[Player Grind God sent you a friend request. Would you like to accept?]
"Big Bro?" Zhenzhen muttered as she saw a notification and her eyes brightened. She did well in the Newbie Village and already expected to receive some praises so she didn't hesitate to accept the invite.
Too bad, it seemed like her praises would have to wait.
[Ding! You are currently in the Spirit World. Communication with the Mainland has been restricted.]
"Spirit World…?" Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows as she looked around the place. "Puffy, where exactly did you take me? It's so beautiful here."
Just a moment ago Zhenzhen teleported to the Mainland to finally reunite with her brother but it didn't go smoothly. She landed in the worst place possible and was attacked by NPC bandits. She thought she would die this time since their level was so much higher than hers but Puffy came in clutch.
It flew straight into her chest and something magical happened. Her surroundings changed completely as a new colorful world visualized in front of her. Beautiful flowers, healthy trees and streams that were teeming with life.
Puffy chirped happily and grabbed her finger while pulling her in the depths of the forest. It had been so helpful this whole time that Zhenzhen had no worry in her mind.
"Where do you lead me?" Zhenzhen questioned only to widen her eyes at the sight of her fluffy rabbit friend. "Oh! You are here too!"
She was worried thinking someone might have killed it but it turned out it just changed locations. Zhenzhen picked it up but that wasn't the reason they came there.
"You want to show me something else?" Zhenzhen questioned as she kept following her Battle Spirit only to realize she wasn't the only person in there.
She sneaked up behind a tree to peek at the small steamy pond in the distance and saw a naked lady entering the water.
"Whoa, so beautiful…" Zhenzhen muttered innocently while her eyes were glued to the perfect figure and curves she always dreamed of.
She was about to walk away out of respect for the lady when Puffy chirped and flew towards the pond, clearly telling her to follow. Zhenzhen was still hesitant when the lady called out with a sweet voice.
"Don't be shy, Little Bunny, you can come over."
Now that she was discovered, she had no choice but to approach. "Miss knows me?"
"Yes, I have been expecting you," the lady replied casually as she leaned against the rocks with her bare breasts leaning on her arms. "Come, come, I don't bite."
Zhenzhen swiftly looked away while blushing but her eyes kept going back to the round peaks that dared her to stare.
[Katherine - Lvl ????]
The blond goddess had a blue name just like other NPCs so Zhenzhen relaxed as she stopped a few meters away. Puffy was also sitting on Katherine's shoulder so it even further assured her that she wasn't a threat.
"I have been working so hard today so I decided to have a moment of relaxation. Do you want to join me?" Katherine suggested as she bounced back of the shore and lay on the surface of the water. "The pond is hot and has great properties for the body. You will feel much better afterward."
Before she even decided, the rabbit in her arms jumped off as well and rushed to the pond too. Zhenzhen could only test it out for herself.
[Ding! You discovered a Spirit Pond!]
[Spirit Pond]
[A pond full of Spirit Water with mysterious properties. Bathing in the Spirit Water will permanently increase your Mana and strengthen your body. Many Benders would kill for such an opportunity.]
Reading the description that popped up after testing the water, Zhenzhen didn't hesitate any more and slid her body inside. She didn't really have a way to strip like Katherine so she entered gracefully with her white summer dress on.
+1
+1
+1
Her Mana began to increase as soon as her whole body was soaked in the water. To make it even better, even her HP rose up every few seconds.
"It feels nice…" Zhenzhen muttered as she enjoyed the warmth passing through her body and wondered, "Miss Katherine, you said you were expecting me… Can I help you with anything?"
"You can just call me Katherine and yes, I do have some questions for you," Katherine replied while swimming back to Zhenzhen. "For starters, why did you start playing this game?"
Zhenzhen was taken aback but it wasn't a hard question.
"I wanted to play with my brother and help him," Zhenzhen replied innocently. "He is one of the best in this game."
"That's so sweet of you," Katherine praised with a soft smile. "But can I ask you how exactly you are planning to help him?"
"Hmm..." Zhenzhen paused as she glanced at Puffy on Katherine's shoulder. "I can maybe borrow Puffy's strength."
Her Battle Spirit was the one fighting for her while she watched from the side. Katherine only shook her head at that response.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. I have been watching you today and I noticed you are not really proactive. You have only reached this far by asking others for help and then thanks to your Battle Spirit," Katherine pointed out while turning serious. "Are you really trying to help your brother by doing nothing? By the time you two meet, you will only hold him back."
"I…" Zhenzhen was left speechless, not really thinking that much into the future before. "But I can't force myself to kill others… Can't I help him in other ways?"
The whole point of playing the game was to spend more time with her big brother but if she was only disturbing him, it would lose all meaning for her. Thankfully Katherine was there to save her.
"Avatar Online mostly focuses on battle but there are other ways you can be useful to your brother without being in the frontlines," Katherine informed as she moved Puffy to Zhenzhen's shoulder. "Would you like to learn them?"
"Yes, please!" Zhenzhen nodded excitedly.
"Alright then, give me a second," Katherine smiled and suddenly pulled out a big virtual panel in front of her. It wasn't a normal profile but instead a giant database with lots of text that Zhenzhen didn't understand.
"Wait… So you are not an NPC?" Zhenzhen questioned dumbfounded, causing Katherine to purse her lips.
"I'm a real world human just like you and I actually helped create this game," Katherine revealed casually as she found Zhenzhen's profile. "I will help you acquire one of the Hidden Quests and then mark it complete for you."
"Isn't that cheating?" Zhenzhen hesitated.
"Of course it is but I'm not going to do that for anyone else," Katherine replied right as Zhenzhen received a bunch of notifications. "I'm only doing that for you because you are my disciple from now on."
[Ding! You acquired a new Hidden Quest: Saving the Empire's Princess.]
[Ding! Quest: Saving the Empire's Princess Completed! You received a Hidden Ability: Healing.]
[Healing]
[Description: Ability to give water healing properties. Depending on the mastery, Player can heal wounds, regrow limbs and even extract poison from the patient.]
[Current Mastery: Beginner]
[Effect: Heals 10 HP every second.]
[Cost: 2 MP per second.]
"Whoa…" Zhenzhen opened her mouth in amazement as she read the content in her inbox. She was naturally happy but she couldn't help but feel bad for other players.
"Hey, don't worry," Katherine assured as she reached out to caress her cheek. "If I made you do it the normal way, it would take you far too long and I want you to start practicing right away. I don't really know if you have the talent for healing but I'm willing to bend my rules just to check it."
"You know, you are just like me which is why I'm interested in you," Katherine continued, grabbing Zhenzhen's attention. "I was also chosen and accepted by the Spirits but unfortunately, I don't have the talent for healing. It's actually pretty rare but I have a good feeling about you."
"How rare is it?" Zhenzhen questioned attentively. "Don't you just need to finish the Hidden Quest?"
Katherine smiled mysteriously. "There are some things I will tell you later but basically, even if someone managed to learn to heal, the farthest they reached was an Intermediate Mastery. At that level, one can heal almost any external and internal wounds but they can't deal with severe illnesses. If you can reach the level of an Expert, no matter how ill your brother gets, you will be able to save him."
Zhenzhen opened her eyes wide. "I… I want to reach that level… My brother hides it from me but I know he lives a dangerous life. I want to help him no matter what happens."
"Good girl," Katherine patted her head before hugging Zhenzhen into her chest. "Don't worry, if you have the potential, I will make sure to teach you well. No one will be able to stop you."
