"Uncle, I'm so sad, wuuu~!"
The moment Wang Xian confirmed his class was support-based, Cheng Yao threw her arms up dramatically and pouted as if the world had ended.
Wang Xian blinked. "...Why are you sad?"
"Because!" Cheng Yao whined, clutching her chest like a tragic heroine. "Even though your class is hidden, it's still an assistant! Uncle, how are you supposed to power-level me now?"
Wang Xian stared blankly.
So I'm just a tool now? A glorified XP battery?
"Drop the act and follow me," he said, half-growling, though there was no real anger behind it.
He rolled his eyes, but truth be told, he didn't really mind the teasing—not from Cheng Yao. She might act like a walking meme, but she was, after all, the future No. 1 support in the world.
In his original plan, he'd intended to go solo. With the 'God Slayer' hidden class and knowledge from his past life, he was confident he could rise through the ranks quickly. He didn't have the vision or connections to gather and train top-tier players like some reincarnated protagonist in a web novel.
He was just... an ordinary guy. A mid-tier player in his previous life.
Someone who dreamed of someday getting a single piece of purple legendary gear, and not much more.
Training future powerhouses? How? I wouldn't even know where to find them.
Plus, messing with fate came with risks. Helping someone too early might rob them of the chance to unlock their hidden class or trigger a key event. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally derail a future legend's trajectory.
That's why he'd never considered "forming a team."
Until now.
Now, with the Sacrifice class and the skill [Compassion], he didn't really have a choice. His strength scaled better with allies. And the XP gain for him and his team was just... broken.
I'm not a lone wolf anymore. I'm a golden goose... with divine buffs.
As they walked through the woods under the growing shadows of dusk, Cheng Yao trailed behind him.
"Uncle~ it's so late. Where are we going?"
Wang Xian didn't even look back. "To kill a boss."
Her eyes lit up. "That goblin boss from earlier?!"
"Mm."
"But I thought you said it was too strong?"
"It was," he said simply. "Now it's not."
Cheng Yao stared, stunned.
Wait. Did his support class make him stronger? Isn't that backwards?
"You stay back and collect XP," Wang Xian added over his shoulder. "Leave the rest to me."
"Rude!" she huffed, hurrying to catch up. "Uncle, I am a cute girl, you know. I can at least cheer you on!"
"You?" Wang Xian turned to glance at her. "You've got two bricks glued to your face and a purple dye job. You look like you got into a fight with a makeup store and lost."
"I—wha—uncle!" Cheng Yao glared at him, aghast. "This is fashion! This is how trendy girls look!"
"That's not fashion. That's colorblind chaos."
Cheng Yao stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms. "You're just a straight man with no taste."
"And proud of it," Wang Xian muttered, brushing aside a low-hanging branch.
They continued walking for a while in comfortable silence. Cheng Yao gradually stopped pouting.
Then, as if struck by a thought, Wang Xian turned to her and said, "Hey Yaoyao. Ever thought about getting plastic surgery?"
The silence that followed was so thick, a nearby goblin probably choked on it.
"Excuse me?"
"Just curious," Wang Xian shrugged, missing the storm brewing beside him. "No offense. I was just wondering."
There's no way this is the same Cheng Yao from my past life.She was tall, elegant, practically a goddess. And this girl? Tiny. Wild. Loud. Chest... kind of flat.They can't be the same person. Unless she had a full evolution arc in one year.
"You—" Cheng Yao gritted her teeth. "You think I need plastic surgery?"
Wang Xian, still in detective mode, didn't pick up on the emotional landmine he just stepped on.
"No, just asking. Seriously. No hidden agenda."
Cheng Yao narrowed her eyes. "So you're saying I'm ugly?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you implied it."
"I—no—I was just trying to understand—"
"Uncle," she said, with the calm rage of someone about to shove a cactus into your pillowcase, "do you also think I'm short and flat?"
Wang Xian blinked. "I mean... you're shorter than average, and statistically—"
"Uncle!" Cheng Yao shrieked. "You're the worst!"
"I was just—!"
"You're lucky I'm the forgiving type!"
"Forgiving?! You just threatened me with emotional damage!"
She huffed and marched ahead of him, arms swinging. "I take it back. I hope the goblin boss kicks your ass."
Wang Xian sighed.
This is what I get for trying to understand character growth timelines.
Still... he couldn't shake the suspicion that something major happened to Cheng Yao between now and her future fame. Something that transformed this chaotic gremlin into the serene goddess he remembered.
Whatever it was... I hope she survives long enough to get there.
"You sure you're ready for this boss now?" Cheng Yao called back without turning.
"Positive," Wang Xian said, gripping his gear and eyeing the edge of the forest ahead.
"Don't get cocky."
"I won't. Just stay back and don't interfere."
Cheng Yao grinned. "No promises."
Of course not.This is Cheng Yao I'm talking about.
But despite everything, he smiled too.
Maybe it was the chaos. Maybe it was her stubbornness.
Or maybe, in a world where gods answered sacrifices and death could be reversed like a loading screen—
Having someone real around wasn't such a bad thing.