Genius Chapter 2: Holographic Game

Chapter 2: Holographic Game

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Old tree roots wound along the mountain road, nestled among continuous mountains, there sat a small peach blossom village. At this moment, the sun was shining brightly, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. At the small wooden bridge at the entrance of Peach Blossom Village, the place was packed with people, bustling around several NPCs, eager to talk to them first.

“Don’t push, can’t you wait in line to join the group? Can’t you see there are still more than ten people in front?”

“Show some manners, buddy, line up properly.”

“The task from the Flower Lady equals 1, just pick any.”

“Looking for a group for the Flower Lady task.”

The game Celestial Horizon has been online for two months now, and the levels of the pioneer players have already risen to level 70. Latecomers will be assigned to different branch servers based on their level progress. This place is the newbie spawning point of the Celestial Horizon game, the Peach Blossom Village within the Peach Blossom Source. The Flower Lady’s task is currently the only known marvel point in the newbie village stage, granting a permanent 10-point attribute bonus, making it a must-do task for newbies.

Some of the newly logged-in players sat on the rocks by the stream, peeking at the player in the front of the crowd who was receiving the task.

“What’s that guy doing? Why does it take so long to accept a task? It’s been 2 minutes already.”

“If it wasn’t for some marvel, I wouldn’t bother waiting here.”

“Bro, when you’re doing tasks, can you focus on talking to NPCs? Is this the time to flirt?”

Impatience spread among the queueing crowd, followed by complaints. The livestreamer ClearWind was leisurely interacting with the barrage while queuing with teammates.

“Honesty, queuing shows manners, crowding just exhausts everyone,” ClearWind looked at the barrage plugin on the other side and continued, “What? Am I not honest? There’s no rush to level up now. The level is temporarily capped at 70, take it easy.”

[Isn’t that guy accepting the task by flirting? He’s chatting with the NPC!]

[The Flower Lady is indeed very beautiful, the village belle.]

[How long have we been queuing? It’s been ten minutes just to accept a newbie task???]

[Are you leeching? I’ll report you.]

“I’m not leeching, isn’t this a livestream?” ClearWind said slowly, “Young people, play games with less restlessness and more sincerity. Look at that guy over there, still afk, learn from him.” pointing to the player under the big banyan tree.

[Which player?]

[The afk one?]

[What game is he playing? Afking in the newbie village?]

[Don’t insult afk players, I saw that guy move.]

[Probably a newbie, there are many who don’t read guides, let it go.]

The audience in the livestream looked under the big banyan tree, only to see that the player took a step forward and then a step backward, indeed not afk.

Before ClearWind joined the queue, that player had already been there, wearing dusty newbie gear, standing outside the crowd, disdainful of the Flower Lady task, with an incomprehensible air of sophistication.

ClearWind said, “This guy looks like a real pro.”

[Giving you a hard time, tired of queuing, huh?]

[You’re talking more frequently now.]

[As everyone knows, when the streamer is annoyed, they talk more.]

[Too boring, reported.]

ClearWind said, “Can’t you guys be a bit more friendly to newbies? Show a bit more sincerity, a bit more love? Likewise, please be more patient with me.”

[Uh oh, this kid’s gone silly queuing.]

ClearWind shouted towards the big banyan tree, “Brother, stop staring at that tree, hurry up and team up for the task.”

[He ignored you.]

ClearWind shouted again, “Newbie bro, afk bro, afk bro, little bro, are you there?”

This time, the afk player heard the voice. He turned his head slightly to survey the surroundings, seemingly trying to figure out who was talking to him. Then his gaze met ClearWind’s, he nodded slightly, turned his head back, and continued to look at the tree.

ClearWind, “…huh?”

[He nodded, don’t you get it?]

[That’s called a pro demeanor, don’t you get it?]

[This afk player may not be good at anything else, but he’s maxed out on sophistication.]

Not long after, the player’s interest in the old banyan tree faded, and he walked along the mountain road to look at the houses.

ClearWind, “…What’s he up to?”

[Bothering you, isn’t it?]

[Probably went shopping.]

ClearWind’s attempt to engage ended up with criticism from the audience, so he focused on queuing again, but the queue remained motionless. After a moment of silence, he said, “Less restlessness, more patience.”

