My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 110 Genius, Past, Close Friend (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
At this moment, the setting sun slowly dips below the horizon, withdrawing its last rays from the sea.

The world was gloomy and dark. A cool sea breeze blew along the empty coastal highway, gently patting Gu Wenyu and Li Qingping's cheeks.

The two stared at each other blankly.

Behind them, the Octave Prism still hovered in mid-air, with black restraints flowing down from it, gathering into a twisted, tangled black vortex on the road, which looked like a pool of black blood from a distance.

"Li Qingping?"

Ji Minghuan, controlling the No. 1 mecha, spoke, breaking the silence between the two.

Li Qingping swallowed hard, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time:

"No, this...this is..."

Li Qingping, the vice-captain of the Wangting team, nicknamed "Red Dragon," had never before shown such an embarrassed and unsightly expression throughout his life.

He grew up in a miniature garden of whales and was seen as a genius by everyone.

Because he was exceptionally talented and grew much faster than his peers, he reached the standard for venturing out of the Little Garden world at the age of 12. So he left the Little Garden, forged an identity and entered the human world, where he received education in the human world at school while cultivating his strange skills.
To avoid attracting attention, he kept to himself at school and never associated with any friends.

During holidays, he would travel the world alone, collecting all sorts of "fragments of wonder" in the wonders of various places, such as the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert, the Arctic, and the Antarctic.

In all sorts of wondrous places, he collected fragments of strange tales that remained in the world, constantly filling in the record of strange tales, and enjoying the pleasure of pursuing excellence.

After growing stronger at a visible rate, Li Qingping encountered a tremendous opportunity. It was this opportunity that brought about a complete transformation in him.

It was in Dinas Emrys, in northwest Wales, that he found a historically significant site. It was the original location of the Arthurian legend's battle between the red and white dragons, and now stands the ruins of a 5th-century Iron Age fortress. The hill is surrounded by oak forests, and at its foot flows a lake known as the "Holy Spring."

It was in those ruins that he found the "Fragment of a Generational Wonder" left behind by the "Red Dragon Wales".

After that, he returned to the Whale Garden with this "generational" fragment of wonder.

Amidst the admiration and praise of thousands, he received a title from the King and became a member of the "Royal Court Team":
—The Royal Court Team is composed of the seven most powerful and recognized Oddity Messengers in the Whale Valley, making it the most powerful Oddity Messenger organization in the world. The minimum requirement for joining the team is to possess a "Generation-level" Oddity.

These seven men were given the unparalleled honor of being entrusted with the mission of protecting the king and his princes.

Li Qingping joined the Royal Court Team at a young age. He was the first person in the history of the Whale Garden to obtain the "Generational Wonder" before the age of 14. He was also the first monster in history to become a member of the Royal Court Team at the age of 14.

Therefore, because of his unprecedented and unparalleled talent and performance, he gained the king's deep trust and favor. Later, the king directly appointed Li Qingping as vice-captain and bestowed upon him a resounding codename:

—"Red Dragon".

However, after less than half a year, Li Qingping grew completely weary of this life, which was admired by thousands and coveted by countless others.

Perhaps it wasn't until he was showered with fame that he realized he didn't want to be a peerless genius. He disliked the awe-inspiring looks people gave him, and he disliked the kneeling commoners made when they saw him...

This is not the life he wants at all.

So Li Qingping left without saying goodbye and returned to the human world. The king was furious.

Logically speaking, a whirlwind envoy who has returned from his trials, especially one who has been bestowed with the honor of the "Royal Court Team," should cherish this honor and stay by the side of the king and princes, living a life of complete obedience.

Li Qingping was the only exception; he seemed to take all of this in stride.

However, out of consideration for his feelings and also out of a desire to value his talent, the king ultimately did not revoke the series of rights granted to Li Qingping. Instead, he allowed Li Qingping to calmly reflect on his situation in the outside world, while temporarily retaining his position in the "Royal Court Team."

Is that world over there really worth him giving up all that glorious glory?
After returning to the human world, Li Qingping arrived in Lijing, the capital of China, and entered a local junior high school.

At the same time, they changed their form to disguise themselves.

He wanted to make friends, so he used the power of the Oddity Manipulator to profit in the human world, easily making a fortune that he could squander. Then he began to act like a cheerful rich kid at school, always smiling and getting along well with his classmates.

Because he is very rich, he can give people whatever they like, so basically no one will give him a bad attitude.

At that time, the first friend he made was Gu Wenyu. Gu Wenyu's personality was different from his peers. He always seemed strange, aloof, distant, and sarcastic. He always liked to be alone. Some people in the class even gave him the nickname "one of the four weirdos".

