"Don't worry about me! Take Roche and go save that girl right now!"
Ruohua's reaction was incredibly decisive, urging Li Ke to move without a single shred of hesitation.
Ultimately, she had only been injured because she lost focus staring at the sheer firepower of Li Ke's weaponry. Because of that, she had absolutely no intention of letting herself become a drag on the others.
She made a fierce effort to stand up, but her leg shook so violently that anyone could tell she wouldn't be able to keep her footing.
"Just stay put and rest. Roche, you're on guard duty here to look after her. I'll head over by myself."
Li Ke had no intention of bringing Roche along. Given his chaotic bullet spread, if he and Roche charged in together, there was an eighty percent chance he would accidentally blow her away.
Operating solo was definitely the safer bet.
Without waiting for either of them to reply, he bolted straight toward the source of the high-pitched screams.
The girl's cries weren't coming from very far away. After sprinting a mere twenty or thirty meters, Li Ke burst into a small clearing. There, he spotted a silver-haired, red-eyed young girl. Four Goblins were aggressively tearing at her clothes, dragging her straight toward a massive, boiling cauldron.
Just off to the side sat an iron cage with its door smashed wide open.
...Wow, this is a literal textbook recreation of the game intro.
Li Ke mocked the scene internally but didn't delay for a second. He charged forward, gripping a handgun in one hand while drawing his one-handed sword with the other.
Catching sight of his sudden intrusion, three of the Goblins immediately brandished their bone clubs and rushed Li Ke. The remaining one raised its weapon high, pointing it directly at the silver-haired girl's head—clearly signaling that it would execute the hostage the moment Li Ke tried anything funny.
Li Ke wasn't about to indulge its demands. Seeing the girl flat on the ground meant there was practically zero risk of a stray bullet hitting her. He instantly whipped out his revolver and fanned the hammer, emptying the entire cylinder in a flash and turning that specific Goblin into a bloody sieve.
Faced with the remaining three Goblins closing the distance, a flaming magic array materialized across Li Ke's palm. Searing heat instantly engulfed his single-handed blade. With a savage horizontal slash, the blazing sword cut across the Goblins' field of vision, forcing them to instinctively freeze in their tracks.
Li Ke closed the gap instantly. In a flash of movement, his primary handgun vanished from his grip, smoothly replaced by a fresh revolver.
At such point-blank range, it was mathematically impossible for Li Ke to miss.
Three crisp gunshots rang out. The final three Goblins collapsed heavily into the dirt, their eyes wide with complete, uncomprehending bewilderment.
"Phew..."
Li Ke carefully scanned the immediate treeline. He sheared his still-scalding sword back into its scabbard, then rapidly swapped his firearm out for a submachine gun. Only after thoroughly confirming that no reinforcements were lurking in the shadows did he step toward the silver-haired girl, who was still trembling from the residual shock.
"It's alright now. You're safe."
The young girl sprawled on the ground looked entirely dazed. Clearly, almost being turned into soup by a pack of Goblins had left her profoundly traumatized. She stared blankly at Li Ke's extended hand before instinctively placing her own trembling palm into his.
"Can you stand?"
Li Ke examined the girl in front of him. Though her garments were somewhat disheveled and torn, it was quite obvious these particular Goblins lacked any complex secondary desires. They hadn't intended to "consume" her in a predatory sense; they had quite literally just wanted to eat her for dinner.
"I... I can."
The silver-haired girl nodded hastily, using Li Ke's leverage to pull herself up from the dirt.
Li Ke studied her with a hint of curiosity. Whether it was her attire or her facial features, the girl in front of him perfectly matched the image of Seria. Still, just to be absolutely certain, he decided to verify.
"Just to make sure we didn't rescue the wrong person, you are Seria, correct?"
Hearing Li Ke's question, Seria nodded with extreme caution.
"Yes, I am Seria. Thank you so much, brave hero."
Gazing up at Li Ke's face, she couldn't help but purse her lips slightly before asking her next question.
"How can I ever repay you for this, hero?"
Her very first priority upon being freed was addressing this debt. For a pure-hearted, kind girl like her, offering compensation to her savior was a non-negotiable duty.
The problem was, Li Ke didn't look remotely poor. In fact, he seemed like an exceptionally powerful adventurer; anyone capable of obliterating a pack of monsters in a single instant had to be incredibly high-ranked.
