[Marsh forest Entry Gate
9:05 Am
2 January, 3000]
Xiaoya Feng stood at the edge of Autumnvale's wrought-iron exit gate as the dawn light gilding the city's russet walls behind her; With the loose strands of her ink-black hair — hair held in a half-up twist by a silver hairpin shaped like a crescent moon.
"I love ice... cream...mmm" Zhen snoozed soundly on her head as his amber wings embraced her like a blanket.
Xiaoya Feng's outfit was a masterclass in effortless cool as her high-waisted black trousers hugged her frame like a second skin; Tailored with military precision and accented by a slender silver chain belt that dipped low on one hip.
An white T-shirt beneath her jacket was no ordinary staple — It has a minimalist embroidery of a coiled dragon along the hem, its scales shimmering faintly as if kissed by starlight.
Over it, she'd thrown a cropped leather jacket in matte black.
Its collar popped defiantly as on her feet, the custom black-and-white high-top sneakers were a statement unto themselves.
Kirin led the trio: Her lanky frame swathed in a patchwork traveler's coat while Brina's riot of chestnut curls bounced beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
Noah followed behind as his ever-present sketchbook tucked under one arm.
Kirin extended a calloused hand, his grin lopsided. "Ready to turn the road into a runway, Feng?"
"Always." Xiaoya Feng clamped down on Kiana's hand for a fraction longer than necessary as her smile was hard enough to cut the mist of the marsh. 'Heh. Did they really think sending a bookworm would slow me down? I'll see how their "strategy" holds up to tonight's tests. In reality, these people are nothing but practice dummies with pulse points marked on them.'
Whole squad plunged deeper into the marshland forest with her twisted cypress knees thrusting like bony fingers up out of the wet darkness.
Before they'd made ten steps, clumps of gelatinous blue slimes coalesced into view. Its translucent bodies leave frosty rivulets across the damp earth.
'They aren't tough opponents like the red one.' All of 'em thought.
[Icy—] Noah's nasally voice cut through the thick air as he wrestled with his spellbook as his ink-stained fingers poked at the page. "Huh? Get out o—"
"Allow me to kill them." Xiaoya Feng was already moving as she leapt past him without someone else's permission.
Her dagger flashed — once, twice—cutting into the slimes with the delicacy of a surgeon's cut; Showering curves of azure gel that froze midair before crashing to the ground with a shattering crash.
'The smartest thing I did the whole week.' She kicked apart a half-reformed slime blob with her boot.
When the guild board had displayed seventeen slime-core quests that morning, She collected the whole section.
'No sense in wasting valuable carnage.' Above her, Zhen uncoiled from her head and yawned; seeing her master killing slimes with just a single swing and collecting all the slime cores.
"Efficiency brings no glory, Miss. Feng!" Noah grumbled as slamming his book shut hard enough to kick out a page.
She ignored him while bending to pull glistening cores from the muck. Her spatial ring pulsed softly as she claimed each one against its obsidian face, the artifacts disappearing with gentle pops of displaced air.
'Seventeen quests. Thirty-four cores, huh! It is just child's play for me.'
Xiaoya said casually, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I hope you don't mind me taking care of these weaklings. It's not much, I know. Just enough to scrape by on my own."
Kirin watched her with intense interest, her sharp eyes closing ever so slightly.
She had not expected this, Especially not from an F-class Awakener. While it was true that Xiaoya moved with precision, slicing through slimes with careful deliberation as all her technique was lacking in show.
There were no dramatic displays of power or flashy techniques.
Instead, There was only raw skill honed through repetition; Yet here she was standing over a pile of cores, unharmed…
'She must have done this process countless times before awakening… Perhaps even afterwards. This does not seem to me like talent - it seems to be a habit, does it not?'
She then wondered if Xiaoya Feng had done such things countless times before her awakening.
Considered weak by most measures and outshone by Kirin and her team in every measurable aspect, there was still something irrevocably captivating about her attitude; As if she did not need anyone's approval to prove herself.
"Ah, indeed not," Kirin leaned her head slightly, displaying an angelic smile that shone with warmth and amiability as she replied smoothly and sweetly. "You are welcome to kill as many as you please. We will not take anything — As long as you give your share."
