Volume One, Chapter Four: Awakening an S-Class Skill Even While Asleep?

"Taunt, an S-rank skill?"

Staring at the description of the Taunt skill before him, Lin Yu was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected that a simple nap would result in awakening an S-rank skill, one he had never even heard of in his past life.

Though surprised, Lin Yu quickly regained his composure and clicked on the skill to examine its effects.

[Taunt (Active Skill, S-rank): Lv1
Effect: Actively taunt a target, forcing them to attack only you, while preventing them from using any skills for a duration of 3 minutes.
Cooldown: 3 hours.
Energy Cost: 50.
Proficiency: 0/10 (Requires skill books to upgrade).]

"Hiss! This skill is overpowered—it’s practically tailor-made for me."

After reading the description, Lin Yu gasped and immediately clicked to learn it. While "Taunt" might seem foolish at first glance—essentially begging to be hit—its utility was self-evident. On the battlefield, having a tank capable of actively drawing aggro is vital. Whether rescuing others or competing for a boss, it is a godsend.

For Lin Yu, this was close to a divine skill, perfectly compensating for his current lack of offensive power. While his defense was absurdly high and he possessed a damage-reflection ability, these were only effective if enemies attacked him in the first place. If they ignored him, his defense and reflections were useless. He could handle low-level mobs with ease, but against intelligent bosses or players, he would be helpless. Now, with "Taunt," he could force his opponents to strike him, effectively killing them through their own attacks. It was the perfect solution to his most pressing problem.

...

"Grumble!"

Just as he was absorbed in his thoughts, his stomach let out an untimely roar. Lin Yu was currently using a basic gaming helmet, which provided no nutritional support, making three meals a day a necessity.

"Once I have some money, I absolutely have to get a gaming pod," Lin Yu muttered, rubbing his stomach.

Gaming pods not only provided the necessary nutrients for players, solving the need for food and bathroom breaks, but they also offered two extra hours of online time compared to the helmet, providing a massive head start. However, given his current status, it was merely a pipe dream. The first batch of gaming pods had been limited to a thousand units, already snatched up by major families; there was no way he could get his hands on one.

Even with later batches, acquiring one would be difficult. They were essentially monopolized by the elite, with less than one in ten ever reaching the open market. Even then, they were inflated to astronomical prices by the wealthy, far beyond his reach. Even in his past life, it had taken him a long time to secure one, which spoke to their rarity.

After tidying up briefly, Lin Yu didn't hesitate. He found a secluded patch of grass to hide in before logging out of the game.

There were generally two ways to log out: returning to the novice village, which was safe but required trekking back to his location later, or logging out on the spot. The latter saved time but carried the risk of being killed by "campers" while offline. Losing a life meant losing experience and potentially equipment, so most players preferred the safety of the village. For Lin Yu, however, his current grinding spot was so hidden that the risk was minimal, allowing him to log out with confidence.

...

Qingteng University, Men's Dormitory P316.

Lin Yu removed his gaming helmet. Aside from a feeling of hunger, he felt refreshed. This was the unique quality of *Gods and Demons Continent*: unlike traditional games, long periods of play did not exhaust a player's mental energy.

When Lin Yu logged out, his roommate, Lin Xin, was still deep in the heat of battle, bobbing his head in intense concentration. Lin Yu, used to his roommate’s gaming obsession, simply shook his head. He didn't bother waking him, opting instead to grab his phone and head for the cafeteria.

However, as soon as he unlocked his phone, he saw a dozen missed calls from his girlfriend, Su Yao.

"Su Yao?"

Seeing the "Baby" label on her contact, Lin Yu felt a sense of self-mockery. Memories of the past flickered, and his emotions stirred. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to call her back—not for anything else, but to end things. His past experiences made forgiveness impossible, and he had no interest in revenge. Since she hadn't fully turned villainous yet, a clean break was the best option.

"Lin Yu, so you finally decided to return my call? Do you have any idea how many times I’ve called you?"

The moment the call connected, an accusatory voice rang out. Still as arrogant as ever? Lin Yu gave a faint, cold smile, ignoring the tone. He had no desire to waste words on her beyond ending their relationship.

Just as he was about to say the words, Su Yao continued. "Even though your behavior today was pathetic, I'll give you one chance because you bought me that gaming helmet. Bring it to my dorm building right now and apologize, and maybe I’ll forgive you. Otherwise!"

The warning in her tone almost made him laugh. In her eyes, a twenty-thousand-dollar gaming helmet was treated like a trivial trinket. And he was supposed to rush over to apologize just to earn her "forgiveness"? Did she think she was a princess?

Lin Yu shook his head, speechless at her immaturity and his own past stupidity. What could he have been thinking to ever like a woman like this?

"Otherwise what?" Lin Yu asked coldly.

"We break up, obviously!" Su Yao spat out. She had used this line many times before, knowing it was his weakness. Every time she threatened to break up, Lin Yu would grovel and beg for forgiveness, allowing her to sweep her questionable behavior under the rug and extract further material compensation from him. It was a tactic that never failed. She expected him to surrender once again.

But just as she was daydreaming about her evening of gaming with a senior student, a cold voice came from the other end of the line.

"In that case, let's break up."

"And one more thing: you’re mistaken about something. I bought that gaming helmet for myself, not for you."

Lin Yu hung up, blocked her number, and didn't give her a chance to bark back. Compared to dealing with Su Yao, filling his stomach was far more important. Ever since the spirit energy revival in his past life, he hadn't enjoyed a decent meal. He decided to use this free time to treat himself and make up for all the good food he had missed.