Ye Qiu stared at the paused screen for a moment, lips twitching into a small smile. The game was exactly where the girl had left it—her character surrounded by trolls and zombies, her health bar hanging by a thread. He shook his head slightly, then settled into the seat.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
With practiced ease, he resumed the game.
Downstairs, Chan Guo had only stepped out for a breath of fresh air. The rain had eased to a drizzle, cool air brushing against her face. But her mind was still on the game—the frustration, the near victory. She clenched her fists.
Why is that level so damn hard?!
She let out a long sigh and turned back inside.
As she climbed the stairs and stepped into Area C, her eyes immediately landed on her seat—her computer. And there he was. A stranger sitting in her spot. Playing her game.
Her body tensed, ready to explode.
But before the rage could leave her lips, something on the screen caught her eye.
A word.
Big. Bold. Glowing.
GLORY.
She froze mid-step.
Her heart skipped.
The room around her faded.
She blinked once. Twice.
Had she seen that right?
GLORY only appeared when a player cleared a level—and she had been stuck on that level for days. She had logged out and back in over fifty times. She had memorized every enemy spawn, every attack combo, every strategy guide. And still, she had failed.
Yet this random guy had just… won?
In what looked like seconds?
No way.
Did he just finished off the level in forty seconds? Or fifty? Cuz she knew danm well it wasnt up to a minute.
How the hell did he do that?!
She slowly walked toward him, the fury drained from her face, replaced with awe. She had been ready to pounce on him like a rabid cat. Now she was just… stunned.
But to her surprise, just as casually as he had sat down, he logged out of the game. Then he stretched—arms raised above his head like someone who had just taken a nap, not crushed a nearly impossible level.
He turned his head and met her wide-eyed stare.
"Oh," he said, startled for a second, "you… forgot to log out." He scratched the back of his neck, glancing toward the screen. "So I thought I should, you know… help finish it off."
Before he could finish explaining, she rushed past him and leaned over the computer, eyes scanning the screen frantically.
"And you did finish it off," she muttered, half to herself. "You finished it off in like… what? One minute?"
"Forty seconds," he corrected, pointing at the corner of the screen.
Her jaw dropped.
"How did—" The words wouldn't even come. Her thoughts spiraled deeper.
This wasn't normal. This wasn't luck. This wasn't something a random internet café guest could pull off.
This was something only a professional could do.
She turned to him slowly, studying his face, tilting her head like a hawk eyeing its prey.
He didn't look familiar. She was a hardcore gamer, especially when it came to Avatar: Epic Quest. She had studied every pro player, memorized their styles, faces, usernames. If one of them was nearby, she would know.
But Ye Qiu… didn't match any profile.
Unless…
Her mind raced.
Unless he was one of the anonymous elite…
The Dragon Team.
The only pro team in the top ranks that had never gone public. No face reveals. No interviews. No streams. Complete mystery.
But even within that elusive team, there was only one player known to clear levels like this.
One legend who had mastered timing and control so perfectly, it bordered on supernatural.
Everstay.
Her heart thudded.
Her eyes snapped back to Ye Qiu like a maniac.
He just sat there, blinking, utterly confused by her intense stare. To him, he had done something simple—just helped a stranger out of a bind.
But to her?
She might have just uncovered the biggest secret in the gaming community.
The real identity of Everstay.
And now, standing in front of him, she wasn't sure whether to scream, faint, or take a picture.
Suddenly, Chan Guo turned on her heel and bolted out of the room, rushing down the stairs to the front desk where the café receptionist sat behind her monitor.
She slammed her hands lightly on the counter, slightly breathless.
"What's the name of the guy who registered as Area C, Number 47?" she asked quickly.
The female receptionist raised a brow, then casually tapped a few keys on the keyboard. After a short pause, she replied, "His name is Ye Xiu."
"Ye Xiu?" Chan Guo repeated under her breath, her brow furrowing as she turned away in thought.
"Ye Xiu… Ye Xiu... Ye Qiu?" Her eyes widened.
No way.
The name that Somi had casually mentioned. And just recently, rumors had begun to swirl across gaming forums and news sites claiming that Ye Qiu was the real name of the legendary Everstay.
Could it really be him?
Her heart raced with excitement. A wide grin spread across her face as her mind spun with possibilities. If the name on the registration had been Ye Qiu directly, she might've dismissed it as fake. But this… this variation—Ye Xiu—felt like a hidden clue, a masked identity only someone trying to stay off the radar would use.
"Heh heh heh…" she chuckled under her breath, the sound borderline sinister.
I'm going to get his autograph, she thought, determination burning in her eyes. Even if I have to chase him across this whole café.
Just as her thoughts grew more devious, the receptionist casually added, "Oh, he even left his ID card."
Chan Guo froze. "ID card?" she repeated. "Let me see it!"
She reached out her hand, and the receptionist handed it over without much concern.
Chan Guo stared at the card, studying it closely.
There it was.
Name: Ye Xiu
Her shoulders sank.
The excitement drained from her face like water down a sink.
Right. The café's system was strict—real-name verification required official identification. No fake IDs. No fake names. If this card said Ye Xiu, then that was who he really was.
And it wasn't Ye Qiu.
It wasn't Everstay.
She sighed heavily.
Guess I got carried away…
The thought of unmasking the legendary player had been thrilling, but now, the mystery had faded. Still… she couldn't help but glance back up the stairs, a flicker of curiosity still lingering in her eyes.
He wasn't the secret legend she hoped for—but Ye Xiu was definitely not ordinary.
Not by a long shot.