She viewed herself as nothing more than a village girl who had lost all her past memories. Even if she was slightly above average in the looks department, she genuinely had no idea what she could possibly offer to repay someone of his caliber.
"Repay me, you say..."
Staring down at the girl before him, Li Ke couldn't help but recall the game character traits from his past. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he instinctively spoke his thoughts aloud.
"How about you give me your virginity?"
"Eh? Y-You... You..."
Seria's pupils instantly dilated, and she froze completely in place. Her cheeks turned a roaring crimson in a split second, and her fair hands subconsciously clutched at the hem of her skirt as she stood there, utterly mortified and at a loss for words.
"You didn't mishear me. I mean exactly what I said."
Li Ke found her flustered reaction incredibly entertaining, so he smiled and pushed the joke a little further.
"Vi-Vi-Virginity..."
Seria's tongue was tying itself into literal knots. Though she had never experienced romance, she was well aware of what such sudden declarations implied.
Yet, never in her wildest dreams could she have anticipated that the gallant hero who had just snatched her from danger would demand that as his prize!
Watching Seria completely shut down, Li Ke finally lost the battle against his own amusement and burst out laughing, lightly patting her on the shoulder.
"Haha, I'm just teasing you. In reality, the person who commissioned us to find you is paying the bounty. Though, honestly, I wouldn't have minded the alternative."
Li Ke immediately resumed scanning the treeline, keeping a sharp eye out for any hidden threats. After all, the absolute last thing he wanted was to rescue a VIP only to get blindsided by a cheap ambush and get himself killed.
That kind of cliché played out far too often in manga and light novels. To avoid triggering some bizarre bad ending, Li Ke firmly believed that one could never be too cautious!
"Alright, let's get out of here. It's still too dangerous to linger."
Once he was thoroughly satisfied that there were no suspicious movements behind them, he led Seria back toward the direction he had charged in from, maintaining his vigilant lookout.
"Right... Okay..."
Blushing furiously, Seria meekly followed a half-step behind him.
The journey back went incredibly smoothly. Li Ke didn't cross paths with any sneaking Goblins, successfully mapping his way back to where Roche stood guard over Miss Ruohua, who was currently wrapping up her own wounds.
Learning that Seria had been retrieved safely, the trio wasted no time lingering in the woods. Guarding Seria in their center, they marched straight back toward the safety of the outpost.
However...
"I am truly sorry for the trouble."
Ruohua quite embarrassedly leaned across Li Ke's back. Her voluptuous breasts were instantly squished against his spine like thick, flat pancakes, while Li Ke's hands naturally cupped her thighs right near her crotch.
As Li Ke's hands brushed against the very root of her thighs... Ruohua instantly felt her body turn a bit strange.
"If you know it's a hassle, you should have been more careful..." Li Ke couldn't help but roast her aloud. Yet, the sensation of her bouncy ass pressed against him... made his mood exceptionally fantastic.
Li Ke couldn't help but roast her aloud. Yet, the reliability of having a dependable companion, paired with the successful rescue mission, put him in an exceptionally fantastic mood.
If Roche were to sniff her, she would only smell the sour stench of sweat on Ruohua's body. But in Li Ke's heightened male senses, it was an incredibly intoxicating fragrance.
This was the effect of surging hormones—his very genes sending a message to his brain, screaming that Ruohua's body was the perfect vessel for carrying his future offspring.
And on Ruohua's side, things were much the same.
The scent of a robust, powerful man and the overwhelming vulnerability of relying entirely on him made Ruohua feel incredibly strange inside.
Particularly, the scorching heat of Li Ke's hands gripping the very root of her thighs sent a relentless itch straight up her crotch, making her secretly crave an even tighter, more forceful grip from him.
Furthermore, as Li Ke walked, her body inevitably swayed and bounced. Her thick, voluptuous breasts rubbed relentlessly against his back. Because she was wearing a martial arts uniform, Miss Ruohua couldn't wear any underwear, which naturally caused a highly pleasurable sensation of friction to bloom through her body.
However, even though these intense physical reactions made Ruohua deeply embarrassed, she focused her mind on the reality of the situation. After all, her leg was injured and she couldn't walk; being carried on Li Ke's back was a practical necessity.
Therefore, she simply forced her voice to remain dead serious.
"I understand. My apologies... My cultivation is still severely lacking."
Hearing her incredibly stern, upright voice, Li Ke—who enjoyed teasing his companions—instantly felt a desire to banter with Ruohua as well.
