Chapter 43: Strength Determines Treatment

Ah Tong was clearly exhausted. Running all the way from the Lava Fortress alone, no matter how lucky he was, he must have endured countless hardships along the way—not to mention the constant fear and anxiety. So, after eating a little, sleepiness quickly overcame him and he drifted off once more.

At this moment, the task logs of all four players changed simultaneously. Beside the main quest, a new side quest appeared: “Sibling Affection.” Players could choose to save someone for extra rewards, or simply escort Ah Tong home, safely completing the mission.

“Of course we should go save her, isn’t it obvious?” Ah Kui stared at Lu Kuan, incredulous. “What’s there to consider? You’d leave a young girl here alone?”

The two other girls shared the same look, and Lu Kuan instantly felt like a cold-blooded creature. “Hey, ladies, this is just a game. Choosing the side quest could easily get us killed—then all our efforts would be wasted.”

“With you, an expert, we... we believe in you.” Even Qingyi, usually reserved, spoke up. Hearing this, Lu Kuan was completely silenced.

Next came the planning. Bai Keke and Ah Kui needed to log off, letting their characters rest. Their stamina was low, and if they didn’t sleep, their fighting power would suffer the following day.

After agreeing on when to log back in, Ah Kui and Bai Keke disappeared into their tents, and soon their avatars turned gray.

“All right, you should rest too,” Lu Kuan said to Qingyi. “Log in on time tomorrow, and take over my watch.”

Qingyi nodded but didn’t move, her dark eyes fixed on Lu Kuan. He scratched his head, “Is there something else?”

“I borrowed your eq... equipment for the quest, nothing more. I’m not interested in... in dating right now.” Qingyi’s tone was cold and a little strained. After finishing, she turned and retreated into her tent.

Lu Kuan couldn’t help but laugh. This girl was quite sensitive—she must have been stewing over that line for a while. Did she take me for someone like Liu Xueliang?

Looking at the tents where the three girls slept, Lu Kuan felt a bit envious: high stamina really was a blessing, being able to carry such things in their packs.

He didn’t idle, but picked up a feathered arrow and began sketching the canyon’s terrain on the ground, trying to recall every detail.

“If the treasure I remember is the same one Ellie is searching for, things will be simple. Two birds with one stone—just hope the Flame Sword gang doesn’t ruin it...” Lu Kuan muttered.

An hour later, midnight arrived, and the system forcibly logged him out.

Removing his helmet, the room was as quiet as ever. Four hours had passed in reality, yet a whole eventful day had unfolded in the game. The feeling was strange, and it took several minutes to adjust.

During this brief downtime, Lu Kuan logged onto the virtual forum.

Just as he expected, the headline news was about him—World Number One: The First to Complete an Advanced Quest Comes from Lava Fortress!

Lava Fortress was obscure in the game, its population barely a tenth of China’s largest city, Twin Towers City, and just barely counted as a third-tier town. None of the game’s records had ever been linked to this small place.

Lu Kuan’s world announcement put Lava Fortress on the map, but the real eye-catcher was the purple gear in his possession.

Professional quest rewards were usually top-tier, often overpowered, not comparable to world-drop items of the same grade.

In the forum’s trading section, there were already over a hundred posts offering to buy his purple gear, with some wealthy buyers competing and the strings of zeros making Lu Kuan’s heart race.

“If it were just any purple item, I’d sell it. But Ranger’s Oath is core gear—can’t let it go...” Lu Kuan smacked his lips, already picturing all that money slipping away, painfully so.

As he browsed the forum, a knock sounded outside his room. Lu Kuan frowned slightly: this was a zero-distance luxury suite; how could the staff mess up? He’d clearly hung a Do Not Disturb sign.

He pressed his temples, reluctantly got up, and opened the door.

“Boss Xue?” Lu Kuan exclaimed.

Standing outside was none other than Xue Da, the owner of Zero Distance.

“Mr. Lu, do you have a moment?” Xue Da smiled warmly, gesturing politely. “I’d like to discuss something—would you mind coming to my office?”

Even his address had changed.

Lu Kuan paused briefly, already understanding Xue Da’s purpose.

The system notification for completing the professional quest went worldwide. Lu Kuan could guess that the forum must be ablaze, and plenty knew that Old Lu from Lava Fortress was actually him.

With that in mind, he nodded and walked with Xue Da to the end of the corridor.

Xue Da’s office was on the third floor of the internet café, spacious—sixty or seventy square meters—grandly decorated. Broad street-facing windows offered a sweeping view, lending the place a certain gravitas.

Lu Kuan understood well why successful people cared so much about their office’s layout and decor—working and commanding from such a setting changed one’s demeanor.

Xue Da was also sizing up Lu Kuan.

To this unknown high schooler, Xue Da had paid little attention in the past, but in just a few days, from the bet with Liu Xueliang to today’s explosive achievement, Lu Kuan had thoroughly exceeded expectations.

Now, in Xue Da’s eyes, Lu Kuan possessed none of the immaturity or awkwardness typical of his age; his every gesture was naturally poised. Ignore those novels with their talk of kingly bearing and tiger-like presence—calm composure was the hallmark of a mature man.

“Please, have a seat.” Xue Da invited Lu Kuan to the sofa and personally poured him tea.

“Thank you.” Lu Kuan rose slightly and accepted the cup. Though he wasn’t intimidated by Xue Da, basic courtesy was necessary.

Xue Da’s appreciation grew, and he laughed, “Mr. Lu, you’re truly remarkable. Carrying the world’s top title, yet always browsing on the first floor of my café, only coming to a suite today—I feel quite embarrassed.”

Lu Kuan smiled politely, “Not at all. I’m just an ordinary high school student, a bit luckier than most.”

He spoke with flawless tact, sipping tea calmly, never asking what Xue Da wanted. After a few pleasantries, Xue Da could no longer contain himself.

“I’ll be direct,” Xue Da cleared his throat and spoke solemnly. “I’d like to hire you as the exclusive ambassador for Zero Distance, starting at a base salary of ten thousand a month. Are you interested, Mr. Lu?”