Chapter 122: Progress

’What the fuck am I saying!’

Kyle wanted to slap his own forehead.

He had intended to make a casual remark, perhaps thank her for saving his life, and somehow ended up calling her a beauty who had descended to rescue him from the jaws of death.

What the hell was wrong with his mouth?

He resisted the urge to facepalm, knowing that doing so would only make the embarrassing situation even more embarrassing. Instead, he maintained his usual smile and continued rocking gently in his chair, pretending that nothing unusual had happened.

’Fuck... all this blood flowing into my dick is making me say some wild fucking shit!’

He blamed his arousal for the sudden lapse in judgment. It was partly true, considering how his wandering thoughts had clouded his concentration, but he knew perfectly well that his mouth belonged to him.

He could have paused for a second before speaking. He could have thought about his words.

But no. Apparently, his brain had decided to take an vacation while his mouth handled the conversation independently.

Now, all he could do was wait for Xi Yue’s reaction and hope that he hadn’t ruined the comfortable atmosphere they had just established.

[Making moves so quickly. I admire your play.]

The System’s message appeared at precisely the worst possible moment.

’Shut the fuck up.’

Kyle cursed it internally.

Of course, the damn thing wouldn’t miss an opportunity to mock him. Helping him survive in another dimension was apparently only one of its responsibilities. Humiliating him whenever he made a fool of himself seemed to be another.

[What? I’m simply appreciating your progress. You went from nearly becoming wolf food to flirting with a beauty within just little over a whole day. Truly inspirational.]

’I’ll uninstall you if I ever find the option.’

[You can’t uninstall me.]

’Then I’ll throw myself off a cliff just to spite you.’

[Please don’t. I would hate to lose my favorite source of entertainment.]

Kyle ignored the System before he could say anything more irritating.

Fortunately, Xi Yue didn’t seem offended by his compliment.

"You are exaggerating," she replied with a chuckle.

Kyle blinked.

She had actually laughed.

Not only that, but she seemed to find his remark flattering rather than inappropriate. Her expression softened as she covered part of her face modestly, attempting to conceal her amusement.

"You are too generous with your flattery, Kyle."

’...How did that work?’

For a moment, Kyle genuinely couldn’t understand what had just happened.

He had expected her to become embarrassed, perhaps even uncomfortable. Instead, she was laughing and addressing him by his name without any of the stiff formality that had characterized their earlier conversations.

[Lucky guy. Looks like your charisma has risen quite a bit. You’re no longer a creep, because there’s no way a cutie would laugh at what you said if she found you creepy.]

’How the fuck did that work, man?’

Kyle was beginning to suspect that he had accidentally stumbled upon some hidden social skill.

Or perhaps Xi Yue was simply kinder than he had expected.

’Fuck it. Who cares? The outcome is positive, and that’s all that matters.’

There was little point in dissecting a successful interaction until he managed to convince himself that it had actually been a failure. He could reserve his overthinking for situations where something genuinely went wrong.

Besides, she had called him Kyle again. That alone was progress.

"Generous? I’m not generous at all. I’m simply stating facts. You’re more radiant than the moon and more serene than the night sky."

Kyle doubled down without hesitation.

If the first compliment had worked, why not try another?

Xi Yue lowered her hand, looking at him with an expression caught somewhere between amusement and embarrassment.

"Oh, please stop with all this flattery. It will go straight to my head."

Her tone had changed slightly. She seemed to have recovered some composure, and there was a playful note in her response that hadn’t been present during their earlier conversations.

Kyle grinned.

’Excellent. We’re making progress.’

He had finally managed to get her talking to him like an ordinary person rather than treating him as some revered martial artist who had descended from a mountain.

Now, if only he could keep the conversation going.

"So, you said you usually take walks around the village at night?" he asked, returning to the subject that had started their conversation.

Xi Yue nodded.

"Yes, though I don’t usually go very far."

"Why not? Is there something dangerous nearby?"