Gu Wenyu never tries to please anyone. He doesn't like certain behaviors and has a clear bottom line. So he never fawns over Li Qingping just because Li Qingping is generous or "rich." He never does.

The two had a harmonious and natural relationship, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Li Qingping recalled one time after school, the two of them sat on the school rooftop, leaning against the railing and chatting.

Gu Wenyu hugged his schoolbag to his chest and suddenly said to him, "Hey, Lao Li, aren't you tired of putting on that act in front of others every day?"

Li Qingping was stunned for a long time before turning to look at him: "...What did you say?" "I mean, you always pretend to be..." Gu Wenyu suddenly paused, threw a bottle of Coke from his bag at him, "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything. You better watch yourself, you stupid idiot."

Li Qingping took the Coke bottle and chuckled blankly twice.

That was the first time in Li Qingping's life that he felt as if someone understood him.

Gu Wenyu was the first friend Li Qingping made in the human world, and he has become the friend he cherishes most to this day.

Now, Li Qingping is likely to lose this friend.

Because just now...

Gu Wenyu witnessed him impulsively committing murder.

On the coastal highway, the sky darkened, and a sliver of blood-red hue, along with the afterglow of dusk, slanted down and shone on the faces of Gu Wenyu and Li Qingping.

Li Qingping looked up and stared into Gu Wenyu's eyes. His gaze flickered, and he remained silent.

The thoughts in his mind were like a ball of yarn rolling on the ground, the lines becoming more and more numerous and tangled, as if these damned thoughts were about to drown his entire brain...

He couldn't very well tell Gu Wenyu, "I was just in a bad mood, so I killed someone so easily."
The reason for this murder is far too simplistic...

No… it’s all this thing called “Black Chrysalis”’s fault. If he hadn’t threatened me with Gu Wenyu’s name, I wouldn’t have bothered with him at all. I just…

I just lost my temper for a moment.

Li Qingping lowered his eyes, his face turning pale and then flushed, his heart filled with unease and he could hardly sit still.

He was very worried that his hard-won life would collapse and that his most cherished and only best friend would part ways with him because of this.

He was forced to return once again to the world he loathed, to kneel before those hypocritical royalty, to become a pawn to be manipulated, and to constantly deceive himself: this is the highest honor, you should cherish this hard-won opportunity.

After a moment, Ji Minghuan broke the silence that had enveloped the coastal highway.

He pointed sharply at the octagonal prism behind Li Qingping, his eyes widening slightly as he asked in a daze, "What's going on, Li Qingping? What's that thing behind you? That music box-like thing looks like it's bleeding black blood?"

Black blood?

Li Qingping was slightly taken aback, then suddenly turned his head to look behind him.

Just then, the restraints flowing out from the octagonal prism suddenly began to writhe on the ground, reassembling into a strange humanoid shape.

Under the crimson twilight, the black pupa slowly raised its head. Its body was not yet fully formed, and at this moment it looked like a shape made of a pile of black mud.

“Oh…you crushed my sunglasses, Li Qingping.” The black slime monster spoke slowly, its voice hoarse and sinister, like a debt-collecting demon crawling out of hell.

Unlike Gu Wenyu, Li Qingping was not frightened; on the contrary, his expression immediately softened.

He raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Not dead? Oh, since this thing isn't dead? Then I... didn't kill anyone in front of Gu Wenyu?"

On the other side, Gu Wenyu stared blankly at the lump of stuff. His usually droopy eyelids suddenly lifted, and he looked much more energetic, his listless demeanor completely gone.

He shouted in a trembling voice, "Holy crap! There's a ghost!"

"Wenyu, run!"

On a sudden impulse, Li Qingping rushed towards Gu Wenyu, grabbed his arm and ran towards the road ahead. Gu Wenyu was already thin, and now he was being pulled along like a bamboo pole, unable to resist at all.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the two crossed the coastal highway and entered a brightly lit street. Neon signs covered with Japanese characters came into view. Li Qingping stopped and belatedly let go of Gu Wenyu's arm.

"What... what the hell is going on?" To maintain his image of being frail and sickly, Gu Wenyu's legs gave way and he collapsed in front of the vending machine. He slumped over, panting heavily.

Li Qingping wasn't tired at all, but he still bent his knees, put his hands on his knees, and pretended to be panting heavily.

After a moment, Gu Wenyu, who had been lying on the ground, finally regained the strength to speak. He slowly raised his head to look at Li Qingping's profile, his face pale, and said:

"Li Qingping... what are you hiding from me? And what was that monster just now?"

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(End of this chapter)