Genius Chapter 159: A Pair of Lucky Shoes

Chapter 159: A Pair of Lucky Shoes

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

When Su Mo was reviewing the information, he didn’t hide the display screen, making it easy for those sitting next to him to see what he was browsing.

Others assumed that he was interested in the skill information of the physical swordsman and added their off-field insights one by one.

Yu Zhen glanced over, noticing the change in the summoner’s gaze, his eyes darkening slightly. Daoist partners?

The discussion soon came to an end, and it was nearing five o’clock, so the two of them went offline together. The remaining teammates at Desert Inn looked at each other, feeling that their recent synchronized online and offline behavior was quite strange.

Apple asked in confusion, “Do neighbors also go online and offline together?”

ScarletFruit said, “Don’t ask, I need to calm down.”

ClearWind added, “There was too much information today.”

Cantaloupe, who was late with the news, asked, “Huh? Are they neighbors? Did I miss some part of the gossip?”

Bitter Melon took a sip of tea made by the Desert Inn’s owner and agreed, “When I used to play games with my wife, we didn’t do this.”

FireworksAndLanterns asked curiously, “So what about with your wife?”

Bitter Melon explained, “She played games while I went offline to cook.”

The others gave Bitter Melon a thumbs-up.

***

On the eve of the Arena of Debate, the excitement on the forums only increased. Some players had already started betting on the match, while others had turned their livestreams into pre-match analyses. This match had turned into an internal war within the Abyss faction: one side was the well-known [Ren XiaoYao] elite team, and the other was an assembly team led by archdemon. Both teams had somewhat similar configurations, and their strategies were very innovative. Even before the match started, analyses were pouring in.

[From a strength perspective, Ren XiaoYo still had the advantage. Didn’t you see the top-tier equipment that BrokenOracle crafted yesterday?]

[As for archdemon’s team, they won against Veiled Cloud Sanctuary last time due to environmental conditions. In a regular arena, they might not have been able to beat Veiled Cloud Sanctuary.]

[Don’t be so one-sided. Archdemon himself didn’t even participate in that Veiled Cloud Sanctuary match. Saying the Advertising team won due to environmental advantages is too narrow; overall strength was actually quite comparable.]

[Momo hasn’t fought BrokenOracle before, and their quest points are similar. BrokenOracle has the equipment advantage, but Momo has that divine weapon. His weapon is incredible.]

Since the introduction of the divine weapon System and the comparison with the WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms forging, many players on the forum had high expectations for Momo. A player who excelled in both PvE and PvP, who was also a commander and a master blacksmith, and who had been an outstanding astrologer early on, with items still being sold at Sunset City’s market… It seemed there was nothing in the game he couldn’t do.

Mysterious and impressive, players’ curiosity about him grew, and his reputation deepened. Even a few posts with his name on the forums would attract countless curious clicks.

[Hey? I think I saw Momo at the Sunset City forge, looks like he’s making weapons again.]

Making weapons?!

As a result, more people flocked to Sunset City to see the commotion.

[Is he really making weapons? How did you find out?]

[ScarletFruit was gathering materials, and they were weapon-related.]

[Isn’t his weapon already finished?]

[I heard he was refining equipment before. How did it turn into weapon crafting?]

[It seems the equipment is already done. Apparently, his friends are making weapons, and he’s just helping out.]

So, it turned out that Momo’s fan club was having such a good time?

Weapon crafting with a master guiding?

After the divine weapon System was introduced, many people tried crafting weapons with varying results. Many players, after failing to awaken skills, realized that awakening skills might impair the weapon’s base attributes. They thought that rather than having a skill, it was better to opt for higher stats… Additionally, there were rumors from WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms that only the first divine weapon could have an awakening skill, and once a particular class had an awakened divine weapon, no further awakened skills could be produced for that class.

Momo had crafted divine weapons for the summoner and array master.

WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms had crafted divine weapons for mage and healer.

