Chapter 230: A Year Later, Still Unconquered

Inside this room filled with neon lights to the brim, several figures could be seen sitting on a couch.

Each of them held a controller in their hands, but only two were currently playing.

But despite being eliminated from the game, these figures didn't speak a word nor move. All of their attention was focused on the flashing display right in front of them wherein two figures could be seen duking it out head-to-head in a fierce battle.

The number of health bars on the upper left corner of the screen indicated that these four figures—more specifically—three ghosts and a Goddesses had ganged up against a mortal man.

Yes, this was the situation.

Yet, despite the overwhelming odds. The mortal man—with the name—Calvin remained relatively composed.

Sure, a frown was on his face as his fingers constantly trembled while he was holding the controller, but the character he was controlling in the game remained healthy.

The health bar of his character was still above 50%, whereas his enemy only had about 30% of her health bar remaining.

A single glance was enough to see who was currently winning.

But the woman beside Calvin remained steadfast.

This gorgeous woman with dark amethyst eyes and light purple hair was clad with nothing but a white shirt.

With her beauty, the way her nakedness emphasized her fair long legs sure was distracting.

But Calvin's eyes had never once landed on any part of her body ever since the game started.

This was a true gamer.

His mind and soul, heart and body were focused on one thing and nothing else.

It was winning this battle.

The gorgeous woman had already noticed that her distraction tactic wasn't working.

But she wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Earlier, she was seated quite a distance away from Calvin—but now she was not even a meter away from him.

The values that this gorgeous woman bestowed upon her subjects included leniency, propriety, altruism, and mercy.

In addition, the fact that Calvin was able to enter her Heavenly Abode meant that he was a believer of the Goddess of Compassion and Light.

But in this fight...

He showed no mercy whatsoever in this battle.

The gorgeous woman remained standing against the overwhelming might of this mortal man, but not even her swift APM was able to salvage her from her disadvantageous position.

In the end, Calvin exchanged the health of her character for the health of the gorgeous woman's character and the fight soon came to a close.

Game!

"Goddamned it!" The gorgeous woman abruptly stood up from her seat and smashed the controller onto the floor.

The controller abruptly shattered and dissipated into innumerable light crystals the moment it made contact with the ground. Sure enough, this gorgeous woman might look frail and delicate, but inside of her body was a might that not any mortal could withstand.

Calvin was speechless.

He didn't know what to say.

"Grace, are you all right?" Calvin squeezed these words out after a long time.

"Do I look like I am all right?" Grace glared at him, "How are you so good at any games? I don't understand. Okay, I'll admit that you're awesome at Turismo, but are you saying that you're also invincible at Let Us Smash Bros?!"

"What is going on? I don't understand why I can't beat you at all!"

She pointed a finger at him and continued, "Also, didn't you say that you are going to teach me how to be a better player? Why am I still so bad at this game? You're really not a good teacher!" Her cheeks puffed and blushed with crimson as she panted for breath.

"Am I not teaching you?" Calvin furrowed his eyebrows. He looked as if he couldn't understand what she was talking about. "Aren't I teaching you while we're playing?"

"Don't you find it strange how you were able to last this long against me? I was teaching you in-game! Could it be that you didn't see me doing those short jumps and animation canceling? I was demonstrating them to you, so you can learn!"

"Oh..." Grace was dumbfounded.

She didn't know what to say.

The look on her face made it obvious that she could recall what Calvin was talking about, but she clearly didn't get the clue that what he had been doing in the game were actions that she could follow to improve!

"Wait... Could it be that you didn't notice that I was—"

"No!" Grace hurriedly waved her hand, "Of course, I noticed! I just didn't feel like following what you were trying to teach me! I'm going to become a better player in you know... unconventional ways?" Her pink lips twitched as she said all of these.

Obviously, she wasn't expecting Calvin to fall into her lies, but he did anyway...

"I see. I understand. It's not strange that my way of teaching you is somewhat on the strange side, but this is the most effective way!"

"If you want to beat me in a game within the next three years without the use of cheats, then this is the only viable way that I can teach you!" Calvin righteously declared, "Let's analyze what happened in that game."

"The character you have chosen sure was interesting—Zhuge Liang is a powerful character in the game, but he is a glass cannon!"

"His animations take too long to start and complete. On top of that, since you are barely taking advantage of I-frames in between the animations and the art of animation canceling, it is not strange that you've lost against me!"

"With your playstyle, you should've really used a supporting character and supported the others in that fight. The Mortician is a better DPS user, and as for utilities, Stephanie and the Daylight Bride is also better than you..."

