The next afternoon, because he had already fixed a time with the Wang brothers, Xiao Lan returned earlier from the training hall. He sat on the sofa and cleared out the things in his item rucksack. At the same time, he added some daily supplies.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door; the Wang brothers had arrived on time.
The first to appear was a head of small brown curls as Wang Taidi skipped into Xiao Lan’s room. Wang Ke still wore that stern appearance as he wordlessly followed behind his little brother like a bodyguard.
Wang Taidi was like a little poodle scattering joy as he hopped over and sat down on the sofa. He looked very excited. “Xiao Lan, do you know? I’ll advance as an intermediate player very soon!”
Xiao Lan was a little surprised. “Congratulations ah, the day has finally arrived.”
Wang Taidi’s face was filled with delight as his curls shook with his movements. “Yes ah, I earned a large sum in the last instance; my skill will activate very soon. When that time comes, my fighting strength will definitely shoot up by leaps and bounds; I’ll definitely be able to level up to an intermediate player, hehe.”
Wang Ke interrupted his brother’s proud satisfaction at this timely moment. “It’s been three years; be careful not to slip up at the final juncture.”
“Mn, Mn, Mn.” Wang Taidi nodded his head like a mortar pounding garlic. It could be seen that he usually very obediently listened to his brother. “I know, I definitely won’t run off to court death.”
At that moment, Xiao Lan thought of the 【Unnamed little friend’s piggy bank】 that deducted his poverty value. He reluctantly took out a coin and gave it to Wang Taidi. “Try and see if this will help you.”
Wang Taidi took it and carefully scrutinised the coin’s denomination before he shook his head regretfully. “It’s useless. My ability says ‘Us rich people won’t condescend to pick up small change below ten thousand’.”
Xiao Lan, whose feelings were complicated: “…”
Thinking about it, the both of them similarly used ten thousand as a unit of measure, yet his poor and pedantic skill would even bicker about 0.002.
At that moment, Xiao Lan deeply experienced what ‘We’re different’ meant.
After that, they all sat down to discuss the plan for the next game. Luo prepared black tea and pastries for the guests, and this refined hospitality made the Wang brothers — who had rough habits — feel a little overwhelmed and spoiled.
Wang Taidi ate the small cookies that were crunchy and tasty, and the scent of milk spread out. He was astonished that the players’ restaurant actually had delicious things that he hadn’t discovered. He snuck a peek at Xiao Lan. It turned out that there was someone who, on the surface, was broke and whose expression remained unchanged when eating dark cuisine, but his private life was actually this exquisite.
Wang Ke, on the other hand, would only bring Wang Taidi to eat the food that was the closest to the entrance of the players’ restaurant.
At that moment, Wang Taidi deeply experienced what ‘We’re different’ meant.
He looked at his family’s big brother again. To avoid being grabbed by the back of his neck, he decided that it was better not to let his ge know what he was thinking.
Luo expressed that he would also enter the game along with Xiao Lan and Wang Taidi.
Wang Ke thought for a moment. “Two people would naturally be safer. As for the payment, I can increase it.”
Luo refused. “No need. I’m just accompanying Xiao Lan, and I have no interest in accepting the task.”
Holding the tea and chewing a cookie, Wang Taidi said softly, “I think I read this plot before in a novel.”
Wang Ke turned to stare at him. “What did you secretly read now? Looks like you’re still too idle. Let’s double the training ba. In any case, you’re about to advance very soon.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“…” Wang Taidi’s face was full of regret, and the cookie in his mouth suddenly lost all flavour. Just the thought of his ge’s demonic training program made his whole body hurt…
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After that, Wang Ke spoke a bit about the use of team items, and his explanation was extremely detailed.
Around nine that night, Xiao Lan, Luo, and Wang Taidi entered the game.
After the darkness of the Advent World withdrew, the first thing Xiao Lan noticed was the smell of a mountain forest, along with the faint cries of insects.
This was a forest area. It was already night, and the shadows of the trees wove together, making it hard to see the distant sky.
Xiao Lan very clearly felt the decline in his physical strength, and was a little unused to it for a while. 【Poverty is unable to restrict my imagination】’s was suppressed to level 1, and he was prohibited from using some of his items.
However, the overall effect wasn’t that big. Naturally, this also proved that he was a lamentable broke person without many good items.
Altogether there were nine players, and they were standing in a slightly larger clearing in the forest, as if they were gathered here to wait for someone. There was a bonfire in the middle, and the flames flickered in the wind, casting wavering light and shadow on everyone’s faces.
