"Ma-master..." Sini's eyes filled with tears as she saw John. She was both surprised and overjoyed but quickly said, "Master, you must leave, it's dangerous here."
"So, you're John?" The scar-faced man was stunned upon hearing Sini call him that. "You're still alive? Where's 'Rat'?"
John smirked coldly, looking at the scar-faced man. "You'll be joining him soon enough."
The scar-faced man stubbed out his cigarette, his expression darkening as he gripped his sword, ready for combat.
"Stop!" Sini immediately stepped in front of John, glaring at the scar-faced man. "You promised not to harm my master."
"Foolish girl," the scar-faced man sneered as he swiftly moved towards John.
He moving fast, leaving only a blur under the streetlight.
His speed was astonishing, far surpassing the earlier cold man.
John, however, remained calm, pulling Sini into his arms and whispering, "Leave this to me."
Feeling John's strong, broad chest, Sini momentarily forgot to resist, an inexplicable sense of safety washing over her.
Whoosh!
A fireball formed in John's hand, hurtling towards the scar-faced man.
"What's this?" The man was puzzled but didn't give it much thought. He swung his sword at the fireball.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, the fireball detonated, the massive energy blast reducing the scar-faced man to ashes.
Though the fireball was small, its power was akin to a grenade.
Sini, nestled in John's embrace, was dumbfounded. She hadn't been affected by the fireball's blast, but the shock was immense.
She looked up at John, stunned. "Master, are you an Ancient Martial Artist?"
Sini was unsure, having never seen an Ancient Martial Artist wield such abilities.
It seemed more like the power of a mage, similar to those in the world of Gods.
Could it be that... her master's game abilities could be brought into the real world?
"Hmph!" John snorted angrily, glaring at her. "This is the second time, Sini. The second time you've left without a word. Do it again, and I'll break your legs and lock you up!"
Sini smiled, feeling not fear but an unprecedented sense of security, being protected by someone.
But what did John mean by the second time?
Tilting her head, she asked, "Master, have I abandoned you before?"
John didn't bother to explain, knowing it would be too complicated. "Just remember what I said. Now, let's go home."
"Okay!" Sini obediently didn't ask further, not forgetting the dolphin plushie on the bench.
Fortunately, the explosion hadn't reached it.
"Master, carry me," Sini said as she ran to John, arms open, looking pitifully at him.
She had intentionally tried to leave a deep impression on John tonight, going a bit wild, and she still hadn't fully recovered.
John scolded her with a glare. "You ran so far while feeling unwell. Get on."
He crouched down, letting Sini climb onto his back.
Sini was overjoyed and jumped onto John's back, wrapping her legs around his waist. The dolphin plush was nestled in front of him.
John couldn't see any signs of discomfort in Sini.
Fortunately, Sini was light. Holding her by her hips and feeling her soft chest against his back, he found it quite enjoyable.
"Master, our location has been exposed. Should we move?" Sini asked, leaning close to John's ear.
She knew the Griffin Family's style. After suffering such a loss, they would never let it go easily.
John remained silent, pondering their next move.
With the attributes from the world of Gods fused into his real-world self, he wasn't afraid of the Griffin Family's retaliation, unless they sent a top-tier martial artist.
But such powerful figures were highly respected and rarely moved. John wasn't worried about them.
However, always being on the defensive wasn't his style.
He wanted to take the initiative.
John thought of another Ancient Martial Arts Family, the Blues Family.
Unlike other Ancient Martial Arts Families, the Blues Family adhered to their ancestral teachings and remained secluded. They would only come out when humanity faced a catastrophe.
In his previous life, the Blues Family was the first and only family to be annihilated by the Dark Humans.
They upheld their ancestral teachings and fought to the death against the Dark Humans and their beast armies.
The Blues Family's seven thousand elite warriors all perished, causing significant damage to the Dark Humans' vanguard at the cost of their lives.
Enraged, the Dark Humans targeted the Blues Family's non-combatants.
The entire family, more than thirty thousand people, refused to bow down to the Dark Humans, resulting in their complete massacre.
"I'll find a way," John said, his voice heavy.
