The Great Thief

Lu Li remembered a long time ago, Lu Xin’s teacher came to his house and accused her of cheating in an exam. After he understood the situation, he only asked one question. If Lu Xin was to copy someone else’s answers, why would she have a much higher mark than the said student? The teacher was not convinced at the time, but faced with a reply backed with pure common sense, she could not say anything. Lu Li might not have gone to school, but he was a professional at gaming. It was like saying that an expert Thief like himself would suddenly start mimicking the play-style of an amateur – it wasn’t going to happen. Even so, Lu Li could not comprehend Water Fairy’s confession.

“Yeah, I have.”

The audience who had also heard her confession started an uproar. Water Fairy first gained attention from her fans because of her beauty, then from her wealth, and recently, her educational background. Had she just admitted that a prodigy like herself who had received her Bachelor’s when she was eleven years old had cheated in an exam?

Dark Wind asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“I’m sure I’ve misheard. Water sis, for someone as smart as you to cheat, that’s impossible, right?”

“Yes, I’ve cheated before,” Water Fairy confirmed calmly.

“Weren’t you acing every exam then? Surely, the people around you weren’t at your level, so why would you need to cheat? If you didn’t know the answer, there was no way your classmates would’ve known either,” Lu Li reasoned.

“Well… at the time, I was more curious of what cheating was like more than anything,” Water Fairy admitted, slightly embarrassed.

“It seems like even prodigies have a rebellious side,” Dark Wind said, “but as a slacker student with a record of ten consecutive years of cheating, I can only say that your way of thinking is very strange. I remember how I had to go over in my head to find new ways to cheat and get away with it, and you’re telling me that you’ve cheated because you were curious. Well then, did you get caught?”

“Of course not,” Water Fairy replied confidently.

Did Lu Xin’s teacher really catch her cheating? He thought about his reply to her teacher and wasn’t so sure of himself anymore. Wasn’t the woman in front of him a clear example of what really happened? She had cheated because she was curious. Of course, this wasn’t something that would affect their relationship – if anything, it allowed Lu Li to understand Water Fairy further, and see her more as a person than a figure out of his league. She wasn’t that different to other women, but she was lowering herself to him little by little.

After encountering this surprising discovery, Lu Li returned to the base of Ruling Sword. The guild’s virtual meeting room was set up as a vintage lounge. Apart from a virtual monitor that took up an entire wall, the rest of the room did not emit a technological feel. Despite the room being incredibly spacious, it was only accessible to VIPs of the guild. Even elite players were prohibited from using the room.

Today, the meeting room was occupied by the guild’s competitive players. Whilst waiting for Lu Li arrival, the few players were chatting and the room was filled with the sounds of youthful energy. Fat Monkey, as usual, was the most talkative one. He placed his hand onto Short Circuit’s shoulder and boasted, “Such small competitions are nothing. You guys still haven’t faced off against the major guilds, so don’t be too full of yourselves…”

Fat Monkey was about the same age as Short Circuit, but the latter could not say anything as Monkey had to entered the industry before him. However, even if Short Circuit was not the talkative type, he wasn’t a pushover. His long-term illness and torturous experiences had rendered his psychology unordinary. Nevertheless, Short Circuit could feel Fat Monkey’s passion and love for him as a brother. The two had a strong bond and were even nicknamed as the Fire and Ice duo.

“Brother, what was the level of the team that we fought today?” Hiking Sea Cow asked.

“Those guys? They were nothing. Mu Qiu could fight off three guys at once, and as long as he and I are in-game together? We can take them all out,” Fat Monkey answered. “If Boss were to play, he could’ve taken them all out himself.”

“Then how far are we from becoming professional players?” Hiking Sea Cow continued to ask.

“Erm, still quite far away.”

Fat Monkey did not want to disparage the amateur competitive player’s enthusiasm, but he did not want to lie to him either.

“When you can defeat Fat Monkey, then you’ll be eligible to try as a professional player,” Lu Li said as he walked into the meeting room nonchalantly.

Seeing their Boss enter the room, the players sat up straight immediately. Even Fat Monkey jumped off the table and sat back down. Lu Li was not a strict person, but he was still the Guild Boss. The air of authority around him made it impossible for new recruits to even talk to him.

“Boss, ain’t that a bit harsh? Beating me is not a walk in the park, you know.”

Fat Monkey respected Lu Li, but his habit of speaking without thinking was obvious even in front of the boss.

