Ch. 8 - Link Your Team-Up Card to Me

[Ding! Fear Points +1]

Moving the green-tinted flashlight away from his face, Fu Yan nudged He Shuyue's cheek with the bottom of the torch.

"Hey! Hey! You didn't really pass out, did you? Am I that terrifying? That can't be. Look at how dashing I am..."

Realizing He Shuyue was genuinely out cold, Fu Yan felt it improper to let the girl spend the night slumped in a freezing, pitch-black cellar; it simply wasn't the gentlemanly thing to do.

Thus, he clicked on the cellar's wall lights and lugged a wide, squishy chair down from the living room.

He positioned the chair face-to-face with the girl and sat on it.

"Much better lighting this way."

"Mmph... cough, cough..."

A muffled groan sounded as the man in He Shuyue's arms slowly opened his eyes.

Scanning his surroundings warily, he jerked upright the moment he saw Fu Yan. His gaze was packed with hostility, and if not for his physical condition, he'd probably have leaped at Fu Yan and wrung his neck.

"Breaking in to commit murder really isn't a nice thing to do," Fu Yan drawled, legs crossed while inspecting the man with deep amusement.

"You're Fu Yan, aren't you?"

By now, the man had realized who Fu Yan was, having watched his livestreams as well.

"Is this your house? Are you the owner of this castle?"

It swiftly dawned on the man that his sister was the one who had dragged him here. He turned back to look at his unconscious sister, his eyes brimming with concern.

Fu Yan remarked, "It's all because you're too heavy. She passed out from the exhaustion of carrying you."

Feeling a pang in his heart, the man gently caressed He Shuyue's disheveled hair.

"It's my fault for not taking good care of you."

"Save the family-love melodrama. Spill it: who are you, and why did you break into my house in the dead of night?"

The man bowed slightly in gratitude toward Fu Yan.

"My name is He Shuyang, and this is my sister, He Shuyue. We broke in to escape the black mist. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused; we'll leave right now so as not to trouble you any further."

Staggering to his feet, He Shuyang lifted He Shuyue, ready to walk out.

When he was unconscious, his sister stood no chance against the creatures in the mist by herself. But now that he was conscious, he had no intention of causing Fu Yan any trouble.

But Fu Yan darted forward in a flash, grabbed He Shuyue by her collar, and tossed her into the chair behind him.

"You think you can just come and go as you please? Do you think you own this place?!"

The abruptness of Fu Yan's move caught He Shuyang completely off guard, causing him to lose hold of his sister.

"Give my sister back!"

Pulling the dagger from his belt, He Shuyang swung around, aiming a lethal strike at Fu Yan's vitals.

In one swift motion, Fu Yan caught his wrist.

"Such a delicate, fair-skinned little girl tastes best when steamed and served with garlic sauce."

Due to his continuous provocation, the two exchanged several blows in the blink of an eye.

Although He Shuyang was physically strong, the injuries from his backlash meant he was no match for Fu Yan. In no time, Fu Yan snatched away the dagger and seized his throat.

Fu Yan gripped He Shuyang's neck and hoisted him into the air.

"You can really throw a punch, kid."

His face turning a deep crimson from choking, He Shuyang gasped,

"Let... my sister go... You can... do whatever you want... with me."

[Beep! Player killing is strictly banned outside Instance Dungeons!]

[Beep! Player killing is strictly banned outside Instance Dungeons!]

[Beep! Player killing is strictly banned outside Instance Dungeons!]

The metallic warning alarms rang frantically and incessantly inside Fu Yan's mind.

Fine, fine. I get it. I'm just messing around with the kids. No need to be so serious.

Fu Yan thought in exasperation as he released his grip, and He Shuyang instantly collapsed to the floor.

Even though Fu Yan had intentionally gone easy on him, the fact that He Shuyang managed to survive three moves against him proved he had some genuine skill.

At the very least, he wasn't a total noob—maybe just a basic amateur.

Fu Yan had no idea what the average skill level was for people in these Instance Dungeons, so he probed with a question.

"Are you a defector?"

Clutching his throat, He Shuyang coughed violently.

"Cough, cough... none of your business."

"You'd better answer me straight."

Fu Yan stepped behind the chair, resting his hands on the backrest.

"Otherwise, I won't guarantee what I might do to her."

"Yes, I am a defector! Just don't touch her!"

He Shuyang glared furiously at Fu Yan. If looks could kill, he would have murdered Fu Yan a hundred times over by now.

"What grave offense did you commit?"

Only those who had committed a grave offense against the guilds and faced a united boycott from all factions would be branded as defectors.

Fu Yan needed to know what crime he had committed before deciding whether or not to keep him around.

He Shuyang confessed,

"Killing outside of an Instance Dungeon..."

