When Lin Qingyue stepped into the adventurer supply shop named "Wilderness Survival," a heavy scent—a mixture of tanned leather, blade maintenance oil, and dried herbs—assaulted her senses.
She was hunched over, checking her list in front of a shelf lined with energy bars and compressed biscuits, meticulously comparing the nutritional labels of different brands.
A clear male voice spoke from her side, tinged with uncertainty.
"Lin Qingyue?"
She turned her head.
A young man in sleek combat gear, a longbow slung across his back, was staring at her, his eyes wide with surprise.
It was Chen Yu from the neighboring class, a well-known genius archer at their school.
"What a coincidence," Chen Yu said with a smile, his gaze naturally sweeping over the mountain of basic survival supplies piled in her shopping basket. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Stocking up for the competition? It must be tough coming alone."
Lin Qingyue maintained a calm expression, her voice betraying no emotion.
"Yeah. Time is tight, so my teammates and I split up to be more efficient."
"True," Chen Yu nodded. Then, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up with intense curiosity and scrutiny.
"Speaking of which, your 'Heroic Spirit Summoning' in the arena match was insane!"
"My team rewatched the footage several times. That glasses-pushing gesture, and that line..."
Lin Qingyue felt her blood flow slow to a crawl.
No!
Please don't mention the glasses push!
And definitely not that line!
"...Our captain said that the gesture, combined with the line, exuded an absolute sense of control and dominance—the mark of a true powerhouse."
"Your Heroic Spirit—is it the God of Knowledge, the God of Wisdom, or maybe the God of Information? It was just too cool."
A scorching heat surged from the back of her neck to the crown of her head, instantly setting her ears ablaze.
She clenched her fists so tightly her nails nearly dug into her palms, barely restraining the urge to cover her face. She forced the words out through gritted teeth.
"It's... the embodiment of 'knowledge is power.'"
"So strong!" Chen Yu exclaimed with genuine admiration. He then leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing classified intel.
"Oh, right, a word of warning."
"In this Dungeon, watch out for 'Marauder Teams'—squads that climb the ranks by stealing points from other candidates."
"Your team is just you and your sister, right? ...Hmm, with that setup, you'll likely be an easy target."
The unspoken implication was clear: a tank-and-healer duo would look like a walking treasure trove of points to others.
"Thanks for the heads-up. We'll be careful," Lin Qingyue said sincerely.
Chen Yu waved it off, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and left with a bundle of custom-made armor-piercing arrows he'd purchased.
As Lin Qingyue watched him go, she finally relaxed.
Thank goodness he didn't press for more details about the Heroic Spirit.
She turned to grab a waterproof sleeping bag from the shelf, only to find a beaming middle-aged woman standing at the end of the aisle. The woman had appeared out of nowhere.
She was sizing Lin Qingyue up and down with an "I-know-everything" look.
It was the shop owner.
The woman ambled over and nudged Lin Qingyue's arm with her elbow, as if they were old friends.
"Young lady, that archer just now... quite a looker, wasn't he?"
"A real keeper, that one. He's into you, isn't he?"
The corner of Lin Qingyue's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Ma'am, you've misunderstood. We're just classmates."
"Oh, but that's the purest kind of relationship! The best foundation for something more!"
The shop owner's enthusiasm didn't wane. Her gaze darted back and forth between Lin Qingyue and the direction Chen Yu had left, as if she were weaving an invisible red thread of fate between them.
"Didn't he just call you 'cool'? And he went out of his way to warn you about danger. Tsk, tsk, if that's not a sign he likes you, I don't know what is!"
Lin Qingyue felt a vein throb on her temple.
"No, he was talking about my... combat skills."
"I get it! I totally get it!"
The owner flashed an expression that screamed, Young people are so shy. I've seen it all before.
Then, with an agility that defied her build, she snatched a small, pastel-pink bottle from the bottom shelf and lightning-fast shoved it into Lin Qingyue's hand.
"Take it! I feel a connection with you, so I'll give you the insider's price—20% off!"
"Dungeon Rendezvous Special: Potent Insect Repellent & Love-Binding Fragrance!"
"Guaranteed! Even if you're roughing it in the wild for three days, you'll still smell like sweet strawberries—no olfactory burden on your little boyfriend whatsoever!"
Lin Qingyue stared down at the spray bottle in her hand. It was covered in hearts, glowed with an almost radioactive pink, and even had a bow on the cap. She felt frozen to the spot.
"Ma'am, I really don't need this..."
"Don't be shy! A girl's gotta learn to take the initiative!"
The owner advised her with the tone of a seasoned veteran before turning to help another customer, leaving Lin Qingyue with a final, encouraging "You got this!" glance.
Lin Qingyue remained rooted in place.
She stared at the jarring splash of pink in her hand.
Compared to the military-grade compressed biscuits, multi-tool entrenching shovel, and tactical tourniquet in her shopping cart, it looked bizarrely, glaringly out of place.
Like a muscle-bound, hardened tough guy forced into a lacy Hello Kitty princess dress.
She felt the iron resolve she'd just forged to face the Dungeon's dangers crack under the impact of this strawberry-scented spray.
Had the crisis of social death just arrived ahead of schedule, in a different form, before she even entered the Dungeon?
[Ding! Host detected in the delicate predicament of 'forced matchmaking' and 'compelled to purchase a social-death-tier item.' +15!]
Lin Qingyue: "..."
Shut up! I don't want this Elation Value at all!
But... insect repellent... I really did overlook that!
So...
Expressionlessly, she took the "Potent Insect Repellent & Love-Binding Fragrance" to the counter. Meeting the cashier's unwavering gaze, she gritted her teeth and said, "Check out."
"This... is for my sister."
The cashier glanced at the pink spray, then at her solemn and dignified Priest robes, and offered an understanding and utterly professional smile.
"Understood."
"For your sister."
"That'll be 258 Credits."
Lin Qingyue: "..."
Now I feel even worse.
She walked out of the store laden with bags, gazing up at the sky, which was fragmented by towering skyscrapers. The road ahead felt long and arduous.
Beyond the monsters and Marauders in the Dungeon, it seemed the world was also filled with unexpected traps of social death.
Xiyue, she thought silently.
Your big sister is really enduring too much for this family.