Even though there were still seven classes that had not yet produced awakened divine weapons, the number of people willing to risk crafting for awakened skills had decreased significantly. That night, while they were watching, Momo crafted three more divine weapons in succession: for physical swordsman, assassin, and cleric, and all of them were awakened weapons!

As soon as the System announcement appeared, they eagerly clicked on the divine weapon news. When they opened it, they were stunned to see that the weapons had no signatures, only the owner’s ID. If it weren’t for Momo’s name being listed in the announcement, they would have thought the weapons were crafted by the owners themselves.

Of course, this wasn’t the main point; the main point was that all three were high-stat awakened weapons.

The curse of believing that high stats and awakened skills couldn’t coexist was completely ineffective against Momo. Crafting awakened weapons seemed as easy to him as drinking water, as if a 10% success rate for awakening was a 100% certainty in his eyes.

According to System statistics, Momo had crafted a total of five weapons, all high-stat awakened ones, meaning that this type of weapon in his hands had a 100% success rate.

The users who had initially planned to give up now started getting restless again.

[fuck, how did he do it…]

[100% success rate? This is too incredible. Is he some kind of game plant?]

[I just want to know if he still has space on his friends list. I really want to be on it.]

[Don’t even think about it. From what I understand, only he can add people; no one can add him.]

[I feel like he must have mastered the technique for crafting divine weapons. Remember how WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms mastered the technique at level 70 and crafted many perfect-item weapons?]

…

While the forum was buzzing with discussions, Su Mo had a comfortable sleep. They had changed to a larger bed, and that night, when Yu Zhen intended to sleep on the sofa, Su Mo stopped him. It was the first time they shared a bed at home, a common occurrence between couples, but to the robot Lele, it was a big deal. When Su Mo went to freshen up, Lele earnestly advised Yu Zhen on many matters… only to be reassured when he confirmed that they were merely sleeping together.

Yu Zhen woke up early and made breakfast. After they ate, they logged into the game.

As soon as they logged in, Su Mo received a flood of messages from his friend list, with some even asking if they could schedule a weapon crafting session after the debate ended. From his teammates, he learned that the previous night’s weapon crafting session with ScarletFruit and others had made it to the forum.

Su Mo hadn’t actually done much. His three teammates were all very skilled; they spent a few days figuring out the formulas and refining materials step by step. He had only helped during the final stage of awakening. The first 95% was all done by his teammates themselves. The awakening phase tested one’s concentration, which was related to mental strength, but not significantly.

Even if he hadn’t helped his teammates, the success probability for ScarletFruit and the others should have been above 75%. His teammates had excellent focus.

The group made their way to the peak of the debate. The many peaks had been reduced to just the final two.

Two days ago, the battle for third place between Veiled Cloud Sanctuary and Zenith Expanse took place. In the end, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary won 3:2 against Zenith Expanse, securing third place, while Zenith Expanse ranked fourth. With only the final match remaining in the Grand Debate of the Realm, the competition was set to determine the winner between the formidable Advertising Space for Rent and the other top team.

“The Grand Debate of the Realm has completely changed my schedule,” Apple said. “Recently, my mom has been asking why I keep waking up early.”

“I’m in the same boat,” Cantaloupe replied. “But Capital Planet has been snowing recently, and I haven’t seen the sun for days.”

“Our area is still fine,” FireworksAndLanterns said. “I heard that the main city has been snowing a lot. We’ve had sunshine for the past few days.”

After some casual chatting, Ren XiaoYao’s team appeared on the opposing side of the debate peak.

As the debate tournament approached its opening, the countdown on top began to shimmer with golden hues. The clouds moved with the wind, and the distance between the two peaks closed. The mainframe’s voice echoed from above.

[Countdown: Five minutes remaining. The rules for the final phase of the Grand Debate of the Realm will now be announced.]

[The competition will feature four formats: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5. Each format must appear at least once in the first four matches, with the fifth match being randomly chosen.]

[Preparation time before each match is 10 minutes, shared with the interval time. Both teams should manage their time well, as delays will result in System random matching.]

[Each match is not to exceed 2 hours. If a match goes overtime, the System will determine the winner based on the battle information. Extended game times will cross into different time segments, so players must manage their game time accordingly.]

