Chapter 94

Watching Fang Yi's incessant chatter, Xiao Lei smiled in understanding and walked up the stairs with him, arriving at the grand hall on the third floor.

The hotel was quite large, likely a resort. In recent years, the urban expansion of X City had not been rapid, but the surrounding environment had been well-preserved, gradually making tourism one of the main industries. Fang Yi used to love such competitive events, not only for the money but also because the venues were perfect for weekend getaways.

A row of luxurious gaming pods was neatly arranged by the windows in the hall, and a 3D platform directly opposite the windows was playing the annual documentary of "God of War." The hall was already bustling with people, mostly fans of the game. Fang Yi followed Xiao Lei to the contestant area.

Fang Yi had been particularly low-key in "God of War," leading many to know the ID "Fangkuai" by name but not by face. Instead, Fang Yi often lurked in the audience, watching all the famous players in "God of War."

Looking at the reporters gathered at the front and the various experts around him, Fang Yi felt as if he had returned to the days of intense competition.

"Xiao Lei, what's the occasion today with so many people?" Fang Yi asked somewhat nervously, knowing that he couldn't hide in real life and would have a hard time escaping if recognized.

"God of War is about to be shut down," Xiao Lei said, looking at the giant game logo on the wall, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Today might be the last official competition during the game's operation."

Shut down?

Fang Yi sighed inwardly, feeling a wave of nostalgia. Although he knew it was the inevitable end for every game, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loss. From its once infinite glory to its current decline, "God of War" was more than just a game. However, given the current situation, "Miracle" was expected to have a longer lifespan, so there was no need to worry.

"Xiao Lei," a tall boy from the contestant area approached Fang Yi and Xiao Lei, greeting Xiao Lei, "I saw that you also signed up. You'll have to go easy on me, okay?"

Fang Yi glanced at him. Luo Lie, like himself, was a warrior player and one of the top experts. They were quite familiar with each other and had even been on the same team before.

"I'm not feeling well today, so my friend will take my place. I've already informed the referee," Xiao Lei said with a sweet smile, pointing to Fang Yi, who was standing beside her as if he were invisible.

"Oh..." Luo Lie glanced at Fang Yi, greeted him with a smile, but found him unfamiliar and didn't pay much attention. "By the way, what's your ID in 'Miracle,' Xiao Lei? Maybe we're not far from each other."

"I'm in..."

Fang Yi wasn't interested in their conversation and walked to the window, admiring the beautiful garden and square behind the hotel—hey, there are quite a few beautiful women, summer really has its perks.

"Xiao Yao..." Mo Caisang had just entered the hall and immediately saw Fang Yi standing by the window. She tugged at Duan Xiaoyao's sleeve, her voice slightly trembling, "That... that's Fangkuai!"

Duan Xiaoyao was also startled and followed Mo Caisang's gaze. A boy with short hair was standing by the window, looking down at something, occasionally scratching his nose, somewhat resembling Fangkuai in the game.

"Are you sure?" Duan Xiaoyao asked.

After the initial excitement, Mo Caisang quickly calmed down and walked to the audience seats with Duan Xiaoyao.

"I..." Mo Caisang had returned to her usual calm state, but her attention was no longer on the competition. "I only saw him from a distance at school, but... I don't think I'm wrong."

Mo Caisang understood what Duan Xiaoyao meant—she wasn't asking if the in-game Fangkuai was the same, but if the person she had encountered in real life was the same as the one in front of her. She couldn't be 100% sure.

Regardless of the audience's feelings, the competition in the hall had begun. There were 64 contestants, and a single-elimination system was in place. When the top eight were decided, a best-of-three system would be used until the final.

Fang Yi entered the gaming pod marked with Xiao Lei's ID: Xia Hua, and once again entered the long-lost world of "God of War." He chose a standard human berserker, selected the skill tree, and equipped the standard gear provided by the organizers. Fang Yi calmly entered the arena, waiting for his opponent to appear.

Since the 3D screens could only cover a limited number of matches, the initial rounds were mostly dominated by the top players. Mo Caisang, who was anxiously waiting in the audience, didn't see Fangkuai on the live stream. However, Xiao Lei, who knew Fang Yi well, was confident and enjoyed watching the skilled players on the screen.

