So in the game, basically these three people always hung out together, while Edward Thompson wandered the world alone.

If it were just a difference in play style, it wouldn’t have ruined their friendship. But a few days ago, David Harris got into a dispute with other players and called Edward Thompson over for backup. Edward Thompson was in the middle of a quest and couldn’t get away, so by the time he arrived, it was already too late. The other two roommates, Mark Evans and Andrew Carter, barely escaped, but David Harris was killed by the other side.

In “Jianghu Online,” when a player dies, they lose money, equipment, items, and martial arts progress—a lot, in fact. David Harris was furious and took it out on Edward Thompson for arriving late. If Edward Thompson had been there, maybe they wouldn’t have turned the tables, but at least they could have all gotten away safely.

David Harris was the dorm leader, and Mark Evans and Andrew Carter were close to him, so the three of them started to hold a grudge against Edward Thompson. They barely interacted in the game, and in real life, things were cold and awkward, with the occasional sarcastic remark.

There was nothing Edward Thompson could do about it. At the time, he was stuck in a quest event and couldn’t just leave. According to David Harris, Edward Thompson should have just died and rushed over to save him. Such strict demands left Edward Thompson speechless. Later, when Mark Evans and Andrew Carter lost in PK, they didn’t blame their own lack of skill, but instead sided with David Harris and pinned all the blame on Edward Thompson. This selfish attitude made it impossible for Edward Thompson to agree with them. After this incident, Edward Thompson realized his three friends weren’t as great as he’d thought, and he gradually stopped caring about them. The four of them were basically in a cold war.

Edward Thompson’s plan was a huge success. He let out a sigh of relief, got up, and poured himself a glass of water. At that moment, the other three also took off their helmets, staring at him in shock.

It seemed they already knew what Edward Thompson had just done in the game.

Edward Thompson wasn’t surprised.

David Harris was a disciple of the Wudang sect, and since Edward Thompson had gotten the sword from the Wudang Sword Pool, he was now Wudang’s public enemy. Wudang had probably already issued a bounty on him to all its disciples. David Harris must have received the order, which was why he pulled Mark Evans and Andrew Carter offline to watch.

These three hadn’t spoken to Edward Thompson in days, and Edward Thompson couldn’t be bothered with them either. He just tidied up his textbooks. It was early morning, and there was still some time before class. Edward Thompson had chosen this time on purpose—player activity in the game was at its lowest, making it easier to get things done.

As for David Harris and the others, they had been gaming all night and hadn’t slept yet.

Under their surprised gazes, Edward Thompson packed up his books and got ready to head to class.

“Edward Thompson!” Just as he was about to leave, David Harris finally called out. He hadn’t spoken to him in ages, so the name sounded awkward coming from his mouth—even he seemed uncomfortable, but had no choice but to say it.

Edward Thompson stopped and turned around.

“You got the sword of the Hero of Xiangzhong from the Sword Pool?” David Harris asked.

“Yeah.”

“This sword…” David Harris hesitated, then finally spoke, “Are you selling it?”

“Of course,” Edward Thompson smiled. David Harris’s face immediately lit up with joy, and just as he was about to say more, Edward Thompson added two more words—“Not selling.”

Edward Thompson turned and left again, leaving David Harris furious and disappointed, his face dark with anger. He stood there for a while, then got up and pulled a textbook from his desk.

Mark Evans and Andrew Carter looked at him in surprise. “Going to class?” David Harris was so obsessed with gaming that he often skipped class—was he really going to class after an all-nighter?

David Harris grunted in reply and hurried off. Mark Evans and Andrew Carter exchanged a glance, quickly grabbed their books, and followed closely behind like two sidekicks.

“Hey, Edward Thompson!”

As soon as Edward Thompson walked into the general education classroom, someone gave him a spirited slap on the back.

Edward Thompson didn’t even need to turn around to know it was his classmate, Emily Parker, greeting him. “Jianghu Online” wasn’t just popular among male players—lots of girls loved it too, and Emily Parker was one of them. She had even pulled a bunch of other girls from their class into the game.

What left Edward Thompson helpless was that, because of this game, his relationships with the guys in David Harris’s group had gotten really bad, but more girls started approaching him.

Unlike the guys, the girls weren’t into intense PK battles. Instead, they loved chatting, gardening, and trying on outfits—things the guys found boring. Even quests felt like a headache to them, so Edward Thompson, the quest expert, could help them out a lot.

So, Edward Thompson became the go-to guy for these “Jianghu girls,” often surrounded by several girls in class, all asking him questions. As a result, the coldness he faced from the guys only increased. All Edward Thompson could do was sigh and brace himself, patiently playing the role of answer machine under the jealous stares of the guys.

“Morning.” Edward Thompson turned and smiled at Emily Parker.

“Samuel Reed has started playing the game too, thanks to me!” As soon as Emily Parker said this, every guy in the classroom immediately looked up, their burning gazes like a million arrows shooting at Edward Thompson. Samuel Reed! The goddess in every guy’s dreams at their school! And now, she was walking toward that infuriating Edward Thompson with a stunning smile!

That guy who only ever did quests in the game, with zero passion for anything else!!!