After Chasing The Villain With A Clueless System - Chapter 3

Song Qi sat on her bed with a vacant expression, her mind entirely occupied with figuring out how she could attend the Young Heroes’ Assembly.

Unfortunately, the noise around her was unbearable. Her roommates kept fussing over her, asking whether someone had bullied her or if she was feeling unwell.

It was not that Song Qi did not want to answer. She had already told them she was fine, but they refused to believe her, so she simply stopped talking altogether.

The fact that they had managed to render the queen of arguments speechless made Song Qi admire her roommates a little. She even began to suspect that they were the hidden bosses of Tianxing.

Come to think of it, these three roommates did have a good relationship with her, though much of that was probably because she was Song Tianxing’s younger sister. After all, Song Tianxing was one of the Divine Sword Sect’s most prominent disciples.

Song Qi recalled the beginning of the novel. The siblings had both wanted to become disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, but only one position remained among the inner disciples.

Song Tianxing earned that place, while Song Qi was assigned to the outer sect.

It was only last year that Song Qi finally entered the inner sect. Her abilities were unremarkable, barely reaching the threshold for a Grade-B disciple.

With qualifications like these, Song Qi had no confidence that she could compete against the Divine Sword Sect’s Grade-A disciples.

【Hey, Song Qi. The data I have here says your talent score is as high as two hundred and ninety!】

At least it wasn’t two hundred and fifty.

Wait.

Two hundred and ninety?

What kind of measurement scale was that?

“What’s the maximum score?”

The moment Song Qi spoke, the previously incessant noise abruptly stopped.

All three women stared blankly at her, seemingly trying to understand what her question meant.

Song Qi suddenly realized how bewildering her outburst must have sounded to her roommates.

“Ahem. I’m a little tired. You three should go practice first. I’ll rest for a while and join you later.”

At the moment, Song Qi truly had no energy to deal with them. She needed to speak with Hutu and properly understand the current state of the world of Tianxing.

“…All right. Senior Sister, make sure you rest well.”

The slightly plump young woman was named Qiao Qian. Of the three, she was the least scheming. Her greatest passion was eating, and she had the closest relationship with Song Qi.

Seeing that Song Qi genuinely needed some time alone, Qiao Qian immediately pulled the other two women out of the room.

The world finally became quiet.

Song Qi almost felt as though her ears were still buzzing. Those three women’s mouths were simply too destructive.

【The maximum score is three hundred. You have two hundred and ninety. In this world, that makes you an unparalleled genius.】

Only then did Hutu’s voice sound again.

Heat surged through Song Qi’s entire body, and she immediately pressed for more information.

“An unparalleled genius? The protagonist’s younger sister, who barely did anything throughout the novel, is actually an unparalleled genius?”

What kind of setting was this?

Had the system somehow changed her natural talent after she arrived?

【You were born with this talent. It has nothing to do with me!】

Wait.

This thing could hear her thoughts?

“Hutu, you’re actually spying on my mind?”

Song Qi suddenly felt extremely unsafe.

What if Hutu heard her insulting the system and decided to go on strike? Wouldn’t that mean she could never return to her original world?

【We have strict control procedures for that. If what you are thinking concerns your privacy, or if you are doing something highly private, such as using the toilet or mating, then as long as you do not wish for others to know, the system will automatically be blocked.】

Song Qi: “…That’s fairly considerate.”

【It is!】

Song Qi returned to the matter at hand.

Hutu had just said that this talent was something she had been born with. If she was truly an unparalleled genius, how had she ended up doing so poorly?

“Hutu, how high is Song Tianxing’s talent score?”

If she was an unparalleled genius, then Song Tianxing’s talent must be heaven-defying. Otherwise, how could he possibly have become the protagonist?

【Let me check… Mm, two hundred and eighty.】

Song Qi smiled when she heard that.

“I knew it… Wait. Did you say two hundred and eighty?”

【Correct.】

Song Qi was instantly dumbfounded.

Her talent was actually higher than Song Tianxing’s.

What was going on?

Song Qi became somewhat unsettled. Could there be some hidden ailment in this body that made her progress in martial arts so slow?

【According to my investigation, you have no hidden ailments!】

After hearing that, Song Qi became even more confused.

Did that mean the Song Qi in the novel simply lacked ambition? She possessed unparalleled talent, yet she had fallen this far and could not even defeat Bai Luoyin?

“What exactly went wrong?”

Song Qi scratched her head and put on a pained expression. She constantly felt as though she had overlooked something.

