Chapter 34: Three-Way Standoff, True Name Lian

"Player Sequence Ranking Has Risen."

"Player Current Sequence: E-Rank 897th."

The system displayed a notification of the rising rank, but Alister couldn't feel happy about it. He had already noticed the woman tailing him, with her distinctive title as the 73rd ranked A-Rank player.

"Player Detected in the Top 1000 of E-Rank Sequence."

"Received Strength Coefficient Bonus: 5%."

A-Rank players were not within his planned range of interaction, and his psychic energy was already depleted. So, Alister ignored her attempts at conversation, preparing to use Shadowstep to escape.

For him, disguising as a solitary A-Rank player, pretending to be powerful, was the most efficient way to make a clean getaway.

He expended the last of his psychic energy, and in the moment when shadows enveloped him, pulling him into another world—

"I don't want to fight."

—Alister turned lightly, his expression cold as he looked into the stunning violet eyes that were almost within reach. His aura remained enigmatic and profound.

They stood there, almost on the verge of touching, and could sense each other's presence.

The woman in the black dress lowered her gaze slightly, confirming that Alister could perceive her movements. She abandoned the thought that he might be bluffing and playfully raised the corner of her mouth.

"You're impressive, Lian. I almost thought you were an E-Rank player."

In the sequence game, there were only a few players who could perceive the 11th-ranked Night Assassin of Perpetual Night's Lament, so she was quite interested in Alister.

Ignoring her flattery, Alister continued to look at her with a cold and unresponsive demeanor.

"So, what is it?" he asked.

"Well..." The woman in the black dress seemed hesitant for a moment, then leaned in close to Alister's ear with a coquettish smile, her long black hair falling gracefully. She spoke with a mischievous tone.

"You killed our Serad, and we can't let that slide without consequences."

"Such as?"

Alister spoke with a tone of disdain.

The woman in the black dress smiled slyly and, seemingly unbothered by his response, whispered softly, "You can either die now, or... join our Perpetual Night's Lament as the 12th seat to replace Serad."

"Can I just ask you to die?" Alister replied with a tone of annoyance.

The woman in the black dress chuckled and didn't seem offended. Her purple eyes gleamed for a moment as she said softly, "If you join Perpetual Night's Lament, Lian, I wouldn't mind dying for you."

"Reason?"

Alister seemed ready to take action.

"Because Lian, I find you very interesting," the woman said with a meaningful look, lightly tracing her fingers across his chest. "A mysterious and powerful partner. What woman wouldn't be drawn to that?"

"Exchange Strength," Alister activated the ability, and the system interface appeared in his vision.

With an emotionless expression, he sacrificed a bit of his maximum health points, regaining a small amount of his depleted psychic energy. This would allow him to use Shadow Blades and Shadowstep a few more times.

"Status Disappearance Countdown: 3599 seconds."

Losing a bit of maximum health points permanently in exchange for a one-hour strength bonus... Alister knew this was the limitation of a D-Rank ability. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

And then, in the next moment, shadows coalesced around Alister's right hand, forming a long, narrow blade about two meters in length that pierced through the air.

"Hmm," he said.

At the same time, the woman in the black dress playfully avoided Alister's Shadow Blade and leaned closer to him, her chin resting on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

"Don't you think we make a perfect match?" she teased. "A pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth... identical."

"Do you like black?" she continued. "Well, Lian, I not only like purple but also black. Isn't that considered a shared interest?"

"And since I'm a woman, and you're a man, according to convention, we're naturally meant to be together, right?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"

"You guessed right. It seems we're quite—"

"Shadow?" Alister interrupted her.

Before the woman in the black dress could finish her sentence, a cold and merciless voice came from a distance. Qingxian stood atop a lamppost, her three-foot spirit sword emitting a cold light.

"A-Rank 91st," she added.

Misunderstandings had occurred. Alister found himself reluctantly drawn into a conflict between factions. He was quite troubled by the situation.

Qingxian, with her ethereal demeanor, raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Are you associated with Perpetual Night's Lament?"

"Lian doesn't like to be disturbed during a blind date," the woman in the black dress said with a playful tone as she wrapped her arm lightly around Alister's neck.

"Who's on a blind date with you?" Alister responded with a hint of disdain.

The woman in the black dress blushed slightly for a moment and then turned her head, coldly gazing at Qingxian. She summoned a massive purple crystal scythe from the void with one hand.

Qingxian remained silent. Her A-Rank aura gradually enveloped the area.

"I think you should know it yourself, Lian," Qingxian said in a tone that was icy and seemingly indifferent.

Sixty percent of the large-scale natural disasters recorded in the past century were caused by Perpetual Night's Lament.

"Lian knows it very well," the woman named Lian replied with a troubled expression. "I came all the way to Z Country, and I haven't caused any trouble here at all."

"I just wanted to take a look at the cause of Serad's death, and, of course, to have a long-anticipated blind date."

Lian continued, putting on the innocent look of a young girl. "Walking alone in the rainy night with an umbrella, you looked so handsome, Mr. Shadow."

Alister did not respond to her flirtations.

Qingxian, her A-Rank presence dominating the scene, looked at Lian with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Are you causing trouble because you're late for our date, Lian?"

With a yawn, Lian stretched lazily and made her way to the center of the road, her elegant footsteps echoing in the night.

"Ah, it's time to sleep," she said.

And so, Lian, dragging her massive scythe behind her, walked away with a graceful and ghostly gait, disappearing into the undeveloped area beyond the road.

Light as a feather, as if she were truly just here for a vacation.

"Late greetings, good evening."

After watching Lian leave, Alister stood with his hands in his pockets, and he turned his gaze to Qingxian, his expression as enigmatic as when they had first met.

Now, only "Shadow" and "Qingxian" remained in this standoff.