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Chapter Text

November of Glory Alliance Season 8 - H City, Xiaoshan Gymnasium

“Sister, are you okay?”

Chen Guo sniffles and wipes her nose, furious that someone’s discovered her crying. She’d picked the quietest, most desolate corner backstage she could find. There shouldn’t even be anyone around except the stadium workers!

“I’m fine,” she insists, ruining her words when her eyes won’t stop streaming. Damn! She’s the boss, she shouldn’t be the one crying! But that just reminds Chen Guo why she started blubbering in the first place, and her eyes overflow again.

“Are you lost?” the same male voice says in a doubtful tone.

Chen Guo gives a watery-eyed glare past her tears at the man who’s found her. “I am not lost. I’m Team Happy’s boss, and I can cry in my own stadium if I want!”

The man bothering her isn’t remarkable except for the listless expression on his pale face. Just looking at it makes Chen Guo inexplicably angry for some reason. He’s carelessly wearing plain clothes, and stands with a slumped posture. Must be one of the stadium staff, Chen Guo decides.

The man’s eyes flicker over her tearstained face. “Your team lost today to Excellent Era. Is that why you’re crying?”

Chen Guo draws her sleeve over her face. This guy’s irritating face makes it hard to keep crying. “Not exactly. We’ve lost lots of times before.” Most of the time, in fact. They’d never ranked higher than seventeenth in the whole time they’d been in the league. “I just thought...Excellent Era is ranked nineteenth. I thought that at least we’d be able to beat them.”

But they hadn’t.

“To avoid relegation,” the man fills in. “Team Happy is the only new team to ever win the Challenger League. You could do it again.”

Chen Guo shakes her head violently, hands balling into fists. “Bringing Happy to the Pro League was my Father’s dream. He never got to see his team play there, but he died knowing he’d achieved his dream. I can’t let them fall, not when he worked so hard to get them this far. I promised myself. This is the team whose future my Father entrusted into my hands! I can’t let his glory die!”

Just for a moment, the man’s eyes burn, and his fingers twitch toward his pocket, like he’s reaching for something. Strong emotion passes over his face before settling back to relaxed confidence.

Chen Guo feels a little stunned, though she doesn’t understand why. Without the listless expression, his face doesn’t look so ordinary.

“So that’s why you can’t accept relegation?” the man asks.

It feels like there’s a different question underneath, but Chen Guo answers anyway. “Yes.”

The stranger nods once. “Are you a fan of Su Mucheng?”

“What?” Chen Guo stares. Where had that question come from?

“The keychain on your bag,” the man clarifies.

Chen Guo looks down. Oh. “She’s my favorite player,” Chen Guo admits. It feels a bit disloyal to her team Happy, but it’s true. She’d been Su Mucheng’s fan before team Happy even existed. “I play a Launcher too.”

“Mmm.” Just like that, the man is back to what Chen Guo is beginning to understand is his normal irritating self. “Your team isn’t bad. You have a few rookies with potential - that Battle Mage especially. Your veterans aren’t anything special, but they’re steady. But your tactics are bland and stiff, and anyone outside your main roster isn’t worth much. ”

Where does his guy get off, speaking like some kind of expert! Chen Guo draws up, offended on her team’s behalf. “You, you!”

The man leans back, and smiles. “I’m a pro player, and my team is going to ask me to retire soon. You should help me buy out my contract and hire me instead.”

Chen Guo is so furious that her tears are a distant memory. She pokes this stupid man in the chest, hard. “You! If you’re a pro player, so am I! I wasn’t born yesterday, you know!”

He winces, but his calm expression doesn’t change. “I am a pro player. There are teams who dream of me joining them, you know.”

Sputtering, Chen Guo tries not to imagine strangling this bragging idiot.

The strange man sighs. “Can I borrow your phone?”

Chen Guo nearly gives him a concussion when she throws her phone at his head. “You better not steal it!”

Ignoring her, the man begins to dial. He has very beautiful, elegant hands, Chen Guo realizes - then scolds herself for believing this phony pro for even a second.

Putting the phone up to his ear, he’s silent for a moment as it dials, rubbing at the dark bags beneath his eyes. “Hi, it’s me. Can you introduce yourself to someone? Thanks, I’m going to put you on face-to-face.”

Holding the phone out to Chen Guo, the strange man gestures for her to take it.

Suspicious, Chen Guo snatches it back, and only after glaring at him once more does she look down.

Su Mucheng looks up at her and waves. “Hi hi!”

Chen Guo screams.

Chapter Text

I just had ice cream with Su Mucheng , Chen Guo reflects in a daze, frozen stock-still in front of Happy’s headquarters. Even after over a year inside the pro scene, she possessed the heart of a true fan.

“Are we going inside?” a lazy voice at her elbow asks. “Did you forget your keys?”

Chen Guo whips around.

Ye Qiu - Ye Qiu - that weird guy from the stadium who turned out to be Ye Qiu - takes a leisurely drag of his cigarette and makes an encouraging gesture with his free hand.

Grinding her teeth in rage, Chen Guo fumbles her keys from her purse and jams them in the lock.

How can this guy be Ye Qiu? Chen Guo sneaks a glance over her shoulder; Ye Qiu looks back serenely, somehow still managing to project an air of teeth-grinding assurance. If Su Mucheng herself hadn’t vouched for him, Chen Guo would never believe it. She can almost feel her respect for God Ye crumbling at her feet.

Huffing, Chen Guo leads them inside past the tiny reception area and begins climbing the stairs to the practice room on the second floor.

There’s a light on inside. Chen Guo hopes the main roster got her message to meet up, otherwise it’ll be a little embarrassing to have brought Ye Qiu to meet players who aren’t there.

But it looks like Happy’s Vice-captain is as reliable as always; they’re all here, even if some of them are quiet and subdued from the loss that’s put them in twentieth place. They look up as Chen Guo enters; shock spreads over their faces as Ye Qiu follows.

“Senior?!” “God Ye?”

Ye Qiu waves, trailing a thin ribbon of smoke behind him. “Hello everyone, I’ll be joining you.”

Happy’s players look at one other - well, except for that expressionless brat in the corner, who seems to be ignoring everyone again.

“Joining everyone...for dinner, Senior?” ventures Luo Tian, their Elementalist. He looks harried - his nerves aren’t the best.

“Haha, no,” Ye Qiu replies, without offering the slightest explanation.

Their eyes swivel to Chen Guo, seeking some kind of clarity. “Ah,” Chen Guo stumbles, “he’s actually here to join our Team Happy. To play,” she adds, as if that point needs to be made clear.

There is a long, painful silence. Ye Qiu, join Happy? Their small, insignificant team Happy? Boss must be joking, right?

Chen Guo can only shrug helplessly. She doesn’t understand why , but somehow, impossibly, Ye Qiu really does want to come join team Happy. Chen Guo can’t stop the tenacious bit of hope sprouting in her chest. Even if Ye Qiu isn’t as good as he used to be, his help might keep Happy from being relegated.

She clears her throat, reminding herself she’s the one in charge. “Everyone, I think you know Ye Qiu,” she offers weakly.

Happy’s members digest this with various levels of composure, ranging from 'apathetic' to 'minor stroke.'

Grasping her only lifeline, Chen Guo rushes on with the introductions. “Ye Qiu, you already know Happy’s Captain, Hu Zeyi - he used to be Duskfire's captain too. He’s our Paladin, Lonely Tower.”

Always a man of few words, Captain Hu shakes Ye Qiu’s hand and nods, his characteristic placid smile on his face. Hu Zeyi seems like a big bear of a man, but really it’s mostly padding, and he doesn’t give off an intimidating air at all.

“And our Vice-captain, Wu Chen. Launcher, Dawn Rifle.”

“Welcome, Senior,” Wu Chen says politely as he shakes Ye Qiu’s hand too, making an effort to behave as normally as possible.

Chen Guo blesses him silently. So reliable! “Luo Tian, Elementalist, with Cry Havoc.”

“Senior!” Luo Tian’s voice is a little uneven, but he smiles earnestly as he waves.

“And our three rookies,” Chen Guo continues. “Over there in the corner is Mo Fan, Ninja, Deception.”

Mo Fan glances at them all, and then looks away.

Her ire instantly rising, Chen Guo forcefully reminds herself to stay on track. “Tang Rou, Berserker, Soft Mist.”

