The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

When Hai Ku said that, everyone else burst into laughter. Bing Jingxue, however, felt she had been insulted. Pointing her delicate fingers at Hai Ku, she snapped, “What? Are you saying I’m bald?”

In Bing Jingxue’s mind, the term ‘Dizhong’ was an adjective exclusively used to describe bald teachers, especially those nicknames students gave their instructors.

(T/N: Dizhong Hai = Mediterranean Sea; and the term is used to describe someone whose hairline has significantly receded, resembling the shape of the Mediterranean Sea on a map.)

She never imagined that a beautiful young lady like herself would be labeled with such a name. Bing Jingxue was so furious that she nearly exploded. “You’re going too far! I’m a beautiful, delicate young woman, and you dare give me such a name?”

“Hai Ku, stop teasing her. She’s a girl, after all. You can’t give her a name like ‘Dizhong,’” Dong Hai said, suppressing his laughter as he extended another invitation to Bing Jingxue.

Bing Jingxue snorted coldly, reluctantly agreeing to join their team. “You must apologize to me, or I won’t tell you what I’ve discovered.”

She walked straight up to Hai Ku, her expression arrogant and overbearing. To Hai Ku, she looked like someone suffering from a severe case of middle-school syndrome.

Exhaling deeply, Hai Ku suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He figured that staying close to the female lead might yield some useful information, so he decided to tolerate her for the sake of completing the mission quickly. Stifling his irritation and the impulse to kick her out of the team, he said, “Fine, fine. ‘Dizhong Hai’ is a terrible name. How about I give you another one? Let’s call you ‘Diemeng Ruli Zimo Youhan Bingxue’. How does that sound?”

(T/N: Diemeng Ruli Zimo Youhan Bingxue = Butterfly Dreams Like Glass Purple Streaks of Freezing Ice and Snow.)

Bing Jingxue’s interest was piqued. The name Hai Ku suggested sounded pretty good, but it was too long for her to remember.

Still, such a long and elegant name was incredibly impressive. After some hesitation, Bing Jingxue asked, “Hey, can you repeat that name for me?”

Hai Ku replied, “Bingya Leiluo Bingzi Die Meng.”

(T/N: Bingya Leiluo Bingzi Die Meng = Ice Violet Butterfly Dream.)

Bing Jingxue: “…” For some reason, it felt different from the previous name. But if she asked him to repeat it again, wouldn’t that make her seem like she had a bad memory?

After some internal struggle, Bing Jingxue chose to ignore her doubts and pretended to like the name.

Successfully silencing Bing Jingxue, Hai Ku then reminded Dong Hai to ask her for any clues.

***

In this game, the avatars resembled their real-life appearances but could be enhanced by up to 40%, as if they were using a beauty filter.

Dong Hai, already handsome in the real world, exuded even more charm here. Although Bing Jingxue looked down on Hai Ku, she couldn’t help but give face to Dong Hai, the good-looking man.

Feigning sophistication, Bing Jingxue clasped her hands behind her back and said mysteriously, “When I first arrived here, I was prompted to come to this area. I thought I was supposed to climb the tower, but when I approached it, I received a danger alert.”

“It’s tiring to climb such a tall tower, and being tired in the game is just uncomfortable. Of course, I wasn’t willing to climb it. But when I tried to leave, no matter where I went, I always ended up back here. It’s driving me crazy.”

Nan Hai stroked his chin. “It seems her situation is different from ours. It’s unique.”

Hai Ku nodded. This development fit perfectly. “The game has been open for so long, and everyone else just gets lost and returns to the starting point. But she’s the only exception. This might be a clue. I wasn’t entirely sure the answer was at the top of the tower, but now I think we should give it a try.”

Typically, both the male lead and supporting male characters would pamper the female lead, going out of their way to show off their skills without relying on her for anything. It wasn’t until much later in the story that they discovered the female lead had a cheat system in the game.

However, due to recent events, the female lead’s cheat ability had already been revealed ahead of time.

