Virtual World: Close Combat Mage - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Restitution

“Ah, you’re here!” The girl smiled so widely and warmly, as if welcoming her husband home from work.

Gu Fei was not at all moved. He smiled, “You run pretty fast!” Then he glanced at her injured leg and quickly gave it a kick. “So your leg has healed already?” he said.

The girl was in great pain but she did not show it on her face. Before she could say anything, she heard Gu Fei mumbling, “This isn’t the bandaging that I did before already!”

“You’re actually quite attentive to details!” The girl was surprised.

Gu Fei smiled. “Of course! I wouldn’t have followed you or found you once again now if not for that.”

The girl looked at Gu Fei expressionlessly and in silence. No one knew what she was thinking at that moment.

“You would also have guessed that I know that you are going to make transactions here right? Just that you didn’t think that I would get here so fast.” Gu Fei continued talking.

“Where did they go?” The girl asked. The “they” obviously referred to the five people who were at the healer’s.

“They left!” said Gu Fei.

The girl was bemused. “Why would they let you off?”

“It’s very simple,” Gu Fei said. “I returned the dagger to them.”

“They believed you just because you returned the dagger to them?” the girl thought it sounded impossible.

“Of course not. But I’ve already returned it to them, and they can’t beat me in a fight. What more could they do?” Gu Fei answered.

“They can’t beat you?” The girl was astonished. She had learnt the skill of Identification, and could tell that Gu Fei was level 16. It was a level higher than most of the players around, but his opponents who could get a dagger like Howls of Rage wouldn’t be weak as well. And they had five people, versus one.

Gu Fei was unperturbed by her surprise. He just smiled.

“So you’re saying, you’ve returned the dagger to them even though they couldn’t do anything to you?” If the expression on her face before was a look of surprise, it was now covered with disbelief. That dagger could have brought him an estimated sum of 30,000 Yuan in her experience, although it was not as good as Frost Memories. She really could not have imagined that he would just let it go. Was he really not after money?

“What do you exactly want?” the girl could not hold back her curiosity.

“How many times have I repeated it? Return the dagger to me now.” Gu Fei was exasperated.

The girl continued to look incredulous.

“I know you didn’t believe me all along, so! Please look here…” Gu Fei held his hand out and introduced someone who was standing behind him. A scrawny lad with piercing eyes appeared in a flash. It was SwordGhost.

“So you can believe me now, can’t you?” Gu Fei smiled. “And you must recognize him. You can return the dagger directly to him.”

The girl stared at SwordGhost and finally nodded after some moment.

They returned to the gallery and cancelled the transaction. The girl passed the dagger over as soon as she retrieved it.

Gu Fei handed over the dagger to SwordGhost as soon as he took hold of it. SwordGhost, on the other hand, was also neither anxious nor nervous. His glare remained fixed on Xi Xiaotian.

Xi Xiaotian could imagine the amount of anger he harboured. However, they were at the Trading House, which was one of the safest out of all the safe zones in the game.

The scene of a thousand fireballs rising like that at the Mage Academy would never happen here. Gu Fei called out, “Fireball!” and immediately Fireball answered and walked over briskly from the exhibit he had been admiring.

“You had a question for the lady, didn’t you?” Gu Fei asked Fireball.

Fireball nodded and looked towards the girl. “Miss, may I know what’s your name?”

“Xi Xiaotian.” The girl kept an expressionless face. “You?”

“I’m Fireball!” Fireball exclaimed happily.

Xi Xiaotian’s stare stayed fixated on Gu Fei, and didn’t give much of a response to Fireball. Gu Fei knew that her “you” was actually directed towards him.

“ThousandMiles Drunk.” Gu Fei sighed. He didn’t like the name, but he had to accept it.

“Real name?” Xi Xiaotian demanded.

Gu Fei was a little stunned, but still answered her question, “Gu Fei.”

Xi Xiaotian nodded and stepped backwards. She slid onto the floor, leaned against the wall and stroked her injured calf. “Violent Fei!” said Xi Xiaotian with her gaze on Gu Fei.

Gu Fei, though startled, quickly retorted, “Swindler Tian!”

The atmosphere became weird, and SwordGhost could not hold back a cough.

“Well, she’s a little girl, so let’s not pursue it anymore?” Gu Fei said to SwordGhost.

“Alright,” SwordGhost responded without hesitation.

Gu Fei smiled. “With the dagger back in your possession, you can’t wait to get back to leveling up?”