Effortlessly showing her grace and charm, Tang Rou smiles. "Welcome to Senior."

“And last,” Chen Guo concludes, “Qiu Fei, Battlemage, Combat Form.”

Chen Guo is startled when Ye Qiu actually smiles, his expression free of mockery. “Little Qiu, I’m glad to see you found a place for Combat Form to grow.”

“Senior’s advice was good,” Qiu Fei replies with the same earnest regard.

Fondness makes Ye Qiu’s face less rage-inducing, Chen Guo notes with surprise. “You know each other?” Then it clicks - they’d stolen Qiu Fei out of Excellent Era’s training camp, after all!

“This is the training partner you meet all the time in game, isn’t it?” Tang Rou remarks, a thoughtful look on her face.

Qiu Fei nods.

Wu Chen coughs politely. “Not to be rude, but God Ye already has a contract with Excellent Era.”

Chen Guo explains the situation quickly and clearly, though she's unable to resist a few angry outbursts along the way. To think anyone would treat their player that way! As a former Excellent Era fan, Chen Guo is angry and disappointed, but as a boss who feels personally responsible for her players' well-being, Excellent Era's conduct enrages her on a whole new level.

Happy’s player’s aren’t unaffected either, especially Qiu Fei. His hands tighten into fists at his sides, and a deep crease forms between his eyebrows as he listens. Even placid Captain Hu is showing anger.

The whole time Ye Qiu acts almost indifferent, as though Chen Guo is talking about someone else, and continues smoking.

“There’s one other problem I can think of,” Wu Chen explains apologetically once Chen Guo finishes. “God Ye’s salary...Happy isn’t a wealthy team.”

This is a comical understatement. Happy’s poverty is legendary in the Alliance. Whether it’s fans, materials, or sponsorships, Happy has pitifully few even after a full year in the league. Who wanted to support Happy when city H already had Excellent Era, glorious three time champion Excellent Era? In a small pond, the big fish gulps the good food, and the little fish is left to nibble scraps.

Some of Excellent Era’s fans even took Happy’s existence in the same city as a personal insult, as though it were disloyal for another team to dare raise their heads nearby. Needless to say, Happy’s ticket revenue wasn’t impressive, but it paid the bills.

Chen Guo tenses. In all the excitement, she hadn’t thought about that at all!

“No problem,” Ye Qiu answers immediately. “Pay off my contract, and you can keep my salary for the next two years.”

Everyone stares, dumbstruck. Not pay God Ye a single yuan? Impossible! Their hearts hurt just thinking about it - how could they ever walk among Glory fans again without feeling shame!

“No good? Next three years’ salary, then,” Ye Qiu amends under their horrified gazes.

That’s even worse! Do you not understand the problem at all?

“Also, there’s something I should probably tell you,” Ye Qiu adds as an afterthought, as though their incredulous silence meant acceptance.

“What?” Chen Guo stutters, temporarily distracted from her protests by a feeling of doom.

“Well, it’s about my registration with the Alliance, actually…”

Chapter Text

This guy, who does he think he is? Some kind of novel character? Identical twins and switching IDs - too ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!

Chen Guo, whose temper is short at the best of times, can’t hold back her murderous intent any longer. Luo Tian flees behind Captain Hu for cover; Wu Chen tries fruitlessly to keep the peace; Qui Fei and Tang Rou spectate with a hint of concern; Mo Fan studiously ignores the shouting from his corner.

Backed against a computer desk, Ye Xiu holds up his hands, a hint of chagrin in his face as he tries to placate her. “Don’t worry, the Alliance and Excellent Era won’t make trouble.”

Chen Guo gnashes her teeth. “Of course they’ll make trouble! You aren’t even a real person !”

Ye Qiu seems like he might correct her, but for once, self-preservation wins out over shamelessness.

Team Happy is riveted; God Ye is being routed right before their eyes!

“It’s best for both sides to go along with whatever explanation we choose,” Ye Xiu explains hastily instead. “It won’t look good for the Alliance or Excellent Era if the truth comes out. Leave things to me!”

And just like Ye Xiu promises, after one hurriedly arranged meeting at All-stars between Excellent Era’s boss and the Alliance’s chairman, everyone falls into line exactly as he said they would. Su Mucheng recounts the expression on the Chairman’s face with satisfaction later when she visits Happy in their hotel rooms.

It’s Chen Guo’s first time experiencing it, but she realizes very quickly that Ye Xiu is prepared for almost any situation he might encounter, in-game or out.

Almost .

________________________________________________________________

Pacing the darkened reception area, Chen Guo pauses with her arms crossed and peers out the door again into the night.

Ye Xiu is still out there, snow blanketing his shoulders, steadily smoking. When the passing car headlights slant across his face his eyes are unreadable.  

Chen Guo circles the room again. Looks out. Counts the cigarette ends scattered in the brown slush around his feet. Is Ye Xiu trying to smoke the whole pack? He’s been out there for nearly an hour. He’s going to freeze to death if he keeps this up.

Making up her mind, Chen Guo pushes the door open, shivering when the wind throws snow against her cheeks, and wades through the winter muck.

Leaning against the wall, Ye Xiu glances at her, then looks back out at the street and exhales a mouthful of smoke silently.

“It happened tonight, then?”

Ye Xiu shrugs, shoulders moving in the delicate way you avoid jarring a wound. “It could have been worse. I can still play since I didn’t retire.”

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Chen Guo shakes her head. She may not have known Ye Xiu very long, but she understands enough to know his feelings now are far from calm, whatever his face says. But what comfort can she offer? That kind of deep hurt, can someone barely more than a stranger claim to know anything?

Chen Guo can only offer him what she can. “Come inside. After you’ve warmed up, come to the guild room - the new server’s going to be open soon. I’ve put a million yuan investment into you already. If you freeze to death what do I have?”

He laughs, her sharp words rolling right off his back. “Boss Chen is a shrewd businesswoman.”

Straightening, he crushes his half-smoked cigarette under his shoe and cups his hands before his face, breathing warm air across them. “Did the guild make the preparations I asked for?”

“Yes.” It’s a crazy plan - both for the rest of the season, and his long-term intent for Team Happy. Chen Guo is looking forward to it. She is her Father’s daughter, and she believes in the miracles you make with your own hands.

Ye Xiu nods, perhaps thinking of the first-server account card waiting for him upstairs. “It will be a new beginning.”

“For all of us,” Chen Guo agrees, following Ye Xiu inside.

As irritating as he is, Chen Guo can’t help but think that her Father would have really liked this guy.

___________________________________________________________________

BREAKING NEWS: Excellent Era press release!

“...While Excellent Era’s performance may have been declining lately, we were as shocked as anyone when Ye Qiu decided to break his contract. We can’t offer any insight into our former captain’s actions, but since remaining with Excellent Era no longer meets his desires, we wish him well wherever he decides to go. Ye Qiu is an important and dear person in our history. I say with sincerity that he will be greatly missed….”

“As our captain and leader, Ye Qiu has always been the backbone of Excellent Era’s strength. Fortunately, the commendable rookie Sun Xiang has agreed to transfer to Excellent Era to fill the hole Ye Qiu’s sudden departure has left…”

___________________________________________________________________

Traitor! Ungrateful bastard!

When Excellent Era landed on hard times, what did their wretched captain do? Abandon them and run off like a coward to find somewhere more comfortable. How disgusting, it was enough to make anyone’s stomach turn!

In a moment, years of adoration turn to hatred among Excellent Era’s fans. But it wasn’t such a loss, after all - that jackal was already a toothless dog, old and past his prime, clinging to his fame with withered skill. Sun Xiang, their bright new light, will surely lift them up back to the heights!

As for Ye Qiu, if I knew his face I’d spit on him when we met!

But the transfer period passes, and despite the furious hopes of non-Excellent Era fans wishing to add Ye Qiu to their own team, his name does not appear. Perhaps he’d retired after all?

Nobody pays attention when team Happy quietly adds a ‘Ye Xiu’ to their players. Even if their performance has improved a little recently, in the end who’d care about such a pitifully weak team?

Chapter Text

Team Happy arrives in City S for All-stars Weekend with minimal fanfare. They have their devoted fans, but expectations have never been high for a team consistently voted ‘most likely to be relegated’ ever since their Challenger League victory.

