TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 10

Guided by Lin Mingfei, Xia Tong was leveling up smoothly. He found that while his mage character was fragile, it was nimble enough to dodge skillfully using recoil from abilities. He added a few attack skills, leveling up to 50 in just an hour.

In King’s Tomb, NPCs looked lifelike, with plenty of handsome men and beautiful women. The NPC Xia Tong was dealing with was a classic beauty—Princess Mengluo, a busty, slender woman. As he completed his quest and headed back, he brushed past two max-level players, one burly and one lean.

The plump one looked like a knight, though unlike the usual towering, imposing type. This knight was round, clad in iron-gray armor that made him look more comically wholesome than intimidating. Xia Tong chuckled, wondering what two max-level players were doing in a low-level quest area—sightseeing, maybe?

He looked back and vaguely remembered seeing the burly knight’s game ID start with “KUQ.” He seemed to have encountered a live pro player!

Zhou Yanjun watched coldly as their team’s hunter, Jin Gang, spent money to change his appearance and name again. This guy was screeching with a ridiculous voice, “Honey! I’m back!” as he ran towards a pretty female NPC, hugging her tightly and making kissing sounds on her cheek.

The NPC, true to her programming, remained calm, maintaining a gentle smile and looking as radiant as ever, though the scene was disturbingly sleazy. Zhou Yanjun averted his gaze. “Are you here to play or… something else?”

Jin Gang was indifferent. “Been single for twenty years, with no time for dating during training. Can’t I at least enjoy myself in-game?”

Zhou Yanjun scowled, “Aren’t you worried about getting banned?”

“There’s no one here! If I get banned, it’ll only be because you reported me,” Jin Gang sneered. “Fire, if you dare report me, I’ll tell Manager Zhao that you’re thinking of jumping ship to Polaris.”

“Go to hell! I’m not planning on leaving for Polaris,” Zhou Yanjun snapped.

“Save that for Manager Zhao, see if he buys it.” Jin Gang smirked smugly.

Zhou Yanjun gritted his teeth but couldn’t do much. He’d been at KUQ for over half a year and had been ostracized consistently. After they lost in the semi-finals, everyone blamed him for being too focused on personal glory. With his short temper, he often clashed with his teammates, and things would spiral into arguments.

Zhou Yanjun’s transfer from Polaris had been a struggle. He’d clung stubbornly, only to be duped by Du Yong and sold to KUQ. KUQ’s Manager Zhao was distrustful by nature and, egged on by teammates, suspected Zhou Yanjun had intentionally thrown the match. Lately, he’d been threatening to terminate Zhou Yanjun’s contract. Knights were common in the industry, and by this transfer season, most top teams were full. Zhou Yanjun feared that leaving KUQ might mean no better team would take him. Faced with limited choices, he had to swallow his pride.

Just after his conversation with Zero, he’d stepped out to smoke, forgetting to log out. Unfortunately, a drunk Jin Gang accidentally logged into his account instead. He only realized his mistake when he felt something off with the sensory setup but ended up stumbling upon the chat history with Zero.

Jin Gang was never one to pass up a chance for drama. Known for his scandals, he had no popularity despite the club’s efforts. Zhou Yanjun, with his crude but straightforward personality, had a die-hard following from his days at Polaris, making him one of KUQ’s top players. Jealous, Jin Gang fastened his belt, yelling, “Cover for me!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Zhou Yanjun, exasperated, approached him, just in time to see him undo his pants and start thrusting against the NPC. “Ah, my wife, you’re just too cute…”

Zhou Yanjun: “…”

Hidden behind a rock, Xia Tong was equally shocked.

Since leaving home, Xia Tong felt he’d met more oddballs than in his entire life. It was as if there was no limit to the antics of these bizarre characters. He vaguely remembered the user agreement he’d accepted when signing up, with a clause about not making inappropriate gestures toward NPCs, punishable by account suspension.

“I’m a mage with a sense of public decency—I’ll report you!” Xia Tong muttered, rubbing his eyes at the spectacle and quickly opening the menu to submit Jin Gang’s ID to a game master.

A seasoned PvP player, Zhou Yanjun had a sharp sixth sense. He noticed an unusual shadow shifting behind a rock and immediately shouted, “Who’s there?!”

“Crap!” Jin Gang nearly fell in shock, hurriedly pulling up his pants. “Who’s there? Don’t let them report me! Fire, if you let them report me, I’ll report you!”

“You little punk!” Zhou Yanjun was beyond frustrated. Without thinking, he let out a long whistle. Out of the dark night, a massive and majestic white wolf king descended, its fur thick like a blanket, shimmering with icy blue flames.