"In short, there is no other suitable role for you in that fight other than to stay in the backlines and heal your friends in the distance." Calvin shook his head.

Grace puffed her cheeks once more and muttered, "If I used a supporting character, you would've definitely killed me first!"

Calvin didn't know what to say.

Let Us Smash Bros might be a game that was primarily played by two players in a 1v1 scenario.

But its core mechanics still encouraged team play.

With that in mind and being the only player in his own team, Calvin must target the healer first if he wanted to claim the victory.

Yet, this Goddess of Compassion and Light here didn't use a supporting character because she didn't want to be the one to die first?

How selfish was this girl?

Calvin could only shake his head.

He stood up and walked outside the neon-lights filled room.

Grace followed suit and the two of them soon reached the living room.

"Can you at least wear something else..."

Calvin bitterly smiled when he saw that Grace was still half-naked.

Her upper body only had a white shirt, and she wasn't even wearing a bra to boot!

"What? I'm wearing panties though."

Grace lifted the hem of her shirt and casually showed what was underneath to Calvin.

The latter immediately facepalmed, "Panties aren't that powerful to suppress my raging hormones, though..."

"Calvin, have you already forgotten that you are in my house? I can do whatever I want since we are in my residence." Grace sat on a chair.

She tied up her light purple hair in a bun and continued, "Also, it's been almost a year since you're here. I thought for sure that you've gotten used to this scene."

A cheeky smile appeared on her face as she observed the changes on Calvin's face.

Even though both of them had stayed for almost a year under a single roof, she had never gotten used to the look of embarrassment on Calvin's face.

To be honest, she was starting to like it a bit.

The way a blush would faintly spread over his cheeks the moment she did something unbefitting to that of a lady in front of him...

A year was as fleeting as a passing breeze to a Goddess like her.

But for some reason, this year seemed to have lasted even shorter while Calvin was close to her.

"Are you going out soon?" Grace asked with a faint smile.

"Yeah. I have to go out. Besides, I'm already getting sick of this place. Can't you at least create a resort or a mini island or something?" Calvin couldn't help but ask.

The amenities in this house that Grace had made with her divinity wasn't that bad. In fact, it was comparable to a five-star hotel. But no matter how much of a shut-in Calvin was, he had gotten too sick of the environment.

He wasn't even allowed to go out, nor there was something out there that was worthy of his visit.

Grace lightly smiled, "I sure can do that. Did you already forget what I've told you before? This is my Heavenly Abode. I can do whatever I want in this place, whenever I want." A proud look suffused on Grace's expression, but Calvin wasn't impressed.

"Then, why haven't you done it yet? Why did we stay here for so long without a change of environment?"

"Well, it's because you didn't really suggest anything. This is the first time that you said that you wanted to go to a resort or an island!"

Grace retorted.

Calvin was speechless. She was right.

It was only when he was about to leave did Calvin realized that he also had to give himself some time to relax.

But recalling Grace's words, Calvin suddenly realized something that he had thoroughly ignore up to this day.

"Grace," Calvin called out, an incredulous look was on his face as he said, "Since you can do whatever you want in this place. What's stopping you from turning me into an overpowered killing machine before I come out of this Heavenly Abode? Wouldn't that be for the best?"

Grace simply shook her head. "I would've done that already if I could. This is the best that I can do. It's not that simple, Calvin."

Calvin furrowed his eyebrows for a moment.

But before he could reply, Grace spoke once again.

"Since you came here from the future, I am certain that you already know what I am talking about." A smile appeared on her face.

Grace's words confirmed Calvin's theory.

"The Primordial Cradle."

"You..." Grace stared wide-eyed at Calvin, "To think that you would even know of its name... I am sure that you must've had quite the accomplishment in the previous timeline. Would you like for us to talk about your past? I might be able to help you."

Calvin shook his head, "Honestly, I don't know. I don't know if I am allowed to say anything to you. I might have been able to turn back time to return here to the past, but the events whom I thought I know—had already changed."

"Changed? What do you mean?" Grace furrowed her eyebrows.

The Concept of Time and Space sure was complicated, but she was one of the Seven Gods and Goddesses who had created this world. If she claimed second in regards to the understanding of that concept, then no one would dare to claim that they were first!

Calvin also realized this, so he continued. "More accurately—it didn't actually change. It's just the dates seemed to have been pushed forward, and the stakes seem to be higher."

Calvin recalled what had happened back in the Asylum, "Could it be that my very own presence in this world is causing it to change? Will the cataclysm that will eventually happen in the future be harder to overcome than I expected?"

Calvin stared at Grace.

He seemed to be looking for answers.

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