Twenty-one, twenty-one.

Yuan Hanshuang was a Tier 4 Beginner, while Wu Haoxuan was a Tier 3 Intermediate. According to the arena rules, if the two of them teamed up for a 2v2 match, they would be matched against Tier 4 opponents. Essentially, Yuan Hanshuang would have to carry a dead weight through a 2v2 fight.

In the past, she would never have bothered with such a thankless task. But faced with the temptation of a free meal and a cut of the winnings, everything changed!

"S-Senior, what type of talent do you have? Can we actually pull this off?" Looking at the match difficulty that had suddenly spiked to Tier 4, Wu Haoxuan felt particularly anxious.

The gap between minor levels was already a chasm, let alone a whole major tier. Even if he took a step back, even if his senior was incredibly strong, she was only a Tier 4 Beginner. It would be a struggle for her to win a 1v1 against a Tier 4, let alone with him—a Tier 3—in tow. Losing was a minor issue; what worried Wu Haoxuan most was his own registration fee.

"What are you afraid of?" Facing her junior’s anxiety, Yuan Hanshuang waved a hand dismissively. "You’re the support, I’m the close-combat fighter. We’re a perfect golden pair. As long as you don't drop the ball, we'll be invincible in 2v2!"

As they spoke, a staff member pushed over a registration form. "Please provide a team name."

Naming things was Yuan Hanshuang's specialty; she was all about the unexpected. Wu Haoxuan fell into a stunned silence as he looked at the words written on the form: "V Me 50 and I'll Surrender Right Here."

The arena staff had seen it all. Without asking a single unnecessary question, they quickly entered the name into the system and bowed. "Respected fighters, your registration is complete. You may head to the arena for 2v2 matchmaking at any time."

After receiving their badges, Yuan Hanshuang pinned hers on happily, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, what kind of support are you?"

This was no different from reading a textbook the day before an exam! Although Wu Haoxuan didn't hold much hope, he still wanted to prove himself to his senior. "I’m a buff-type support. The buffs I provide can double my teammate's overall stats at best!"

What! Doubling stats!

Yuan Hanshuang instantly perked up. Buff-type supports were rare even among the already small pool of support-class talents. It was quite lucky to run into one just by grabbing a random partner. Buff-type supports were powerful because they provided various enhancements that significantly boosted their side's combat capability.

She was already strong enough; if her stats were doubled, that would be insane! She would be invincible against anyone at Tier 4, and climbing ranks through cross-tier challenges would be as easy as drinking water.

Wu Haoxuan, nervous, spilled everything out like beans. "By the way, Senior, if the pressure gets too high during the match, don't worry about me. I have ways to protect myself!"

Toward her sponsor, Yuan Hanshuang showed maximum patience. "Alright."

Usually, in 2v2 matches with a support, the traditional strategy was to protect the support at all costs. But what Wu Haoxuan didn't know was that this was Yuan Hanshuang’s first serious cooperative match. In other words, she had never intended to provide extra care to Wu Haoxuan; instead, she planned to use this "fragile support" as a decoy to lure the opponents into a trap.

However, since Wu Haoxuan had revealed his value—a full-stat doubling buff—Yuan Hanshuang considered that it wouldn't hurt to spare some effort to protect him.

"Come out, Moon Mouse!"

As the match countdown ticked away, Wu Haoxuan summoned his spiritual avatar. From within pale blue ripples, a light purple mouse wearing a lace-trimmed top hat hopped out. After synchronization, the eye-catching, colorful top hat appeared on his own head, along with two round mouse ears, which looked strangely and adorably bizarre.

"What kind of avatar is that? I've never seen it before," onlookers whispered.

"Who knows? There are so many obscure avatars in the galaxy; it's impossible to know them all."

"True, only the old, powerful ones on the Avatar Rankings are famous."

The people on the field couldn't hear the discussion below. After completing the synchronization, Wu Haoxuan took off his hat and pulled a magic wand from nowhere with his left hand. He took a deep breath, as if preparing for something, waved the wand in the air a few times, and then tapped the brim of his hat with the tip.

