Wang Shun tried to stop Bai Liu but resigned. "No one would participate while gambling."
"Do the rules allow it?" Bai Liu glanced at him.
Wang Shun paused. "The rules allow it."
But he hurriedly added, "However, players who participate rarely survive the preparation season. Controlling the gamble requires massive resources and manpower."
"Then I'll just have to keep winning," Bai Liu said simply.
He cut off Wang Shun, who was about to continue speaking. "I'll leave the guild to you. It won't be easy from now on. Try not to show your face with the other guild members."
"—You might get beaten up by other guilds."
"…Why would we get beaten up?" Before Wang Shun could process that, Bai Liu waved his hand lazily and walked toward the members of Wandering Circus.
Shortly after, Wang Shun understood what Bai Liu meant by "it won't be easy."
"Mister Wang Shun! People are arguing on the forums!" someone hurriedly reported, panicked as he made his way over. "Where's Mr. Bai?! Someone is impersonating him and posting on the forum!"
Wang Shun activated his system panel, his expression slowly going blank.
More than ten posts were at the top of the forum—and the poster wasn't even anonymous. Each one boldly displayed the name Bai Liu.
He used scathing words to mock the top ten guilds. He criticized everything he could, excessively flattered his own team [Wandering Circus], and even egotistically declared war on the number-one player, Spade.
Wang Shun felt lightheaded and stumbled backward, nearly falling over.
This was the most intense period of the support season. Even a tiny spark among the fans of the big guilds could ignite a massive explosion. Guild teams operated cautiously, fearing their weaknesses would be exposed.
And now, after Bai Liu had "nuked" the forum so many times, everyone was targeting him.
Furious fans claimed they would gang up on Bai Liu and "beat the crap out of him through the screen."
Wang Shun, caught in the chaos, slumped limply into a chair, eyes blank, letting out a bitter laugh. "Hitting and running… Bai Liu, you're such an asshole…"
On the other side:
The asshole chairman Bai Liu felt no guilt. If anything, he grew smug. He pulled an extravagant pair of sunglasses from nowhere, put them on, and strutted to the game entrance with Wandering Circus, lifting his head to select the game he wanted to enter.
Mu Sicheng looked around, alert and confused. "Is it just me, or do a lot of people seem hostile toward us?"
"It's not just you," Mu Ke said, opening the forum and frowning. "All the comments are about us—and they're all negative. Someone claiming to be Bai Liu made posts to provoke other guilds."
Liu Jiayi leaned closer to examine the posts. After scanning them, her face turned pale. Even if you were thinking with your feet, it was obvious who caused this insanity.
—This kind of reverse advertising was extreme. While it attracted a lot of attention, Wang Shun's side was going to get a headache.
Because when fans couldn't find Bai Liu to vent their anger, they were most likely to release it on the guild…
As they discussed, more and more players approached Bai Liu's team, glaring.
Bai Liu described the characteristics of the Wandering Circus very clearly in his posts, even mentioning the sunglasses he was wearing. Players could recognize him at a glance.
After selecting a game, he turned, lowering his sunglasses leisurely to reveal a pair of black irises, and smiled at the approaching players. He seemed to find it all immensely entertaining.
But Bai Liu turned again swiftly. "Let's go. We planned to clear ten games today. If anyone can't take it anymore, just yell 'stop'—we'll continue after a break."
The five of them disappeared into the crowd.
A pair of apple-green eyes watched the unfolding scene from a corner, unblinking, before turning to enter a level-three game.
[Inside the Gambler's Guild:]
Charles pulled a silk scarf in front of his chest. The golden threads of fate embroidered a crown upon it. As Bai Liu's face appeared vaguely in his thoughts, Charles returned the scarf to his pocket, a faint smile forming as he raised a wine glass to the air.
"—To the victory and wealth gifted by fate, cheers."
