Chapter 330: A New Arrival

Chapter 330: A New Arrival

In the shared space filled with a faint grayish-white mist, Lu Ke and the others embarked on another day of CoreXie Harmful activities.

"Hehehe, resources are here~"

A figure slowly materialized, and Dragon Clan Lu Ke returned to the space with great enthusiasm. After the battle, he had modified the world line, perfecting and concluding certain unreasonable events. Without wasting any time, he embarked on a different kind of battle.

The new Lu Kes who had entered the space were all busy. Today, several veteran Lu Kes were present: the Death Lu Ke who was keen on card drawing and frontline combat, the Fire Shadow Lu Ke in his period of indolence, the Pirate Lu Ke, and the Xinyi Lu Ke who held a Rapidash and a Ditto in his arms.

As soon as Dragon Clan Lu Ke entered, he sensed something amiss. Instead of rushing over with flushed faces and shouting, "May good people live in peace," as they usually did, the few Lu Kes present looked at him with a mix of scrutiny and sympathy.

Dragon Clan Lu Ke, perplexed, scratched his head. "What's going on? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Xinyi Lu Ke, his face a mix of emotions, observed his old friend who had entered the space in the same batch. His expression was grave, and his tone carried a sense of inexplicable sorrow.

"Brother, you know that this day would eventually come. Times are always changing, and people's interests evolve. You've fulfilled your mission, and we will all miss you. We are grateful for what you've done."

As Dragon Clan Lu Ke became even more bewildered, Death Lu Ke spoke up.

"While you were away, two newcomers arrived in the space."

He patted the three-meter-tall Pirate Lu Ke beside him. The large body moved aside, revealing a new Lu Ke behind him.

The new Lu Ke had a slightly frail build and a handsome appearance. His eyes were black and clear, giving him the look of a meek and obedient student. Only the yellow hair on his head slightly marred his good-boy image.

He shook Dragon Clan Lu Ke's hand up and down and patted his shoulder in a condescending manner, as if a city official was consoling a rural leader.

"Brother, you've worked hard while I was away."

The shared ability was triggered, and Dragon Clan Lu Ke's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the new Lu Ke. He couldn't calm down for a long time.

The new Lu Ke's life story could be described as legendary. He had grown up in an orphanage and was shunned by his peers due to his quiet and unsociable nature. His physique was slightly weaker than his peers, except for his lower body, which was well-endowed like a young colt.

At the age of sixteen, he was adopted by foster parents. His foster father was a cheerful man with excellent sleep quality; he would fall asleep as if anesthetized as soon as he lay down. He enjoyed drinking but had a terrible alcohol tolerance, passing out after just one beer. It seemed like there might be something wrong with his body.

His foster mother was kind and caring, especially attentive to the new addition to their family. She was particularly concerned about his physical and mental well-being, often looking at him with a peculiar gaze. They also had two older sisters and a younger sister. The eldest sister was gentle and virtuous, spoiling him endlessly, granting his every wish. The second sister was noble and cold, and she looked at him with disdain, always giving him the cold shoulder. The youngest sister had a tsundere personality and loved to dote on this newly adopted brother.

On his first day at school, he was taken to a warehouse by three girls dressed in a flashy and rebellious manner, where they subjected him to various forms of "bullying." A beautiful classmate sitting next to him wanted him to join the volleyball club and was willing to do anything for it. The diligent and beautiful class president, whom he had helped in the orphanage when she was younger, had a slightly yandere personality. On their first meeting, she followed him around and initiated intimate contact.

After school, he witnessed a popular girl from his school fighting a strange pet and an ugly, disgusting monster in a corner on his way home. After her victory, she asked him to help her "replenish her energy." While studying at home, he inexplicably found a book on summoning demons. He tried it out and discovered it was the real deal, but all the rituals only summoned succubi.

The beautiful neighbor next door asked him to help fix a lightbulb. After he finished, she locked the door and forced him to continue helping with unclogging the drain. Whenever he sat in the park, random events would occur, such as encountering a book-loving older sister who always looked at him with a hidden gaze, a clumsy older sister who loved to stick close to him, or an older sister with an extraordinary background and injuries who hoped he would take her back to his room for recovery.

