Chapter 31: You Were Attacked by a Demon Beast in the Wilderness!

"Hmm, compared to the bootleg water-based spells I've adapted using Water Control, directly manipulating water vapor to form a downpour is possible, but the spiritual energy consumption is massive..."

Ye Hui sensed the depletion of spiritual energy within his body. It seemed that, truly, he was not the one causing the heavy rain. His water-based skills were always dependent on spiritual energy, and he was not some genius with top-tier water-attribute roots. Without such innate talent, it was impossible for mere cultivation to trigger weather-altering phenomena.

Sunday, April 26th.

"Oh? It cleared up!"

Ye Hui looked up to see the rising morning sun. "This rain really knew how to persist. If it hadn't stopped, I would have actually started to think that I was the one causing the weather changes..."

Ye Hui smacked his lips. After all, during the week he had been obsessed with cultivation, it would drizzle while he was at school, but the moment classes ended, the rain would pour down. It was just too coincidental. Having just acquired water spiritual roots, Ye Hui couldn't stop practicing. Even though he was worried it might be connected to him, he hadn't ceased his cultivation until Sunday, when the weather finally cleared. Ye Hui finally felt at ease. With such strange weather, he had been genuinely worried about getting tangled up in something inexplicable! After all, Sakura's world could be considered simple, but if one called it complex... it truly wasn't simple at all.

Just as he finished his meal, the phone suddenly rang. Tomoyo was calling to remind Sakura and Ye Hui not to forget what they had discussed yesterday. Yesterday, Tomoyo had mentioned wanting to go to the forest park with Sakura and had invited Ye Hui and Kero as well. At the time, Ye Hui had been hesitant; what fun was there to be had on a rainy day? Now that it was sunny, Tomoyo had extended the invitation again. Ye Hui considered refusing, as he wanted to cultivate.

"But Kero will be coming too!"

Ye Hui wavered. If it were just Sakura and Tomoyo going out, it wouldn't be very appropriate for him, a boy, to tag along. But this was different. Kero was going too. With three out of the four in their group going, wouldn't it be antisocial for him to hide at home? Besides, he had been too absorbed in his cultivation over the past two days. He hadn't thought much about triggering new quests, mostly just maintaining contact with Tomoyo during school or over the phone to ensure his progress in "turning" her didn't regress. If that happened, he would suffer a huge loss.

"Also, we're leaving at noon! If you have things to do on Sunday, Ye Hui, you can take care of them in the morning, and we can all go play in the afternoon..."

Tomoyo had already gone this far. If he didn't agree now, his progress might actually drop. Ye Hui decided to accept. However, before he could even open his mouth, a system prompt popped up impatiently. It was the "Bonding" side quest that hadn't appeared since he captured the last card. A week later, it had finally refreshed.

[Your relationship with Daidouji Tomoyo, the protector of Kinomoto Sakura, has grown closer. You received a communication jade talisman from her, you reciprocated with talisman artifacts, and you are in frequent contact...]

[However, you have always understood that small favors have little effect on a wealthy girl like Daidouji Tomoyo. You begin to conceive a new plan.]

[You learn that the protector Daidouji Tomoyo is safeguarding Kinomoto Sakura as they leave the Ten Thousand Dharma Immortal Sect to go on an outing outside the sect to relax. You hatch a plan and take the initiative to join them...]

[In the wilderness, you encounter an attack by a demonic beast! This time, you decide to strike first and capture the beast. Only through comparison can one see the difference; you intend to let Daidouji Tomoyo witness the cowardice of the protagonist, Kinomoto Sakura...]

[Ding! You have refreshed the bonding character side quest—"Competitive Nature"!]

"Huh? System, what the heck is this? A 'demonic beast'?"

[Identification complete. This demonic beast has a mischievous temperament and possesses powerful water-attribute talents. It can control rainstorms, leading to flooding...]

Fine, so it was the Rain Card! Ye Hui rolled his eyes. "The previous Clow Cards were called 'secret treasures of the Immortal Talisman Sect,' and were at least inanimate objects. How did this one turn into a demonic beast?" Ye Hui complained. Clow Cards were clearly tools. Even if the system's identification module had a bug, it shouldn't be unable to distinguish between species, right?

[Identification complete. It is undoubtedly a demonic beast.]

Alright, he had to love the system's stubbornness! Ye Hui said into the phone, "Tomoyo, I'll go too. After all, it's a team effort; how could I be missing?"

The transition from hesitation to a firm acceptance took less than ten seconds. With a quest to grind, who cared about saving face? Fortunately, Tomoyo wouldn't overthink it. Her voice remained gentle, and after hearing Ye Hui's explanation for his hesitation, she didn't forget to soothe him over the phone, repeatedly saying it didn't matter.

Ye Hui hung up and ordered his butler to prepare his hiking gear. Afterward, he stuffed all of it, along with food and water, into his system inventory. It was better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Once the supplies were ready, he looked at his system inventory and felt for the first time that it was a bit too small. "I just don't know how to expand the system inventory!"

In games, expanding inventory usually required items. Such expansion items seemed to refresh randomly in quests with no pattern. In reality, as long as a character leveled up, it was easy to find inventory expansion items. After all, as the game progressed, there were more items, and if the inventory couldn't hold them, players would be up in arms. Yet now, with the game turned into reality, it seemed to be missing several modules. The system interface had also become rather dim-witted. Ye Hui didn't know where expansion items would refresh. "Maybe I'll encounter them in future quests?"

Thinking this, he had just stepped out the door when the phone rang again. "Ye Hui, hurry to Sakura's house! It's a Clow Card..."

[Daidouji Tomoyo's emotional value +25]

"What? Alright, I'll be there immediately!"

What was going on? Hadn't he returned the Wood Card to Sakura last time? Under Kero's guidance, Sakura had also written her name on the card in time. How could it be like the anime, where the Wood Card almost caused Sakura's house to collapse? What kind of development was this? Could that Rain Card actually flood Sakura's house?

He hopped on his bicycle and channeled spiritual power into his palms, slapping the frame of the bike. A faint glow from a Speed Talisman flickered, and the bicycle's speed surged. Ye Hui didn't live far from Sakura's house. In just over ten seconds, he arrived at the Kinomoto residence.

"It really is the Rain Card." Ye Hui immediately saw a cloud flying back and forth ahead. There seemed to be a figure on it. He squinted to look closer and saw a little girl with a blue water droplet on her forehead. The Rain Card itself did look like a mischievous child. Ye Hui remembered that in the anime, the Wood Card was originally very docile, but after Sakura captured it, the Rain Card caused trouble, and when the wood met the rain, it spiraled out of control...

This time, there was no Wood Card, so the Kinomoto residence wasn't being flooded. However, Sakura was still in the middle of a battle with the Rain Card.