“Don’t call me that!” Yang immediately protested, his face turning red once more as he hid his embarrassed expression.
Yue shrugged, grabbing her spear and spinning it around casually. “It’s what you are, is it not?”
Wei tapped my shoulder, whispering into my ear above the chaos of their bickering. “Peijin, should we cover Amelia’s eyes until we know what the dungeon actually is?”
That question took me rather off guard. I mean, sure, Yang’s poster was pretty funny, but I hated writing any sexual arcs in Surviving My First Run.
Mostly for my own sake. Sure, a few readers complained about Feiyu’s deteriorating romance life, but I just blocked them.
I probably shouldn’t have blocked HolyMapleSyrup, though.
“Yeah, let’s just see what we’re getting into,” I nodded, my eyes searching for a ribbon.
Yang seemed to hear my whispers. “I swear, it’s really not like that! The dungeon took creative liberty with my poster. If it's my greatest fear, then doesn’t that make me the opposite of a pervert?”
Yue tapped her foot before pointing at him. “Then are you impotent or something?”
“Are you serious?”
Ignoring their conversations, I tensed up and stared straight at Wei’s arm.
“Can we use the ribbon on your arm as a blindfold?”
“Huh?” Wei looked down at his arm, seemingly surprised by the mention of it. “Oh, sure.”
Unraveling it from his arm, he handed it to me. It was rather long, as it was able to be wound around his forearm multiple times, but it would work.
“Amelia, come here,” I called for her, kneeling on the ground to easily tie it around her. I wrapped it around her eyes and tucked it beneath her hair. “Is that too tight?”
She shook her head, awkwardly turning around to try and face me, but she miscalculated and was staring at the metro wall. “No, it’s good. Thank you.”
I smiled, grabbing onto her small hand to gently guide her back to the center of the metro car, as the surrounding edges were quickly disappearing. “Isn’t it so convenient that Wei-shushu wears this ribbon?”*
She quickly nodded, gripping my hand tightly for comfort, since she was no longer able to see. “Wei-shushu, why do you wear this ribbon?”
Wei furrowed his brows at that question and met my expectant gaze. “It’s just an aesthetic thing?” His intonation hiked at the end of the phrase, almost as if his statement was more of a question.
“Where’d you get it from?” I egged on.
“My younger brother gave it to me a few years ago on my birthday.”
“He gave you a ribbon?” My tone was lighthearted as I tried to hide my laughter.
Wei looked rather embarrassed as he avoided my gaze, insteading fidgeting with the hilt of his sword. The outdoor environment was turning into a swampy forest, but the change was slow. Yue and Yang continued their fast-paced bickering behind me.
Amelia tried to turn toward Wei, her voice soft and sympathetic. “Where’s your brother?”
This innocent question seemed to throw Wei further off his train of thought, almost like he was struggling to piece together every piece. “We haven’t seen each other since I moved out for university. I’m sure he’s doing well. I’ll look for him soon.”
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Observer ‘Socrates’: Disciple Wei will find his brother!
Observer ‘Socrates’ sponsors Disciple Wei 800 stars.
Wei looked puzzled at the notification before turning to me.
“Since when did observers have that many stars? Do you know Socrates, Peijin?”
“No. Don’t associate with him.”
Observer ‘Socrates’: Jia Li you suck.
Socrates had been talking almost excessively recently; I wasn’t going to complain considering each message still sent me coins, but Athena hadn’t shown up in a while. She was most likely dealing with the intense backlash on Artemis like Archangel Michael.
I shivered at the thought, remembering how bad it was just to be sensed by the arc and karma. Influencing it must have been absolutely tortuous pain, even for a goddess as powerful as her.
After trying to scope out Wei, it became apparent that he hadn’t… awoken yet. I cocked my head as I stared at him for a moment before Zhige nudged my side and threw me out of my thoughts.
The metro had fully dissolved now after being trapped in the marsh, and our party was left standing in a swampy forest. Dark oak trees loomed over us; small flickers of light managed to fight past a few leaves, creating a beautiful effect of small rays and sunbeams.
Now standing on a slightly paved path, nothing seemed that out of the ordinary. Luminous flowers and fauna splattered the dark forest with beautiful bubbles of color, like large brushstrokes of soft pinks and deep oranges
“This is the mind of a pervert,” Yue muttered under her breath, taking in the beautiful sight.
Any life left in Yang after her prior verbal assault died at that very moment.
Wei once more hoisted Amelia over his back, and her arms wrapped around his neck. She blew and swiped at her face to try and get long strands of his hair off of her face.
“Let me hold her instead,” I insisted, quickly picking her up and throwing her over my back. My voice was louder and more commanding now, as this environment could shift at any moment.
Hindsight activated!
I racked through my brain in hopes of remembering if I created or mentioned an arc like this. An unsettling but breathtaking forest full of flora and fauna that preyed on all who dared enter.
This was a demon’s lair—that much was certain from the beings displayed on Yang’s poster. Zhige trembled in my hand with nervousness and fury, confirming my suspicion as I cautiously wielded him.
“Everyone, stay behind me,” I barked, turning toward Yue. “Is this an illusion?”
Her eyes flashed purple, and she quickly scanned the area. Magician’s hand should be able to confirm if we were under any demon’s spell; this environment would not only prove tense for any other demon based disciples like Yue, but it would also make them more powerful and attuned.
She shook her head. “We’re in an actual forest, but it’s been layered with many others.”
I gave a curt nod. That meant even if we saw an exit within this swamp, it might have been a red herring and led us further in—though we were undoubtedly still in the swamp.
“Yue, stay in the back. Sandwich Wei and Yang between us.”
Even though we would usually bicker over every step, this was a dungeon that the two of us had a distinct advantage in. However, as I felt Amelia’s tight grip around my neck, I grew nervous. I was in the front, and the last thing I wanted to do was put her in danger.
“Yue, take Amelia with you, too. Don’t put her on your back and leave her exposed, just hold her with an arm.”
We all stopped walking forward as the transfer was made, and I quickly rushed back to the front. The deep orange and pink flowers around us seemed to shift in the ground, as if their roots were moving and trying to dig out.
My eyes involuntarily squinted with the pressure of trying to remember what I wrote and its correlation to Yang’s poster.
Back in the metro, Yang’s poster depicted a rather odd situation. He was pressed into the back of the cave, obviously in fear as he gripped onto the rocky stone walls, panting and completely exhausted. At the front of the cave, countless… voluptuous female figures peered in, their strangely textured hands reaching out for him.
Their delicate faces were framed by luscious green leaves, and their skin was twisted like the roots of a plant. Flowers sprouted from their skin, bright red and orange.
I let out a small gasp as it finally clicked, and I immediately whipped my head around toward the party. “Everybody! Shut your eyes and don’t open them!”