In short, one bizarre event followed another, keeping this Lu Ke on his toes and gradually wearing him down.

After skimming through the new Lu Ke's memories, Dragon Clan Lu Ke finally understood why the others looked at him with sympathy. A new Lu Ke from the Inner World had arrived, and he had a more functional ability.

He was no longer the top resource provider in the space!

"Lu Ke, am I about to be eliminated?"

Dragon Clan Lu Ke was stunned for a long time, his eyes vacant and his body slumped on the ground in a state of dejection, unwilling to accept reality.

"I've gained several high-quality girlfriends, and I've prepared good things for everyone. How could two happy events intertwine and lead to this?"

Pirate Lu Ke, who could empathize, sighed as he approached, "I understand how you feel. My record has been broken as well. The new guy is truly a beast."

The three-meter-tall Pirate Lu Ke, a native of the Pirate World and acknowledged by all Lu Kes as the king in his original form, had been surpassed by the new Lu Ke, who appeared weak and feeble. It was a humiliating disgrace!

"It must be because of the unique mechanisms in their world," said the thoughtful Fire Shadow Lu Ke. "Their human anatomy must be different from the norm. Under normal circumstances, they should be dead."

He walked over and patted Dragon Clan Lu Ke's shoulder, his face showing surprise. "Oh, you've collected all the Dragon Bone Crosses? And your God Realm is almost complete. You've done a great job, even without relying on the Serene Serene."

"But for some reason, I still feel incredibly dissatisfied."

Dragon Clan Lu Ke, feeling insulted, pouted, "The Dragon Clan's potential is limited. After the first generation's Dragon Bone Crosses, only the Black Queen remains, and she's still in slumber. I've searched the entire Pacific Ocean, even the entire Earth, but I haven't found any trace of her. Either the Black Queen has vanished, or she's hiding in some hard-to-detect alternate dimension."

"The former is less likely. Almost all the Dragon Kings believe that Ragnarok will come, and the revival of the Black Queen is inevitable. So, she's probably hiding and accumulating power."

Kage Lu Ke pondered for a moment, "The Dragon Kings control Niflheim, so the Black Queen must control something above this incomplete extradimensional space. If the White Queen can use the Fifth Element Aether to simulate earth, water, wind, and fire, creating a localized World Rebirth, then the Black Queen will only do better."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, her rate of accumulating power will never surpass our combined strength."

Dragon Clan Lu Ke waved his hand wearily. After obtaining the Dragon Bone Cross from the Four Great Monarchs and the White Queen, the Storm Dragon evolved once more, truly reaching the Starburst-tier. The Black Queen, who split from the White Queen and the Four Monarchs on Earth, could never be stronger than him.

The Storm Dragon had reaped the benefits, already a formidable Unsealed Monster, and with the 'Dragon' attribute becoming more prevalent in the world, novels like 'The Funeral of Flawless Ferylen', 'Elden Ring', 'A Dragon's Adventure', and the recently returned 'Dragon Clan' all contributed to its advancement.

Despite the expectation that the Storm Dragon would take a backseat as the Lu Kes' strength increased, it stubbornly continued to upgrade, never leaving its position in the top tier.

Noticing his low spirits, the Shinigami Lu Ke, for once, refrained from his usual sarcastic remarks and offered some comforting words.

"Power creep is a common issue in all games. Old cards are always replaced by new ones. You're just one among many, and there are plenty like you."

"When we played FGO, we thought Zhuge Liang, Merlin, and Scathach would be useful until the server shut down. But even the so-called 'iron-clad' cards eventually go offline. These days, graphics cards are updated every two years, so it's normal for you to become obsolete."

He had grown into a fifteen or sixteen-year-old, no longer the young boy he once was, exuding a youthful freshness that even improved his temper.

"To think I'd be comforted by a foul-mouthed brat in my lifetime. I guess I really am past my prime."

Dragon Clan Lu Ke rolled his eyes and walked over to the stele in the center of the space, where several lines of densely packed words were carved, recording significant events by various Lu Kes.

1. Return to Chaos Incident:

Shinigami Lu Ke awakened his zanrokido and attempted a rebellion but was suppressed and sentenced to the 'Greatest Sin' punishment.

