Chapter 77: Leaderboard

    Skill Card: Yin Yang Beast

    Skill Type: Transformation

    Skill Level: Joker

    Skill Description: A divine beast, an evil hound, a fusion of opposing forces that embodies both the virtuous and the malevolent. Will he embrace the path of light, or will he succumb to the allure of darkness?

    SAN Value required to activate this skill: 20

    Current SAN Value: 62

    "Nian’er..." Jin Jiuchi could only turn to the jade doll again because he was completely lost. "What does the description mean? Also, what is SAN Value?"

    Shen Nianzu lowered his gaze in thought. A fusion of opposing forces? He suddenly recalled the two versions of Jin Jiuchi who had appeared in front of him in the Cycle, and he had a pretty good understanding regarding what kind of ’transformation’ Jin Jiuchi would go through.

    But then, more questions soon arose in his mind. If the black-eyed and sinister version of Jin Jiuchi indeed came from the skill card, then why would he appear so soon when the man had not even completed any Cycle yet? According to the timeline, Jin Jiuchi should have still been a newbie who had no power whatsoever, shouldn’t he?

    Frowning, Shen Nianzu decided to shelve the doubt to the back of his mind for the time being. "SAN Value? Have you never played video games before?"

    Jin Jiuchi’s eyes radiated pure confusion as he mouthed the foreign words, "Video games?"

    ’So that’s a no,’ Shen Nianzu thought. But seriously, who had not played video games as they grew up? Or was it because of the horrible living environment that led the man to being sent to the asylum?

    "Simply put, SAN value is an attribute that measures someone’s mental stability, resilience and resistance to supernatural or traumatic experiences. If you encounter horrifying events, your sanity will be perturbed and your SAN Value will decrease, leading to mental distress, hallucination or even madness..." he trailed off as soon as he realized the full meaning behind the skill card, and he immediately became angry. "You need to lower your SAN value below twenty to activate the skill? Has the Nightmare gone insane?! Even SAN value below 30 is enough to give you hallucination. You will literally be mad for it to go below that number!"

    "Like when that nightmare creature cut my arm off?"

    "...What?" Shen Nianzu snapped his head up in shock.

    Jin Jiuchi rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I don’t really remember what happened back then, but when my arm was severed, my mind suddenly went blank and I felt like... like I was floating. After that... um, there is no after that because I could not recall anything more. Is that how it feels to have a SAN value below twenty, Nian’er?"

    "You..." Shen Nianzu sputtered out in shock. "Do you even know what you’re saying? You need to be hanging between the thread of life and death to activate this skill, Jin Jiuchi! We were lucky last time because it’s a low-level Cycle, but it will not be the same as mid and high level-Cycle! You may even die before you can properly activate the skill!"

    Jin Jiuchi blinked, surprised by the sudden outburst from the jade doll. But the next second, his eyes curved into crescents as a wicked smile graced the corner of his lips. "Awww, Nian’er... worried about me?"

    He looked so smug about it that Shen Nianzu felt the thin string of patience in his mind snapped, and he grabbed the pillow beside him to hit Jin Jiuchi with it. "You, fucking, bastard! I am seriously advising you so that you will not drop dead somewhere, and you still have the gall to joke around like this!"

    "Ow ow ow!" Jin Jiuchi lay curled up on the bed like a shrimp with arms protecting his head, while the jade doll towered above him to continue his abuse. "It’s my fault. Mercy, Nian’er! Have mercy!"

    Even though he said that, Shen Nianzu could clearly hear the laughter in his tone and it made him all the more enraged. He hit Jin Jiuchi with the pillow again and again until he almost lost his breath, and he only stopped when Jin Jiuchi’s phone nearby let out a faint ding.

    Both of them paused, and their gazes landed on the screen that was glowing brightly in the dark.

    [Total rank calculation completed.]

    In the next second, Shen Nianzu’s phone inside his pocket buzzed, causing his eyes to go wide. "No way..." he tossed the pillow aside in lieu of taking his phone out.

    And it was not only Shen Nianzu. Ninety nine other people, whose total rank was within the top 100 in the entire country, received the same notification at once.

    The leaderboard was sorted by the Nightmare itself based on the accumulated experience points, number of Cycles completed, quality of props owned, and level of skill card. Of all players, only the top 100 would be shown in the app as a testament of their strength and prowess.

