What happened after Han Ya and An Yuan split with the team.

Holding each other’s hands, the couple first look around the village. The scenes before them aren’t that different from the festivals found in Japan. Stalls line up on both sides of the road, with colorful designs and lighting, and various food for everyone to choose from. It was such a festive sight but An Yuan felt uncomfortable about the hidden stares in his surroundings.

Han Ya noticed his restlessness and squeezed his hands to catch his attention.

“Don’t be nervous. Ignore the eyes on you. I’m here. I will protect you.” said Han Ya.

An Yuan’s erratic heartbeats slowly relax under those words. He smiles at Han Ya and looks at their hands that fit one another. Even though he felt uncomfortable around this village, he could only stay. He then noticed the library not far from them.

It was located in a desolated corner and made it hard for others to notice it. But in the eyes of An Yuan, his passive eyes saw something unique.

—

Abandoned Library

It is an old library which was left alone for years. The village hated this place as it was the only store in the village that helps the players to pass the dungeons smoothly. They even made a placebo library to confuse the players about the clues helpful for completing the dungeons in order to get the key fragments.

Clues inside: 30

/30

—

The eyes of An Yuan widened in shock for a moment before acting normal in case the fairies who were watching him noticed that there was something wrong. He decided not to speak loudly to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

He scratched Han Ya’s palms and wrote on his palms to act with him. He reached out his arms and started acting spoiled.

An Yuan said, “Xiao Ya~ I feel tired. Carry me, please~”

Han Ya remembered that his beloved asked him to act well. He smiled with a doting gaze on his face and carried his beloved in his arms like a child. An Yuan’s legs were wrapped around his waist while his hands held onto his butt preventing him from falling.

An Yuan rubbed his face on the side of Han Ya’s cheeks like a cat was whispering some words only the two of them could hear.

“Xiao Ya… Go to that abandoned library at the corner. There are clues about the key fragments in that place. But… Made it so others wouldn’t think that was our real intention, especially for the fairies.” whispered An Yuan.

Han Ya understood the meaning of his words and pretended to be touchy-touchy with An Yuan in the middle of the street. He slips his hands inside his beloved’s clothes pinching there and here making the latter sensitivity heighten.

“Hm~ you look so soft. Makes me want to bite~” said Han Ya

With a certain blush appearing on An Yuan’s cheeks, he glared at Han Ya who was tickling him. But his misty eyes made others feel like they thought twice.

They’ve openly started flirting, making those who were watching avert their eyes in embarrassment. They were afraid that this couple would shamelessly do something that cannot be seen by children.

A Player could almost not stop himself from beating the two and yelled, “Stop! What the hell are you doing on the street? Get a **ing room!!”

Han Ya moved his hand and looked at the player who dared to shout at him. He looked at him coldly and said, “Mind your own business…”

Then he walks away from the crowd looking for a desolate area to continue his thing. He went to the corner where the abandoned library is located. Some people of the Spirit Race wanted to stop the two from going in that direction.

A fairy shouted, “Hey! There is no inn there!”

“It’s okay boss. They might not have enough money and were going to do it somewhere without people. Let them be, it would be embarrassing if you saw something you shouldn’t have. That big guy looks so tough and possessive. Better to do nothing than be sorry.” said the player who stopped the fairies from following after the couple.

Though the people of the village really wanted to pull Han Ya and An Yuan back under the gaze of the other players they couldn’t let them follow the two to that place. That is the most annoying area in the village, the only place which could help them gather the key fragments that would allow them to leave this place.

But they couldn’t allow that, these players are their resources. They couldn’t permit them to leave.

The Boss of the stall where the player is buying roasted corn smiled and said, “Indeed. Young couples nowadays are… Sigh~”

“Boss~ you can say that! Hahaha~” said the player.

Meanwhile, Han Ya and Na Yuan who successfully entered the abandoned library looked at the clean interior of the place. It wasn’t like the ruined state from the outside where no lights were peeking out the windows, dust, mud-covered whole front store, and tall grasses along the way.

The interior is cleaner and more organized like most libraries. The only difference is that the furniture and interior designs of the library are too luxurious for one. Huge chandeliers are hanging on the ceiling illuminating the big library. The bookshelves were made from expensive wood and the books on them were sparkling with hints of mana.

Both Han Ya and An Yuan didn’t expect to see this. This library is full of mana which cleanses the disgusting smell just outside the store.

An Yuan breathes in clean air, “Ha~ this place makes me extremely comfortable. There are no peering eyes, no noise and there is calmness in that lightens one’s heart.”

“A’Yuan, it seems your guess is right. There might be something important in this place. The clues about the keys should indeed be found here.” Han Ya.

An Yuan nodded his head and said, “Let’s split up and look around separately. Look fast before someone comes here to throw us out.”

Han Ya agrees regardless. The two separated temporarily and looked around the library. There are too many books in the place and it would be hard for one to find clues among these books but An Yuan is different.

He could see things that others couldn’t. Most things under his sight were labeled. He only needs to look for something labeled as Clues among all these books.

Looking around such a huge library took a while. The two had been there for an hour or so. In the end, the two bumped into each other and noticed that someone was coming.

Han Ya asked, “Found something?”

“No,” said An Yuan with his head lowered.

Then suddenly they heard the entrance of the library being forced open. Han Ya immediately held An Yuan as he hid their presence with his black mist in some shadowy corner of the library. They’ve blended with the shadow and it would be hard for the others to see them unless they used mana to check.

The ones who arrived were people of the village, in short, they are from the spirit race.

