Born Actor

Sister Cat and the others wanted to recruit him. Wang Qianduo wasn't oblivious to that.

But he hadn't expected them to be so sincere. He still didn't want to become a professional player, though, so all he could do was pretend not to notice.

After they'd divided the spoils, the group went together to turn in the quest to Novice Instructor Yue Ming.

Two days had passed since he'd last seen Yue Ming. Wang Qianduo regarded him with some resentment.

This idiot had kicked him right out of the Novice Trial.

Without Zero's help, he might still be kneeling in the square where players summoned their Mechas!

If Yue Ming hadn't compensated him with the Phoenix Blood Engine, which could grow into a super piece of equipment, Wang Qianduo's resentment would be far more than a little.

"Hello, Instructor! We're here to turn in our quest!" Wang Qianduo said with a smile as he approached Yue Ming and handed over proof that Mark Bokuai had been killed.

Smiling at everyone was something Old Wang had learned over two lifetimes.

Only children wore their feelings about someone openly on their faces.

In the adult world, even if the person you were talking to was your enemy, you shouldn't let your true feelings show.

Because then you'd lose!

"Well done, recruits! Here are your rewards!"

NPC Yue Ming glanced at the item Wang Qianduo handed him and spoke without a hint of concern.

Like General Huang, Yue Ming was one of the most powerful figures at the Starting Camp.

But wherever there were people, there would be conflict. He and General Huang belonged to different factions.

He didn't even know why General Huang had sent a new recruit to complete a quest that had originally been issued by their own side.

As for Wang Qianduo, Yue Ming had long since forgotten who he was.

Even though Wang Qianduo was quite unusual in the Starting Land, Yue Ming had guided far too many people.

At most, the VIP 15 charm bonus made Wang Qianduo seem a little more likable to him.

"System Notification: You completed the quest [Eliminate the Black Shark Pirate Leader]. You received 50 Contribution Points, 5,000 EXP, 10 Gold Crystals, and 1 Rare Equipment Blueprint Chest."

Everyone received the same rewards. Only Wang Qianduo got an extra 50 Contribution Points, a special reward for discovering the quest.

Merit was used to raise one's military rank. Wang Qianduo was currently a Squad Leader, and he needed 100 Merit to be promoted to the next rank, Corporal.

After the previous quest, it seemed he had been the only one to activate the Military Rank System. Sword of Miracles and the others hadn't, and he didn't know why.

"You did well this time, but have you ever wondered...

"Mark Bokuai was only a minor leader among the Black Shark Pirates. How did he get past the Alliance's layers of security and sneak into Star Domain One?"

After handing out the rewards, Yue Ming turned to Wang Qianduo.

Wang Qianduo fell into thought at Yue Ming's words. He really hadn't considered any of this.

In his mind, monsters spawning on a game map was perfectly normal. What was there to think about?

But Yue Ming's question pointed out a blind spot.

This game was different from other games. Aside from a few game mechanics, nothing about it felt like a game at all.

It was so realistic that it felt like an actual world.

If a certain monster appeared in a certain place, there had to be a story behind it.

As Yue Ming had said, Mark Bokuai was only a minor leader of the Black Shark Pirates, a group that roamed the stars.

How had he managed to sneak into Star Domain One, which lay near the "Homeworld," once the center of human civilization?

As Wang Qianduo pondered the question, the others exchanged glances. This was shaping up to be another quest chain!

They'd thought General Huang's quest chain had ended because they weren't high enough level, but now another one had seamlessly picked up where it left off.

And they were currently in a party, yet Yue Ming hadn't even looked at anyone else. He'd handed the quest straight to Wang Qianduo.

The others were puzzled. It wasn't that they wanted to steal Wang Qianduo's quest, but the favoritism was just too obvious!

They didn't know the reason was simple: Wang Qianduo had a military rank, and they didn't. Of course Yue Ming wouldn't skip over him to give them the quest.

Wang Qianduo said, "I hadn't considered it before, but now that you mention it, there might be more to this. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Everyone else: "..."

You made accepting quests sound way too natural!

Yue Ming said, "You're perceptive. I want you to investigate why Mark Bokuai and those Black Shark Pirates were able to sneak in.

