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“5.”
“4.”
“3.”
“2.”
“1.”
“0.”
The final “0” shimmered into existence in the sky, and with its appearance, the figures of all the challengers vanished from the arenas, leaving behind only the five ultimate champions.
[The first event, “Arena Battle: Morning Session,” has concluded successfully. Thank you for your participation, players.]
Standing on Arena Number Three, Yan heard a clear, melodious female voice resonate in his ears—Alice’s professional tone, which carried a distinct cyberpunk vibe, like a cool, artificial intelligence (and indeed, she was largely responsible for these events).
A faint, light blue glow, indicative of teleportation, began to emanate from Yan’s body.
‘It’s finally over,’ he thought.
Yan stretched with a sigh of relief, his tall, slender figure gradually fading from the arena as he was teleported to the event map where the spectators gathered, landing beneath the giant screen.
Just moments before, numerous players who had lain in wait until the final half-hour launched a frantic counterattack; not only he, but the champions of the other arenas, too, faced relentless challenges.
Fortunately, all the champions had adopted delaying tactics, stalling each challenger for a full ten minutes, ultimately dragging the battles out until ten o’clock.
Right up until the event’s conclusion, not a single champion was dethroned.
An Dong and Lian had miraculously held their ground, occupying Arena Number One and Arena Number Five from start to finish, securing their titles as champions.
These two had utterly subverted Yan’s initial understanding of the arena battle event; they had truly won from beginning to end, leaving him to wonder if they never felt any fatigue.
Yan cast a helpless glance at An Dong and Lian, who stood together amidst the distant crowd.
He watched as An Dong excitedly discussed something with Lian, while Lian merely gave a calm, cool nod, offering a polite response to the animated An Dong.
There wasn’t even a hint of exhaustion visible on either of them… Yan’s lips twitched, unsure what expression to make.
No, perhaps Yan’s initial thoughts weren’t mistaken; in a normal PK, anyone would feel fatigued after two hours.
But An Dong and Lian were different.
Throughout the two-hour arena battle, An Dong had barely moved a step.
Relying solely on [Shield of Profound Stone], his abnormal status immunity as a resistance tank, and a Fourth-Tier [Healing Spell], he had relentlessly worn down and eliminated several challengers.
With such a fighting style, An Dong likely felt little to no exhaustion.
Was he truly worthy of the moniker [Immovable Fortress]?
It was an incredibly apt nickname.
Yan offered a bitter smile, feeling like a clown himself, having to rack his brains every time to uncover his opponents’ weaknesses and then struggle for a hard-won victory.
‘The clown was me all along?’
Yan internally grumbled with resignation, then turned his gaze towards Lian, who stood like a distant, lofty flower.
Her fighting style was equally outrageous; she had maintained the same strategy she employed in her very first match.
Each time a challenger appeared, she would swiftly create the maximum possible distance, then unleash a single [Willow-Piercing Arrow] to kill them with one shot, making it appear effortlessly easy.
Of course, this was built upon her mastery of archery, and behind her current effortless victories, there must have been persistent, arduous study and practice in reality.
Yan deeply understood the hardships of practicing ancient martial arts, allowing him to empathize (though he himself had been slacking off and not practicing his spear recently…).
However…
Yan’s suspicious gaze settled on Lian’s cool, handsome face.
One thing consistently perplexed him: why did Lian always retreat to the maximum distance before every battle?
Moreover, even when her opponent was out of sight, she could accurately pinpoint their location.
What struck him as most incongruous, however, was Lian’s damage output—it simply felt wrong.
Even though the players challenging the main arena were mostly squishy assassins or archers, they shouldn’t be instantly killed by a single arrow…
Yan, who loved this game and had thoroughly researched every profession within it, could calculate that an archer of this level should not possess such devastating damage.
‘She’s very off,’ Yan instinctively realized.
Yan instinctively perceived this.
Well, no matter how “off” she was, it couldn’t compare to his own peculiarity of having max-level attributes at level one…
Just then, Lian turned her head, her gaze meeting Yan’s.
She looked at him calmly, as if she had already sensed his scrutiny.
‘Is this the keen perceptiveness of a [Divine-Eyed Archer]?’ Yan wondered, a shiver running down his spine under her somewhat cold gaze.
He offered a wry smile.
“Hmm? Lian, what are you looking at?”
An Dong noticed Lian’s change, turned around, and followed her line of sight, spotting Yan’s figure.
“Oh!”
Seeing it was Yan, he grinned excitedly, raised his arm high, and waved at him.
Yan smiled back, returning the wave.
Ah, never mind.
No matter how peculiar she was, as long as she was still an acquaintance, a friend even, it didn’t matter; she wouldn’t harm him anyway.
Speaking of “friends”…
Yan glanced over at Xiao, who was standing with Guan Ying on the other side, and rubbed his temples with a slight headache.
That Xiao fellow… he was also a friend… right?
Yet, he seemed to deliberately “oppose” him.
Challenging him was one thing, but he even knocked Qing Bai off the stage, ultimately claiming the champion title for Arena Number Four for himself.
Didn’t he know Qing Bai was his friend?
How was he supposed to face Miss Qing Bai’s wrath now?
‘Wait, no, that guy probably didn’t know he knew Qing Bai!’
Yan slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing.
Well, if that was the case, there was nothing to be done.
It seemed Xiao hadn’t acted out of malicious mischief after all.
But would that young lady be able to understand this point?
Oh, no, even if she did, that domineering young lady probably wouldn’t let him off easily…
Yan clutched his forehead, thinking with a growing headache.
