Chapter 29: A Clash of Titans

By the flowerbed in front of the teaching building, Shu Jun Yu and Wei Wu stood facing each other. They were so close that it seemed almost intimate; Shu Jun Yu whispered something into Wei Wu’s ear. Her shoulders still trembled, but her tears had stopped.

Wen Nan rushed down from the stairwell, summoning the system in his mind: “9527, check the affection level for Wei Wu.”

“Affection level for Wei Wu, the dazzling campus belle: 91%,” replied 9527.

Relief washed over him. She hadn’t been beguiled by the top student’s honeyed words; the affection level was steady—even a little higher.

Wen Nan slowed his pace, but in the next moment, he saw Shu Jun Yu lift his hand to gently wipe away the tears on Wei Wu’s cheek. Then, he wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her close, holding her in a tender embrace.

Seeing the two lost in each other’s arms, Wen Nan felt his anger flare up again.

In a few strides, he reached them, casting a cold gaze at Shu Jun Yu. “I have something to say to you, alone.”

Wei Wu lifted her head from Shu Jun Yu’s shoulder, her tear-streaked eyes flitting dazedly between Wen Nan and Shu Jun Yu.

Shu Jun Yu patted her back softly, whispering reassurance, “It’s alright. Go back to class for now. I’ll come find you later.”

Obediently, Wei Wu nodded, shot a plaintive glance at Wen Nan, then pressed her lips together and walked away without another word.

As she left, Wen Nan snorted, “You’re better at charming my harem than I am, aren’t you?”

Shu Jun Yu turned his face toward him, expression unreadable. “Your… harem?”

Wen Nan nodded. “In theory, you’re part of it too. But I’m straight as steel, so don’t get your hopes up.” After a moment, he added, “If you’re willing to have your second son removed, I might let you be the chief eunuch of my inner palace.”

Shu Jun Yu looked at him blankly for a moment, then ignored the comment and walked a few steps to the edge of the flowerbed, sitting down. “What do you want to talk about?”

Wen Nan followed, crouching beside him. He slung an arm around Shu Jun Yu’s shoulder and gave it a hearty squeeze. “Bro.”

“…Bro?!”

Sensing the other’s aversion to this address, Wen Nan switched it up: “Brother man?”

“…Brother man?!”

“How about little dude?”

Shu Jun Yu brushed Wen Nan’s arm off his shoulder. “Are you going to talk, or not?”

Wen Nan fished out a packet from his pocket. “Want one?”

Shu Jun Yu hesitated. “Thanks, but I don’t eat spicy sticks.”

“Who doesn’t eat spicy sticks?” Wen Nan said with a laugh. “Afraid I poisoned them?” He pulled one out, tossed it into his mouth, swallowed, and stuck out his tongue. “See? No poison.”

Shu Jun Yu suspected the other’s mind didn’t run quite straight, but Wen Nan persisted in holding out the snack. Refusing seemed futile. After a moment, Shu Jun Yu relented, took one, and ate it. “Can we talk now?”

Wen Nan watched his lips closely, making sure he tasted the spicy stick laced with a special ingredient. Satisfied, Wen Nan’s mouth twitched into a slight smile.

“Player has used an item—Truth Serum—on the strategy target, the aloof and cunning top student.” The system’s voice echoed in his head. “Item in effect… Item use failed… Sorry, the target does not meet the criteria for the Truth Serum and is unaffected. This use will not count against your per-mission limit; you still have one use remaining.”

Wen Nan arched an eyebrow. But it was within expectations. The Truth Serum’s range was limited: it only worked on characters below nine stars or players under level ten. In other words, this person beside him had to be either a nine-star or higher character, or a level ten or higher player. Either way, that didn’t fit the background info he’d gotten on Shu Jun Yu—there was no way he was just a one-and-a-half-star difficulty character.

“You modified your character card,” Wen Nan stated flatly.

Shu Jun Yu’s eyes narrowed, suspicion sharp in his gaze.

Since the conversation had started, Wen Nan pressed on. “Who are you really? Players impersonating in-game characters and disrupting normal play—do you know the consequences if you’re caught? I have solid evidence of your cheating. If I report you to the complaints center, what do you think will happen?”

At his words, Shu Jun Yu’s previously impassive face was suddenly awash with emotion: fear, shock, helplessness, panic—a storm of feelings flickered across his features.

Wen Nan watched with secret delight. His gamble had paid off.

In truth, Wen Nan had no idea what would happen if Shu Jun Yu was found out. He’d asked the system before, but it always dodged the question with vague, irrelevant answers. As for consequences or punishments, Wen Nan wasn’t even sure the so-called “complaints center” existed. He was bluffing, just fishing for a reaction.

Judging by Shu Jun Yu’s response, it was clear: players impersonating in-game characters would, indeed, be punished.

…

[?]
[!]
[!!!]
[What?]
[No way, right?]
[Is this for real?]
[Is he… a player?]
[Damn, the streamer figured this out? Incredible.]
[How did he notice?]
[Boss is boss!]
[I knew something was up during the last tutoring mission. The way those two talked in the classroom—I couldn’t understand a thing.]
[Exactly! At first I thought it was two cryptic types. Then I thought, maybe it’s academic rivalry. Now I realize, this is a showdown between two top-tier players!]
[Wait, how can players ignore game rules and fish for newbies in the trial zone?]
[Bro, isn’t our own “Nine Times a Night” doing exactly that? What’s so strange?]
[Rules? Rules are for newbies. The pros are the rules!]
[Sure, I can understand “Nine Times a Night” doing this. There are rare items in high-level maps that let you change accounts, start anew.]
[Right, old players coming to newbie areas isn’t strange. But a player pretending to be a character? That’s wild…]
[Yeah, those account-swapping items only let you restart as a newbie player, not as an in-game character.]
[Open your mind, folks. What the account-swapping item can’t do, other equipment might!]
[Wait, don’t tell me…]
[Are you saying…]
[An Archmage’s Staff Shard?!]