Once night falls, Ye Xiu is smuggled through a side door to Happy’s hotel like a suspicious package. Ordinary fans might not know his face, but other pros most certainly will, and the hotel is teeming with players and ex-players. Tang Rou acts as decoy while Wu Chen shuffles their newest player safely out of sight. After that, it’s delivery takeout for dinner, and light training on a circle of laptops in Vice-captain Hu’s room.

Wu Chen had willingly ceded the Vice-captain position, and Hu Zeyi had gracefully stepped into the new opening. Unless playing Glory, he was exceedingly mild tempered, and he knew that Ye Xiu’s skill was unquestionably greater than his own. Hu Zeyi doesn’t want to see Happy relegated, either, and their chances are better if Ye Xiu leads. And so Ye Xiu became Happy’s new captain without a single protest.

In the weeks leading up to his break with Excellent Era, Ye Xiu had thrown himself into understanding Happy’s situation down to the last detail - its guild, research division, finances, resources, and its players most of all. All his efforts since then have been toward stabilizing Happy’s performance. In whatever time he has left, Ye Xiu takes Lord Grim back from the guild levelers and plays his new account himself on the Tenth Server.

The team’s training for the past month has been as grueling as their competition schedule could allow. Ye Xiu adjusted their individual training menus as well as heavily coached their group coordination. It’s already showing results, both in points earned and individual performance. Happy is beginning to patch its weaknesses, while Ye Xiu slowly integrates with the team’s tactical rhythm.

During All-star Weekend, the Heavenly Domain is full of pros using alt accounts and playing during their free time, so Happy retreats to the Tenth Server. Ye Xiu made sure the guild prepared suitable alt accounts for all of Happy’s players, so while Lord Grim levels, Team Happy can practice their coordination together. Learning the Unspecialized’s capabilities and battle rhythm is vital their future team competitions. Likewise, Ye Xiu needs to understand Team Happy’s capabilities as deeply as possible. The greater his ability to predict, the more effective tactics he can craft.

Seven Fields, Happy’s Guild Leader pioneering the new server, and the other Guild Happy elites greet Team Happy’s players enthusiastically. But after weeks of these pros dropping in like passing gods, most of the novelty and awe has worn off.

Team Happy’s one solid strength has always been its guild. Old Boss Chen had founded the first branch back on the Fifth Server himself, and nurtured it with the same love and dedication he’d shown his internet cafe. As his health worsened, Old Boss Chen could manage little except playing Glory while Chen Guo ran the cafe. Guild Happy’s development had benefited greatly from his steady guiding hand. It wasn’t known for its strength, but it had a reputation as the guild most friendly to newbies. And from those newbies, alongside old veterans no one else wanted, Old Boss Chen had gathered enough talents to achieve his dream: a true pro team. Now Team Happy has returned to its roots in the servers, starting together all the way from the bottom.

With an entire pro team regularly playing on the Tenth Server, the three great guilds had suffered embarrassing setbacks, but Happy’s damage on the Tenth Server had been relatively contained. Happy’s players had limited free time, so Happy couldn’t keep up with the guilds’ top levelers for first clears or wild BOSS fights.

When it came to dungeon records, though, Happy didn’t lose to anyone. Blue River, Plantago Seed, and Cold Night wept many tears as their best dungeon times were smashed again and again. Team Happy was careful not to be too outrageous, and only surpass the record by a tiny margin - the Alliance technically prohibited pros from breaking dungeon records, after all.

None of the guilds could understand how Guild Happy acquired a mysterious team of experts, and Happy’s exploits were a continuous headache. But in the end, Happy wasn’t significant enough to pay much attention to, or get too upset about. The Tenth Server’s troubles didn’t need to be taken to their superiors; there were a matter for the Tenth Server to solve itself.

Possessing that kind of fame, Guild Happy’s ranks had swelled, and the materials needed to advance Lord Grim’s Silver Weapon had fallen easily into Happy’s hands. Lord Grim’s true nature and his player’s expertise were disguised by his companions’ strength. Who notices a single tiger prowling among a forest full of tigers?

A knock comes at the door. Peering out the keyhole, Chen Guo shrieks and ushers in a heavily disguised Su Mucheng.

Lifting her mask, Su Mucheng flashes a mischievous smile. “Ye Xiu, I just saw Chairman Feng arrive! Didn’t you need to talk to him?”

“Really? I hope he’s taken his medications then.” Ye Xiu laughs as he logs out of his borrowed account. Due to Ye Xiu’s travel, Lord Grim is being leveled by the guild this weekend, but Happy has plenty of available side accounts.

Shrugging on his coat, he joins Su Mucheng, both of them holding an identical wicked gleam in their eyes.

Chen Guo can’t help but sweat. Poor Chairman Feng!

________________________________________________

“I feel that went well,” Su Mucheng says brightly as Ye Xiu closes the door, leaving Tao Xuan and Cui Li behind to minister to a fainting Chairman.

“Yup.” Brimming with satisfaction, Ye Xiu stretches his arms out over his head, easing his back and looking forward to a long evening of Glory. Now all that’s left is to give the Alliance and Excellent Era time to coordinate their stories and spread the word. With the Alliance’s backing, Ye Qiu’s name change can be safely smoothed over.

“Oh dear.” Su Mucheng’s voice suddenly comes from beside him.

Caught in a half stretch, Ye Xiu follows her line of sight.

At the end of the long hall, just leaving the elevator, is a very familiar face - the terrifying mob boss face of Tyranny’s Han Wenqing.

“You need to stay hidden a little longer, right?” Su Mucheng asks.

As sweat breaks out on the back of his neck - Han Wenqing had been rather unhappy with Ye Xiu’s disappearance - Ye Xiu calculates quickly. “I’d prefer another day or two.”

“Okay,” Su Mucheng chirps. Then she grabs Ye Xiu’s wrist, and flees at a dead sprint in the opposite direction of Han Wenqing. Ye Xiu is helplessly dragged along in her wake

“YE QIU!!!!”

Old Han has quite the set of lungs! Heavy booted footsteps thunder behind them, but Han Wenqing is quite a ways behind.

Unfortunately, Ye Qiu’s endurance is 0, and his speed stat is a pitiful 1. They dart down the nearest turn, Han Wenqing already gaining on them. Doors are opening all down the hallway. Any players sticking their heads out are treated to the sight of a fuming Han Wenqing charging after a fleeing couple. The rumors tomorrow will certainly be interesting!

Taking another hard turn, the pair spot a young male stranger coming out of a room. Ye Xiu measures the man with his eyes, considers how long they have until Han Wenqing comes into visual range, and exchanges a look with Su Mucheng.

“Jacket?” she asks, brightening and understanding his intent with ease. They’re the Alliance’s Best Partners, after all.

Ye Xiu doesn’t have the breath to respond, but he shrugs out of his coat and passes it to Su Mucheng as confirmation. She grins, and shoves Ye Xiu toward the nearest emergency staircase.

He stumbles, rights himself, and staggers through, taking the stairs as fast as his wobbly legs will allow.

Behind him, Ye Xiu knows Mucheng is convincing an unfortunate stranger close to Ye Xiu’s height that he needs to put on Ye Xiu’s jacket and play decoy to help a poor, helpless woman being pursued by her angry ex-boyfriend. As long as Su Mucheng stays far enough away, Han Wenqing might be fooled by the decoy long enough for Ye Xiu to escape.

It would be a very nostalgic feeling if Ye Xiu could breathe properly. He flops down several more floors’ worth of stairs, then ducks through the next door. Deciding he’s safe from Han Wenqing for the moment, Ye Xiu slumps against the wall to catch his breath.

When his heartbeat slows down, he wanders toward a vending machine, hoping to buy a drink before dashing back to Happy’s rooms. Han Wenqing may have called in reinforcements by now, and Zhang Xinjie will be a much more methodical opponent.

Except Ye Xiu’s ears catch very familiar sounds coming from the far side of the machine. Ye Xiu would recognize the sound of Glory being played anywhere. And the player is pro level, from the controlled, musical tempo of the keystrokes.

Ye Xiu cautiously approaches; he can’t reach the elevator without going past. But Ye Xiu’s luck holds. It’s a young teenager Ye Xiu doesn’t recognize, curled in on himself with his shoulders slumped. The young player looks upset, playing Glory with a frustrated kind of despair.

Noticing Ye Xiu’s presence, the player shrinks back, pulling his headphones down around his neck, and ducking his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.” The young player’s eyes don’t meet Ye Xiu’s as he prepares to shut his laptop.

