Chapter 3: Return and Old Acquaintances (Please Recommend, Save, and Add to Your Reading List)

"You have completed the quest in this instance world and will soon return."

The next moment, a sudden sensation of weightlessness engulfed him. Su Yi felt his consciousness detach from Sonam’s body in the cellar and plunge into darkness.

In that vast, boundless darkness, the indistinguishable voice—neither male nor female—sounded again.

"As a reward for slaying the vampire of the Nofeller clan, your physical body in the real world will undergo superlative enhancement. This enhancement will consume a significant amount of energy. Please prepare yourself."

"You have earned a chance to draw a skill card. Drawing time: twelve hours from now."

"The next instance world information will unlock in one week. Category: Martial Arts World. Maximum duration: one month. Entry method: arrival in your physical body."

"To cope with potential crises in the instance, you may bring a limited number of protective items with you."

"Returning to the real world now."

The darkness receded like a tide, and Su Yi’s consciousness grew hazy and heavy.

Noises grew louder around him. Su Yi forced his eyes open; the bright sunlight dazzled him, leaving him momentarily dazed.

A familiar workspace, the scent of everyday life. Glancing at the small alarm clock on his desk, Su Yi saw the time: 8:52.

I’m back.

He breathed out softly, realizing a garment was draped over him. Turning his head, he saw it was a bright yellow women's wool cardigan.

"You're awake."

Su Yi looked up to see Wu Xiaomei—twenty-eight, biting into her breakfast pancake, words muffled as she spoke.

"Saw you sleeping at your desk when I got to work this morning. Did you work late and not go home last night? Brother Su, it’s already October—take care of your health, or you’ll catch a cold."

"Thanks for the reminder," Su Yi replied awkwardly. He stood, returning the cardigan to Wu Xiaomei. As she took it, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Su Yi, how did the wound on your forehead heal so fast?"

He paused, reaching up to touch his forehead. Pulling out his phone, he used the camera as a mirror and saw that the gash, so raw the day before, had vanished, leaving only a faint red mark.

"It really did heal quickly," he murmured. Across from him, Wu Xiaomei continued, "I envy your recovery! The mark from my pimple last week still hasn’t faded. But Su Yi, I have to say—you were almost too much yesterday. Risked yourself to help someone but didn’t even ask the girl's name? I give up on you."

Su Yi said nothing; the faint red mark on his forehead was a clear reminder that everything from last night had truly happened.

Seated at his desk, he replayed the events of the previous night, scenes of battle vivid in his mind, marveling at the strangeness of the world.

At twenty-eight, born in a small, nondescript town in the south, Su Yi had lived an utterly ordinary life. He’d attended an average university, found an unremarkable job, had modest savings in his bank account, and endured family interrogations about marriage each holiday.

He never aspired to much—just hoped for a promotion, a raise, to save more, and maybe one day return home and make new plans.

Yet overnight, his mundane life was completely upended by the bracelet. Su Yi had never imagined that one day he’d experience the kind of adventure found only in fantasy novels.

That morning, his thoughts churned ceaselessly, and his work efficiency suffered.

Soon, lunchtime arrived. As Su Yi gathered his things to go eat, he unexpectedly ran into someone he never thought he’d see.

A round-faced girl, about one meter fifty-five, wearing black-rimmed glasses, greeted him shyly. She was the very girl whose bag had been snatched the evening before, just downstairs.

What truly surprised Su Yi was the girl who accompanied her.

"Yang Yingjia?"

"Su Yi!"

Six years had passed since graduation, and Su Yi never expected to run into a former classmate from his department.

"You actually work here!"

"And you too!"

Almost in unison, they laughed, marveling at the smallness of the world.

Yang Yingjia, as Su Yi addressed her, was tall and attractive, dressed smartly in a white blouse and gray wide-leg trousers, epitomizing the capable office professional.

Though Su Yi had been a rather unremarkable student back in university, his helpful nature meant he knew quite a few people. He’d occasionally lend a hand at the student union or clubs, which was how he’d met Yang Yingjia, then the student union president. Though they hadn’t interacted much, being in the same department meant they recognized each other years after graduation.

"I work with Dan Wan," Yang Yingjia explained brightly, "and when she heard how you rushed to help her yesterday and left in a hurry, she felt bad. She dragged me along to find out where you worked so she could thank you. Who’d have thought we’d run into you by chance!"

"Dan Wan, this is Su Yi, my university classmate," Yang Yingjia introduced.

"Hello, I’m Dan Wan. Thank you for yesterday," the girl said, voice soft, head slightly turned as she shook Su Yi’s hand.

"No need to thank me. It was just the right thing to do," Su Yi replied.

"You’re still just as warm-hearted as in university. By the way, I heard you got cut by the thief—are you alright?"

"I’m fine, almost healed," Su Yi said, pointing to the fading mark on his forehead.

"Glad to hear it! Since we’ve run into each other, and Dan Wan wants to thank you properly for your help yesterday, let’s have a nice lunch together."

Su Yi didn’t protest, so the three of them went downstairs to an area filled with restaurants, and he chose a modest place he occasionally frequented.

With the girls treating, Su Yi had no intention of taking advantage. Since there were only three of them, he ordered three dishes and a soup—two meat, one vegetable—the extra dish added only after Dan Wan insisted.

"Don’t judge my appetite because I’m tall," Su Yi explained as Dan Wan protested. "I really don’t eat much. Besides, if we order too much, it’ll just go to waste. If it’s not enough, we can always order more."

He was about to learn what it meant to be proven wrong.