Lin Yi stood beside the [Shadow Blade Leopard]'s corpse, feeling the power surging within him.
But his thoughts were soon interrupted by the voices of the two people beside him.
"Return to Zero, is that you?"
You Duoduo's voice trembled slightly. She clearly hadn't expected to encounter Lin Yi again under these circumstances.
"Yazi, is that you?"
Ma Ke's voice was full of confusion. He gripped his greataxe tightly, seemingly ready to fight at any moment.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
"He's Return to Zero?"
"Yes, Brother Ma Ke. Last time, I saw the death notification and learned his username. I thought his real name was Ma Ke, but after searching around, I found out you were Ma Ke."
Lin Yi picked up the equipment before turning around.
He tilted his head, looking at You Duoduo and Ma Ke indifferently.
"Why did you kill me? And why did you save me this time?"
You Duoduo also turned her head and couldn't help demanding an answer, her eyes filled with anger and confusion.
Lin Yi smiled softly and shook his head.
Rather than answering You Duoduo's questions directly, he turned his gaze to Ma Ke.
Seeing You Duoduo's unusual reaction, Ma Ke immediately flew into a humiliated rage. His eyebrows shot up as he roared at Lin Yi:
"So you're the one who killed little sister Duoduo?"
"You like picking on easy targets, huh?"
"Are you even a man?"
Ma Ke paused, a sneer appearing on his face, then continued:
"You only used a game mechanic to pull that sword through the air. Weaklings love these cheap tricks!"
"Learning precise control over your strength? What a load of fucking bullshit!"
"You're nothing but..."
"A small fry passing himself off as someone great!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Clap, clap, clap!
Hearing this, Lin Yi wasn't angry in the slightest. Instead, he began to applaud.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he slowly approached Ma Ke and said with a chuckle:
"Good! Very good!"
"Though you're a little slow on the uptake, you really do have talent."
"But..."
"What you saw might only have been... what I wanted you to see!"
Ma Ke twisted his mouth, tightened his grip on his greataxe, and laughed loudly:
"What a joke!"
"That monster just now might have looked scary, but it was probably all show and no substance."
"I have a full twenty thousand combat power!"
"What you wanted me to see?"
"Then how about you show me now..."
Whoosh!
Before Ma Ke could finish speaking, he felt a fierce gust sweep past him with overwhelming force.
The gust exploded violently in a corner of the forest.
Boom!!!
Ma Ke and You Duoduo stared, dumbstruck, at Lin Yi beside them, sword in his right hand, then looked blankly at the furrow stretching across the ground into the distance.
Gulp!
Gulp!
The sounds of the two swallowing came one after another as they stared at Lin Yi in terror.
"B-Brother Return to Zero, there must have been a monster behind me last time, and you accidentally hurt me, right?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have had any reason to save me this time!"
"It was my fault. I misjudged you. I promise it won't happen again!"
You Duoduo quickly ran away from Ma Ke's side and came over to Lin Yi, lightly tugging his sleeve with both hands.
Lin Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at You Duoduo, and said softly with a faint smile:
"The reason I saved you was that I was afraid you'd hurt the boss."
"If that happened, it really would break my heart!"
"Because you might..."
"Take some of my experience."
"Besides... I rather dislike people who indulge in fantasies!"
Hearing this, You Duoduo slowly released her hands. Her face went deathly pale, as though she'd been struck by lightning, and she stared blankly at Lin Yi's handsome face, unable to speak for a long time.
Lin Yi looked at Ma Ke, whose expression kept shifting, and spoke again:
"Brother Ma Ke, I actually admire you very much!"
"Originally, I wanted to kill you!"
"Now, though... I'm considering taking you on as my lackey!"
"So I can give you a chance!"
Ma Ke slowly raised his head to look at Lin Yi, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse:
"A chance? What chance?"
Lin Yi rubbed his chin with his right hand and said with a chuckle:
"That chance is..."
"Use the greataxe in your hands to give this lady beside me a reality check!"
"I'd be worried if she left the beginner village this naive!"
"You saw it too. She left you without the slightest hesitation just now!"
"You know, fifty years of lifespan can buy quite a lot of duck leg rice!"
"Are you going to trade half your lifespan for so-called love?"
"Or be a real man and stand beside me, looking down upon all the world's heroes?"
"Anyone smart would know what to choose, right?"
Ma Ke froze, then slowly looked at You Duoduo, his eyes filled with confusion.
But gradually, that confused look faded away.
Ma Ke grinned, a look of utter madness creeping across his face!
Seeing the two men laughing brazenly before her, You Duoduo's heart filled with terror.
"D-Demons!"
"You're demons!"
Her face deathly pale, she staggered backward, then ran off into the distance with faltering steps.
A hint of cold mingled with the breeze, and the light of dawn seemed somewhat glaring.
Whoosh!
Something round flew into the sky in an arc.
Holding his greataxe horizontally in one hand, Ma Ke looked toward the approaching dawn with a savage grin.
Before him, a headless corpse was slowly fading away.
Clap, clap, clap!
Lin Yi applauded as he slowly approached Ma Ke:
"Good! Very good!"
"Quick movements, decisive strikes!"
"Brother Ma Ke, you really are no ordinary man!"
A momentary look of confusion appeared on Ma Ke's face as he said blankly:
"Boss Return to Zero, after killing You Duoduo..."
"My lifespan... increased by 12.5 years!??"
Lin Yi nodded, then shook his head with a soft chuckle:
"Of course it did!"
"When players kill each other, the winner gains half the loser's lifespan!"
"So..."
Before Lin Yi could finish, Ma Ke's excited voice interrupted him:
"So... the strong can live forever!"
"Boss Return to Zero, this is a shortcut!"
Lin Yi slowly shook his head and said flatly:
"This isn't a shortcut. It's just a path everyone will take..."
"An ordinary path, nothing more."
"Also..."
With a trace of confusion in his voice, Lin Yi tilted his head and looked at Ma Ke:
"Why are you calling me boss?"
Ma Ke immediately dropped to one knee, holding his axe in his right hand, and looked at Lin Yi sincerely:
"You just said..."
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light swept past!
Ma Ke's upper body, along with the handle of his beginner greataxe, was instantly severed and slowly slid off.
Shing!
Lin Yi sheathed his sword and turned away indifferently.
As he slowly walked away, he sighed helplessly:
"What I just said was..."
"I rather dislike people who indulge in fantasies!"