After finally coaxing Raiden Ei to sleep, Lu Chen headed into the kitchen and pulled every alcoholic drink out of the fridge.
What happened today had truly rattled him. He couldn't risk letting Ei have another drop of alcohol.
Just as he was about to stuff the beer into a trash bag, a gust of wind swept through the room—and with it, that all-too-familiar, pungent scent of liquor.
"Lu Chen, you're not really gonna throw all that away, are you? What a waste!"
Venti, the resident drunkard, was somehow standing outside the sixth-floor window—and casually pushed it open to climb inside.
"Bro, could you not use the window?! Ever heard of stairs?! Can you try being low-key for once?" Lu Chen groaned.
Yesterday, who knows how many people had seen someone in green soaring through the sky. Venti had been mistaken for a deity, a UFO, even Ultraman.
There were plenty of elderly retirees living in the neighborhood below. If they saw that again, someone might literally have a heart attack.
Lu Chen had been trying to keep a low profile, but now he had two literal gods living under his roof. If they both kept flying around like that, staying discreet would be impossible...
"Stairs? Where are those?" Venti asked curiously.
"Over here..." Lu Chen pointed toward the front door and even took him out to see the elevator.
"Ohh~" Venti nodded like he'd suddenly understood everything. "I was wondering why you lived in such a weird stone tower. So there's a secret passage inside!"
He plopped down on the sofa like he owned the place, placing a few bottles of fine liquor on the coffee table—clearly swiped from the bar.
To be fair, he had some standards. Lu Chen noticed all the bottles were already opened—leftovers that would've been tossed anyway.
With a sigh, Lu Chen returned the beers he'd taken out back into the fridge. Tossing them wouldn't do any good, not with a real alcoholic like Venti in the house.
Maybe sensing Lu Chen's concern, Venti grinned and said, "Relax, these are mine. I'm not going to sneak any to Beelzebul."
"You better not," Lu Chen warned.
"Of course~"
Venti then began curiously inspecting the apartment, his gaze full of wonder.
Lu Chen felt a headache coming on. Now he had to teach Venti the rules of this world and somehow get him to help with the challenge mission.
Considering how scatterbrained he was, that would be easier said than done.
Just like he had with Raiden Ei, Lu Chen turned on the TV, picked out a few documentaries, and handed Venti the remote.
He then slipped into thought. The mission, [Challenge Task: Ode to the Anemo Archon by the Sea], required leading students to perform a symphony at the seaside. A student role probably wouldn't be enough—he'd have to make Venti a teacher. A music teacher, preferably, to make it all make sense...
But becoming a teacher at Haizhou High School wasn't exactly easy—plus, Venti didn't even look old enough.
Lu Chen studied him for a moment. Those emerald eyes were locked on the TV, and like Raiden Ei, his hair had that unique gradient that only gods possessed, braided neatly down both sides. His features were delicate and beautiful. When silent, he exuded a sly, all-knowing aura—definitely worthy of being one of the Seven.
But no matter how you looked at him, he still looked like a youthful, pretty boy—clearly underage.
No wonder the mission's rewards were so generous.
As the difficulty rose, so did the payoff.
Venti was now comfortably flipping channels, having already figured out how the remote worked. Eventually, he landed on a musical broadcast.
It was classical music. The moment the melody began, Venti's eyes lit up. As if enchanted, he raised his arms ever so slightly—like he was on stage performing with the orchestra.
It seemed everyone could find their favorite thing on TV. With him distracted, Lu Chen wasn't too worried about him causing any trouble.
After a full day of chaos, night had finally fallen. Only the last rays of the setting sun lit the sky outside the balcony.
Lu Chen changed into his workout clothes—time to go hunt some Slimes.
With an ATK stat of 162 and his Unsharpened Blade, Lu Chen claimed to be undefeated in the art of Slime slaying.
On a secluded coastline rarely visited by people, Hydro Slimes spawned endlessly—perfect for leveling up.
At this point, Lu Chen had lost count of how much Slime Condensate he'd collected.
He was, in every sense, a Slime Slayer.
"Hey? It's late—where are you going?" Venti asked as Lu Chen changed his shoes.
"Got something to do."
"What kind of something?"
"Transforming into a nameless hero who purges monsters in the night, asking nothing in return but the safety of humanity."
"Oh... huh?"
Venti blinked, then looked Lu Chen up and down. "Didn't you say you've lost most of your power? You're challenging monsters? What if it's dangerous?"
"I'm going to fight Slimes," Lu Chen replied seriously.
"..."
Venti stared at Lu Chen's dead-serious expression, wondering if he was about to storm Celestia. But no—it was just Slimes.
"In Teyvat, I might be second-best at making witty remarks... but you definitely take first," Venti said, tucking a bottle of wine into his clothes.
"Let's go. I'll come with you!"
"You too? The Anemo Archon's going to fight Slimes?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"You're so 'steady' in the face of Slimes," Venti smirked. "I'm just worried you'll get overwhelmed and beat to death by a mob of them."
"Mm..." Lu Chen nodded. "Not impossible."
They headed out immediately. After taking the elevator downstairs, Venti complained that the walk would take too long and suggested they fly.
Lu Chen wanted to stay low-key and was about to say no, but considering his Stamina stat was only 4—and he needed all his energy for fighting Slimes—he reluctantly agreed.
They snuck off to a less populated area and waited for a while before quietly taking off.
This city had a naturally well-sheltered harbor. Normally, Lu Chen had to walk quite a ways past the bustling port district to reach Slime territory.
But this time, thanks to Venti, they arrived in no time.
Venti gently guided them down using Anemo, and they landed softly.
Lu Chen couldn't help but think—Venti was the best travel companion. Say "fly," and he's airborne. From now on, he was bringing him on every Slime run.
The beach was misty with sea vapor, thick with elemental energy. Lu Chen could sense that the concentration here was higher than usual.
The two worlds were subtly bleeding into each other. And in this bustling modern city, more supernatural forces were bound to appear over time.
"There!" Venti pointed off into the distance, where a group of Hydro Slimes were slowly wriggling across the sand.
"Wait." Lu Chen paused—his system's Electro Treasure Compass was trembling slightly and glowing.
There was a treasure chest nearby!