The two girls sped through the forest, stopping after a short while.
A massive demonic wolf corpse lay before them, faint traces of holy light still lingering on its body.
Aiya said calmly, “This is a level 20 Wind Blade Demon Wolf I took down earlier.”
Bai Yue Ling eagerly approached, her eyes sparkling. “What a find!”
The wolf was a treasure trove—teeth, hide, eyes… all could fetch a high price and were perfect for crafting equipment.
“This wolf’s worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins, and you just left it here?”
Bai Yue Ling crouched down, turning to Aiya. “Got a dagger?”
Aiya shook her head. “No, and I don’t know how to process a wolf corpse.”
“Ugh, what a useless holy knight with no practical experience. Guess I’ll have to do it myself.”
Bai Yue Ling pulled out her Charm Wound staff, its pointed end barely usable as a makeshift dagger.
She bent over, her soft hips raised, and spent a good while working on the corpse, stuffing every material—bones included—into her inventory.
By the end, the massive wolf was gone, leaving only congealed bloodstains on the ground.
“Alright, let’s keep moving.” Bai Yue Ling stood, legs tingling, and looked around. “Aiya?”
“I’m here.”
A rustling came from behind a nearby tree, and Aiya emerged, dragging someone with her.
It was a white-haired girl in a white top and red pants, dangling limply in Aiya’s grip like a defeated chick, her face full of despair.
“She was hiding in the bushes over there, spying on us, so I grabbed her,” Aiya said, tossing her to the ground. “Corrupt her.”
Bai Yue Ling scoffed. “I’m not that casual.”
Corruption was mentally taxing. If she corrupted everyone she met, she’d collapse from exhaustion.
At that moment, the captured girl saw Bai Yue Ling and her eyes lit up. “You’re… Priest Hero?!”
Bai Yue Ling raised an eyebrow. “You know me?”
“I’m from Novice Village #4443. I saw you being chased by the Sky Treader Guild,” the girl said in awe.
“I never thought I’d meet the top-ranked Priest Hero. Our village might be saved!”
“Top-ranked?” Bai Yue Ling pointed at herself, belatedly realizing. “Me?”
“Yeah, don’t you know?” the girl asked, confused.
Bai Yue Ling quickly opened her menu, noticing a new leaderboard feature.
“Oh right… I forgot. The first player to hit level 10 unlocks the level leaderboard.”
Level 10 was a milestone, marking the end of the beginner phase, allowing players to leave the novice village and freely explore World of Fate.
The leaderboard showed only three names: Bai Yue Ling at level 12 in first place, Ying Ye, also level 12, in second, and a player named “SkirtDancer” at level 10 in third.
“SkirtDancer…” Bai Yue Ling muttered. “As expected, it’s her.”
SkirtDancer, the leader of the UnderSkirtRule guild, was as aloof and powerful as a mountain rose, a top contender for the title of World of Fate’s strongest player.
The first player to reach level 10 got a world announcement, but neither Bai Yue Ling nor Ying Ye had received a system prompt, meaning SkirtDancer must have hit 10 first.
In her memories, SkirtDancer always topped the leaderboard in every cycle, dominating first place for ages.
But this time, SkirtDancer had barely claimed the top spot for a few minutes before Bai Yue Ling and Ying Ye knocked her down and outpaced her by two levels.
Bai Yue Ling chuckled, imagining how furious the UnderSkirtRule guild members must be.
The white-haired girl pleaded, “Priest Hero, please save our novice village!”
Bai Yue Ling blinked. “What’s wrong now?”
“My name’s ‘Qiye,’ a solo player,” Qiye lamented.
“The Sky Treader Guild has monopolized the leveling areas near our village, forcing us solo players into the deep forest. But the monsters here are too high-level for us to handle, so our progress has stalled…”
Bai Yue Ling frowned.
“Sky Treader Guild again? Didn’t I already teach them a lesson? Why are they still so active?”
She was getting annoyed just hearing the name “Sky Treader Guild.”
Couldn’t they face a more formidable villain?
“They appointed a new leader, even harsher than Xue Zhongxun Mei,” Qiye sighed.
“And because you humiliated them, they’re taking it out on us even more.”
As the saying goes, the weak draw their swords on those weaker still.
The Sky Treader Guild was clearly a bunch of bullies picking on the vulnerable.
Bai Yue Ling summed it up.
“So you want me to help you wipe out the Sky Treader Guild and restore peace to Novice Village #4443?”
Qiye nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice.
“Exactly! You’re the highest-level player in World of Fate right now. With the help of us solo players, we can definitely take them down.”
“Helping you out isn’t impossible…”
Bai Yue Ling sat down, crossing her slender, snake-like legs.
She slipped off her shoes, revealing glossy white feet, and smirked.
“Lick them, and I’ll help you~”
“W-What?”
Staring at the five pearl-like toes wiggling before her, Qiye swallowed hard.
Bai Yue Ling’s face was full of playful mischief, her snowy feet swaying like a cat toy in front of her.
“Young lady, want to crush the Sky Treader Guild and save your solo player friends?”
Bai Yue Ling’s cherry lips parted, her voice a sultry whisper like a succubus.
“Then kneel obediently and make a little sacrifice for your comrades.”
“Guh… I…”
Qiye was torn, her mind a mess.
Do I really… have to do that?
It’s too humiliating…
But if I don’t agree, my companions…
Her mind flashed with images of solo players being oppressed by the big guild, her gaze fixating on the swaying, snowy feet.
Qiye wrestled with her thoughts, time seeming to slow…
“Hah~ Just kidding~”
Bai Yue Ling suddenly pulled her feet back, slipped her shoes on, and gave Qiye a mocking, playful look.
“Didn’t think you’d actually consider it! Did you really think I’d let you lick them? Dream on! Why would I reward a loser like you~”
Meanwhile, watching Bai Yue Ling brazenly tease a newly-met big sister, Aiya mentally took notes.
So that’s what a reward means. I’ll have to reward Little White sometime…
Seeing Qiye frozen in place, Bai Yue Ling waved with a grin.
“Just messing with you. I was only playing around.”
Qiye snapped out of it, quickly saying, “So you mean…”
“I’m leaving the novice village soon to head to the main cities. Might as well help you out before I go.”
“Awesome! Hopefully, we can all start leveling again by tomorrow.”
“No need to wait for tomorrow.” Bai Yue Ling wagged her finger. “Just 2,000 words will do.”
“…Huh?”