“I just came by for a drink,” Ye Xiu says peaceably, and the player nods and goes back to his game.

“What team are you from?” Ye Xiu asks as he collects his bottled water. It’s better that he avoid Tyranny for now.

“Tiny Herb,” the young player mutters, tucking his chin lower against his chest as though someone will call him a liar. “I’m Qiao Yifan.”

Ye Xiu cracks open the cap, wishing he had time for a smoke. “One of Big-eyed Wang’s kids, then.”

Qiao Yifan stares up at Ye Xiu in shock, a flush rising on his cheeks at the bold nickname. But he’s too polite to scold a senior.

“I’m Ye Xiu, from Team Happy,” Ye Xiu adds as an afterthought, gulping down more water.

Qiao Yifan has never heard of any pro by that name. Happy’s performance is poor, so an unknown player from that team isn’t likely to be good. But Qiao Yifan’s own performance is forgettable, so he doesn’t look down on this senior at all. To have remained till Ye Xiu’s age is an accomplishment in a profession where your early twenties can mean the end of your career.

Ye Xiu grins. “Little Qiao, if a man with a terrifying face comes asking for me, tell him you haven’t seen me, okay?”

Pausing his playing again, Qiao Yifan gives his senior a bewildered look. “I’m sorry, senior?”

Ye Xiu is a little touched by his innocence. “I’m running away from Old Han. If he catches me I’m in trouble, so just say you didn’t meet anyone.”

“Actually,” Ye Xiu amends, tipping his head to the side and studying his junior, “you could come with me. You have an honest face, so I bet you’d be a good decoy.”

Qiao Yifan’s eyes go even wider. That - is a completely shameless! What kind of senior is this?

“What are you doing out here anyway?” Ye Xiu continues, throwing away the empty bottle. “Does Tiny Herb not have enough space these days?”

Looking down, Qiao Yifan grips his laptop tightly. He’s too ashamed to say the truth. He hadn’t wanted to play where everyone could see. Instead he’d fled his shared hotel room and huddled on the hallway floor like an outcast.

“Come play with us,” Ye Xiu says suddenly, meeting Qiao Yifan’s eyes with a faint smile. “You can practice with Team Happy for a while. That’s better than this hallway, right?”

Qiao Yifan stares up in shock. A powerful feeling courses through him. It’s been so long since anyone except Gao Yingjie wanted to train with him. “Okay,” he hears himself say.

“Good!” Ye Xiu claps his hands together. “I’m relying on you to get us there safely, Little Qiao!”

Stuttering, Qiao Yifan shuts his laptop and stands up. But he still follows Ye Xiu as they wind through the halls in a labyrinthine fashion.

It seems like every player in the Alliance is also wandering the halls, searching frantically for someone - or two people? Somehow Su Mucheng is involved? Qiao Yifan doesn’t speak to anyone, but the conversations he overhears as they sneak past are pretty odd.

At first it’s just players in Tyranny jackets, but then Blue Rain appears - even Huang Shaotian! - followed by Qiao Yifan’s fellow Tiny Herb players, and then it seems like every team, large or small, is combing the halls. Qiao Yifan is reminded of hunting wild BOSSes in Glory, but that’s surely just his imagination. Right?

Ye Xiu has several close calls, but he’s impossibly skilled at sniffing out near-misses and slipping away at just the right time. Qiao Yifan has to wonder a little at this senior’s background to be so good at escaping, but Ye Xiu also strikes him as oddly honest for some reason.

When the two of them finally dash inside Happy’s suite, Qiao Yifan clutches his laptop to his chest and wonders exactly what he’s gotten himself into.

“Welcome back, Captain Ye!” one of Happy’s players calls out, and the others chorus similar greetings.

Qiao Yifan immediately panics a little bit. This is Happy’s captain? Was he rude by not recognizing him?

Ye Xiu just gives a casual wave to the players sprawled on every bit of available space, and goes out to the balcony for a smoke.

“Hello?” Qiao Yifan ventures, but it’s hard to be nervous when the room has such a casual air. There’s half-empty takeout containers everywhere, and everyone has gone back to focussing on their own playing.

Ye Xiu sticks his head back through the balcony door. “Everyone, this is Qiao Yifan. He’s playing with us tonight. He’ll need an Assassin.”

Chen Guo bustles up, shooting a glare at Ye Xiu, who doesn’t seem to care at all. “What did you do to sucker him into following you?” she demands. Ye Xiu hastily retreats outside again.

Then she turns to Qiao Yifan and smiles, her manner reversing completely. “Little Qiao, there’s space between Qiu Fei and Mo Fan. Go ahead and settle in. Qiu Fei, can you find a spare account for him? We’re on the Tenth Server tonight,” she explains, ushering their visitor to his place.

Qiao Yifan finds himself sandwiched between an expressionless Ninja player in a hoodie, and a diligent junior controlling a Battlemage. It’s a bit cramped, but once he settles in playing like this feels comfortable. The team is clearing a dungeon at a relaxed pace, chattering and making jokes while Ye Xiu occasionally corrects their teamwork.

On his borrowed Assassin, Qiao Yifan joins their synergy seamlessly, much to his surprise. He can’t remember when he last played a low-level account like this, or went to level in one of the normal servers. But he finds the sensation enjoyable. Playing with others, just for fun? There’s a refreshing nostalgia in that.

“Did you choose to play as an Assassin?” asks a voice beside him.

Qiao Yifan jumps and whips around. Ye Xiu is leaning against the wall so he can watch his junior’s screen, expression intent.

Ducking his head, Qiao Yifan mutters the truth. “The club had an available Assassin account.”

Ye Xiu tsks and straightens. “You have good situational awareness and group coordination. An Assassin doesn’t draw out your potential at all. Try a Ghostblade - one with a phantom demon build.”

Qiao Yifan knows better than anyone else how long he’s struggled to scrape out improvement with his Assassin. He knows exactly how dim his professional future is. Tiny Herb may not even renew his contract after the season ends. But changing classes?

He touches his chest. The idea...it’s a little interesting. A Ghostblade, huh? Eventually, the young player goes back to his game, but his timing remains off. The thought won’t stop nagging at him. “Senior Ye...a Ghostblade?”

“Yup!” Ye Xiu matches gazes with Qiao Yifan for a split second, then goes back to his own screen.

Qiao Yifan put his headphones down. “Do you have any unused account cards?”

“Boss Chen?” Ye Xiu calls.

“Do I look like a vending machine to you?! Huh, do I?” But Chen Guo brings Qiao Yifan an empty account card anyway.

“Add me as a friend,” Qiu Fei says when One Inch Ash enters the beginner village.

“And me!” Tang Rou calls from across the room, always eager for new sparring partners.

One Inch Ash soon has a full friend list, between Happy’s players and its guild. Qiao Yifan guides his Ghostblade through the basic quests, and it doesn’t feel like lost time. Even when he loses miserably and unremarkably during his Rookie Challenge the next night, that warm feeling doesn’t go away.

“Comes play with us again sometime,” Ye Xiu had said as he’d left.

Qiao Yifan thinks he will.

Chapter Text

“We’ll bring breakfast back, so please stay here until then,” Wu Chen promises, ducking out the door to join the rest of Team Happy.

Idly navigating the forums, Ye Xiu is more than willing to remain behind. Preoccupied by the new guide draft Concealed Light emailed him, he doesn’t turn around when the door at his back opens.

“Just put it on the table. I’ll eat later,” he says, typing suggestions for adjusting the class composition.

“I’m not here to bring you food, stupid elder brother.”

Ye Xiu’s fingers stop, frozen over the keyboard. He swings his chair around, to be met with a neater, better-dressed mirror image of himself, one who looks personally offended by Ye Xiu’s existence.

Smirking, Ye Xiu leans on his elbow, propping his cheek on his palm. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Ye Qiu.”

His twin scowls. “Like I’d want to be here. The cleaner let me into ‘my’ room. You disappeared - again! Answer your QQ messages!”

“Why didn’t you ask Su Mucheng?”

Ye Qiu throws his hands in the air. “She wouldn’t tell me! She just told me you’d definitely attend this event!”

Ye Xiu laughs. Su Mucheng was much slyer than anyone gave her credit for. “Are you going to come watch?”

“No! Definitely not.” Ye Qiu vehemently shakes his head. “Who’d want to watch a bunch of adults play games?”

