Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 72: Records
Realizing she had been deceived, the young girl in black fell silent.
Her cold face, as usual, showed no signs of joy or anger. However, around her, a faint black mist began to emanate…
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai simultaneously looked towards their team captain on the other side. Since they were all wrapped in vines and suspended mid-air at the same height, it was convenient for eye contact.
[Looks like you two have angered her…] — The uneasy glances from Kuang and Qian.
[I’m just the sous-chef. The main chef is our advisor—yes, the advisor.] — The innocent look from Captain Xu.
The teammates hanging from the vines quieted down, as docile as budding flowers.
Even the shallow water calmed, and the crayfish ceased their play. The young dragon was nowhere to be seen, and the elusive electric eel lay hidden at the bottom.
The scene was momentarily very quiet.
At such times, the advantage of not being able to read the room or observe the atmosphere becomes apparent.
“You should have entangled me with the vines too, regardless of whether I was unconscious or had lost my ability to fight, but you didn’t.” Advisor Wu, who showed no pressure, didn’t forget to analyze the battle strategy for his opponent. “In a high-level duel like ours, one wrong move means losing everything.”
The three teammates: “……”
Their strategist had completely immersed himself in the role of a “scheming villain”, but “mysterious confidence” was a sacred and inseparable part of all his personas.
“Please fulfill your promise and show us the way,” Wu Sheng demanded, serious now.
The young girl in black stared at Wu Sheng, her eyes as cold as frost. If looks could freeze someone to death, Wu Sheng would have entered the Ice Age by now.
But the electric eel was swimming around her ankle, like an inescapable evil spirit. She knew that any movement, whether using stationery or summoning stones with the wind, would result in another destructive electric shock.
They faced each other in a long, silent standoff for a while.
The young girl in black, as reluctant as she was, finally gave in. “Right…”
The four teammates perked up their ears, not wanting to miss a single word.
“Right—left—right…”
“Plop.”
The four teammates, who were intently memorizing the directions, were startled. What kind of direction is “plop”?
The young girl in black, who was giving directions, was also confused. Being the closest to the sound and hearing it the clearest, she immediately looked down.
The next second, a wet little head popped out of the water near her leg. The calico bangs were soaked, forming distinct strands, and the blue-green eyes were filled with panic. The little paws struggled frantically in the water, crying desperately. “Meow, meow, meow—”
For the [Soul Painter], the ankle-deep water was like an abyss.
Wu Sheng hadn’t expected Wangwang from Plan K to make an appearance at this moment. He immediately deactivated the stationery effect without hesitation.
The shallow water vanished instantly, and Wangwang, as if pardoned, leaped up with a “plop”, clinging to the maze wall, spreading out like the “大*” character. Its small paws clutched desperately at the stems and leaves of the vine plants that had spread to the wall, motionless like a spider kitten.
*Big.
Seeing how adept it was, Wu Sheng knew that the little guy must have maintained this position for a long time before falling into the water due to exhaustion.
While Advisor Wu’s mind was racing, Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin were still in their initial state of shock, their puzzled gazes drifting towards the captain.
“The fight just now was too intense. My hand slipped when I was trying to activate a stationery.” Captain Xu apologized profusely, once to his teammates and once to Wangwang.
Teammates: “……”
Wangwang: “Meow!”
The sound of frustration, no matter how you heard it, seemed to carry an unappeasable wrath.
Xu Wang shrank his neck, avoiding the blue-green glare of the kitten overlord, and quickly prepared to deactivate the stationery and send Wangwang back home through the air.
But as he was about to act, the young girl in black suddenly turned around, came behind the small calico kitten, and curiously extended a finger, lightly touching the tip of its ear.
The kitten seemed displeased at being touched, folding its ear down instantly.
The young girl in black, startled, withdrew her finger as if electrocuted.
But within two seconds, she couldn’t help herself and gently scratched the top of the kitten’s head.
The kitten, seemingly annoyed, suddenly turned and pounced!
The young girl in black instinctively stepped back half a step, and the kitten only managed to grab her cloak.
Missing its target, Wangwang immediately fled, perfectly inheriting its team’s “scheming” style. Unexpectedly, its sharp claws hooked the cloak, and as it jumped and ran, it tore off the black cloak of the young girl!
Silver hair cascaded down, beautiful as moonlight!
Her black princess dress, less playful than Xiao Bai’s but more exquisite, made her look even more like a moonlight elf—cold, serene, and mysterious.
The vine plants disappeared.
The three teammates landed on the ground.
But the young girl in black didn’t even look at them, only bending down to carefully pick up Wangwang—like a guilty little kitten, it stepped on the cloak, not daring to move.
