for you.” Clear Sky Autumn Moon pulled out a hefty ingot of gold and handed it to Ye Xiyin.

Unlike the coins earned from completing quests, gold ingots could only be obtained through recharging and were used to purchase items from the system shop.

Of course, NPCs weren’t without ways to get gold ingots—they could trade with the Universal Pavilion’s NPCs.

But Ye Xiyin didn’t have that much cash on hand, so receiving this red envelope left him somewhat at a loss.

“This is for the good item you opened,” Clear Sky Autumn Moon said cheerfully, arms crossed. “Not only that, my brother here owes you two since the Celestial Prime Gold Crystal you found is exactly what he needs to socket his divine weapon. Of course, it’s up to you if you want to give it to him.”

Ye Xiyin wasn’t interested in red envelopes, but his eyes lit up at the thought of helping Crane Rest Garden.

“Do you need it?” Ye Xiyin’s tone was more excited about helping than about his own gain.

His expression was so earnest it made one’s heart soften, making others want to be kinder to him.

Crane Rest Garden nodded, feeling a subtle but pleasant sense of being valued.

Perhaps this was what it felt like to be cared for?

Ye Xiyin immediately stuffed the Celestial Prime Gold Crystal into his hand. After all, he was just the one opening the boxes; how they divided the loot and settled payments was their own business.

On the way to find the next boss, Clear Sky Autumn Moon kept savoring the box Ye Xiyin had opened.

Xu Ziche sneered at this: “Look at you, all flustered. Is it really necessary?”

“What do you know? There aren’t many who can withstand the bad luck of all five of us. This kid’s like a little lucky charm.” Clear Sky Autumn Moon murmured for a moment, then suddenly had a bright idea and scooted up close to Ye Xiyin.

“Sniff, sniff, little lucky charm, sniff, sniff, please, please let me get the Red Mist Fairy Rock,” he said, hands clasped as he circled around Ye Xiyin, bowing and spinning as if trying to absorb some of his good fortune.

Ye Xiyin looked confused, having no idea what the Red Mist Fairy Rock was.

He only vaguely recalled Clear Sky Autumn Moon mentioning early on that their mission was about this very item.

“Ignore her,” Crane Rest Garden pulled him aside. “She’ll go away once she’s had her fun.”

“No worries, I’ll do my best to get what Autumn Moon wants,” Ye Xiyin said determinedly, then blushed, embarrassed at his own boast. “If I’m lucky again next time.”

“Hehe, that’s all we need to hear.” Clear Sky Autumn Moon had no objections and quickly assured him a hundred times over.

By then, they had finally arrived at their destination.

In the center of a shallow shoal stood a small village, surrounded by several wooden stakes driven into the ground, the village itself at the heart.

It was clear that the upcoming boss fight would revolve around this spot. The mood grew serious as they studied the situation carefully.

Though strong, they were not careless; they wouldn’t drop the ball on something like this.

Before entering the central village, Zi Buyu, the tankiest among them who played a monk, stepped forward and stepped on the shoal.

Almost immediately, a bleeding debuff appeared on him.

“This water’s off. If you touch it, you’ll keep losing health, and it seems to worsen over time. If it drags on too long, even the healer won’t keep up.”

This sounded like a challenge to Xu Ziche’s healing skills.

Xu Ziche was reluctant.

He tested the water with his foot.

He quickly regretted it.

“What the heck is this?” After casting two healing spells on himself, Xu Ziche’s expression was one of utter despair.

He couldn’t keep up with the damage, let alone anyone else.

“So, when we fight the boss, we just have to make sure not to fall off the wooden stakes, right?”

“Better be careful and don’t wipe here,” someone warned.

“How could we wipe? That’s just you doubting our strength,” Clear Sky Autumn Moon feigned offense.

Watching their banter, Ye Xiyin couldn’t help but smile, eyes crinkling.

“Are you happy?” Crane Rest Garden asked, puzzled.

“No, I just think you all get along really well,” Ye Xiyin replied, though a faint loneliness crept into his heart.

Having come to this unfamiliar world, everything around him was strange.

After surviving the initial crisis, a delayed wave of loneliness swept over him.

Though he hid his sadness well, those around him noticed.

“We need you too,” came a low voice.

Ye Xiyin looked at him in surprise. The usually indifferent man had said something unusual, his expression betraying a rare unease.

Bubbles of emotion welled up inside Ye Xiyin’s heart, gradually warming in response to Crane Rest Garden’s unusual demeanor.

He wanted to touch his own face, hoping his blush wouldn’t be too obvious.

The two exchanged glances full of unspoken thoughts before quickly looking away, the atmosphere both strange and subtle.

Finally, Clear Sky Autumn Moon broke the tense silence.

“What are you two staring at? It’s time to fight the boss,” he said, arms crossed, eyeing them suspiciously.

“Coming, coming,” Ye Xiyin composed himself and hurried after the group.

Crane Rest Garden’s expression returned to normal.

Clear Sky Autumn Moon shook his head, unwilling to pry further, and turned his attention to their most urgent task.

There was no doubt—the boss awaited in that village. But to get there, they had to cross the wooden stakes using lightness skills. Ye Xiyin wouldn’t be able to follow.

“That’s okay. I’ll watch from here; it’s not far,” Ye Xiyin said, looking around.

Since the mobs had been cleared, this spot was safe so far. And in typical dungeon design, unless the boss summoned minions, no others would appear here.

“Don’t worry, as long as you take care of the bad guys, there won’t be a problem here,” Ye Xiyin reassured them.

There was no other choice.

No one dared leave a single person out of the boss fight. If they failed, it would be a minor issue, but if they died and had to restart, what would happen to Ye Xiyin alone?

“Stay here, we’ll be back soon,” Clear Sky Autumn Moon said, growing concerned. He rummaged through his backpack and handed Ye Xiyin several defensive items.

This little lucky charm couldn’t get hurt.

Seeing this, Crane Rest Garden and the others followed suit, giving Ye Xiyin defensive tools and potions.

Xu Ziche even gave him a rare lock-blood pill that could prevent a fatal blow—clearly expensive.

Ye Xiyin held this mountain of supplies, laughing and crying at once, while Clear Sky Autumn Moon nodded approvingly at the others’ generosity.

Crane Rest Garden added, “Take these; they’ve got plenty of good stuff.”

Now they could finally feel somewhat at ease.

But just as they were about to leave, Clear Sky Autumn Moon turned back with a serious expression.

“I’m still a bit worried. Why don’t you take the lock-blood pill now? It lasts an hour—enough time to fight the boss.”

Everyone agreed.

Ye Xiyin was fragile; one swipe from the boss could kill him. With the pill, they’d at least have time to react.

He wanted to refuse—after all, if nothing happened, the pill would be wasted.

But under their serious gazes, he finally popped the pill into his mouth.

Well, better safe than sorry. He remembered the recipe included making these pills and planned to craft some himself to repay Xu Ziche someday.