Just as I was reeling from the sheer brilliance of the Mad Dragon Gang’s plan, Jinbo hadn't forgotten the original topic: "Right, you still haven't told me how you ended up here."

"Well, how should I put this!" I frantically organized suitable excuses in my mind. I certainly couldn't tell him that I was caught red-handed lurking at the entrance by members of the Mad Dragon Gang, and only ended up storming into the Coffin of Death to save my skin: "Actually, it was like this! I was bored, so I thought I'd check out the Coffin of Death, and right at the entrance, I happened to see you fighting the Mad Dragon Gang." I truly wanted to be an honest person, and I had even sworn never to lie again. Yet, every time I ran into trouble, it seemed that only deception could solve it, and every lie seemed to bring unforeseen complications. I wondered if this time would bring trouble, weighing it over and over. Surely this explanation wouldn't cause any issues? And even if it did, could anything be more troublesome than my current predicament?

"Honestly, I was terrified at the time, so I hid behind a large rock, planning to slip away after you all finished fighting," I admitted truthfully.

"You were scared!" Jinbo seemed skeptical of my words.

Heaven knows, I was telling the absolute truth. I hadn't expected Jinbo not to believe me.

"Then why didn't I see you scared when you just killed those four guys?" Jinbo looked at me probing my face: "I think you were just afraid of attracting trouble."

"This!" She had actually gotten half of it right.

"Alright, stop with the 'this and that.' What happened next? After we left, how did you end up running in here?" Jinbo looked at me with a strange expression: "Surely you didn't just wander in here because you were bored, did you?"

"Well, to be honest, I did have that intention originally." This time, I spoke the truth: "But then I saw you all charging in fighting, and the thought vanished."

"Heavens! I give up on you," Jinbo sighed dramatically: "I never realized someone so young could be so unbelievably brazen."

"Heh heh." I could only force a dry laugh.

"And then what?" Jinbo pressed: "How did you end up running in here?"

"I was forced to!" I replied with a bitter smile: "Not long after you left, just as I was about to go, I ran head-on into a huge crowd. There were over thirty Red Moon masters alone, plus at least a thousand high-level Rangers, and they were all from the Mad Dragon Gang." I admitted with resignation: "Now you understand why I bolted in here, right?" Truthfully, this wasn't exactly a lie; I just conveniently omitted the part where I was picking up equipment and ran into Chi Xiao. That was deliberate, of course, as I didn't want Jinbo to know I had directly confronted Chi Xiao. That would inevitably leave a trail for the Mad Dragon Gang to track me down. It’s always safer to be cautious. In the end, it’s all down to this damned luck and curiosity. They have me walking on eggshells, constantly anxious. If this continues for a few more years, I’ll surely have a nervous breakdown and be completely finished.

"So you're saying you were forced inside," Jinbo said with a touch of schadenfreude: "Looks like your luck is terrible, but you ended up saving my life in the process." As she spoke, Jinbo flashed a confident smile. I knew my Jinbo, with her exquisite beauty, would never fall into the hands of these brutes. It seems even Heaven is helping me, sending you in this way."

Sweat dropped. This woman was engaging in revisionist history, treating my life-saving deed as something preordained.

"Yes, do you remember I saved you!" I retorted sharply: "So, shouldn't you consider how to repay me now?"

"Heh heh! This, this!" Jinbo seemed unprepared for my lack of deference: "Then what kind of repayment do you want? Surely it’s not..." Jinbo looked strangely at the four corpses: "I didn't expect you, while still barely out of boyhood, to be eyeing my... "

Sweat again! I was completely defeated by this woman.

"Forget it! Pretend I never said anything!" I had given up on her; there was no saving someone this narcissistic. Besides, this wasn't the time for chatting. Having secured the intelligence I needed, it was time to carefully plan our next move.

"Let's hide for now!" I suggested, pointing to the little nook where I had just finished setting up a disguise: "I haven't eaten anything for an entire day."

"Fine!" Jinbo readily agreed: "You’re lucky, kid, to get this much one-on-one time with this great beauty."

This woman was exceptionally self-absorbed. But her comment did send a little jolt through me. Damn it, was she trying to seduce me?

"However, what about those four guys?" Jinbo asked, looking at the four headless corpses.

