Chapter Fifteen: The Pink Peach Princess

Of course, when Wang Ling was about to step on the mechanism, King Koopa would inevitably give chase. But as a creature known for its strength rather than speed, catching up to Wang Ling was impossible—especially since Wang Ling’s running, like his jumping, was enhanced by several speed-boosting skills.

Yet, there was a major flaw in this plan—once he triggered his acceleration and super jump, launching himself into the air, he had to focus all his effort on maintaining balance, leaving himself completely exposed to any incoming attacks.

Wang Ling was well aware that in the game, Koopa possessed the skill of hurling flying hammers, and given that it had already brandished one, it was only logical it would use such an attack. A flying metal hammer with a diameter of one meter could easily shatter stone; given Wang Ling’s physique, a direct hit would almost certainly be fatal. But he had one safeguard: after consuming the growth mushroom, he would have a brief period of invincibility—one precious second—when the enlarged state vanished upon taking a hit.

Indeed, that single second of invincibility spared Wang Ling from the hammer’s deadly force—the only unexpected outcome was that the impact didn’t just deflect the attack but sent both the shimmering white light and Wang Ling himself hurtling eighty meters through the air. It left him drenched in cold sweat, but fortunately, King Koopa’s control over his own strength was so precise that Wang Ling’s trajectory was not knocked astray.

As for the final homing shell Koopa released, that was Wang Ling’s other insurance—completely cutting off Koopa’s last chance of making it across the stone bridge. The outcome was now inevitable.

“Aaaah! I’ll kill you!” roared King Koopa, charging across the crumbling bridge. But with dozens of meters to one side and over a hundred to the other, there was no way for him to reach the passage before the entire bridge collapsed beneath his feet. Realizing there was no escape from the lava below, the infuriated Koopa paused, inhaled deeply, and unleashed a searing jet of molten magma. Yet Wang Ling, calm and alert, sidestepped nimbly, letting the fiery torrent crash harmlessly against the stone wall behind him.

“Goodbye!” Seeing King Koopa inevitably plummet into the river of lava, Wang Ling finally allowed himself a triumphant smile. Dodging the magma, he gave a cheeky wave to the massive turtle, making a mocking gesture of farewell.

Wang Ling’s grin and waving hand nearly made King Koopa explode with rage. But for ranged attacks, Koopa had only the magma jet and the flying hammer. The former had missed, the latter had fallen along with the bridge into the molten river below. No matter how powerful Koopa was, and how weak Wang Ling might be, there was nothing more he could do.

The entire long stone bridge, constructed of massive, sturdy slabs of white granite, finally collapsed into the river of lava below, sending up plumes of golden-red flame and molten spray, before gradually sinking into the churning depths.

King Koopa’s eyes were bloodshot, black smoke curling from his nostrils, his gaze wild and bloodthirsty as he fixed Wang Ling with a look of utter hatred, searing the man’s image into his memory.

His gigantic body, five meters tall, first sank into the magma feet first, then his legs, waist, chest, neck, head… until even the white bony horns atop his skull were swallowed by the golden-red, searing heat. A small eddy swirled in the lava river, and then all was still.

Wang Ling let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the ground. In this novice mission world, he had truly given everything he had—both mind and body. As his tense nerves relaxed, a wave of dizziness and exhaustion swept over him; bones and muscles alike were aching, a fatigue unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life.

In the eighth castle, in the second zone, he had faced the joyous clouds and twin turret cannons; in the third, the floating platform before the flagpole; in the fourth, the giant squid in the water; and finally, the terrifying King Koopa. Each time, Wang Ling had been driven to the very brink of despair.

But at last, it was over!

Wang Ling also knew that falling into the lava river would not kill King Koopa—the current would carry him out, and he could return someday. But not in the short term; the Dreamspace controlled everything behind the scenes, and wouldn’t allow such an event to occur in a novice mission world.

As for Koopa returning later, bent on vengeance, by that time Wang Ling would already have returned to Dreamspace…

“I can’t believe I actually did it!” Wang Ling, sprawled on the ground, suddenly felt tears welling up. After giving his all, heart and soul, and with a stroke of luck, he had finally achieved his goal—the feeling was akin to someone unexpectedly acing the national college entrance exam and getting into a dream school.

As Wang Ling lay there catching his breath, the Dream Insignia chimed in with a timely message: “Successor No. 10521, you have completed the main quest in the novice world: defeat King Koopa. Please enter Koopa’s secret stone chamber and find Princess Peach to proceed to the next step of the main quest.”