Laughing again, Ye Xiu says, “Well, you’d better go than. With that face, who wouldn’t think you’re me?”

“That’s your fault, stupid brother! Quit stealing my name!”

Becoming serious for a rare moment, Ye Xiu replies, “I’ve already made arrangements, so I’ll be returning it to you soon.”

Ye Qiu’s anger comes up short, and he remains silent. Then he turns on his heel, showing Ye Xiu his back. “Come home already and become the heir!”

“Nope, I haven’t retired yet!” Ye Xiu returns cheerfully, swinging his chair back around and beginning to type again on his computer.

Ye Qiu makes a loud exasperated noise, and storms out of the room.

Once he’s alone in the elevator, Ye Qiu pulls out his phone and fires off a quick note to his secretary. He’s in City S until tomorrow, so he needs entertainment tonight, anyway.

_________________________________________________

Troubling Rain: Haha, you guys lose! I found Ye Qiu! @Ye Qiu @Ye Qiu @Ye Qiu. You thought you could escape me? Wrong, totally wrong! I just saw you in the hotel lobby and I’m following you now! When I catch up I demand PKPKPKPK

Desert Dust: Location

Troubling Rain: Wow Captain Han so jealous I found him first right?

Misty Rain: Share share! Where is he? Is he wearing a team jacket? Where’s he going?

Troubling Rain: No team jacket. A suit. He’s going into some fancy restaurant

Demon Subduer: ...that’s not Ye Qiu. Ye Qiu hasn’t worn a suit in his entire life.

Cloud Piercer: Fake

Empty Waves: Captain says that Senior Ye wouldn’t eat at that kind of restaurant either.

Peaceful Hermit: LOL Huang Shao you got played

Immovable Rock: Given the evidence, I’m inclined to agree.

Troubling Rain:  T_T It’s really him guys I swear, I saw his face! It’s Ye Qiu!

Swoksaar: Wishful thinking.

Troubling Rain: Captain not you too! I saw him with my own eyes! I have perfect vision 20/20! Eagles wish they could see as well as me!

Doubtful Demon: Give it up already Senior

Troubling Rain: IM NOT WRONG ITS HIM @Ye Qiu @Ye Qiu @Ye Qiu back me up

Angelica: Does anyone else think it’s weird that the only ones who aren’t looking for Ye Qiu are Excellent Era?

_______________________________________________

Just as he’s about to shut off his computer, Ye Xiu glances at the QQ notification blinking on his screen. It’s almost time for Team Happy to make their way to the stadium, and if the message hadn’t been from a familiar ID, Ye Xiu would have ignored it.

Steamed Bun: I’m here Senior!

Lord Grim: Where?

Steamed Bun: Here. Your hotel is really nice!

Lord Grim: .....

Lord Grim: ........what are you doing here, Steamed Bun?

Steamed Bun: Senior said I could see everyone if I watched All-stars!

Lord Grim: I meant watch the stream, Steamed Bun.

Ye Xiu considers the likelihood that Steamed Bun actually bought a ticket. The probability is astonishingly low.

Steamed Bun: I like this place.

Steamed Bun: The security guards here all recognize my skills! They keep looking at me and whispering. Hahaha, I’m the most impressive!

“Boss Chen!” Ye Xiu calls urgently.

Team Happy hustles Bao Rongxiang up to their rooms in a smooth, practiced maneuver. Chen Guo should probably be more distressed by the fact her team’s becoming skilled at smuggling live humans, but lately her standards have fallen. Ye Xiu has that effect on people.

Steamed Bun is overjoyed to meet his Tenth Server companions. He also has his entire worldly possessions slung over his shoulder after quitting his job, and has self-appointed himself Team Happy’s new bodyguard.

Even Ye Xiu finds himself concerned by Steamed Bun’s method of making life decisions.

Next comes the problem of what to do with him. Team Happy needs to leave for Samsara’s stadium, but no one is willing to leave Steamed Bun alone in the hotel. It feels too much like leaving a toddler unattended: extremely irresponsible and potentially dangerous for the toddler. For a guy who made life decisions like this, who knew what kind of trouble he’d get into?

But Happy can’t technically bring Steamed Bun with them either. He isn’t a member of the team, or one of their staff. Happy’s members argue among themselves, acutely aware time is running short.

Looking at Steamed Bun, who is is the only person in the room taller than him, Hu Zeyi rumbles, “I brought an extra uniform.”

Ye Xiu looks at Chen Guo. Chen Guo looks at Steamed Bun. Steamed Bun scratches his ear.

“We can’t just stuff him in a team jacket and hope no one notices!” hisses Chen Guo furiously.

_______________________________________________

“That jacket looks really good on you, Steamed Bun,” compliments Happy’s team reporter, Chang Xian. Steamed Bun puffs out his chest and preens. After just a short bus ride, the two of them are already getting along like old friends, though at first Chang Xian had been thrown by Steamed Bun’s oddness.

Chen Guo laughs nervously and hustles Steamed Bun away. She’s been appointed their unexpected addition’s minder for the evening, and between him and Ye Xiu, she’s just waiting for disaster to strike.

“Is this really a good idea?” she says to Ye Xiu in an undertone.

“Steamed Bun?” he replies as he carelessly pulls up the hood on his jacket. “That will depend on how hardworking he is. He has ability, but it’s up to him if he uses it.”

“That’s not what I…” Chen Guo sighs. “I guess we can use him in the cafe.”

Ye Xiu shakes his head. “He’ll become part of the training camp.”

Chen Guo shoots him a narrow-eyed look. “We don’t have a training camp.”

“I know. But for Happy’s survival long-term, we need one. He’ll be the first, but there will be others.” And with that, Ye Xiu slips away from Team Happy into the stadium tunnels, like a fish into the stream.

Chen Guo is left with her thoughts as Happy waits through the pre-event preparations and is shown to their seats. Happy is placed behind the competitor platforms, where the arena walls curve, conveniently close to an entry tunnel. Happy has so few players that there’s plenty of room for a few extra people. Chen Guo demands Steamed Bun sit in the back corner beside her, his height shielding an even more protected vacant seat.

Just as the lights dim, warning the show is about to start, a figure strolls up and sits down casually in Happy’s section. Chen Guo makes out Ye Xiu’s profile, and then the stadium goes black. Satisfied that her team is safe for the moment, Chen Guo settles down to watch.

For Team Happy, who doesn’t have any All-stars, and isn’t important enough for their rookies to be chosen, All-Stars is just a spectator event. But the new projection technology makes even the most jaded veteran sit up and stare in awe. Chen Guo loses her cool and claps wildly at the end of the first match between Dai Yanqui and Chu Yunxiu.

When Wang Jiexi loses to his protege, Chen Guo winces. She isn’t just a fan anymore, and she isn’t here to simply be entertained. She understands the true bitterness time holds for her players, and she pities Tiny Herb’s captain.

Something moves at the corner of her eye. Chen Guo turns her head, and her jaw drops. Ye Xiu must be the only person in the stadium standing and clapping - that idiot, doesn’t he understand he’s supposed to be hiding! People are beginning to stare, but it’s dark enough Ye Xiu’s face is still mostly in shadow. Chen Guo leans over, about to yank Ye Xiu back down, when Steamed Bun - who always follows his Senior’s lead - gets up too, and begins applauding wildly.

Panicking, Chen Guo jumps up in a rush. “Stand up! Stand up!” she demands, kicking the seats in front of her, and Happy’s confused players leap to their feet.

The only other person in the stadium giving a standing ovation is Yu Wenzhou. What’s with these tacticians? Once Blue Rain realizes their captain is standing alone, while Happy’s players are all jumping and cheering wildly, they don’t really understand what’s going on, but they aren’t about to let Yu Wenzhou down! Blue Rain’s players surge up, their competitive spirit rising.

Of course, now that two teams are showing such enthusiastic approval, the others aren’t about to get shown up! The pros all begin to stand, until the stage is surrounded by a ring of players giving Wang Jiexi and Gao Yingjie a standing ovation. The audience, puzzled but willing to follow the players’ lead, also begins to follow suit, until the entire stadium rings with applause.

Wang Jiexi and Gao Yingjie raise their joined hands together on stage, accepting the adulation, until Wang Jiexi exits, slipping his hand away and leaving his successor alone.

Chen Guo doesn’t understand why, but she feels moved as she sits down, the applause dying away for the next match.

