As we entered the Library of Infinite Beginnings, the ones who had already beaten the third floor's Gatekeeper just went on ahead, while the ones who haven't yet stayed back to beat it. According to Xiang Peng, the Gatekeeper she faced had been...

...A rabbit.

Yes, yes, I know. A rabbit - how harmful could it be? That was the girls' reactions when they first heard it. But from what Xiang Peng said, this rabbit was no ordinary fuzzball. It hopped around speedily, looking for openings - you had to be really careful to always keep track of its location, especially since it could change its position with one single leap. Its small frame and nimble movements also made it hard to hit, but that wasn't even the worst part. The most important thing here, was that...this bunny was out to kill you.

Yep, that's right. A killer rabbit.

Mei Gui also confirmed all of this information, and so did the three other people who had already beaten it - namely Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, and Cherry. Apparently, while it was hard to hit, it was also weak. If you managed to get lucky and land an attack on it, it was as good as defeated, whether that attack was a bullet or a spell.

Speaking of, I asked them about this on the way here, but Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, and Cherry all didn't like guns very much. To them, using guns was a brand new thing they had to pick up, and spending all that time to learn it just isn't worth it. So, they stuck with what they knew best - magic. Now, the case was the same for the girls and I, but all of us had managed to grasp how to use a gun pretty quickly. Now that I think about it, we're all pretty talented.

In any case, we continued up the staircase, until we reached the door leading to the fourth floor of the Library. A card scanning machine was implemented beside it, similar to the previous floors.

"Who's going first?" Four-Eyes asked, looking at us.

In total, we had six people here - Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, Cherry, Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and myself. We would have seven, but...Shi Yan was currently on a dangerous mission, thanks to Xiang Peng. The rest of the girls were all busy passing the third floor right now.

"I can go first, if no one else wants to?" Cherry volunteered, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're so brave, Cherry!" Ling Ling hugged her from behind. "Okay, you got this! Tell us what's inside once you're done, so we know what to expect!"

"Yeah, I get the gist of it by now...can you let go of me?" Cherry muttered, but she didn't seem to be that annoyed. I figured the two of them have been friends for a long time now. There was also the fact that they were both girls. If Four-Eyes had done that to her - not that he would, since that didn't fit his personality whatsoever - or if Shi Yan had been here and did that, no doubt, she would've blown up right there and then.

Anyway, Cherry scanned her library card and entered the portal that appeared once she pushed open the door.

As we watched her disappear, I decided to ask a question.

"Hey, Four-Eyes, you're an Intermediate Mage, right?"

"Hm? Yeah. Aren't we all? With the exception of Xiang Peng."

I nodded. "That's true. What about you, Ling Ling?"

"I am one too! Cherry and Shi Yan are as well. Actually, we just became Intermediate Mages fairly recent-"

"Hey - you don't have to tell them that!" Four-Eyes interrupted sharply, sending Ling Ling a glare.

I laughed sourly. "Still don't trust us all that much?"

Four-Eyes, met with my question, awkwardly averted his gaze. "Er, no...it's not that. It's more...we just don't want to appear weak in front of our friends, you know? It is human nature to want to come off as strong in front of others."

"Huh. Is that true?" I murmured, mainly to myself. I was the exact opposite, after all. I wanted to use my powers just enough to defeat my adversaries. If people thought I was weak, all the better - I could hit with them with a surprise attack.

But Four-Eyes had a different idea. "Of course it is. If you appear as weak...people will take advantage of that."

From the way he was acting, he seemed to be touching on a subject of his own past, so I decided against asking further. I wasn't that insensitive.

Xiang Peng tugged on my arm, and I looked at her. "What?"

"I gotta use the bathroom," she said with a wink.

"Okay...but...why do you have to...oh, I see."

I was going to ask why she felt the need to tell me that information, but then I realized the meaning behind her words - the sentence inside her sentence. She didn't really need to go to the bathroom. That was just an excuse to leave us and go somewhere alone for some time. Why did she need to do this, you ask? Well...she's going to contact Shi Yan, and give him instructions. He should've arrived at the Ross Estate now, after all. My guess is that after arriving, he sent Xiang Peng a text, which she received just now.

With that, Xiang Peng left us, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her dial a number on her phone and place it to her ear. Looks like my guess had been on the mark. Not that I wasn't confident or anything. Otherwise, we would have a real problem if she told me she was gonna go to the bathroom just for the sake of it. That would be extremely weird.

After that, the other people present each took their own turn going in. The Gatekeeper this time around was a wolf, apparently. More specifically, it was a werewolf - a human turned beast. However, no trace of humanity was left - so therefore it wouldn't be incorrect to just say it was a wolf. In any case, by the looks of it, this Gatekeeper didn't seem too strong.

Mei Gui went before me, and I was last.

By the time I went inside, Xiang Peng had still not returned.

*****

(Shi Yan's Perspective)

Here I was. The Ross Estate. It was around 1:30 AM. It had taken me nearly half an hour to get here. I have never been in this part of District A before, so I was walking through unfamiliar territory. Luckily, Xiang Peng had sent me clear directions, and even I was capable of following basic instructions.

I decided to send her a text to notify her I was here, and awaiting on standby. That was the agreement we worked out beforehand - when I arrived at the Ross Estate, I was to send her a message, and she would tell me what to do next from here.

Five minutes passed since I sent the message. I was currently hiding in a patch of bushes a short distance away from the only visible entrance of the building. There were two guards at the door, both holding guns.

Man...if only I had a sniper or something. I could take them both out with one shot, I'm sure! I've always been good at shooting video games. How hard can it be to do it in real life, right?!

I actually had wanted to get a gun, but the others shut me down. Especially that damned Four-Eyes! They said using guns in a video game was a lot different from using one in real life. But I don't believe them. I can do it, I'm sure!

...But what was done was done, so here I am, out of any options except to slip by stealthily.

Hm...I wonder, if I tell Xiang Peng I took down the guards all by myself instead of sneaking by, would that impress her, and make her fall in love in me because of my strength? Yeah, let's do that! And then...once she falls in love with me...we can...hehe...

As I was in the middle of dreaming about my erotic fantasies, a sudden loud ringtone blared out from my pocket.

"Oh, shi-"

I snapped back to reality, and quickly fumbled the phone out of my pocket, before hurriedly pressing answer.

Ah, damn it! I forgot to put the phone on vibrate! Shit, did those guards hear that loud ass ringtone? God damn it...

"Hello?" Xiang Peng's voice came over on the other end, and I quickly composed myself.

"A-Ah, yes. Hi. I'm here."

"Okay. I know you already sent me the text, but...just to confirm again, you're at the Ross Estate, correct?" she asked.

"Yep. I'm looking right at it. The massive logo at the top of the building that says 'The Ross Estate', I mean."

"Perfect. And...those guards at the door haven't detected you, have they?"

I gulped, as I felt sweat forming on my forehead. "Y-Yeah. Don't worry, Xiang Peng. Didn't I tell you already? I'm a master at Shadow Magic. Stealth is my thing."

She laughed a little. "Okay~ Now then, your next job is to sneak inside. Remember, don't let the guards catch you~"

She said this in such a cute voice I almost got a hard on.

Okay, little buddy...calm down now. Now's not the time. I'll satisfy you soon enough, once I get this task done and win her heart.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up slowly, and whispered into the phone.

"Got it. Just sit tight, and wait for my good news."

With a goal set in mind and my determination lit anew, I hung up.