"Hello?"
"You really are something. A new banner's characters are more appealing to you than playing games with me? We've known each other for so long, at least."
"Why wouldn't they be? We're already that familiar! We're basically bros! Besides, you don't have that thing either, so you can't attract me."
"???"
"No! Lin Nai, are you sick?! I fucking do! I do!"
"Not that big."
Thud!!
Listening to the sound through his headset...
Lin Nai roughly understood that the table's HP was probably at -999999.
He hoped the table was okay.
Infinite Heavenly Venerable.
Lin Nai made the sign of the cross over his chest, then pressed his palms together, silently reciting the Tao Te Ching.
After observing a moment of silence for the table, Lin Nai smiled and said in an extremely punchable tone:
"Mad already, mad already!"
"I'm not mad! Shut up, you little pervert!!"
A muffled sound came through the microphone again.
Lin Nai knew the table had probably suffered a blow no table its age should have had to endure.
How tragic.
"..."
"Where are you?!"
"Didn't you tell me to shut up?"
"You... I... Forget it. You're just as annoying as that Herta."
"Guess who raised me?"
At that, Silver Wolf suddenly felt like she had punched cotton.
How should she put it?
She still had not forgotten the first time she had gone up against Lin Nai. His solution had been to pull out his own internet cable.
He had simply stopped going online altogether.
It had left Silver Wolf completely dumbfounded.
"...I almost forgot. No wonder you're so annoying sometimes. That woman must have led you astray."
Lin Nai: Yeah, yeah, sure.
It was definitely Herta's fault!
After all, his past-life self would never have thought that one day, he would want to carve himself deeply into a puppet.
But now...
Every time he was studied, Lin Nai basically spent the whole time thinking about how to thoroughly defy Herta!
If that did not work, he would carve himself deeply into her puppets!
Once he got a little stronger...
He would go find that woman's real body.
Then make her pay the price!
He would definitely get his revenge, damn it!
That was what he thought, but Lin Nai would not show it.
Especially when one of Herta's puppets was nearby.
After coughing twice, he changed the subject. "By the way, have you pulled on this banner yet?"
There was still a Herta puppet in his room.
What if that woman was eavesdropping?
Although she was probably still working on her Simulated Universe, there was no telling whether she might suddenly check one of her puppets.
If she heard him saying all that...
He would be dead.
As everyone knew.
Herta was famously petty.
So Lin Nai generally did not badmouth Herta in public, or anywhere with a puppet around.
She would make things difficult for him.
"Not yet. I was just about to pull."
"Oh? Afraid you'll lose the fifty-fifty?"
"Hah! How could that happen!"
"I follow one principle: don't hesitate! Just pull! If you want it, pull for it! It'll come in handy eventually! You'll definitely get it! Believe in yourself! Being happy is what matters most!"
For the latter half, Silver Wolf did not know whether she was speaking to Lin Nai or psyching herself up.
She kept muttering under her breath.
"Yeah! I can feel it! Ima da! Seize the chance!"
"Come on!"
"Now!"
"It's here!!!!!"
Silver Wolf let out an excited, impassioned cry. Lin Nai could practically picture the girl on the other end of the call springing to her feet in excitement.
But...
There was no cheer from the other end.
Instead...
There was a deathly silence.
Lin Nai had a bad feeling.
"Silver Wolf?"
"It's gone..."
"That fast?!"
What kind of speedrun record was that?!
The last time he had seen a speedrun record, it had been that one from the Kamen Rider series... whoever it was.
After a few seconds of silence.
Lin Nai finally said, "Silver Wolf, keep going."
"Huh?"
"Silver Wolf, listen to me..."
Lin Nai slapped the table, his tone impassioned. "What kid cries every day? What gambler loses every day? Pull again! Believe in your luck!!"
"No matter what difficulties you face, you must smile and face them! The best way to overcome fear is to destroy it!!!"
"Alright! Let's do it!!"
A few minutes later.
"Didn't get it... It's gone. It's all gone. Not even a tiny bit left..."
Silver Wolf's voice came through, utterly listless.
Yet Lin Nai let out a joyful cry. "Heh! I got it! One pull, straight to the soul!"
"Bastard! What did you get?! You really deserve to die!!!"
Hearing that violent sound from the other end of the call, Lin Nai once again observed a moment of silence for the table.
He hoped the table was okay.
If Silver Wolf hit it a few more times, that poor table might actually collapse.
Sigh.
My poor Silver Wolf. She failed to get a gold pull, got so angry she had an emotional breakdown, and started crying and throwing a tantrum.
Wuwuwuwu, how pitiful~ snicker
Lin Nai covered his mouth, afraid he might laugh.
If he actually laughed, Silver Wolf would definitely break down and find some way to come through the internet cable to ambush him.
So he had to hold it in.
Mm, hold it in.
Pfft.
"You're laughing, aren't you?"
"No."
"I heard it..."
"Silver Wolf, you need evidence when you make accusations. When did you hear me laughing at you?"
Lin Nai looked completely serious, though the corners of his mouth would not stop rising.
"Besides, I'm a professional. No matter how funny something is, I absolutely won't laugh."
Unless he could not hold it in.
For now.
He could still barely hold it in.
It was fine.
"Damn it! Come on, let's duel first!"
Silver Wolf flew into a rage out of embarrassment.
This guy was just too infuriating!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got!
She needed to vent immediately!
Otherwise, she would find a way to follow the internet cable to that old woman's territory and beat up Lin Nai.
Kafka had recently kept telling her that the script's time had not yet come, but the opening was already drawing near, so she needed to be patient.
In other words, she was telling her to calm down.
But Lin Nai was just too irritating!
Sometimes, all she could think about was charging into that old woman's territory, dragging Lin Nai into a basement, turning him into a firearm, and bullying him mercilessly!
Just imagining that guy lying on the floor with lifeless eyes, making all sorts of movements...
Silver Wolf felt unbelievably high.
What was that?
Before you continue