It was late into the night.
After a long and intimate reunion with Makoto, both had fallen asleep in each other’s embrace.
Just as people rarely remember the exact moment a dream begins, Luo Qing found himself once again in the starry, ethereal space.
A massive, deep-blue whale swam around him, its enormous body eclipsing the starry sky above. It alternated between diving into the vast ocean depths and soaring gracefully through the cosmos.
“Where am I…?”
Luo Qing stared at the glowing horizon in the distance, confused as to why he was here again.
Hadn’t he just drifted off to sleep with Makoto?
Why was he back in this space?
As questions filled his mind, a familiar voice spoke from behind him.
“Luo Qing, have you remembered who I am?”
“What…”
Turning around, Luo Qing saw the woman again.
She bore an uncanny resemblance to Furina, yet something about her presence told him they were completely different entities.
“I’m sorry,” Luo Qing said, shaking his head. “I don’t have any memories of you. Or rather, you’ve come too early—I haven’t met you yet.”
“I see…”
The woman’s gaze fell, and a hint of disappointment crossed her face.
“But you promised. You said you’d remember me…”
“I’m sorry…” Luo Qing repeated, unsure how to console her.
As he mulled over what to say, her expression suddenly shifted, becoming resolute and piercing.
“No… you’re not him. You’re not Luo Qing. You lack his presence and power. Who are you?”
The Luo Qing she knew was steadfast and unyielding, like a rock weathered by countless storms yet standing firm.
But this man before her? His gaze was erratic, almost frivolous—and he kept glancing at her chest.
Only a fake Luo Qing would behave like this!
“Huh?”
Luo Qing froze, baffled.
What did she mean he wasn’t Luo Qing?
“Impostor!”
Her eyes sharpened, as though they could pierce straight through his soul.
“What have you done to Luo Qing?!”
“Wha—?!”
Luo Qing was utterly dumbfounded.
If I’m not Luo Qing, then who the hell am I supposed to be?
Before he could explain, a towering wave rose from the horizon and crashed down upon him, swallowing him whole.
The next moment, Luo Qing shot up in bed, gasping for air. The suffocating sensation from the dream still lingered in his chest.
Beside him, Makoto remained sound asleep, exhausted from the previous night’s passion.
The room was silent save for the sound of his own labored breathing.
“Was that… a dream?”
Luo Qing stared at his palms, perplexed.
If it were a dream, his immense mental fortitude should have alerted him the moment it began.
But in that space, he hadn’t sensed a thing.
“Phew…”
Taking a deep breath, Luo Qing steadied himself.
As his thoughts drifted to whether he should confront Neuvillette tomorrow to get some answers, an unfamiliar notification chimed in his mind.
[Ding! Gacha Pool Updated. Please check for details.]
“What?”
Luo Qing frowned in confusion.
Since the last time the system updated its pool, it had been eerily quiet. Aside from the daily gathering of “Frustration Points,” it had made no significant moves.
He hadn’t felt the need to pull from the gacha either, letting his Frustration Points accumulate. Thanks to the healing anime he uploaded to the Akasha network, he had been passively receiving a steady influx of points from distressed viewers.
By now, he’d amassed enough points for over 200 draws. No matter how unlucky he was, this guaranteed him the featured item.
“What’s in the pool this time?”
With a thought, Luo Qing opened the system interface to the gacha menu.
In the upper left corner of the screen, the new featured item was displayed prominently.
[The Divine Gambit]
Description:
The world is a meticulously crafted chessboard, and all living beings are but mere pieces.
To attain the power of the divine, one must shed the identity of a piece and become the player.
The price of godhood…
“What the hell…”
Luo Qing’s expression twisted into one of bewilderment.
The system’s tone had taken a dramatic turn. From straightforward tools like Death’s Thirteen Shots to something as cryptic as The Divine Gambit, the shift in style was unsettling.
Just reading the description made him hesitate.
What exactly was the “price of godhood”?
Surely, it didn’t mean watching his loved ones die or participating in the Archon War firsthand…
…right?
“Should I even risk this…?”
If it were any other power-up item, Luo Qing wouldn’t hesitate. He might have already snuggled back into bed with Makoto and started pulling.
But this new item practically screamed, ‘If you want strength, be prepared to lose something.’
What if every use cost him a quarter of his lifespan?
“That’d be a nightmare…”
He muttered under his breath, glaring at the system.
“You damn system, trying to screw me over, huh?”
With a snort of defiance, Luo Qing closed the interface.
Let’s see if I can survive without pulling.
Satisfied with his decision, he flopped back onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Makoto, ready to fall asleep again.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, sleep evaded him.
The thought of The Divine Gambit lingered, weighing on his mind like a stone.
As long as he remained awake, his curiosity wouldn’t let him forget about the item.
“Fine! You win!”
Frustrated, Luo Qing threw off the covers and climbed out of bed.
After carefully tucking Makoto in, he changed into fresh clothes and decided to find a quiet spot outside to draw.
Descending the stairs, he noticed a soft glow coming from the living room.
Near the sofa, a lone table lamp cast a warm light, illuminating a figure clad in a thin, silky nightgown.
It was Ei.
Her smooth, pale legs were crossed, her delicate form outlined by the faintly translucent fabric. She lounged on the sofa with one hand propping up her head, the other holding a light novel.
Whether she was reading late into the night or waiting for someone, Luo Qing couldn’t tell.
As he descended the stairs, he spoke softly.
“Ei, why are you still up this late?”
“Huh?”
Ei looked up at him, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Under the lamp’s glow, her shy demeanor seemed even more endearing.
“I was… just at a good part in the story,” she murmured, her voice gentle. “I thought I’d finish this chapter before going to bed…”
Her eyes flickered toward his outfit, and she tilted her head in curiosity.
“Luo Qing, are you heading out? This late?”
Luo Qing nodded. “Yeah… there’s something urgent I need to do.”
“What is it?”
Closing her book, Ei stood and approached him, her tone both earnest and bashful.
“Since I’m still awake, why don’t I go with you?”
“Uh…”
Luo Qing looked her up and down, noting her revealing nightgown, her coy posture, and her seemingly calculated timing.
The way she lingered near the sofa, almost as if she had been waiting for him, paired with her suggestive tone…
Is she…
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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