Chapter 3

In the Go classroom, the other students who had come to take the class, after seeing the reaction of Shirokawa Dofu, couldn't help but look at Chen Anya with strange gazes.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the surrounding gazes, Chen Anya thought she had made a wrong move.

However, more than the current discomfort, what Chen Anya was more concerned about was the voice that had suddenly appeared in her mind. Was it an illusion? Or...

Just as Chen Anya was pondering, she heard Shirokawa Dofu's surprised voice, "Anya, I remember you said you just started playing Go, right?"

Chen Anya, hearing this, came back to her senses and directly replied, "Yes, I only started learning Go in your class today, Mr. Shirokawa."

Upon hearing Chen Anya's response, Shirokawa Dofu's surprise grew even more, and he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then may I ask why you chose to play there?"

‘Why would I know? Should I tell him that I heard a hallucination, so I played there?’ Chen Anya thought to herself.

Of course, Chen Anya wouldn't say her thoughts out loud. Instead, she started to make up a story, "Mr. Shirokawa, you mentioned earlier that the white stone's move was intended to invade the black stones' territory."

"So I thought, if the black stone is placed at the 15th row and 16th column, it should form a strategic position with the previous black stones, allowing for both offensive and defensive advantages."

Fujihara Sae, who had been closely watching, couldn't help but tremble slightly with her five-bone bat fan in hand, her face changing as she muttered, "Could it be... not a coincidence?"

Hikaru, clearly having heard Fujihara Sae's mutter, asked curiously, "Sae, what are you saying? What's not a coincidence?"

Fujihara Sae didn't answer Hikaru's question but stared at Chen Anya, her face showing a mysterious expression.

At the same time, after hearing Chen Anya's response, Shirokawa Dofu couldn't help but show a look of amazement in his eyes and said, "Anya, your thinking is astonishing. This is indeed a very good move."

He then looked at the board and sighed, "It's just that we don't often see such moves nowadays."

After Shirokawa Dofu finished speaking, Chen Anya didn't react much, but Hikaru couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why don't people play like this anymore?"

Shirokawa Dofu, hearing this, first had Chen Anya sit down, and then, under the curious gazes of the students, explained, "Because there used to be no handicap rule."

"Since the black stones, which move first, have an advantage over the white stones, a difference of five and a half points was established from the beginning."

"In other words, if the final board shows the white stones with fifty points, the black stones need fifty-six points to win."

"People believed that the komi rule, which was introduced, eliminated the advantage of the black stones, making the game more fair."

"Therefore, this type of move, which is not very advantageous under the komi rule, is rarely seen nowadays."

Fujihara Sae, upon hearing Shirokawa Dofu's words, couldn't help but be stunned, her thoughts returning to the game she played with the little boy yesterday.

Fujihara Sae remembered that in yesterday's game, she won by four points with the black stones.

However, if the current komi rule of five and a half points for the black stones were applied, she would have lost by one and a half points.

Thinking about this, Fujihara Sae's beautiful blue eyes narrowed slightly.

On the podium, after answering Hikaru's question, Shirokawa Dofu looked at Chen Anya again and said, "However, regardless of anything, as a beginner, it's very impressive that Anya could come up with such a move."

"If Anya continues to pursue Go, I believe she has a good chance of becoming a professional player and entering the professional Go world!"

The last sentence was said with great seriousness and certainty, clearly not a lie.

After Shirokawa Dofu finished speaking, the Go classroom couldn't help but erupt in a buzz.

Most of the people who came to the Go classroom were true enthusiasts of Go.

Therefore, they fully understood the significance and weight of Shirokawa Dofu's words.

Because they understood, they were amazed and moved.

At this moment, the students in the Go classroom firmly etched Chen Anya's appearance into their minds.

Without a doubt, in this not-so-large Go classroom, Chen Anya had made a stunning debut.

As for Chen Anya, upon hearing Shirokawa Dofu's words, her face showed a look of confusion.

Chen Anya knew that she didn't initially intend to play at the 15th row and 16th column. It was only after hearing the voice that suddenly appeared in her mind that she made the move.

However, Chen Anya didn't know what the voice was, and she couldn't help but mutter, "Could it be a flash of inspiration?"

"Could I really have a high talent for Go?"

On the other side, Uemura Taizou, looking at the virtual space in front of him, saw a notification that the task was completed (with an excellent rating), and his face couldn't help but show excitement.

Then, Uemura Taizou received the task reward.

This task reward made Uemura Taizou exclaim in surprise, "100,000 Go Soul Points!?"

Next, Uemura Taizou's face showed a look of delight.

This sudden exclamation broke the atmosphere in the Go classroom, drawing everyone's attention to Uemura Taizou, their faces showing confusion.

Clearly, no one knew what 100,000 Go Soul Points meant.

Among them, only Chen Anya was different. Upon hearing Uemura Taizou's words, her expression clearly changed.

If she hadn't misheard, she heard the words "Go Soul" from Uemura Taizou.

‘Is it a homophone, or...’

‘Could he also be a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person who has traveled through time or space")?’

‘But if he really is a穿越者, what does 100,000 Go Soul Points mean?’

...

One by one, doubts surfaced in Chen Anya's mind, making her brain a bit chaotic, unable to sort out her thoughts for a moment.

Uemura Taizou didn't notice Chen Anya's change in expression and remained immersed in his great joy.

However, Uemura Taizou also knew that the current setting was inappropriate and didn't immediately verify anything.

Then, Uemura Taizou stood up and said to Shirokawa Dofu, "Mr. Shirokawa, I'm sorry, but I have an emergency at home and need to leave."

With that, Uemura Taizou left the Go classroom.

Chen Anya wanted to confirm Uemura Taizou's identity but had no way to do so and could only watch as Uemura Taizou left the Go classroom.

After leaving the Go classroom, Uemura Taizou found a secluded place and chose to log out.

Then, Uemura Taizou's figure disappeared from the world of *Hikaru no Go*.

...