The Rebel's Determination Value was rising.

As the Rebel followed Friend Z towards the Secret Realm Dungeon Portal, his empty Determination meter slowly began to fill. By the time the Rebel had passed through a large portion of the Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting and squeezed into a group of strong figures, the Determination Value had already reached 50%.

Ren Suo now naturally knew that the so-called Determination Value was the 'Morale' that determined whether the Rebel would follow his commands in the face of danger. Only when the Determination Value reached 100% would the Rebel be completely under his control, going wherever he pointed.

Even though the Rebel now obediently submitted to Ren Suo's control, if the Rebel sensed danger, Ren Suo's game controller wouldn't be enough to keep him in check.

But unlike the first challenge, why was it so easy for me to raise the Determination Value now? Was it the bonus accumulated from the first challenge, or had the Rebel resigned to his fate?

However, up to this point, the mission target information hadn't popped up. Instead, the Strategy Tip updated:

"Strategy Tip: Please clear the Secret Realm Dungeon with Friend Z."

The Rebel had already been taken by Friend Z to tackle the dungeon. Ren Suo naturally didn't make any other moves, letting the Rebel meet with other team members and wait outside the Secret Realm Dungeon Portal.

It wasn't until they got closer that they realized outsiders could see what was happening inside the Secret Realm Dungeon Portal. It appeared to be a group of people in strange clothing fighting ferociously. It was a battle of explosive force and intensity that the humans and strong figures outside watched with cheers:

"Atomic Flame! Such immense power!"

"Dawn Star, it's actually Dawn Star! I didn't expect to witness such an incredible battle!"

"The Ice Age, the Great Burn! Too strong!"

"The Phantom Group is truly powerful!"

The spectating crowd mentioned some terms that Ren Suo couldn't understand, but he generally got the idea that the team currently fighting was very strong.

At that moment, Friend Z said, "I didn't expect there to be such a powerful team... Now it's up to you and me to deal damage, Rebel. The main thing in the Secret Realm Dungeon is to accumulate Popularity Energy; our performance has to look magnificent and splendid—simply clearing it isn't enough."

"Strategy Tip: Please make the Secret Realm battle attract enough Popularity Energy."

Ren Suo scratched his head. Why aren't the missions refreshing, yet the Strategy Tips keep updating?

But in just these few short sentences, the Rebel's Determination Value had risen by another 10%. Although Ren Suo couldn't gather enough information from the Secret Realm battle and Friend Z's conversation, it seemed the Rebel had learned something that made his Determination Value steadily increase.

However, the wait turned out to be a full fifteen minutes. Had Cloning not been on cooldown, Ren Suo would've considered sending it to buy some supper. Now, all he could do was brew a cup of instant noodles for himself.

「After fifteen minutes」

The team inside the Secret Realm finally left, and it was the Rebel and Friend Z's turn to go in.

Then... the Rebel's group went in.

But the point of view is still here at the Multidimensional Plane Exchange Meeting! Why am I not allowed to take control yet? What am I supposed to play? Am I just going to watch the Secret Realm Portal screen from across a dimension?

At that moment, the surrounding crowd made various comments:

"Not bad..."

"Not as good as the Phantom Group, but still quite enjoyable."

"Why not go to the Mysterious Merchant instead? Tenacity Spheres are 20% off!"

The crowd outside the Secret Realm Dungeon gradually thinned out. Ren Suo blinked but remained motionless, quietly waiting for the situation to unfold.

「About five minutes later」

The Rebel's group cleared the Secret Realm Dungeon and came out. Friend Z looked at the audience below and sighed, "It seems we didn't gather enough Popularity Energy... Even though our battle was so extravagant and pleasing..."

At that moment, the entire scene shuddered as if there was an earthquake!

"What's happening?!"

"What's going on outside?!"

"AAAAHHH!"

The exchange meeting was in chaos. But as Ren Suo surveyed the situation, he didn't see any enemies appear, nor had the battle spread to the conference area. It seemed as though the sudden change had nothing to do with the Rebel.

At that moment, the Rebel suddenly spoke up, "It seems dangerous outside. How about we just stay here?"

Friend Z·Silver Armored General said, "Sure, sure! Let's wait for further news before we act!"

Ren Suo's eyes widened as he tried to control the Rebel to leave the meeting venue, but the Rebel stubbornly refused to move, lazing around the venue and unwilling to follow his commands!

Rebel·Painted Face Man said, "Avaricious men die for riches; warriors die for fame. Each sees the other as avaricious, and themselves as warriors."

Rebel·Painted Face Man declared, "I still want to live another five hundred years!"

Rebel·Painted Face Man philosophized, "Life is like the ocean; only those with strong will who haven't died can reach the other shore."

Damn it, this Rebel has actually chickened out! He's refusing to go out and see what's happening, all the while spouting a bunch of nonsense to justify himself!

Before long, the game displayed a notification:

"The quest target has died."

"Quest failed."

