Since a bunch of troublemakers had woken her up in the middle of the day, Annie's nap had lasted especially long today.
By the time she finally woke up on her own and sleepily pushed herself upright, it was already past five in the afternoon. Dinner in Dragonbone Village was just around the corner.
"..."
(0`)
"Mm..."
(﹏)
First, she stretched luxuriously. Then, without even bothering to rub the sleep-filled tears from the corners of her eyes, the bleary Annie waved a hand and dispelled the spell barrier that had been blocking the noise from outside her room, letting the birdsong and insects' chirping drift in through the window.
However...
What drifted in wasn't birdsong or insects chirping, but the racket of a gaggle of women in the courtyard, full of sobbing and strange groans.
"Ugh—"
"I'm done playing..."
"Damn it!"
"Again! I refuse to believe I can't do it!"
"I almost won that time. I was this close!"
"You go ahead!"
"I can't anymore..."
"M-My legs are a little wobbly..."
"Same here!"
"Oh, right!"
"Xiadou, how did you manage to last over a hundred rounds yesterday? I've only done a few and I'm already weak in the knees..."
"I—"
"You might not believe me, but back then, I couldn't get out at all. I just kept reviving and respawning inside, then respawning and reviving again. Whether I wanted to keep going or not, I had to grit my teeth and stick it out."
"..."
"Ah! It ate me again! Damn it!"
"We only lasted a dozen rounds!"
"Whose turn is it?"
"No one's. Fangyuan, you can keep going..."
"!!"
"No!"
"I'm done! I really can't go on..."
"Who's next?"
"Suixing?"
"Forget it! I'm done too. Let Tasiya go first."
"No way. I'm hungry and I don't have the strength..."