```
The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and a cool breeze rose, carrying strands of fine rain that floated down through the dark night.
"Kid, wake up. It's going to pour soon."
"Hey, hey, can you hear me?"
"Hmm?"
Luo Xi felt someone shouting near his ear.
He suddenly jerked his shoulders and sprang up from the park bench.
With an exclamation, a dull thud of an object hitting the ground sounded beside him.
"What are you doing, hey... my back..."
"?"
Luo Xi looked in the direction of the voice and saw the middle-aged fisher, who had given him a cigarette earlier, sitting on the pebble path, rubbing his buttocks.
Am I back?
Luo Xi recalled his previous experience.
Even though it was just a brief ten-minute experience, the details of the conversation with the two beast-eared girls were still vividly etched in his mind.
What he saw, heard, felt, and experienced, all of it was extremely real.
Were they real?
Or were they just NPCs generated by the game?
The fisher, seeing Luo Xi still standing there stupidly, said annoyed, "What are you still standing there for? Help me up!"
"Ah, sure, sorry."
Luo Xi walked over and helped the fisher up, "I just fell asleep there, are you okay?"
"Impressive, you can even sleep outside like that. Aren't you afraid of getting robbed?"
The fisher initially wanted to lash out, but seeing the young man's good attitude, he didn't bother saying much.
"It's going to be a heavy rain. I saw you didn't bring an umbrella so I came over to remind you. You better hurry home, kid. Did you get your clothes in?"
"It's going to rain?"
Luo Xi looked up at the sky.
Pop—
A raindrop happened to fall on his nose, bursting and scattering around.
Soon after, large raindrops started to fall incessantly, spattering into damp circles on the road beneath the street lights.
"It's coming down hard, I'm heading out, kid!"
The middle-aged fisher hurriedly grabbed his fishing gear and made a run for it. This kind of downpour wasn't good for fishing, but after the rain stopped, it'd be a good time to catch some big ones.
"..."
Luo Xi stood soaked in the downpour for quite a while before he began to walk towards the direction of the road.
His body felt even more tired...
The negative status the game had brought him made him feel weak and listless all day, even his reflexes had become much slower.
In the future, he'd better die less in the game; this feeling really wasn't pleasant.
"I need to hail a cab... Ugh, why won't my phone turn on? *Crap*!"
Half an hour later.
Shivering, Luo Xi made it back to his rented room.
"Achoo!—"
An autumn rain brings the chill, and today's rain was especially cold, bone-chillingly so.
Luo Xi plugged in his phone and saw the screen flash with the charging symbol, which finally put his mind at ease.
If his phone had broken, he wouldn't have the money to buy a new one right now, and he also didn't know if the game could be installed on another phone.
After a fifteen-minute hot shower, the chill in his body gradually faded away, yet the weariness remained.
After the bath, Luo Xi lay on the bed and opened 'Dawn'.
[Traveler, you have returned]
[During your previous logout period, your character entered a minimal interaction state. Here is the interaction record:]
[You consumed the noodles personally cooked for you by Aina]
[Your Satiation Level +40]
[After the meal, Wei'er brought you a warm spherical stone, informing you to sleep with it at night, and also brought you a bowl of medicinal soup for healing]
[You drank the medicinal soup]
[Ding! Your recovery ability increased by 30% (lasts 1 day)]
[Holding the warm stone, you fell into sleep]
[Note: The Grand Will has enhanced the Traveler's recovery abilities for common injuries in the Otherworld]
[Injuries are recovering...]
[It is estimated that all injuries will recover in 18 hours]
```
[Would you like to wake up your character early?]
Luo Xi chose 'No'.
Since it would take 18 hours to fully recover, there was no rush to play again tomorrow; he was too tired to even keep his eyes open now.
However, the cat-eared Lolita was clearly angry yet still took care of his character as per their agreement.
What a good cat cat she was.
Too bad he couldn't pet her.
And that wolf-eared little Lolita's big tail, he really wanted to bury his head in it and take a deep sniff... cough.
Right, he could almost go back to school tomorrow, and it just so happened that the day after was when the rent was due, so there was no need to extend the lease now.
The cafeteria at Haicheng University, which he hadn't eaten at in months, was starting to be missed.
Amidst intense sleepiness and fatigue, Luo Xi's head tilted, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Hu~
....
The next morning.
After settling the deposit with his landlord, Luo Xi, carrying a suitcase, set off for Haicheng University. Having arrived in the summer, he hadn't brought much luggage, which meant he didn't have to lug around big and small bags.
His condition was still a bit off today because he had died in the game yesterday, so the due 20% reduction in all qualities had arrived as expected.
But at least he was feeling better than the utterly spiritless state he was in yesterday.
Haicheng University.
After getting out of the subway station, Luo Xi hailed a car to take him directly to the university entrance.
He stood outside the gate, looking somewhat melancholically at the scenery inside.
People coming and going, the university bursting with vitality and energy.
It had only been a few months, but it felt like an eternity had passed.
It was hard to imagine, when he finally graduated and came back after a long time, what kind of feelings he would have upon seeing this familiar gate again?
Building 8, Zone C, the dormitory.
Luo Xi skillfully swiped his card to bypass the entrance security, carrying two suitcases up to the fourth floor.
He had wanted to surprise his roommates, but after knocking for a long time, nobody came to open the door.
Then, he remembered that three of his 'sons' in the dormitory were either interning with him, or the remaining two were cramming for exams, probably neglecting sleep and food at the library by now.
Luo Xi could only rummage through his bulging backpack to find the tiny dorm key.
At this stage in their senior year, most students who remained on campus wouldn't stay in their dorms during the day; they'd be grinding away in the library.
Of course, there were also those students who liked to lay low and avoid work, as well as those whose families had already paved the way for them, simply waiting to graduate and inherit a fortune back home.
After entering the dorm, Luo Xi expertly climbed onto his bunk. He took an old piece of clothing to wipe the dust off the bed, then took out the mattress and blanket from the closet and slapped them down onto the bed.
Then, the whole person lay down on the bed, resting his head on the pillow.
Comfortable!
The hard wooden bed in the rental room was nowhere near as good as the university's desk bed.
Although small, it was very comforting.
Lying flat like this, it was indeed more pleasant at the university. With the last half of a semester to go, he could also take the time to think about his future life plans.
Luo Xi turned on his phone and opened 'Dawn'.
[Dear Traveler, your injuries have now fully recovered.]
[Would you like to get up?]
[Yes]
[You have left the bed and come to the door.]
[You push open the door.]
[Outside is a simple living space with complete furniture, and at this moment, a fluffy little cutie with her back to you is leaning on the edge of the windowsill.]
[The noise you made when opening the door has attracted her attention, and she turns her head.]
[The dark-brown hair reflects ink-jade-like luster in the bright sunlight, the light fluffy fur inside the two wolf ears is very clear, and the petite figure and fluffy big tail seem somewhat mismatched.]
[Want to pet~]
[Your Happiness Level +10]
[Want to pet~]
[Note: This traveler, please create the tortoise's load for the barbershop, or you'll be dragged away.]
Luo Xi: "..."
Why is this game text so adept at internet slang?
[Aina says in surprise, "Slovenly uncle, you're awake? I thought you were going to sleep yourself to death."]
[You want to correct this little Lolita's way of addressing you when the door next to you is pushed open by someone. A charming cat-eared girl in a semi-transparent nightgown stretches and yawns as she walks out of the room, and then she sees you.]
[You and she stare at each other for ten seconds.]
[Ding! Wei'er's Embarrassment Value +10]