    For the past two years, this leaderboard had stayed the same with only a few minor shuffles among the top 100. But tonight, a change had finally been made.

    ***

    Meanwhile, on top of the Shanghai Tower, Pudong.

    "Twinkle twinkle little star," A young man in his early twenties was lying on the rooftop of the skyscraper, staring at the overcast sky above with his legs dangling precariously on the edge as he hummed the nursery rhyme under his breath. "How I wonder what you are."

    Just then, the phone buzzed inside his pocket. He took it out and his eyes narrowed when he saw the unusual notification. "Hmm..."

    "Meow~" A pure black cat with deep green eyes akin to emerald sauntered gracefully toward him and nuzzled his cheeks, purring.

    The young man’s eyes, which were in the identical emerald shade, softened when they landed on the feline, "Done sightseeing?"

    The cat purred happily and gave a sweet cry, "Meow!"

    "Let’s go, then." He put the phone back into his pocket, scooped the cat into his arm and stood up. The wind tousled his brown curly hair and billowed his clothes. Standing on top of the highest building in China, the entire city was spread out beneath him like a dazzling ocean of light. The houses, cars, and people, everything looked very small and insignificant in comparison.

    He hugged the black cat closer to him and took a decisive step forward, letting gravity pull him down from the 128-story building.

    Amidst the free fall, the smooth skin on his back began to distort and a terrifying crack resounded as a pair of huge bone wings sprouted out of his scapula[1].

    A woman inside the tower, who happened to be looking out of the window, screamed on top of her lungs when she saw someone falling from above. "Ah!! I... I see someone jumping from upstairs! HELP!!"

    Her hysterical call immediately caused a big ruckus as a horde of people rushed to the window to catch a peek downstairs. The stationed guards on the floor were quick to contact the main security office to inquire about the situation. However, the feedback they received was that nobody had jumped off the building. Everything was as normal as it could be, for the young man had flown across the night sky before the CCTVs could catch a glimpse of him.

    "...Huh?" The woman was left confused and bewildered. "Did my eyes just play a trick on me?"

    ***

    In a certain elegant yet traditional residence in the suburbs, Suzhou.

    A ten years old child was ready for bed when the door to her bedroom burst open the next second, and three palm-sized paper dolls sprinted in as they carried a phone above their heads. "Young Miss, Young Miss, good news!" The voice that came out of the paper dolls was that of a young girl, full of joy and excitement.

    The child tilted her head in mild amusement, "What is it, Xiao Wa?"

    With a poof, the three paper dolls transformed into a teenage girl wearing a traditional blue hanfu with her long hair adorned by a delicate hairpin. Her feet did not quite touch the ground as she floated cheerfully toward her young miss. "I’ve just received the notification. The leaderboard has changed!"

    "R–Really?" The child’s lips trembled in shock and disbelief. "Oh, I wish I could see this with my own eyes..."

    Xiao Wa panicked when she saw blood start to seep out of the bandages around her young miss’ eyes. "Y–Young Miss, please don’t cry—ah!" She tried to wipe the tears of blood off the child’s face, forgetting that she was a mere paper doll. The crimson liquid instantly turned Xiao Wa’s hands wrinkly, and she cried out in fluster, "My hand!!"

    The little girl could not help but giggle at her paper doll’s silly antics. But then, the smile soon faded to be replaced with a touch of melancholy. "I have been waiting for this day for so long. Tell me, Xiao Wa. Who is it?"

    Xiao Wa scrambled to lift the phone with her good hand, and she said, "Oh, they are on rank 100. Their name is..."

    ***

    Back in Shen Nianzu’s secluded villa on the mountain.

    "Hello? Earth to Nian’er~~" Jin Jiuchi tried to draw the jade doll’s attention to no avail as he had become spellbound since he took out his phone. His purple eyes were wide in shock as he stared at the leaderboard on his phone.

    After two long years, a new name had finally appeared to sit on the very bottom place.

    Total Rank No. 100: JJ

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    Volume 1: A Wild JJ Has Appeared! — The End

    [1] Scapula = shoulder blades

    A/N: Congratulations for making it to the end of volume 1! We got a glimpse of two new characters. Will they be teammates or enemies? We will find out in volume 2! As a reminder, if you have not left a review yet, please consider leaving one to let others know the appeal of the book ^^

    Lastly, *cough* because this book is part of WSA contest, please continue to vote with PS, GT and if you have spare coins, please gift it to the book. It will be much appreciated!