Yes, he clearly articulated "congratulations" as if in revenge for earlier.
You want to play with him? We'll play. You want to trap him in Shoi-Ming? Okay, you asked for it, he'll be in character, he'll only think about himself!
With his belongings wrapped in a bundle tied to the end of a stick, he is ready and eager to jump out the window, after checking that the coast is clear.
Come on, luck, it's your turn to shine.
As Shoi-Ming prepares to leave the Ethereal Clouds Sect, his keen senses pick up on a conversation between Zi Xuan and Jun Hie. They seem to be discussing about him, which piques his interest.
"Is it really Shoi-Ming's responsibility to take care of this?"
Jun Hie expresses doubt or concern of some kind, his chin trapped between his index and thumb, his posture as straight as ever. Zi Xuan, on the other hand, seems sure of his choice and responds confidently:
"Yes, I believe so. I trust him, and I think it will do him good."
The scenario is desperate and tries to guilt-trip him, is that it?
.....
No. No! No, no, and no!
He's not going to fall for it!
It's so disgusting to play on a character as classy as Zi Xuan to tug at his heartstrings with a 'I'm counting on him.' Horrible. And then Jun Hie will take care of it!
At least he won't have any regrets, he'll take his place and maybe he won't betray the sect.
And what do you mean, 'it'll do him good'? If he messes it up for whatever reason, he'll feel even more miserable. No, he has to get away, fast. He grimaces despite everything, crying inside at the thought of losing his shixiong's trust.
Sorry.
[ Congratulations! Dexterity: +1 for leaving without being spotted. Zi Xuan's concern: +10. ]
"Okay, okay, I get it! Stop rubbing salt in the wound!"
What's with this taunt about his dexterity! Like, barely +1 and a +10 on the negative side? What kind of injustice is that? Talk about easy mode, what a rip-off! Finally, he managed to escape. Now he just has to make his way to the village. Let's hope he gets there before sunset... he doesn't want to sleep outside, he might run into some bad people. Come on, hurry up!
As Shoi-Ming sets off on his journey, the landscape quickly changes.
The dense bamboo forest stretching out before him seems to swallow up the last rays of daylight, gradually plunging the area into darkness. The stalks stand like dark sentinels, casting menacing shadows across the narrow paths.
Night fell quickly, enveloping the path in a dark and mysterious veil. The silence of the forest is broken only by the whisper of the wind through the bamboo leaves and the occasional rustling of nocturnal animals.
Shoi-Ming finds himself facing a solitary journey through this hostile environment, where the slightest noise seems amplified by the peculiar atmosphere. He must be on his guard to avoid the potential dangers that could be lurking in the darkness.
Damn, it's so late!
Did he wake up in the middle of the afternoon?
If only he had known, he would have left early in the morning. But he was so afraid that someone would come and disturb him. It wasn't the best idea he ever had to leave on a whim. But now, it's done, too bad. He'll definitely have to sleep under the stars. He won't make it there on time.
He stops in the middle of the bamboo forest and makes a small fire with whatever he can finds to warm himself up. He reopens his bundle and takes out his cape to keep himself warmer and his whetstone.
It's time to work on that dagger and turn it into something a little more useful. Luckily, he has played enough RPGs to know how to do it. There is a specific way to position the blade on the stone.
So he concentrates on it. He tries not to think about the fact that it's pointless since he has zero strength. At least with a sharp dagger, he won't be ashamed to take it out, so that's something.
After a good ten minutes of working on it, he seems satisfied with the result.
He stands up for a moment to strike a piece of bamboo with it after adopting the ideal position. Of course, the bamboo isn't going to fall; he's not even strong enough for that. He would bring shame to his sect if anyone saw him doing this.
But now he is alone, no more appearances to maintain, finally free.
He sees the neat mark he has just made in the bamboo and smiles slightly.
[ You have just acquired a sharpened dagger. Strength: +2. ]
Oh! Finally, some good news!
"Come to think of it, MJ! With everything that's been going on, I forgot to ask you about earlier. When I was feeling bad because of the energy... what were those whip lashes I saw? Was that Shoi-Ming being tortured? Is it one of his fears or a memory?"
After a moment of silence, the screen displays again:
[ What you saw is part of Shoi-Ming's memories, more specifically of his childhood spent in poverty. ]
"What? In poverty? His childhood?"
His confident, indifferent tone became more concerned.
Damn, poor guy, he hasn't had an easy life and even today, he's still suffering.
It's not fair. Did the GM just create this character to indulge his sadistic impulses? Some GMs have no regard for their characters as long as it's fiction, but it's still awful. Why make this NPC suffer just for fun?
He doesn't understand. Why did Shoi-Ming get himself into such trouble by joining a sect? He should have been aware that this would only cause him problems.
In the end, what does he know about him? Not much. Which is ironic; he's supposed to be his character, right? Since when do we not have any information about the character we're playing?!
[ You leave the "Peak of the Ethereal Clouds Mountain" Safe Zone and enter a low-level PVE zone in the bamboo forest. The first enemy appears for a tutorial battle: "Blind Mouse Gang."
Strength : 1.
Dexterity : 3.
Charisma : 1.
Luck : 1.
Constitution : 2.
Qi mastery : 0. ]
Seriously? A gang of BLIND MICE has more charisma than him?! What is all this? Testing his new weapon? Or finding yet another way to torment him?
They have better stats than him.
The man collapses on the ground, whimpering. No, a tense, almost crazy smile adorns his lips as if he has just lost his mind, while he lets out a nervous laugh.
Against all odds, he raises his gaze, burning with frustration, anger, and determination. It doesn't matter if they laugh at him, it doesn't matter if they drag him through the mud, he will get back up! He won't let that stupid GM make fun of him with impunity!
He has to be cunning, there are three of them, and just because they can't see, doesn't mean they can't hear. He can use that to his advantage.
He looks around, throwing a small pebble to give them a false location.
Intelligence is not his strong suit, but he finds himself hoping that it will work. The rodents are indeed fooled by the decoy. With a quick movement, Shoi-Ming brandishes his newly sharpened dagger.
In a ballet of agile movements, he manages to kill the mice one by one, skillfully avoiding their clumsy attacks while inflicting precise and deadly blows. After a short but "intense" fight, the ground is littered with the bodies of the blind mice.
[ Congratulations! You have defeated the "Blind Mouse Gang"! Strength: +1. Dexterity: +1. ]
"If I weren't so desperate, I'd find that insulting. Aaah, the fact that I'm starting to get used to this GM overwhelms and disgusts me."
What a night.
He had been cold, had slept poorly with the surrounding noises, his body unable to relax, his hand always on his dagger. He hadn't been in any trouble, but his sacrifice had been his hours of sleep. He woke up yawning, tears in the corners of his eyes, which he quickly wiped away.
With his bundle ready once more, he set off again after grabbing something to eat. It wasn't much, but he had to conserve his resources until he found a situation.
What could a guy like him do with his life?