With a loud “bang,” the rocks shattered under the swing of a long-handled axe, and the little mage behind it, frightened, dove to the side. His staff emitted a green glow, and a binding spell coiled around the white wolf’s foreleg like chains.

Zhou Yanjun was stunned; he hadn’t expected his max-level summon to be restrained by a low-level level-50 skill. The white wolf king roared, its front paw forced inward, flipping him off-balance along with his mount.

Xia Tong, pleased with his successful attack, felt a thrill of righteousness. He couldn’t help clapping and cheering, “Ha-ha!” But Zhou Yanjun shot him a fierce glare, making him freeze and then bolt in fear.

“You’re useless!” Jin Gang had just finished putting his pants back on and saw the refreshed report screen. Enraged, he snapped, “You can’t even catch a level-50 noob? Are you doing this on purpose? Zhou Yanjun, I’m warning you—if my account gets banned, you’re not getting away with it either!”

Zhou Yanjun said nothing, recalling the quick, sharp movements of that little mage. His reaction was too fast, and his binding spell was thrown with precise timing—it didn’t seem like something a newbie would manage.

“What’s your rush?” he yelled. “The report won’t get processed that fast. Just find him and make him withdraw it!”

“Find him? How are you going to search the whole map?” Jin Gang spat back.

“Idiot.” Ignoring him, Zhou Yanjun got up, patted the white wolf king’s head, opened the skill list for his summon, removed a damage skill, and applied the points to “Tracking.”

The white wolf king sniffed the ground, its fluffy ears twitching before it turned its head in a certain direction. Zhou Yanjun mounted its back, giving a light command to dash off.

The two max-level players raced wildly through rugged mountains until they spotted the little mage by a trickling stream.

Completely unaware of the trouble heading his way, the little mage was happily humming while gathering mushrooms.

“Give him a good scare!” Jin Gang leaned over, biting Zhou Yanjun’s ear eagerly.

Zhou Yanjun narrowed his eyes, cracking his knuckles.

Xia Tong’s task was to eliminate the worms along the shore. Each defeated pest grew a mushroom, and he’d complete the mission once he collected twenty mushrooms. But halfway through, he heard a loud “whoosh,” and the white wolf opened its mouth, spewing icy blue flames that engulfed the entire shore. Xia Tong fell back in shock, watching as every creature in the area was wiped out, leaving behind a few scattered mushrooms that he couldn’t even pick up.

“Why’d you steal my kills?” he stood up angrily.

“Withdraw your report,” Zhou Yanjun said coldly. “Or you won’t get to complete a single mission.”

“No way!” Xia Tong’s anger flared, his neck stiffening. “You were the ones in the wrong! And you’re a pro player? How can you be so shameless, covering for him?”

Zhou Yanjun’s face twitched, but Jin Gang had lost his patience, aiming a sniper rifle at Xia Tong. “Are you withdrawing it or not?”

“No! Go ahead and kill me or camp my respawn point! I’m not scared!” Xia Tong was no longer a novice, and his courage swelled as he recalled Lin Mingfei’s promise. He straightened his back defiantly.

“Oh, so you think you’ve got someone to back you up?” Jin Gang sneered, his red targeting laser crossing Xia Tong’s forehead. “Do you even know who we are? Ordinary players don’t stand a chance against us, got it?”

“I know! But my friend isn’t just any player! He’s a Hunter, and he can take on six players by himself!” Xia Tong declared proudly.

“Take on six?” Zhou Yanjun rolled his eyes, muttering, “Other than Zero Lin Mingfei, I’ve never seen a Hunter do that.”

“That’s him! My friend is Zero!” Xia Tong’s eyes lit up, his fists clenched with excitement. “How did you know?”

Zhou Yanjun: “…What? Can’t you make your lies a little more believable?”

“Fire, of all people, you randomly attack someone, and it turns out to be a friend of our old boss? What are the odds?” Jin Gang burst out laughing mockingly. “Kid, you say Zero is your friend? Then call him over to help you.”

Xia Tong’s cheeks puffed up indignantly. “Don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll call him right now!” He opened his private chat window and saw a message from Polaris_Zero, sent fifteen minutes ago:

“I’m heading out with Shiya to discuss something, logging off for now. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave and get some rest early.”

Polaris_Zero logged off

The little mage’s mouth wobbled, and with two eyes wide as eggs, he whimpered, “…Zero.”

Jin Gang snickered, while Zhou Yanjun slapped his forehead in frustration.

Bang.

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