Meilin looked at her brother to see if he was joking but he looked as serious as ever.
"Brother, this is way too hot." She pleaded.
Shen Yue also looked at Liam for some sort of explanation. "Umm… Are there any pain settings?"
"Unfortunately, no. Pain will also be real." Liam let out a deep breath and began explaining.
He had asked them both to skip the tutorial and get in as fast as they could.
So he had to explain many things to them, especially Shen Yue.
He knew that his sister had been reading about the game seriously for the past few days.
So she was already aware of a few things without him explaining.
"Open your status screen. I mean just think about the status screen and it will pop out."
The two immediately saw the blue screen flashing in front of them.
"Now do you see your strength, vitality, intellect, and so on? These are your starting stats."
"This varies greatly between different players."
"Now this liquid in the cauldron is a strengthening potion."
"You both will get additional stats if you follow my instructions and do according to what I tell you."
Mei Mei listened to him seriously, the childish excitement and bubbliness, no longer there on her face. She only hesitated a moment before quickly nodding.
Behind all her playful and cheerful facade, she still wanted to do her best and become a strong player to help out her brother.
She knew how hard he was working to improve their family's condition. He had never had a good life.
At least now, she wanted him to be happy. Live like a normal person his age with a girlfriend and have fun. So especially in front of Shen Yue, she didn't want to let him down.
Mei Mei didn't say anything more. She removed her armor and clothes and walked over to take a step into the cauldron in her underwear.
She gritted her teeth, strengthening her resolve as she could feel the heat radiating from the cauldron.
"Ahhh!" The little girl couldn't help but shriek as soon as her feet touched the boiling hot liquid.
But she persisted and quickly jumped in, dunking the rest of her body into the cauldron as well.
She bit her lips in pain and tears streamed out of her eyes. "Ah, brother, it hurts. It hurts."
She didn't look like she was going to last.
"Wait. Let her finish, then I will help you." Liam told Shen Yue to wait and went over to the cauldron with his sister.
He held her hand as she struggled in the hot boiling liquid that was burning every inch of her skin and body.
"Just a couple more seconds. Soon you will feel better."
"Just a couple more seconds. Bear with it for me, please."
Liam's heart ached to see her suffer like this but it was for her own good, so he made her do it.
Even though he was always going to be there with her to protect her, it was best if she was capable of protecting herself.
Perhaps not to fight with others, but at least for her own sake. She could then feel more secure and confident.
Mei Mei was only brave enough to step into the cauldron.
After that, she did not hold back and cried out to her heart's content as the pain was really unbearable.
Her fingers dug into Liam's palm as she crushed him, trying to get through this.
Meilin's starting stats were already better than Liam's so she didn't face any dangerous health drops because of the heat.
Finally, the couple of seconds that Liam had mentioned passed and the pain started to subside.
The liquid in the cauldron also started to change color and after that, things quickly ended.
The same liquid that had been feeling tortuous at the start now felt like a heavenly elixir, relaxing and nourishing the tired body.
"Brother, I am feeling better now. Is this over?"
Liam nodded and Mei Mei sighed in relief. She quickly pulled up her stats to see if this was worth it.
And as soon as she did, her small smile became a big grin.
"Oh my gosh. Brother, you were right!" The girl stared dumbly at all the stats that had improved by at least 10 and she couldn't contain her excitement.
Liam did not spoil her happiness and tell her that his stats after transformation had been even better. He nodded and turned to look at Shen Yue.
"Your turn?"
Shen Yue had watched the whole thing from start to finish and was really stressed out.
She knew that this was definitely going to hurt a lot. Was it really necessary to suffer so much for a game?
But she didn't want to disrespect the helping hand Liam was offering her.
If she didn't do this, then she would probably lag behind those two and perhaps not be able to continue to play with them.
And that would really suck…
She looked at Liam and bit her lips. "Ummm… Thanks for helping me."
She turned around and removed her clothes and then looked at Liam once again to see his expression.
But the other party still looked indifferent.
He was just the same as always, not giving her any extra attention.
This was the first time someone was so blatantly uninterested in her, but she didn't mind it.
She knew that he wasn't trying to play any mind games with her. This was just how he was.
Shen Yue smiled bitterly and also walked over to the cauldron.
Fuck. She cursed inwardly and stepped in as gracefully as she could.
But as soon as she touched that piping hot liquid all traces of elegance disappeared and she also started crying and shouting in pain, just like Mei Mei.
Liam quickly helped her as well and held her hand, letting her vent out the pain.
Seeing this, Shen Yue became even more agitated.
She did not know what was more torturous. This boiling hot liquid or this person next to her seeing her in this state!