"You didn't even find the quest target. Your loss is so pathetic it's laughable."

"Do you want to experience the pleasure before the pain all over again? (Requires 3 Merit Points)"

The cost to restart the game had gone up. However, Ren Suo didn't care about such a trivial expense. He rubbed his temples, noting down the key strategic points for this level.

In fact, there aren't really any key strategic points. The second stage hasn't even properly started, yet the Rebel is already too scared to go out, and the quest target hasn't even appeared. I have no idea how I failed.

According to the Strategy Tips, what Ren Suo needed to do now was to attract enough popularity for the Rebel's group during their 'Secret Realm Dungeon' battle.

Although I don't know what good that will do... Ren Suo had no other ideas at the moment, so he restarted the second stage and continued to work on his strategy.

The initial steps were very quick and simple. The Rebel's group still had to wait 15 minutes before they could start their run in the Secret Realm Dungeon.

By then, the Phantom Group's battle had finished, and another team was entering the Secret Realm battle. Ren Suo ate his instant noodles while carefully watching the details on the screen.

"Huh? Is that my favorite Azure Group fighting?"

Two passersby joined the crowd of onlookers, watching the battle within the Secret Realm Portal together.

Seeing this, an idea struck Ren Suo. He moved the control cursor and randomly clicked on a passerby, causing four options to pop up:

"Approach the Rebel's location (costs 1 Merit Point)"

"Move away from the Rebel's location (costs 1 Merit Point)"

"Approach the Rebel's location and stay for about 5 minutes (costs 2 Merit Points)"

"Approach the Rebel's location and stay for about 15 minutes (costs 2 Merit Points)"

Only then did the Strategy Tip belatedly update:

"Strategy Tip: You can artificially control the flow of people to ensure that the Rebel gets enough Popularity Energy during battle (the more people watch, the higher the Popularity Energy)."

If you wanted me to spend Krypton Gold, you should've just said so. Did you think I wouldn't pay?

Ren Suo tugged at the corner of his mouth and began the tedious task of controlling one passerby character after another. He made them approach the Rebel for an extended period, essentially having them linger in the area outside the Secret Realm Portal to boost the Rebel's Popularity Energy.

However, there was a catch: the passersby undoubtedly didn't know the Rebel. They might approach the Rebel's area simply because they were interested in the Secret Realm battle, so the player's subtle control had a chance of success.

As for those passersby or strong figures who had no interest in Secret Realm battles, most only had the first two options—they didn't even have the option to make them stay outside the Secret Realm Dungeon.

It was at this moment that Ren Suo finally understood why there was a 15-minute waiting period in the game. Besides the in-game realism of the Rebel's group having to queue for the dungeon, it was mainly to give Ren Suo time to gather a crowd.

Simply put, it was to make Ren Suo spend Merit Points and time to hire a "mercenary audience."

By the time the Rebel's group entered the dungeon, the crowd outside the Secret Realm Portal had grown several circles larger than before. The scene was so impressive it seemed half the attendees of the exchange meeting had come to watch!

Of course, only a small portion of these were the "mercenary audience" Ren Suo had paid for. Many more were drawn because Ren Suo had chosen to control several elegant and distinguished-looking strong figures. These figures were very eye-catching; when they also came over to watch the Secret Realm battle, other commoners naturally followed.

Like a snowball rolling downhill, it gathered more and more people. The ordinary folk didn't know what was happening but assumed there was some benefit, so they all followed. Ultimately, this created the grand scene before them!

Ren Suo sighed in relief upon seeing this. This time, it should be fine.

However, when the Rebel's group began fighting, the comments from the spectators were not so harmonious:

"Hmm... It's mediocre."

"What dimension is this battle style from? Never seen it before. So cliché."

"Let's go back to the Mysterious Merchant. Exquisite Hearts are 30% off there."

It seemed the Rebel's group's battle performance indeed wasn't spectacular, drawing only average reviews from the crowd. Since many people were not under Ren Suo's control, they were free to leave.

Before long, 30 to 40 percent of the audience had naturally dispersed!

It should be fine, right? Ren Suo was somewhat vexed, but then an unexpected event occurred. Spectators commented:

"Did they make a mistake?"

"Their reaction speed is quite fast, but that mistake was too big."

"Looks like it's a small group's first time challenging the Secret Realm Dungeon? No wonder..."

A system message then popped up: "Friend Z·Silver Armored General made a mistake in battle due to becoming overly agitated, causing the overall spectacle rating to decrease."

After the Rebel's group finished their battle and left the Secret Realm Dungeon, Friend Z looked dejected and said, "It seems we were short on Popularity Energy... It's all my fault for making that mistake... But even if I hadn't, I'm afraid... Sigh..."

Upon seeing this, Ren Suo knew it was over.

Sure enough, when tremors once again came from outside, the Rebel adamantly refused to leave the exchange meeting. The second attempt failed.

