Chapter 4: Ch-4 Broom Wielding Mastermind

Okay, so my teacher handed me a broom and told me to "sweep my way to greatness." Inspirational, right? Too bad I'm still stuck as a low-tier disciple, probably the lowest-tier disciple in the history of the sect.

I can't just be the guy who sweeps floors forever. There's gotta be something more to life than this. A treasure, or, you know, anything useful. Definitely not more socks.

So, naturally, I start my own little treasure hunt. I rummage through every dusty corner, inspect every shelf, and investigate every random box I can find. Spoiler alert: they're all empty. Except for... yep, you guessed it, more socks.

But hey, I don’t give up! There has to be something around here that'll make me powerful. Something that’ll make Donny look like a total joke. I refuse to believe my fate is limited to a lifetime of sweeping and socks.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of searching, I find another chest. Here it is, I think.

But then… the chest talks.

“If you want the treasure inside, you’ll need to find its big, long, and thick key,” it says, its voice echoing dramatically.

I freeze. “Okay, that’s weird,” I mutter. “But then again, if some random protagonist can make a harem of goddesses, a talking chest isn’t even that strange.”

So, off I go to find the key. As I’m rifling through cupboards, I spot it: a large key radiating golden light. This is it! I think, smiling. This is what’s going to make me invincible, a cheat-level power that’ll make everyone regret laughing at me.

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I grab the key and head back to the chest. I hold my breath, insert the key into the lock, and.....wait. Is that water seeping out of the keyhole?

Before I can process it, the chest moans. Loudly. “Ahhh!”

I jump back, my brain short-circuiting. “What the?”

The chest doesn’t stop. “Insert it deeper, step bro,” it says.

I stare at it, horrified. “Oh no. Nope. I’m not doing this.” But then I think about my potential future—an OP protagonist with a legendary harem and sigh. “Fine. For the harem,” I whisper, grimacing as I push the key deeper into the lock.

The chest lets out a scream “Yessss!” and finally clicks open. My heart races. This is it! My legendary artifact!

Inside… is a glowing piece of paper. I carefully unwrap it, my hands trembling like I’ve just unearthed the secret to immortality.

And it’s...

A piece of chewed bubble gum.

I stare at it for a long moment. “Alright, universe, you win. This is my fate now.”

So, here I am, with a chewed piece of bubble gum, a broom, and my undying determination (which, let’s be real, is mostly me refusing to admit defeat). But I’m not giving up. No way.

I start brainstorming. What do I need? More power. How do I get it? Uh… still working on that. But power doesn’t come on an empty stomach, so I head to the kitchen to fuel up. My grand feast? A bowl of burnt rice. Not ideal, but it’s food.

Then, like a divine revelation (or a painfully slow thought), an idea hits me. Why work hard when I can just... exploit the system? Like Fang Yuan, but, you know, with slightly less murder.

That’s it! I’ll find a teacher to do all the hard work for me. A genius move, right? The only problem? Finding a teacher who doesn’t see me as a walking disaster.

I wander around the sect, asking anyone who looks even remotely competent. Every time, I’m either laughed at or handed another broom. “Here,” they say. “This is your teacher.”

Sigh.

I was taken in by the sect when I was just an orphan kid. But since I didn’t have any natural talent, they never even admitted me to classes. Instead, I got stuck doing chores. Classic underdog story, right? But I’ve heard that if I get a recommendation from one of the elders, I might finally be able to join the classes.

But until then? I guess I’ll keep sweeping. With style, of course. One day, I’ll be the greatest broom-wielder this sect has ever seen.