CHAPTER 947: CHAPTER 946: TRIPLE DATE + 2

If Fang Zheng knew what the vendor was thinking, he would definitely tell him,

"Having money lets you do whatever you want."

Afterward, everyone exchanged and tasted each other’s ice cream since, after all, this wasn’t reality, and there was no need to worry about an upset stomach.

By the way, that so-called "Blue Hawaii" flavor was really quite subtle; it can’t be described specifically, but at least... it’s definitely a tropical fruit flavor.

Although it was a date, the group obviously didn’t have a specific date route. They just wandered aimlessly along the Starting Town since it’s quite large, and most of the girls in the Dark Moon Sword Guild are usually busy leveling up. They’re only familiar with the small area where their daily activities take place. As for the majority of places, they’re not all that familiar with them.

"Let’s just pretend we’re traveling abroad, appreciating the local customs and traditions."

Since Fang Zheng said this, Eiriri and Asuna naturally had no objections.

Walking on this unfamiliar street, listening to the bustling noise around, Asuna surprisingly found her mood had calmed a lot.

Although not fully recovered, at least she was no longer as restless and uneasy as usual.

"Let’s rest here for a bit."

After wandering for a while, the four of them arrived at a small park near the street. Perhaps because it was away from the central area, there weren’t any other players around. Only a few NPCs were wandering here and there. So Fang Zheng decided to rest here, to which everyone naturally had no objections. Soon, they sat down on a bench in the park, watching the fountain and garden while resting and relaxing.

At this moment, Fang Zheng exchanged a look with Eiriri, who nodded slightly, then she mischievously looked at Yui.

"Yui, how about we go over there and check out the flower bed? The flowers there look really pretty."

"Sure, sure!"

Yui happily nodded, then held Eiriri’s hand. The two left the resting area and headed towards the nearby fountain and garden, starting to play around. Seeing Eiriri and Yui leave, Asuna couldn’t help but get a little tense, having guessed that Eiriri took Yui away to create some alone time for her and Fang Zheng.

But what exactly does Fang Zheng want to say to her?

"We’ve been fighting side by side for quite some time now."

However, what Asuna hadn’t expected was that after Fang Zheng remained silent for a while, he finally spoke up, and it was completely different from what she imagined.

"You were the first to join the Dark Moon Sword. I still remember how you were almost scared away by my scolding, but you came back afterward..."

"Ugh..."

Hearing this, Asuna’s face turned bright red. Thinking about it now, she was indeed quite naive back then. But after all, only a few people knew about what happened at the time. Black Cat and Aoba seemed to have forgotten, and Ester and Restia never brought it up. So Asuna thought everyone had long forgotten about it.

But what she didn’t expect was that Fang Zheng still remembered.

How embarrassing!

"I’ve noticed your performance."

However, Fang Zheng didn’t stop; he just leaned on the bench, looking at Eiriri and Yui playing in the distance, and continued speaking.

"You have always been brave and strong, and you’ve worked hard. You see, most players are still staying in the Starting Town. I said they adapted quickly before, but it can also be said they chose to go with the flow. They are powerless to change their destiny, nor do they want to. They can’t resist and fight, so they have no choice but to surrender."

"........."

Hearing this, Asuna looked at Fang Zheng, slightly surprised. She opened her mouth wanting to say something, but Fang Zheng spoke again before she could.

"This is quite normal. After all, everyone is afraid of death; everyone fears it, including me. I always organize my plans carefully before doing anything to avoid dying... Are you surprised?"

"... Very surprised."

Hearing this, Asuna was dumbfounded. In her impression, Fang Zheng had always been a courageous person, someone who wouldn’t flinch even in the face of death. But...

"I always thought you were fearless, Mr. Fang Zheng, that you were someone who had courage, unafraid of death because you always seemed so confident and decisive..."

"I’m confident because I have ample assurance. I have full confidence in my strength, my plans, my responses. I’m confident in resolving any threat to my life. But this doesn’t mean I’m not afraid; on the contrary, it’s because I fear that I strive to make every plan as meticulous and perfect as possible..."

Fang Zheng said as he spread his hands.

"But that’s how it is. In my hometown, there’s an old saying: ’Do what you must and leave the rest to fate.’ Meaning that we humans can only do all we can, but the rest is up to destiny. Indeed, sometimes you work hard all your life but fail in the end due to bad luck. Such things happen. But conversely, if you don’t work hard, you won’t even have the experience of narrowly missing success—just like those players here in the Starting Town. Their combat skills are poor, and some don’t even bother to choose to fight. In most situations, it doesn’t matter. But what if something unusual happens? Like a monster siege or something, what would they do then?"

