You Interrupted My Gaming!

"Let me go, and I can give you invincible power. I am a demigod, one step away from ascension. If the environment of the Ascension Ceremony were not so unusual, even every Keeper in the entire city combined could never stop me."

"Heh, can that keep me alive until next year?"

Power? Could I eat it? Stop always thinking about fighting and killing. This was a civilized, harmonious society.

". . . I can give you the wealth I have accumulated over thousands of years. I can make your life like that of an emperor."

"Haha, can that keep me alive until next year?"

Dying after a brief thrill did sound tempting, but that was all. He was just an ordinary shut-in. How much money did playing games and watching anime cost? Would having a bunch of girls in Maid Outfits play games with him really make it any better? Uh, actually, it might be worth trying. Could he put it on credit and pay half a year later?

". . . I can teach you spells of seduction and give you the lover you have always dreamed of. No, I can directly increase your charm, making mortal women unable to resist your allure!"

"Tsk, tsk. Can that keep me alive past next year?"

Ha, real-life girls? No interest. It definitely was not because he did not want to drag anyone else down.

". . . Lu PingAn, stop talking about half a year! I will tell you the truth. The Countdown of Life is the price you paid for gaining supernatural abilities. It is a curse you placed upon yourself. No one can save you, not even the great Mother of Life. Name another condition. Money, women, power, anything is fine. Let me go, or else when half a year passes, you will die and I will come out. You are a mortal. There must be people you care about, family, friends."

"Tsk, tsk. Can that keep you alive until next year?"

Thanks for the reminder! He had nearly forgotten.

"That will not work either? Wait! What do you mean, 'you'? Are you planning to take me with you when you die?! We have no grudge against each other—"

As she spoke, Chris's voice grew softer and softer. She had lost her head. Perhaps they had not held any grudges before, but if she kept threatening him, would that not become a huge grudge?

"Stop making noise! You're interrupting my gaming!"

At that moment, Lu PingAn was lying in his tiny room with the door locked. His computer was downloading things like mad, while the TV was running a game.

He was incredibly busy. On one side were his console and the new games he had stockpiled for half a year; on another were classic anime and new shows he had piled up. On yet another side was all the food he had wanted to eat these days but had not dared to.

The floor was already covered with empty cans of King of Impurity soda. He held a fried chicken drumstick in one hand and ice cream in the other, his chin and mouth greasy as he occasionally muttered, "So good."

How would someone who would most likely die in half a year treat life?

Would he bravely smile in the face of cruel fate, seize every second to create a brilliant life, or would he—

"I'm done. I'm giving up. I can't grind anymore! If everything I do ends in disaster within half a year, why not spend the rest of my days taking it easy?"

Perhaps some heroes could still shine brilliantly today even if they were going to die tomorrow. But clearly, Lu PingAn was only an ordinary person.

Personality and resolve were shaped by experience and memory. In his previous life, Lu PingAn had merely been a mortal, a salted fish who tried to struggle but still could not leap out of the pond.

"This supernatural ability is great. It can't save my life, but it has temporarily freed me from illness and pain, so I can finally enjoy myself properly."

"Ha, I'm not slacking off. Sitting still earns experience. How can that be called slacking? I'm just AFK farming experience."

And so, Salted Fish Lu happily sat down and gave up.

"So good. Ice-cold cola feels so good. Wuwuwu, I haven't touched it in half a year. Right, Chris, there's actually something I need your help with."

Suddenly, Lu PingAn stopped. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.

"Mortal, what do you desire? Power or wealth? I can grant either."

Chris was instantly delighted. This was the first time her "master" had taken the initiative to summon her. Could she still be saved?

". . . Come to think of it, this is rather embarrassing, but I do have a bit of a need."

"Heh, so you have changed your mind after all?! I have seen mortal greed and desire countless times. It is human nature, the foundation of civilization's evolution. Go on. As long as it is not 'half a year,' I can satisfy you!"

Hearing that, Lu PingAn sighed in relief. Having an agreeable old grandpa in his pocket really was nice. He just wondered whether other transmigrator protagonists had also encountered his particular predicament.

"Great. My desire is simple, but also a little hard to say."

"Haha, I have witnessed even the ugliest desires in the human heart. You have seen my ceremony and my secret realm, have you not? Peeling back that grandiose human skin and seeing what demons and monsters lie beneath is my greatest pleasure. Come, let me see exactly what ugly, filthy desire lies in the depths of your heart! Humans are treasure chests filled with desire and greed. Come, let me see what ugly, filthy desire lies beneath your mortal appearance."

Lu PingAn took a deep breath. This thing really could not be released to harm others. When he left, he had to remember to take her with him. But right now, he really did need her help to satisfy a need he could no longer suppress.

". . . Um, I'm going to read some hentai doujinshi. Can you avoid watching?"

"What? Hentai doujinshi? What is that?"

"Chris" looked utterly bewildered. Was this some new riddle or fable?

"It is humanity's treasure, the tenth art of the New Era, the crystallization of love and beauty created by artists who risk imprisonment. It is—fine, I can't keep making this up. Just take a look."

As he spoke, Lu PingAn turned on the monitor, opened the folder still downloading, then opened one subfolder after another—

". . . Human! %...&%*, you're playing me—"

A torrent of furious emotions and garbled symbols flooded his mind. Lu PingAn immediately used his authority as the "master" to block them, then actually opened the .jpg files. After some time, he reopened the communication channel. Sure enough, it was as quiet as the surface of the sea. She had already disconnected.

"Tsk, finally some peace and quiet. Going on all day about mortals, desires of life, and all that. Has she not graduated from Second Year of Middle School syndrome yet? The most annoying part is this forced binding. She never stops talking."