"The Federation takes pride in its defense network, yet these people slipped through it as if it were full of holes. There must be a reason.

"Start your investigation in Star Domain Nine. It's an important interstellar hub, and that's where the infiltration began!"

He'd actually gotten the quest! That made no sense at all. The information their club had gathered hadn't suggested this would happen!

The professional players were stunned.

According to their investigation, the NPCs in this game were highly intelligent. One wrong thing said and a conversation could easily go south.

Wang Qianduo's approach of directly asking for a quest should have had almost no chance of working, except for a few side quests.

This made no damn sense!

Ultimately, it came down to affinity. If you counted it the way Tale of Immortal did, Wang Qianduo started with one extra heart compared to everyone else.

Complete a couple of quests and give a few gifts, and you could—

Ahem! Getting off track!

"System Notification: Instructor Yue Ming has issued you the hidden Main Quest [Investigate the Alliance Interstellar Defense Line]. Accept?"

No need to ask. Accept!

Investigate the Alliance Interstellar Defense Line (Hidden Main Quest): Go to Fairy Star, the central planet of Star Domain Nine, and investigate how the Black Shark Pirates infiltrated the defense line.

Quest Objective: Obtain intelligence on how the Black Shark Pirates infiltrated the planet.

Reward: Unknown

Player Limit: 1

"Uh... the next quest is a solo quest, so sorry, everyone!" Wang Qianduo showed them the quest, then said.

According to Yue Ming, the quest involved sensitive intelligence, so it was best not to let too many people know.

If you didn't want too many people knowing, why the hell didn't you give it to me in private?

You said you didn't want too many people to know right here in front of everyone. Were you kidding me?

Still, the player limit was right there in the quest details. There wasn't much Wang Qianduo could do.

He was starting to like running Instance Dungeons with these heavy hitters. There was so much he could learn from them.

The others didn't say anything when they learned Wang Qianduo's next quest was a solo one. This was just how things worked.

Sister Cat said, "Okay, that's a wrap. Let us know if you get another quest!"

Wang Qianduo said, "Sure. I have work tomorrow, so let's run tomorrow's Instance Dungeon after six."

"Are you interested in becoming a professional player? Why not join our club? I doubt the pay would be any lower than what you're making now," Song in the Clouds said bluntly.

That was how you knew he was young. Wang Qianduo's superior was right there, and he'd just said that in front of her. Talk about awkward!

Besides, that wasn't how you recruited someone!

Before Old Wang could politely turn him down, Lin Qimeng stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

Looking at Wang Qianduo with her big, watery eyes, she said, "You wouldn't just abandon me like this, would you? It's not like I've been mad for more than a few days!"

No wonder people said women were born actresses. If Wang Qianduo hadn't been the one involved, even he would've believed her performance.

Song in the Clouds said, "You two? Uh... sorry, Old Wang. Well, we've got things to do, so we'll head out first!"

After Song in the Clouds and Sword of Miracles left awkwardly, Sister Cat took Bright Moon over the Blue Sea and left too. As she went, she smiled at Lin Qimeng.

"Uh, boss! They've all left. You can let go now, right?" Once everyone was gone, Wang Qianduo looked at the hand she was holding.

"What, do you feel like you're losing out just because I'm holding your hand?" Lin Qimeng let go and shot him a sideways glance.

"Of course not. I was just worried it might look bad for you," Wang Qianduo said with a smile.

"You're pretty good with words. I'll let you off. Don't be late for work tomorrow!" After saying that, Lin Qimeng hurried away with the company's two professional players.

Wang Qianduo rubbed the fingers Lin Qimeng had squeezed, shook his head with a smile, then went to do his quest.

"I can't believe Old Wang and that woman from Mountains and Seas are a couple. That was awkward!" Song in the Clouds said to Sword of Miracles as they walked away.

Sword of Miracles looked at him, smiled and shook his head, then kept walking without a word.

"Why're you smiling, Sword?"

"About what just happened? You're the only one who'd believe it."

"You mean... that woman was lying to us?"

"That's right! She's a clever woman, and Mountains and Seas isn't simple either... Sigh, I wonder how the meeting with the president is going. They're asking for quite a lot!

"Oh, and don't be so blunt when you try to recruit someone next time. That's not how you do it!"

"Got it!"