【Let’s put that aside for now. I still need to import the original Song Qi’s memories into you. I shut down at the beginning, so I wasn’t able to complete that task in time.】

“Then hurry up.”

This was far too important.

Most of all, she needed to know every route within the Divine Sword Sect, the martial arts she possessed, and the people she normally interacted with.

The original Song Qi had only been a minor background character, so the novel contained very few descriptions of her. There were not many clues Song Qi could uncover.

She desperately needed those memories to be imported.

Very soon, Song Qi felt an enormous number of images and words being poured into her mind.

They were completely chaotic at first. Once they filled her entire head, however, the images and words began organizing themselves.

In the end, they became coherent, orderly memories.

“Holy crap.”

After receiving all of the original Song Qi’s memories, those were the first words out of her mouth. Surprise appeared uncontrollably on her face.

“No wonder the male lead treats her so well!”

After saying that, Song Qi began recalling various minor details from the novel.

She realized that there had been clues all along. The author had simply concealed them, and now Song Qi had discovered the truth.

The novel had mentioned that Song Tianxing and Song Qi came to the Divine Sword Sect together to seek masters and learn martial arts.

There had only been one place available among the inner disciples, meaning only one of the siblings could enter the inner sect and receive better resources.

The novel had described Song Tianxing practicing nearly day and night before the assessment, while Song Qi usually stopped training after sunset.

Many times, Song Qi had sat in the courtyard watching Song Tianxing practice his swordsmanship, unable to stop herself from sighing.

This was how the novel had described it:

“Watching her elder brother practice his swordsmanship so diligently, an unreadable darkness passed through Song Qi’s beautiful eyes, and she let out a soft sigh.”

At the time, Song Qi had assumed that the original character felt ashamed because she was not working hard enough.

Now, however, it seemed that the original Song Qi had believed that no matter how hard Song Tianxing worked, he still could not surpass her.

She had probably felt sorry for him.

Song Qi also remembered that on the night before the assessment, the siblings had sat together and spoken from the heart until dawn.

On the day of the assessment, Song Qi was defeated by Song Tianxing within ten moves. Song Tianxing won effortlessly.

That was because during their conversation the night before, Song Tianxing had begged the original Song Qi to give the place to him. He promised that after he became strong, he would protect her properly.

Song Qi agreed.

Song Tianxing never broke his promise either. Whenever Song Qi needed him, he would always be the first to arrive.

To keep the lie going—and because the original Song Qi had never cared about fame or status in the first place—she had continued concealing her true abilities all these years.

She had thoroughly mastered everything she was supposed to learn. Her mischief and troublemaking had merely been ways to pass the time.

They also made everyone believe that Song Tianxing had an incompetent younger sister, which made Song Tianxing’s brilliance shine even more brightly.

Only Song Tianxing knew how many grievances Song Qi had endured for his sake.

Song Qi began recalling more small details from the novel.

For example, every time Song Qi encountered an enemy, she somehow escaped danger. She always managed to hold out until Song Tianxing arrived to rescue her.

Back then, every reader had called Song Qi a burden who constantly slowed down the story’s progress.

Now, however, the plot seemed strangely suspicious.

At one point, Song Qi had encountered Wucheng’s Black and White Elders. Yet she had somehow survived until Song Tianxing arrived, and she had not even suffered a scratch.

At the time, everyone had been blinded by Song Tianxing’s protagonist aura. Not a single person had wondered how Song Qi had managed to withstand the Black and White Elders.

Song Qi appeared useless at everything except arguing.

In reality, she had been hiding her strength all along, surrendering the entire protagonist’s glory to Song Tianxing.

That was not all.

Song Qi also had a master.

This master was not one of the Divine Sword Sect’s instructors, but rather a man who was always drunk.

His swordsmanship was unfathomable and ever-changing. The trump card Song Qi had hidden all this time was something she had learned from him.

The original Song Qi might not have known the man’s identity, but Song Qi, who had read the entire novel, naturally did.

He was the reclusive master known as the Drunken Sword Immortal.

He appeared unexpectedly at the end and helped the main cast fight the final boss.

Song Qi had once wondered why the Drunken Sword Immortal had suddenly become so concerned with the fate of the world and so determined to oppose evil.

Now it seemed he had acted at the original Song Qi’s request.

The original Song Qi had truly brushed off her sleeves once the deed was done, hiding both herself and her fame!

【By the way, changing the villainous boss’s ending is your final mission. Your first main mission is to obtain Wen Wanxi’s sword tassel during the Young Heroes’ Assembly.】

“…Wen Wanxi would have to be out of her mind to give me her sword tassel.”

