Chapter Sixteen: Ascending the Snowy Cliff

Shen Ce’s face contorted slightly, cold and severe to the point of intimidation. He turned to look at the masked man in the silver robe, his voice as biting as frost on a winter’s day: “Do you find this amusing?”

Facing Shen Ce’s blade-sharp, intimidating gaze, Seros suddenly thought this priest was quite entertaining to tease. He propped his chin with one hand, a hint of a playful smile curving his lips. “Extremely amusing.”

But as Shen Ce heard Seros’s languid tone, a feeling of vexation crept through him. “Take it off.”

Seros’s smile deepened, and he drawled lazily, “Why don’t you take off the ring on your hand first? Then I’ll remove the one on mine.”

Shen Ce froze in place. “You—” Was Seros’s remark just a coincidence?

For a fleeting moment, Shen Ce almost suspected that Seros had uncovered the secret of the spirit ring on his finger. He glanced at Seros with doubt, but seeing the obvious mischief in the silver-robed man’s demeanor, his suspicion gradually faded. The menace in his expression softened, though he kept his face cold and distant.

Seros slanted his gaze at Shen Ce, raising his hand to show off his ring with a hint of provocation. “Since you’re unwilling to remove your own ring, you have no right to dictate what I do with mine.”

It was Illyril, standing on the side, who finally couldn’t bear watching any longer. She didn’t understand what grudges lay between the two, but to her, Shen Ce and Seros simply seemed like an ordinary couple having a spat. Biting her lip, she spoke with unusual earnestness. “Don’t be so stubborn, you two. There’s nothing between lovers that can’t be resolved. Just talk things out.”

Hearing Illyril’s obvious misunderstanding of his relationship with Seros, Shen Ce’s expression darkened further. He scoffed coldly and strode straight out the door.

Watching Shen Ce’s retreating figure, Illyril said to Seros with sympathy, “It must be tough for you, dealing with someone so awkward.” She couldn’t help but furrow her brows and added, “Seathe was the same way before—always pretending, never admitting he liked me. I was so troubled then.”

Seros’s gaze lingered on the distant white-robed figure, and his smile took on a cryptic edge. “Indeed.”

Naturally, Shen Ce had no idea he’d once again fallen into Seros’s trap. Though these past few days had completely obliterated any goodwill he had for Seros, and he wished for nothing more than to sever all ties between them, the mission still lay ahead. Shen Ce had no choice but to open the message panel and send Seros a private message. After all, after completing Illyril and Seathe’s quest, their rapport was now sufficient to upgrade the Twin Flight skill. With all preparations in place, all that remained was heading to Snowy Cliff to slay monsters.

Ding—You have successfully sent a message to player [Seros]: When are you free? We’re almost ready to go to Snowy Cliff.

Nearly two hours passed without a reply, and with Seros’s avatar continuously lit on the message panel, Shen Ce nearly convinced himself that Seros was deliberately ignoring him. Another hour slipped by before he finally received a response: “Alright, how about tomorrow?”

Shen Ce paused in surprise when he received the message. Though everything was set, the abrupt timing still caught him off guard. Then again, judging by their interactions over the past few days, Seros never seemed to have anything pressing to do—too lazy even to grind for experience, no companions ever in sight, yet his gear and potions were never lacking.

Ever since that time hunting the Greedy Wolf, when Seros had “bestowed” upon him a pile of rare scrolls and potions, Shen Ce finally understood why Seros had refused the Redblood Direwolf’s gear upon their first meeting—perhaps to Seros, such things were simply beneath him, an insult to his status.

The next morning, Shen Ce and Seros arrived together at the foot of Snowy Cliff. Perhaps due to the many failed attempts in the past, there were only a handful of players at the base of the mountain, a stark contrast to the teeming crowds Shen Ce had seen in screenshots on the forums.

Their eyes met, each silently thinking of the Twin Flight skill. With their combined will, Twin Flight finally activated. Shen Ce felt as if part of his body’s weight had suddenly lifted, making him lighter and lighter. Moments later, his feet left the ground and he hovered just above the earth.

In truth, Shen Ce had never performed Twin Flight with Seros before—they had used the Together to the Ends teleportation skill, but not this one. The reason was simple and crude: the system required Twin Flight to be performed hand in hand, which instantly killed Shen Ce’s mood for experimenting with the skill. Besides, as a professional player who prided himself on technical mastery, he never doubted his ability to handle a new skill.

Even though he was mentally prepared to “hold hands,” the moment his hand clasped Seros’s, Shen Ce’s body tensed almost imperceptibly. He frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Don’t grip so tightly.”

A fierce wind swept by, blowing back the plain-colored hood that had hidden most of Shen Ce’s face. As he steadily ascended, a sudden slip nearly sent him tumbling. Abruptly, the hand gripping his tightened, steadying him and righting his posture.

Shen Ce glanced sideways at the poised silver-robed figure beside him, noticing that Seros seemed utterly unaffected by the wind. For a fleeting moment, Shen Ce thought he saw a pair of enormous wings unfurl behind Seros, but it was clearly an illusion—Seros’s back was utterly bare.

Seros, sensing Shen Ce’s gaze, smiled with effortless charm and a hint of mockery, as if to tease him for his earlier words.

“Look! Those two guys are trying to fly up Snowy Cliff!” a female player below shouted in astonishment.

A male player beside her looked up as well. “You’re right! Is that the Twin Flight couple skill? But someone tried this before—one minute of flight isn’t enough to reach the cave!”

“Doesn’t that priest look familiar? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

“Now that you mention it, he does look familiar, but they’re flying too high—I can’t make out the priest’s face.”

…

Shen Ce and Seros, of course, heard the conversation drifting up from below, but they weren’t concerned about the doubts raised—they had already upgraded Twin Flight with their rapport, so the flight duration now lasted two minutes, more than enough to reach the cave.

And Twin Flight didn’t disappoint them. Just as the skill was about to expire, a dark, gaping cave appeared overhead. Without exchanging words, the two quickly surveyed the terrain and instinctively sought out protruding rocks to leap higher.

As an assassin, Seros’s movements were crisp and efficient; in a flash, he’d used a withered branch to slip into the cave. Shen Ce, though a step behind, soon found a foothold and avoided the treacherous spots, landing on the cave’s rim.

He had barely steadied himself when a sinister, scraping hiss echoed from deep within the cavern, repeating endlessly—a sound so eerie it made one’s skin crawl.

Shen Ce glanced warily at the shadow-soaked rock walls and quietly cast several support spells, including the Blessing of the Goddess of Light, on both himself and Seros. Their eyes met, and they slipped soundlessly into the cave.

Their steps were so light they made no sound at all. The cave was so dark that Shen Ce could barely make out the shapes of things. After about ten minutes of cautious progress, a figure glowing faintly red abruptly appeared in their path—a hulking beast with two heads.

Shen Ce and Seros halted. Staring at the monstrous figure not far ahead, Shen Ce felt a chill spread from the depths of his heart.