The Trickster

The chubby kid had never encountered anything like this before. He panicked, looking as if he wanted to smash his phone.

He had been playing World of Weirdness for two months. With "Trickster" as his starting trait, he had always gotten his way in the game. He had tricked the followers of an ancient god, taken advantage of Old Day beings, and even managed to reincarnate as one of the People of the River of Death. He had stolen the chance to take on Angel of Rest Archer's chain quest from another player, too.

Just after midnight,

the chubby kid had eagerly logged into the game to turn in the quest assigned by Angel of Rest, looking forward to what would happen next. But then, to his surprise, the text displayed a message.

"The arrival of a spirit has drawn the attention of an unknown and ancient presence in the river."

"Angel of Rest Archer sensed something unusual. He said that the spirit must be carrying an object of Primal Darkness, and that its rank might well exceed his own. Unfortunately, powerful gods had already taken notice. The item was beyond his reach."

The chubby kid immediately took note.

He had no idea what an object of Primal Darkness was, but Angel of Rest Archer was clearly fixated on it. It had to be an extraordinary treasure.

Once a person's greed took hold, it was hard to rein in.

As soon as he finished turning in the quest, the chubby kid used the special item Fellow Countryman's Communication. He had spent a hefty 200 Old Offerings on it. Its effect was to connect him with players within a designated area.

He hated spending so much, but for the sake of the object of Primal Darkness, he couldn't afford to care. Gritting his teeth, he used the expensive item.

Things went even more smoothly than he'd expected.

The River of Death was a forbidden place for the living, so there weren't many players there. Even fewer appeared at the same time. His character quickly made contact with the player who possessed the object of Primal Darkness.

The Trickster effect activated.

His character pretended to be Angel of Rest Archer, fooling the other player completely. The other player was presented with two choices, both requiring him to hand over the object of Primal Darkness. The treasure was almost in his hands.

But at the crucial moment, the other player seemed to have a sudden revelation and broke free of the deception.

He even turned the tables.

"You have been affected by the Stone of Truth. For the next five minutes, you will answer any questions the other person asks truthfully."

"You told the other person that you were an adventurer from another world."

"You told the other person that whenever an object of Primal Darkness appeared, the ancient gods sleeping in the River of Death would always react."

"You told the other person..."

The chubby kid's face turned green with regret. As expected, the player who had obtained an object of Primal Darkness was someone he couldn't afford to mess with. He'd really picked a fight with the wrong person this time.

What exactly was this object of Primal Darkness? He really wanted to see it.

Because the Doom-Bringing Raven had restarted fate, the chubby kid had lost his memories of the previous timeline and no longer remembered the properties of the Garment of the Hidden World.

"Wait, my real identity won't be exposed, will it..."

The chubby kid suddenly realized there was a problem and shuddered. "This big shot got an object of Primal Darkness. His power must be terrifying. Maybe he has an item that can track me down in the real world. Wouldn't I be done for?"

Right then, the Stone of Truth's effect wore off, and the text refreshed. His character fled into the River of Death.

The chubby kid was terrified that the big shot with the object of Primal Darkness might come after him. He had no mood to keep playing, so he closed the game and opened a group chat.

He was torn about what to do...

Meanwhile,

Yang Qizhou stared at his phone screen, his grim expression easing a little as he read the text over and over.

"You asked about the effect of 'Trickster,' and the other person told you the truth."

"Trickster: Deception is more than a mere trick. It is also one of the authorities of the universe. As a trickster, you can first establish an event you want to bring about, then use language as a tool to guide things toward the outcome you expect. Note: You can use this once per day."

"Five minutes have passed. The Stone of Truth's effect has worn off..."

"The other person broke free of the Stone of Truth's effect and, in a panic, leaped into the River of Death to escape. It seems he was left badly shaken."

He sure ran fast.

Yang Qizhou relaxed. He had gotten the Garment of the Hidden World back, so the outcome was good after all.

Still, this incident had given him something to think about. So players could cross paths in the game after all. He just didn't know how the player who had impersonated Angel of Rest Archer had managed it.

It was time to revive again.

He had used up all of the Doom-Bringing Raven's chances for the day, and Light of Protection still had one chance to change his fate of death. Yang Qizhou, of course, chose to revive normally.

"You opened your eyes again within the boundaries of Dark Fog Town..."

Logged out. Done for the day.

Yang Qizhou flopped onto the sofa and stretched. He casually tossed his phone onto the coffee table. He had used up all three revival chances, so that was all the gaming he could do today.

"Today's haul: one 'quasi-excellent' item, one 'super-excellent' item, and two 'quasi-legendary' items."

"Not bad, not bad."

Yang Qizhou happily ran the numbers in his head. He was in great shape, full of energy. If not for the limit of "only three revivals a day," he would have played all night.

It was already two. Time to sleep, sleep, sleep.

The next day,

as a player of World of Weirdness, the owner of two "quasi-legendary" items, an A+ rated by the Bureau of Occult Investigation, and a powerful Lamp Bearer, Yang Qizhou went right back to work.

What else could he do?

No matter how powerful an item was, it couldn't put food on the table. Unless he hardened his heart, turned evil, and became the big bad, his only option was to work like everyone else.

By the time Yang Qizhou got home from work, it was six or seven in the evening.

Today, he had specifically bought a five-liter bottle of cola and some duck snacks. He was just waiting for midnight so he could return to the Ancient Earth and fight to his heart's content.

"So bored."

Yang Qizhou lay on the sofa, bored out of his mind. Waiting was truly agonizing.

Oh, right.

Yang Qizhou suddenly remembered something and sat bolt upright. "Didn't the Secret Cultivator leave a group chat link in that post? I should join and take a look. Maybe I'll find something unexpected."

Yang Qizhou had memorized the group number ages ago, but the Secret Cultivator's origins were unclear, and he didn't know whether they were friend or foe. Worried that joining the group might expose his identity, he had never done it.

But things were different now.

Last night, he had obtained the Garment of the Hidden World. The first effect of this "quasi-legendary" Old Day Item was... that no one could pry into his identity without his permission.

There was no need to worry about exposing himself.

"Then I'll join."