Finally, the player who was chatting up NPCs infuriated everyone after five minutes and was taken away by several irritable players. The stagnant task queue finally started moving. ClearWind successfully received the Flower Lady’s task, completed a few rounds of tasks, and received a prompt for the “Fishing by the River” task. Prompted by the barrage audience, he led his teammates to occupy the respawn point.

Upon arrival, they found that many task points had already been taken by other players.

“I’ll take you guys to a place,” ClearWind said, “It’s a good spot, easy to secure, with a nice view. It’s the best spot for fishing and enjoying the scenery.”

He thought there was no one around, but when they arrived, they saw two other people near the bamboo raft task point, and there was one person standing on the bamboo raft task point, making a total of three.

[No one’s occupying the point?]

[A feng shui treasure land?]

ClearWind approached and found the dusty figure on the bamboo raft familiar.

[Isn’t this the guy who was afk just now?]

[Wow, this dude went window shopping all the way here.]

[Hey, wait, are those two behind going to attack?]

ClearWind paused.

The other two were clearly together, armed with weapons, obviously intending to snatch the task point. But the afk guy seemed oblivious, standing with his back to them, seemingly enjoying the view of the lake.

ClearWind was about to speak up to warn when he saw the two rushing up, wielding their weapons directly at the small bamboo raft.

In the newbie area, they didn’t have other skills, and the weapons were just ordinary knives. But even the basic attack of the weapon was a damaging skill. The two launched a surprise attack, outnumbering him two to one. Just as they stepped onto the bamboo raft, it suddenly shook violently.

“Watch out!”

Before his words were out, the afk guy stopped afking, agilely avoiding the incoming blades and stood steadily on the other side of the bamboo raft.

[Whoa?]

[Is he really a pro?]

[The bamboo raft is so narrow, how did he dodge?]

The water surface swayed, the weight shifted, and one side of the bamboo raft began to sink.

The player who attempted the knife attack continued his assault, ignoring everything else. “Afk bro” reacted swiftly, his movements causing the bamboo raft to sway even more violently. His sense of balance seemed impeccable, and his actions were incredibly agile. In contrast, the attackers were clumsy and off-balance, which led to both of them falling into the water with a splash.

“Plop!”

“Afk bro” moved his feet gracefully, effortlessly stabilizing the bamboo raft, and glanced down at the people in the water.

[That move was amazing!]

[He’s so fast!]

ClearWind couldn’t help but take a few steps forward to get a closer look, just as he heard the voice of “afk bro.” “Fuck, you can’t even stand?” 

ClearWind paused slightly, somewhat surprised. “Afk bro’s” voice was lively but not deep, giving off a very pleasant feeling.

The two attackers, now soaked, struggled to resurface from the water, wearing embarrassed expressions. They hadn’t expected to be foiled and felt a surge of shame upon seeing “afk bro” standing dry on the raft. Angered, one of them said, “You wait, I’ll settle the score with you once I get ashore.”

“Settle the score? How would you settle it?” “Afk bro” asked with a smile. “Your point of force on the raft was obviously wrong. If your balance is off, you shouldn’t wield weapons.” He shook his hand casually. “Or are you settling for your inability to stay on the raft? That wouldn’t be good, it would be embarrassing if it got out.”

The players in the water, originally searching for leverage to climb ashore, couldn’t bear the mocking tone and felt even more embarrassed. “You!”

“Need help getting ashore?” “Afk bro” squatted down casually. “Want me to lend you a hand?”

He said so, but showed no intention of reaching out.

[Hahaha, this is hilarious!]

[They couldn’t stay on the raft, hahaha!]

“Go to hell!” The soaked player’s face twisted in rage, cursing loudly, but he didn’t attempt to climb ashore. Instead, he reached out to grab the bamboo raft.

“Afk bro” stepped back slightly, looking down at them from a higher vantage point. “Coming up? I’ll make room for you.”

The soaked players were infuriated but found their hands too weak. At this moment, a voice from the shore interrupted them, causing both “afk bro” and the soaked players to turn their heads.

