“Ah, the workload has increased again.”
The Green Furball grumbled, perched upon a cloud with a translucent screen materializing before it. Despite its complaints, it diligently carried out the tasks assigned by the Yellow Furball.
Their mission: to uncover the true identity of the player known as [Spearmaster]…
The other furballs, too, opened their respective system interfaces, each scrutinizing their assigned sections.
****
“In the end, we still haven’t found anything!”
After an indeterminate amount of time, the Green Furball suddenly let out a long cry to the heavens, delivering its conclusion.
“The player with the ID Yan shows no trace of third-party auxiliary cheating software in their data; the information transmitted from their personal computing platform is also entirely normal…”
It was worth noting that the data from the personal computing platform wasn’t a stream of individual bits, but rather aggregated computational data summarizing the entire battle process.
“Are you serious? GM-m, share your screen so we can see.”
The Yellow Furball paused, startled by the news, unable to believe the Green Furball’s assessment.
“Oh.”
With a dismissive flick of its fluffy little face, the Green Furball caused an interface to pop up before all the furballs present, displaying the combat data of Yan’s battle against the [Alpha Dragon Demon General] as transmitted from his personal computing platform.
“Huh? That’s strange…”
The Red Furball scrutinized the interface shared by the Green Furball, a puzzled expression crossing its face.
“Indeed, this data bears no signs of modification by packet-sniffing or packet-editing tools.”
“If he truly were using a ‘cheat,’ it’s impossible that he would leave absolutely no trace…”
“You’re right…”
The Yellow Furball nodded, its face grim, forced to concede to their arguments.
“Perhaps this fellow, nicknamed [Spearmaster], really isn’t cheating after all?”
Having completed its task, the Green Furball slumped back onto its cloud, speaking with a languid air.
It swiveled its round, beady eyes, once more fixating on the video clip in the sky depicting Yan’s final blow against the [Alpha Dragon Demon General].
“Moreover, this reported video only captured the very last segment of the [Spearmaster]’s kill; there’s no way to ascertain how long the [Spearmaster] actually fought the [Alpha Dragon Demon General]. What if he simply ground down the level 110 [Alpha Dragon Demon General] through sheer persistence?”
“Impossible! Are you suggesting this guy truly defeated a level 110 boss while sixty levels lower? How could that be?”
An expression of utter disbelief surfaced on the Red Furball’s fluffy little face, its tiny, rice-grain-sized black pupils widening in shock.
“It might not be impossible, you know, GM-a. Don’t forget what kind of game we’re managing here…”
The Green Furball gently rolled over on its cloud, propping up its small face to look at the Red Furball.
“This is Associated Divine Realm, after all. The effects of powerful associated skills are hardly less potent than outright cheating.”
“Besides, I watched the [Spearmaster]’s performance in the first event; he’s a highly skilled player. His associated skill seems to allow him to actively cancel his own abilities, which is a formidable associated-tier skill for boss farming.”
“With proper execution, it’s not difficult to avoid being hit by the boss consistently, and the [Alpha Dragon Demon General] doesn’t even have normal attacks…”
“It’s merely defeating a boss with a sixty-level disparity; there’s no need to make such a fuss…”
“Hey, GM-m. You’re the one with the problem, aren’t you!? This is clearly a major event that *demands* a fuss!”
The Red Furball glared at the Green Furball in astonishment, its voice rising in a clamor. Defeating a boss sixty levels higher was, by any measure, an outrageous feat.
“What’s more, no matter how strong an associated skill is, could he really spend such an agonizingly long time and mental effort just to wear down the [Alpha Dragon Demon General]…?”
“GM-a, you calm down as well.”
The Yellow Furball, occupying a higher position, reprimanded it with a cold voice, causing the Red Furball to huff and fall silent.
“It’s a fact that this data shows no trace of cheating. Based solely on this, we should cease our suspicions regarding the [Spearmaster]. Arbitrarily banning someone’s account without evidence would earn us the scorn of all players…”
The Yellow Furball closed its eyes, speaking with a deep, resonant tone.
Then, slowly opening its eyes, it surveyed the furballs below.
“However, to be absolutely certain… we must still invite ‘that person’ to come out and inquire properly. After all, those who were present have more authority to speak on the matter.”
“Ah! Are we actually calling ‘that person’ to appear!?”
The Red Furball’s expression shifted to one of astonishment.
“It’s ‘that person’? It’s been so long, I’ve actually missed her a little…”
The Green Furball remarked with a hint of anticipation.
“Well then…”
The Yellow Furball took a deep breath, slowly lifting its face to gaze upwards.
“GM-Alice, could you come out for a moment?”
Its tiny, dark eyes fixed on the clouds above. It turned out that the cloud layer where it resided, which the furballs below looked up to, was not even the highest stratum. Above its head, another cloud, imbued with fantastical hues, shimmered.
This cloud was subtly pale blue, appearing uniquely striking in this [System Realm] where only white clouds existed, and no blue sky was visible.
The soft cloud’s form, remarkably, resembled a long-haired maiden in a dress, her beautiful hair gently stirred by the breeze, transforming into a wispy, light blue cloud.
Responding to the Yellow Furball’s summons, the fantastical cloud trembled slightly. Then, the soft cloud abruptly parted, and the graceful silhouette of a maiden flew forth, appearing before the assembly of furballs.
“Is there something you need me for?”
Alice floated in the air, offering the furballs a gentle, breathtaking smile, feigning ignorance.
“Ah, it’s Alice. I’m dead (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang expression used to convey being overwhelmed, often by beauty or charm, to the point of emotional ‘death’).”
The Green Furball, originally utterly exhausted and only wishing to slack off and relax its mind, saw Alice’s exquisite smile, and a serene expression blossomed on its fluffy little face.
“Actually, it’s about this player, Alice. Could you merge the sub-program responsible for them?”
The Yellow Furball swiped the reported video before Alice’s eyes.
Gazing at Yan’s resolute back as he battled the [Alpha Dragon Demon General] on the screen, a trace of almost imperceptible tenderness flickered in her eyes.
“No problem.”
She nodded gently to the Yellow Furball, then slowly closed her eyes.
A surge of blue light emanated from her, and a phantom image, indistinguishable from her beautiful form, suddenly appeared from the sky, soaring into Alice’s body.
“All done~”
She opened her eyes again, then lifted her tender white hands and cradled the Yellow Furball from its cloud.
A blush spread across the Yellow Furball’s fluffy little face, and it cleared its throat, trying to compose itself.
“Alright then, Alice.”
“Would you kindly inform us of the detailed specifics of the associated skill belonging to the player with the ID Yan?”
“Additionally, how much time did Yan’s battle with the [Alpha Dragon Demon General] actually take that day?”
“Based on your observations of him, did he… use cheats?”