At 12:30 pm, I logged into the game with a full belly and high spirits, ready to conquer the WEL play-offs. Today, the champion of the China region would be decided, a prospect countless people dreamed of attaining. Candle Dragon needed this win to prove that they were still the kings. Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls needed this win to wipe away the regrets of the past. Warsky Alliance needed this win to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Snowy Cathaya needed this win to get more prize money. Even Blazing Hot Lips needed this win to solidify their recent status as the number one guild in Vanished God City.

Long story short, everyone was gunning for the title of champion. It was unclear yet to whom the deer would fall, and all we could do now was to give it our all for the guild we had sunk much effort into building for the past year!

……

Swhoosh!

After I went online, I received a system notice: "Hello, you are a Top 64 participant of the WEL competition (China). Would you like to teleport to the center arena immediately?

I selected "No." I had logged out of the game immediately after the preliminaries were over, so my equipment needed repairing, and my supplies needed to be restocked. I went to repair...