4. Deeper And Little Bun

Date: July 18, 2025

After leaving the Rift Ruins, we continued deeper into the cave.

The air was still damp and stifling, but most of that heavy metallic blood smell had finally gone.

Little Bun held my hand—still a bit cautious with her steps,

but way more stable than when we first landed in this world.

Yin walked ahead, sword in hand, always alert.

We walked for about twenty minutes before we reached a stone chamber.

The ground was paved with loose gravel,

and in the center was a cracked platform.

At the far end were three diverging paths.

"Little System, which one leads to Ulann City?" I frowned.

[Scanning~]

[Main Quest Hint: No clear directional markers.]

[All three paths are unmarked regions.]

[Each may lead to your destination… or to powerful enemies and special events!]

"So basically… leave it to fate, lah?" I sighed.

"Up to fate," Yin echoed simply, scanning the three paths.

"Sound, smell, airflow… all similar.

No obvious danger."

"Little Bun, which way you think we should go?" I crouched down beside her.

She stared at the three dark tunnels and whispered,

"The middle one… got some light. And wind too."

I nodded. "Alright, we'll go with the middle path."

As we stepped in, the air gradually turned dry.

Stalactites started appearing overhead.

We walked another ten minutes when a piercing screech echoed ahead.

"Careful," Yin said instantly,

stepping protectively in front of me.

From the darkness, a swarm of shadows burst out.

"Little System?"

[Warning: E-Rank Swarm Monster—'Bloodthirsty Bats' detected.]

[Quantity: 15]

[Skills: Bloodsucking Bite, Shadow Rush]

"Walao, one-five!? fifteen?!" I quickly pulled out my Rift-Bow, ready to fight.

"Bun, stay behind me!"

The bat swarm descended like a storm.

I immediately cast:

"Wind Arrow Blade!"

Five sharp blades of wind sliced through the air, taking down three bats instantly.

But the others curved around my attack and flanked me.

One of them sank its fangs into my shoulder,

sharp teeth piercing skin.

I gasped.

[Status Abnormality: Bleeding (-8 HP/sec)]

"Little System?!"

[Master has been bitten!]

[Bleeding status active.]

[HP is dropping rapidly.]

[Please exit combat or use healing ASAP!]

"Where got healing skill?" I gritted my teeth.

"Don't I still have like 9 times of that newbie protection thing left?''

"How come never trigger one?" I asked.

[My bad, Master. That protection only activates upon "Critical Strike."]

[Sustained bleeding doesn't trigger.]

[It's just… didn't think I'd be saying goodbye to you soon.]

"Damn it, useless system!"

"Jessic!" Little Bun screamed and tried to run to me.

Yin leapt up, sword flashing black, and sliced the bat in half mid-air.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

"You okay?" he asked, rare urgency in his voice.

I gritted my teeth and nodded, leaning against the wall.

My HP was plummeting—8 per second.

HP: 92… 84… 76…

Little Bun's eyes brimmed with tears. "Sister....sis… don't die… please don't leave me alone…"

My vision blurred.

—Am I seriously going to die in this ridiculous place?

Then—ding!

A familiar chime rang out..

[Congratulations! Master, you has levelled up to Level 12!]

[All status restored!]

[Skill cooldowns reset!]

My stats refilled instantly.

Bleeding status gone.

No more.

I exhaled sharply and stood upright like nothing had happened.

It was Yin.

He'd pushed himself to take down the remaining bats so I could gain enough EXP to level up.

He didn't even know I had HP, bleeding status, or cooldowns

—but he still jumped in front of me without hesitation.

"Wait… You recovered?" Yin blinked, clearly surprised.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," I said with a weak laugh.

"But just now, you were bitten on the neck, weren't you?''

''Where did the wound go?"

"System." I replied casually.

"…Just what kind of system is this?" he muttered.

"OP one." I shrugged.

OP—short for overpowered. and it's used to describe anything in a game that's way too strong or gives an unfair advantage

[Maskter's luck is off the charts!]

[Ding ding ding~ Instant full heal upon level-up is not a bug—it's your protagonist privilege!]

"Walao, can stop being smug or not."

After leaving the bat zone, the tunnel widened again.

We walked for another ten minutes

and arrived at what looked like an abandoned mineshaft. 

Rusted tracks snaked through the ground, with collapsed beams scattered around.

"Ding ding~ New monster detected!"

[Incoming: Level-E 'Mad Rabbit' and 'Burrowing Mole', one each.]

I spotted the rabbit and nearly burst out laughing.

It looked anything but "mad"

—fluffy, white-pink, with a round, squishy face.

Then it leapt up, spun mid-air,

and smashed a rock to bits with a single kick.

"…Okay. I take that back."

I took a breath and turned to Little Bun.

"This one's for you."

"Me?" She blinked.

"Yes." I knelt down to her level. "

I want you to try attacking and defending.

You need to learn to fight—not just rely on us."