[Inside the King's Guild:]
Hearts swirled a bottle of Psyche's Tears, a gift from Liu Jiayi, her eyes drifting through the tear-shaped glass. Her gaze seemed lost in distant memories until someone knocked on her door.
The door opened anxiously. "My queen, Bai Liu seems to be joining The League this year…"
"Then we shall join," Hearts said plainly, returning the glass bottle. "We already did everything to stop him. Perhaps this result is the true outcome."
Her gaze fell on a picture on her office table—a photo taken after clearing a large instant dungeon. It was a ritualistic memento to consolidate trust among her team.
In the photo, Liu Jiayi lifted the corner of her witch's veil, an innocent smile brightening her usually cold face as she stood beside Hearts, radiating trust. The background was eerie fog—the remnants of a dangerous level-three game—but Liu Jiayi's smile made the danger seem to vanish.
Liu Ji stood awkwardly in the background. Ji Yifang, with bruises on his face, knelt next to Liu Jiayi, holding up a victory sign with a big grin. Titan, massive and silent, knelt in the back; even as he tried to lower his head, the camera captured only his chin.
Hearts stood in the middle, with Liu Jiayi leaning into her embrace—they were the core of the team this year, surrounded by everyone.
Hearts' gaze lingered on the picture before she reached over to cover it. She placed the glass bottle in the cabinet, then lifted her head.
"Let the news of the little witch betraying the King's Guild spread."
The reporter paused, then looked up, red eyes wide. "Your majesty… is the little witch really not coming back?"
No emotion crossed Hearts' face as she ordered, "…Let the secret bench player we arranged for the little witch enter a game today. I will begin training her to be an official member."
The reporter's head dropped. "…Yes, my queen."
As he turned to leave, Hearts called out, "Wait."
He spun back, surprised to see the usually decisive queen holding her forehead, staring at the picture again—he remembered she had just covered it.
He asked cautiously, "Your majesty… do you need anything?"
Hearts lowered her gaze, her pale fingers caressing Liu Jiayi's image. She sighed sentimentally and helplessly before closing her eyes and tossing two boxes toward the reporter.
"These are originally super-rare tools prepared for the little witch. One is a pair of contact lenses that allow her to see under any condition—" Hearts paused, then continued, "—the other is a potion that restores her sight permanently."
"Bring them to her," Hearts said plainly, "and tell her this: the next time we meet will be on the battlefield."
"Let her know that no matter what she chooses—her future, her betrayal, her doubts—she must face them with her own eyes."
"Consider this my final lesson for her."
The reporter stood silently for a long moment, then bowed and left. "Yes, your majesty."
Hearts remained, facing the picture in solitude. Finally, she placed it in the drawer containing Psyche's Tears.
In the drawer's depths, an older picture was faintly visible. A young Hearts sat on the lap of a man with an indistinct face, her waist encircled by him. She waved her arms carelessly, laughing boldly.
Hearts locked the drawer and rose, leaving without turning back.
[Golden Dawn's Guild]
Although ranked third, Golden Dawn's guild had a bright name but a headquarters tucked into a dingy area. From the outside, the building looked lifeless, nothing to catch the eye—much like the guild's demeanor: simple, strict, and unassuming.
Inside, however, the contrast was stark. Lights blazed everywhere, as bright as a summer day. Players hurried back and forth with system panels open, analyzing massive streams of data with serious expressions. It resembled a high-tech research facility more than a guild hall.
Golden Dawn was a unique guild. Unlike open guilds that accepted waves of players freely, it resembled Killer's Sequence: highly selective and conservative.
To join, players underwent a strict audition. No one knew the criteria for acceptance—only that very few succeeded, and even fewer left. As a result, information about the guild's interior was scarce, shrouding it in mystery.
Most guilds' impressions of Golden Dawn mirrored Wang Shun's: it seemed like a guild populated almost entirely by foreigners. And indeed, its chairman was a foreigner.
"Knock knock knock!" Someone knocked on the chairman's door. "Captain Georgia, I have something to report."