A gentle, warm breeze enveloped Wangwang, making its fur warm and cozy.
Feeling comfortable, Wangwang narrowed its eyes without taking a stand and lay quietly in the young girl in black’s arms.
After two or three minutes, the wet kitten regained its majesty. Its fur was sleek and shiny, and it purred comfortably.
Only then did the young girl in black reluctantly raise her eyes and look at Xu Wang.
Captain Xu understood and quickly summoned [Soul Painter].
Wangwang, in the young girl in black’s arms, slowly disappeared. Its little paw icon reappeared in Xu Wang’s stationery box.
At this time, the four teammates had regrouped.
The young girl in black glanced at them and turned to draw a door on the maze wall with her finger as a pen.
As her fingertip left, the door materialized, identical to the twenty doors they had nearly missed earlier.
The four teammates: “……”
She too is a soul painter.
“Forget the previous directions.” The young girl in black turned back. Her moon-like, long hair gently fluttered in the night breeze. “This door is for you.”
Xu Wang asked, “What’s behind the door?”
The young girl in black: “You’ll know once you go through.”
Xu Wang, understandably, was cautious. “It’s not a trap, is it?”
“You can continue on the path I initially directed.” The young girl in black’s voice remained cool and distant, as if she was merely offering options, leaving the choice up to them.
Xu Wang instinctively looked at his teammates.
Wu Sheng: “One cannot be too careful.”
Qian Ai: “Better to stick to the safe route.”
Kuang Jinxin: “I think she means no harm…”
“Xiao Hei.” Captain Xu decided. “We choose the door!”
Wu Sheng, Qian Ai: “……”
What kind of voting standard is this?!
The young girl in black nodded and stepped back, giving them space to open the door themselves.
The four teammates approached the door. Xu Wang took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob, but suddenly another hand covered his.
It was Wu Sheng.
“Wait a moment,” he said.
Xu Wang: “……”
Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Right, they had forgotten. Their advisor always had a final step.
As Wu Sheng held his teammates back from opening the door, he looked again at the young girl in black. To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t send another small card but said directly, “Xiao Hei…”
“Shut up.” The young girl in black’s usually indifferent tone finally showed some impatience. “Hei Momo.”
Wu Sheng was taken aback. “Your name?”
The young girl in black didn’t respond, implicitly confirming it.
Wu Sheng nodded. “Okay, Momo…”
Hei Momo: “……”
The three teammates turned their heads silently. Their advisor, who should have been cunning at times of deceit and straightforward at others, was oddly omitting surnames. If one day he got beaten up, it would definitely be his own doing*!
*Clarity: Generally, in Chinese culture, it’s impolite to refer to someone by just their first name, unless you’re very close to that person.
“Where is your home?”
Fortunately, Wu Sheng’s question came quickly enough to divert Hei Momo’s attention and save him.
“The Moonlight Maze is my home,” Hei Momo answered without hesitation.
Wu Sheng asked again, “Xiao Bai has a bedroom. Do you have one?”
Hei Momo frowned slightly. “Who is Xiao Bai?”
Wu Sheng: “Someone like you, living in this maze.”
Hei Momo: “…Oh.”
“Aren’t you curious about them?” Wu Sheng was surprised by her indifference. “Besides Xiao Bai, there’s Xiao Huang, and possibly Xiao Hong1, Xiao Lu2, Xiao Lan3, all living in the Moonlight Maze like you.”
1Red.
2Green.
3Blue.
“So what?” Hei Momo’s eyes remained unflinching, neither refuting nor resisting. She genuinely didn’t care.
“Don’t you want to see the outside of the maze?” Wu Sheng persisted, gazing at her steadily. “There’s a forest outside the maze.”
Hei Momo looked up at the night sky. “I have the moonlight. That’s enough.”
The night was peaceful.
The sound of insects.
“In another minute, I will resume combat.” The young girl in black asked one last time, “Are you sure you don’t want to leave?”
Qian Ai: “Goodbye!”
Kuang Jinxin: “Goodnight!”
Xu Wang: “It was a pleasure meeting you. Take care!”
Wu Sheng: “See you later.”
The three teammates: “……You don’t have to make such a wish!!!”
After the hurried farewell, Captain Xu decisively opened the door, leading the team out.
“Click.”
The door closed behind them.
Inside, Hei Momo looked up at the moon again.
Outside, the four teammates, expecting to enter a new maze path, were stunned to see a forest full of lush trees.
The Moonlight Forest.
Had they… left the maze?
“Ding Ling Ling—”
[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 3/23 test and handing in your papers!]
Xu Wang: “……”
Wu Sheng: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Qian Ai: “…Is it really that easy?”
Why does it feel like cheating shamefully?!
