Demon King: “There’s so much to see, I can’t even take it all in with my own eyes—how am I supposed to take pictures?! Dude, you have no idea what his eyes are like! Holy crap!”

Battle Angel:“??”

Demon King: “Bro, you don’t know about that little mouth of his! Oh my god!” 

The Demon King had gotten so carried away praising him that he was getting a little tipsy and feeling on cloud nine. He wanted to say a couple more things, but was cut off.

Battle Angel:“………. I’ve been telling you for ages that you should read more books. Oh well, since we’re friends, take a selfie right now—aim it at your face, or your waist or legs—I’ll start by teaching you how to describe what you see in the picture.” 

Demon King: “Hey, don’t even mention it. He just put on a cloak, so I can’t even see his face now.”

Demon King, annoyed: “That cloak belongs to some other guy! What’s the deal? Even if it’s freezing, you can’t just wear clothes that belong to anyone other than your boyfriend!” 

After all, the Demon King himself was always bursting into flames, and the clothes he wore—like dragon-scale armor and shadow shirts—were only fire-resistant, not warm. He was practically ready to strip off his own clothes and give them to Tang Mian.

Battle Angel: “Exactly. A card character who casually wears other people’s coats and isn’t pure isn’t good enough for my brother. No matter how pretty he is, you can’t have him. The most important thing in a relationship is character.”

Demon King: “Hey, you can’t say that. It’s not like he asked for it—they forced it on him. He’s so weak, he couldn’t refuse. You agree, right?”

Fearing the Battle Angel would keep trying to break them up, the Demon King quickly changed the subject: “By the way, bro, you haven’t heard his voice—” 

【Battle Angel has initiated a voice call with you】 

Battle Angel: “Your vocabulary is way too limited. Why not just let me hear it for myself? I’ve got a knack for recognizing people by their voices. Normally, I wouldn’t talk to you about such things, but since we’re good brothers and you’ve run into this unusual Card, I’ve got to give you a proper analysis.” 

Demon King: “That’s so Silverwing, bro!”

Six silvery-white wings lay folded atop the bell tower; bathed in the morning light, every feather shimmered with a sacred radiance. The Battle Angel sat at the very heart of this ancient structure—above the massive clock.

His posture was far from upright; his right knee was bent, his left leg dangled over the edge of the clock face, and the tips of his boots seemed to rest in the morning mist. 

Through the mist, you can see a group of members from the light deck streaming into the church, preparing to attend today’s morning prayer to gain a combat buff.

The Battle Angel turned his head, his gaze falling on the all-in-one card in his hand.

【Waiting for the other party to answer】

【Answered】

The sound coming from the all-in-one card was faint—hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss—but the most prominent sound was the clamor of footsteps. The Battle Angel idly gazed at the sky, the clouds, the wind, and—

“Huff… huff… I—I really can’t do this.”

A soft tone, a sweet timbre, intermixed with faint gasps—it was like some kind of flirtatious cooing.

The all-in-one card, which he had been playing with in his hand, was pressed against his ear almost instantly.

As the first bell tolled, the members of the light deck bowed their heads in unison to pray inside the church, and that faint panting grew louder in the Battle Angel’s ear. 

Ambiguous. Subtle. 

A sound that shouldn’t have been heard in broad daylight, amidst the solemn and reverent sounds of prayer.

“Thump… thump…”

The tolling rose slowly from the bell tower beneath him; the vibrations traveled along the stone walls, causing his snow-white ear feathers to quiver ever so slightly. 

【The Demon King has ended this voice call】

Demon King: “He just sent me a message asking if I was not following him? Damn it! I’m being framed! How could I possibly tail some N card who’s this terrible just because I like him and want to catch a few more glances at him?! If it weren’t for bro, you saying you can recognize people by their voices, I would’ve left ages ago! Would I even be getting smeared like this?!” 

After a moment, the Battle Angel made the sign of the cross over his chest. He opened his eyes and replied calmly, “The voice is pure, but it’s off.” 

Demon King: “Off? What do you mean?”

Battle Angel: “Just like there are techniques for taking photos, voices can be disguised too. Battle Cards never speak like this—not even the Merfolk, who are famous for their voices, sound this pleasant. Clearly, this isn’t his natural voice; he’s forcing his voice and adding a lot of unnatural gasps to fool Cards like you who think he’s innocent.”