"Moon Mouse, Single Draw!"

As the skill activated, the sound of rapid shuffling echoed from the top hat. About five seconds later, a card slowly rose from the center of the hat. Wu Haoxuan’s eyes shone with anticipation as he looked at the card.

"How is it?"

At the same time, Yuan Hanshuang summoned her giant koi and completed her synchronization. Her synchronization was always grandiose, and her intimidating presence surged sharply. When she turned her head, her crimson eyes were crystal clear, making one instinctively feel a sense of dread.

The opponents, who hadn't yet had time to rejoice at having a Tier 3 weakling on the other side, were startled when they saw the size of her avatar, feeling a secret tremor of fear.

Wu Haoxuan marveled once more at his senior's overwhelming aura and whispered, "Senior, my 'Single Draw' skill involves drawing cards. They are ranked N, R, SR, and SSR. If I draw an SSR, I can provide my teammate with a five-minute, all-around double-stat buff. Because I’m only Tier 3, the SR and R card effects haven't been unlocked yet; for now, I can only draw N or SSR cards from the card pool."

A fifty-fifty chance—the odds weren't too bad. As soon as he finished speaking, the card flipped over, revealing a large, prominent "N."

Wu Haoxuan, who had been full of confidence just a moment ago: "..."

Yuan Hanshuang was thoughtful. "N-rank, the lowest tier? What effect does it have?"

She wasn't surprised by the result. After all, if Wu Haoxuan could really consistently provide a five-minute, all-around double-stat buff as he claimed, he would have long been snatched up by a major faction, pampered like a treasure, and become a legendary, new-generation leader of buff-type supports. He wouldn't be standing around in Silver Star like a nobody.

"Uh, the N-rank card effect... ha-ha-ha-ha." Wu Haoxuan offered an awkward, polite smile.

***

Yuan Hanshuang soon learned that the N-card not only failed to provide a buff but actually reduced her stats. It was a harsh reduction, too—cutting them in half for a full minute.

"..."

This bizarre skill left her speechless. What was this? A support who couldn't provide buffs and just stood on the field like a mascot?

"It's okay! Mousey here will definitely draw an SSR!" A single failure couldn't bring Wu Haoxuan down. He clenched his fist, looking determined and full of energy. "Every ten minutes, I can use the Single Draw skill again. Don't worry, Senior, there's still a chance in this match!"

The rest of the duel turned into Yuan Hanshuang facing two Tier 4 Intermediate opponents alone. Fortunately, she had prepared for this, so she kept a smile on her face instead of cursing out loud. The only thing she found annoying was that her bait for drawing enemy aggression was gone.

For some reason, as soon as the match started, the two opponents focused entirely on chasing Yuan Hanshuang, not sparing a single glance for Wu Haoxuan, which left her completely baffled.

Finally, after Wu Haoxuan drew his second N-card, Yuan Hanshuang couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you two chasing me? Don't you see we have a support on our side?"

"What? You have a support?!" The opponents' expressions were even more shocked than hers.

"Wait, I think you're right!" one of them slapped his thigh. "When we started, besides that giant koi, there was that pretty boy called 'Lucky One.' Don't forget we're playing a 2v2, brother!"

As if a fog had lifted, the two looked back and saw the mouse-hat-wearing boy standing on the field not far away, looking at them with a very innocent expression.

What the hell. They had chased the koi around the arena four times and passed by that spot countless times, yet they hadn't noticed a living person standing right there!

"Senior, this is another passive skill I developed." Facing everyone’s "I've-seen-a-ghost" expressions, Wu Haoxuan explained sheepishly. "This skill can infinitely weaken my presence. As long as the opponent isn't staring at me constantly, it’s easy for them to ignore my existence."

For a support class, this was a god-given skill. The only downside was that this passive skill also affected his daily life. For instance, his contact didn't notice him sitting in the hovercar; teachers often forgot he was in class during roll call; and even his parents, after he awakened his spiritual avatar, would occasionally forget they had a son. Over time, Wu Haoxuan had just gotten used to it.

