The Human Game

人间游戏

the-human-game

Chapter 3

After a moment of silence, the other person replied to Boss Qin with two words.


 Not looking.


 If it were an ordinary person, that would surely be the end of it.


 But Boss Qin was no ordinary person.


 He sent another message: "Little Brother, I'm a newbie, it's my first day playing this game, and I don't know anything. I just saw you fighting, you were so cool. Can you teach me?"


 Anyone who saw this message would never be able to connect the person pretending to be a cute newbie with that aloof, sharp-tongued Boss Qin.


 The online world, like a line dividing dawn from dusk, also unearthed the aspects of a person's character not easily revealed in reality.


 When Qin Chuan typed this sentence, it was as natural as eating or drinking; his face didn't even show a flicker of emotion.


 He believed that since he was asking for a favor, it was only right to have a better tone and attitude.


 Acting cute could make it easier for him to achieve his goal.


 In any case, once the game was off, who would know who?


 This "Peppermint Tea" seemed to have a heart of stone, as he was still unmoved.


 Peppermint Tea: "Sorry, I don't take apprentices. If you want to find a master, I can introduce you to my friend. He likes taking apprentices, and his skills are quite good."


 Qin Chuan, using the game ID the other person provided, found "Peppermint Tea's" in-game friend, a player named "Eight Whiskers."


 It had to be said, Peppermint Tea was quite considerate. Seeing that Qin Chuan was playing a Flying Sword class, he had found him a fellow senior from the same Sword Immortal sect.


 "Peppermint Tea" had presumably already given the other guy a heads-up. "Eight Whiskers" was rather enthusiastic toward Boss Qin, immediately pulling him into the master-apprentice ceremony and teaching him step-by-step how to allocate stat points and level up, how to identify useful equipment, and how to reforge and temper it.


 Although these were basic fundamentals that Qin Chuan already knew without being told, he had to admit that this bargain master was very competent.


 Unfortunately, Boss Qin wasn't a real newbie. His only purpose in seeking a master was to learn PK techniques.


 When his alt account reached max level, Qin Chuan finally found a chance to have his bargain master "Eight Whiskers" take him to the arena.


 The arena was a PvP game mode in "Nine Heavens". In the game, it had a very pleasant name: Celestial Ascension Platform.


 Players could choose to go solo or in a team, advancing through the ranks by PK-ing others.


 The higher the rank, the more bountiful the rewards.


 There were two modes for the Celestial Ascension Platform.


 In one, the system randomly assigned opponents of the same realm. Inside, players could retain their original equipment stats and also consume various buff-granting potions.


 In the other, after players entered, everyone's equipment and summoned beasts were all uniformly issued by the system. In other words, everyone started on the same footing; the only difference was each person's skill. To put it another way: players with clumsy hands, stay out.


 Boss Qin was well aware of his own shortcomings. Even after his main account's divine skills were perfected, he had no intention of participating in the second mode, because it was a huge test of skill, which for a clumsy player like him was tantamount to seeking his own humiliation. So, he entered the first mode.


 As a result, Boss Qin, who was filled with enthusiasm to crush some noobs, suffered a heavy blow.


 Because he discovered that even when his full set of equipment had several hundred more stat points than his opponent's, he still lost six out of ten matches.


 Every time he wanted to fly, the opponent would pull him down. Every time he wanted to control the opponent, the enemy would slip away a step ahead.


 The four matches he won were because the opponents were just as clumsy as he was.


 Clumsy player versus clumsy player, it naturally came down to who had spent more real money.


 After this heavy blow, Qin Chuan never went to the Celestial Ascension Platform again. But the more he was frustrated, the more determined he became. He refused to find a skilled streamer to play for him, dead set on relying on himself to win. This competitive spirit not only allowed him to lower himself to act cute to "Peppermint Tea," but also gave him the patience to re-level an alt account and wait for "Eight Whiskers" to take him to the Celestial Ascension Platform.


 But Boss Qin was destined for disappointment.


 Because after fighting a few matches in the Celestial Ascension Platform with "Eight Whiskers," he discovered that while his bargain master's skills were indeed quite good, they still fell a bit short compared to "Peppermint Tea."


 That day, "Peppermint Tea's" arrows were like a celestial flying from beyond the heavens, leaving a stunning mark on Boss Qin's heart.


 This impression was just too deep, so deep that when he looked at others, he felt nothing but boredom.