"Dig a hole and bury them, or just use your Blast Flame to burn them to ashes," I replied casually. This was, after all, a common way for Rangers on the continent to dispose of bodies; nothing shocking about it.

"Burn them to ashes! Why didn't I think of that!" Jinbo looked enlightened: "But we need to collect their gear first; the Blast Flame can't melt equipment!" Jinbo was true to her word. She deftly stripped the jewelry, equipment, and even the armor from the four bodies. She even picked up the four heads that had fallen to the ground, taking off their helmets. The scene was incredibly grim and bizarre. To think that she, a woman, would casually strip four male corpses without any apparent distress. It seemed she had done this kind of thing before, yet she had just pretended to ask me what to do. This woman was anything but simple.

In no time, all the equipment was transferred into her spatial bag. Then, with practiced ease, she launched several blasts of flame, reducing the four bodies and four heads to ash.

..................... I stared, dumbfounded, as Jinbo completed the assembly line process of gathering loot and disposing of evidence in under five minutes.

"Uh!" Seeing my odd expression, Jinbo seemed to understand: "Fine, we're in this together, so I'll give you half." With that, Jinbo slipped into the small cave I had prepared.

"This!" What could I say to such an unreasonable woman?

"Hmm! You take these two Warrior sets; you can't use the other professions' gear anyway!" Jinbo allocated the spoils of their recent acquisition as if it were her right.

"Wait, if I recall correctly, I killed all these people, so all their stuff should belong to me," I gently reminded her.

"Hey, Star Kid, be decent!" Jinbo argued: "Think about it, if I hadn't lured them over, would you have had a chance to kill them!"

"You still have the nerve to say that!" I muttered: "Lured them over? I was being chased by them, alright! And I saved you too!"

"Heh heh, that's true," Jinbo conceded: "But saving a life and dividing loot are two different matters!" Jinbo paused, then continued: "How about this: I’ll give you an extra set of Taoist equipment as repayment for saving my life! What do you say?"

....................... I was speechless: "Never mind, I take back everything I said." It wasn't generosity; the few ZUMA sets in my bag were far superior to this high-level Warrior gear. I didn't care much for this high-level Ranger gear now. But since Jinbo had offered, I saw no reason to refuse.

This place was a crevice between two large stones, forming a natural cave, though it was quite spacious inside. For safety, I had wedged one of the large stones against the exit, so passersby wouldn't spot us. To be even safer, Jinbo cast the Mage's signature spells: the Divine Word Barrier and the Warning Magic. This way, if anyone moved within a hundred meters, we would be alerted.

After dividing the spoils, we started preparing food. Although it was just dried bread and jerky, after some processing, these dry rations could become delicious meals—depending on one's culinary skill.

Surprisingly, Jinbo, this fiery, beautiful woman, was a rare culinary master, her skill rivaling Long Xin's. The coarse, hard jerky and dry bread she cooked skillfully became appealing in color, aroma, and taste. I ate heartily, consuming far more than usual. This was the best food I'd had in over a year. I calculated mentally. At this rate, the rations in my spatial bag wouldn't last half a year. However, Jinbo mentioned she had enough food in her spatial bag to last us another two years, which greatly reassured me.

After eating our fill, I leaned back against the corner of the stone wall and let out a satisfied burp. Ah, life was truly comfortable like this. I had a beauty by my side now, a top-tier woman who could cook and manage a home. If things could progress further, that would be even better, I thought secretly, thrilled.

"What are your plans next?" Jinbo kept nibbling slowly on the soft bread in her hand.

"Hmm, plans." I considered for a moment, deciding to share my thoughts with her: "What plans could I have? Survival is key right now, so my plan is just to stay put."

".........." Jinbo stared at me in surprise: "Are you planning to stay here forever?"

"Do you have a better idea?" I countered.

"This!" Jinbo was momentarily stunned, then shook her head instinctively: "But how long would we have to wait?"

"I don't know," I spread my hands: "I'll stay hidden until the Mad Dragon Gang members guarding the exit leave."

"What if they stay there forever?" Jinbo asked.

"Then I’ll hide forever."

"........." Jinbo was speechless; she clearly had no better solution. Although she was worried about her companions, she understood the current situation: rushing out to find them might not succeed and could only put her in danger.

"I guess that’s the only way," Jinbo finally accepted my suggestion.

