Genius Chapter 3: The Singular Quest

Chapter 3: The Singular Quest

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

As the game panel opened up, a green arrow pointed to a symbol beside the map. “Dear, the friend system is over here,” the system informed Su Mo.

Su Mo then noticed a bunch of miscellaneous icons in an inconspicuous corner of the game interface. He accepted the friend request from “ClearWind,” then asked, “What’s this?”

“That’s the game store. You can buy game items there,” the customer service replied.

“And this?”

“That’s the sect system. You have to wait until level 15 to join,” the customer service explained.

Su Mo paused for a moment and then said simply, “I need a detailed introduction to the game panel, an explanation of the game operating system… Do you have any beginner guides for the game?”

The AI customer service hesitated for a moment, then said, “Searching the database, please wait.”

“Ding—’Holographic Game Basic Operations’ downloaded.”

“Ding—’Celestial Horizon Newbie Guide’ downloaded.”

“Ding—’Three Days Online Game from Novice to Expert’ downloaded.”

…

The virtual screen displayed loading lists one after another. Su Mo unfamiliarly judged the game system and asked, “Can it be changed to the old terminal mode?”

The customer service seemed puzzled. “V-X614 mode?”

Su Mo clarified, “Yes, the V-X614 mode.”

“Sorry, dear, Celestial Horizon uses the latest virtual mode.” The customer service added, “According to the search, the V-type mode was phased out ten years ago.”

Su Mo said, “Oh…”

“Dear, do you need any further assistance?” the customer service asked.

This was Su Mo’s first time in a holographic world like this. The fantastical world he had seen in videos was now unfolding before him with an incredibly realistic view. Human senses, behaviors, and more would be integrated into his brain in the form of data streams, and the basic operating system had changed from a terminal system to the StarNet system.

He had spent too much time creating his character when he first entered the game. All he knew were the rumors circulating in the news and the game background information mixed in with the loader instructions before entering the game. Finally getting in, he found himself completely ignorant of this vast world. It took him some time to understand the map system and attribute system, but he couldn’t even find the entrance to the friend system. In the end, he had to seek help from the AI customer service.

“Is this the mission system?” Su Mo noticed a scroll-shaped icon.

“Yes.” Since the game itself had a beginner tutorial, the AI customer service gently reminded, “Dear, I suggest you go to the village chief to receive newbie village tasks. The newbie tasks will help you get familiar with Celestial Horizon 😊.”

Su Mo didn’t reply, his attention on the recently downloaded “Holographic Game Basic Operations.”

“Dear?” The customer service prompted again.

Su Mo closed the customer service dialog box with a click, and the entire world returned to tranquility.

Customer service: ?

The game system of “Celestial Horizon” continued traditional online game settings but added various operation modes to suit different player habits. After looking for a while, Su Mo decided to stick with the current operation mode, primarily relying on reaction speed to operate. The holographic world had optimized various bodily functions. Su Mo clearly felt much lighter upon entering the holographic world, even sensing an extremely abundant physical and mental energy, an experience he couldn’t feel in the real world.

The scenery by the lake was nice, the breeze refreshing but not scorching.

Su Mo read at a fast pace, his naturally superior mental abilities almost giving him a photographic memory. He glanced over the StarNet operating mode, quickly grasping the basic settings of the online game.

“Switch to minimalist mode, skill bar, action bar…” Su Mo completed the basic settings and tidied up the somewhat complex interface, making it much more comfortable to look at. He folded away the other beginner tutorials and was about to check out the newbie tasks when he noticed the increasingly noisy commotion approaching.

Several groups of people were running out of the distant woods. Su Mo couldn’t help but glance over, noticing they were heading in his direction.

What’s going on?

[Local] NoFutureWithoutEating: Where’s the rabbit!!

[Local] HandsomeBro: Damn it!! It’s heading for the center of the lake!

[Local] LightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel: Can you stop crowding? We spotted it first.

[Local] OuttaToiletPaper: Hehe, whoever catches it first gets it.

[Local] ClearWind: The rabbit jumped into the lake!!