Players were permitted to kill within an Instance Dungeon, but doing so outside of one was strictly forbidden; this was the ironclad rule of the game.

"My, my, you really can't judge a book by its cover."

Fu Yan had always held a deep appreciation for ruthlessly cold-hearted youngsters.

"Well... it was attempted murder."

The last two words made Fu Yan speechless.

His admiration excluded those who purposely paused to leave out crucial details.

"How long have you been in the game?"

"Three months."

Fu Yan waited a moment to ensure he wouldn't omit any more details before speaking.

"Do you know how to farm Instance Dungeons multiple times in a short period?"

To the game, his very existence was a glitch, and he had no clue how much longer he could remain in it.

Therefore, he needed to farm as many Instance Dungeons as possible to earn Fear Points and upgrade himself. A frequency of twice a month was far too low for him.

Stunned by the question, He Shuyang looked at him in total disbelief.

Others avoided Instance Dungeons like the plague, yet this man was eagerly begging to jump into one?

"Everyone is mandatorily placed into an Instance Dungeon twice a month. If you want to run more, you must use either a Team-Up Card or a Substitute Card."

"What's the difference between them?"

"The details are in the instructions. You can read them yourself."

Every skill card in the store had an instruction manual attached. A quick look would explain everything, so there was no reason to ask him.

He Shuyang assumed Fu Yan was just messing with him, but with his sister still in Fu Yan's hands, he didn't dare speak out of turn.

At a momentary loss for words, Fu Yan replied,

"I can't read."

Would he be asking if he had access to the instructions?

Did he think Fu Yan had all the time in the world?

This game clearly had it out for him. He didn't just lack a beginner's guide—he didn't even get usage instructions for items.

He could purchase those skill-based items, but he had absolutely no idea how to use them.

Rendered speechless, He Shuyang thought:

He can't even read, yet he just arrogantly announces it like it's something to be proud of!

He then explained,

"The Team-Up Card links you to a person of your choice as a teammate. When they enter an Instance Dungeon, you get to tag along once."

"A Substitute Card allows you to enter an Instance Dungeon on behalf of someone else. For instance, if I am scheduled to enter tomorrow, but you use a Substitute Card, you'll go in my place and keep the points upon clearing it."

"However, because completing a dungeon for someone else is considered cheating, the user will suffer a backlash once it ends. The two types of cards cannot be active at the same time."

Fu Yan asked,

"So you fell into a coma due to the backlash from entering an Instance Dungeon for your sister?"

"Yes. The backlash penalty varies from person to person; mine deducts HP."

He Shuyang didn't mind revealing this to Fu Yan. He was no match for Fu Yan, and if Fu Yan wanted him dead, he could do so in a heartbeat.

"When's your next Instance Dungeon?"

"Tomorrow."

After a pause, Fu Yan demanded,

"Well then... buy a Team-Up Card and link it to me. I'm going into the Instance Dungeon with you tomorrow."

"Sorry, but I have to save my points for a Substitute Card."

He Shuyang had realized that Fu Yan had no intention of killing them and was simply testing his combat ability earlier.

Considering that Fu Yan had taken them in, he felt he should repay the favor.

However, Team-Up Cards cost a hundred points each, and he currently possessed a mere hundred and five. Buying a Team-Up Card meant he couldn't purchase a Substitute Card.

Even if he went all out and risked his life in the next Instance Dungeon, he'd only net fifty or sixty points at most, leaving him unable to afford a Substitute Card.

Without a Substitute Card, his sister would die.

Catching onto his worries, Fu Yan drawled unhurriedly,

"Given your physical condition, your Health Points must be nearly zero. If you don't link up with me, you'll almost certainly die in the game tomorrow."

"What will become of your sister then?"

"She is of absolutely no use to me. Right after you die, I might just give in to my animalistic urges and cook her."

Having said that, Fu Yan smacked his lips, genuinely appearing somewhat eager.

He Shuyang was acutely aware of his physical condition.

With a mere five HP remaining, heading into an Instance Dungeon was a guaranteed death sentence.

He had originally planned to steal other players' points in the Instance Dungeon tomorrow, but the HP drain had severely weakened his body. Right now, he probably couldn't even defeat a complete beginner.

He Shuyang hesitated for a long while, but ultimately bit the bullet and bought a Team-Up Card.

Fu Yan was highly satisfied with this outcome.

With just a single sentence, he got the girl's brother to spend a hundred points on him.

"I'll make sure you come back alive tomorrow. You can both stay here for tonight."

He arranged for the siblings to stay in a guest room, then headed back to his own room to catch up on sleep.

Struck by a sudden, intense sensation of weightlessness at six in the morning, Fu Yan opened his eyes to find himself standing in front of an academic building.

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