Xiao Lan observed the players present. Four of them looked very nervous.
They either had pale faces and didn’t say a word, or repeatedly wrung their hands. There was even one nervous person who began biting their nails, and didn’t notice at all when the tips of their fingers bled. It seemed they were newbies who had only experienced one or two games.
The other two were much calmer, and looked to be a team.
Just like how Xiao Lan sized up the others, there were some who took their measure as well. A fair and pretty youth who was one of the two calm people shot a glance at the three of them, and revealed disdain when he saw Wang Taidi. “Tsk, it turns out it’s the Wang family burden ah.”
When Wang Taidi heard this very fitting description of him, he couldn’t help but turn to look, but he didn’t know this youth at all. However, the other party’s animosity made him feel very uncomfortable. “Do we know each other?”
The youth mystifyingly said, “We don’t. How could a beginner player like me deserve to know you ah. I don’t have an advanced player for an elder brother who gives me all the good things.”
Wang Taidi was also a little unhappy. “That’s my ge. What does it have to do with you?”
The youth sneered. “Yes ah, it has nothing to do with me. If I was such a burden to my brother, I’d definitely kill myself. How could I dare to continue living in the world and wasting food ah?”
Hearing this, Xiao Lan frowned. Even if it was envy, these sorts of words were really too malicious. He looked at Wang Taidi and wondered if he should lend a hand.
But he saw that Wang Taidi wasn’t afraid at all as the latter smiled. “What a pity; even if you kill yourself and reincarnate, it’s too late. My ge doesn’t have any extra little brother positions for you.”
The youth’s fair face instantly became indignant. “You!”
Wang Taidi took out a flag and waved it at the youth. “Come provoke me some more. Do you think I won’t cover you in flags until you become an old general?”
Xiao Lan glanced at the item description:
【Name: FLAG·Beginner edition】
【Ability: Stuck on a player, it will increase their risk of death by 10%】
【Description: After fighting this war, I’ll go home and get married】
Seeing that the youth still wanted to retort, Wang Taidi then took out a few more flags and silently brandished them.
The youth: “…”
The one who once happily had a 60% risk of death, Xiao Lan: “…”
With a few more of these, don’t talk about 60%, even 30% was already terrible enough for a novice player. Moreover, Xiao Lan noticed the words ‘beginner edition’. Were there also intermediate and advanced editions for this thing?
This was the suppression attack of an in-app purchase player.
Wang Taidi’s image suddenly became unfathomably deep in Xiao Lan’s mind.
Seeing that he couldn’t gain the upper hand with his words, the youth was furious. He turned to the man with him and began throwing a tantrum. “Big Brother Gu, look at him. I just knew he’d bully me…”
At this moment, the rims of the youth’s eyes were red. Paired with his fair skin and wide, lustrous eyes, he looked just like an innocent bunny. If they hadn’t just heard his scathing and cruel words, that delicate and pitiful appearance would have made Xiao Lan think that the youth really had been bullied.
Young man… Do you have to have such double standards?
Didn’t he just look down on someone who relied on his big brother? What was the difference? In any case, Wang Taidi’s brother was his blood sibling. This older brother of yours… That’s a bit of a stretch.
When the other players saw that there was a conflict happening here, no one stepped forward, and they simply watched, quiet as mice.
The player who had been named looked over in annoyance. “I don’t dare provoke Wang Ke, but isn’t it too arrogant for a beginner player like you to dare provoke one of mine?”
Wang Taidi: “Can you not see who provoked who?”
That person smiled provocatively. “So what? Laozi is an intermediate player. What can a bunch of beginner players like you do to me? Even if it’s Wang Ke, he wouldn’t go so far as to come trouble me over a small matter, right?”
Wang Taidi smiled. As luck would have it, their side also had intermediate players, and there were even two of them.
Wang Taidi and Xiao Lan exchange meaningful looks, and unanimously decided — .
Xiao Lan took a step forward and was just about to exhibit a move passed down from generations of chopping down big trees bare-handed, when Luo stepped out beforehand. He quietly said to Xiao Lan, “Leave it to me, sir.”
The youth opposite snorted derisively. “Want to fight? Come ba. We’ll let you experience an intermediate player’s true stre—”
Before he could finish his words, Luo had already disappeared.
The next instant, all the youth felt was a gust of icy wind blowing past his forehead, before his hair slowly floated down.
Alarmed, he reached up to touch his hair, and discovered that his hairdo which he had found a hairstylist to meticulously fix up had now become even bangs that were above his eyebrows!
