Li Xin

Li Wen took off her VR headset and checked the time. It was already 2:21 p.m. on June 26.

After two days of intensely grinding through the game's progress, she had completely lost track of real-world time.

She unlocked her phone and found four or five missed calls on her messaging app.

One was from her homeroom teacher, while the rest were all from someone named Li Xin.

Li Xin was naturally Li Wen's younger sister, two years younger than her and a student at Tianhai Fourth High School.

Li Wen's feelings toward this sister of hers were complicated. On one hand, she desperately wanted to see Li Xin, the family member she had once sworn to protect. On the other, because of what had happened in her previous life, she was filled with guilt and did not know how to face her.

After hesitating for a moment, worried that her sister might have something important to tell her, Li Wen dialed the number anyway.

"Beep... beep..."

The busy tone on the phone sounded like Li Wen's heartbeat, each ring louder than the last.

"Hello? Sis, why are you calling at this hour..."

The gentle female voice from the other end was so deeply nostalgic that Li Wen's eyes stung. She gathered herself before speaking.

"Are you in class, Xin?"

"Mm-hm. Don't you have class too, Sis?"

Hearing her sister's question, Li Wen changed the subject.

"Did something happen at home? I was busy with something else and didn't see your calls."

"No, I just missed you. Is something going on over there?"

"No. I've mostly taken care of it."

Li Wen considered whether to tell Li Xin about the game and the transmigration, but then thought about how worried it would make her sister, so she held back.

"Really? Mom called me and said you didn't go to school."

Li Wen's heart tightened. It was probably because her homeroom teacher had notified her, but why had their mother called Li Xin instead of her?

After thinking back, she remembered that she had been having some conflict with her family at the time. Perhaps that was why Li Xin had called her so many times.

"I..." Li Wen paused before finally recalling her homeroom teacher's name. "I asked Teacher Yang for leave."

"I see." A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone. "Well, if there's anything you can't tell Mom, you can tell me."

"I will." A smile unconsciously appeared on Li Wen's face. The pressure brought by the path of advancement on the End Path suddenly eased somewhat, and her resolve became even firmer. "By the way, I saw your post. Have you been playing a game called 'World Tree: Origins' lately?"

"Huh?" Li Xin's voice immediately became flustered. "I haven't been playing for that long. Just a little at night when I have time."

Li Xin was a fan of casual games. Aside from drawing, gaming was what she loved most, so naturally she would not miss a groundbreaking game like World Tree: Origins.

If Li Wen had not experienced the Great Transmigration, she would definitely have sternly lectured her sister not to get so addicted to games, to read more, exercise more, and go out with friends more often. But because the players were bound to undergo transmigration, those who played longer and reached higher levels would instead hold a greater advantage. So Li Wen only mentioned it briefly.

"Mm, it's fine to relax now and then. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Sis? Are you sure nothing's wrong with you?"

Li Xin sounded suspicious. Her sister normally would never speak like that. She usually wished Li Xin would devote all her energy to studying.

"...Just be careful, that's all."

Li Wen found herself in a difficult position. After all, who would have thought that playing a game could lead to transmigration?

"Sis, do you want to play too? This game is really, really fun. It's like a real alternate world."

It was far too real. And something even more real was waiting ahead...

Li Wen had no reply. For now, she did not want Li Xin to know that she was already playing World Tree: Origins. As the holder of Urd's Thorn, every move she made could have unforeseeable effects on the course of the future.

So Li Wen said, "When I have time... If there's nothing else, I'll hang up first?"

"Mm-hm, bye-bye."

"Mm. Stay safe."

After hanging up on Li Xin, Li Wen lay on the bed, unable to recover for a long while.

"M2, what time is it now?"

After waiting for quite some time without receiving a response, Li Wen remembered that she had forcibly put the intelligent assistant into standby mode two days ago.

She got up, took a microwave meal from the refrigerator, quickly heated and ate it, then put on the VR headset again.

*

Li Wen left the Nun Dormitory and headed straight for the church.

It was already nighttime in the game. The night deepened, and most of the believers had left.

The vast church was brightly lit by candles. Only one person was praying before the altar, his shadow stretched enormous and twisted by the candlelight, like a shadowy monster that devoured people.

Hearing the sound, Pastor Mog turned around and saw Li Wen, who wore a cloak and looked even more suspicious than he did.

"Where's the item?"

He asked directly.

"The man died, and he drank the Moonlight Potion too."

Only after hearing Li Wen name the potion did Pastor Mog's expression ease slightly. He did not care in the least how Li Wen had survived against a mage who had used the Moonlight Potion.

"If that's the case, then this matter is over. I'll explain things to them."

Them... did he mean the Moon Worshippers?

Li Wen did not ask further. She did not know whether Pastor Mog's secret dealings with the Moon Worshippers were common knowledge within Dark Dawn, or whether this was a deal arranged under Siswell's orders. If she asked too casually, the fact that she was not a member of Dark Dawn would become obvious. Then she would be the one in trouble.

She glanced at her character panel. Her experience pool had risen to 910.

Of that, 60 experience had been left over from last time, while another 50 had come from killing that monster in the laboratory. Three hundred experience came from Pastor Mog's quest. The final 500 had most likely been awarded because Li Wen had assisted Moriah in exploring the Alchemy Master's laboratory. It was a reward for unknowingly participating in a certain world process, and it had only been issued when Li Wen logged in.

A full five hundred experience points—equivalent to killing two Fire Mages, and even a little more than Pastor Mog's quest. Yet Li Wen had no idea what she had done. She could only guess that it was inseparable from that unnamed Alchemy Master.

Moriah Enoch, Firstborn of the Temple—his purpose in coming to Black Dragon Territory was certainly not simple. But Li Wen could not spare the time to concern herself with that situation for now. To her, the most important matter was advancing on the End Path.

Nine hundred and ten experience points were enough for her to level up twice in a row, reaching Lv. 4.

So the question now was whether she should upgrade her skills or learn new abilities.