‘Maybe I should make a quick getaway?’
‘Yes, that’s the plan.’
He certainly didn’t want to face the young lady’s fury, so of the Thirty-Six Stratagems (TL Note: A Chinese essay describing 36 military stratagems), fleeing was indeed the best policy!
He needed to grease his soles and make a swift escape!
He swiftly turned, intending to quietly slip out of the event map.
“Yan!”
Just then, Qing Bai’s distinctively high-pitched and clear voice suddenly rang out from behind Yan, making his heart lurch.
“In such a hurry, where are you off to, Mr. Game Addict~?”
Yan’s neck turned stiffly, like a rusted gear, only to be met with Qing Bai’s “benevolent” smile.
“Ahahaha… I just remembered I had something to do. Ri-right! Nan Shi was looking for me to play Japanese Mahjong (TL Note: A popular variation of mahjong), so I really must go.”
“Japanese Mahjong? That sounds interesting?”
Tian Jiu, standing behind Qing Bai, tilted her head adorably as she spoke.
‘Hey, hey, don’t miss the point, you airhead! This is clearly an excuse I made up, alright?’
Yan grumbled internally, yet his body dishonestly took two more steps, eager to escape the “dangerous” smile of Qing Bai behind him.
“Stop.”
Qing Bai’s decisive command brought him to an immediate halt; he dared not move another inch.
Although her smile was utterly sweet, Yan detected not the slightest hint of amusement in her tone.
“There’s no need to rush off for Japanese Mahjong, is there~?”
Qing Bai narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile sending a shiver down Yan’s spine.
“First, let’s properly celebrate your victory as champion, and while we’re at it…”
“Have a good chat~”
‘Ah, I’m dead (TL Note: Internet slang, “wǒ sǐ le,” meaning “I’m done for” or “I’m screwed”).’
Yan despairingly accepted his fate.
****
“Hmph.”
Qing Bai, cradling an iced cola in her hands, gave an adorable huff and turned her small face away, seemingly no longer too bothered by Xiao having snatched her arena.
‘What the heck, this girl is actually quite easy to appease.’
‘He’d thought this competitive girl would be even more unwilling to accept Xiao taking her champion title.’
Yan, seated at the wooden table, couldn’t help but smile faintly, taking a sip of the Blue Mountain coffee before him.
“What are you laughing at!”
Qing Bai seemed to sense something, a faint, moist blush rising on her cheeks.
“Do-don’t think I’ve forgiven you that easily,” she retorted stubbornly.
She said with such stubbornness.
“Yes, yes, my lady,” Yan said with a wry smile.
“Xiao is indeed very strong. I’m still not a match for him right now…”
Qing Bai placed the cola on her fair, slender legs, which were pressed together, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.
However, after just a moment, her spirits lifted once more, and she raised her clenched right fist.
“But! When I can multi-cast Fourth-Tier spells, I’ll definitely make him suffer! I’m not someone to be trifled with!”
“Sooner or later, I’ll make him lose to me!”
Yan watched the excited gleam in her eyes and smiled faintly, knowing that Qing Bai now had an opponent to defeat and a goal to strive for.
In games, challenging stronger players was, of course, an incredibly thrilling endeavor.
“Excellent, that’s the spirit.”
He said with a smile.
“Hmph, I don’t need you to tell me; I’ll work hard to defeat her anyway.”
Qing Bai turned her face away, picked up her cola, and began to drink.
“Yan is really amazing, he actually made it into the top ten!”
Tian Jiu swallowed a mouthful of milk tea, praising him thus.
“Ahahaha, it was alright,” Yan said, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
In truth, he was secretly delighted, thoroughly enjoying Tian Jiu’s admiration.
“Alice, the afternoon session of the event starts at two, right?”
He turned his head to Alice, who sat beside him.
“Mmm? Thath’th right (That’s right),” Alice responded adorably, her words muffled by the crepe she was biting into.
Alice, with a crepe in her mouth, gave an adorably indistinct reply.
Yan chuckled softly.
Yan smiled faintly, then turned back to check the time displayed in the shop.
It was already eleven o’clock.
“Then everyone should log off for lunch first; logging on this afternoon is optional.”
“Eh?”
Tian Jiu voiced her confusion.
“Because I plan to watch the afternoon arena battles, I won’t be able to accompany you for leveling.”
Yan said with an apologetic smile.
“As the saying goes: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles (TL Note: A famous adage from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War).’
“I want to see who I might face in the finals and gather some intelligence beforehand, so I can be prepared.”
“I see…”
Tian Jiu nodded blankly, then a sweet, adorable smile bloomed on her fair, youthful face.
“Then I’ll go with you to watch this afternoon; I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
Yan was somewhat overjoyed, and a smile spread across his face as he looked at the well-behaved Tian Jiu.
“Tian Jiu, you truly are a little angel.”
He raised his hand and gently ruffled Tian Jiu’s hair, causing her face to flush crimson.
“I’m going too.”
To Yan’s surprise, Qing Bai declared this.
“I want to see what kind of players make up the top ten in this game.”
A bright gleam appeared in her eyes, reflecting her excitement at the prospect of challenging powerful players.
“Alright.”
Yan smiled faintly and raised his right hand.
“You want one too?”
His large palm gestured playfully in the air above Qing Bai’s fiery red hair, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Yan! Do you want to die!!!”
Qing Bai’s furious shout of embarrassment even pierced through the café walls, startling players passing by outside.