From start to finish, he didn’t see the weapon which the man in black had used. Cold sweat instantly slid down his forehead, wetting his newly even haircut.
“Apologies, would you mind keeping it down a bit?” Luo’s voice rang out from behind him, followed by the sensation of a sharp object pressed against his throat.
The youth didn’t dare to even nod, and he looked at his Big Brother Gu pleadingly.
However, the youth saw that the other’s expression had turned restrained and solemn. He instantly felt that things weren’t looking good, and his experience at kissing up to the powerful while disdaining the weak flared up; this was a clear demonstration that the opponent wasn’t easy to push around.
To avoid becoming an outlet for them to vent their anger, the youth hurriedly said, “Sorry, sorry, I’m the one who spoke wrongly…”
Luo’s eyes rested on the man beside him.
“Hello, I’m Gu Jiangke.” The man’s previously arrogant expression had vanished as he smiled. “It was a misunderstanding. Hu Yue isn’t very sensible, so I hope you guys can forgive him. Allow me to apologise to you guys. Seeing that we’ll be in the game together, how about we quash the matter? Of course, you’re most welcome to beat him up to vent your anger if you want.”
He looked at Hu Yue like he was looking at a troublemaker.
The youth called Hu Yue was a little pale. Men were rotten liars. Gu Jiangke clearly didn’t want to cause trouble, and thus directly pushed him out.
He was now feeling regretful, extremely regretful. Why did he have to make remarks about Wang Taidi just because Wang Ke wasn’t around? Even if Wang Ke wasn’t around, it wasn’t like Wang Taidi couldn’t find other people to bring him along.
Really, he was even more envious of Wang Taidi! Why did he have such a good life?!
Luo looked at Wang Taidi.
Wang Taidi also didn’t want to cause a huge fuss, and was prepared to say a couple of words and tell them that it was enough if they stopped bothering him. It wasn’t like he could really kill people in a game. When that time came, he would still be the one who would be troubled.
At that moment, the farce between the players was interrupted by rustling in the darkness of the forest.
Everyone turned to look, and saw a short and chubby man walk out of the forest. He didn’t have a light, yet walked leisurely as if he was taking a stroll in his yard.
When he drew closer, the players realised that this person had small eyes and a long and pointy face. His posture was somewhat hunched, and he looked just like a big rat.
When he saw the players, he smiled. “Come, quickly follow dad. Dad will take you all to pay grandma a visit.”
After that, he even stuck out his nose and sniffed the air, and faint saliva slid out from the corner of his mouth. “You’re really a group of the world’s most fortunate children.”
When he smiled, he revealed two large incisors. There were black and red traces in his teeth, which made him look even more like a rat.
I wonder who the Wang brothers haven’t asked yet why Luo is always with XL
Thank you for the chapter!!! ❤️❤️
I thought about it as well
I think may be they thought it was untactful ?
I imagine them asking and XL being like “oh yes you know a dude in my first instance gave him to me and now for some reason he always follows me while having not-so-pure and yandere thoughts about me but that’s ok because he’s strong”
LOL 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Little red riding hood, rat version?
I guess…?
damn I admire Wang Taidi’s unexpectedly fierce comeback 😂😂😂 Overpowering people with items lolol such a fitting thing tho
thanks for the chapter~
thanks for the chapter!
wish we could see more of luo’s vinegar la~
Our Xiao Taidi won’t be beaten by the likes of you!!
Looks like some players don’t find surviving in the Advent World difficult enough, they need to have a go at another player right before the instance starts to keep them happy…
Thank you for the chapter 💕
Ah…a cannibal?
haha Luo and XL be bodyguards haha~
Thanks for the chapter~
That “flag” item is fantastic hahaha
Thank you so much for translating! <3
Thanks for the chapter! ^^)❤
Thanks for the chapter! <3
Wang Taidi is raising flags… for others. God, I laughed so hard lololol
Thx for the ch (≧▽≦)/
WTD: rip to the poors but i’m different
LOL at the death flags
thanks for the chapter!
Ohh it’s a beginner instance 🥺 Thanks for the chapter
Hmm, a fairytale theme… I hope it isn’t dull, I’ve found them boring when I’ve read them in other tl horror novels.
WTD is a pay2win player and other free2play players could only envy ahahaha. I love that although he wasn’t powerful, he isn’t someone to be push around as well. Tbh, with his amount of practical items, he’s a good support ah. And he’s not stingy!
You’re jealous that you don’t have a brother and have to sell yourself to others to get around
hahaha Luo! so scary, so brilliant!