Chapter 59: Record-Breaking Reward! Recruitment?

“Let’s be clear—you only got to experience the Virtual Realm thanks to me, not to mention that I’ve looked out for you these past three years.” The striking girl stepped forward and hooked her finger under Tang Ruotong’s chin.

“You’d better save your energy for Wang Chen. If you can tie him down for good, I might even reward you with more benefits.”

Tang Ruotong remained silent, her gaze fixed coldly on the striking girl. If looks could kill, the latter would have died a hundred times over by now.

The striking girl felt a chill creep over her under that stare. Perhaps she finally realized that, as a mage, she was standing far too close to a Holy Shield Knight—let alone provoking her. Or maybe, in Tang Ruotong’s eyes, she could no longer see the old obedience and timidity.

That made her feel out of control.

She quickly retreated, backing up into the group of girls behind her.

Tang Ruotong followed her steps, closing the distance.

The striking girl’s face showed panic, but she forced bravado into her voice. “What do you think you’re doing? Do you know who my father is?”

As she spoke, she grabbed the sleeves of the girls on either side, trying to pull them in front of her as shields.

But Tang Ruotong was a rare main combat class. If she really wanted to go down in flames, none of the three girls could stop her—they’d be caught up in the crossfire.

Please, all they ever got from Meng was the occasional luxury item—why should they take a bullet for her?

And so, the striking girl discovered that no matter how hard she pulled, the girls beside her wouldn’t budge. In fact, they even took a few steps back, leaving nothing between her and Tang Ruotong.

Watching this, Tang Ruotong sneered. “See? This is the friendship you’ve built, stitched together with threats and bribes. Completely unreliable. Yet you really think you’re the center of everyone’s world.”

“How pathetic.” Tang Ruotong sighed. “But the most pathetic one is me. I actually wasted so much time playing your childish clique games.”

The striking girl’s face turned livid at those words. She glared at Tang Ruotong, gritting her teeth, but there was fear in her eyes.

“I’ll go win Wang Chen over,” Tang Ruotong suddenly said.

The striking girl was stunned, then relief flickered across her face. “If you’ve finally come to your senses, I—”

“But not because you told me to.” Tang Ruotong cut her off. “I’m doing it for myself.”

“That’s right. I’m just an ordinary person from a modest background who wants to climb higher. For that, I once tried to please you. That was my mistake. But the mistake wasn’t in seeking favor—it was in the person I chose to please…”

Word by word, Tang Ruotong declared, “I can’t believe it was you.”

“Someone like you—a spoiled little princess who can’t even land three spells on a single beast, a useless coward who only knows how to call on her father’s name when trouble comes.”

“You’re not worth the effort.”

The striking girl’s face turned from blue to white, and she retorted sharply, “You think Wang Chen will help you rise? He just got lucky! Even if you fawn over him, he’ll just play with you and toss you aside when he’s bored!”

Tang Ruotong gave a cold laugh. “If you insist on covering your eyes and refusing to face reality, how do you expect to change? Let’s wait and see who falls first.”

With that, she turned and left.

The striking girl broke down, screaming and clawing at her followers. “Why didn’t you stand up for me just now? Why?!”

The girls said nothing, nor did they fight back. But Tang Ruotong’s words echoed deep in their hearts.

…

Wang Chen stepped out of the capsule and was immediately met by Long Wushuang, who had been waiting for some time.

With an excited grin, Long Wushuang threw his arm around Wang Chen’s shoulders. “Damn, bro! You’re amazing! You broke the record!”

“Did you secretly awaken a hidden class without telling me?” The chubby guy made a chopping motion across Wang Chen’s neck. “Spill it! The more you resist, the harsher the punishment! Fess up!”

Laughing, Wang Chen shoved him back. “Actually, I awakened the unprecedented Necromancer God class. These beasts? I just breathe on them and they drop. Wait till I hit level thirty—no god or buddha will stand in my way!”

“Oh, showing off now, are we?”

“Of course. Only, my class requires the sacrifice of a virgin boy’s life essence to fully unleash its power. You look nice and plump—how about you offer yourself up for your brother’s sake?”

As Wang Chen spoke, he reached out to make a mischievous grab.

“No way, bro!” the chubby guy laughed, dodging away.

The two horsed around, but soon a group of Virtual Realm supervisors approached, a sizeable crowd.

“Wang Chen, congratulations on breaking the provincial record,” said the leader, a middle-aged man.

“And you are?” Wang Chen stopped chasing Long Wushuang and straightened up.

“I’m Song Qing, head of the Virtual Realm supervisory team.” The man extended his hand.

Wang Chen shook it. “Hello, Team Leader Song. Is there something you need?”

“Wang Chen, you’ve broken three speedrun records in a row. For the complete Inferno Rock Monster dungeon, you even set a new provincial speedrun record. We’re here to present you with your reward,” Song Qing explained.

“Huh? There are rewards for the Virtual Realm experience?” Wang Chen glanced at the chubby guy, who looked just as confused.

“That’s right,” Song Qing replied. “Since the Virtual Realm was developed under military leadership, it was only rolled out three years ago. This experience center in Luzhou is quite new.”

“To encourage participation and improve students’ combat abilities, we’ve introduced rewards for outstanding performance.”

He gestured to someone at his side, who handed him a box.

Song Qing opened it in front of Wang Chen. Inside were a bank card, a ring, and a book.

“These are: a bank card loaded with three hundred thousand Tianlong coins, a storage ring, and an intermediate skill book.”

“All for me? That’s pretty generous.”

Wang Chen’s eyes lit up. Free loot was not to be missed.

“Not quite.” Song Qing looked a little embarrassed. “You can only choose one.”

“Oh. Alright,” Wang Chen replied awkwardly, almost curling his toes in embarrassment.

“I’ll take the skill book,” he said, picking it up from the box.

He wasn’t short on money anymore, not since he’d reversed the system, and he doubted the storage ring was anything special—probably just the basic one-cubic-meter type.

So the skill book was the best choice.

“Thank you,” Wang Chen said to Song Qing.

The man smiled. “No need to thank me—it’s a prize you earned through your own excellence.”

“Have you decided which university you’ll attend?” Song Qing asked.

“Uh, not yet,” Wang Chen replied, surprised by the sudden question.

“Well, I’m a graduate of Tianfu University. Our faculty and monster-hunting resources are top-notch, and we’ve achieved impressive results in past Academy League competitions.” Song Qing grinned. “If you haven’t made a decision yet, why not consider our school?”

Seriously? He’s recruiting already?

Wang Chen and Long Wushuang exchanged bewildered glances, while the other supervisors rolled their eyes—clearly, Song Qing had a reputation for using his position to pull in talent.