Su Mo saw that these people seemed to be looking for something. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a series of bubbles bubbling up from the left side of the lake, followed by a wet and rabbit-like creature jumping out of the water. He paused for a moment as the rabbit leaped onto the shore, shaking off water all over him. The rabbit didn’t seem to fear people. It hopped over to Su Mo’s side, looking up at him curiously.

Su Mo: “… A rabbit?”

He reached out and felt the wet and slippery fur of the rabbit.

[Ding—]

[Congratulations on discovering the wonder pet [Soul Rabbit], triggering the wonder pet system, would you like to try to capture it?]

[Player has been identified with special conditions, triggering the quest [Legend of the Peach Blossom Spring]]

Su Mo was taken aback as an extremely bright light flashed before him, and a taskbar with a special frame suddenly popped up. Before he could read the contents of the taskbar, another prompt popped up.

[Due to an external interruption, you have been disconnected.]

Meanwhile, the figures by the lake disappeared with the rabbit, leaving the players who were trying to catch it completely stunned. Suddenly, a new message popped up in the Celestial Horizon game world channel.

[Global] A miraculous encounter! Congratulations to player momo for triggering the quest [Legend of the Peach Blossom Spring].

Huh?? Where’s the rabbit?!! What’s Legend of the Peach Blossom Spring?!

The scene before his eyes suddenly changed, and Su Mo was pulled out of the holographic world and back to his home. The nanny robot LeLe blinked a melancholy emoticon on its electronic screen, standing with its hands on its hips in front of him.

Su Mo blinked.

The nanny LeLe, who forcefully interrupted the game, said, “Su Mo, you’ve been playing for four hours!”

Before entering the game, considering the limits of his body’s endurance, Su Mo had set a time limit alarm on LeLe and would disconnect the game if necessary. Su Mo rubbed his temples, feeling the heaviness in his body as if the light and healthy body in the game were just a fleeting illusion. “What time is it?”

LeLe replied, “Capital Planet, District C, 20:25. It’s time for your medication in 5 minutes.”

The night was quiet, with only the sound of LeLe humming and playing music in the room. After taking his medicine, Su Mo went to the lab to check the data for a while, then exported the guides he downloaded from the holographic world to the terminal. Soon after, it was already 10 o’clock.

Su Mo curled up on the sofa reading the guide until eleven o’clock, when LeLe reminded him to sleep on time.

***

StarNet forum was ablaze with discussions about the appearance of the Soul Rabbit in Peach Blossom Village. As a wonder pet, the Soul Rabbit was a highly sought-after pet among players, especially because it possessed special skills. Currently, there were only ten Soul Rabbits in the entire server, all in the hands of various big shots. Therefore, when a wild Soul Rabbit appeared, it was a free-for-all scramble among players.

[Is it true? The Soul Rabbit appeared in the newbie village?]

[Yes, it’s true. A streamer recorded it, and it’s indeed a Soul Rabbit.]

[I saw the message and immediately created a new account to go to the newbie village, but I didn’t see anything.]

[Who managed to catch it in the end?]

[Not sure, but there was a newbie who triggered a quest, it might be him.]

[What about the newbie?]

[Logged off.]

Someone posted the system announcement from the world channel on the forum. This new quest that appeared was called [Legend of the Peach Blossom Spring], a previously unrecorded quest. The forum’s enthusiasts of collecting quests analyzed it, concluding that this quest was likely the only quest of its kind.

In Celestial Horizon, the quest system was divided into three types: common quests, limited quests, and unique quests. Common quests could be randomly triggered under general conditions, such as the Flower Girl task in Peach Blossom Village. Limited quests were quests officially released by the game under specific time or event conditions. Finally, unique quests were quests triggered by only one player, and once the reward was obtained, they would never appear again.

[A unique quest appeared in the newbie village…]

[That’s right, have you forgotten about Great Master Embrace Simplicity, Defy the Norm? He triggered [The Twilight of Celestial Lights] in the newbie village and obtained special skills.]

[Why didn’t I have that luck? Others’ newbie villages have unique quests, mine only has Flower Girls.]

[So what about momo?]

[Logged off and never came back online.]

[????]