"The forest, of course."

She glanced in the direction beyond the courtyard walls, where the darkness concealed the distant tree line.

"The outskirts of the village aren’t particularly safe after dark. There are wild beasts in the surrounding wilderness, and some of them are far more dangerous than ordinary animals. Father has always warned me not to wander too far from the village. Although it would be different case if I was half as strong as you."

Kyle nodded thoughtfully and also noticed the difference in look when she said the last sentence. It was kind of solemn.

That made sense. Given what he had experienced in the forest, he couldn’t exactly argue with her father’s caution.

A single Bloodfang Wolf had nearly killed him. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he encountered something stronger before he had recovered.

"So you don’t usually walk near the forest?"

"Not often," she admitted. "I usually stay within the village or walk along the safer paths nearby. Going too close to the forest is simply unnecessary."

She paused before continuing.

"That night was a little different. I had gone farther than usual due to some reason, and that’s when I discovered you lying outside the forest."

Kyle listened carefully.

"So it really was a matter of luck."

"Perhaps," Xi Yue replied with a small smile. "But I’m glad I went that way."

She looked at him, her expression becoming more earnest.

"If I hadn’t found you, we might have lost someone who saved our village from that beast. The Bloodfang Wolf had terrorized us for years. People were afraid to venture too far outside, and many families had suffered because of it."

She lowered her gaze briefly.

"Even if you hadn’t killed it, I couldn’t have simply left you there to die. But I’m grateful that you survived and that the beast is finally gone."

Kyle felt a faint pang of guilt.

’Here we go again. The hero business.’

He hadn’t killed the wolf to save their village, but he wasn’t about to interrupt her and explain that his only original objective had been to avoid becoming its dinner.

Besides, her gratitude was sincere, and he appreciated that.

"I’m grateful you found me, too," he replied. "If you hadn’t come along, I doubt I’d be sitting here talking to you right now."

"Please don’t say that so casually," Xi Yue said, her expression turning serious. "Your injuries were terrible. When I found you, I wasn’t even certain you would survive until we brought you back."

Kyle grimaced.

"Believe me, I remember."

He could still recall the pain, the blood soaking his clothes, and the exhaustion that had made it impossible to remain conscious. It wasn’t an experience he wished to repeat anytime soon.

"I hope you won’t have to go through anything like that again," she said.

"Same here. Next time, I’d prefer to meet someone under considerably less bloody circumstances."

Xi Yue laughed again.

Their conversation continued, gradually moving away from his injuries and toward the village itself. Kyle asked about the surrounding area, the people living there, and what ordinary life was like for someone her age.

Xi Yue explained that the villagers mostly depended on farming, gathering resources, and trading with nearby settlements. Although the village had its own routines and celebrations, the Bloodfang Wolf had made life difficult for everyone.

Now that the beast was gone, people could finally work and travel with less fear.

Kyle listened with genuine interest. He had arrived in this world expecting adventure, danger, and opportunities to increase his influence. Yet hearing about ordinary village life reminded him that this place wasn’t merely a playground for his ambitions.

People lived here. They had families, responsibilities, worries, and hopes of their own.

It was a simple realization, but one worth remembering.

Eventually, their conversation returned to more personal matters.

Kyle glanced at Xi Yue, who seemed considerably more relaxed than when she had first arrived.

’Well, this is going better than expected.’

He had initially hoped to stave off his boredom for a little while. Instead, he had managed to establish a more natural rapport with her, learned something about her nightly walks, and discovered that she had a surprisingly playful side once she became comfortable.

Now he was curious about something else.

Something he had heard earlier from Elder Gu Yuan.

He tilted his head slightly, adopting a casual tone as though the question had only just occurred to him.

"By the way, I heard from Elder Gu Yuan that you’re engaged to someone."

Xi Yue’s smile faded a little.

Kyle noticed the subtle change in her expression but continued, watching her carefully.

"Is that true?" he asked.