In the original timeline, it had taken them a month to clear the level. But with this pacing, Hai Ku aimed to finish within 2 weeks.

He was worried that staying in this world too long would lead to assimilation. Having finally escaped that outdated era, the idea of returning to it filled Hai Ku with dread.

“I think it’s highly possible. Let’s climb the tower and take a look.”

“Yeah, yeah! If there’s nothing at the top, at least we’ll get some exercise,” someone chimed in.

“Agreed,” Hai Ku said, maintaining a calm expression while suppressing his inner excitement. “Maybe we’ll find the exit at the top.”

The five men reached a consensus. Hearing their decision, Bing Jingxue felt her scalp tingle. “Wait, wait, wait! Are you guys serious? You really want to climb that tower?”

Just looking at the tower’s height made her legs go weak. Filled with resistance, Bing Jingxue made it clear she had no intention of going up.

Although Hai Ku had anticipated the female lead’s reluctance to climb the tower, he knew it was essential to keep her and her cheat system close. So, he tried to persuade her. “The tower might be exhausting, but there are lots of interesting items inside. You can collect them and exchange them in the real world. For example, if you pick up a book, you can trade it for something useful!”

The other four originally wanted to ask when such a setting existed in the tower. However, seeing Bing Jingxue’s eager expression, they silently swallowed their words.

Seeing that she was starting to waver, Dong Hai stepped forward and added fuel to the fire. “Ah Xue, you’re naturally lucky. Who knows, climbing this tower might make you the first to clear it. Come with us.”

“Fine, fine. Since you’re so handsome, I’ll join you,” Bing Jingxue said, clearly enjoying the flattery. Her eyes gleamed with a bit of smugness, as if thinking they couldn’t do without her.

With the danger warning deactivated, Bing Jingxue mustered her courage and followed them up the tower.

The tower was designed to be quite “user-friendly.” At first glance, it was just a staircase, step by step, requiring only footwork and no climbing.

However, from another perspective, it was quite “sadistic”, the tower was estimated to be as tall as a hundred floors.

The stairs spiraled upward, meaning the distance they had to traverse far exceeded just 100 levels.

To prevent players from getting bored while climbing, every five floors featured a small test. These tests varied between mental challenges and physical tasks. Clearing one would allow the team to take an elevator up five levels.

It sounded wonderful in theory. After all, jumping five levels at a time could mean they wouldn’t have to climb much.

But according to those who had attempted it, the challenges were absurdly difficult. Few managed to pass, and those who did often relied on sheer luck.

When they reached the first checkpoint at the fifth floor, their stamina was still holding up, but Bing Jingxue was already wilting.

Her face stiffened as she plopped to the ground. “Hurry up and answer the question already! I’m exhausted…”

Each test offered two options; a mental challenge, which involved solving questions, or a physical challenge, which required completing a task.

Hai Ku braced himself. The fifth-floor question reportedly had no correct answers recorded yet. On the other hand, physical challenges varied greatly. Some might ask for something as simple as eating a bowl of noodles, while others could demand building an entire palace.

After weighing their options, they decided to gamble on a physical challenge.

Once they selected it, a virtual screen appeared before them, displaying the task [Carry the only female teammate in your group and perform five squats.]

Hai Ku: “…” This was clearly designed to foster romance between the male and female leads.

When Dong Hai helped Bing Jingxue up, she looked dazed. Upon realizing what the task entailed, her face turned crimson.

Carrying a girl and performing five squats wasn’t much of a challenge for Dong Hai, who, blessed with the protagonist’s aura, could hypothetically last all night.

With this stroke of luck, the six of them rode the elevator to the 10th floor.

***

The challenge on the 10th floor had already been solved online, and they noted the correct answers in advance. What they thought would be a grueling climb up the tower suddenly became an easy pass, allowing them to reach the 15th floor effortlessly.

For subsequent levels where they didn’t know the answers, they continued choosing physical challenges. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, every challenge required Bing Jingxue’s participation, involving increasingly intimate interactions with the male lead.