 So, Qin Chuan went to his bargain master for a showdown.


 As Broad As The Sea: "We have been master and apprentice for two days, and you have been very dutiful, but I can't forget someone."


 Eight Whiskers: "Peppermint Tea?"


 As Broad As The Sea: "You know?"


 Eight Whiskers: "I have four apprentices, and every one of them is like you. They originally wanted to take him as their master but were pushed onto me. I'm actually used to it."


 Just a few words, yet he managed to type them with a thick sense of desolation.


 As Broad As The Sea: "Sorry."


 Eight Whiskers typed a "haha": "It's fine. Have you heard of Sea King Poseidon?"


 As Broad As The Sea: "The number one on the Nascent Soul rankings of the neighboring server?"


 Eight Whiskers: "Yep. In last month's cross-server competition, that big shot took first place in the solo bracket, but it was Peppermint Tea playing for him. If it weren't for the other teammates dragging him down in the team competition, their team definitely would have taken first place too."


 As Broad As The Sea: "Is Peppermint Tea a streamer who plays for others?"


 Eight Whiskers: "No, he's just famous in this server for his good skills. The big shot from the next server came because of his reputation. After watching a few screen-recorded matches, he asked him for help. My buddy is way better than any streamer. If he became a streamer, he'd probably get rich in minutes. It's a pity he only plays games to pass the time."


 This bargain master was a chatterbox. Without Qin Chuan needing to ask, he rattled off a whole bunch of information.


 In the game, there were only two kinds of people who could be the center of attention: one was the P2W whale who smashed their way through with money, and the other was the expert with great skill and slick positioning.


 The former might get a few sour comments, but the latter was pure hard skill that no one could argue with.


 "Eight Whiskers'" words only proved that Boss Qin had good judgment, and it strengthened his resolve to become an apprentice and learn the craft.


 The master and apprentice ultimately parted ways peacefully. "Eight Whiskers" even taught Boss Qin how to move "Peppermint Tea."


 Eight Whiskers: "My brother doesn't seem to talk much, but he's actually a pretty good guy. Go eat a Gender-Change Pill, switch your gender, change your name, and act cute to him every day. He'll definitely soften up."


 As Broad As The Sea was silent for a moment: "You mean you want me to pretend to be a girl?"


 Eight Whiskers: "How can that be called pretending? It's called strategy! Who says someone playing a female character has to be a girl? Just don't use voice chat, and it'll be fine. Do you want a master or not?"


 He did, of course he did.


 So, Boss Qin went to an NPC and bought a Gender-Change Pill and a Name-Change Order.


 From then on, the Sword Immortal sect lost a male disciple named "As Broad As The Sea," but gained a female "trap" disciple named "Chuan Chuan."


 Boss Qin, applying the same tenacity he had when studying, quickly discovered that the other person's gaming time was very regular.


 "Peppermint Tea" usually logged on around seven or eight in the evening, first playing a few rounds in the arena, then doing dungeons with friends, and finally going to Yandang Mountain to gather herbs before logging off to sleep around midnight.


 Qin Chuan went nowhere else, just waited at Yandang Mountain. He pretended to be a player admiring the scenery, wandering around until he stopped next to "Peppermint Tea." He copied him and gathered herbs there, then brought his main account over, used PK mode to strike down his own alt, and then floated away.


 At this moment, he used his alt to type a string of question marks in the local chat: "Little Brother, what just happened? How did I die?"


 The other person spoke as expected: "You were just killed. I didn't get a clear look before he ran off."


 Boss Qin feigned ignorance: "Who is An Endless Stream? Why did he kill me?"


 Peppermint Tea: "You don't know him?"


 Boss Qin: "No, I've only been playing for two days, just leveling and looking at the scenery."


 Peppermint Tea: "Then just ignore him. Some high-level players have issues. They think they can do whatever they want in the game and get their kicks from killing people."


 The "player with issues," Boss Qin, typed a line without batting an eye: "Thank you, Little Brother. You're so nice. Can I add you as a friend?"


 Since this alt account had already changed its name and gender, "Peppermint Tea" had no way of recognizing that this was the same "As Broad As The Sea" who had wanted to be his apprentice. Seeing the timid and polite request from the "little girl," his heart naturally softened, and he agreed.


 Boss Qin had a deep understanding of human nature. He knew the gap between his alt and "Peppermint Tea" was too large. Asking for help once or twice was fine, but if he did it too often, the other person would surely get impatient, and their fragile friendship wouldn't last. So he took a different approach, paying someone to gather a large pile of herbs for him, which he then gave to "Peppermint Tea."