At this point, Fang Zheng gave a slight smile.

"This is the difference between having put in effort and not. I have tried, and I cannot guarantee absolute success, but at least I can stand at the crossroads of destiny. But those who haven’t tried, they won’t even have the chance to choose. Besides, the most important things are resolute beliefs and courage."

"Belief and... courage."

"That’s right."

Fang Zheng nodded, withdrawing his gaze, his pair of pitch-black eyes focused intently on Asuna.

"Being afraid of death isn’t a bad thing. Before every battle, I think, I don’t want to die, I won’t die — but I won’t say I’m not afraid of death, because I am afraid. I have many things to do, many people to protect. I carry not just my own burden. So I won’t say I’m not afraid of death. It’s easy not to be afraid, for death itself is easy. But living on is difficult, especially when faced with countless obstacles."

"........."

This time, Asuna didn’t speak, and Fang Zheng watched her intently.

"My mentor told me once that a true warrior needs resolute beliefs, courage, and the will to pursue their path. You are strong, Asuna; your prowess in the Dark Moon Sword is among the top. In every battle, you charge forward first, and in every Lord BOSS fight, your damage ranks in the top three. In terms of training efforts, you are unmatched. But you aren’t a qualified warrior; even... Gabriel seems more like a qualified warrior than you."

"Eh? Wait... Mr. Fang Zheng!"

Upon hearing this, Asuna couldn’t take it anymore. She could understand Fang Zheng using anyone for comparison, but Gabriel, that lazy NEET, was someone she couldn’t accept!

"I’m worse than Gabriel?"

"From a certain perspective, yes."

Fang Zheng nodded mercilessly, making Asuna’s face turn pale instantly.

After all her effort, to appear worse in Mr. Fang Zheng’s eyes than that NEET who finds excuses to slack off and spend holidays buried in her room, sleeping and goofing off during battles behind others with her BIUBIUBIU antics?

Fang Zheng purposefully mentioned Gabriel because Asuna and Gabriel didn’t get along well within the guild.

The reason is simple: Asuna is a training enthusiast while Gabriel is a master of slacking and goofing off.

Especially after getting the bow Fang Zheng manufactured, Gabriel’s goofing skills soared even higher. When she wielded a one-handed hammer, she at least moved somewhat; with a bow, she was too lazy to even move, wishing someone could carry her, so all she had to do was BIUBIUBIU.

Fang Zheng still remembers when Asuna led a leveling-up team; unable to tolerate Gabriel’s lazy attitude, she proposed extending their leveling-up time, demanding that Gabriel make up for the ranks she had fallen behind.

But Gabriel simply let Aoba take the front, fighting creatures, while she shot arrows from the back, upgrading directly in just twenty minutes, then yawning and going back to sleep - almost driving Asuna to her breaking point.

Gabriel’s personality is also quite carefree, with catchphrases like "Just like that," "Whatever," "So be it" — which naturally annoys the serious-minded Asuna.

"A warrior’s importance lies in pursuing their belief. Gabriel might appear lazy and goofing off, but at least she stays true to her belief. And she doesn’t refrain from fighting, does she? Her contributions in battles aren’t less than anyone else’s — You’ve heard Gabriel say she wants to stay in this world forever, without going out, but to achieve that, she first has to survive. But you are different..."

By this point, Fang Zheng paused, then looked meaningfully at Asuna.

"You are just seeking death, Asuna."

"........."

This time, Asuna opened her mouth, but couldn’t say anything.

Fang Zheng’s words were like a sharp knife, effortlessly piercing Asuna’s defenses, revealing the reality she least wanted to accept.

Indeed, in the beginning, Asuna tried hard, desperately attempting to upgrade, fight, and clear the game quickly to return to the real world.

But gradually, Asuna adapted to this game, beginning to understand online games. She learned that one person couldn’t kill a BOSS alone; cooperation is necessary. And as the game progresses, the BOSS gets stronger, and defeating them takes longer.

The more she understood this, the more despairing Asuna became, uncertain when she could return to the real world. So, Asuna started to give up on herself, frantically leveling up and battling. Winning in battle or dying in battle — to her, dying might be a form of liberation.

That’s also why Asuna became addicted to her notebook; she just wanted to escape. Whether by death or by her notebook, anything that could make her forget the cruel reality would suffice.

However, now, Fang Zheng has pulled Asuna back to that cruel reality once again.

"That’s what I want to say to you, Asuna."

Fang Zheng withdrew his gaze, once more looking at the fountain and flowerbeds before him.

"You can face the BOSS, why can’t you muster the courage to face yourself? What is your belief? What are your ideals... what do you really want to do?"