Unlike the first try, on the second attempt, Ren Suo had not only spent time but also a considerable amount of Merit Points, which now stung a bit.

He reassessed his strategy. My method of gathering a crowd should be correct, but the Rebel's group's combat quality didn't satisfy everyone. So, regardless of whether Friend Z made a mistake or not, the outcome was likely the same—the mercenary audience I hired didn't enjoy their battle. Wait, mercenary audience...?

An idea struck Ren Suo, his eyes lighting up. After checking some information online, he had a plan, though he wasn't sure if it would work.

Upon starting the game for the third time, Ren Suo first chose an onlooker outside the Secret Realm Portal. Three options immediately popped up for the spectator:

"Approach the Rebel (costs 1 Merit Point)"

"Stay away from the Rebel (costs 1 Merit Point)"

"Loudly voice an opinion (editable by the player) (20-character limit) (costs 3 Merit Points)"

It's workable!

Determined, Ren Suo followed his plan, still using Merit Points to summon a mercenary crowd around the Secret Realm Portal. However, when the Rebel's group began their dungeon challenge, Ren Suo immediately selected an onlooker, edited their dialogue, and had them shout loudly:

"Painted Face Man is so cool!"

The Rebel doesn't seem to be known by everyone, but now that he has transformed into the Painted Face Man, 'Painted Face Man' should be quite noticeable and recognizable.

One of the onlookers was shocked, "Hey, his face is all painted. How can you tell he's handsome?"

The shill controlled by Ren Suo retorted, "The man is devastatingly handsome! If you can't see it, you must be blind."

Then Ren Suo quickly took control of a female-presenting strong figure, "Painted Face Man, I want to have your babies! I don't mind that you're a guy; we can cross swords every night!"

Damn, it's hard to tell men from women in this game. Why are so many guys transforming into female-looking powerhouses?

Another shill yelled, "Painted Face Man! I recognize him—that's the Rebel, isn't it! Let me tell you, the Rebel is drop-dead gorgeous!"

"Rebel, I love you!"

Although this game has many pitfalls, as long as you pay, it generally delivers. The shills controlled by Ren Suo made their comments very loudly—evident by their very large dialogue boxes.

Due to their "passionate" reactions, other onlookers grew curious:

"Painted Face Man? Is Painted Face Man really that good-looking?"

"He is quite handsome! No wonder he has so many fans!"

"Yeah, yeah, excuse me, let me get closer for a better look." Surprisingly, quite a few people agreed with the fervent fans' opinions.

This is the shill effect! Even if these ordinary people don't know who the Rebel or Painted Face Man is, the fervent fans in front of them create an illusion: the Painted Face Man currently fighting in the Secret Realm Dungeon seems to be a very famous person. They feel they need to go over and see if they recognize him!

As for why I chose the topic 'Rebel·Painted Face Man is a super-duper handsome guy' to attract attention... it's because his face is painted! When I had the shills claim he's handsome, others simply had no way to refute it. Maybe the Rebel is actually very handsome when his face *isn't* painted!?

But I mostly feel the Rebel probably isn't *that* handsome. Otherwise, he wouldn't have such a hard time chatting with Her Royal Highness the Princess...

And Ren Suo's plan succeeded: the crowd of onlookers didn't shrink much, and the popularity remained high! Moreover, amidst the crowd's cheers, the Rebel had been transformed into a super handsome guy—a meritorious act, all things considered.

Just then, the Strategy Tip suddenly refreshed:

"Strategy Tip: Please equip the Rebel with the 'Pure White Mini Holy Grail'."

Ren Suo was slightly startled by this peculiar prompt. However, since the directive was so clear, he naturally equipped the Rebel with it.

Then, nothing particular happened. After the Rebel's group came out, Friend Z excitedly said, "This time, our Secret Realm Dungeon run gained a lot of Popularity Energy! We can definitely secure the most resources. Rebel, thanks for your help! We might have to run the Secret Realm Dungeon again later, and we'll have to trouble you then... Do you know her?"

Ren Suo, who had been paying attention to the dialogue box, only now noticed a small NPC, about 20 pixels tall, next to the Rebel. She looked like a little girl, only about half the Rebel's height.

She seemed to be clutching the Rebel's clothes and didn't speak. Friend Z tactfully walked away.

The little girl dragged the Rebel to a less crowded area. Only after grabbing onto his clothes did she say, "I've come to play with you."

At that moment, a nickname popped up above her head:

"Phantom Girl"

And at the top of the screen, the following appeared:

"Mission Objective: Protect Phantom Girl as she fuses with the Supreme Treasure. Ensure that neither the Rebel nor Phantom Girl are exposed throughout the process."

Although the mission objective had finally appeared, Ren Suo keenly noticed something else—

The Rebel's Determination Value, after meeting the little girl, had suddenly skyrocketed, instantly reaching 100%!

Well, well, Rebel. You, with your honest-looking bushy brows and big eyes, turn out to be a lolicon, huh?