Where's the cute girl we were promised? She's completely wiped out S-rank dungeons!

"No, no!"

Qiao Ran quickly waved her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked:

"Um...Song Yuan, actually I've always had a question, I was wondering if I could ask you?"

"What's the problem?"

Seeing him dawdling like this, Song Yuan suspected something was amiss:

"If it's something you shouldn't ask, then don't ask it."

"Ahem, you can't say that... It's not really an offensive issue."

Qiao Ran cleared her throat and tried to guide her:

"After this game, our next opponent will most likely be the Crystal Guild. Of course, I know we'll win. But after that, we'll have to delete our accounts and leave the game, right?"

Song Yuan nodded: "Yes, so?"

"...So I want to ask, will you choose to leave here?"

Qiao Ran's attempt to guide him failed, so he had no choice but to be direct:

"Because of your mother, wasn't she forcibly pulled into the game by the system? There's not much time left before the finals, and it's almost impossible to raise her overall rating from F to S or higher in such a short time. Or are you saying you don't care about her rating and will take her with you to the competition no matter what, and then leave with her?"

"I won't bring her to the competition," Song Yuan said decisively. "Her current overall rating is too low. It would be very unfair to you if we brought someone like her to the competition."

Furthermore, this is extremely irresponsible behavior. It's not only irresponsible to her teammates, but also to He Li, who is under her protection. Qiao Ran and the others each have their own wishes to fulfill. If they drag everyone down with them and bear the risks associated with a low-level team member just because of her personal feelings, that would be despicable.

Song Yuan had this feeling when she was in the [Zhenxin Welfare Home] instance.

Qiao Ran asked cautiously, "So what are your plans?"

"You can leave if you want, I won't leave the game," Song Yuan replied calmly. "I'll stay here and wait for the next league to get my second victory."

Then, he took He Li with him and they left the game together.

This answer was both expected and reasonable.

Qiao Ran was still somewhat surprised, and also a little reluctant. She whispered, "Are you going to stay here alone?"

This question didn't elicit a timely response from Song Yuan. After a moment of silence, Qiao Ran continued:

"What if, during the finals or semifinals, the system brings other people who are also important to you into the game again? Wouldn't you have to stay here again? If this cycle continues... year after year, you'll probably never be able to leave."

That would be a true endless loop. You'd be forever trapped here, forever knocked down from the brink of success. You'd forever watch others achieve their goals and leave the game. Even if you wanted to leave, you'd be bound by your closest family or friends, thus trapping yourself in a cycle.

Song Yuan glanced at him, her tone completely flat: "It's not that I haven't considered this possibility."

Qiao Ran blinked, and for her, said the transition word: "But?"

"But I don't have many relatives and friends," Song Yuan said, crossing her arms and briefly going through the list in her mind. "So, apart from He Li, no one else it can bring in can threaten me. This cycle doesn't hold true."

"Ah...what about the three of us???"

Qiao Ran looked sad, and exaggeratedly clutched her heart with one hand:

"What if one of us leaves and is forcibly pulled back into the game by the system? Would you log out immediately?"

This question successfully prompted Song Yuan to think. She stopped walking and leaned against the nearest house, lost in thought.

From an interpersonal perspective, Qiao Ran and the others weren't actually that important to her. The reason she stopped for He Li was because He Li had been kind to her and was her adoptive mother for eight years.

But to her, Qiao Ran and the others were just friends. Besides, they weren't weak; even if they were pulled back into the game, they could climb to the top on their own, right? At the very least, they could protect themselves.

But they were pulled back into the game because of her. Can she really just leave without caring about anything? What if one of Qiao Ran's friends dies because of her absence?

Furthermore, He Li is not weak either. Why would she stay for He Li and take such a huge risk?

"Okay, okay~ don't be so serious, just pretend I was joking with you."

Before Song Yuan could come to a conclusion, Qiao Ran interrupted her with a smile. Song Yuan snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her. Qiao Ran, as if having made up her mind, looked into her eyes solemnly and said:

"How about this, we won't leave. We'll stay and wait with you for another year, okay?"

"You guys?" Song Yuan frowned. "How can you represent all three of you by yourself? Did you all plan this beforehand?"

"Ahem... Well, actually, not yet."

Qiao Ran turned her head away guiltily and coughed twice, then said seriously:

"But if they knew you'd get into that kind of cycle, they'd definitely agree. If they don't intend to, then I'll stay here alone, is that alright?"

"But why did you do that?"

Song Yuan truly couldn't understand how someone could make such a huge sacrifice for her. After thinking it over, she could only come up with one explanation:

"Do you really enjoy playing video games that much?"

Qiao Ran was speechless: "I didn't stay because I like playing games, okay...?"