"Don't worry about it, you've given me a pretty memorable experience anyway. Honestly, I'm glad I could help you out while you're injured."
Before Li Ke could even finish his sentence, Ruohua's face flushed a violent crimson, and she delivered a swift karate chop to the top of his head.
"I don't need you reminding me of the situation right now."
Ruohua's cheeks burned. She hadn't paid much attention to it initially, but now she realized how close the physical contact was with every single step he took. Even with her disciplined mind, she couldn't stop a wave of embarrassment from washing over her.
"Hey, it's fine. Just remember, I'm always here to help on our next mission," Li Ke laughed.
Having said his piece, Li Ke turned his gaze onto Roche.
"And there's plenty of room if anyone else needs a lift!"
Roche's counterattack was instantaneous and dry.
"I'd rather walk, thanks."
She stared at Li Ke with an unamused expression. Her relationship with Li Ke was actually fantastic, which was the only reason they could exchange banter like this, even if his teasing occasionally rubbed her the wrong way.
Standing to the side, Seria couldn't help but look at Li Ke, then at Miss Ruohua, who was currently blushing on his back. She couldn't resist leaning in and whispering a quiet question.
"Are you two... close?"
She asked with caution, observing the familiar way they interacted.
But Li Ke's denial was swift and decisive.
"Miss Ruohua is just our mentor for the time being, helping us get used to the adventuring lifestyle."
His casual answer caused Seria to nod in understanding, though she remained somewhat flustered by the group's energetic dynamics. She lowered her head, focusing on the path beneath her feet as they continued their journey.
It wasn't just because he had saved her, but because he had literally risked his own life to snatch her from the jaws of death.
To a pure and deeply traditional girl like Seria, compensating him with her own body was something she was genuinely prepared to accept. After all, a blood debt of survival had to be repaid, no matter the cost.
Steeling her resolve, she parted her lips, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"I... I... If you truly desire..."
However, right at that pivotal moment, a massive, booming voice suddenly shattered the atmosphere.
"Seria!"
Linus, clad in his signature white tank top, abruptly burst through the thicket on the side of the path. Shouting her name, he charged straight toward Seria, skidding to a halt right in front of them. Before Li Ke could even utter a word, the blacksmith blurted out anxiously.
"Are you alright, Seria?! What in the world happened to make you run all the way out here?"
Without giving Seria a chance to reply, he whipped his gaze around to face Li Ke and Ruohua.
"Thank you so much, adventurers! Whenever you're free, swing by my blacksmith shop and pick out some weapons as a reward. Of course, if you'd prefer cash, I can give you gold coins instead!"
Linus was an incredibly generous, larger-than-life guy who didn't believe in dragging his feet or skimping on rewards.
"I'll take the gold coins then," Li Ke replied instantly.
While Linus's craftsmanship was undeniably top-tier, Li Ke's current sword had been purchased directly from Norton. More importantly, his primary combat style relied heavily on firearms, meaning he had very little practical use for standard cold weapons.
Roche and Ruohua felt exactly the same way. Left with no other choice, Linus scratched his head in mild disappointment, reaching into his vest to pull out a heavy pouch of gold.
"Alright, alright, gold coins it is then. Jeez, you guys really missed out, my weapons are fantastic, you know... Alright, Seria, let's head back to town."
After settling the payment, Linus prepared to escort Seria away. After all, he wasn't familiar with Li Ke's crew and wanted to ensure her safety.
But Seria firmly shook her head.
"Um, Uncle Linus, I want to invite them back to my inn and properly host them. They risked everything to save my life."
Turning back to the trio, Seria bowed deeply to them.
"Please, allow me this opportunity to show my gratitude."
Her attitude was profoundly earnest. Meanwhile, Roche immediately chimed in to ask the most critical question.
"Are the food and lodging completely free?"
Seria flashed a beautifully innocent, completely clueless smile.
"Of course."
You're going to severely regret that financial decision, young lady, Li Ke mocked savagely in his mind, thinking about Roche's bottomless stomach.
And so, the four of them made their way back to Seria's inn. After calling a local doctor to properly treat Ruohua's leg wound, they all washed up and retired to their respective rooms to rest.
However, right in the dead of night, a soft, cautious knock echoed from Li Ke's door.
Perplexed, he swung the door open. There, bathed in the pale, ethereal glow of the midnight moonlight, stood Seria.
And she was wearing next to nothing.