Amid the swirling snow, Broken Star's expression grew complicated.
How could he possibly fail to recognize these people?
The man at the front, with short hair standing upright and a smile on his lips, was none other than Li Zheng.
Before becoming a player himself, he had called this fellow "Bricklayer."
He recognized all the other instructors, too.
That slightly chubby figure was called Eat Dirt.
And the thin, pale figure leaning against the wall, looking refined and scholarly, was named "Sha Xin." He used to demand favors from him in exchange for canned food.
On the other side, the instructor leaning against a pillar, looking so lazy he might fall asleep at any moment, was "Family Sharing." He was usually incredibly talkative. Back when they spent time together in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range, he never ran out of things to say.
He knew all the others as well.
These people had once spent a stretch of time with him.
Broken Star stood where he was, his feelings tangled.
Suddenly, he felt a disorienting sense that time had slipped out of place.
In his memories, they were all still rookies who had just entered Monster World, ignorant and reckless, needing every ounce of strength just to defeat lesser evil spirits. Their minds were full of profit, and they tried to extort resources from him at every turn.
But now, they had long since shed that naive appearance.
Li Zheng had lost his old flamboyance, his features gaining a sharpness. His Against the Tide instructor's Battle Armor lent him an imposing presence, and beneath the gentle smile on his lips lay an edge honed on the battlefield.
Eat Dirt was still slightly chubby, but he was no longer the rookie who could only throw little fireballs. The spiritual pressure radiating