And so, Jinbo and I were temporarily "cohabiting" in this cramped cave. Although I wanted to check the entrance to see if the Mad Dragon Gang members had withdrawn, after careful consideration, I abandoned the idea. Based on my estimates, the Mad Dragon Gang wouldn't pull back anytime soon. Even if they did retreat, it wouldn't be a full withdrawal; some experts would surely remain. I figured if they left even two or three Red Moon level experts behind, I wouldn't be able to escape successfully. Moreover, I now had a minor burden in tow. My actions required much more consideration.

Even though it was an unmarried man and woman sharing quarters, Jinbo showed none of the bashfulness or unease I expected from a woman. Instead, she was composed and magnanimous, acting like the mistress of the house, as if this was her territory and I was merely a guest she had taken in. She even took the liberty of zoning out the small cave. She used a piece of canvas to partition off the larger space inside, designating it as her boudoir, which I was forbidden to enter casually. I was assigned the corner near the stone door entrance, responsible for standing guard. This corner also served as my bedroom and our kitchen for preparing food.

Whether it was her incredibly strong nerves or the fact that I looked harmless, I could sense she had absolutely no guard up against me. This made me feel a bit embarrassed and insecure. Did I look that unthreatening? That even such a great beauty had no basic male-female defense mechanism around me? Thinking this, I couldn't help but examine myself.

Honestly, compared to when I left the village, my physique was much sturdier now. I had grown a little taller, and my arms and legs had thickened considerably. I estimated my current height to be around 1.62 meters, weighing about 50 kilograms. In modern terms, this should be a normal adolescent build. However, compared to the men in this world, my frame was only slightly taller than a child's, barely crossing into the young man stage. It was no wonder Jinbo didn't take me seriously. Compared to Jinbo's height of about 1.72 meters, my physique... made me lack the courage for any improper thoughts.

Alas! What a blow!

I sighed deeply again. To achieve the perfectly elegant appearance I envisioned, I probably needed another three or four years.

The days passed uneventfully. There wasn't any of the romantic ambiguity often found in wish-fulfillment novels. As a Mage, Jinbo could cultivate her magic and mental power through meditation even when not fighting monsters.

I, in contrast, was relatively bored. However, I wasn't completely idle. I unpacked the equipment from my spatial bag; I hadn't had the chance to examine these fine things while fleeing earlier.

Hmm, this Black Iron Helmet was good; its physical and magical defense were both superb, only its appearance was too ugly. Wearing it made me look like a miner who had just crawled out of a coal pit. Furthermore, the helmet was incredibly heavy; I suspected that if I actually wore it, my neck would snap from the excessive load. I also decided against wearing the Skeleton Helmet Jinbo gave me. Although it was significantly lighter than the Black Iron Helmet, its terrifying and grotesque shape made me discard the idea immediately. In comparison, the Taoist Helmet I was wearing before was light and didn't look nearly as frightening, so I decided to stick with it for now. Then there were the other ZUMA accessories.

This was the first time I had the chance to closely examine these ZUMA accessories in person. Their appearance was identical to the graphics in Legend, but the three-dimensional physical objects were far more vivid than the two-dimensional drawings one saw in the game. Especially that necklace, as clear and bright green as jade, hanging around my neck like a whistle carved from dark green jadeite, reminded me of the whistle the gym teacher wore around his neck in physical education class.

It must be said that the people of this world were truly intelligent. The craftsmanship of these accessories was incredibly fine, and the design concept seemed highly ergonomic; whether helmets, necklaces, accessories, or belts, they could all be adjusted freely to fit different body types. It was hard to imagine that the overly exaggerated Ring of Strength and the Bracelet of Chivalry could be adjusted to fit me.

In contrast, the Bracelet of Chivalry and the Ring of Strength looked much more menacing and profound than the small and lovely Green Necklace. Especially the Ring of Strength; in my previous life, many players vividly called it the 'Bear Paw.' Indeed, the Ring of Strength truly resembled a pair of bear paws, both in appearance and in feeling. The thick aura of battle energy swirling around my palm made me feel as if my hands had truly transformed into a pair of immensely powerful bear paws. Finally, I put the Bracelet of Chivalry on both wrists, and I belted the ancient-looking Iron Belt around my waist.

After equipping them, I immediately felt a deep, powerful energy flow entirely different from before, filling my body with a terrifying strength that astonished me. I had never imagined that one day my