Demon King: “Holy crap, bro, you’re way too professional! You can actually tell that?! I also think Tang Mian’s voice sounds different from anything I’ve heard before. But Tang Mian was walking so hard just now that he ran out of breath, and now he’s crouching down to rest. I don’t think he’s faking those gasps much. Do you think I should carry him?”

Battle Angel: “Forget it. I thought a Demon King of your stature would have stronger willpower than I imagined. I didn’t expect you to fall for it so fast. I overestimated you.” 

Demon King:“!!!”

【Team Chat】

【Demon King: I was following you? Haha, I was just checking for traces of the Mist Monsters. See ya!】

As this message appeared, the heat in the air seemed to dissipate along with the Demon King.

Tang Mian: “?” 

Alright, so he’d just wanted to ask this future leader if he could give him a ride—guess that’s not happening.

Massaging his aching leg muscles, Tang Mian stood up and called out to Karl beside him, “I’ve rested long enough. Let’s get back on the road…”

“…Karl? Karl? Karl!”

Karl heard someone calling his name.

The fog was so thick—like a wall—that it blocked his view, making it difficult for him to pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from.

“Karl? Karl?” someone called from his right.

“Karl! Karl!” Someone on his left called out as well.

Karl struggled to open his eyes wide.

Two dark red figures appeared in his field of vision, standing one on his left and one on his right—

He saw two Tang Mians.

Karl blinked hard.

Both Tang Mians began speaking at that moment.

“Karl! He’s a monster! He’s taken my form—I’m so scared! You have to kill him!” the Tang Mian on the left exclaimed in a panic. The Tang Mian on the right spoke very softly; his voice was completely drowned out by the one on the left, and all that could be faintly heard was, “Karl… let’s go…”

Karl grasped the knife tucked at his waist in a daze. “Which one of you is the real Tang Mian?”

“Me, of course,” said the Tang Mian on the left, stepping forward. “I’m even wearing the cloak you gave me—don’t you recognize me?”

It was the dark red cloak Karl was so used to seeing, still bearing a few splatters of prey’s blood from who knows how long ago. But on the other side…

Thick gray mist shrouded that dark red figure, preventing Karl from seeing anything clearly—let alone determining whether the same bloodstains were on that cloak.

“What are you waiting for? Kill him!” The voice seemed to possess a magical power, causing Karl to instinctively raise his sword.

The dark red figure before him made no move to dodge.

A snow-white hand rose, pulling off the hood to reveal a face so beautiful that its features remained crystal clear even through the thick fog.

Green eyes, red lips, snow-white skin.

Was Tang Mian, beautiful to this extent, really human?

Countless bizarre thoughts swirled through Karl’s mind, and his hand, raised to swing the knife, froze mid-air, unable to bring it down—

Tang Mian reached out and delivered a crisp, decisive slap to Karl’s face. 

Smack!

A warm sensation.

It was exactly the same soft, warm sensation he’d felt when his compass had malfunctioned.

As the slap came toward him, it carried a fragrant breeze. No, the damp, chilly wind of the forest.

And a warm, sweet scent—one that belonged solely to Tang Mian.

At that moment, all the gray mist dissipated, and the “Tang Mian” on his left vanished as well, leaving only the Tang Mian standing before him—the one who had just slapped him.

Karl came to his senses.

The moment his senses returned, a wave of weakness and exhaustion washed over him; his vision went dark, and the world spun wildly. Just as Karl collapsed to the ground, he saw the real Tang Mian walk away.

Are you disappointed in me? I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.

Tang Mian picked medicinal herbs from a clump of wild grass.

He crushed them with a pebble, poured the herbs into Karl’s mouth, then lifted Karl’s eyelids to check his eyes. He placed his finger on Karl’s wrist and closed his eyes to carefully feel his pulse.

After roughly assessing Karl’s condition, Tang Mian laid Karl flat on the ground and began performing CPR on him. 

System, surprised: 【You actually know how to perform post-battle first aid?】

Tang Mian replied matter-of-factly: 【Yeah.】

Romance Card Training Manual: Sometimes love begins when you casually rescue a severely injured, unconscious player you find by the roadside.

With such a classic romance plotline, as an excellent Romance Card, Tang Mian naturally knew exactly how to revive him! 

