019 The Manly Benny

Dream Bamboo’s gaming experience was actually not very long. After her family suffered a disaster and life became tight, she had too many responsibilities to bear. It wasn’t until she sent her younger brother to a welfare center that she finally found some leisure time in her own world. She had once considered how to pass these idle hours, but by the time she seriously pondered the question, she had already spent some time playing games. When virtual reality was widely promoted and what was once the domain of professional players in the League—who could showcase skill and finesse—was embraced by a massive number of casual gamers, Dream Bamboo truly experienced the unique charm that games could offer.

Up to now, both virtual reality technology and the specific virtual game content had undergone several updates and iterations. Over two years of play, Dream Bamboo witnessed many novel things that could only be encountered in a game: gigantic monster bosses, uniquely designed main cities, exotic races, and the treacherous intrigues of deception and betrayal. Though the Free World was distinctive, after spending some time in Greenstone Village, she came to understand the harshness of this game world. She had even joined a rather powerful team once, trekking back and forth through the eerie Emerald Forest. The sights and experiences there greatly tested and strengthened the young girl’s nerves.

Yet now, she had to admit that what was unfolding before her eyes was still somewhat incomprehensible.

What was even more surprising was that the man in front of her, after a brief moment of hesitation, simply responded: “Alright.”

What’s going on? Am I watching you act?

Dream Bamboo stared in disbelief as these two strangers locked eyes with such intensity for a long while, then reached a consensus that players would call a quest.

The boy by the corner received the affirmative answer and finally smiled. He got up from the ground, ran over to Duan Qing, then stopped. The child blinked his eyes repeatedly, as if hesitating.

Dream Bamboo still couldn’t make sense of the situation, but the person beside her seemed to understand. He gave a thumbs-up and pointed at her, saying, “The lady behind is with me. We’re friends. If you have anything to say, just say it.”

The boy looked at Duan Qing, then at Dream Bamboo, and nodded again. Dream Bamboo’s eyes went blank, mouth agape, as if to say, “What just happened?”

They just stared at each other for a moment and already had a tacit understanding...

My goodness, I no longer understand this game.

On a windy spring evening, Duan Qing and the boy walked back to the spot by the wall where the boy had been sitting earlier and began a proper conversation. The young girl, her hair disheveled in the wind but unable to suppress her curiosity, followed and played the role of an innocent bystander.

After listening for a while, the basic outline of the boy’s story emerged.

The boy once had a normal family with both parents, but his mother passed away early from illness. His father raised and cared for him alone. The father was a forest ranger, very familiar with the Emerald Forest. He made a living by exploring the forest or guiding others on expeditions. Though income was unstable, in the boy’s eyes, his father was capable and deeply loving. Despite often being away for days at a time, he always returned with gifts from deep within the Emerald Forest—strange fruits, rare prey, and relics left behind by veteran adventurers—along with thrilling adventure tales.

The boy loved hearing these stories. Whether it was a child’s nature or because he had listened so long, he grew fond of the exciting and novel tales his father told.

Days passed with novelty and happiness until one day, the father returned home acting strangely. The boy, waiting eagerly for gifts and stories as usual, noticed his father pacing the room, sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering, sometimes angry, sometimes sorrowful. The boy had only seen such behavior once before: when his mother died.

For several anxious days, the father remained restless. One night, seemingly having made a decision, he told the boy, “Stay home and wait for me,” then grabbed his usual adventuring gear and left. According to the boy, his father’s final words suggested he was heading into the Emerald Forest.

“I don’t believe… I don’t believe it! When I come back, I’ll prove it to them…”

That was years ago. The boy never saw his father again.

From six to his early teens, the boy survived with the villagers’ help and his own efforts. Some elders in the village knew of his story and, sympathizing with him, offered help—inviting him home to play, teaching him to read and write, encouraging their own children to accompany him. As he grew older, they gave him small jobs to earn some income.

But peers often troubled the boy by saying his father had died in the forest.

He refused to believe it. His father was a skilled forest ranger—strong, experienced, and having ventured into the forest countless times. No matter what, he wouldn’t perish there. The father’s stories were filled with danger and wonder, and the boy would brag to his friends about his father’s prowess.

Yet the peers’ words were supported by a vague rumor, the source unknown: forest rangers did not exist. The father’s thrilling adventures were mostly fabrications.

