None of us could have anticipated that the world-renowned First Mage, Breeze Embracing Moon, would be standing right before us. And her appearance was strikingly familiar—
It was none other than Diana!
My mind reeled in confusion. How could this be possible? Diana was actually Breeze Embracing Moon? It seemed inconceivable.
Sensing our bewilderment, Diana arched her delicate eyebrow and said, "Don't just stand there gawking. Your eyes aren't deceiving you!"
Celine exclaimed in astonishment, "boss, you're incredible! To think that American top-ranked player is actually you..."
Diana smiled faintly and replied, "No need to be surprised. I asked a few friends to help me level up, which is why it went so quickly."
She then took a few steps forward, coming to stand in front of me. Looking up, she remarked with mild surprise, "Silas? Your level is quite impressive! And your equipment isn't bad either~"
I chuckled awkwardly, "It's nothing special..."
Without further ado, Diana sent me a friend request. I naturally didn't dare to delay and immediately accepted, feeling a surge of pride. Holy cow, the number one mage in Ethereal Surge was now my friend! That's something to boast about!
In-game, Diana seemed more approachable, without much of the airs of a company boss. Perhaps it was only in the game that she revealed her true self.
Celine asked, "boss, I only have 6 gold coins. You can have them all as funding for the company's initial game operations..."
Diana chuckled and said, "Alright then, I'll take 5 gold coins. Let's just say it's for my leveling potions!"
I exclaimed in surprise, "Leveling potions?"
"That's right!" Diana laughed, slightly exasperated. "Mages consume so many mana potions when leveling. I spend nearly 20 gold coins a day on leveling expenses. The equipment drops aren't worth much, so I'm basically operating at a loss. Silas, you must be quite wealthy, right? How about giving a bit more?"
Diana's expression turned adorably coy as she smiled at me.
At that moment, I suddenly realized how much her expression resembled Emma's. Without hesitation, I traded her 50 gold coins and asked, "Um... what about Emma? What level is she now?"
Diana was startled by my 50 gold coins but laughed and said, "My goodness, you're always thinking about my sister. What exactly are your intentions?"
I was taken aback and stammered, "N-nothing, I was just curious..."
Diana smiled, pursing her lips. "No need to be so nervous. I won't pry into Emma's affairs. Although I'm her sister, we're the same age, and I don't want to be both a sister and a mother figure. In the game, I want to be carefree and not bother with troublesome matters~!"
After saying this, Diana gave me a meaningful look and added, "Silas, come level with me in a bit. The rest of you can form your own party to level up!"
Summer protested, "Why is boss only taking Silas?"
Diana replied bluntly with a smile, "I'm not taking him to level up, we're teaming up to level together. My team doesn't need people without attack power to split the experience!"
At that, Summer had no grounds for further protest.
Diana then proceeded to squeeze a few more gold coins out of Aria and Luna before heading off to buy potions for leveling. She told me she'd meet me outside the city.
I thought for a moment and retrieved the Crimson Sea mage skill book from my storage. This book was a rare drop from the Blade Wolf King, and I figured it could be of some help to Diana. After all, it appeared to be a group attack spell, which would certainly make leveling much more efficient!
Then, I ran to the potion shop to sell some health potions and exchange them all for mana potions that restored 500 points of magic. Each cost 5 silver coins, which most players couldn't afford, but I bought 200 of them in one go, spending only 10 gold coins. I was sure Luna would find these potions useful.
After making all the preparations, I left through Twilight City's east gate. In the distance, I could see the beautiful figure of Ethereal Surge's top mage standing at the edge of the forest, gazing into the distance. As I approached, Diana immediately smiled and said, "Earlier, Emma asked me to take her leveling, but I refused. Do you know why?"
I was slightly taken aback and shook my head, "How would I know..."
Diana smiled coyly, her expression ambiguous as she said, "Because her sister is busy!"
Damn, what kind of reason is that...
While I was lost in thought, Diana had already turned and started walking away. She looked back over her shoulder and said with a smile, "Come on, I'll take you to a good spot!"
I was stunned again, struck by how alluring her smile was as she glanced back. My young heart began to race uncontrollably!
"Diana, wait..." I suddenly called out.
Diana turned to look at me and asked, "What is it, Silas?"
I quickly opened the trade window and placed the Crimson Sea skill book in it, saying, "This... I think it'll be useful for you..."
"Ah!"
Diana's eyes widened in surprise. After a moment, she confirmed the trade and said, "Silas, how did you get such a high-level group spell book? I've been farming the rare book drop spot for ages and never got one!"
I explained, "I got lucky and defeated a boss that dropped this book. I can't use it anyway, so it would be a waste to just keep it."
Diana was overjoyed and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Silas! The value of this book can't even be estimated right now. I'll definitely make it up to you in the future!"
Looking at her beautiful face, I felt a mix of emotions. She was someone else's girlfriend, after all. What was I doing? Was it for Emma's sake, or for my own? I couldn't quite tell anymore.
So, I decided to clarify things and asked indirectly, "Diana, doesn't Jack have an account in Ethereal Surge too? Why aren't you... leveling with him?"
Diana paused for a moment, a hint of sadness flashing in her beautiful eyes. After a few seconds, she said, "Do you... would you want to level up with someone you don't like?"
I was stunned. What did she mean? She didn't like Jack, so she was leveling with me instead? Did that mean I was...
Seeing my expression, Diana couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Don't overthink it. Jack and I aren't what you all imagine. I'm only helping him establish his business in the game to avoid disappointing my father."
I smiled and said, "That must be tough for you..."
Diana paused, looking at me thoughtfully for a while before pouting, "Anyway, let's not talk about this. We should hurry, or we might be too late. I practiced there for a long time last night, and the experience gain was incredibly fast!"
"Oh? What kind of place is it?"
"You'll see when we get there!"
...
Half an hour later.
Night had fallen, and dew began to form in the forest.
As we pressed forward, we suddenly came upon a scene of withered vegetation. Faint, eerie screams could be heard in the distance, sounding like ghostly wails.
I felt a bit nervous and asked, "What is this place?"
Diana turned back with a smile and said, "This is the legendary Ghostking Hill! I stumbled upon this place yesterday and discovered it's a leveling paradise. The monsters here hit hard, but the experience is incredibly good!"
I smiled to myself, thinking: It's probably similar to Wolf's Bane Ridge, but on a higher level. If even Diana, the top-ranked female player, finds it worthwhile, it must be significantly better than Wolf's Bane Ridge!
Looking up, we saw gusts of chilling wind sweeping across a long, barren hill that stretched out before us.