I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Victor exchanged glances with Jake, Max, and Danny.

"You do realize," Max voice while scratching his head, "that sounds like an anime villain's redemption arc?"

Jake crossed his arms. "Or a future betrayal waiting to happen."

"I say we tie him up and snuff the life out of him," Danny muttered.

"Man that's too dark..." Jake muttered.

Victor sighed and crouched down in front of the sniveling genius. "If you're not lying... maybe you can be of some use... but you're coming with us. First, we clean up the channel. Refund everything. Then, you're helping me build it back up the right way. But one wrong move... and you're done."

The impersonator nodded furiously. "Yes! Yes! Absolutely! Thank you!"

"Name?" Victor asked.

"Uh... Ferris. Ferris Lang."

"Ferris, you're on thin ice."

...

...

The impersonator, Ferris Lang, kept his word.

With swollen cheeks and a bruised jaw from his earlier encounter with Victor and the boys, he sat before his camera, going live on what had now become one of the most-watched channels in the city.

However, Victor let him do the live video not with his real face.

"To everyone watching... I'm not who you think I am," he began with a low tone. "I'm a fraud. The real person behind the channel was never me. I impersonated someone else using technology I created. The real hero, the real awakened who saved those kids and that hoverbus, is Victor. Not me."

The comments section exploded.

Ferris explained how he had built a tech device capable of creating 100% realistic digital clones of real individuals.

He had chosen Victor simply because of the buzz around him and saw it as a way to gain traction. After his full confession, he took things further—he refunded all donations, shut down his QFundMe, and deleted the channel.

In Ferris apartment, Victor was watching everything unfold on his fresh new channel.

He'd started again from scratch, but Ferris helped re-upload the previous videos, complete with their original titles and metadata. Ferris even optimized the search tags and performed some back-end tweaks to make the channel more visible, which meant Victor's rise back to the top would be much faster.

Victor confiscated the tech device Ferris had used for the impersonation—

It was a palm-sized processor wired to a projection lens and biometric layer scanner. It had a small brightly lit interface screen and internal cache with Victor's entire likeness loaded. Victor stared at Ferris as he slid the device into his pocket.

"I'm sparing you today," Victor said coolly. "But if I ever catch wind of you pulling something like this again... your days of freedom are over."

Ferris gulped and nodded furiously.

As they were packing up to leave his hideout, the boys noticed several other gadgets and mini-machines lined across the shelves and tables—repulsion boots, cloaking modules, even what looked like a one-time use portable drone jammer.

Max whistled. "You could make a fortune with this stuff."

Jake added, "Ever thought about getting a legit job, or going to a tech uni?"

Ferris shrugged while scratching the back of his head. "I... never thought anyone would take me seriously."

Danny clapped him hard on the back. "Well, you've got talent. Don't waste it being an online menace."

Victor turned as he reached the door. "I'll be in touch. When I run into tech problems... you'll be the first I contact."

They all exited the building, and downstairs waiting near a post was the young hacker who had made this entire takedown possible—Techie.

He leaned against a wall while twirling a compact disk between his fingers and grinning under his metallic glasses.

"Appreciate the help, man," Jake said.

"You saved our necks," Max added.

Victor stepped forward. "So... how much do I owe you?"

Techie flicked the disk into the air, caught it, and stuffed it into his coat. "Already paid for."

Before they could ask further, he gave a casual two-finger salute, turned, and vanished into the alleys.

"What?" Victor didn't even get to ask him who paid for it before he vanished.

Later that night, Victor lay sprawled on his bed with his eyes closed as his mind replayed the rollercoaster of a day. From confronting an impersonator to fixing his public image, it was exhausting.

His new channel was gaining rapid traction again—subscribers flowing in, views ticking up like a slot machine on a win streak.

He was finally getting the recognition he deserved, and this time, everything was fully locked down. His biometrics, ID verification, and even a DNA-authenticator plug-in had been added. No one was going to impersonate him again.

Victor glanced at the screen. Over 1,400,000 views already. Comments poured in. Some had seen his face earlier but hadn't believed the imposter story. Others now praised his humility and strength for keeping calm through it all.

He smiled.

But this wasn't the only world he had.

His eyes drifted toward the gaming helmet in the corner.

Ascendant Realms.

He hadn't logged in for over two days now.

He had left with things at a very critical point inside the game and it was time to finally return.

He stood up, walked over to the helmet, and slipped it on.

"It's time to return," he whispered.

...

...

Victor vision stabilized as he found himself exactly where he had logged off—within the Azure Moon Seclusion Chambers.

The chamber remained as eerily quiet and peaceful as before, but Victor could feel it; the difference between his body in the real world and his body in the game.

His long white hair draped down to his back, catching the subtle flickers of moonlight pouring through the frosted ceiling.

Every breath he took felt lighter and every step brimmed with dormant strength. The Void Emperor Bloodline came with a sensation of power that he hadn't fully grasped yet.

His footsteps echoed softly as he stepped out of the chamber and walked along the marbled pathways of the palace.

The sheer scale of the place made it easy to get lost, and though maids and guard passed by occasionally, none stopped him. Most likely, they assumed he was some honored guest given his robes and striking appearance.

Victor tried to locate the main palace hall but had little luck. The Azure Moon Palace sprawled endlessly, and without a guide, it was almost a maze.

As he wandered, a pair of sharp eyes from a distant corridor widened in recognition. The figure—a young palace aide—hurriedly turned and sprinted towards the palace hall.

It wasn't long before a contingent of palace guards arrived and surrounded Victor. He raised a brow as they fanned out around him.

"We need you to come with us to the main hall," one of them voiced with his hand on the hilt of his blade.

"You folks lost your manners again?"