Chapter 13: Two Hundred Fifty (Revised)

The announcement ended, and the screen went dark.

The square was first silent, then suddenly erupted with a huge clamor of discussion.

Some were cheering, some were dejected, but many more were discussing that shocking last-minute reversal.

The strangely behaving Ying Guang Lu earned points so high they were absurd, yet was harshly deducted for an even more absurd reason.

But even so, he still passed the entrance exam of Mitra Academy.

Ying Duo just stood there blankly; looking at his appearance alone, he didn't seem to belong to the same world as the Theological Academy.

After seeing the updated ranking, Qi Hengyu and Shen Zexi, who were shaking water off their hands, both froze in place.

Qi Hengyu glanced at his own second-place ranking on the screen, then at Ying Duo beside him, who still wore a dazed expression.

That expression looked like he had just swallowed a mutant sand rat whole, a mix of five flavors.

"Deducted... two hundred fifty?" Qi Hengyu muttered, "And it just happened to land him at fiftieth place? This damn..."

Could his luck be too good? Or maybe this guy has become so heaven-defying that even the examiners can't punish him?

In previous years, having 250 points deducted would have made admission utterly impossible, but Ying Duo happened to have such a high base score.

Based solely on the terrifying speed Ying Duo just displayed, he believed the other must have talent, but the mental issue is a problem; the academy might not want to admit such a student.

Actually, the Church might be more suitable for him......

Could this be the legendary 'fools have fool's luck'?

Shen Zexi took a deep breath, his gaze complex as he looked at Ying Duo.

If the other party hadn't lured that Aberrant Species near the town, he should have gotten a higher score.

But in the end, this guy still got in, as if fate had long been set.

Although he was no longer first, even becoming a laughingstock among everyone, he still became a member of Mitra Theological Academy by barely scraping in.

Does he hope for that?

And Ying Duo, at the center of the topic, just stood there silently; the shocking ranking changes on the screen seemed to have nothing to do with him.

The problem is it was exactly deducted 250......

Yang Yixie stared at that neither-here-nor-there number, feeling as if the plot deliberately deducted points to this very figure just to mock the players.

In his system interface, only a new prompt appeared:

【Newbie quest completed.】

【Obtained identity: Mitra Theological Academy freshman.】

【Main quest updated: Report to Mitra Academy in three days.】

Wait? Where's my experience?

Complete a quest and get no experience? What's the point of this plot?

The clamor in the square had nothing to do with Ying Duo.

Compared to the NPC constantly blowing bubbles, he cared more about finishing a quest yet receiving no experience.

While everyone was still noisily discussing this dramatic result, with Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu still stunned, Ying Duo had already turned around.

He walked straight through the crowd toward the distant train station.

That Ying Guang Lu hair color was especially conspicuous in the crowd, yet it also carried an aloof, keep-your-distance vibe.

Shen Zexi watched his retreating back, brows slightly furrowed.

He wanted to say something, perhaps about the earlier exam, or about those deducted 250 points, but in the end he just frowned tightly.

Ying Duo's behavior logic is completely incomprehensible by common sense; to others it's as if he's not in the same world, perhaps to him that first place doesn't matter at all?

Qi Hengyu clicked his tongue and nudged Shen Zexi with his elbow.

"He just left like that? First place just vanished, he barely got into the school, and he has no dissatisfaction at all?"

"I really don't understand how someone with a problematic mind like him thinks."

He pointed at his own head, his face full of "incomprehensible."

You say he doesn't get it, yet he knows to come take the exam and check his scores; you say he doesn't get it, but it seems as if whatever happens around him has nothing to do with him.

———————————————

Ying Duo was completely oblivious to the discussion behind him, or rather, he simply didn't care.

He was like a robot with a preset route, boarding the train about to depart, and casually found a window seat to sit in.

Yet his pupils had no focus, as if he were sitting there in a daze.

In Yang Yixie's eyes, a few large characters quietly appeared above his head:

【Auto-pathfinding......】

———————————————

"Next stop, Vehicle City Avenue Station, please prepare to alight, passengers......"

The familiar announcement sounded in Yang Yixie's ears.

He immediately broke out of his intense gaming state, subconsciously looking up to confirm the destination was right before him.

"Oh, we've arrived."

He muttered to himself, pressing the "Auto Navigation" hotkey in the game's side panel, letting his character proceed on its own along the subsequent quest route.

Only then did Yang Yixie rise, squeezing out of the subway car with the crowd, like a drop of water merging into a river then being pushed apart.

Passing through the noisy underground passage, he tapped his card to exit, then walked back to his apartment.

Throughout the process he was somewhat absent-minded, still cursing the game's lousy planning in his mind.

"Two hundred fifty...... is purely mocking the players, right? Completing a quest gives no reward—what's the point of this plot design?"

He muttered to himself while fishing out his key to open the door.

Inside, everything remained as usual, still the familiar dead silence he was accustomed to.

He had long grown accustomed to this quiet home, yet each time he pushed the door open he still felt a hint of reluctance to admit his loss.

His older brother had been working away elsewhere year-round since graduating, and although his mother's health had just begun to improve, he still had to stay in the hospital for Observation Key situation as a precaution.

He had long been used to such days, right?

Yang Yixie bent down to change his shoes, and after setting down his heavy backpack, his shoulders felt a surge of soreness.

He opened the refrigerator door; inside, several boxes of various-flavor instant meal packs were neatly stacked—these were his stockpile.

Yang Yixie casually grabbed a box, turned, and placed it in the microwave to heat.

He ate that mediocre dinner alone in silence, cleared the dishes, and as the water washed away the grease, it seemed to also fade the bizarre game images flashing in his mind.

After finishing all these chores, he finally slumped onto the sofa and let out a long sigh.

The game's world may be vibrant and colorful, but it is ultimately just a game with a preset storyline.

Although the game's plot is lackluster, its combat is well done, and it offers high freedom.

Thinking so, Yang Yixie raised his hand to rub his eyes, feeling them grow sore.

Perhaps he shouldn't have set the skill effects to Ying Guang Lu as well.

Although it is indeed eye-catching and attention-grabbing, staring at it for too long really hurts the eyes.

After closing his eyes to rest for a few minutes, Yang Yixie then took out his phone again and opened the crude game icon that stood out from the surrounding popular apps.