There’s a stir among Happy’s players when Qiao Yifan’s name is announced. He’d made a good impression last night, and Happy shouts and cheers at the top of their lungs even as Li Xuan’s Phantom Demon dispatches his Assassin. Except for Happy, the applause greeting his underwhelming performance is muted as Qiao Yifan returns to Tiny Herb, but he doesn’t look discouraged. Rather, he looks thoughtful. Chen Guo frowns at his teammates’ indifferent reactions - only Gao Yinjie rushes to console him.

Tang Hao’s ‘the junior succeeds the senior’ is even more painful after watching Wang Jiexi’s loss. When Chen Guo glances over after the end of the match, afraid Ye Xiu will cause a scene again, Ye Xiu’s expression is unreadable in the light of the projections.

Relieved Ye Xiu is behaving, Chen Guo is just about to relax when the next challenger is announced: Sun Xiang, Team Excellent Era.

Team Happy is silent as One Autumn Leaf’s new wielder ascends the stage. His lofty air is suitable for a rookie already ranked among the Alliance’s gods. When Sun Xiang takes the microphone from the host, he waves to the audience as though he’s already won.

“I challenge Senior Ye Xiu, from Team Happy!”

Chapter Text

Ye Xiu? Who was that?

The audience members murmur to one another in confusion. Why would the young God Sun Xiang challenge a nobody from the Alliance’s most hopeless team? This isn’t the grand challenge everyone wanted to see!

The pros are just as clueless. Ye Xiu? Even the oldest veterans have never heard of any player by that name. What is Sun Xiang thinking? The pros closest to Happy’s seats are sitting up and craning their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of this mysterious senior.

Among Happy’s players, a frozen, dead silence hangs over the scene.

“Don’t act so shocked,” Ye Xiu scolds, his usual calmness not shaken at all. “Something like this was bound to happen. We’ve already passed through the hardest obstacle. With the Alliance’s support, everything can be made clear.”

Up on stage, the host, sensing something isn’t right, asks Sun Xiang the reasoning behind his choice.

Sun Xiang looks directly toward Happy’s seats. “I want to settle things properly between us, once and for all.”

Ye Xiu sighs, and shakes his head. “This won’t end well for him.”

Chen Guo is nearly choking on her rage. “That Tao Xuan must be behind this!”

“No,” Ye Xiu says. “I think right now he’s quite angry, actually. This must have been Sun Xiang’s will alone.”

“What? Why?” Chen Guo asks, lowering her voice.

“Consider the difference between my circumstances and the seniors who were challenged earlier.”

When Chen Guo thinks about it, she understands what Ye Xiu means. Sun Xiang doesn’t seem like a rookie at all. An exalted reputation, a captaincy in a top tier team, or a god-level account? Sun Xiang has all those things already. While Ye Xiu? An old, fallen god, reduced to playing captain for a trash team. It’s almost as if the rookie and the senior have switched roles.

If Chen Guo looks at it from an outsider’s point of view, Sun Xiang’s actions seem low and petty. After taking his Senior’s place and claiming everything that once belonged to him, now Sun Xiang wants to beat Ye Xiu into the ground in front of everyone? Whether he wins or loses, Sun Xiang’s reputation is sure to take a big hit.

“God Sun Xiang, could you explain a bit more?” the host prods desperately.

Once more, Sun Xiang glances toward Happy’s seats. He hesitates slightly before adding, “Senior Ye Xiu is known by his stage name, Ye Qiu.”

Like a bomb going off, the stadium explodes with noise.

Ye Qiu? The legendary god-level player, going by a stage name for all those years? If Excellent Era’s new captain says it, it must be true!

The commentators are shouting themselves hoarse. The host has completely lost control of the crowd. Ye Qiu! Would he really come out, after hiding all these years? Everyone stands up and peers toward Happy’s corner.

“What are you going to do?” Chen Guo asks, shouting to be heard over the crowd.

“Play, of course. The rules don’t allow me to refuse,” Ye Xiu replies, getting up and edging past her and Steamed Bun.

“Do you even have an account card?”

“Nope.”

Chen Guo sputters. Can’t he be even a little bit concerned!

Ye Xiu waves his hand carelessly. “I’ll borrow one.”

Happy’s seats are placed farthest away from the stage. Veiled in half-shadow, Ye Xiu has to pass beside half a dozen teams to reach the bright, unforgiving spotlights. Whispers of recognition follow him; his appearance and the white and red uniform he wears is a tacit acknowledgement of the truth.

While there is fascination, in his peers’ faces also lies a strong disapproval of Sun Xiang’s actions. Ye Xiu’s appearance has been protected by the pro circle for years, as a gesture of politeness and support. In revealing Ye Xiu by force, Sun Xiang has broken that trust and behaved disrespectfully toward the former captain of the team he now leads. That will not earn him any friends.

Ye Xiu tsks, continuing unhurried on his way.

As for his own feelings? They’re buried so deeply they cannot touch him. Ye Xiu had long prepared himself for this outcome. The moment he’d chosen Happy, Ye Xiu knew his identity could no longer remain a secret. Yet he thought he’d have more time. He’d have preferred a quieter, more casual setting. How many millions of people are watching now?

It doesn’t matter. In the end, Ye Xiu only wants to play on this stage as long as he can. If his identity is the price, he’ll pay it.

When he passes Excellent Era, his former teammates watch him like a ghost, their faces the color of puce. Su Mucheng darts into the aisle after him, worry clouding her eyes.

“I’m very grateful! Little Sun has saved me a lot of trouble!” Ye Xiu shouts.

Her expression clears, and she nods, bending her head to reach his ear. Ye Xiu listens intently, and then nods. Su Mucheng grins, and skips cheerfully back to her seat. Her wide smile stands out among the deathly paleness of Liu Hao and her other teammates.

Satisfied Su Mucheng is well, Ye Xiu mounts the stairs toward those white lights without hesitation.

In Tiny Herb’s seats, Qiao Yifan bolts upright, his gasp lost in the cacophony. Among the audience, the real Ye Qiu flees his expensive prime seat, chin tucked into his collar and cursing his brother the whole way.

Battered by another torrent of sound, Ye Xiu steadily makes his way toward the host and Sun Xiang, ignoring his image displayed in every screen surrounding the stage.

The host, who is only shallowly familiar with Glory, doesn’t understand the significance of this moment, and promptly ruins the mood. “Wow, what a welcome for Senior Ye Xiu!”

The crowd, and the broadcasting team in his earpiece, swamp him in boos.

Laughing nervously, the host quickly changes pace, struggling to understand the orders being shouted rapid-fire into his ear. “So you’re also Ye Qiu?”

Hands in his pockets, Ye Xiu’s manner radiates so much casual, effortless assurance it enrages Sun Xiang immediately. “Yup.”

Ye Xiu’s sigh goes unheard as the crowd dissolves in another round of screams, wallowing in its own excitement.

Sun Xiang scowls, displeased that his challenge has become so sidetracked by his senior’s fame. “I request that senior use his own account,” he says before the host can interview Ye Xiu any further.

Predictably, the audience shouts again. Everyone on stage waits out the noise, finding the whole routine rather tedious.

“Not possible,” Ye Xiu says, and before the crowd can scream hastily adds, “I don’t have any account cards with me.”

“Fine,” Sun Xiang snarls, yanking the microphone out of Ye Xiu’s hand before he can hand it back to the host. “We’ll both use blank accounts then!”

“Wait, wait!” the host yelps, fumbling for the microphone as his earpiece yammers.  “Just a moment!”

The broadcast team is almost in tears. The possibility of an epic battle is within their fingertips! One Autumn Leaf’s first controller versus his current owner, using the god-level account itself! Think of the ratings! Think of the ad revenue!

Switching to a pair of no-name blank accounts instead? Not good!

Hastily, the host announces that the situation is being reviewed, and asks the audience’s patience. The audience boos fiercely, whipped to a frenzy, and grumbles in discontent while the officials confer.

The situation is unprecedented. The rookie challenge is designed to protect younger players, who have less built-up accounts. There’s never been a veteran who didn’t even bring his own account. If it were in-game, the players could simply use the Arena’s fixed field to overcome the difference in their accounts. But the competition interface wasn’t built with a similar mode.

While the officials scramble for a solution, the host runs over and begins trying to interview Ye Xiu, leaving a fuming Sun Xiang as the third wheel in his own challenge.