Soon, Wu Haoxuan, having been sold out by Yuan Hanshuang, was also being chased around. While running, the opponents asked, "Are you really a support class? Why don't you use your buff skills?"

Wu Haoxuan: "Wuu wuu wuu, I want to too!"

Yuan Hanshuang: "..."

She stopped running, turned around, and gave the person who asked a solid two-punch combo.

Ten minutes later, the match ended.

"Congratulations to the [V Me 50 and I'll Surrender Right Here] team for their victory!"

Hearing the stadium broadcast, Yuan Hanshuang stopped. She stood in the center of the arena, her silhouette elegant yet brimming with power. Because Wu Haoxuan was unreliable, she had been forced to remove her self-imposed weights. Her close-combat skills were peerless at her level, and dealing with Tier 4 opponents wasn't too difficult, but there was a defense-type opponent on the other side who was as tough as a turtle shell, taking up quite a bit of her time.

After leaving the field, she gave a sweet smile. "I think we should renegotiate our earnings split. What do you think?"

Wu Haoxuan stepped back, feeling guilty. In that match, he had drawn an N-card repeatedly, failed to provide a single buff, and was beaten out of the arena early, forcing the 2v2 into a 1v2.

"I-I think that's perfectly fine! No problem!"

After this battle, Wu Haoxuan understood what kind of powerful "thigh" he was clinging to. To keep her, he tearfully offered up 50% of the earnings, finally calming his senior's rage.

Yuan Hanshuang, having received the money, happily initiated the next match. An hour later, she watched as Wu Haoxuan drew another N-card, feeling utterly speechless. "I deeply suspect that your hat only contains N-cards and no SSRs."

"Forget it, you're useless," Yuan Hanshuang commanded coldly. "Go be bait for the opponents."

Wu Haoxuan: "Wuu wuu wuu."

He was wronged! He was just a bit unlucky! QAQ

After five duels, Yuan Hanshuang remained energetic. Years of high-intensity training, combined with the power of her spiritual avatar, put her current physical fitness leagues ahead of her peak self in her previous life. In the matches where she had recently advanced from Platinum to Diamond fighter, she had struggled because she was facing Tier 5s on the verge of deranking. Compared to that, fighting two Tier 4s at once was a walk in the park.

"Senior, you worked hard! Senior, you’re mighty! Your junior is cheering for you!"

As soon as they left the field, Wu Haoxuan consciously sidled up to her, fawning and fussing. The Black Street Arena was fair; it was a place where only the strong survived. If you had enough strength, you could make a fortune here. They had scored a five-game winning streak, and the prize money had multiplied several times over.

Wu Haoxuan had always worked honest, low-paying jobs. Without support, a support-class talent struggled to find independent work using only their spiritual talent. He had never seen such big money. Even after giving half to his senior, it was still enough for a month's living expenses. Looking at the new balance on his terminal, Wu Haoxuan giggled foolishly.

"Senior, are you hungry? Should we go eat?"

Yuan Hanshuang gave him a meaningful look and readily agreed. "Sure."

Wu Haoxuan didn't notice a thing. Clutching his wealth, he walked on air and headed straight into a high-end nutrient solution shop nearby. Upon stepping inside, he looked around and locked onto the prices on the display board. His eyes widened like copper bells, and he found his favorite carrot-flavored nutrient solution suddenly tasteless.

The shop billed based on how much the customer consumed. Standing in the checkout area, Wu Haoxuan, whose wealth had lasted less than a second, felt a pain so sharp he couldn't breathe. *'One tube of nutrient solution is 100 star coins! Why don't you just rob me!'*

He waited for a long time, but didn't see his senior come out of the dining area. Instead, he saw a group of employees looking surprised, whispering to each other.

"Just now, a customer..."

"The manager has been urgently notified to request more stock from headquarters..."

Several customers outside wanted to enter, but the host gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, our store's stock of nutrient solution has been urgently depleted. Please come back tomorrow."