This time, he was determined to protect the Blues Family.
Conveniently, he still had a Life-Sustaining Pill, which could save the critically injured patriarch of the Blues Family and help him establish contact with them.
The Blues Family and the Griffin Family were arch-enemies. The Blues Family patriarch's severe injury was the result of a calculated ambush by the Griffin Family's head and several elders.
Sini sensed John's preoccupation and didn't ask further. She quietly lay on his back.
...
The Griffin Family's failed operation meant they wouldn't act again for a while.
Once they returned to the villa, they immediately connected to the world of Gods.
John needed to reach level 30 as soon as possible and find a way to contact the Blues Family.
Sini, after parting with John last time, had fortuitously received an S-level unique hidden quest to deliver a letter for an old man.
In his previous life, John had never heard of such a quest, suggesting it was Sini's unique opportunity.
Confident that Sini was not in danger, he didn't press for details and headed to the Dark Cave outside Jade City to level up.
The Dark Cave was an underground maze with four levels, filled with undead monsters. The weakest among them were level 25 skeleton soldiers, making it perfect for John to level up.
John entered the first level of the Dark Cave.
Teeming with skeleton soldiers. Several teams of players, all above level 20, were struggling to take down the skeleton soldiers together.
John didn't compete with these players for monsters; he didn't care about these weak skeleton soldiers.
He moved quickly, a blur, heading deeper into the cave. Even the level 25 skeleton soldiers couldn't react to his speed.
An archer felt a breeze brush past his face, catching a glimpse of a figure flashing by.
The archer paused his attack and turned to the warrior player in front of him, asking, "Captain, did you see that? It looked like someone just rushed in."
"You're seeing things. This place is full of level 25 skeleton soldiers. Even the top players on the leaderboard wouldn't dare enter. No one's crazy enough to rush in like that," the captain responded absentmindedly, focused on attacking the skeleton soldier in front of him.
The archer stopped his attack, putting more pressure on the knight at the front. The knight, feeling the increased burden, yelled, "Hey! Stay focused! My health is dropping... Ah!"
With a scream, the knight turned into a flash of white light and disappeared.
Soon, more screams followed. Without the knight tanking, the rest of the party was overwhelmed by the skeleton soldiers and quickly eliminated.
The hard-earned levels they had gained were instantly lost, dropping them back to level 10.
Angry shouts echoed from the Jade City revival point.
...
Meanwhile, John had reached the entrance to the second level of the Dark Cave.
Not wanting to be reckless, he cast Rock Armor, covering himself before entering the next area.
Buzz!
In a flash, John appeared in the second level of the cave.
It was filled with level 30 skeleton warriors and skeleton archers.
Defeating these monsters would not only help him level up and Plunder attributes but also increase the level of his Wrath of the Gods talent.
Boom! Boom!
Nearby, the sounds of battle reached his ears.
"Players?" John was surprised. He didn't expect anyone else to dare enter the second level of the cave.
He moved toward the source of the noise.
There he saw a cute priestess with a youthful face and a buxom figure, her appearance rivaling Sini's.
This girl, however, was a bit violent, wielding a holy hammer and fighting off the surrounding skeleton warriors with determination.
Despite her efforts, her attack power was too low, and she was in a dangerous situation.
"Could it really be this coincidental?" John stared at the priestess, dumbfounded.
She was Tracy, the daughter of the head of the Blues Family, an Ancient Martial Arts clan.
John had been contemplating how to contact the Blues Family, and here he was, encountering their eldest daughter.
His luck was incredible.
"Help!" Tracy noticed John and immediately sent a party invite.
[Player Star Dust invites you to join the party. Do you accept?]
Accepted!
John join in the party and saw Tracy's information.
Star Dust, Spirit Priest, Level 30.
She had a hidden class, and her level was even more surprising.
He quickly checked the leaderboard.
Sure enough, he had dropped to third place.
The top spot was still held by Dark Angel at level 31.
"Hey, stop standing there and help out! Old man." Tracy yelled, having been hit by two arrows, her health dangerously low. She quickly cast a healing spell on herself, urging John to act.