Wen Wanxi was not close to anyone.

Obtaining one of the belongings she carried on her person was practically an impossible fantasy.

“What happens if I can’t complete it?”

【Ten percent of your life value in the real world will be deducted, along with five percent of your current life value and five points of luck. If you complete the mission, those values will be added instead.】

Hutu spoke as though it were perfectly natural.

Song Qi instantly exploded.

The difficulty of this mission was at least one hundred stars. How was she supposed to complete it?

Her mind stopped working.

This was practically no different from telling her to drop dead on the spot.

【Once your accumulated life-value deductions reach one hundred percent, the version of you in the real world will die. Your spiritual energy body in this world—in other words, your soul—will also be imprisoned in a space-time prison for one hundred years for disrupting the order of space and time.】

“Listen to yourself. Does any of that sound remotely humane?”

It was not as though she had wanted to come to this world.

Now she was being accused of disrupting the order of space and time?

Who was the one who dragged her here in the first place?

【If you hadn’t come here, you would already be dead.】

Hutu sighed.

Song Qi could not refute that.

Her thoughts were a little chaotic as she asked, “Even if I have to die, I should at least understand why. Why do I need to take her sword tassel?”

【I don’t know. It’s a mission assigned by my superiors, so I simply issued it to you.】

“Why don’t you ask them?”

【…Even if I asked and my superiors explained it, I might not understand. Even if I understood, I might not remember. It’s better not to ask.】

“…At least you’re remarkably self-aware!”

Song Qi laughed in anger.

This system had clearly come to infuriate her, not help her!

“Then I need to secure a place at the Young Heroes’ Assembly first. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to meet my dark moonlight!”

After Song Qi said this, Hutu replied:

【That is true, but I should warn you. Once you interfere with the male lead’s path of development, it may create a significant butterfly effect, causing the later plot to unfold differently from what you expect.】

So she still had to follow the novel’s original plot?

Then how was she supposed to attend the Young Heroes’ Assembly?

Her presence had already become a variable, so a butterfly effect was inevitable. She could only minimize it as much as possible. At least that way, she would not increase the difficulty of her own game.

“Then I can ask Song Tianxing to take me. He adores me, so he’ll definitely find a way!”

She did not have to compete. She could simply attend as a spectator.

If she only went to watch, then it would not interfere with the protagonist’s later development!

【You can try. I’m going to recharge again. Yawn…】

Hutu yawned.

Song Qi felt that this system was far too humanlike. It had even perfectly imitated the lazy sound of a yawn.

“You may withdraw.”

Song Qi shook her head.

She found this main mission extremely strange. Why did she have to obtain Wen Wanxi’s sword tassel?

Was it some kind of quest item?

“Hey, Hutu. What is luck used for?”

Hutu did not respond.

It had probably truly gone to recharge.

Song Qi sighed, rolled off the bed, and headed toward the men’s dormitory again.

The lunch period had probably ended, so there were not many disciples resting in the dormitory’s front courtyard.

Song Qi called over a tall, thin disciple and asked him to fetch Song Tianxing for her.

Fortunately, Song Qi came here often, and everyone knew her. Naturally, no one dared neglect her request.

The disciple immediately went to call Song Tianxing, who had been attending a lesson. Song Tianxing arrived soon afterward.

Although Song Tianxing had always protected her, the thought that much of it might come from guilt made Song Qi—who had never been good at interacting with family—even more awkward around him.

She had never imagined that all of Song Tianxing’s brilliance had been given to him by Song Qi.

“Brother, I want to attend the Young Heroes’ Assembly as a spectator. Can you find a way?”

Song Tianxing looked troubled.

The assembly did allow disciples to attend as spectators, but the available places were limited. They were usually given to young disciples highly valued by the sect’s elders.

Still, if he personally made the request, perhaps the elders would agree.

“I’ll try. Once I earn first place in the disciple assessment, I’ll be allowed to make one request of the sect leader. When the time comes, I will definitely take you with me.”

“It’s a promise, Brother.”

Song Qi held out her little finger.

This was something Song Qi and Song Tianxing had often done as children, and Song Tianxing was extremely fond of the gesture.

Although Song Tianxing had taken the glory that should have belonged to Song Qi, he had already loved and cherished his younger sister deeply even before that.

That was probably why Song Qi had been willing to surrender the inner-disciple position to him.

Song Tianxing hooked his little finger around Song Qi’s and solemnly said, “Since you want it, I will make certain you get it.”