My Avatar Is Becoming the Final Boss-Chapter 28: Verity

“Gotta sleep early once I’m home…” Ji Minghuan thought, “Instructor will come looking for me soon. I need to face him with my main body.”
It was already late. Dusk deepened, and shadows thinned across the streets and alleys. Under the hazy yellow streetlights, a bicycle rolled by with a soft, crisp whir of the chain.
On the way, Ji Minghuan grabbed a donut. He remembered how, back at the orphanage, Kong Youling used to love these: every time the nurses brought some back, he’d always tell her he didn’t like sweets and then give her his share.
Now eating one alone, the flavor didn’t hit quite the same—it seemed to have lost its charm. Maybe once removed from the orphanage’s poverty and cramped quarters, without the noisy excitement of the other kids, the donut—once a rare treat—just lost its magic.
But as he kept chewing, the taste seemed to conjure the image of nine-year-old Kong Youling sitting beside him, nibbling with small bites, her snow-white hair swaying, like a little white hamster.
Every now and then she’d turn around with the donut in her mouth and glance at him, scribbling on her notebook: “You really don’t want any?”
Ji Minghuan let out a low chuckle, his eyes hidden behind his drooping bangs.
“If only… you were here too,” he suddenly thought.
Biting into the donut, he unlocked the front door with a silver-plated key and changed into house slippers.
Stepping into the living room, he saw Gu Qiye—who had just finished cleaning the kitchen—quietly reading on the sofa. He was reading a freshly unwrapped hardcover copy of The Stranger, the same book Black Cocoon had been flipping through last night in front of the crowd.
“Rare to see you reading at home,” Ji Minghuan said, taking a bite of the donut.
“Cultivating my soul,” Gu Qiye replied.
Cultivating your soul… or studying the enemy? Ji Minghuan thought silently.
He wasn’t worried about Gu Qiye noticing a matching copy of the novel at home. The one he brought last night had been grabbed at random from a bookstore with the Binding Restraints on his way to Lijing Plaza, and he’d returned it on his way back.
Exactly the kind of thing a high-quality villain—or more accurately, a Gray Character—would do.
“Little Mai… didn’t come back?” Gu Qiye asked without looking up, eyes still on the page.
“She said she’s staying out and won’t be back until summer break ends.”
After briefly summarizing what had happened in the park, Ji Minghuan mentioned he got the contact info of that mixed-race girl named “Ke Qirui,” in case they needed to call her. Then he happily trotted up to the second floor.
Strangely, Gu Qiye didn’t ask him for the girl’s number—probably because he thought Su Zimai would get mad.
He really did understand his little sister. Of course, if he knew Su Zimai had actually gone off with a senior Exorcist, he might’ve turned into a bolt of lightning and flown to the park to bring her back home.
Honestly, Ji Minghuan was a bit surprised. He thought that at this hour, Gu Qiye would already be out and about—only visible on TV as the Lijing superstar: the Reality-altering Esper “Blue Arc.”
Then again… maybe it was because Blue Arc got too badly injured yesterday, and the Reality-altering Esper Association let someone else take over for the day, giving him a breather.
Ji Minghuan grabbed a change of clothes from his wardrobe and took a shower. He could hear the heavy footsteps upstairs.
Gu Zhuo’an’s room was on the third floor, directly above the second-floor bathroom. Judging from the sound, Dad was probably in his room now.
So Ji Minghuan stood under the showerhead, warm water running over him, and summoned the Binding Restraints to press against the bathroom ceiling.
His senses slipped through the white ceiling and brought back the upstairs view.
Gu Zhuo’an was sitting perfectly still on the bed, staring blankly at a photo placed near the window. It was an old college photo of him and his wife, Su Ying—one he hadn’t looked at in two years. His eyes were focused.
Ji Minghuan had assumed he was tinkering with some dangerous biochemical weapon, but didn’t expect Dad to be such a sentimental type.
He silently withdrew the Binding Restraints.
After his shower, Ji Minghuan changed into clean pajamas, flopped down on his bed like a starfish, used the Binding Restraints to close the bedroom door, and then opened his System Panel. Rows of dense information filled his vision.
【Character Attributes: Strength (determines physical condition): C level; Speed (determines neural reflexes): C+ level; Spirit (determines mental strength): C level】
【Your current game character—“Black Cocoon”—has 2 available Attribute Points. Would you like to allocate them now?】
Ji Minghuan tapped the plus signs next to “Strength” and “Speed,” going for a balanced approach.
【Game Character No. 1 “Black Cocoon”’s “Strength” has changed: C → C+】
【Game Character No. 1 “Black Cocoon”’s “Speed” has changed: C+ → C++】
It felt like an undercurrent flowed through his body, soaking every cell, and his physical performance visibly improved. Ji Minghuan tried a few push-ups on the floor—his muscles even moved more smoothly than before.
More importantly, these attribute boosts would also enhance the strength and speed of the Binding Restraints—that was the real win.
Then he switched to the 【Character Skill Tree】 panel. Like the branches of a tree, the three skill paths unfurled before his eyes.
【Branch 1 (Stealth): Binding Restraint Sensory (Learned) → Binding Restraint Verity (Available to Learn) → Unknown (Details revealed after learning previous skill) → Unknown…】
【Branch 2 (Frenzy): Binding Restraint Extension (Available to Learn) → Unknown → Unknown → Unknown…】
【Branch 3 (Malice): Binding Restraint Detection (Learned) → Binding Restraint Suppression (Available to Learn) → Unknown → Unknown…】
“The only known way to gain ‘Split Points’ is by completing Main Quests. Once I create a second game character, I won’t have to worry about not being able to gain Split Points if the first one dies—this way, even if the first character dies, I can continue developing through the second and keep creating more characters.”
As he thought this, Ji Minghuan long-pressed the skill bar for “Binding Restraint Verity.”
He watched blankly as it went from dim to bright, finally blooming with a dark, vibrant glow.
【Consumed 1 Skill Point. Successfully learned ‘Binding Restraint Verity’ under the “Stealth” branch. (After restraining a target with Binding Restraints, you can force them to speak their true thoughts.)】
【The next skill under the “Stealth” branch is now available for learning.】
“Well then… in a few days, it’ll be time to settle the score with the Headmaster.”
In the darkness, Ji Minghuan recalled the past—the memory of the old Headmaster leading them in prayer at a Christian church. The image of him kneeling before the statue of Jesus, hands clasped, face bloated and fake, still lingered clearly in his mind.
“Headmaster, you can start praying to your God now. Pray… that you can give me a satisfying answer.”
He whispered, his pupils reflecting the hellish hues blooming on the red-and-black branches.