Having lived in the village for years, the boy had seen human wickedness. Though he publicly dismissed the malicious slander against his father, he secretly cried many times. Aside from begging respected village figures like the mayor and the guard captain to search for his father, he had no way to prove his father’s greatness and integrity.

The only thing he could do was keep his father’s promise: to sit here every day waiting for his return.

By the time the boy finished recounting his story, Dream Bamboo’s tears had silently fallen many times. Duan Qing did not show tears, but his expression was solemn. After comforting the boy, he asked:

“Did your father say anything else? For example, what exactly he was going to do?”

“No… no,” the boy sobbed. “People in the village… they’ve asked too…”

“You said your father wanted to prove something… What was it?”

“I don’t know.” The boy wiped his tears with a cloth Dream Bamboo handed him. “He also said he wanted to save… save something…”

“Hmm, could it be to save people…” Duan Qing and Dream Bamboo exchanged glances and nodded.

“Have you ever asked other adventurers to help look for your father?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because they wouldn’t go. Adventurers want payment, but I… I have no money…”

“Don’t worry, little one,” Dream Bamboo immediately said, stepping forward. “We don’t want your money. We’ll help you.”

Unexpectedly, the boy flushed red and exclaimed, “I… I do have payment for you now!”

Excitedly, he pulled something from his pocket. Duan Qing and Dream Bamboo looked closely—it was a pair of gloves.

Without hesitation, the boy stuffed the gloves into Duan Qing’s arms. “Here… take this. Now that you’ve accepted it, please… please find my father.”

“How can we do such a thing!” Dream Bamboo, who had been crouching to talk to the boy to ease his mood, now stood up excitedly. “We can’t accept this! Little one, listen to me… It’s not that we look down on you or refuse to help, but you’re so… so… anyway, we can’t just take your things. Take it back… Hey, you bad uncle, say something!”

Duan Qing said nothing. He was stunned.

[Mastery of Kaira’s Gloves (Excellent)]

[Defense: Slight]

[Special Effect: After you use a slash, the next normal attack’s recovery time is shortened.]

[Equipment Requirement: Strength 12, Agility 5]

[“The secret to becoming a swordmaster? Just remember one thing: treat your sword as an extension of your arm. When swinging your sword feels as natural as waving your own hands, you can look down on all around you.”]

This… this…

Duan Qing’s understanding of the game was once again overturned.

He had made countless assumptions about combat in the Free World, but no matter how he imagined, the entire combat system was too simple, primarily due to the lack of skills.

In his previous mental images, everyone just slashed and stabbed repeatedly—your attack, my block; your block, my dodge. Though higher levels promised a few new skills, they weren’t many. Even with virtual reality’s development, and the League’s top experts creating advanced moves and special techniques, there was little room for flashy combat.

Combat in the Free World would be dull. Even if thrilling, it lacked spectacle. If this were the case, no matter how realistic the game claimed to be, it wouldn’t be very appealing. But now, holding this glove, Duan Qing finally understood a great deal.

If such equipment were widespread throughout the game world, it would be… truly spectacular.

But the more pressing issue was that this glove was incredibly powerful. Though the description was brief, for someone like Duan Qing, reducing recovery time by such an effect meant a huge boost. Many things previously impossible now became doable. Because of this, giving such a glove in a newbie village was excessive. It blatantly didn’t fit the boy’s background or the game’s logic as a reward.

Why? How? Could the system be malfunctioning? No, that was unreasonable…

As Dream Bamboo looked on, puzzled, the “bad uncle” looked up with complex eyes at the boy. The boy seemed to understand Duan Qing’s meaning and stammered, “This… this isn’t mine. It was given to me by two big sisters a few days ago. They said if I needed help, I should give this to someone…”

Two… big sisters?

After further questioning, Duan Qing and Dream Bamboo learned that a few days prior, two women dressed similarly to Dream Bamboo had passed by. Upon hearing the boy’s story, they left this item with him.

“The big sister in red clothes is a very… very kind person. She wanted to take me away, but the one in blue stopped her, saying she had important matters and couldn’t help me now. Later… they gave me this, saying if a reliable adventurer sees this glove, they would help me…”

Between broken words, the boy explained the origin of the equipment. Duan Qing silently looked at the glove, then handed it to Dream Bamboo. She too looked astonished.