“Short Circuit has beaten you, hasn’t he?” Lu Li asked.

“I was careless. Plus, it was pure luck for him. He only won against me three out of ten times,” Fat Monkey said anxiously.

“Doesn’t matter if you were careless or he got lucky. As long as they can defeat you in a game, then they are qualified to be professional players,” Lu Li replied, then turned to the two recruits and continued, “You two should work hard to improve yourselves. As long as you have a one out of three chance of defeating our guild’s competitive players, you may receive the salary of a professional player.”

“Seriously?”

Hiking Sea Cow’s eyes lit up immediately. For those who had just entered the industry, money might not be the best indicator for success, but it was the most powerful affirmation. A fourteen-year-old professional player! Thinking about what the kids at his age were doing filled him with a sense of superiority.

“If you think it’s easy to defeat Fat Monkey, then there’s nothing stopping you from trying.” Lu Li did not want his players to be overly impetuous; a clear headspace was much more important than the skills a person possessed. Fat Monkey might seem tactless and big-mouthed, but in-game, he was a smart and dangerous enemy. With that being said, Sea Cow decided to challenge Fat Monkey, and as anticipated, the recruit could not take away even half of his health. The fourteen-year-old’s confidence was instantly shattered.

“Train hard. The process might be tedious and tiring, but it’ll allow you to understand others and yourselves better,” Lu Li advised the two recruits. “This guy is ill and is currently undergoing treatment, but he spends more time each day at the training grounds than anyone else, perhaps even double the time that most players spend. I don’t agree with such extreme methods of training, but it’s an example to show you that success can’t be achieved without hard work. The gaming industry is not a genius’ playground.”

The two players who thought that they had finally turned their lives around were instantly drained of their sense of superiority. Since the enemies they had encountered during their first few battles were just bad at the game, their performances were not noticed by many people. However, today’s battle had Lu Li and Water Fairy as commentators, and thus had millions of people’s attention. The two newbies were naturally noticed by the audience, and since people had a welcoming attitude towards all gamers, new and professional alike, the sounds of a million pair of hands clapping for them made them feel better than they had ever had.

“You thought they were cheering you on?” Kitty asked. “They’re going to destroy you.” North City Ice Cream and Hiking Sea Cow looked at each other, obviously startled.

“Alright, let’s analyse today’s battle,” Lu Li said as he turned on the monitor and played the recording of their match. To watch the battle from beginning to the end, again and again, was a step that no Guild would ignore.

“Mu Qiu’s performance was good, scratch that, it was amazing. I’m guessing you’ve done a lot of training in secret as well.”

Kitty could see a few detailed plays that weren’t handled very well, but compared to the other players, Mu Qiu had indeed done a great job.

“I think it’s fine, nothing too straining,” Mu Qiu replied calmly.

“We don’t have to worry about Mu Qiu then.”

Lu Li was very confident in Mu Qiu, probably even more than Mu Qiu was of himself.

“There is one thing I want to say though. Mu Qiu, you don’t have to push yourself all the time. Try relaxing once in a while. Not only would it be better for your body, but it also allows the others to show off their skills as well.”

Everyone chuckled. It was true that the current enemies they were facing did not require them to give it their all.

“Nothing too interesting on Fat Monkey’s end, so we can move on.”

Lu Li wasn’t shunning Monkey or his team – there really wasn’t anything to talk about. Fat Monkey had always been expected to become the new Mage God. He had talent, a suitable mentality, and was willing to participate in training. There really wasn’t much for Lu Li to criticise.

“Short Circuit should take a break as well. You should focus on grasping the feel of being in a competition, but do prioritise your treatment and recovery.”

Lu Li was confident in Short Circuit as well. Though in his memory of his past life, Short Circuit was not as good as Fat Monkey mainly due to his illness, all in all, he was still a very competent competitive player.

“Don’t be too harsh on them, the newbies didn’t do half bad this time,” Kitty said, attempting to alleviate the tense atmosphere in the room.

“Only by letting them know their positions can we rest assure,” Lu Li sighed, analysing the plays of the two new players. His commentary was completely different from when he was at the game; it was much more professional and detailed. North City Ice Cream and Hiking Sea Cow received precious feedback that had them completely convinced, even when being criticised by Lu Li. Some Guilds might hire game-theory experts to do such a thing, but the price was not cheap, and Ruling Sword was not extravagant enough to pay for such a service. Thankfully, Lu Li and Kitty’s observational skills were on par with game experts, and they could both enlighten the new players.