[The map used for this round is [Glazed Palace], with a difficulty rating of ★★★★★ and a competitive difficulty rating of ★★★★★. Teams should explore the map’s mechanics on their own.]

The official livestream was prominently displayed on the StarNet homepage, featuring several well-known experts. The hosts were [SkilfulEmptyHand] and [FirstUnderHeaven], with the special guests being the two team leaders who had already finished their matches: CloudTraveller and Midnight Bell.

The livestream room was exceptionally lively.

[So excited for this!] 

[Is archdemon going to train again today?] 

[I think they should participate, but with the four formats scattered across the first four matches, is this to prevent targeting?]

[Come on, start already, I can’t wait!]

[Go, BrokenOracle! Master Brother, you’re the best!] 

[Go, Begonia!]

The mainframe’s announcement lasted for five minutes, explaining the rules and key points of Glazed Palace in a systematic manner. Most of the rules were similar to the previous ones, with adjustments made only to player submissions and match formats.

As soon as the countdown ended, the map overview of Glazed Palace appeared in front of everyone.

Glazed Palace lived up to its name, with most of the decorations made of glass and an incredibly spacious layout. The map was primarily divided into the main hall and two side halls. The main hall served as the central arena, while the innermost parts of the side halls were the spawn points for both teams. The map was arranged in a linear fashion, requiring players to exit the side halls, pass through side hall doors, and traverse a long corridor to reach the main hall. The design of this map appeared to be much simpler compared to the previous [Five Elements Palace].

“This map looks quite bright from above,” Apple said. “It’s rare to see a map that isn’t in dark colors, but being too bright isn’t good for hiding. The map is large, but without obstacles, it seems like it’ll be a straight fight.”

Bitter Melon said, “A five-star difficulty won’t be that simple.”

Su Mo’s attention was drawn to the various glass decorations in Glazed Palace. The map was indeed beautiful, and compared to other maps, it had no dark corners, which made it somewhat eerie.

Yu Zhen asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Mo said in a deep voice, “Don’t you think the floor in Glazed Palace is strange?”

“Strange,” Yu Zhen replied, noting the distinctly segmented glass tiles on the floor. “It’s all glass, and the segments are too fine.”

In-game, some building models used large stone slabs and bricks for aesthetics, while Glazed Palace, due to its overall brightness, made it hard to notice that the tiles on the floor were small bricks unless one looked closely. It was as if something was hidden beneath the grandeur.

Just after a minute, the format for the first match was announced: 1v1.

ScarletFruit said, “The first match is 1v1, so we can just submit the list randomly and rely on luck?”

The lineup for Ren XiaoYao was a double warrior, double Doaist priest, a single healer and cleric, as well as physical swordsman, mage, assassin, and marksman. With the healer not participating, anyone else might appear, making the arrangement somewhat meaningless, with the outcome largely depending on luck.

“On the opposing side, there could be four professions: warrior, Doaist priest, marksman, and assassin,” Su Mo said briefly. “BrokenOracle and HaiTang won’t participate; the commander will likely choose to test the mechanisms rather than take risks, so they would normally select players proficient in PK or time-wasting from repeated professions to start.”

ScarletFruit asked in confusion, “Huh? Marksman and assassin aren’t repeated professions.”

“But they might be targeting us,” Su Mo explained. “We have two assassins and two summoners.”

Since they couldn’t be certain of the format for the next match, they needed to reserve professions to counter the next round. They also had to hold back some players; the only repeated professions they might face were summoner and assassin. Deploying an assassin would counter summoners, while deploying a marksman would counter assassins. It primarily depended on whether the opponent’s commander aimed for stability by using repeated professions or took a gamble on targeting.

“So, what should we use?” ClearWind asked. “How about we go against the strategy and use an assassin? They’ll probably expect us to use summoners to test the mechanism. The chance of them using marksmen is low, so they might be keeping marksmen to guard against us.”

FireworksAndLanterns exclaimed, “Wow, ClearWind, your mind is really sharp!”

