Chapter 41: Chapter41-Grand Event

"Can you let me in on the conversation too? I'm not exactly..." Exiled Immortal started to say, but the moment he lifted his head and noticed Helena's gaze, he felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.

The words that had been on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

That look, it was just like the one a teacher gives you after you've scored the worst in the class—every little thought laid bare, an all-seeing gaze that pierced straight to the soul.

With just that one look, Exiled Immortal instantly clammed up, meekly crawled into his sleeping bag, and didn't even dare to pretend to be asleep. He obediently logged into the game.

Only then did Helena nod, and she immediately turned her gaze to John. "Explain this to me."

"I thought it might come in handy, and since I happened to be passing by, I just brought some back."

At that moment, John wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

The joy of the moment had clouded his mind, making him forget that he had brought the item back with him, only for Helena to discover it.

Helena bit her lip lightly, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I don't even know you that well. Isn't this a bit too soon?"

"John, height 188 cm, weight 75 kg, age 21, no car, no house, no savings, and zero romantic experience. Anything else I missed?"

"Hold on, hold on! Are you introducing yourself?"

"Huh?"

"That's not what I meant at all! What I'm saying is, we could try to get to know each other. I admit, I have some feelings for you... but this is too much!"

Helena shoved the item back into the box, stammering, "Right now, neither the atmosphere nor our relationship is right for this."

"I..."

"I... I'll log in first. Don't do anything weird!"

"...I won't, don't worry."

With John's reassurance, Helena felt a bit relieved.

She crawled into the tent John had prepared for her and lay down in the soft sleeping bag.

Her eyes caught sight of a card hanging inside the tent, and she couldn't help but frown.

Helena reached out to pull the card down. Reading the words on it, she couldn't help but smile.

"Pretty sweet, though his mind is full of... indecent thoughts..."

...

John and Helena logged in almost simultaneously.

They were still in John's room, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

The 'ultra-thin' incident was fresh in their minds.

John couldn't explain it, so he just scratched his head and greeted her awkwardly.

Helena wasn't much better off. With a bright red face, she turned around and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "I... I'll go back to my room first. I'll leave the Pioneer Squad, but give me a few more days."

"What's happening?"

"You'll see, Johnny!"

Lily's urgent voice came from outside the door, and John hurriedly opened it.

To his astonishment, he saw Lily sitting sideways on the back of a large wolf, her eyes full of joy.

Looking at the figure that closely resembled the giant wolf boss they had previously defeated, John widened his eyes in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"Just now, I completed a task for a nun at the church, and she taught me this spell called [Spirit Summoning]. When I used it, I unexpectedly awakened the spirit of the giant wolf stored in the [Wolfbone Staff]!"

John: "..."

Well, that worry was for nothing.

With the giant wolf spirit under Lily, she was bound to achieve an impressive ranking in the goblin raid.

In the end, he had been worrying needlessly.

From the Monster Cave onward, John should have realized that Lily had changed drastically from her previous life.

If he guessed correctly, Lily was likely chosen by one of the [Deities]. As to which one, John was unsure.

Nonetheless, this was a good thing.

At least under the protection of this power, John and Lily wouldn't repeat their past mistakes.

"Lily, don't you think you're a bit different from an ordinary Priest?"

"Hmm... it does seem a bit different. The nuns at the church only heal others. Why is that?"

"You don't know either? Like, did you notice any changes in your body starting at some point?"

Hearing this, Lily fell into deep thought. She wasn't really sure about any changes.

If she had to mention something different...

Before entering Adela Village, she had seen a figure standing among the stars. Did that count as special? After the Goblin Cave, a new side quest appeared on her skill panel, but aside from the first skill, [Starfall], the rest were shrouded in shadow.

Seeing Lily remain silent, John sighed and stopped pressing the matter.

"Anyway, it's good that your strength is increasing. Based on my past gaming experience, there might be a large-scale event coming up. With your current strength, it's almost certain you'll earn special rewards. Keep it up."

"You too, Johnny!"

"Let's both do our best, Lily. We each have our own reasons we have to survive."

This cryptic statement clearly puzzled Lily.

But she believed that anything Johnny said must be true.

"Johnny, do you think our world will ever return to the way it was before the disaster?"

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Until then, we have to keep hope alive. We need something to hold on to, don't we, to keep going?"