Volume 2, Chapter 34 – Master Is So Short

「Oh my, so it really was ten times the experience gain. Looks like that condition only triggers when an NPC kills a player, huh, Xiaoyin?」

Whether intentionally or not, Samael spoke with a strangely teasing tone.

But at this moment, Tianyin only felt that Samael’s tone carried some hidden meaning, though she didn’t think much of it.

『Looks like that’s how it is, Samael. If that’s the case, then for NPCs to level up quickly, they’ll need to take the initiative to hunt players.』

Tianyin thought that since those players could revive after death anyway, it wasn’t really a big deal to kill them.

And that was the truth. Just like when she had killed those players earlier, Tianyin hadn’t felt even the slightest bit of guilt.

After all, killing in the game wasn’t real killing in the truest sense. It only resulted in a player’s level dropping and losing some gear, items, or gold — just superficial data losses.

「Then Xiaoyin, why don’t we find a chance to hunt players next time? It’s a pretty fast way for you to level up~」

『Mm…』

To be honest, Samael’s suggestion did sound a bit tempting to Tianyin, but only on the surface, it was just a passing thought.

『Let’s talk about that later. For now—』

Just as Tianyin was about to continue speaking to Samael in her mind, a small, delicate figure suddenly lunged straight toward her.

“Master master master master master master master—!”

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The tiny figure crashed into her with surprising force. At the same moment, the power that Samael had lent her moments ago vanished completely.

Because Samael’s power disappeared at such a crucial moment, Tianyin completely lost her balance the instant the small figure hit her. She fell backward, landing flat on the ground with the petite form on top of her.

A lovely, delicate face filled with deep worry appeared right in Tianyin’s field of vision.

“Master master master master master master master master master… uuu…”

The girl’s delicate face looked pained, her fine brows arched in distress, her large eyes brimming with mist. Her pearly teeth bit at her pink lips, and though her voice still sounded as sweet as ever, it was also clearly filled with panic.

“Master… I… uuu… Master, are you okay…?”

Looking at the girl who had tackled her down but now seemed so anxious, Tianyin had originally wanted to scold her for being too reckless, but that thought vanished instantly.

“Pfft, Xiaomengyao, your master’s fine, see? I’m perfectly okay, aren’t I?”

Tianyin smiled as she answered Mengyao’s question.

“Uu… really? Master’s really not hurt?”

Xiaomengyao still looked very worried.

Her misty eyes hadn’t changed one bit.

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“Well…”

Even though she’d been knocked over, Tianyin could still move her arms, so in response to Mengyao’s concern, she simply reached out and placed her hand gently on the girl’s soft, black hair.

“Well, Master’s fine, really, it’s me~”

“Uu… really? It’s really you, Master? But just now, you suddenly felt like someone else, so unfamiliar…”

The “suddenly someone else” she referred to was most likely Tianyin’s earlier state when using the power of Wrath from the Seven Deadly Sins.

After all, even though it was still Tianyin’s own body and consciousness at the time, when channeling the power of Wrath, her personality and thoughts were inevitably influenced by the embodiment of Wrath, Samael’s disposition and mindset.

So when Xiaomengyao had witnessed Tianyin’s transformation firsthand, it was only natural she would question if this was truly her Master.

“Silly disciple, of course it’s me. It’s really your Master, the one and only, no fakes here~”

Tianyin smiled as she explained, reaching out to gently pat Xiaomengyao’s head.

“Alright, come on, get off me already. If you keep pinning me down like this, everyone around us will see~”

As soon as Tianyin said that, the surrounding NPCs who had been sneaking glances at the two quickly froze, then hurriedly bowed their heads and quietly began to retreat from the area.

“Nooo~ I have to make sure it’s really my Master! What if it’s a fake Master? I want my real Master, not a fake one!”

Ignoring Tianyin’s protest, Mengyao pouted, her expression full of grievance.

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“Master’s obviously so strong, so why did you always act so weak before? Did you never think of me as your real disciple?”

“I…”

That question, for Tianyin right now, was the most fatal one.

She had just been hoping Mengyao wouldn’t ask it, but sure enough, the girl wanted an explanation for why Tianyin suddenly possessed the power to wipe out an entire guild of players.

“Well… Xiaomengyao, that’s really hard to explain…”

Tianyin didn’t know how to answer. She couldn’t exactly tell Mengyao everything about her Seven Deadly Sins skill, could she?

Even if she did tell her, it wasn’t a big secret, but Tianyin felt that even if she explained it, Mengyao wouldn’t believe her anyway.

So now came the problem, how could she make up a reason that sounded believable, yet simple enough for Mengyao to accept?

“Master, you don’t know what to say, do you? Hmph, I knew it! You never saw me as your own! You’re so strong but kept pretending to be weak. I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Seeing Tianyin hesitate, Mengyao puffed up angrily.

“Alright, alright… I give up… I’ll tell you the truth, okay…”

Looking at Mengyao’s stubborn expression that clearly said she wouldn’t acknowledge her otherwise, Tianyin couldn’t help but feel utterly defeated.

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What kind of Master gets bossed around by her own disciple like this…

“Say it, Master, hurry up! Why were you hiding such strong power?”

“Well… it’s not like I didn’t want to say it, or that I didn’t want to use it normally… it’s just that this ability only works under special circumstances…”

“Special circumstances?”

Xiaomengyao tilted her head.

“What kind of special circumstances, Master?”

“Well… special circumstances… um, that is… hmm… how do I put this… hmm…”

Tianyin’s face turned shy and awkward, her tone flustered.

Her cheeks even flushed a little red.

“Xiaomengyao… this state of mine… um… actually, it only lasts for five minutes each day… so I can’t just use it whenever I want… that’s why…”

“Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh… so Master can only last five minutes a day? Master is so short!”