During the conversation with her rescuer while eating, Chang Long learned that the game had a profession called SNIPER. It was strange because the game was set in ancient to Renaissance settings, including mythological beliefs about gods, so having a modern-sounding profession like this was unexpected.

"You look skeptical. Let me show you the weapon I used to save your life!"

Hero, noticing Chang Long's disbelief, pulled out a finely crafted wooden box about a meter long and opened it to reveal what was inside.

"A gun!"

Chang Long exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, yes. It's a rifle. I use it for long-distance shooting, allowing me to snipe the beasts attacking you from afar!"

Hero replied proudly.

"But this game already has mages and archers who can shoot spells and arrows from a distance. Why is there a sniper profession too?"

Chang Long asked, unable to take her eyes off Hero's beautifully crafted wooden rifle.

"For variety, of course. The more options there are, the more fun the game is, right? Besides, even though the game has a sniper profession, no one has found an NPC for it except the two of us. So, when would you tell us, Chang Long? How did you know that I'm actually... a man!"

Jane explained, staring at Chang Long, waiting for an answer.

"Your Adam's apple and shoulders."

Chang Long's answer made Jane's eyes widen as she quickly pulled out a mirror to check her neck again.

"Hahaha, that's funny. You disguise everything perfectly except for Adam's apple and shoulders. If Chang Long can notice, I bet other men can too. You're busted, Jane!"

Hero laughed loudly, teasing his friend. Jane scowled and walked back into her tent.

"So, you said you were cursed, which made you a three-year-old. Finding the Miracle Doctor isn't easy, but I heard he's somewhere within the territory of Longshan."

Hero turned back to talk to Chang Long, not bothering about his friend's sulking. Jane often got like this and usually recovered quickly without needing to be consoled.

"Uh-huh, I'm supposed to wait for my friends in Longshan City, but I might meet them before I get there."

Chang Long replied, wondering how far Kitsune had gotten.

"Want my help? I feel a connection with you. Besides, I'm a good shot. I can take out any beast that stands in your way before it even gets close to you!"

Hero offered, surprising Chang Long. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the young man, finding him agreeable.

"Really! You can't go back on your words."

Chang Long asked excitedly, finally finding a bodyguard she felt a connection with.

"Of course! With me around, you'll be safe for sure."

Hero replied seriously, his face still bright and cheerful, reminding Chang Long of her always-smiling friend, Valentine.

"Thank you, Hero!"

Chang Long smiled back at Hero. He seemed slightly stunned by her doll-like cuteness. He could not resist pinching her cheek, which earned him a bite that caused him to yelp in return.

"Quite protective of yourself, aren't you? We're both guys... or you're not!"

Hero complained, examining Chang Long closely once more.

"That's my business! You should go to bed now. I'm going to offer some food to my friends first."

Chang Long shooed Hero away while pulling out the spirit tablets of Davy-chan and Hisa-chan from her bag. Instead of going into the tent, Hero stayed and watched with interest.

"You have spirit tablets?"

Hero asked with surprise, eyeing the two tablets with curiosity.

"Davy-chan and Hisa-chan. I get why Hisa-chan has a 'chan,' but why did you add 'chan' to Davy's name!"

Hero almost burst out laughing upon seeing Davy-chan's name on the tablet.

"You cheeky brat! If you hadn't saved missy, I'd snap your neck!"

Davy-chan fumed, his transparent face seeming to darken slightly with anger. Hisa-chan stifled his laughter, cheeks puffed.

"I like it this way."

Chang Long replied, lighting two incense sticks and placing them in front of the spirit tablets. She then placed two plates of food Jane had made in front of the tablets. Later, she discovered that the meat in the meal she had eaten came from the Red-bottomed baboon Beasts that had attacked her. Finally, she set down two bottles of liquor.

"Whoa, Chang Long, why didn't you tell me you had booze!"

Hero exclaimed, walking over to examine the bottles closely.

"You didn't ask."

Chang Long replied shortly. Hero rolled his eyes at the child's cheekiness but then burst out laughing, realizing she had a point—he had not asked.

"You know, Chang Long, you're the cheekiest three-year-old I've ever met, even if you're a child because of a curse!"

Hero laughed. They chatted for a while longer before heading to bed. Chang Long had no choice but to share a tent with Hero since there was not enough space to pitch a third tent. She had tried to sleep in Jane's tent but had fled back to Hero's after Jane teased her.

"Good night."

Hero lay on his side, propping his head on his hand, smiling at Chang Long. He found it amusing how she had chosen to sleep on the far side of the tent, as if afraid he might do something to her in his sleep.

"Good night... If you try anything funny like Jane, I'll have my ghosts haunt you!"

Chang Long warned Hero with a stern look, wary of his playful nature.

"Ooh, I'm so scared! Who would think of doing something funny to a three-year-old? Hahaha, good night. Sweet dreams."

Hero laughed, pulling the blanket over himself. He fell asleep within seconds. Chang Long watched him warily for a moment before drifting off to sleep herself.

Kitsune and Siegfried traveled through the night, stopping to rest at dawn. Kitsune admired Siegfried's endurance, as he managed to keep up despite his exhaustion, only asking for a break when it was time to rest. Once they set up camp, Siegfried fell asleep almost immediately.

"I never thought Siegfried was this tough. It must be the power of his love for master."

Kitsune said cheerfully while building a campfire in front of the tent. He was not feeling too tired himself but knew Siegfried needed the rest.

"Maybe I should contact master telepathically. It's almost morning anyway."

Kitsune debated whether to reach out to Chang Long, deciding to wait until dawn as the sky was still dark.

Kitsune dozed off in front of the tent to recharge. When he woke, it was dawn, and Siegfried was already up, preparing canned food.

