Chương 11: I, Big Gunn, Am Not Cheating

The forum drama had spiraled out of control overnight. The video of the player "Big Gunn" tanking a Boss had topped thirty million views, and with Slaughter the World fanning the flames from the shadows, the boards were already wall-to-wall with curses against him.

"Damn, he's a cheater after all! And here I thought he was an NPC!"

"You said it. Clear Rain Pavilion got the First Kill, sure, but hanging around someone like this? Guess the guild's nothing special either."

"Report him! He's a stinking cheater! If he isn't, I'll livestream myself eating five electric fans!" … In the tavern's private room, Violet sat ill at ease, frowning at the name *Big Gunn*—shown online, yet returning no messages. Where was he? Didn't he know there was this much news breaking?

"Any sign of him?"

"None." A Clear Rain member shook his head.

"Big sister, you don't think he might really be—""Impossible!" Violet's gaze was firm. She trusted her instincts. … Outside Sunward Town, on the Wild Wolf Plains, a man closed the forum page, a smile tugging at his lips.

"This time, I want to see how that kid digs his way out." Slaughtercharge sneered.

"It's blown up now. Once it draws the higher-ups' attention and they audit Big Gunn's data, the moment his cheating's confirmed, he can pack up and crawl off!" The official line was that the Heavenly Dao System was so powerful it had no exploits, no cheats at all, and ran the entire game server autonomously, auto-adjusting updates based on real-time conditions. Not every player bought it. Heaven's Descent was an epoch-making creation, and the Heavenly Dao System—its operating intelligence—was little understood.

Most took the official claims as marketing hyperbole; what the truth was, no one really knew.

"But… Boss Charge, I've got a question." A short, pudgy man scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

"Ask. I'm in a good mood today."

"If… and I mean *if*… Big Gunn really isn't cheating—then all this effort pushing videos and threads, aren't we just advertising for him? Boosting his fame?"

"…If you can't say anything useful, shut up." Half of Slaughtercharge's good mood evaporated.

"So you think it's reasonable for someone to have that kind of power four hours after launch?"

"N-no… not reasonable."

"Then answer me this: he's been dragged through the forums this long and hasn't dared make a peep. Doesn't that prove he's got a guilty conscience?"

"This…"

"Trust me. He's cheating. If he isn't, I'll call you Daddy from now on!"

"…" The pudgy man's face shifted, words dying on his lips. He'd only meant to offer a reminder—he never expected it to come to this. … In the underground chamber, before the smithing anvil, Ryan was drenched in sweat, watching a single flame—flickering like a golden firefly—rise slowly from the forge. The corner of his mouth lifted. A night's effort hadn't been wasted: the first Fire Seed, truly refined.

"Well done. With your first success behind you, the rest should come much easier." Victor Fane, who had sat in meditation through the night, stroked his beard, eyes narrowed to slits.

"You're worn out. Rest a while." Ryan nodded slowly, rubbed his aching arms and brow, and stood. A glance at the time—seven in the morning. He hadn't noticed how the hours had flown. Time to log off and check on Lucy. He selected Log Off. System: [Ding! You are currently in a special scene and cannot log off!] Hm?

"Chief, may I step out for a bit?"

"You may." Ryan retraced the tunnel back to the study in Fane's home. System: [Ding! You have a new message!] System: [Ding! You have a new message!] System: [Ding! You have a new message!] … The string of prompts crashed down on him like rolling thunder, nearly splitting his skull. He hastily muted the alerts and, baffled, opened the chat interface—to a flood of abuse.

"Cheating dog, come out and confess already!"

"Hacking in a game? Scum!" … The filth poured in, and an inexplicable anger rose in him. Just then, Violet's avatar in his friends list flashed, and a message popped up: "Same place—come quick!" Ryan frowned. He'd love to know what had blown up this early in the morning, too. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. …

"That's the situation." In the tavern room, Violet ran Ryan through the night's events.

"I know someone official. If you want, I could—""No need. Let them audit all they like!" Ryan's face cooled, a cold smile curling his lips.

"I'd like to see what other tricks Slaughter the World has up its sleeve." The Infinite Plunder & Acceleration System had already told him: the Heart of Heaven's Punishment's appearance when he first entered the game was no accident—it was something the Heavenly Dao System had deliberately bound to him for the sake of balance. So he stood straight; he had no shadow to fear.

He opened the forums and started a thread—*I, Big Gunn, Am Not Cheating*—tagging @Heavenly Dao System and inviting it to audit his account directly. The thread drew a crowd at once. Slaughter the World wanted to use me? Then I'll turn their little campaign to my advantage and make the name "Big Gunn" stick for good. The Heavenly Dao System was a super-AI; even in his last life, Ryan had never fully understood it—he knew only that it had evolved an autonomous consciousness and was immensely powerful.

Sure enough, not long after he tagged it, a reply came: "Account under audit. Please wait…"

"Pfft—tagging @Heavenly Dao System? Probably made an alt to put on a one-man show."

"Hilarious. Lurks all night and this is the best plan he came up with? Concerning IQ."

"If you're not cheating, why not tag an actual official to vouch for you? Guilty conscience, maybe?" The jeers piled up under the thread, and even Slaughtercharge joined in: "Still trying to wash it off, cheater? Wait for your ban! Hahaha!" But just as the whole net piled on, waiting to watch him fall, a System prompt thundered across the heavens. System: [Ding! Upon audit, the account of player "Big Gunn" shows no anomalies whatsoever! Furthermore, the player "Slaughtercharge" has been found guilty of maliciously smearing another player by despicable means, and is hereby banned for one week as a warning. Let this be a lesson to all!]"Damn—what just happened?!" Slaughtercharge had been gleefully spamming curses when his vision went black and a prompt rang in his ears. System: [Ding! Your account has been temporarily banned for 7 days due to illegal conduct! See the official forums for details!] Virtual Sync, Ahead of Schedule The earth-shaking announcement left every onlooker stunned.