System: 【Then why did you only post that useless cat stretch?】

Tang Mian said in an affectionate tone that implied, “You’re such a dummy, System”: 【How else am I supposed to show off my gorgeous curves?】

System: 【……….?】

Tang Mian: 【Wow. He’s really in great shape. Just a little first aid and his health points are already back.】

Karl’s health bar began to rise bit by bit, and when it reached 10, he slowly opened his eyes.

“You’re awake! How do you feel?” Tang Mian asked happily.

“Just now… ” Karl touched his face—the spot where Tang Mian had slapped him earlier. Had he just been dreaming?

“I just slapped you.”

System: 【?】

The system prompted: 【Karl, a key plot character, has an extremely strong sense of pride. Saying this directly might cause him to become hostile toward you.】

Tang Mian: 【Huh? But I did it to save him!】

System, at its wits’ end: 【No—not everyone is like you, lacking any fighting spirit】

Tang Mian: 【?】 What are you even talking about? We’re in the middle of the jungle right now—even if I knew Karl’s blood type, there’s no way I could save him.】

Tang Mian rubbed his hand and explained, “Oh, I heard that if someone’s possessed, slapping them might snap them out of it a little, so it took a lot of effort to slap you. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have used my hand—I should’ve just punched you.”

Karl hurriedly asked, “Does your hand hurt?” He added, feeling guilty, “It’s all my fault.”

System: 【?】 

Seeing how unbearably guilty Karl looked, Tang Mian said sympathetically, “It’s okay. You can teach me! Do you know how to throw a punch that’ll actually work?”

Tang Mian still had no idea how he’d handle the next combat value assessment.

Karl replied immediately, “You’re not very strong, so you’re better off using finesse.”

Karl stood up on his own without Tang Mian’s help. “Like me right now—I don’t have much strength, so we need to borrow power from the ground.”

He planted his feet firmly on the ground and sank slightly. As he threw a punch in slow motion, he explained, “Draw power from the ground, twist your body, concentrate all your strength into your fist, and then—strike…”

Karl’s entire body released its power like a spring, delivering a punch into the air almost as fast as lightning—so fast that Tang Mian couldn’t follow it with his eyes; all he could hear was the sound of the wind tearing through the air.

The wind ruffled a strand of hair on Tang Mian’s forehead, and his green eyes lit up instantly. “Wow! You’re so amazing!”

Karl withdrew his hand. The moment his gaze met those sparkling green eyes, his imposing aura deflated, and he looked flustered. His ears turned bright red, like a country dog in the village being praised for the first time, not knowing how to react.

The demon’s tail, sharp as a spearhead at the tip, slammed into the ground, carving out a deep gully.

Demon King: “Damn it! Bro, you don’t get it! That hunter just threw a weak little punch—why’s Tang Mian still raving about it?”

And he’s even using that sweet voice he loves so much, with his sparkling green eyes, to praise this hopelessly lousy hunter!

Damn.

The Demon King has only ever been praised by Tang Mian through words! 

Battle Angel: “To make you jealous.” 

Demon King: “Holy shit, bro, you’ve got me all wrong! How could I possibly get jealous over some lousy N card! I just can’t stand seeing a noob like that trying to show off! You know I hate show-offs the most—and someone who’s both terrible at the game and loves to show off is even worse!” 

Battle Angel: “It’s not the posturing that’s annoying—it’s the shallow-mindedness that’s truly glaring.”

Battle Angel: “You only saw that hunter as a noob, but you didn’t see the one who truly wants to tame you—the one who never brandishes a whip, only offers honey. Over time, the moment you hear his praise, you’ll turn into a tail-wagging dog. So take my advice: the waters here are too deep for you to handle.” 

Demon King: “Dude, now you’re being shallow!”

The Demon King passionately defended his beloved: “Tang Mian has a combat value of 1—he’s never seen the world. Any random R card character throwing a punch would definitely have a higher combat value than him. He’s kind and cheerful, so he just casually praised him. But not long ago, he also slapped that R card character across the face—he just did that spontaneously.”

Battle Angel: “Did he say thank you?” 

Demon King:“?”

Battle Angel: “Did that R card even say thank you? Since this Tang Mian you’re talking about is so great, there’s no way he’d just beat someone up for no reason—there must have been a reason for it.” 

Demon King: “Holy shit, bro, you’re amazing! Tang Mian only hit that idiot to save him! That R card didn’t even say thank you. Tang Mian is just too kind. If it were me, I’d have just let that guy die right there.”