In a sense, Chris was already dead. Having failed her ascension ritual, she had suffered a reversal and lost everything.

But because Lu PingAn had inherited her "world," the secret realm should have collapsed after losing its source. Yet that world needed an artifact spirit to stabilize it, so her soul had been preserved. She became Lu PingAn's attached spirit, his old grandpa in his pocket.

It was just that this old grandpa's advice clearly had no good intentions.

". . . Go perform a sacrificial ritual. Get a few thousand Sacrifices, make the Mother Goddess happy, and you can gain more lifespan. Does she take me for an idiot? She says she lived for hundreds of years. Was she asleep the entire time?"

At present, Lu PingAn and Chris had a rather delicate relationship. In a sense, they were bound to live and die together.

If Chris's existence was exposed to the outside world, Lu PingAn was dead for sure, and she would be gone with him. That was the "living together" part.

And if Lu PingAn determined that he could not survive, he would definitely take Chris with him. That was the "dying together" part.

But from another angle, she was now completely bound to Lu PingAn. Unable to leave the Courtyard and isolated from the outside world, she had become the only being to whom Lu PingAn could tell the complete truth and ask for advice.

"Blood sacrifices, potions, forbidden objects. The information Xia Qin gave me was not wrong. Chris really is the leader of an evil cult."

But right now, Chris's suggestions either aimed to get him killed or turn him into humanity's public enemy. He could not believe a single word she said.

The more she tempted him, the more wary Lu PingAn became of her.

"As expected, this 'hawk' needs to be worn down for a while. I'll handle things myself first. I can't trust her advice at all right now."

Lu PingAn was a newcomer who had only just entered the supernatural world, and a traveler from the Other World lacking common sense. He truly needed a guide.

Should he proceed step by step according to Xia-jie's arrangements? That was too slow. He did not have that kind of time.

With a demigod-level "old grandpa" like this to guide him and help him cheat a little, Lu PingAn felt his odds of survival might rise somewhat.

But master and servant were still in their "adjustment period," the kind where they both wanted to grind the other to death.

During this period, Lu PingAn did not want to reveal too many of his own needs. Tormenting her and wearing her down would make their long-term coexistence easier afterward.

How could a demigod possibly think highly of a mortal? She needed time to adjust to the reversal of their master-servant positions.

Humiliating, teasing, and messing with her were the "feast" Lu PingAn had prepared for her. It would help her quickly understand her current position, understand who was really in charge, and also give her an outlet for her inner anxiety and frustration. After flying into a rage, she would always become a little more rational, right? Ha, though she might also explode even harder.

"She isn't stupid. After I mess with her a few more times, she should understand. It just depends on when she truly calms down. That will be the time to communicate."

He put away the console, took out the backpack beside him, and began preparing today's homework.

He had given up, but not completely. Some of the things he wanted to play and eat were things he genuinely wanted, while others were merely for Chris, who had taken the initiative to contact him, to see.

Only by wanting nothing and caring about nothing could he gain more advantage and initiative in negotiations.

See? She had already started proactively offering him terms. She was getting anxious!

"Though time is tight, training a hawk cannot be rushed. I'll tease her for a month or two first. Watching her constantly get angry while being unable to bite me is pretty fun too."

Xia Qin and the Relevant Departments had given Lu PingAn one requirement—"grow and improve in an orderly and proactive manner under the supervision of official organizations."

But Lu PingAn had never been in the habit of entrusting his future to fate or other people.

". . . Of the six first-rate Night Watcher Training Schools in this city, only one is public. At my current level, it is basically impossible for me to get admitted."

If he could not get into an "officially designated institution" and obtain more autonomy, it would not simply mean waiting another half year.

Lu PingAn's movements were currently restricted. Even going out to buy groceries required reporting it. To Lu PingAn, who had limited time and urgently wanted to go out, have fun, and find a way to survive, that was a restriction concerning life and death.

Opening the professional materials and Teaching Materials Xia-jie had obtained for him again, Lu PingAn knew that he would most likely be unable to make it through the normal route.

"Three Years of Entrance Exams, Five Years of Mock Tests, Ten Years of Professional Keeper Qualification Exam Essentials."

This really was not clickbait. When he opened the booklet, it was densely packed with words and diagrams. It really was exam practice material.

A backpack full of test papers, stacked together as thick as six dictionaries, and that was only for first-year high school mock monthly exams.

"Runner? Watcher? Beast Tamer? Stop staring only at the most popular choices. The one that suits you is the best! How to choose the most suitable starting point for yourself from fifty-three common paths based on your awakened supernatural ability!"

Ha, fifty-three paths? A quick estimate meant at least a thousand supernatural abilities and Profession Skills. Just memorizing them was not something he could finish in the short term. He would also need all sorts of practical understanding and experience, preferably explained by a professional instructor.

"Secret Realm Survival Rules: Beginner Edition: Hide Your Way to Victory; If You Make It to Awakening Your Supernatural Ability, You Win."

You're useless! I have already awakened! What? You're on the exam too, and you're especially difficult? I have to answer application questions and situational short essays? I %&...%!

These books should have been classified as fantasy literature. They had ISBNs and covers, and were clearly a series of reference books from legitimate publishers. They were even textbooks for the special "college entrance exam."

As a transmigrator, he was utterly lacking in basic theory. Even much of his common sense was inadequate. The other candidates, meanwhile, had prepared for at least half a year, while there were only—

"Fifteen days. There isn't even enough time to flip through all these books once. Looks like I need to find a few more fresh leeks, preferably mature leeks that can walk over on their own.

"Anyway, I'm back."