She looked hesitant but finally nodded.

"…Okay."

Yin handed her a tiny wooden staff and a cloth shield—bottom-tier loot from earlier monsters.

I watched her step forward, gripping her weapons.

Part of me wanted to stop her,

but I knew she had to face this world's harshness eventually.

"Remember, always defend. If you can't dodge, fall back!" I called out.

The Mad Rabbit struck first—super fast, dashing right up to her.

"Little Bun, dodge!"

She shrieked and raised the shield just in time.

—Thud!

The rabbit slammed into it. She staggered but didn't fall.

Then she smacked the rabbit on the head with her staff.

–8 damage.

Yeah, but that was her first attack ever.

"Nice hit!" I cheered.

The mole tried to rush in too, but Yin blocked it with a precise thrust and retreated.

"One for you, one for her."

Little Bun gritted her teeth, feet growing steadier.

Five minutes later, the rabbit collapsed, bursting into light particles.

[Congrats! Little Bun levelled up to Level 2!]

[HP +10, MP +2, DEF +1.]

[New skill learned: Shield Counter!]

She squealed and jumped, cheeks turning pink.

"Sister..sis, I did it!"

I burst out laughing and hugged her. "You did amazing!"

Yin gave a rare smile, quiet and warm.

Then after,

We walked past the broken tracks and into a side tunnel that looked almost untouched

—like nobody had stepped in for years.

Yin's hand shot to his sword. "Two targets. One's fast, the other's burrowing."

I blinked. "Again? Mad Rabbit and that Mole?"

I turned to Little Bun. "Hey, Bun wanna try again?"

She looked up, eyes a little wide. "Can I?"

"Yes, you can," I smiled. "Only if you want. We'll be right behind you."

This time, she nodded without hesitating. Her hands wrapped around the staff, much steadier now.

The Mad Rabbit came first—ears back, eyes glowing, fast like mad.

"Shield up!"

She raised her shield just in time.

The impact pushed her back a bit, but she didn't fall.

She even tried a counter-swing—missed by a bit,

but the intent was solid.

Then BOOM, the Mole burst out from underground—dirt and rock flying everywhere.

Little Bun flinched, shield up, but she held her stance.

She didn't cry. Didn't call for help.

Just kept standing there. Fighting.

The rabbit lunged again—this time, she stepped aside and WHACK—hit it square.

The thing staggered, tried to leap again, but she blocked it clean and sent it crashing into the tunnel wall.

She blinked. Then ran forward and landed the last hit.

Poof. Sparkles.

Only the mole left now.

She was panting, sweat dripping down her face—but her eyes were shining.

The mole charged. She dodged, smacked it once, twice....

THIRD HIT—BOOM.

Light burst out.

Silence.

[Congratulations! Little Bun leveled up to Level 3!]

[+10 HP, +2 MP, +1 Strength]

[EXP Overflow! Level Up Bonus Triggered!]

[Little Bun leveled up to Level 4!]

[New Passive Skill: Stamina Boost (–5% damage taken)]

I couldn't stop grinning.

She couldn't hear the ding, couldn't see the system notifications.

But I could.

She had no idea she levelled up, do not know about the stats

—but she felt stronger.

To her, it wasn't numbers.

It was her own two hands.

She fights for herself.

Win belongs to her.

She turned to me, face flushed and eyes wide. "Sister… did I do okay?"

I laughed and scooped her up. "You did great! You're amazing!"

She kicked her feet happily in my arms. "Really? Can I fight now?"

"You're officially a little warrior now," I grinned, ruffling her hair. 

"When the monster come to next, please bring up your shield to protect us."

She giggled, then peeked shyly at Yin. "Big Brother… Can I protect you next time?"

Yin gave one small nod. "Yes, Bun. You're so powerful right now."

Her whole face turned red-red, and she grinned like crazy.

I looked at the two of them.

Even They didn't know about levels or HP bars or systems.

But

What they had was trust.

What we had—was a team.

And maybe that's the only stat that really matters.

For a moment, this world didn't feel so cold.

But before that warmth could fully sink in…

a chill passed through my chest.

—If I really do clear this game and go home…

Will They still exist?

Will Yin forget me?

Will Little Bun be left alone again, in a world full of monsters?

At the very least, while I'm still here…

I want them to live happily.

I want them to grow strong

—strong enough to face anything, even without me.

I looked down at their warm hands in mine, but somehow,

I couldn't grip them tight enough.

And for a split second…

I almost wished this journey would never end.

"Jessic?" Yin's voice brought me back.

"Ah… I'm fine." I forced a smile.

"You don't have to carry everything yourself," he said quietly. 

"We're a team."

My heart skipped a beat. I turned to look at him.

In that moment, his eyes weren't cold anymore—they were so real, so true.

Steady. Trustworthy.

I nodded. 

"Yeah. Team."

I held Little Bun's hand.

"Let's go. Ulann City is still waiting."