Xu Wang: “Huh? Isn’t something missing?”
Wu Sheng: “Dear, see you tomorrow~~?”
Kuang Jinxin: “……”
Qian Ai: “Are you sure that’s Chinese?”
“Ding—”
The second half of the sentence wasn’t completed, but the reward came early.
Usually, after a submission, they would be instantly returned to reality, and the rewards and coordinates would be given the next day when entering the “Owl”.
Qian Ai looked at his [Stationery Box], feeling something was off, and finally realized the issue. “It seems I’ve been given an extra illusory stationery!”
During the first three rounds, the rewards were exclusively “defense and offense stationeries”, but this time it was a combination of “defense, offense, and illusory stationeries”.
The teammates gathered their arms together and found that everyone received the same: three rewards each time.
Classmate Qian, who thought he had won a lottery, had his dreams shattered in an instant.
“As the levels progress, the demand for stationery increases, so it makes sense that the rewards also increase a bit.”
Just as Wu Sheng finished analyzing, the teammates heard a new notification sound. It was super long and one they hadn’t heard before.
“Ding Ling Ling Ling Ling~~~”
[Owl: Congratulations on breaking the 4/23 submission speed record!]
Submission… speed?
The four teammates looked at each other, completely unprepared. Their arms rang with “dings” again, as if to ensure they weren’t confused enough.
“Ding—”
[Report Card]: 4/23 submission speed record updated (01:37:25), Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai, Wu Sheng, Xu Wang receive additional rewards!
“Ding—”
[Report Card]: [Submission Speed Ranking] is now open. Please check it as soon as possible.
“Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—”
Four treasure chests fell in front of each teammate, landing on the soft ground with a solid thud.
Sheng, Wang, Kuang, Qian: “……”
They had to check the [Submission Speed Ranking] and open the treasure chests, and likely, just like the previous [Overall Score Ranking], they only had two minutes. Once the time was up, the ranking would close, and they would be forcibly returned to reality…
The four teammates glanced at each other. What were they waiting for? Let’s get moving!
Click, click, click, click—
No time for gentle handling or elegant unboxing. The four of them pried open the treasure chests like robbers!
“Ding—” sounds were continuous.
Each of their [Stationery Box] received three more stationery, still a combination of defense, offense, and illusory stationery.
Is the reward for breaking the record just one set of combined stationery?
Of course not.
Like the chests in the Endless Sea, they also contained real gold and silver—soft sister coins*.
*It’s internet slang referring to the RMB (the yuan), but with a cute interpretation as soft sister coins is [ruanmeibi] (软妹币) while RMB is [renminbi] (人民币) (both with the RMB acronym).
Xu Wang’s chest had a stack, estimated to be ten thousand.
Wu Sheng’s chest had a stack, also estimated to be ten thousand.
Qian Ai’s chest had a… small stack, estimated to be one thousand.
No, even one thousand Qian Ai could bear, but he counted it in a flash. “Only eight hundred?! Heartless—”
Kuang Jinxin gently tugged at his teammate’s sleeve and informed him discreetly. “I didn’t get a single coin.”
Qian Ai was stunned. “How is that possible?”
Even if Kuang Jinxin said he got 80,000, he couldn’t be so shocked.
But looking down, indeed, the other’s chest was empty.
Despite their curiosity, the teammates quickly opened the [Submission Speed Ranking], trying to absorb as much information as possible.
No wonder they were keen.
After more than a month in the “Owl”, this was the first time the [Submission Speed Ranking] was opened!
[Submission Speed Ranking]
12/23 — Du Yin, Fan Yebai, Li Dian, Mu Yixuan, Peng Ye (05:46:58)
11/23 — ……
……
7/23 — Fan Peiyang, Teng Ziyan, Wan Fengmang, Zhang Qian, Zheng Luozhu (02:19:02)
6/23 — ……
5/23 — ……
4/23 — Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai, Wu Sheng, Xu Wang (01:37:25)
The teammates looked down the list until 7/23, where they saw familiar names.
“Fan Peiyang’s team only holds one record?” Even Kuang Jinxin felt something was off.
This team was a regular on the [Overall Score Ranking], always visible every week the ranking was updated. Although they didn’t know each other, the names were as familiar as they could be. Of course, a good overall score doesn’t necessarily mean fast speed, but logically, as the levels go higher, fewer teams reach them, and even fewer submit. A team that’s consistently in the top five of the overall ranking, even topping half the time, shouldn’t they have taken at least more than one record for the later levels?
Moreover—
“After 7/23, all the records are held by unfamiliar teams.” Wu Sheng confirmed after a quick glance. “Not a single name has been on the [Overall Score Ranking].”