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal a tall man with long dark brown hair and matching eyes. Captain Georgia's face was sharply defined yet gentle; fans described him as elegant as dawn, luxurious as golden light, expensive-looking in the simplest sense.
From his first League appearance, he had been propelled into the safe zone by his fans and awarded the Death-Exemption Medal, earning fame merely for his looks. He ranked third in the poll for the most attractive players, just below Hearts. This was partly because he preferred to remain low-profile, rarely showing his face.
His side profile appeared amicable, but when he looked directly at someone, that warmth vanished. Georgia's gaze was intense; meeting it made people feel momentarily significant, though in reality, he was assessing whether they were hostile—a serious man not to be trifled with.
In keeping with his personality, Georgia's long hair was tied neatly atop his head. His complexion seemed unhealthy, and his lower lip unusually pale—but such details were easily overlooked amid his composed demeanor.
The visitor approached nervously as Georgia straightened in his chair, gesturing for him to sit.
"Captain, your injuries from being corrupted by a monster haven't fully healed. Sit and listen to my report."
Georgia coughed into his fist, apologized, and sat back down.
The visitor exhaled, continuing: "Captain, one of the Heretics Authorities' teams contained two heretics. One, called Rose Perfume, is a special first-grade red. The other consists of body parts linked to Rose Perfume. They are extremely dangerous and cannot yet be classified."
"These body parts can allegedly influence other heretics to evolve. Keeping them in an area dense with heretics is unwise. They're planning to transfer them abroad."
"For now, they're leaning toward sending them to Area Three," the visitor said, handing Georgia the system panel. "Area One proposes clearing a space to contain the unclassified heretic. If you approve, we can begin as soon as we log out."
Georgia frowned at the signature on the request. "Cen Buming? Aren't special first-grade transfers usually handled by Branch Three's captain?"
The visitor hesitated, then admitted, "I heard the captain of Branch Three resigned."
"He resigned? Why? That captain seemed dedicated to the job."
"Not everyone is a workaholic like you," the visitor said dryly. "Even injured, you continue working. Heretics Authority work is exhausting, and the pay isn't great. I understand why he left."
Georgia's gaze hardened. "This is a sacred duty."
The visitor zipped his lips and fell silent.
After signing the application, Georgia returned the panel. His team member looked worried and asked quietly, "Georgia, is your little brother still upset because you didn't bring him on a mission and he got hurt?"
Referring to him as Georgia instead of Captain, he softened his tone.
Georgia paused, reviewing documents with tightened fingers. The visitor continued cautiously: "Or is it because he joined the game behind your back for a while, even joining our guild and The League, and got angry when you caught him?"
Still no reply.
"Young people are reckless," the visitor rambled. "He acted out of concern for you. You're his last family. Your health has been poor since that heretic incident—he just wants to protect you."
"He is my last family member," Georgia said, cutting him off. "If he truly considered my feelings, he wouldn't act behind my back."
His usually calm face flushed slightly, and his breath quickened. He lowered his head and coughed violently.
"Okay! Okay! I'll stop! Georgia, calm down!" The visitor raised his hands and stepped back.
Georgia gestured flatly. "Please leave."
The visitor hesitated but left, leaning against the doorframe and muttering, "I heard Branch Three's captain left because of Bai Liu. Allegedly, he made Rose Perfume and somehow persuaded the captain to resign. They say the captain fell in love with him. Ridiculous, right? But these are just rumors."
He shut the door before Georgia could scold him.
Alone, Georgia frowned, deep in thought. "Bai Liu?"
On the other side, Bai Liu and his team had just finished grinding through ten games and emerged from the dungeon.
Bai Liu's shirt and pants were soaked, as if he had been pulled straight from water—but it was all sweat. Mu Ke immediately collapsed, lying flat on the ground the moment they stepped out. Liu Jiayi plopped down beside him, panting as if she might die at any second.
