What kind of heaven-cursed fate is this? Because of a strange bracelet, he was admitted to Yangcheng Academy—truly a meteoric rise—yet it just so happens that William Carter himself doesn’t have a shred of talent as a Dreamweaver... “Sigh, poor me, rated as excellent in aptitude, yet I still have to pay a hundred Liberty Coins in tuition every year. As a minor honorary noble, I feel a lot of pressure!” Kelly said, mercilessly commanding her chess pieces to break through the center, creating a wave of danger.

William Carter, while fending off the attack, asked, “You’re a rich kid with a scholarship—do you even care about this pocket money? Aren’t honorary nobles all loaded?”

“That’s a huge misunderstanding. I’m actually very poor, nowhere near your privileged class... By the way, in a couple of months there’s the grade-wide assessment. What are you going to do? If you perform too badly, you might be forced to drop out.”

“Force me to drop out? I don’t think anyone would dare slap the dean in the face like that, right? And even if I really do get expelled, so what? It’s not like I’m counting on Dreamweaving to make a living. My talents lie elsewhere, you know that.”

At this, the girl suddenly fell silent.

It wasn’t a pleasant topic. Every time it came up before, it ended badly, but Kelly really couldn’t avoid it.

“Tell me, are you really planning to become a thief?”

William Carter immediately corrected her: “Not a thief—a golden finger. They’re not the same at all.”

“I don’t care what you call it! Isn’t it all stealing? With your skills, you could do anything—why insist on being a thief?”

The girl was visibly angry, which greatly surprised William Carter: “What skills do I have? All my life, I’ve only learned how to be a golden finger. If I don’t do that, what else can I do? You want me to become a Dreamweaver, but I’d need the talent for that!”

Kelly bit her lip tightly, knowing she could never persuade him. Since they’d met, they’d had this argument four or five times, and he’d never wavered in his view.

He always believed he was a thief.

As an orphan, William Carter was raised by an old one-eyed man, a master thief with incredible skills. He trained William Carter in an underground labyrinth for twelve years, only to die unexpectedly not long ago. During that time, William Carter’s worldview had been completely warped.

But Kelly had to admit, as a thief, William Carter’s skills were absolutely top-notch. On their journey north together, Kelly had witnessed countless surprises, but this was still not the right path.

“...It’s a pity he has no talent as a Dreamweaver at all. Why did the dean give him special admission?”

With this doubt, Kelly continued to command her chess pieces, only to realize that at some point, her situation had become dire! “Actually, you could become a professional chess player.”

Kelly, struggling to fend off William Carter’s increasingly fierce attacks, offered the suggestion seriously.

The tower-capturing chess game they were playing had been popular in the Free City for a long time, creating a huge fan base. Skilled players could make a living from it, and Kelly knew that anyone who could match her was good enough to go pro. Not to mention, William Carter’s chess skills went even further—since they’d met, they’d played at least ten times, and she’d never won.

But this time, things seemed different... “Look, your top lane tower is gone.”

In the chaos, Kelly skillfully maneuvered her pieces, tearing open a gap in the confusion. Her eyes lit up as she seized the chance to destroy one of William Carter’s guardian towers. The board flashed a harsh red light, signaling a shift in the game. She shook her head from side to side, grinning smugly, thrilled at her brief advantage.

But her happiness didn’t last long.

“Your base is gone~”

Just as the girl broke through William Carter’s outer tower with her temporary advantage, William Carter rallied his forces, wiped out her entire army, then broke through three towers on the bottom lane, wiping out her base in one go.

“You... how is this possible!?”

Kelly was utterly distraught, only now realizing that he’d used his outer tower as bait, luring her army in like fish on a hook. And she’d foolishly thought she could finally get her revenge this time!

Having won easily, William Carter casually smiled and began resetting the pieces: “Again.”

“No way! You’re too devious!” Kelly protested angrily. If they’d just fought head-on, even if she lost, it wouldn’t have been so humiliating. And she was a girl—how could he be so heartless as to win over a dozen games in a row, not giving her even a sliver of hope!?

“Would it kill you to let me win once!?”

The boy from Penglai thought about it seriously, then shook his head. “No. But then again, if I don’t let you win, will you die?”

“...”

“Well, since neither of us will die, let’s play another round.”

“...”

Just as Kelly was about to grab the chessboard and smash it into William Carter’s face, two girls stumbled in from outside, panting and tripping over each other as they shouted, “Kelly Kelly something’s wrong, something’s wrong, Ethan Green Ethan Green...”

“Slow down—what happened to Ethan Green?”