It felt like the game was forcefully shipping their characters. By the time they reached the 50th floor, Bing Jingxue’s face was redder than an apple.

Hai Ku felt that he and the other three teammates were like unnecessary third wheels, but he didn’t mind.

The pivotal moment came at the 70th floor. Not even the heroine’s special abilities were useful in this particular game.

Thanks to their string of luck and the forced romantic moments, what they thought would be an exhausting climb was completed in just half a day, bringing them to the tower’s summit.

Some aspects of the game’s settings were forgiving. At the top of the tower, they didn’t feel strong winds despite standing on the 100th floor. The view below was clear and unobstructed, as if everyone had gained telescopic vision.

Intent on completing the mission, Hai Ku scanned the surroundings. “Do you see two identical buildings anywhere?”

“Could it be over there? Behind that school?”

Following the voice, Hai Ku spotted a small amusement park behind the school, where there were indeed two identical slides.

The two slides looked no different from ordinary ones, but their positioning was rather peculiar—they were placed facing each other.

“That’s probably it. It’s pretty well hidden,” Dong Hai said, pulling out a tool to take a map picture from above.

“That school is quite remote, and there’s a garbage dump in front of it. Maybe the developers thought no one would bother going near such a smelly place. And who would have thought the maze’s exit would be in such a small, inconspicuous spot?” Hai Ku was a bit surprised. They had stumbled onto the second level earlier when the heroine triggered some mechanism, and now discovering another possible exit felt a bit ironic.

“How could that be the maze’s exit? I think you’re just trying to trick us into going there,” Bing Jingxue said, folding her arms. She felt annoyed every time Hai Ku spoke. To her, reaching the tower’s top was entirely her and Dong Hai’s accomplishment, while the others were just freeloaders.

Hai Ku glanced at her and chuckled. “Then where do you think the exit is?”

“Humph, like I’d tell you,” Bing Jingxue retorted, secretly pleased with herself.

In fact, when they first arrived, she had already received a red exclamation mark pointing out the exit. She didn’t need to climb down at all, but she didn’t want Hai Ku tagging along.

That guy is too rude, always treating me poorly and showing no gentlemanly manners whatsoever.

“So, what are you saying?” Hai Ku raised an eyebrow. He found a bit of her pettiness amusing, but too much was irritating.

When they first started climbing, he had been self-critical, thinking that if they only got to the seventh level because of the heroine’s “golden finger,” he’d be disappointed in himself. He wasn’t a particularly upright person, but the heroine’s behavior now was downright nauseating.

“I’m saying I’ve already found the exit, but I’m not telling you. Just leave the team already,” Bing Jingxue said, sticking her tongue out at him, looking smug. “But I’m so beautiful, kind, and adorable that kicking you out outright would make me seem heartless. So, I’ll tell you this; I’m confident I can make it to the seventh level on my own. If you beg me properly, maybe I’ll let you tag along~.”

“I’m tempted, but I’ll pass,” Hai Ku said lazily as he opened his interface and selected [Leave Team.]

“It’s not like I can’t make it to the seventh level without you. I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I beg you? This is just a game. If I let you carry me all the time, I’d lose face.”

The other four exchanged glances. They had thought this girl was just a bit spoiled, maybe immature, but her aggressive tone now was over the top.

Without hesitation, Dong Hai removed Bing Jingxue from the team. Still smiling, he said, “This team is called ‘Five Seas.’ It seems you don’t quite fit in. We’ll stick with Hai Ku and head to the school. We’ll repay the favor later if there’s an opportunity.”

“You…” Bing Jingxue was stunned. Just as she was starting to develop a bit of affection for Dong Hai, he pulled this on her. She was deeply hurt and, after stammering for a moment, burst into tears and ran off.

Hai Ku sighed and exchanged a look with the other four. “You’re making me owe you guys big time.”

The others smiled knowingly. “It’s just a game; a little drama makes it fun. Cheating ruins the experience anyway.”