Although an ugly smile, SwordGhost finally cracked the first after he entered the Trading House. “I’m leaving now, message me if there’s anything!” He left without a second glance at the three.

“What a cool guy! He does have the charm as rumoured.” Fireball said, and added on, “Other than his looks, of course.”

Gu Fei sighed, “Something that I can’t refute.”

“What about us?” Fireball glanced at Gu Fei and then Xi Xiaotian.

“I’m going to level up too,” said Gu Fei. “You?”

Fireball peeked at Xi Xiaotian, but she didn’t spare him any attention at all. Snubbed, Fireball could only reply “I’m going too.”

“Then let’s go!” Gu Fei turned to leave.

“Hey!” Xi Xiaotian gave a sudden shout.

Fireball spun around as if he were the full-Agility mage instead.

Xi Xiaotian still did not spare him a glance. “My leg!” She pointed at her calf and looked at Gu Fei.

Gu Fei saw blood oozing out from the bandage. He walked back and complained, “You are too heavy. I can’t stand your weight!” With that, he even massaged his right shoulder: the spot where he carried Xi Xiaotian on just now.

Xi Xiaotian scowled at him.

Gu Fei sighed. He extended a hand, “Bandage.”

Xi Xiaotian passed over a roll of bandage. Gu Fei bent over and started bandaging the wound anew. “I knew it! How could my method be useless? It’s yours that didn’t work.”

It was over in seconds, and Gu Fei got up, “It won’t bleed anymore now, unless you temper with it. And that, won’t be my responsibility.”

“Bye!” Gu Fei waved at Xi Xiaotian and walked out of the Trading House with Fireball. The moment he stepped out he received a system notification: Xi Xiaotian has sent you a friend request.

This girl… She gave her name as Xi Xiaotian, and then asked me for my real name. So this is probably her real name too? Everyone in game uses a fake name while a swindler uses her real name. Where’s the logic? Gu Fei muttered under his breath.

Gu Fei’s conversation tab remained open after he left the Trading House.

“Thanks for your help! Without you, I wouldn’t have known that there’s a such a place like a Trading House in the game.” Gu Fei sent a message with the target as MortalSmile.

“Heh, found her at the Trading House?” MortalSmile responded.

“Yep, all is well now,” said Gu Fei.

“Do you want to give me the information on the swindler?” asked MortalSmile.

“Eh, forget it…” said Gu Fei.

“Oh? Defending a swindler? What a rare sight! Must be a pretty girl huh?” replied MortalSmile.

“Not bad.” Gu Fei was honest.

MortalSmile answered, “I have to remind you that from my many years of experience, female gamers not only have impressive deception skills, their desires of seeking revenge also shouldn’t be underestimated. Be careful!”

“It’s such an extensive game. We probably won’t meet anymore.” Said Gu Fei.

“Really?”

“Umm…Maybe!” Gu Fei stayed honest. She had sent him a friend request herself, and so there did exist the chance of her looking for him again.

“Let’s end the conversation here. I’ve to get started leveling up now.”

“Hey! Give some hints on the bosses, hidden tasks, top weapons and so on!” said Gu Fei.

“Stop kidding. I’m a self-disciplined game worker.” replied MortalSmile.

Gu Fei was indeed just teasing, so he sent a smiley over and closed the conversation tab.

“Fireball! Pooh!” Gu Fei realized that it was a name that should not be called as and when he liked.

But it was too late. A fireball had already rose in front of him, and Fireball who stood beside him was indignant as well. “Who are you swearing at!” He gave Gu Fei a glare.

“It was a mistake!” Gu Fei said. “But your name is really inconvenient. Let’s think of a nickname.”

As usual, Fireball cursed the fellow who chose his name profusely. Only after that did he respond to Gu Fei’s question, “Call me Little Fire then.”

“Little Fire… Ok, that will be it for now!” said Gu Fei.

The two talked and walked, and headed towards the outskirts of the city. On the way, Fireball suddenly remembered something. “Drunk Bro…” he began.

“Hmm?”

“You said that the drinks just now were on you, but you ran away all of a sudden, so I was still the one who paid!” Fireball said.

“Oh really? Then it’s my treat the next time!”Gu Fei wasn’t bothered at all.

“Why do I have a feeling that you will play dumb when that time comes?” Fireball raised his guard.

“Please! Do I look like that kind of person to you?” Gu Fei acted innocent.

“You didn’t at first, but now you look like it. A lot.” Fireball looked worried.

Gu Fei grinned. “To be honest, I don’t like to bully strangers. But doing it to friends is ok!”