“Could it be possible that they were on it before?” Kuang Jinxin tried to explain. “And just in the month we’ve been in the ‘Owl’, their performance dropped, and they fell off the ranking?”
That made some sense…
“Forget it.” Wu Sheng shook his head. “With so little information, we can’t draw accurate conclusions out of thin air. Time will tell, and we’ll find the answer eventually.”
With Advisor Wu putting an end to the discussion, Xu Wang immediately shook off his worries, his face lighting up. “We broke a single-level record, got stationery, and money. Shouldn’t we celebrate somewhere?”
Kuang Jinxin: “Of course, we should!”
Qian Ai: “Yeah.”
The person who only got eight hundred kept a low profile.
Just as the joyful atmosphere was rising, the [Submission Speed Ranking] closed.
Indeed, just two minutes.
The scene before the teammates darkened and then brightened up again, and they were at a night market food stall.
At 1:40 a.m., some stalls were closing, but the lively atmosphere of the night market, with the combined scents of cooking, created a beautiful nightscape, making it hard to leave.
“How about we start with a stall here?” Qian Ai suggested. “It’s fitting for the occasion and feels great!”
Captain Xu thought for a moment. Celebrating at the place where they broke the record seemed like a good story. Yes, it was a plan.
He took a deep breath, intending to use his nose to choose the stall with the most enticing aroma, but before he could pick a stall, he found himself starved by the smells.
Just as he was about to consult his teammates, he saw Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin also looking like they wanted to try everything, completely hopeless. Reluctantly, he turned to his advisor, hoping for some rationality.
Wu Sheng was indeed rational, not even glancing at the stalls, instead looking thoughtfully at the ground, pondering some profound question.
Xu Wang, speechless, nudged him. “What are you thinking about?”
Wu Sheng looked at him, then pondered for a few seconds before finally saying, “It wasn’t a slip of the hand, was it?”
Xu Wang blinked twice, absorbing the advisor’s meaning, and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You know me well.”
Wu Sheng was exasperated. “Next time you have a spontaneous plan, could you give me a sign so I can avoid the risk…”
Xu Wang got annoyed at this. “How was I supposed to know you had so many stationeries? Why did you have to use [A Dragon Swimming in Shallow Waters is Teased by Crawfish]?”
Qian Ai: “Uh, what are you two talking about…”
“It wasn’t a slip of the hand…” Kuang Jinxin connected the context and realized. “Captain, did you release Wangwang on purpose?!”
Xu Wang nodded frankly. “I originally wanted it to hide in a dark corner to coordinate with Plan W, but it got scared when your Sheng Ge used water.”
Qian Ai: “Then just tell the truth. Why make up a slip of the hand?”
Xu Wang: “Hei Momo was there. I couldn’t just say I released Wangwang to unexpectedly attack her from behind. She likes Wangwang so much. It would have hurt her.”
Qian Ai: “……”
A meticulously planned strategy and opportunistic tactics. In summary, the leadership of this team are all devils. — “Qian Ai’s Challenge Diary”
“Nice to see you again—” A warm greeting came from the side.
The four teammates looked and saw four familiar faces. The same muscular man, phoenix-eyes man, paper thin man, and dark-circles man they had chatted with briefly at the maze entrance.
Compared to their vigorous appearance when entering the maze, they now looked somewhat weary, and their clothes showed signs of combat.
“You were also kicked out, right?” Dark Circles said frustratedly. “An hour and a half to the exit, there’s definitely something fishy. If I catch those guys!”
Four teammates: “……”
“Um, cough.” Xu Wang cleared his throat, trying to look sincere. “When we were at the entrance, didn’t you say most teams were familiar faces? Don’t you know who broke the record?”
Dark Circles: “People are familiar, but not the names. There are grudges and enemies in there. What if someone finds out the real names and seeks revenge in reality?”
Muscles nodded and added, “Reality and the ‘Owl’ are not completely separate worlds. Fatigue and pain continue into reality, as do relationships between people.”
Phoenix Eyes was speechless. “Teacher Wei…”
“Ok, Ok.” Muscles raised his hand. “Class dismissed.”
The usually quiet Paper Thin, as if sensing something, suddenly looked up thoughtfully at the four. “Do you recognize the team that submitted their papers?”
Qian Ai: “Not at all!”
Kuang Jinxin: “It’s our first time on this level.”
Wu Sheng: “Never thought a team could submit so quickly.”
Xu Wang: “Yes, although it’s hard to admit, I must say, it really is an excellent team…”
<<< || Table of Contents || >>>
Kinky Translations 
The cat really worked! Although he tried to attack with it instead of the tried and true “you don’t like anything or anyone? Here’s a kitten!”
so I feel like it’s my plan that worked and not his
LikeLike