Nia suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if a lump of damp cotton had been stuffed inside.
So from beginning to end, she had been the only foolish one—believing that everyone could stay in this small town forever, always playing cards together, always this happy.
So in everyone else’s future… there was no Graystone Town.
Her nose stung sharply, and her eyes instantly turned red.
But she rembered that today was Lance’s housewarming—a day worth celebrating.
Everyone had broader futures ahead of them. Their lives would only get better. I shouldn’t feel sad. I can’t ruin the mood at a ti like this.
Nia desperately warned herself in her heart.
I can’t cry.
But the tears refused to listen, already welling up in her eyes.
Her lips trembled into a pout, as if trying hard to push the tears back.
“I’m sorry…”
Nia suddenly stood up, her chair scraping harshly against the ground.
“I… I think I need to head back first.”
After saying that, she didn’t dare look at anyone’s expression. Lowering her head, she rushed out of the courtyard.
“Bang.”
The mont she stepped out the gate, the fragile composure she had been holding onto completely collapsed.
Lance clearly heard a loud wail of crying from outside.
“I’ll go with you!”
Without hesitation, Flora grabbed her bag and rushed out after her, her face full of worry.
Only Lance and Amber remained in the courtyard.
Lance sighed and looked at the red-haired girl sitting across from him.
“You should go keep her company too.”
“Hearing that three friends are all leaving at once—anyone would have trouble handling it right away.”
“It’ll be easier for you girls to talk. Go comfort her.”
Amber nodded. “Alright, I’ll go.”
When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and gave Lance a bright smile.
“Happy housewarming, Lance.”
“Thanks.”
Lance watched as the courtyard emptied, his gaze falling onto the scattered crystal cards on the table.
“Amber, these cards…”
“They’re yours.”
Amber waved her hand without turning back.
“A housewarming gift.”
With that, her figure disappeared into the night beyond the door, chasing after the direction of the crying.
Lance stepped forward and gathered the faintly glowing cards one by one.
This was a magical item personally crafted by that witch—if put on the market, it would be worth a fortune.
Looking at the heavy deck in his hand, Lance couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
It seed Amber was the true hidden rich young lady.
Such a valuable item, and she just gave it away like that.
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Only the leftover charcoal in the grill occasionally crackled, sending out a few dim red sparks.
After tidying everything up, Lance sat alone in the empty courtyard, his gaze resting on the neatly stacked crystal cards.
As if possessed, he reached out and drew another card from the deck.
King of Clubs.
As magic seeped in, a new line of text appeared on the card.
【If ti were to rewind, would you still choose to et these fools who are destined to part ways?】
He fell into a long silence.
mories that had once grown blurry now surged back like a tide.
He thought of the sumr of his previous life.
That high school graduation ceremony filled with both laughter and tears.
That day, everyone had cried while hugging each other, swearing they would be friends for life, that they would leave a place for each other on the map of the future.
Yet reality was always harsh.
After entering university, contact beca less frequent.
In the end, those once so familiar faces beca nothing more than occasional likes on social dia.
Those brothers who once pulled all-nighters gaming at internet cafés, those friends who drank cheap beer and bragged at roadside stalls—eventually, they all beca gray nas in a contact list that no longer lit up.
Life was like a train with people constantly getting on and off.
Each person held a ticket to a different destination.
So boarded and accompanied you for a while—but when their stop arrived, it was only natural to wave goodbye.
Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Although his past experiences had taught him that parting was a constant in life, and reason told him that investing emotions would inevitably lead to pain—
He could not deny the monts he had shared with these friends.
The encounter itself had aning.
Just like the old dog he had raised for over a decade in his previous life.
From the mont he brought it ho, he knew a dog’s lifespan was only a short ten-odd years—he was destined to face separation through life and death.
But if he were given the choice again—
He would still raise it, still walk it through countless dusks.
Because those monts of companionship were real.
And it was the sa in this unfamiliar other world.
Amid countless small, warm fragnts of daily life, he had gradually found a sense of truly living, truly becoming part of this world.
Looking at the card in his hand, Lance spoke softly yet firmly:
“I would.”
Even knowing that everyone would eventually part ways and head toward their own futures—
He was still willing to return to that sunny afternoon.
To push open the door of the Adventurers’ Guild and say to the brown-haired girl behind the counter:
“Hello, I’m Lance.”
The mont his words fell—
The card in his hand suddenly burst into a dazzling azure light.
Imdiately after, the hard crystal material began to lt, turning into countless blue particles in his palm.
These particles did not dissipate. Instead, as if alive, they gently drifted toward him and rged into his body.
In a daze, Lance heard a woman’s voice whisper by his ear.
The voice carried a trace of languid relief as it softly said:
“I like your choice.”
The next second, the familiar system panel opened before his eyes.
【You have faced the truth deep within your heart, and your answer aligns with the witch’s will】
【The witch grants you a hand-to-hand combat technique created by the man she loved most】
【You have obtained: Azure Dragon Ultimate Style】
So this was the true value of the item.
It not only forced one to confront their heart—it also granted unimaginable rewards to those who answered honestly.
Before Lance could fully react, a massive stream of knowledge about the technique began flooding into his mind.
Countless figures moved and shifted within his consciousness.
These were attack movents modeled after the posture of Dragons.
Fingers like dragon claws, arms like dragon tails, the spine like a dragon’s body.
Every move carried a terrifying, ferocious aura.
On the system panel, a new skill appeared.
【Azure Dragon Ultimate Style LV1 (0/250)】
Only after fully absorbing the knowledge did Lance slowly open his eyes and let out a long breath.
This combat technique was incredibly powerful.
One could even say—it was brutal.
All of its techniques could be sumd up in two words: violent domination.
It did not care for restraint or stopping at the right mont—every strike aid to tear apart the enemy’s defenses and shatter their bones.
Moreover, this was a profound magic-body technique.
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