Chapter 184: I'm Not Being Lazy, My Brother Just Needs More Exercise
Zhongli withdrew his gaze from the horizon and turned to Wise and Ling. "Alright, we can save the pleasantries for later. Let us continue our exploration, lest we fall too far behind."
At his words, Ling gently placed the chimera, which had been purring contentedly in her arms for some time, back onto the ground. After landing, the little creature gave its head a shake, and the blue arrow indicator above it lit up once more, pointing toward a new direction.
With that, Zhongli's team officially began their journey through the Fate Abyss.
In the subsequent exploration, Ling was no longer a mere observer; she began to actively participate in the battles. However, unlike Wise, who clearly preferred the visceral thrill of close-quarters combat, Ling mostly used the unique advantages of her Zanpakutō to execute mid-to-long-range ice attacks.
Hyōrinmaru served as a powerful amplifier for her Ice-Ice Fruit ability. Often, a casual flick of her blade was enough to send a wave of biting cold whistling through the air, instantly flash-freezing distant mobs like the Strife Minions into crystalline statues. A subsequent, gentle tap was all it took to shatter them, making for an incredibly efficient method of clearing the path.
Yet, whenever a tougher opponent appeared—such as a hulking Damned Vanguard—Ling would very naturally turn her gaze to Wise. Her expression practically screamed, 'Go get 'em, Big Brother!'before she would obediently retreat to the safety of Zhongli's side.'Hmm, it's perfectly reasonable to leave powerful enemies to my brother, who is far more skilled in close combat,'Ling silently rationalized, feeling not a single prick of guilt.'It's definitely not because I'm too lazy for such a tough fight. Besides, this is a good way for him to gain more practical combat experience!'
Her "laziness" plan, however, did not last long. After Wise single-handedly dispatched two more Damned Vanguards, further familiarizing himself with his flame-infused fighting style, he decisively chose the path of "sibling affection means sharing the hardships."
"Ling, this next one is yours," Wise said, neatly sidestepping a crushing blow from another stone-armored behemoth.
"Eh? Wait, Big Brother, I—" Ling started, already trying to formulate an excuse.
"With Mr. Zhongli watching over us, this is the safest opportunity you'll have for practical combat. Don't waste it." Wise's tone was firm, yet it carried an obvious undercurrent of concern. "A lack of experience is the most dangerous liability on any battlefield. You need to adapt as quickly as possible."
His reasoning was sound, born from a genuine concern for Ling's long-term safety. But in the actual fight that followed, the combat prowess Ling displayed somewhat exceeded his expectations.
Perhaps it was because Hyōrinmaru, as a Zanpakutō, inherently possessed a certain conceptual or soul-level freezing effect, rather than one based on mere physical temperature. Even against an elite monster like the Damned Vanguard, its power was surprisingly effective.
Ling would simply seize an opening, unleashing a few sharp, icy glints of her blade. With each strike, the Damned Vanguard's movements would visibly stiffen and slow. The stone armor plating its body was rapidly coated in a thick layer of frost, which quickly grew into solid ice until the creature was completely frozen in place—a giant, immobile sculpture that had lost all ability to fight back.
The sight left Wise a little stunned. He knew from his own experience that dealing with a Damned Vanguard required him to first use his purple flames to melt and weaken its stone armor before he could even look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. Ling, on the other hand, seemed to have skipped the most difficult "armor-breaking" step entirely.
'Is it because of the unique nature of a Zanpakutō?'Wise pondered.'Or do ice-based abilities inherently have an advantage against these rock monsters?'
Regardless of the reason, the outcome was undeniably positive.
Under Wise's "coercion" and Zhongli's watchful escort, Ling indeed gained valuable hands-on combat experience. Her timing, her footwork, and the cooperation between her swordsmanship and Devil Fruit abilities grew increasingly proficient with each encounter. At the same time, Wise continued to hone his own skills against one powerful enemy after another, constantly seeking deeper ways to integrate his flames and martial arts.
On the ancient battlefield of the Fate Abyss, the practical combat experience of both siblings was steadily on the rise.
Perhaps it was the eternally unchanging, bright sky simulated by the Dawn Machine overhead that blurred the passage of time. Perhaps it was the eager anticipation of what novel items might be found in the chat group's treasure chests. Or perhaps it was simply the absence of Paimon's punctual, alarm-clock-like "I'm hungry!" wail that served as a biological clock.
In any case, the two small teams, engrossed in their exploration of the Fate Abyss, completely forgot about lunch. All their attention was dedicated to finding the points of light indicated by the chimeras, opening scattered treasure chests, and battling the Strife Minions that would suddenly materialize from thin air.
It had to be said, the reward mechanism arranged by the chat group was both generous and enticing. In addition to various quality items, some treasure chests even directly yielded varying amounts of group points. These tangible rewards greatly stimulated everyone's enthusiasm, driving them to tirelessly traverse and fight their way through the magnificent and dilapidated ruins.
After what felt like a full day, though the process had been a simple cycle of "run across the map, find a chest or fight a monster, then run across the map again," the final harvest was genuinely satisfying.
When the last Damned Vanguard crumbled into a treasure chest under the combined assault of Wise's purple flames and Ling's biting frost, everyone noticed that the two little chimeras no longer had blue arrows flashing above their heads. Instead, they had grown languid, even starting to affectionately rub against their companions' legs while emitting soft, contented purrs.
"Huh? Are they... tired?" March 7th asked, looking down at the little creature fawning at her feet.
Dan Heng checked the activity interface on his screen. "No, it seems our exploration progress has reached the current achievable limit. The interface shows that the Fate Abyss area exploration is complete. Current exploration progress: 75%."
"Seventy-five percent! That was fast!" Stelle exclaimed, her surprise quickly eclipsed by excitement.
March 7th beamed. "I told you we were super efficient!"
Dan Heng studied the activity page for a moment longer before speculating, "It seems the remaining twenty-five percent is likely related to that restricted temple area in the north. We'll probably have to wait until tomorrow's activity update, or perhaps fulfill some other condition, before we can continue exploring."
After a long and busy day, it was finally time to rest. The two teams reported their status to each other in the chat group, confirming that everyone was safe and unharmed, then decided to return to Okhema's bathhouse. Their plan was to relax in the hot springs while taking stock of the day's gains.
Using the Domain Anchor Dan Heng had set up earlier, both teams quickly teleported back to the familiar bathhouse. It was clear that Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng's team had returned first; the southern area they were responsible for was relatively more familiar, and their clearing efficiency had been higher.
"Since we're back first, how about we handle the food and drinks?" March 7th suggested brightly. "That way, when Zhongli and the others get back, we can all share while we soak in the hot springs!"
"Great idea! I'm starving!" Stelle immediately shot her hand up in agreement, only then realizing just how famished she was.
Dan Heng nodded. "Alright. I'll go to the Cloudstone Restaurant and see what specialty dishes they have for takeout. Stelle, March, you two can prepare the bath and the drinks."
"No problem!" the two girls replied in unison.
With the plan set, Dan Heng turned and left the bathhouse, heading toward the market. Stelle and March 7th, meanwhile, began to bustle about, preparing tea and juice, checking the temperature of the bathwater, and getting everything ready for a well-deserved rest.
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