Wang Ling wanted nothing more than to lie there for hours, to sleep for days. But he knew this was not the time for rest. Forcing himself to his feet, he stretched his aching body and made his way to the end of the passage—there, a stone chamber likely held Princess Peach captive.

Arriving at the door, Wang Ling saw that the white stone room was sealed with a heavy wooden door. It wasn’t locked from the outside, but when he tried to push it open, it rattled but would not budge—something was blocking it from within.

“Could Princess Peach be bracing the door to keep King Koopa out?” Wang Ling wondered. He knocked and called out, “Princess Peach? I was sent by the Mushroom Chancellor to rescue you. Are you inside?”

“You… you’re here to save me?” came a trembling female voice from within. It was soft and delicate—a sweet, almost doll-like tone that was hard to describe. If she were in China, she’d certainly qualify for a show like ‘The Voice.’

“Um… Koopa… King Koopa…” the voice faltered.

Wang Ling realized that for Princess Peach, this was the very first time she had truly been kidnapped—a harrowing start to what would become a long series of abductions (seventeen, to be exact). Raised in the palace, pampered from birth, she must have been terrified. He spoke gently: “Don’t worry. King Koopa is still alive, but I’ve defeated him. He won’t be coming back anytime soon.”

After a moment’s pause, there was the sound of something heavy being dragged away, and then the door swung open. Before Wang Ling could even see what was inside, a pink figure, fragrant as blossoming peach trees, darted out and flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

For a reclusive young man who had spent every spare moment on games and novels, the very notion of a girlfriend was a distant fantasy. Wang Ling, at seventeen, hadn’t even held a girl’s hand before; now, suddenly, a girl was in his embrace, and his mind went completely blank.

His brain froze, but his male instincts remained: his arms rose reflexively, gently encircling the girl in his arms. In his muddled mind, a few scattered phrases drifted through—

“So fragrant… so soft… so comfortable…”

He stood there, dazed, for half a minute before shaking his head to regain his senses. Looking down, he saw Princess Peach, her face buried in his chest, sobbing as if the very petals of spring rain clung to her cheeks.

Her face was hidden against him, but her silky golden hair spilled down her back, cascading to her waist, the ends brushing her hips. From Wang Ling’s vantage point, he could admire the graceful curves of her form from above.

“Her waist is so slender, her hips so shapely…”

Wang Ling felt his throat go dry. His hands, still on her back, unconsciously slid lower—one settling at her waist, the other resting on her perfectly rounded hip. At the same time, he realized that pressed against his chest were two soft, full mounds—surely, the legendary things he’d only heard about.

Worn out as he was, Wang Ling felt a surge of heat rise within him, his hands tightening involuntarily, pressing her even closer, so that the round, pillowy softness melded tightly against his own chest. At that moment, his heart wept with happiness.

“Is this… the so-called end-of-level reward? I’m so moved… Now I understand why so many heroes set out to slay dragons and rescue princesses…”

Princess Peach, still sobbing with her head bowed, suddenly felt a warmth radiating from her mysterious savior—a sensation that filled her with a strange, fluttering panic. But unlike the fear she felt toward King Koopa, this new feeling wasn’t frightening or unpleasant.

“Wh-what’s happening?” she stammered, her voice trembling. Though she craved the warmth of his embrace, a woman’s innate caution made her summon the courage to push him away. She stepped back, hands pressed anxiously to her chest.

When the soft, delicate body in his arms suddenly pulled away, Wang Ling was filled with a sense of loss. He took a deep breath to steady himself and turned his gaze to the girl before him.

Princess Peach’s face was porcelain fair, her skin as smooth as white jade, but with a delicate pink blush on her cheeks, making her look as enticing as a ripe peach. Her eyes were enormous, giving her a cartoonish, innocent appearance, her long lashes slightly upturned, her pupils a sea-blue brimming with tears.

From her face, she looked like a girl of thirteen or fourteen—pure and adorable. But her figure was far from childish. Even a world-class model would envy such a body—almost too perfect for words.

She stood about one meter sixty-five, clad in a long pink gown that swept the floor, concealing her legs. Yet judging by her waistline, her legs must have been over a meter long—impossibly slender and elegant.

Her waist was tiny, her hips pert and full of elasticity—enough to make any woman envious. Her chest, a full D-cup, was perfectly shaped, enough to drive any woman wild with jealousy.

A face as cute as a thirteen-year-old, paired with a body that was all sultry allure—such a combination of innocence and temptation was beyond compare.