As Wu Haoxuan listened, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. That feeling quickly became reality. The manager, in a suit, arrived at the checkout area, beaming.

"Hello, guest. Your friend just drank all the nutrient solution in our store. Would you like to pay the bill now, or...?"

Wu Haoxuan slowly formed a question mark. *Nani? Did Senior drink it all or pack it all to go?*

In the end, he not only spent all the money he made that day but also maxed out his credit card. Wu Haoxuan stood there, dejected. A gentleman’s word was his bond; he understood that. Since he had offered to treat her, he had to swallow his pain.

If Yuan Hanshuang had only been helping out before, she now truly looked at Wu Haoxuan with new eyes, considering officially taking him on as a permanent subordinate.

"Let's go, want to play a few more rounds?"

She tossed two crystal cores, disguised as candies, into her mouth and invited him. They played a total of ten matches. The prize money from the ten-game winning streak was even better than the five-game one, successfully saving Wu Haoxuan's overdrawn credit card.

In these ten matches, the number of times Wu Haoxuan drew anything other than an N-card was rare. It was only in the final match, when Yuan Hanshuang was already getting a bit tired, that his luck suddenly exploded, and he drew an SSR.

"Hehe, SSR! I did it! I told you, Mousey here could definitely draw it!"

Regardless of anything else, the SSR's all-around double-stat buff was no joke. With one buff, a Moon Mouse lightbulb appeared over Yuan Hanshuang’s head. Her entire body felt light, filled with endless power, as if she had been injected with adrenaline. With two swift strikes, she destroyed the opponents.

Not only were the opponents stunned, but she herself was also shocked. No wonder it was said that support-class talents were the best partners; the feeling of being bound to a support was truly excellent. Of course, that was on the condition that the support performed consistently.

On the hovercar leaving the Black Street, Yuan Hanshuang leaned against the window, deep in thought. As they were about to arrive, she suddenly said, "Have you ever thought about one thing? Actually, the N-cards you draw can be utilized if you change your perspective."

"For example, since the N-card can reduce your teammate's stats by half, why not use it on the enemy you're dueling against?"

The air was silent for a long time, then suddenly erupted.

"Holy shit!! Senior!! You're so smart!!!" Wu Haoxuan's pupils shook.

These words were like a bolt of lightning, clearing away years of confusion in an instant. If Wu Haoxuan had previously felt he needed to cling to his senior's thigh, he was now truly, wholeheartedly convinced. At the very least, he had never thought of this alternative path in all his years.

Yuan Hanshuang rubbed her forehead. "Fine, remember to try it in the next duel."

It wasn't that Wu Haoxuan was stupid; rather, the mainstream idea for the support class across the galaxy was to support teammates. Few, if any, support-class talents ever thought to take a different path, using debuffs to weaken the opponent and indirectly increasing their own combat power.

"By the way, one more thing. Your physical fitness is too poor. As we rank up, the opponents will get stronger. To maintain our win rate, you must train and improve your physical fitness. Besides that, you need to learn some combat techniques, or you're wasting that passive skill."

Unsurprisingly, for the foreseeable future, besides playing solo matches, 2v2s with the newly minted "sucker" junior would become her main source of income. To make her own fights easier, she decided to train Wu Haoxuan well. The guy's physical fitness was just too pathetic. Everyone said supports were soft and fragile, but she hadn't expected him to be so weak that he ran out of breath after a few steps. It made her angry just looking at him.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll train with me every morning."

At this moment, Wu Haoxuan didn't realize the gravity of this statement; instead, he stood at attention and saluted. "Understood, Senior! Received, Senior!"

In today's matches, he had vividly demonstrated what it meant to be a "pendant." He couldn't draw cards, he couldn't run fast as a decoy, and Wu Haoxuan felt his face burning. Since they were going to be a long-term team, he couldn't be a drag on his senior.

"Wuu wuu wuu, Senior, you're so kind. From now on, I'm your number one subordinate!"

Yuan Hanshuang: "That might not work. I already have one subordinate; the 'number one' spot requires a competitive application."