"You can sleep a bit more. I'll try to contact master, and then we can continue our journey."

Kitsune said, accepting a can of food from Siegfried.

"I've slept enough. Besides, if you had to wake or rush me, I'd be too ashamed to face Chang Long. She's already ahead of me by several steps, and I need to catch up!"

Siegfried replied earnestly.

"I'll help too,"

Kitsune smiled, accepting the canned food from Siegfried.

After quickly finishing their canned breakfast, Kitsune sat down to meditate and make telepathic contact with Chang Long, who had just woken up as well.

'Master.'

'Kitsune!'

'It's me, Master. How are you?'

Kitsune asked immediately after receiving Chang Long's response.

'Good. Yesterday I almost died, but luck was on my side. I met a new friend who saved my life.'

Chang Long replied.

'You almost died!'

Kitsune exclaimed in shock.

'Uh-huh, but don't worry. I'm safe now.'

'That's a relief. We're less than 50 kilometers away from you now, and I'm not alone.'

Kitsune's response surprised Chang Long.

'Who's with you?'

'Master Siegfried. He was so worried about you that he couldn't stand waiting any longer and insisted on coming with me.'

Kitsune's answer made a small, unconscious smile appear on Chang Long's face.

'Uh-huh... I'm currently with my new friend, and we're about to enter the borders of Longshan City. You don't have to hurry. My new friend is quite strong and has offered to help me find the Miracle Doctor.'

Chang Long replied, not mentioning Siegfried by name, but her small face still held a smile. Hero, who had just woken up, noticed and could not help but chuckle, thinking Chang Long was sleep-talking.

'Wow, your new friend sounds great!'

Kitsune praised, feeling relieved that Chang Long had good people helping her.

'I'll talk to you later. I think I hear someone laughing nearby. That guy might be awake. If you get close and don't see me, look for Davy-chan and Hisa-chan. I'll have them reveal themselves to you.'

Chang Long quickly conveyed what Kitsune needed to know, frowning slightly. Hero tried to suppress his laughter at the changing expressions on Chang Long's face, afraid she might wake up and get mad.

"What's so funny..."

Chang Long opened her eyes, glaring at Hero. The man could not contain his laughter at her adorable expression and burst out laughing.

"Haha, Chang Long, you sleep-talk? Smiling one moment, frowning the next—so cute!"

Hero laughed so hard it was difficult to understand his words. Chang Long felt annoyed, wondering what kind of expressions she had shown while communicating with Kitsune to make Hero laugh so much.

At Kirisakura City, Orion, Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce, Fangkaew, and her friends sat at a tea shop provided by the system, feeling incredibly frustrated. Particularly, Orion and his close subordinate had died once, having been killed by the rampaging Ocean Dragon Beast God in the waters of the eastern coast, near the boundary between the Starting Island and Aseana Island. This meant their levels had dropped by ten from dying twice.

The women, whose levels ranged from the early thirties to the early forties, were equally frustrated since they also lost levels. Nevertheless, none of them blamed Orion or Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce. Instead, they admired them for not abandoning the group and fighting bravely until the very end.

"Orion, cheer up. None of us blame you,"

Fangkaew comforted Orion, who sat nearby with a serious expression.

"Even though Fangkaew and her friends don't hold it against me, it's still my fault. Plus, my level has dropped by ten. If the guild leader finds out, he would chew my ears out!"

Orion replied in a saddened tone, eliciting sympathy from the girls.

"In that case, Orion, why don't you hunt more beasts to level up? We'll do the same."

Fangkaew suggested with a bright smile, gently patting Orion's back to comfort him.

"I've thought about it, but the place I need to go to level up is too dangerous to take everyone along. So, we might have to part ways here, Fangkaew."

Orion said seriously, though inwardly he was thrilled that Fangkaew, whom he admired, was comforting him. But he maintained his composed demeanor.

"Sure, you two can go ahead. You're the main strength of our guild. I and my friends will stay in this city to level up. Next time we meet, you and Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce will surely be much stronger and more impressive than yesterday."

Fangkaew's words made Orion's heart swell with pride after being downcast for hours.

"In that case, Fangkaew, you have to cheer me on!"

Orion took the liberty of grabbing Fangkaew's hand, speaking to her with a serious expression, making her blush deeply, not knowing what to do.

"O... Okay," Fangkaew replied softly, trying to pull her hand away, but Orion held it firmly and even kissed the back of her hand.

"Let's go! Grouper. We must quickly regain our levels!"

Orion stood up with determination, drank his steaming tea in one gulp, and walked away majestically, leaving everyone stunned.

"Wow! Orion is so cool, Fangkaew. He's totally flirting with you. Don't let him slip away!"

Fangkaew's friend exclaimed with envy, seeing such a gentlemanly and handsome guy courting her friend.

"That's crazy!"

Fangkaew smacked her friend's back playfully in embarrassment, watching Orion's retreating figure with admiration.

"Argggh! It's burning! My tongue's going to blister!"

Orion yelled, sticking his tongue out and fanning it with his hand once they were out of the girls' sight.

"You drank it all at once even though it was still hot!"

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce shook his head, exasperated with his boss's antics.

"Who knew it was still hot? It's a good thing I managed to swallow it all. Otherwise, instead of being impressed, Fangkaew would've been mad at me!"

Orion complained, pulling a small mirror from his pocket to inspect his tongue.

"...(It was steaming, and you didn't realize it was hot)... Well, it's good. Seeing Fangkaew's reaction just now, it seems she's starting to soften up to you."

Steamed Grouper In Lime Sauce rubbed his temples, thinking about Fangkaew's expression when Orion had grabbed and kissed her hand.

"Really! I need to level up as fast as possible to impress Fangkaew even more. Let's head to our secret leveling spot, Grouper!"

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