Chapter Sixty-three: The Date

Divine Blessing: Passive skill. Increases all spell resistance by 40%. Can be stacked with other skill effects.

Again! This passive skill is more practical than any equipment or skill—40% resistance to every type of spell. That means if a mage could originally deal 100 points of damage to me, after acquiring this passive skill, I'd only lose about 71 points of health. Coupled with my high mobility and Frozen Slash, even a mage equipped with Frost Armor wouldn't stand a chance against me; I'm confident I could finish them off within three seconds.

Three minutes after completing the quest, the system began prompting me: "Please leave this map. In five minutes, the map will refresh. If you do not leave and suffer losses, our company will not be responsible. We apologize for any inconvenience."

This must be the change caused by my completing the quest. After the refresh, the Golden Knights' camp will likely be wiped from this map, and all related quests will disappear completely.

Quickly retreating to the vicinity of the lumber mill, I opened the map to confirm I had left the Mustang Plains, then stopped and watched expectantly as the map began to change. Five minutes later, everything settled down. The traces of humanity on Mustang Plains had vanished, replaced by a variety of high-level monsters.

Time was almost up; whatever new quests this refreshed map held, I'd explore them tomorrow!

I fired off three consecutive messages—

To Xu Lin: "Lin, I just picked up your skill book. Back to town for trading!"

To Xin Yu: "Darling, did you miss me? I got your skill book—coming over!"

To Xue Han: "Xue Han, beautiful, two skill books for you. Let's trade—and discuss how you'll thank me..."

A few seconds later, all three beauties replied—

Xu Lin: "On my way! I'll pay you in a few days!"

Xin Yu: "Of course I missed you. Tonight, I want someone to hold me while I sleep..."

Xue Han: "Hehe, I'll be right back!"

I was at a loss for words. Xu Lin loved money, Xin Yu was coquettish, Xue Han was sweet, and each of them was a first-class beauty. I wondered how many men envied my situation.

Using a town portal scroll, I arrived at the East Gate Bridge, where the three girls were already waiting. In the few days since I'd seen them, their equipment had changed considerably. Xu Lin wore a blue mage robe, the staff in her hands glowing with a mysterious light—she was clearly a master-level mage. Xin Yu, meanwhile, was dressed in fiery leather armor with a long bow that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. Her beautiful, striking face made her look dazzling; I was certain she was the most stunning elf player in Hurricane City, perhaps in all of East China. Xue Han, on the other hand, possessed a beauty that inspired reverence; clad in a pure white priest robe, her shapely figure was especially soft and alluring. Her fair, flawless face looked delicate enough to break at a touch, making any man want to cherish her—and even I, a hardened man, felt an inexplicable urge...

Xin Yu teased Xu Lin, "Lin Fan seems to really like our little Xue Han. Just look at the way he's staring at her—so lecherous!"

Xu Lin nodded in agreement, while Xue Han blushed and glanced shyly at me.

I couldn't be bothered to argue with Xin Yu. I simply traded the equipment and books to them and explained, "Murong Shanshan has picked up a quest. The quest item is a level-26 blue-grade sword. To get one for myself, I need to have dinner with her tonight..."

Xin Yu immediately glared at me, "Is it just dinner, or something else? Are you coming back tonight or not? Murong Shanshan is so pretty—are you infatuated with her? How dare you skip Christmas Eve dinner with us!"

I hurried to clarify, "It's just about the quest, really. Don't misunderstand!"

"Wow, your face is red—are you sure it's not more than that?" Xin Yu pressed, "Be honest—are you neglecting our little Xue Han? She sleeps right next door, and you don't care at all. Did you know Xue Han reheated breakfast at eight this morning so you'd eat, and you—heartless thing—didn't even look?"

I was taken aback and asked, a little slowly, "Is that true, Xue Han? Sorry, I didn't notice..."

Xue Han smiled softly, "It's okay."

I felt awkward. The time for my appointment with Murong Shanshan was approaching, but I suddenly felt reluctant to log off. With all three beauties standing before me, Xue Han's lovely face was tinged with a seductive blush, leaving me flustered.

Xin Yu glanced at me and whispered, "Hurry up and go—don't keep her waiting."

I looked at her, unsure what to say. Then Xu Lin spoke up, "Lin Fan, go on. Murong Shanshan already paid one hundred thousand. If the request isn't unreasonable, just help her out."

Xin Yu chimed in, "Yeah, but you must come back tonight—we'll be waiting for you~"

I quickly avoided Xin Yu's fiery gaze. If she stared any longer, I'd feel as if I were standing naked.

"Alright, go log off~" Xue Han finally spoke, giving her permission.

I nodded in greeting and logged off.

I removed my helmet and powered off the computer. Suddenly, I felt that leaving like this was rather cold. Glancing at the box of cookies beside my pillow, an idea struck; I found a pen, tore a page from the address book, and wrote: "Xue Han, I'm going out and I'll be back soon. These cookies are for you—I'll bring you something else to eat when I return~!"

I tucked the note into the cookie package, then quietly entered Xue Han's room and placed it by her pillow. A girl's room was always clean, with a faint fragrance. Xue Han lay on the bed, her delicate curves making my heart race and breath quicken. Swallowing hard, I closed the door.

...

Winter nights come early, especially with heavy snow falling outside. The street lamps were all lit, adding a touch of romance to the snowflakes. Couples walked arm in arm down the street, laughter filling the air and warming the heart even in the depths of winter.

"Hey, what are you staring at? Hurry up!"

Across the street, a graceful young lady waved at me. Looking closely, I realized it was Murong Shanshan, just stepping out of the school gate, flanked by two other girls—apparently Coco and another classmate.