Trapped Inside the Beta Test World for 1000 Years-Chapter 73

Mia came and went quickly. It seemed the priestess couldn't stay too long at the inn to avoid misunderstandings. She hastily cast a "Healing Spell," filling Xia Ya's health bar, then blushingly gave him a quick peck before leaving under the curious gazes of those inside.
She had heard about the commotion at the city gate from the guards on duty. When she heard about a "young swordsman who could stand against Captain Macha," Xia Ya immediately came to mind.
Though she claimed she was "worried someone might be injured," the love in the priestess's eyes was evident to anyone with common sense, even if they had never been in love themselves.
Apulu Pie was left speechless this time.
The girl seemed to realize what it meant to be a "small witch meeting a big witch," and fell into a long period of existential doubt. After a while, she stood up, absent-mindedly saying she was going out to see if she could find some quests.
Xia Ya was about to share his insights when the Dark Elf pinched his waist hard, then dragged Apulu Pie away with her.
He was elegantly dismissed.
Xia Ya sighed and went to the backyard to find Lef.
Lef was working with a cauldron on her left, bubbling with a thick, dark green liquid. On her right were clean paper and pen, where she was copying the patterns from Corian's silent stealth boots.
Now this is a real player!
Xia Ya cleared his throat twice, interrupting the girl's work.
"Eh? How are you all healed?"
"A kind passing priestess healed me... but that's not why I'm here. I need your help."
Xia Ya placed a bucket of Soulbinding Grass powder he had gotten for free in front of her.
"I remember your 'Alchemy' is level 3, right?"
"Level 4 now."
"...That's fast. Even better! Could you help me make it into 'Soulbinding Ointment'? The other two herbs are sweetgrass and patchouli leaves, which are in the warehouse. The ratio is roughly 8:1:1, but you might need to experiment a bit."
"Oh, knowing the ratio makes it much easier."
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"Only you could say something like that..."
Xia Ya muttered softly. Truly a player who uses their brain.
In his first playthrough, he mastered many recipes, dreaming of making potions with his eyes closed in the second round.
But in reality, it's hard to achieve.
Alchemy levels and recipes in the game are like an official cheat, subtly altering your herb mixing doses to achieve a perfect balance.
Even though he told Lef the general ratio, the actual ratio might be 8.001:1.001:0.998, or even more precise. A tiny deviation could lead to a huge mistake. Only when a recipe is truly mastered does the system automatically adjust the doses. Reverse engineering it requires immense patience and meticulousness.
And a bit of luck.
Xia Ya could do it, but he wouldn't waste his energy on it right now.
"Soulbinding Ointment" is a common burial item for the Ice Summoners of Allendale, almost permanently preserving the body's vitality. Although it's just a level 3 herb, the recipe can only be learned in Ice City, so he had no choice but to resort to this.
Marveling at Lef's value as a player, Xia Ya left the workshop and headed alone to the slums.
...
An hour later, he emerged from the secret passage where Shinobu Oshino had fallen last time. As soon as he poked his head out, a tentacle covered in suckers came at him.
Xia Ya immediately shouted, "Luke!"
The tentacle stopped mid-air, and a small head emerged from the water, with a fat penguin perched on top.
Empy squawked angrily at Xia Ya, then was held down by Luke.
"Come down."
The boy waved at him. A giant tentacle stopped in front of him, and Xia Ya jumped onto it.
Soon, they stood by the shore. Everything was as it was, even the ropes that had bound Simon and his group were loosely tied to a rock.
"How's it going?" Xia Ya asked.
"Alright. The gamblers left, and the snorer is gone too. It's quiet," Luke smiled faintly. "But I'm getting tired of eating fish. Sometimes I sneak up to grab something else. How about you?"
"Me? My life is still colorful, always busy with something..."
Xia Ya leaned against a rock, smiling as he recounted his recent experiences.
Luke listened quietly, occasionally chuckling softly.
They were like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, naturally getting along no matter what they talked about.
Xia Ya had known Luke long enough to understand what he longed for most—like a lonely patient needing friendship but unable to bear overly intense emotions, only able to adapt to a calm companionship.
Xia Ya understood this, but he never deliberately catered to it in any playthrough.
He just acted normally, treating the other as another version of himself, a lonely self.
Essentially, they were the same kind of person.
But the difference was that Xia Ya knew how to escape loneliness, had the ability to resist, and embraced more passionate emotions, melting into the love of girls.
But Luke couldn't, and wouldn't.
"...By the way, I came to discuss something with you."
Xia Ya spoke naturally.
Luke tilted his head.
Xia Ya said, "I want to take you away."
Luke was stunned.
At the same time, Empy seemed to sense something, its smooth fur bristling as it jumped in front of Luke, baring 44 sharp teeth at Xia Ya.
And behind him, the calm water began to bubble.
A monster hidden in the deep was awakening.
"Xia Ya..." Luke frowned, stroking Empy's fur to calm it. "You should understand my situation... so..."
"I have a way to take you away," Xia Ya said, word by word. "You should know, you can't die, right?"
Luke froze.
Behind him, the lake began to boil, a dark shadow rising from the water, two amber octopus eyes glowing a bright yellow.
Maengron.
It was watching Xia Ya.
[It is watching you.]
The system prompted.
Xia Ya took a deep breath, his body instinctively trembling, his thoughts spiraling into madness...
His attributes were still too low to resist this indescribable fear.
"Luke!"
He shouted.
"Do you long for freedom?"
Luke's body shook.
"Please believe me! I can give you freedom! True freedom!"
As he finished speaking, the water behind Luke exploded, eight tentacles rising like pillars supporting the underground passage!
Xia Ya's body almost uncontrollably ran toward the lake, Maengron's huge, ugly body fully revealed before him, its smooth skin, hideous, writhing folds, and the suckers on its tentacles becoming clearer.
Even Empy curled up at Luke's feet, trembling uncontrollably.
"Luke!" Xia Ya shouted.
"Stop... stop!"
Luke suddenly turned, roaring at Maengron.
The sea monster hesitated for a second, its mouth full of ring-shaped sharp teeth opening wide, letting out a deep, obscure roar at Xia Ya.
It was furious, its tentacles reaching for Xia Ya.
"I! Said! Stop!"
Luke shouted angrily, his thin body suddenly bursting with unbelievable strength.
"Get! Back! In! The! Water!"
Maengron hesitated for a few seconds, then closed its huge eyes, slowly retreating into the water.
Xia Ya had one foot in the water, covered in mud-like slime.
Phew—
Damn, that was intense.
He lay flat on the ground, taking deep breaths of the humid air.
Luke looked down at him, smiling faintly, then extended his hand.
"I believe you."