Apple added, “If you can think of it, BrokenOracle surely can too.”

ClearWind replied, “Then let’s counter their counter!”

As the preparation time was about to end, Watermelon volunteered, “I’ll go in the opening match.”

Su Mo glanced at Watermelon and asked, “Are you sure?”

Watermelon hesitated at Su Mo’s question. Initially, he was resolute, but now he was less certain. He had analyzed the situation and thought it better to take the initiative rather than be passive. He gritted his teeth and said, “Little Firework’s movement speed isn’t fast. This wide map isn’t favorable for hiding, and exploring the mechanism could be difficult. Since the profession matchups are 50-50, we might as well gamble on whether they’ll keep a marksman in a multi-person setup.”

An assassin was strong in 1v1 matches; apart from a marksman on the opposing side, he wasn’t afraid of any other profession.

FireworksAndLanterns said, touched, “Watermelon, you’re thinking of me.”

ScarletFruit remarked, “Watermelon has changed.”

Bitter Melon praised, “You’ve got responsibility.”

Since Watermelon wanted to participate, the kind-hearted commander honored his wish and submitted [WhatAHugeWatermelon] as the 1v1 participant.

Apple said, “What’s going on? I started to get scared right after we submitted the list.”

Bitter Melon gave Apple a light punch and said, “Apple, be quiet.”

ScarletFruit, feeling anxious, said, “This map seems like it will have buffs; Watermelon’s luck is a bit worrying.”

FireworksAndLanterns reprimanded, “You shouldn’t talk about him like that. Even without luck, Watermelon is still very strong in 1v1.”

The commander said, “It’s okay, losing isn’t shameful.”

Watermelon was speechless. He suddenly started to feel anxious.

Just before the match began, Watermelon hesitated for a moment. He lingered over the lucky gear he had prepared in the equipment warehouse for a long time. After weighing the options between powerful output and luck, he finally gritted his teeth and decided to wear the pair of shoes with the highest luck value.

The discussion in the livestream room was lively, with commentators analyzing the lineups. It was also discussed that both sides might choose repeating professions for insurance. At this moment, MIdnight Bell added, “BrokenOracle isn’t someone who follows conventions. If he were that predictable, he’d be easier to deal with. He won’t choose Doaist priest or warrior for this match.”

SkilfulEmothHand asked curiously, “Then what will he choose?”

CloudTraveller followed up on Midnight Bell’s comment, “Assassin or marksman.”

As soon as the words were spoken, there was a wave of updates in the arena.

The submitted lineups of both sides appeared before everyone’s eyes.

[Advertising Space for Rent · WhatAHugeWatermelon] vs. [Ren Xiaoyao · AnArrowforEveryKid].

SkilfulEmptyHand exclaimed, “Assassin and marksman, how did they end up matched against each other?”

[Wow, marksman against assassin.]

[Watermelon is in trouble.]

[Arrow Brother is quite skilled against assassins.]

[At least Watermelon has climbed to the fourth-best assassin now, and has killed many marksmen on the battlefield.]

The livestream chat was abuzz with discussions about what momo’s choice of assassin might signify.

Meanwhile, the Advertising team remained silent for most of the time, with faint sounds of suppressed laughter in the voice chat.

“Don’t be disheartened, Watermelon,” ScarletFruit said. “Stay calm, if you can’t win, just avoid getting caught.”

Apple added, “I didn’t say anything this time.”

ClearWind remarked, “We didn’t force you; you chose to go.”

FireworksAndLanterns cheered, “Watermelon, go for it! Surpass your opponent, surpass yourself, you’re the best!”

Yu Zhen, rarely speaking, said, “It’s not without a chance. Try to stay positive.”

Su Mo also offered some comfort, “It’s okay, just think of it as missing one invisibility skill.”

Missing one invisibility skill against the longest-range marksman…

Watermelon stood at the starting point, looking down at his lucky shoes, which had the signature of the forger, LuckyScarletFruit.

What was he really believing in?

His teammates were all deceivers. What use was luck anyway?