Hashimi was twirling a paintbrush between her fingers, her other hand propping up her head with the elbow on the knee.


    "And then the experience can end right there, right as the experiencer is about to make the decision to either save Ellie or to try and save humanity."


    "Do you think anyone would choose to save her? It seems to me that the choice is obvious," she said. "Although it is fake," she added.


    At this, Joey could only shrug. Of course, the decision seemed obvious; after all, he''d only told her briefly the synopsis of the plot. The experiencer''s love for Ellie stemmed from the fact that they''d interacted with her, protected her and were occasionally even helped by her for many hours of gameplay, which in this world in particular, with how immersive it could be, would further blur the emotional line between reality and fiction.


    "Let''s say you are to go on a mission to capture, let''s say, a Thunderbolt Oxtail," Jin started. "You go to the mission hall, and in front of you are three disciples who would like to join you, partake in the rewards, and reduce the risk. However, you can only take one of them with you." He paused here to hold up one finger. "The first disciple comes up to you and says, "I would be the best teammate because I have challenged the Thunderbolt Oxtail 100 times in the Illusion Room, which lets you fight it in a smaller arena. I am the most likely to win a one-on-one battle." Jin held up the second finger. "The second disciple comes up and tells you. "No, I am the best choice because I have practised in an Illusion Room, which depicts the entirety of the hunting process, from the tracking to the skinning, 20 times. I am the better choice because I am more well-rounded." A third finger. "The third disciple comes up and says, "But actually, I am the best choice because I have practised against the Thunderbolt Oxtail in one-on-one combat 50 times while doing the scenario which lets one track it, kill it and then harvest it 10 times."


    "Which one do you pick?" Jin asked.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Now ask yourself this: if everyone is doing what is easy, why would you get any more success than the average disciple is getting?" Jin asked. "Most of them never get promoted to core disciple."


    "I guess you''d have to stick out, but there''s always a risk." She looked at the painting that she''d made. "The risk of people not understanding your vision."


    Unfortunately for her, Jin was not actually that stupid. He knew how to bullshit people when he wanted to.


    Hashimi seemed to think of the invitation disguised as it had been as a storytelling and theory-crafting discussion.


    "There you have it," Jin said victoriously. "I''m offering you exactly that. Not making another beast scenario."


    Jin extended a hand for her to take, and she took it. They shook.


    "What do you mean?" she asked after a minute or so of thinking.


    Jin stared at her blankly. "I guess," he eventually said.


    "So, what are you waiting for? Give me the thing."


    Jin paused thoughtfully, bringing a finger to his chin.


    The technique for transferring data to a Room and a jade slip was different.


    And he didn''t know how to do it.


    "Wait," Hashimi said with narrowed eyes. "Me neither?" she realised with an open mouth as if surprised.


    They looked at each other blankly as they came to this realisation.


    The legendary Dumbass Duo that would etch their name into the annals of history had officially formed.