The discussion about the unique quest and the Soul Rabbit exploded on the forum, with many players waiting for momo to come online. However, as time went on, momo still showed no signs of logging back in. Some even said that momo had not done any tasks and had been wandering around online, seeming disinterested in the game.

This made players even more nervous. Would this person just run away after triggering the quest and catching the rabbit, abandoning the game??

Su Mo was oblivious to the online discussions. The next day, he was approached by someone. Director Liu from the department had sent him three messages yesterday but received no reply. Finally, he had to personally visit Su Mo and drag him to the school to receive the award.

Su Mo was a student in the Mechanical Forging Department of Capital University. He had just finished his sophomore year, scoring full marks in theoretical subjects but zero in practical subjects because his physical condition prevented him from using the equipment. Nevertheless, he had a reputation in the Mechanical Forging Department and was well-liked by professors. He was often sent by professors to participate in various theoretical competitions, accumulating credits to avoid the risk of failing practical courses.

After receiving the award, Director Liu asked Su Mo to stay in the office for tea.

“Do you have any plans for the summer vacation? The school’s labs won’t be available for the time being,” Director Liu said, then changed his mind, “It’s better to rest during the summer vacation. I have a spot in a tour group to Blue Star. The environment there is suitable for recuperation. How about going out for a change of scenery?”

“Thank you, Director Liu,” Su Mo said, “I have plans for the summer vacation.”

“Well, that’s good. Make sure not to use the equipment without supervision,” Director Liu reminded.

Su Mo hesitated for a moment and added, “There’s no one to supervise, and I might just play games at home.”

“Playing games is good,” Director Liu instantly relaxed, “It’s important to relax.”

The sound came from the door, “Director Liu, the Institute of Research is here for consultation, saying they need some data.”

Su Mo seized the opportunity to excuse himself, “Then I’ll go back first.”

“Sure, take care of yourself,” Director Liu said, and Su Mo left.

As he left, he happened to see a group of researchers coming towards him. Su Mo stepped back, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the man in a suit standing at the forefront of the researchers. The man exuded a powerful aura, giving off a unique sense of oppression in the crowd. Suddenly, his gaze met the man’s, and Su Mo unexpectedly discovered that the man’s eyes were particularly dark, as if he could see into the depths of a bottomless pit.

The next moment, the teacher in the office led the group of researchers past him, and the imposing gaze from the man disappeared.

Inside the office, Director Liu greeted the visitor with a smile, “Mr. Yu, why did you come in person? Are you here to collect the V-1 model data?”

The man addressed as Mr. Yu shook hands with Director Liu and exchanged pleasantries.

Soon, the data for the V-1 model was brought over. Director Liu chuckled, “If I had known Mr. Yu was coming, I would have kept that kid Su Mo here.”

“Su Mo?” Mr. Yu paused slightly, feeling somewhat familiar with the name. “The Hope Cup champion?”

“That’s the one. The framework for the V model is based on his theory. If it weren’t for his physical condition, he could have tried practical experiments with the X model. What a pity,” Director Liu explained.

“Physical condition?” Mr. Yu raised an eyebrow. “You said it’s based on theory, meaning he constructed the V model framework without practical experience?”

Director Liu sighed, “Yes, that kid has only an F-class physique and can’t get on the machine at all.”

Mr. Yu frowned slightly and carefully examined the data in his hand. “Constructing the V model framework without practical experience means that basic data can only be manually calculated. Your student is a genius and very bold.”

One of the accompanying researchers added, “With this kind of calculation ability, the student’s mental strength is at least A+, right?”

Proudly, Director Liu responded, “Even more than that. This kid has S+ mental strength and he’s only 18 years old.”

The researcher was quite surprised by this revelation and glanced at Mr. Yu beside him. Then he continued, “Director Liu, you must have heard about the collaboration between Institute One and the Firmament Group, right? One of the achieved projects is the online game ‘Celestial Horizon.’ In fact, our research project includes solving the issue of physical loading devices. I wonder if your student would be interested in coming to the institute for research during the summer?”

Author’s note:

AI version of the anti-addiction nanny robot Lele: Remember, you can only play games for up to 4 hours a day ^_^

Su Mo: Oh.