“Should I call you Ye Qiu or Ye Xiu?”

“Either.”

“Why did you choose to reveal yourself now?”

“The rules say I have to play, don’t they?”

“But why choose to reveal yourself after hiding so long?”

“I didn’t have a reason not to.”

“Why did you leave Excellent Era.”

“Reasons.”

“Care to explain?”

“Not really.”

“Why did you choose Team Happy?”

“Happy’s way of doing things and mine are very compatible,” Ye Xiu replies, which nearly makes the host weep real tears to finally receive a meaningful response.

To Sun Xiang’s - and the host’s - relief, the organizers announce that they’ve found a solution. Since All-star Weekend is held with the game company’s assistance, a blank account has been temporarily altered by one of their employees to create an equal to the Battle God, One Autumn Leaf, copying the character and equipment stats.

When Sun Xiang consents to the compromise, a wave of anticipation passes through the crowd. Battle God versus Battle God? The commentators excitedly declare that what everyone is about to witness will be one-of-a-kind, a real test of skill!

Under the audience’s eyes, Sun Xiang doesn’t want to appear completely impolite, so he offers his hand. “Please advise me, senior.”

“Okay, since you insist,” Ye Xiu smiles, and returns Sun Xiang’s handshake.

The host, sensing the scorching aura from Sun Xiang, tries to break the tension. “Good luck to both our competitors!”

Turning to walk towards his competition platform, Ye Xiu laughs and calls over his shoulder. “Luck? What do I need that for? Under these conditions, we could battle a hundred times without changing the result.”

Sun Xiang grinds his teeth. This pathetic old man with shaky hands thinks he’s stronger, as if! He can’t even perform Dragon Raises its Head anymore! “Senior is very confident when we haven’t even fought yet,” he snarls, and stalks towards his own competition platform.

The two are using identical accounts, so they skip choosing equipment and adding skill points. The lights quickly dim and the projection springs to life on the stage.

Once the map becomes visible, the commentators immediately begin their analysis as if it were a real match. “Sun Xiang has chosen Mirror Lake! An interesting choice! The water isn’t deep enough to effect movement, and the terrain is completely flat, so it can’t be used for tactical purposes. But like the name suggests, the lake’s perfect reflective surface prevents the use of optical tricks like Vanishing Step by extending the visual field. God Sun Xiang must really want a straightforward battle!”

One Autumn Leaf loads first, appearing at the end of the map in a swirl of black. The lake reflects the perfect blue and white of the sky above, and the map edges seem to stretch out to infinity. The scene carries the impression of a heavenly being about to fight in an arena formed from the sky itself.

Ye Xiu’s ascended blank account, loading on the opposite end of the map, causes a stir of surprise - it’s a female Battlemage, and someone in the game company deserves a raise for choosing her striking design, cleverly meant to capitalize on the drama of this match.

‘Whetted Sickle Moon’ proclaims the characters above her head. Like a monochrome ink painting, her appearance doesn’t have a single spot of color except for the faint pink of her cheeks and lips. Her armor and clothing are white, like the inverse image of One Autumn Leaf, and the silvery sheen of her battle lance matches the color of her eyes. Her long black hair streams behind her, gathered at the end by a tie, and her classically beautiful face must have been modeled by hand in the character editor. The designer had even taken the time to add a crescent moon-shaped pendant to her forehead.

Ye Xiu, of course, doesn’t care. He’s just pleased to have such a top-tier account - albeit a temporary one - handed right to him, and initiates the match once he’s swiftly confirmed Sun Xiang has only made minor adjustments to One Autumn Leaf’s stats.

Not a single eye in the stadium blinks as the countdown begins.

Three.

Two.

One.

Fight!

Like it was choreographed, the two Battle Mages charge forward, kicking up water droplets, and exchange a swift flurry of identical skills. Dragon Tooth! Sky Strike! Falling Flower Palm! None of the attacks connect, denying both Battle Mages any chasers. Then the pair pause, as if assessing the outcome.

A speech bubble appears above Whetted Sickle Moon’s head: You first :)

One Autumn Leaf responds with a furious Dragon Rises from the Sea, launching himself forward while his spear casts a water dragon at Whetted Sickle Moon.

She’s already raised a Magic Shield, falling back before an onslaught of attacks.

Almost two minutes pass. One Autumn Leaf remains on the offense, throwing out a steady chain of skills, while Whetted Sickle Moon blocks, avoids, and throws out the occasional skill of her own.

“It looks like Sun Xiang has seized the initiative in this match! It isn’t looking good for Ye Qiu - I mean Ye Xiu!”

“That’s not right,” Yu Wenzhou says in the stands. “Look at their health bars.”

One Autumn Leaf’s health is down to 80%, while Whetted Sickle Moon holds steady at 95%! The announcers soon make the same discovery, leaving them puzzled. Where had the discrepancy in damage come from?

‘Figured out why I can suppress you yet?’ Ye Xiu types, as Whetted Sickle Moon darts behind One Autumn Leaf using a chaser buff.

It’s the same question many of the audience members are asking themselves. Sun Xiang and Ye Xiu are god-level players; any skill gap between them shouldn’t be large enough to let Ye Xiu push Sun Xiang around so thoroughly.

Sensing the danger, One Autumn Leaf hits out a beautiful Sky Strike from behind. It doesn’t even touch Whetted Sickle Moon.

‘Since you asked this senior to advise you, how about I give you a hint? There are actually two reasons why I’m able to suppress you so badly.’

Whetted Sickle Moon’s spear darts in at a dead angle and performs a Double Stab. From the sudden red staining the water, it’s triggered a Bleed. ‘No good? How about a demonstration then.’

Taking the initiative, her spear swings out toward One Autumn Leaf’s ankles, knocking him into the air. Tyrant’s Destruction!

Sun Xiang is covered in a cold sweat. His hands move a beat too slow; all his reactions feel clumsy and stiff. Why isn’t he able to match Ye Qiu? Every time they’ve fought before, Sun Xiang felt he had only lost by a small margin. With a better character, he could even have won!

But One Autumn Leaf is his now, and everything feels wrong. His blocks are a split-second behind, his attacks ineffective. Staggering beneath uncertainty, Sun Xiang’s mentality begins to slip.

Whetted Sickle Moon happily continues comboing One Autumn Leaf, keeping him in the air. ‘Your Battle Mage is quite good! You must have prepared extensively. I can see you’ve adapted well to your new class. However.’

Sun Xiang, who’s just steadied his camera, suddenly finds his view filled by a shining silver spear.

‘In front of me, do you think that’s enough?’

One Autumn Leaf is knocked back into a dizzying spin. Whetted Sickle Moon follows, refusing to allow him respite. ‘Your Battle Mage isn’t complete yet. I can still see a Berserker shadowing your movements. No matter how good the player is, changing habits takes time. Don’t worry! You’ve worked hard. None of your upcoming opponents are good enough to take advantage before you can finish adjusting.’

Like a stone, One Autumn Leaf is allowed to drop out of the air. Sun Xiang nearly fails his Quick Recovery, and makes an ugly side roll to escape attack range.

Pausing, Whetted Sickle Moon lifts her spear. ‘Ready to surrender?’

Sun Xiang has One Autumn Leaf answer with a Dragon Breaks the Ranks.

Whetted Sickle Moon, her movement speed boosted by Battle Spirit, evades. ‘That’s fine. Since you’re so enthusiastic, this senior will continue advising you.’

Now that Whetted Sickle Moon has actively taken the lead, One Autumn Leaf’s health drops lower and lower. Her attacks are relentless. A continuous string of skills, along with complex normal attacks mixed in, continue to batter him, punctuated by the occasional chaser.

Ye Xiu types out a smoking emoji. ‘Figured out the other reason I’m beating you yet?

Caught in a loop of disbelief and fear, Sun Xiang can barely think, let alone divert his attention long enough to type a reply. But the next characters he reads freeze his blood.

‘Sun Xiang, what account are you using?’

For a split second, Sun Xiang’s fingers go still, realization sinking heavy in the pit of his stomach.

‘Who can claim to be more familiar with that account than me? Little Sun, choosing me was too hasty! I really was the worst opponent you could have picked.’

Whetted Sickle Moon pulls the end of her spear behind her, while her left hand supports the spear’s front. Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart! Like a bolt of lightning, her spear pierces One Autumn Leaf, sending blood flying.