Mu Sicheng fared slightly better, leaning against the wall as he chugged a recovery potion, sweat dripping from his hair.
The one in the best condition was Tang Erda. Aside from his slightly damp back, he looked unchanged from before entering the game.
The players waiting at the entrance to mock Bai Liu had turned rigid—this was the tenth time they'd seen this team emerge from the game.
These maniacs cleared a Level Two dungeon almost every half hour. As for the Level Three instant dungeons, the games on the screens seemed to be devoured by them, one by one, dimming in record time.
The television audience gawked at the five of them, watching as if the footage were playing at thirty-two times speed. Before anyone could even understand the game, they had cleared it and moved on to the next.
The forum, once full of people cursing Bai Liu, had gone silent. No one dared speak now. Tang Erda's ability was simply too impressive.
Where did Bai Liu even find such a terrifying ace? How high are his attack stats? And how does everyone else keep up with Tang Erda's firing speed? Can they even see him shoot?
Under this massive attention, new topics had replaced Bai Liu's original posts, making him a hot topic across the game.
Bai Liu lay on the ground, ruffling his sweat-drenched hair, and turned to Tang Erda with a small smile. "After ten rounds, you have the highest points. The audience really likes your appearance and ability—of course, so do we."
"…" Tang Erda didn't know how to respond to comments on his looks, so he stiffly diverted the topic. "That's it for today's training. Log out and familiarize yourself with the opponents' information for future matches."
"Why are there more…" Mu Sicheng wailed, collapsing onto the ground in despair.
Bai Liu gave him a reassuring ok sign.
[In Bai Liu's rental apartment]
Bai Liu pulled out a whiteboard and some markers seemingly from nowhere, setting it up for Tang Erda. The others sat neatly on the bed across from him, eyes fixed on the "professor," ready to lecture.
Being stared at by his past adversaries, hungry for knowledge, unnerved Tang Erda slightly—but he suppressed it. Clearing his throat, he lifted a red marker and began drawing on the board as he explained:
"The top ten guilds are your main rivals. You need to be prepared to face any of them. As the saying goes, the more you know about them, the more likely you are to win. I'll now outline the key traits of each team."
He scanned the group.
"Since I'm less familiar with Killer's Sequence, and you all know King's Guild, today we'll focus on the third guild—Golden Dawn."
After Tang Erda finished, the others packed up. Those heading home went home; those needing school went to school. Bai Liu, noticing Tang Erda still staring at the words Golden Dawn, poured a cup of water and handed it to him. "You know their guild leader, right?"
Tang Erda paused, declining the water. "I don't even want to ask how you know."
"I can tell," Bai Liu replied, setting the cup aside. Sitting next to him, he continued, "You're avoiding talking about his ability—this is typical when discussing someone you're close to. Can you tell me more about Chairman Georgia?"
Tang Erda pulled out a cigar, gesturing at Bai Liu. "Do you mind?"
Bai Liu smiled faintly. "You know I dislike cigars, but smoke if you must."
Tang Erda lit it and took a slow, deep puff. "I'm not close to him. We're just colleagues. He's with the Heretics Authorities in Area Three, handling highly dangerous heretics."
"To be precise, the one he's actually close to…" Tang Erda glanced at Bai Liu, "…is you, Bai Liu."
Bai Liu immediately understood. "What happened between him and me in other timelines?"
"When your subordinate, Mu Sicheng, smuggled heretics abroad, he ran into Georgia on patrol. He kidnapped him and delivered him to you. No one knew what you did to him, or which heretic you used to corrupt him. After one night, you returned him."
"But after that, Georgia's condition worsened daily. He seemed to experience excruciating pain, often incoherent, and sometimes even displayed suicidal tendencies."
Tang Erda exhaled smoke slowly. "Later, Georgia's little brother, Armand, ambushed Mu Sicheng's smuggling operation to avenge him… and died alongside Mu Sicheng."