“What do those two big sisters look like?”

“Uh, they both wore hoods, like this purple big sister here…” The boy pointed at Dream Bamboo’s hood, making her snap out of her daze and lower her head shyly.

“So I couldn’t see them clearly, but…” The boy blushed, “They should be very pretty…”

“Pretty? How pretty? Is… is this purple big sister next to me pretty?” Duan Qing grinned and darted to the side.

“Um…”

“Don’t be afraid. Pretty big sisters never hit people. Hehehehe…”

“What are you laughing at! That creepy smile… I know what you’re thinking! I’ll… I’ll hit you, hit hit hit hit…”

The boy’s attempt to say “pretty” was cut off by Dream Bamboo’s sudden flailing, and he shyly backed to the wall, watching the farce with curious eyes.

“Alright, alright…” Seeing the boy calm down, Duan Qing gently held Dream Bamboo’s arms and asked the final question, “Brave boy, this is the last question. What’s your father’s name?”

“Trick, sir. Trick Ozki.” For the first time during their conversation, the boy showed pride. “And my name is Benny Ozki.”

“Good, Benny.” Duan Qing gave a thumbs-up and said, “We accept your payment. Since we’ve accepted it, we will help you find your father.”

With a flourish, he turned and left a last sentence behind: “Adventurers never break their word.”

“Hey, hey…” The girl called after him twice, but seeing he didn’t wait, she gave Benny a bright smile to say goodbye and then hurried after Duan Qing.

“Taking such an unreliable quest so easily—that’s typical of a newbie who’s never seen anything and fears nothing. Do you even know how dangerous the depths of the Emerald Forest are…”

“Who just said they’d help? Besides, I don’t know what it’s like inside, but you’re here too… Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“Nonsense! How could I change my mind…” Dream Bamboo immediately denied, then sighed, “But it really is dangerous with just the two of us…”

“We can find help… hmm, this is your responsibility now.” Duan Qing looked relaxed, then lowered his voice suddenly. “By the way, I remember you once told me about the seven wonders or something in this village…”

The girl paused, shivering slightly. “Could it be that crying boy looking for his dad… I remember he was also by the northern village…”

“Just now? No way that’s a ghost…” Dream Bamboo’s voice trembled.

“What’s there to fear? Besides, that’s Benny, a real man. Where did you see him cry? And I’ve never heard of ghosts kindly giving out such good equipment…” Duan Qing pointed to the glove still in Dream Bamboo’s hand. “If ghosts in the Free Continent are so generous with treasure, I’d want to meet a few more…”

“Oh right!” At the mention of the glove, the girl’s fearful expression vanished, replaced by joy. “This is… a special effect item! I’ve only seen one on a captain before…”

“Captain? Which captain?”

“Uh…” The girl didn’t continue and changed the subject. “Such, such good equipment…”

“How much is this worth…”

Stars sparkled in the girl’s eyes.

“Hey, stay awake! You’re getting money-hungry. Besides, this item is obviously meant for personal use. Why would you give it to others…”

“Hmm, well, okay.” Dream Bamboo smiled and nodded. “But are we really sure it’s okay to take it…”

“They said it’s a gift. Put aside your pride and shame—even if you seem dried out today…”

“Fine, fine. Then let’s figure out how to find his father… Hey, where are you going?”

Watching Duan Qing head toward the southern village gate, Dream Bamboo hurried to block his way. “Wait! You’re going now?”

“Of course. The sooner, the better, right?”

“It’s almost dark! Nighttime in the wild is very dangerous, especially in places like the Emerald Forest…”

Their tug-of-war lasted only a short while. With a helpless look, Duan Qing was once again dragged toward the inn.

“We need to prepare food, water, medical supplies, and tools. A simple tent would be good, and oh, torches too. The big trees in the deep forest block out the sky. It’s pitch black…”

“That’s so much stuff…”

“Of course! And we should recruit more people as muscle. We can pay them later or offer something else. The more, the merrier… Ah, the biggest hassle is always bringing newbies…”

Alright, alright, I’m the newbie… Covering his head, Duan Qing sighed as he followed her. The blurred outline of the inn appeared ahead. The ink-black sky gradually spread like soaked rice paper.

Night had fallen.