Chapter 18: The Heart of the Ordinary

Host: Chen Fan
Identity: Villager
Ability: Heart of the Ordinary
Duration: 24 hours, refreshed daily at midnight
Note: Protagonist's halo? It doesn't exist. You're just an extra in the crowd.

"What on earth is the Heart of the Ordinary? Sounds like some loot dropped in a boss fight, but who knows what it does." At last, Chen Fan cleared his mind, pulled up his trousers, and walked out of the restroom.

"The true self-cultivation of a supporting role."

"Fate above, grant me a courageous heart."

"With an ordinary heart, let me compose a battle anthem of heroic souls."

"Open sesame, abracadabra—Heart of a King."

Chen Fan dredged up a few incantations from memory, the sort he'd seen in movies and TV shows. But apart from feeling a bit foolish, his body remained utterly unchanged.

"Give me a glass of iced cola." Chen Fan solemnly gripped his cup, which still contained nothing but ordinary water.

"I forgot the witch's effect has expired. So what's the use of this Heart of the Ordinary? Maybe it needs some condition to activate." He mused aloud, finding no answer.

Glancing at the fruit knife on the table, Chen Fan didn't dare to cut open his chest to look. Instead, he pressed his hand over his heart, checking if it was beating any faster than usual.

"No change." He tested for three minutes, but nothing stirred within him; clearly, no primal power lurked in his body.

"Could it be triggered by pressing my chest and focusing my thoughts?"

Chen Fan pinched the flesh over his heart, held his breath, and stared at the water in front of him. "Turn into a glass of iced cola."

"Pfft~"

He strained too hard, letting out a muffled fart tinged with a fruity scent; the water, however, remained unchanged.

"Forget it, I'll just check again tomorrow." Pinching his nose, Chen Fan opened the window to air out the room.

...

"Fan, you have to report to school tomorrow. Are you still heading out today? Have you packed your luggage? There’s a lot to carry on the first day, and it’ll be a hassle if you leave anything behind." Mrs. Chen, enjoying a day off, saw her son preparing to leave for the club early and reminded him.

He had just slipped his shoes on, their scent yet to match up, when he paused, smacked his forehead, and muttered, "Look at my memory! Played so much I forgot school starts tomorrow."

"Mom, I'll come home early this afternoon. I'll make it." Chen Fan replied, unwilling to miss out on the last bit of joy.

"This child, always leaving things to the last minute, just like his father." Mrs. Chen sighed, watching him leave.

[What did we do last night? Why are we four hundred short?]

Chen Fan pulled out his phone and saw a message from Li Peijun. The kid had gotten drunk on cocktails last night and remembered nothing upon waking.

[We ordered several cocktails, you drank five yourself—cost a fortune, over three hundred. Then we called a ride. Did the driver take a detour?]

Chen Fan didn't mention his own glass of Blue Lover, which cost half the total. He habitually glossed over that detail.

[Ah, I knew it! That Blue Lover was expensive. I have no recollection of drinking it last night. I'll check the ride log first.]

Chen Fan thought to himself, 'As if you'd remember. Not just the drink—you didn't even touch the glass.'

[Did you order a three-wheeler last night? My house is less than three kilometers from the bar—how did it take forty minutes?]

Recalling last night, Chen Fan remembered Li Peijun's ride was indeed a four-wheeled vehicle, with a spare tire on the back.

[Bro, it was a four-wheel drive—super stable. Probably traffic jams. Your place is right by the main road, and I think there's construction going on.]

[Can't remember, whatever.]

Chen Fan wasn't surprised by this carefree attitude; Li the tycoon didn't mind a few missing bills.

The wolf insignia in the distance was already visible; one more traffic light, and he'd reach the club. Chen Fan replied briefly and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

...

"Forget about the top three—even the top ninety percent is out of reach now."

Chen Fan checked his ranking; he'd dropped even further. Every new player pushed him down another slot.

"Pull yourself together. I am the invincible wolf." He tidied his hair, intent on making the most of this final day.

"Player Six speaking. Player Five is likely a fake guard, because in a cowardly wolf game, they blocked the seer's badge flow and checks with a knife explosion, then found the real guard through the first day's statements. I don't get why Player Seven was knifed last night, but seeing Player Five claim to be the guard, it all makes sense."

"Player Six speaking. Six holds the seer's card. Last night I checked Player Seven in the late position—she's clean. I'm not afraid to stand up to you on the badge, because I'm solid. Badge order: first three, then twelve. The seer demands the badge, over."

"Player Six speaking. Six is a strong god card, taking charge of rhythm. My stance this round is to trust Player Three as the real seer, so I'll side with Three. If you're good, follow me and vote Seven out."

After several rounds, Chen Fan was utterly defeated. No matter how well he spoke or reasoned, no one on the field ever paid him any attention. In their eyes, Player Six might as well have never existed.

In a game without guards, Chen Fan, playing the seer, survived to the final day. Not a single wolf targeted him, nor did anyone listen to his checks.

In the last round, Chen Fan drew the wolf card and decided to try a suicidal statement.

"Player Six speaking. I'm a wolf, not afraid to tell you—I’ll knife Player Three tonight."

He glanced around; every player was expressionless. Normally, when someone reveals themselves as a wolf, all attention would focus on them, but now his words drifted by like air.

No matter how Chen Fan tried to make himself the center of attention, everyone remained indifferent. As the wolf, Chen Fan won the game without suspense—because no one ever suspected him.

"I told you, Six could be the last wolf, but you didn't believe me."

"That's hilarious. When did you ever mention Six? You suspected me, Nine, all along."

"I don't know what you're playing at. With that kind of statement from Six, you still let him into the finals? Use your brains, will you?"

Only during the review did Chen Fan finally hear the other players mention him, feeling a faint trace of existence.

"Have I really become a complete extra? The kind who isn't even qualified to be handed a boxed lunch?"