To an outside observer, her words might have sounded benevolent, even thoughtful. But Xiaoya saw the veiled challenge under the surface of the polite comment.
Give her a share? As if she had not been doing exactly that since the very start.
For a moment, silence fell between them. Xiaoya grinned. "Fair enough. Do not worry - I always deliver best blows."
"I will back you when I see you in trouble." Kirin's grin widened imperceptibly, her fingers twitching at her side.
Whether it was amusement, intrigue, or something else entirely, she couldn't quite say. All she knew was that Xiaoya Feng was far more interesting than she'd initially given her credit for.
And perhaps... just perhaps...
This partnership wouldn't be as one-sided as she'd assumed.
"Aww!! That's really sweet of you." Xiaoya murmured softly, her lips curling into a mischievous smile that made Kirin's heart skip a beat — or maybe it was just indigestion from lunch. Xiaoya Feng leaned closer to Kirin as her fingers gently gripped kirin's chin.
"You are really my type!"
"Huh? W-Wait! C-Close- SO CLOSE!" Kirin blinked, caught off guard by the sudden intimacy but unable to look away but either way, she couldn't deny the flutter in her chest.
From the sidelines, Brina's lips twitched in annoyance. She crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, "Great. Just what we needed. A love triangle is brewing right here while monsters are lurking around."
Noah, on the other hand, was completely losing his mind as his imagination ran wild at the sight of Xiaoya and Kirin so close together.
"My, My," He gasped loudly, clutching his cheeks dramatically as if he were witnessing some forbidden yuri romance straight out of one of his favorite novels.
"Brina! Did you see that?! Leader is totally falling for her trap!" Noah whispered excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement. "This is better than Chapter 17 of the last novel!"
"Shut up, Noah. You're drooling again." Brina groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose before turning to glare at him.
She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back when he tried to inch closer for a better view. "And stop imagining things. This isn't some trashy novel— It's real life. Real dangerous life where we could all die if you don't focus!"
But Noah wasn't listening. His eyes sparkled with stars as he leaned toward Brina conspiratorially. "What if they actually fall in love? Think about it—Leader being all tough on the outside but secretly pining over Xiaoya. It'd be so cute! Like… like two swords clashing until they realize they're meant to fit perfectly in each other's scabbards!"
"Asshole! Focus on the mission, not your weird fantasies!" Brina's eye twitches violently. Without hesitation, She punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over with a loud wheeze.
She dragged him further away from the two girls.
Meanwhile, Xiaoya continued her subtle seduction, oblivious— or perhaps fully aware — of the chaos unfolding behind her.
She gazed into Kirin's wide eyes. "You know, You're quite charming when you're flustered. Hahahaha, that can cause me to feel doubt about my sexuality if I'm really lesbian or not."
"I-I'm not flustered!" Kirin swallowed nervously, her face flushing red.
She stammered as she tried to maintain her composure even after the warmth spreading across her cheeks. "I just… didn't expect this side of you."
"Oh, there's a lot you don't know about me. But I guess you'll have to stick around to find out." Xiaoya chuckled lightly, releasing Kirin's chin. "A person like me can cause a lot of trouble for you in the middle of night."
As Xiaoya turned to walk away, Kirin stood frozen, unsure whether she should feel charmed or suspicious. Has she just been played? Or was Xiaoya genuinely interested?
Behind them, Brina finally managed to snap Noah out of his delusions by threatening to throw him into a nearby serpent nest.
She growled while twisting his ear painfully. "If you don't shut up and start acting professional, I swear I'll make sure those snakes get a taste of your stupidity."
"Ow-ow-ow! Okay, okay! I'll behave myself!" Noah whimpered while rubbing his sore ear as tears welled up in his eyes.Even though he promised to focus but he couldn't help muttering under his breath. "Still, wouldn't it be amazing if they kissed?"
Brina rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. "One day, I'm going to lock you in a room with all your yuri books and let the serpents guard the door."
"… At least I'd die happy-" Noah grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head but Brian had enough as she kicked him between legs and walked away, shouting "Fuck off!"