Chapter 29: The First Glimmer of Fame

“Huff...huff... So this is why you wanted me to come along today—to put me to work,” Dai Guang panted, drenched in sweat as he took the drink Lu Kuan handed him. “But where did you get all this money from?”

Lu Kuan smiled. “If I told you I earned it in a game, would you believe me?”

“Huh? Don’t be ridiculous...” Dai Guang’s first instinct was disbelief, but seeing Lu Kuan’s calm smile and recalling what had happened during the college entrance exams, he held back the rest of his words.

Lu Kuan said no more. Some things Dai Guang had to see and discover for himself. As his closest friend for many years to come, Lu Kuan didn’t want to startle him.

After resting for a while, seeing that the bus stop was still some distance away, Lu Kuan suggested, “Let’s take a taxi. It’s too hot.”

Dai Guang had no objections. The two hailed a cab, and as soon as the air conditioning hit them, the world immediately felt like a better place.

“By the way, Fatty, you know a lot of people. I want to ask you something.” In the cab, Lu Kuan finally revealed his true reason for inviting Dai Guang out. “I heard that recently, Liu Xueliang was harassing a girl from another school—a well-known beauty, apparently. Do you know anything about that?”

“Yeah, it’s true. But since when do you care about this kind of thing?” Dai Guang grinned, amused. Lu Kuan had always been a bookworm, never showing any interest in gossip.

“Don’t stall, just tell me,” Lu Kuan pressed, ignoring Dai Guang’s teasing.

“Well, it happened before the college entrance exams. I heard Liu Xueliang took a fancy to the school belle from Thirteenth High, I think her name is Wu Xiaoxiao. He started following her around, even trailed her to her neighborhood one night. The whole story spread among the students.”

Wu Xiaoxiao? Thinking back to Liu Xueliang’s words at the time, could the “Azure Robe and Black Hat” in the game be Wu Xiaoxiao?

It must be her.

Lu Kuan wasn’t interested in campus belles, but since he was about to do a quest with Azure Robe and the others, Liu Xueliang’s involvement made him want to clarify things for peace of mind.

“So Liu Xueliang really is brazen,” Lu Kuan muttered.

“Isn’t he just?” Dai Guang, chatty now, continued, “With his powerful family, Liu Xueliang has already messed with plenty of girls in our school. And before graduation, he’s already set his sights on beauties from other schools. I feel sorry for Wu Xiaoxiao…”

Lu Kuan seemed to be thinking of something, a half-smile playing on his lips, though it was unclear whether he was truly listening to Dai Guang’s complaints.

“Oh, right, here—” Lu Kuan pulled out several health supplements and pushed them toward Dai Guang. “Your house was close to school, and I often troubled your parents. Consider this a small token of thanks.”

Dai Guang quickly tried to refuse, flustered by Lu Kuan’s suddenly mature tone, his round face flushing red.

But Lu Kuan wouldn’t take no for an answer, practically forcing the items into Fatty’s hands before instructing the driver to take Dai Guang home.

That evening, when his parents returned, they found the table in the living room piled high with goods. Their first question was whether Lu Kuan had stolen them, leaving him both helpless and amused.

“You’re saying you earned this money in a game?” his father asked, frowning seriously.

“Yes, really. You can check the transaction records on the official website for ‘Resonance of the Gods.’ I traded for it with my own in-game currency,” Lu Kuan answered calmly. The more serious the situation, the more composed he needed to be. If his father thought he’d gotten the money through dubious means, life would be difficult from now on.

His parents consulted in low voices for a moment. To Lu Kuan’s surprise, they didn’t get angry. Once his mother was sure the money was clean, she cheered up first, rummaging delightedly through the supplements and skincare products Lu Kuan had bought, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

His father was more restrained. After asking for details about Lu Kuan’s in-game activities, he said sternly, “Don’t spend money so recklessly in the future.”

“Yes, yes,” Lu Kuan immediately agreed, nodding obediently.

“Ahem... How about a game of chess?” his father suggested.

“…Alright!” Lu Kuan replied enthusiastically.

His father had always loved Chinese chess, but as Lu Kuan grew older, it had been a long time since they’d played together.

That night, after dinner, the two sat down for several matches. An hour later, the score stood at 5–0 in Lu Kuan’s favor.

“You rascal!” his father said, giving him a playful smack on the head before bursting into laughter.

“Dad… now that I can support the family, you and Mom don’t need to work overtime anymore,” Lu Kuan ventured as his father’s mood softened.

His father gave him a look, then shook his head with a smile. “You don’t understand, son. Just because you made money today doesn’t mean you’ll make it tomorrow. Do you get it?”

Lu Kuan wanted to argue but thought better of it, simply nodding. To truly change his parents’ perspective and let them rest, it would take time.

A while later, just as Lu Kuan was about to head to the internet café, he got a call from Dai Guang.

“Hey! Lu Kuan, hurry and check the video section on the forum—tell me if that’s you!” Dai Guang practically shouted into the phone; Lu Kuan could easily imagine his friend’s flushed, excited face.

Lu Kuan wasn’t sure what he meant, but with Fatty urging him incessantly, he returned to his room and turned on the computer. The moment he entered the forum, a prominently pinned video in bold red letters caught his eye.

“Who says there are no experts in the China server? With a bow in hand, the world is mine!”

The moment Lu Kuan saw the video thumbnail, he knew exactly what had happened—this was definitely Qian Duoduo’s doing.

Back at the Star Camp, Lu Kuan hadn’t stopped Qian Duoduo from recording. He had nothing to hide, and a boost in reputation could only help his career as a professional gamer.

But Lu Kuan had clearly underestimated the impact his performance would have on the player community.

Within just three hours, the video had racked up an astonishing four million views, and the number was still climbing fast!

At first, viewers were amazed by Lu Kuan’s almost supernatural archery while fighting monsters; then they began analyzing the latter half of the video, where he single-handedly wiped out the members of the Glory Guild.

But as time went on, more and more veteran players focused on the very beginning—a mere thirty seconds of player-versus-player combat. Soon, everyone realized that those thirty seconds were the real highlight of the entire video.

The nameless ranger’s godlike reflexes and cool-headed counterattack in the face of a rogue’s ambush earned thunderous applause from even the most seasoned players.

Even Lu Kuan himself hadn’t expected that it would be this video that began to shift players’ prejudice against the ranger class, laying the groundwork for a future where all classes could excel.