 Boss Qin: "Little Brother, these are the Paperbush and Eight Immortals Grass that I gathered myself. I saw you gathering them yesterday. I heard they're basic materials for alchemy, so you can have them."


 Peppermint Tea was very surprised: "So many. How long did you spend gathering them?"


 Boss Qin: "One whole night."


 Peppermint Tea: "You should use them yourself."


 Boss Qin: "My alchemy level is still too low to use them. You need them more than I do. From now on, I'll help you gather these two herbs, so you can save time to gather higher-level ones."


 "Peppermint Tea" finally accepted the plants. He wanted to pay for them, but Boss Qin firmly refused. With this back and forth, the two quickly became familiar. The other person took him to meet his friends, introducing him as his "little sister."


 As the little sister of the server's number one PK expert, Boss Qin's alt account's status immediately soared. It was as if he had a halo over his head. He enjoyed treatment he'd never received as an alt before, getting more than a dozen friend requests in a single day, all of them polite and friendly, even proactively offering to take him on dungeon runs.


 Qin Chuan knew that these people didn't know about his main account; they were all doing it for "Peppermint Tea's" sake.


 But he privately found "Peppermint Tea" and said to him: "I don't want to be your little sister."


 Peppermint Tea said with difficulty: "I'm sorry, I don't get into relationships in games."


 Behind the screen, the corner of Boss Qin's mouth twitched: "You misunderstood. I want to be your apprentice."


 Peppermint Tea: "Why?"


 Boss Qin: "I want to, one day, be able to stand in the arena just like you, sweeping through everything with skilled techniques, dominating all directions. When people ask, I'll say I'm your apprentice. Wouldn't you feel a great sense of accomplishment?"


 Perhaps it was this sentence that moved the other person, or perhaps it was Boss Qin's well-behaved young girl persona in the game that easily made people's hearts soften, or perhaps it was the effect of the Paperbush flowers that had been arriving in overwhelming quantities for days on end. "Peppermint Tea" finally accepted the first apprentice of his gaming career.


 At that time, "Peppermint Tea" still didn't know that this cute girl "Chuan Chuan," with her silk long dress, double buns, and bells, was actually a grown man.


 After formally becoming master and apprentice in front of an NPC, their relationship seemed to grow even closer. "Peppermint Tea," feeling a sense of responsibility toward his apprentice, proactively took him to run various dungeons. Being used to playing an Archer, he was also very proficient with the skills of the Flying Sword class and was always able to give Qin Chuan just the right advice.


 And Boss Qin's technical skill, while not improving by leaps and bounds, was making steady progress.


 He still, rain or shine, sent "Peppermint Tea" one hundred stalks of Paperbush every day.


 ...


 Bo He discovered that ever since she took on this apprentice in the game, her responsibilities seemed to have suddenly become heavier.


 Before, when she logged on every night, she only needed to run one or two dungeons, and the rest of her time could be spent freely. But after getting an apprentice, she had to take her apprentice to run suitable dungeons every day, and also had to set aside half an hour to teach her PK, instructing her step-by-step on how to execute moves, how to dodge, counterattack, and position herself when encountering an enemy using certain skills.


 As a result, her bedtime was forcibly pushed back by half an hour.


 Moreover, she noticed that this apprentice would only use emoticons when communicating with her. When talking to others, "she" was rigid and formal, cherishing words like gold.


 It wouldn't be correct to say the other party was trying to suck up to her, because among Bo He's friends, there were plenty of players of higher realms, and her apprentice treated them no differently.


 It could only be said that to her apprentice, she was special.


 Unless one had a heart of stone, who could remain unmoved by this?


 Every time she saw the other party call her "Master," Bo He seemed to see, through the image of the young girl character, the tsundere-like appearance of a teenage girl with a stern face—pretending to be mature, but acting spoiled with the person closest to her.


 In the end, beauty was still seductive.


 Thinking of this, Bo He couldn't help but sigh, thinking to herself that this was probably what they called a sweet burden.


 After happily playing games at home for two days and getting through the weekend, she once again welcomed the nine-to-six Monday.


 Bo He never expected that her first interdepartmental regular meeting after her promotion would usher in a turmoil that was directly related to her.

The Human Game

The Human Game

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3

Ember