Chapter 12: The Gender Reveal and Shifting Alliances

“Hey! You punk, where do you think you’re running off to? Get back here!”

With that booming command, enthusiastic Uncle Hank, seeing the Shamatte-styled individual turn to leave, quickly rushed over.

He grabbed the Shamatte-styled individual’s shoulder, pulling them back with a forceful tug.

“You don’t seriously think you can catch the Azure Dragon all by yourself, do you? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here?

If you don’t team up with everyone, there’ll be no one to help you if you stumble into trouble!”

“Ah! What are you…?”

Caught completely off guard by Hank’s sudden lunge and grasp, the Shamatte-styled individual yelped in surprise, instinctively pushing Hank back as they cried out.

However, they immediately clamped their mouth shut, wrenched free from Hank’s hold, and fled into their own house.

****

Naturally, the five people still standing in the plaza at that moment were utterly stunned.

Their shock wasn’t due to Hank’s overly zealous enthusiasm, nor did they misunderstand the Shamatte-styled individual’s reaction.

No, their astonishment stemmed from something else entirely—a girl’s voice had emerged from the mouth of that Shamatte-styled individual!

“A… a woman?”

Kabasiji stared blankly at the entrance of the Shamatte-styled individual’s house, a hint of surprise on his face.

Chen Lili, meanwhile, furrowed her brows, gazing at the house in contemplation.

Xingxing, hiding behind Chen Lili, cautiously poked her head out to observe.

Xue Hu, however, reacted swiftly, realizing that this Shamatte ‘handsome guy,’ who shared a similar predicament with herself, was clearly one of the so-called ‘gender-bending characters’ (TL Note: ‘rén yāo hào,’ a term often used in Chinese gaming to describe a male player using a female avatar, or vice-versa, or a character whose perceived gender does not match their actual gender).

She couldn’t help but think how careless the individual had been, exposing their true gender with such a simple slip-up, and wondered how many reward points would be deducted for it.

Hank, who had just rushed forward to grab the Shamatte-styled individual, now looked thoughtfully at his own hand, then back at the house.

Just as the others expected him to continue knocking, urging the individual to come out and join their team, he turned to them with a smile.

“Haha, so that’s how it is? Well, never mind then.

Perhaps she’s unwilling to team up with us, so let’s not force her, shall we?”

“Eh? Is that so? But Mr. Hank, wouldn’t it be unwise to leave her alone like that?

After all, we still don’t know what kind of world this truly is, and what if the monsters prove to be incredibly fierce and difficult for one person to handle?”

Xue Hu found Hank’s sudden shift in attitude somewhat contradictory, so she inquired on her slate.

“Even if we are destined to be enemies in the end, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to help and support each other at the beginning?”

“Little sister Xue Hu, your words don’t sound much like those of a twelve-year-old child, you know~”

Hank didn’t immediately answer Xue Hu’s question, instead first challenging her observation.

“As for her, if she’s unwilling, then so be it. What’s the point in forcing someone?

But putting that aside, I just discovered something important: this game not only lacks friendly fire, but players can’t even inflict damage on each other.

Just now, whether I was grabbing her or she was pushing me, no attack judgment was displayed, and neither of our health bars changed.”

“So, that means we can’t win the game by killing other players, right?

We can only determine victory by seeing who can ultimately capture the Azure Dragon, correct?”

Kabasiji immediately grasped this crucial point, analyzing it carefully.

“I’m not sure how this ‘capture’ mechanism works, but I have a question: what level is everyone right now?

It seems this game doesn’t allow us to view other players’ information.”

“No, this game actually allows you to see other players’ levels, HP, and MP, but only after you’ve formed a team with them.”

Chen Lili offered her perspective at this point.

“Xingxing and I have already teamed up, and I can see that she’s Level 100, and I’m also Level 100.

Our HP and MP are both 10,000 and 20,000 respectively.

It’s quite strange; even though we’re wearing novice gear, we didn’t start from Level 0.

It seems the system wants us to reach a conclusion quickly!”

“Oh? So it seems we’re all probably the same then?

I’m also Level 100, with 10,000 HP and 20,000 MP.”

Kabasiji nodded, then turned to Hank.

“Brother Hank, let’s team up. We can share our personal information with each other.”

“Alright, I’ll send you a team invitation then! I have the same level and stats as well.”

Hank nodded, agreeing with Kabasiji’s suggestion, then turned to Xue Hu.

“Little sister Xue Hu, are you really not considering joining our team? We’re much more reliable than those two women, you know~”

“No, thank you for your kindness, I appreciate it, but I still feel more comfortable with other girls.”

Xue Hu shook her head, refusing on her wooden slate.

“Sister Lili, may I join your team?”

At this moment, Xue Hu’s suspicions about Hank had grown considerably.

Hank’s initial fervent enthusiasm made him seem very much like someone trying to set the pace (TL Note: ‘dài jié zòu de rén,’ meaning someone who is actively trying to influence or manipulate a situation or group dynamic), and he had invited the Shamatte-styled individual in the same manner.

However, after the Shamatte-styled individual’s player gender was revealed to be female, Hank’s enthusiasm to invite her vanished.

Instead, he started making excuses for her, clearly no longer wishing to have her on the team.

The stark contrast in his behavior before and after this revelation struck Xue Hu as highly suspicious.

What made it even more questionable was that, despite Hank’s insistence on everyone teaming up, he hadn’t actively invited anyone other than Xue Hu.

Kabasiji had proactively suggested teaming up with him.

Chen Lili had stated her unwillingness to team with him, and he had already expressed his own disinterest in teaming with her.

Xingxing, from the very beginning until now, had not exchanged a single word with Hank, nor had Hank ever invited her.

It was only Xue Hu whom he had persistently invited from the start, and after the incident with the Shamatte-styled individual passed, Hank had returned once again to invite Xue Hu.

This made Xue Hu feel certain that Hank had some specific agenda targeting her, which only solidified her resolve not to join his team.

Ultimately, Hank and Kabasiji formed one team, Chen Lili, Xingxing, and Xue Hu, the three female characters, formed another, leaving the remaining Shamatte-styled individual to form a team of one.