After an hour, two rounds had been completed. Besides the well-known top players, several lesser-known players, including Fang Yi, had advanced to the top 16. The audience was preparing for the 16-strong round, and the screens were replaying the highlights. Fangkuai's berserker finally appeared on the screen.

Fang Yi chose a bald human male, wielding a two-handed sword, and appeared on the screen. In any game, warriors are the most common class, but few stand out, so the audience didn't have high expectations for this bald warrior in the first round.

His first opponent was a ranger. The battle began, and Fang Yi used the standard strategy, switching to a one-handed sword and shield, moving around the arena, waiting for the enemy to appear.

Suddenly, the screen flickered, and the bald warrior swung his shield to the left, hitting a black figure. A "ouch" echoed as the ranger was knocked out of stealth, stumbling and falling to the ground. The audience was stunned, and the ranger's face showed shock.

"How did he find him?"

"Damn, what bad luck, I've never seen a ranger get hit out of stealth by a shield before!"

The screen then showed a change in the battle. Since there was no cooldown for switching weapons in "God of War," the bald warrior immediately drew his two-handed sword and launched a fierce attack on the ranger. The ranger, skilled in close combat, wielded a saw-toothed dagger coated with poison and fought back.

Then... the ranger fell.

The audience only saw the two engage for about ten seconds before the ranger was hit by the sword's edge, forcing him to drink a health potion. Two more strikes, and the fragile ranger was down.

The contestants who had advanced turned to look at Fang Yi by the window, but he was oblivious to the intense gazes, still staring at the hotel's swimming pool below, scratching his nose.

"Is the ranger that fragile?" Duan Xiaoyao, a fan of "God of War," was not a high-level player but knew the game well. She was puzzled by the ranger's fragility.

"The skill gap is too big," a female fan sitting next to Mo Caisang and Duan Xiaoyao explained excitedly. "The human warrior is definitely not an ordinary player. He looks unremarkable, but the ranger's movements and attacks were completely ineffective."

"Look, Extreme Evasion is a five-star skill. When the ranger activates it, it passively increases the chance to dodge non-overlapping attacks by 30%, and movement speed is increased by more than half."

"But before the ranger could make his next move, the warrior immediately used a sweeping attack, forcing him to jump. The effect of Extreme Evasion disappears when the ranger is off the ground. If the ranger had taken a small step forward to get into close range, he could have avoided the sweeping attack, but the warrior's reaction was almost seamless, and the prediction was very obvious..."

"How did he know where the ranger was? He hit him right away."

The girl was speechless, scratched her head, and finally said, "Maybe it was luck..."

Listening to the detailed explanation from the female fan, Duan Xiaoyao felt the bald warrior's image grow in stature. Seeing the sister next to her nod in agreement, she thought, "Maybe this really is Fangkuai."

The bald warrior named Xia Hua had clearly caught the attention of the organizers, and the screen repeatedly showed the warrior's advancement, allowing the audience to view it from various angles.

Next was the tense 16-strong elimination round. This time, Fang Yi's warrior Xia Hua finally got a chance to shine, but the 3D screen's live broadcast left the audience in shock.

The bald warrior used the most despicable and low-down tactics, using the warrior's ability to passively heal with rage points to kill the eagle-eyed ranger's pet porcupine. Then, using a blood-for-blood strategy, he defeated the ranger when he was down to a sliver of health.

"If every warrior fights like this, wouldn't the rangers be very sad?" Duan Xiaoyao, now curious, asked about the bald warrior.

"It's not that simple," Mo Caisang, who wasn't in a ponytail today, with her long black hair flowing over her shoulders and glasses on her nose, exuded a unique intellectual beauty, making the surrounding otakus' hearts race and their breathing unsteady.

"Didn't you notice that most of the arrows were blocked by the shield, even the guiding arrow? The ranger can't get too close to the warrior, and long-range attacks require prediction. This is a test of reaction speed."

"Moreover, this time the warrior clearly switched to high-magic-resistance gear," the girl next to her added, "probably to withstand the 100% hit rate of the magic arrow."

At this point, Fang Yi's warrior Xia Hua had become a dark horse, defeating the fatal ranger and advancing to the top eight. His opponent was none other than Luo Lie, whom he had just spoken to.

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