Defendant: A man's dreams never end!

2. Kikakkar's Education of Love:

Pirate Lu Ke, under the guidance of Iron Fist Kikakkar, experienced a rapid growth in strength, entering the 1.0 era of power inflation.

Defendant: Isn't it reasonable for grandpa to beat me and for me to beat my grandson?

3. Art of Battle:

Xinyi Lu Ke faced off against Zhuge Liang at Longhu Mountain, and the panel monster successfully defeated the mechanism monster.

Defendant: The strategy is to stall until the opponent's red light turns on. What's there to fear when Ultraman's transformation time is up?

4. Lightweight Konoha Collapse Plan v1.0:

Kage Lu Ke fought an entire village alone, unlocking the Village Encyclopedia, and made a ten-year pact. The name Daidarabotchi Blue Zeus echoed throughout the ninja world.

Not a single mistake, a single shot, a single miss, a single containment, a single 6, a single 9, a single book, a single look!

Defendant: No one understands the art of bluffing better than me!

5. Day of Becoming a God:

Curse Lu Ke killed the Disaster Curse Spirit and the King of Curses, Noh face, rescuing 2.5 Wu and others, consuming a total of 1.4 million Curse Spirits, and successfully ascending to the Godlike status, entering the 2.0 era of power inflation.

Defendant: What? How do you know I've become a god?! Oh, it was just a small mishap. Keep it low-key.

6. King of Terrible Films:

The quality of '749 Bureau' is so bad that you might as well spit before leaving.

Hetui~

Defendant: I admit I didn't do well, but was Loki not at fault too?

7. [Data Deleted]:

Failed Doomsayers, a hotspot for crab infestations.

Defendant: I advise my brothers to watch their words and actions, avoid breaking the law, and prevent the onslaught of Divine Beasts.

8. Eternal Love:

A fleeting visitor in the vast passage of time, a lone traveler on the path of solitude.

The eternal sprite, a song forever passed down~

Defendant: I often feel out of place because I'm not as eccentric as you.

9. Elden King:

The Ominous King has been waiting for you in the Royal City for several months. When will you become the Elden King?

Defendant: When Satoshi and Pikachu reunite, Link decides to save Zelda, 'Silksong' is successfully released, 'The Game 6' launches on PC, 'Black Myth' gets a new DLC, then I'll go.

10. L Era:

Chengli Lu Ke obtained the Twelve Runes, Eight Masks, and Eight Devilisms, devoured all demons, gathered the magic of all White Qi Mages, and successfully became the King of the World, ushering in his own era.

Defendant: You are all my seniors; I'm just a mere newbie!

As he looked at the records left by the other Lu Kes, he also carved his own mark.

11. Dragon Tamer:

Dragon Clan Lu Ke dominated the dragons, recaptured the Bronze and Flame King and the Earth and Mountain King twins, dealt with the remaining Monarchs and the White Queen, suppressed the Black Queen, and made up for various regrets.

Defendant: I've fought the good fight, run the good race, and kept the faith.

As he carved the words, he casually asked, "Weren't there supposed to be two newcomers? Where's the other one?"

"That one is probably being pursued and might even die."

Xinyi Lu Ke pecked at his ice-blue feathers, his beastly eyes filled with concern, "This might be the first time a Lu Ke is killed. It's worrying for Pokemon."

"What nonsense! A Lu Ke who has shared power is still being pursued? We're Starburst-tier powerhouses."

Dragon Clan Lu Ke was startled and quickly scrutinized the memories he had just shared.

"Damn! This is crazy!"

He swallowed, "So, the Lu Ke Virus is finally targeting the Novel Realm? Our power is crumbling."

If novels like 'Overheaven', 'Star Eater', and 'Sovereign of All' appear in the future, won't the Lu Kes have to start over?

Shinigami Lu Ke rolled his eyes, "God-Gold, isn't your world also a novel?"

Dragon Clan Lu Ke: "..."

He couldn't refute it.

His gaze pierced through the thin mist, seemingly gazing upon a vast and boundless starry sky, and beneath it, a hidden madness.

"Anyway, I hope the person is safe."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end