“What’s going on? You failed in your sneak attack and you still have the nerve?” ClearWind snapped back to his senses and stepped forward, shouting, “Two against one and you still ended up in the water, embarrassing yourselves to the max. And now you have the audacity to curse? Bullying someone who enjoys the scenery, huh?”

Seeing an outsider, the two attackers’ faces turned even uglier. Finally, grumbling, they climbed ashore and left, leaving behind a threat.

ClearWind chuckled, “Fine, we’ll wait for you. Bullying newbies and still thinking you’re right?” He glanced at “afk bro” and said, “You alright, bro? These kinds of people only understand force, no need to be polite with them.”

“Afk bro” tilted his head, his gaze carrying a hint of assessment.

ClearWind continued, “Next time you encounter these kinds of people, just report them to in-game customer service directly, let them taste a ban. It’ll benefit all the players online.”

After saying that, he casually filed a report. With that said, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

[The high level player is ignoring you.]

[He’s calling him bro right after meeting.]

At this moment, ClearWind’s teammate broke the awkward silence.

“Brother, are you taking photos of the scenery?” ClearWind’s teammate inquired, “Could you make a little room for us? We won’t take up much space, just need to complete a task and then we’ll leave.”

ClearWind awkwardly scratched the back of his head and agreed, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll just do a task and leave.”

“Afk bro” turned back, stepped aside to make room for them, but didn’t leave, standing on the bank, watching.

“Thanks, bro,” ClearWind said.

The fishing task was simple, with the NPC providing the fishing rod. ClearWind’s teammates started fishing from the bamboo raft.

Approaching for a closer look, ClearWind also identified the brother’s ID— “momo.” Unable to resist, ClearWind asked, “Brother, are you new to this game?”

momo replied, “Yeah, are you guys doing tasks?”

“We’re doing the Peach Blossom Bridge marvel task to earn attribute points. After that, we’re fishing here, but catching the Little Spirit Fish depends on luck, so it might take a while,” ClearWind explained, then changed the topic, “You’re here for the scenery, right? Don’t waste your time here. The scenery outside is even more beautiful.”

momo responded, “I’m not here for the scenery.”

ClearWind hesitated, “Oh, I see. You handled the bamboo raft pretty well just now. Did you max out your speed attribute?”

momo confirmed, “Yeah.”

ClearWind was puzzled, “Why did you max out your speed attribute?”

momo simply said, “To run fast.”

ClearWind was at a loss for words.

momo glanced at him.

[The streamer really thinks he’s a newbie?]

[Afk bro: Do you want him to teach me?]

[This conversation is so dead.]

ClearWind felt a bit embarrassed, “Oh, it’s nothing. You have some interesting ideas. Let’s add each other as friends. I’m ClearWind.”

momo hesitated for a moment, then said, “You add me.”

ClearWind hesitated but ended up sending the friend request. After sending it, he didn’t see momo accepting it.

momo asked, “Is there anything else?”

ClearWind felt awkward, “Uh, no, nothing.”

Why isn’t he accepting my friend request?!

[You’ve disturbed the high-level expert from shopping.]

[Hilarious, go ahead and add, I won’t accept anyway.]

[What’s the streamer doing?!! Don’t you see the world? A Soul Rabbit has appeared in the newbie village!]

ClearWind was taken aback when he saw the mention of the Soul Rabbit, quickly opening the regional channel to find everyone spamming about it. The Soul Rabbit was an extremely rare phenomenon pet in “Celestial Horizon”, known for its special support skills. In the two months since the server opened, sightings of this pet were few and far between. But recently, it has been appearing in high-level maps. How could a Soul Rabbit appear in the newbie village?

Wait a minute?! A Soul Rabbit in the newbie village… High-level players couldn’t enter the newbie village, meaning the big shots couldn’t come and snatch it.

“Stop fishing, hurry and go grab the rabbit. Brother, see you later, remember to accept my friend request!!” ClearWind was in a hurry, forgetting about fishing, and immediately ran off with his teammates.

While it seemed bustling in the distance, it gradually quieted down by the lake. Su Mo glanced in the direction where the two people had run off, then opened the system panel to check and couldn’t help but ask, “Customer service, how do I open the friend system?”

Author: How did you dodge?

Su Mo: Oh, just doing morning tai chi, practicing footwork.