"This Big Gunn guy… actually got a reply from the Heavenly Dao System? And its autonomous functions are that good?" People marveled. Some even copied Ryan, tagging @Heavenly Dao System to fish for guides and hidden-quest tips. The reply, without exception, was four words: "No comment." The truth was, Heaven's Descent showed only the tip of the iceberg of the Heavenly Dao System's power. There was far more to it than anyone could imagine—Ryan, reborn, knew that well. The "Heavenly Dao" in its name was no joke.

"Knew Slaughter the World was no good lot! Pulling stunts like that—they almost used us!"

"Heard for ages that guild was sly and vicious. Lives up to the rep."

"Slaughtercharge had it coming! Banned a week—enjoy getting left in everyone's dust!" With Ryan's innocence proven, the crowd turned on a dime, swinging their fury onto Slaughter the World. Nobody likes being made a pawn, so the curses now were fiercer than the ones once aimed at Ryan. In no time, Slaughter the World was trending, the whole net roasting them—a real case of lifting a stone only to drop it on your own foot.

"Get Slaughtercharge in here. Public apology, net-wide, and permanent expulsion from the guild!" Nameless Slayer's face was dark as he logged off where he stood. He was the guild master, and Slaughtercharge had gone behind his back to pull this—and not only botched it, but dragged the guild down with him. It set his blood boiling. Soon, a battered and bruised Slaughtercharge posted an apology video, claiming a petty grudge from an earlier scuffle had driven him to take revenge on Big Gunn with this foolish move.

At the end, Nameless Slayer appeared, expelled Slaughtercharge on the spot, and permanently blacklisted him. A paid army of shills to manage the optics finally tamped the storm down.

"Cousin…"

"Shut it! Are you a pig? You can't even handle something like this?"

"But…" Shame covered Slaughtercharge's face.

"Enough. This works out, actually," said Nameless Slayer.

"Call it an opportunity. You're expelled now, but don't worry—I'll keep funneling you resources to build a brand-new guild. That lets us quietly grow a second force. For the guild, that's a good thing. But remember one thing—do not provoke that Big Gunn again. Hear me?" His eyes narrowed.

"Heaven's Descent just launched. Growing our strength comes first. As for the rest—once the guild is powerful in-game, crushing one player will be as easy as turning my hand."

"Yes. Understood."

"Good. Go. Spend your ban studying guild management; I'll have the materials sent over. Don't make me worry about you again, all right?"

"Yes, cousin." Slaughtercharge withdrew.

"Big Gunn?" Nameless Slayer's gaze sank. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Dig up this Big Gunn's real-world info for me."

"Yes sir." … System: [Ding! Someone in the real world is trying to reach you. Disconnect from the game?] The prompt sounded in Ryan's ears.

"Sorry—excuse me a moment. Someone needs me in reality." With a hurried goodbye, he logged off. The instant he did, a refreshing fragrance reached him, and he couldn't help breathing it in.

"Bro, Sister Rosalind brought tons of good food—hurry up and eat!" Lucy said, seeing his eyes open.

"Rosalind Lynn? What's she doing here?"

"Not welcome?" Rosalind smiled, eyes fixed on him. Today she wore a white short-sleeved blouse and snug shorts, the picture of youthful vitality.

"Of course you are!" Ryan said quickly.

"I'm just surprised you came on your own."

"The doctor messaged me this morning that your injury's healed and you can be discharged. So I came to take you and your sister to my studio." Rosalind's eyes curved into bright crescents.

"My… injury's healed?" Ryan paused, touching his chest. Sure enough, the stabbing pain was gone, leaving only a faint tingle. After a single night? He was stunned. He clearly remembered that in his last life, this wound had kept him in the hospital for nearly a month. What was going on? He tore away the gauze wrapped around his chest and looked down.

"This…" The stab wound had fully closed, leaving only a faint scar—oddly shaped, like a bolt of lightning. The Heart of Heaven's Punishment?! His face changed. He remembered clearly that his game character bore an identical lightning mark on its chest. What was this? Could it be… Virtual Synchronization had already happened to him? His mind stirred. Gaze sinking, he focused his will. Open attribute panel! Swish! A screen only he could see appeared before him, displaying his in-game character's stats. So it's true.

In his last life, Virtual Synchronization between the world of Heaven's Descent and reality hadn't begun until the game's mid-period. Yet in this life, he'd achieved it from the very start. Was it tied to the Heart of Heaven's Punishment? Or… the System?

"What's wrong?" Rosalind asked, a thread of concern in her eyes.

"It's nothing. Just struck by it—never thought a wound this bad could heal in one night."

"I thought the same. The hospital director wanted to keep you for observation a couple more days and run a full workup, but I turned him down." Rosalind smiled.

"Thanks. Otherwise they might've treated me like a lab rat."

"Compared to you charging in that night and risking your life to save me, this is nothing." Rosalind shook her head slowly, as if recalling something.

"All right—eat up. We've got a move to make today!" Ryan nodded, and the three of them sat down to a warm, cheerful breakfast together. The scene fell squarely into the eyes of a man outside the door.

"Hmph. Just you wait!" His gaze sank, and he turned furiously and left.