“Tch! Did that stupid couple enter this place?”

“Impossible right? Isn’t this place locked by formation?”

“True! We’ve checked and there is nothing wrong with the formation of this place.”

“Maybe they really didn’t enter and instead went to the nearby woods instead.”

“Hmp! Maybe. Anyway, check around the library if something is missing. If none then… They really did not enter this place.”

“This place should be destroyed already. The World consciousness is really a busybody putting up clues in such places.”

“Unfortunately, this land can not be destroyed.”

“Nothing is missing, boss.” ｎｏｖ𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

“Let’s go back then and report. Oh right… Send someone to check the nearby forest if that stupid couple is indeed there.”

“Yes, sir.”

The fairies took their leave and they saw nothing was wrong in the library. Only when there are no longer other presences in the area that Han Ya and An Yuan finally showed themselves. They’ve overheard what those people of the spirit race had said. This is indeed a place where the clues are but An Yuan and Han Ya just haven’t found it.

Han Ya said, “We need to appear in the forest A’Yuan.”

“I know but… We haven’t found the clues yet…” then his eyes linger on the book, not on his feet. An Yuan was stunned to see the three labels saying clues.

Since there is no time for them to waste, An Yuan grabs the three books and throws them inside his inventory. He pulled out a teleportation talisman they’d made before entering the library. The location is near the forest behind the library.

The two tore the talisman together and the space rippled. They’ve both disappeared and the library was once again empty.

Some fairies are looking around the forest behind the library. They were already grumpy when they could find the couple their captain asked them to find. Then suddenly Han Ya and An Yuan come out from the bushes. Their clothes were somewhat disheveled and An Yuan was blushing red his cheeks looked like ripe tomatoes.

When the fairies found them they were dumbfounded. They couldn’t believe this couple indeed did the deed in the wilderness. But in reality, Han Ya only tickled An Yuan until we were panting and out of breath. He looks like he did some naughty things with Han Ya in the forest coming out with flushed cheeks.

Han Ya said, “Are you hungry, A’Yuan? Let’s go back to the village and buy some food.”

“Do we have some money? We can’t even afford a room?” asked An Yuan pretending to continue their back story about going to the forest to do that.

Han Ya said, “It’s okay. We don’t have enough to rent a room but we have enough for food. Let’s go.”

The two once again held hands and returned to the village. Those fairies who were tasked to look for them immediately hid when they saw them coming. Their mission is to check whether this couple went to the forest or not. Since they’ve come out from the forest they were indeed in the forest all this time.

The two went into stalls to eat. They were waiting for their grilled squid to be cooked when suddenly someone jumped on Han Ya about to hug him.

“Han Ya~ it’s really you!! Umff!!!” said the man who suddenly jumped on Han Ya and was kicked in the stomach by Han Ya instinctively.

The man who was kicked in the stomach is none other than the player called Mr. Blood. It was Zane.

Zane curled up on a squat and said, “You’re so cruel, Han Ya~ it’s me, Zane. Your ex-lover~”

“Nonsense,” said Han Ya as he kicked his chin this time. “Stop playing around, Zane. Who the hell is your lover!?”

An Yuan watched the scene between the two. One beating up the other and the other getting beat up black and blue.

The boss who was selling grilled squid passed one cooked squid to An Yuan.

“Here. This one is done.”

“Thanks, Uncle.” said An Yuan.

When Han Ya finished beating Zane he passed the other squid that was finished cooking to him.

An Yuan ordered another set of grilled squid for Han Ya and the rest of the team.

Han Ya said, “Eat. Talk later.”

“Um. Nice to meet you. I’m Zane. Han Ya’s childhood friend.”

“Hello, I’m An Yuan. Xiao Ya’s lover.” said An Yuan with a smile.

His smile rendered Zane shocked as his mouth turned into an ‘O’. Han Ya on the other hand was sharing An Yuan’s squid together. As for his squid, they could eat it again as a couple. They have been used to sharing whatever they have with one another.

Zane cursed in disbelief, “Fuck! This iceberg melted. You finally found me a sister-in-law!! Good job!”

“Eat your Goddamn food,” said Han Ya.

After buying the squid, the three of them went from stall to stall to gather food for the team. They bought a lot. As the money was with An Yuan he was the one who was ordering. Han Ya and Zane are only there to carry the food for him.

Zane stared at An Yuan and Han Ya. He could see the latter’s eyes turning soft and gentle as he looked at the former. Seeing this Zane couldn’t help but sigh in disbelief and relief. He could finally see his friend, not as a loner.

“It is good that you’ve met An Yuan. You have better expressions on your face right now, Han,” said Zane.

Han Ya glanced at him and said, “Still haven’t found a clue where Silvy is?” He remembered his friend’s lover who got separated from him in one of the games. He had been looking for him all this time.

“Found one. His traces lead to this place. He might be here in Hell but… If I still couldn’t find him I…”

“Don’t you dare give up. I can help you. You can join our team if you need a helping hand. We have few rankers in the team.” said Han Ya.

Stunned Zane said, “For real? A solo player like you joined a team.”

These two keep talking to one another without noticing that above their heads few Spirit Kings were watching them with cold eyes. These were hidden fairies who were watching the market and the players.

“Is that the one with Vlad’s Bloodline?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ve seen his eyes and fangs. He is indeed a Vampire.”

“Capture him. His bloodline is a bit troublesome. He could smell blood at a certain distance. There is no way he didn’t notice it when he entered the village. We cannot let the secret of our village be known.”

“How about the other two players?”

“Capture them all together”

“Yes, Your Highness!”