Su Yu

After dealing with another wave of monsters, Kurumi knew there was no chance of finding so many high-level NPCs to act as her hired muscle at this stage. She stepped forward and said to the leader, "Mr. Theodore, since we've been able to safely clear the monsters along the way, why don't we do our best to clear more? I'm sure the Adventurer's Guild will reward us for it!"

The quest rewards weren't much, and Kurumi didn't really care about them, but quests that allowed her to increase her favor with the Elemental Sprites were rare!

Theodore pondered for a while and then communicated with his team members.

When they learned that they would be clearing more monsters before heading to their destination, they all became excited. They had encountered several monster battles but hadn't sustained any injuries, which was very rare!

With Kurumi's help, they were willing to spend more time clearing the monsters they encountered. The materials from the magical beasts were also quite valuable.

"Awooo~" The little sprite didn't know what everyone was so happy about and excitedly let out a cry as well.

The next day.

Except for when she was resting, logging off to eat and bathe, Kurumi followed the NPCs in clearing the monsters along the way.

Due to the significant difference in speed between them, only a few NPCs sustained minor injuries because they couldn't dodge in time. Kurumi and the Elemental Sprite were completely unharmed.

The Elemental Sprite's favorability was steadily increasing.

Kurumi's City of Eating Time allowed her to fight to sustain herself, but these NPCs had no other means of recovery besides potions and rest. Therefore, they were all somewhat fatigued at this point.

They found an open space, set up a temporary camp, and cooked the hunted monsters into a pot of meat soup.

They rested contentedly.

"System Notification: Your power has earned the favor of the Elemental Sprite [Axi]. Favorability +1. Charm talent is active, granting an additional +1 favorability. Current favorability is 10 (She has remembered your name and plans to share her exciting encounter with her companions when she returns to her tribe)."

"System Notification: Your considerate actions towards the Elemental Sprite have spread your reputation among these little ones. Race [Elemental Sprite] Reputation +100!"

As Kurumi sat down to rest, the system notifications came through.

The increase in favorability was a bit slow. After a whole day of grinding, she had killed at least a thousand magical beasts, yet she hadn't even broken past the "stranger" stage. Without the Charm talent, it probably would have taken two days to reach this point.

Compared to human NPCs, increasing the favorability of these little ones was genuinely slow.

However, this was enough. A favorability of 10 marked the next stage, which would require time to improve.

Theodore walked over with a bowl of meat soup and said sincerely, "Your abilities are very strong. It's thanks to your help that we were able to hunt so many monsters."

He then handed over the soup and continued, "Although we'd like to continue the quest, everyone is tired. We hope to complete the mission soon, as we need to conserve our strength for the dangers on the way back."

Kurumi nodded, "Okay, then after we rest, we'll go complete the mission."

Theodore breathed a sigh of relief, then took out a bottle of nectar and offered it to the Elemental Sprite, causing the little creature to spin around happily.

"Awooo~"

After drinking the nectar, Axi flew to the center of the camp. Its small body radiated light as it floated slowly.

Then, a cool sensation washed over everyone's hearts, and half of their fatigue instantly disappeared.

"System Notification: You have received the Elemental Sprite's Blessing."

[Axi's Blessing] Lv.1

Effect: Increases stamina recovery speed, reduces skill consumption, restores a small amount of HP, lasts for ten minutes.

Description: This silly thing truly blesses you!

Whoa, a buff skill that lasts for ten minutes?

Although the increase was small, the duration was a bit excessive!

This buff strengthened Kurumi's resolve. She had to raise her favorability. Once she reached "Admiration," she would try to poach one as a pet.

Who wouldn't want such a buff-providing utility pet!

As night fell, Theodore arranged for guards to be on watch, and Kurumi logged off to sleep.

The Meta World was still in its early stages of development, and the quest "Prelude to the Anomaly" was not yet complete. Before the neural network had taken shape, players still needed to eat and sleep in reality, just like before.

The next day.

Su Jiang had just woken up and was planning to go back to sleep when his doorbell began to ring incessantly.

His ex-wife had brought Su Yu.

As soon as he opened the door, Lin Jing unceremoniously pushed past Su Jiang's body and brazenly looked around the interior of the apartment.

Behind her, Su Yu, the little one, was struggling to drag a large suitcase.

Su Jiang quickly stepped forward to take the suitcase.

Su Yu's small face showed an expression of flattered surprise.

She was only a little over five years old but was already adept at reading people's expressions.

Seeing how sensible she was, Su Jiang immediately felt like he deserved to die!

Because of his single life, Su Jiang adhered to the principle of making things as hassle-free as possible, so the furnishings in his home had basically remained unchanged, bearing only the marks left by time.

Lin Jing couldn't help but mock, "Look, without me, what good are you? Oh, look at this sofa, it's broken and you still don't want to replace it, tsk tsk."

Even without Lin Jing's expression, one could tell it was filled with sarcasm.

Su Jiang got angry, "The suitcase is so heavy, and you're making a five or six-year-old child carry it? What kind of mother are you?"

"Tch, the box is full of her stuff, so of course she'll take it herself!" Lin Jing rolled her eyes as if it were obvious.

"Then why didn't you just wait for me to drive over?" Su Jiang frowned as he took a tissue and wiped the sweat from Su Yu's forehead.

Su Yu flinched slightly and said weakly, "Dad, I can do it myself."

Su Jiang didn't let her refuse and directly helped her wipe it off.

Lin Jing, meanwhile, scoffed, "If you don't come yourself, how can I see how you're doing now? Very good, just as I expected, you've become even more useless after leaving me."

"Starting next month, remember to pay me, or I'll take Su Yu back."

Lin Jing left with a satisfied look.

Only then did Su Jiang say to Su Yu, "Now that you're here with me, you can rely on me. I'm your dad, and I won't not help you. Whatever happens, remember to tell Dad. Don't try to bear it all alone!"

He remembered the sensible yet numb look on Su Yu's face in his past life.

Su Jiang knew she must not have been treated well at her ex-wife's home.

Children in this age group, if not properly cared for, can easily develop twisted personalities and get stuck in mental ruts.

Su Yu was still a little scared. After all, this was her first time staying at her dad's house, and she didn't know if her mother had abandoned her. But she knew that making a fuss would only make things worse, so she said quietly, "I understand, Dad."

Su Jiang told Su Yu to go to another room and put away her things.

Su Yu was a bit sensitive, so Su Jiang didn't want to help her unpack. If there were any personal little secrets in her suitcase that he might see, it could make her even more withdrawn.