‘Don’t be discouraged!’ Ye Xiu tells Sun Xiang while continuing to beat him up. ‘You’re young, you have time to learn. And you have teammates who can help you. Glory isn’t played alone!’

Covered in grisly wounds, One Autumn Leaf makes a horrible sight. Mirror Lake is dyed scarlet beneath his feet, while Whetted Sickle Moon’s white armor is nearly pristine. His health is just below red blood, and he raises his spear anyway, bent on fighting to the end. Circle Swing catches him, knocking him off his feet, while Sky Strike throws him back in the air.

‘It’s just as I told you earlier,’ Ye Xiu types as the spear in Whetted Sickle Moon’s hands grows into a dragon, jaws open and hungry as it roars. ‘Even if we fought this battle a hundred times, it’s the same as handing me a hundred victories.’ The lake surface is whipped by wind as the dragon surges up, eyes fixed on the Battle Mage above. Rising Dragon Soars the Sky!

Frantic, Sun Xiang tosses out a Falling Flower Palm to throw himself out of the dragon’s path. Barely missing him, the dragon barrels past in a rush of force.

Just as he feels his confidence surge, Sun Xiang’s screen is blocked by a gaping maw as the dragon snaps its jaws shut, and One Autumn Leaf’s health plummets.

What? Hadn’t he escaped? Was that...Dragon Raises its Head? Ye Qiu’s signature move, the god-level micro that only he had ever achieved? Impossible! He’s too old, that’s why he hasn’t done it in over two years. But Sun Xiang can find no other explanation.

Whetted Sickle Moon receives One Autumn Leaf as he crashes to the ground, only a bare sliver of health remaining. Her spear strikes with one final Dragon Tooth, and the image of One Autumn Leaf impaled at her feet goes dark.

Glory!

Hands poised above the keyboard, Sun Xiang sits in a daze, trying to absorb his defeat. The crowd’s deafening cheers beat against his ears. He startles, as though awakening, and then curses, yanking off his headphones and raging back down to the stage.

“Dragon Raises its Head? You shouldn’t have the skill to use that any more!” Sun Xiang shouts furiously.

“Oh? When did I say that?” Ye Xiu replies nonchalantly.

Sun Xiang chokes, turning red. Since Ye Xiu hadn’t used that skill in years, everyone had assumed...

Ye Xiu laughs. “Haha, the juniors are very eager, but still too green.”  And with that, he leaves the stage with the same indifference he had arrived with.

Sun Xiang is left alone, the host standing awkwardly to one side. In the end, Sun Xiang curls his hands into fists and grabs the microphone. “I lost today and I can’t say anything about that. But tomorrow might be a different story!” After saying this, Sun Xiang walks off the stage without looking back.

All the pro players are vigorously discussing the match. Many older pros were rooting for Ye Xiu, but nobody had expected that Sun Xiang would so magnificently crash and burn. He hadn’t held the initiative even once. And the best part was that Sun Xiang had arranged the whole thing himself! Truly a battle won by superior judgement.

And that Dragon Raising its Head! Could there be any clearer declaration of Ye Xiu’s intent to remain, despite his identity being revealed?

Many of the pros are looking towards Excellent Era’s seats, and the broadcasters had the same thought. One of the screens is showing a close up. The expressions on the players’ faces are uniformly ghastly, and Su Mucheng is conspicuously missing from her seat. Excellent Era’s PR department must be spitting blood.

Chen Guo is beside herself with glee as Team Happy mobs their victorious captain. That arrogant Sun Xiang got a good beating! Let him go and lick his wounds before barking after Ye Xiu again!

Then Ye Xiu, rather than returning to his seat, heads toward the access tunnel.

Chen Guo nearly trips flat on her face pushing past Steamed Bun. “Where are you going!” she demands.

“Getting ice cream with Su Mucheng,” Ye Xiu replies, as if it were perfectly ordinary to go out for ice cream right after defeating the player chosen to succeed you by your backstabbing teammates.

Chen Guo’s jaw drops. Then she sighs, and waves her hand to assent. Ye Xiu deserves a break.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Ye Xiu half-turns and calls out, “Boss Chen! One more thing. As long as the price is reasonable, buy the account I just used.”

“Got it!" she shouts, and sits back down, watching the host try vainly to interest the audience in the next match.

A moment later, Chen Guo shoots up again, sweat breaking out. She let him leave and forgot about the press conference!

Chapter Text

“What do we do now?” Wu Chen asks once Team Happy has run the gauntlet of curious pros, crazed fans, stressed officials, and slavering reporters, and barricaded themselves back in Hu Zeyi’s room.

“Hmmm? Play Glory, of course,” Ye Xiu replies as he sorts through their Tenth Server cards, tone implying that he finds the answer obvious.

Wu Chen looks to his teammates for support. Unfortunately, the rookies have been thoroughly corrupted by Ye Xiu, and don’t seem to find anything out of the ordinary about this situation. They - along with Steamed Bun - have already begun booting up laptops and logging in. Hu Zeyi places an encouraging hand on Wu Chen’s shoulder, and goes to join them. Luo Tian shoots Wu Chen a pleading look as he hurries after the Vice-captain.

Wu Chen sighs. “Does today change anything about our strategy?”

“Nothing about our plans has changed. Next week’s home match against Radiant is still our first breakthrough point,” Ye Xiu confirms, selecting his account card for the evening.

It will be the first match since Ye Xiu joined Happy where they’ll face a team outside the top twelve. Radiant is ranked sixteenth, only four spots higher than Happy, and will be the perfect guinea pig for testing Happy’s new team integration and tactics.

The upcoming home match against Radiant will kick off five weeks of similarly low ranked opponents, ending in a match against twelfth ranked Seaside. These next five weeks are Happy’s one, vital opportunity to take as many points as possible, because after that, Happy faces a far tougher match schedule. Whatever ranking Happy holds after the next five matches will probably be the highest they can rise, and they’ll need to somehow claw out enough points from better teams to keep from falling into relegation territory again.

If Ye Xiu didn’t believe Happy was capable of meeting the challenge, he would have already told Chen Guo to resign herself. A path exists, but whether or not Happy can follow it rests largely on the backs of its players and their willingness to work harder than everyone else, and then come back and do it again every day. His teammates have held up well so far, but whether they can continue to do so in the upcoming months is an open question.

But for now, Ye Xiu plans on a nice, relaxing evening of Glory while he ignores his 99+ QQ messages, especially the ones from ‘STUPID OLDER BROTHER THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID GIVE BACK MY NAME.’

As Happy is running their second dungeon, a new notification pops up: <Your friend One Inch Ash is online>.

Shaking his head, Ye Xiu clicks his tongue and types out a quick welcome. He really can’t stand seeing talent wasted.

Scrolling through the Glory forums in her phone, Chen Guo clicks on ‘Best of Sun Xiang Getting his A** kicked by God Ye’ and nearly laughs herself to tears. She’s lost count of how many times she’s watched the clips and it gets funnier every single time .

Happy’s members, long used to her outbursts, continue peacefully gaming after surviving the third day of All-stars.

‘Survive’ really is the appropriate word. Happy’s players are mobbed everywhere they go, whether Ye Xiu is with them or not. Ye Xiu himself had been kidnapped by his fellow captains as soon as they’d arrived at the stadium yesterday - Yu Wenzhou acted rather apologetic about it - to answer some delicate questions about the situation with Excellent Era. Whatever Ye Xiu told them, the pro circle isn’t avoiding Excellent Era’s players anymore, though Sun Xiang is still practically a pariah.

The pro circle had not kept quiet about their disapproval. Sun Xiang fighting a disrespectful, petty grudge match against his senior was one thing; outing Ye Xiu’s identity without his consent was a far more serious transgression. The media had interviewed practically everyone, and the players had stood together firmly on that point.

Excellent Era was forced to issue an apology to their former captain, which must have burned. Chen Guo had been worried Excellent Era might reveal the real reason Ye Xiu used another name, but Ye Xiu assured her they wouldn’t gain anything by doing so. Since the Alliance confirmed the stage name explanation, attempts to tell the truth would look like slander. Excellent Era wanted to protect its reputation, not make themselves look worse.

To the fans, revealing Ye Xiu already looked like an act of revenge against their former captain and had raised some very pointed questions about the break. Hadn’t Excellent Era said all those nice words about wishing Ye Xiu well? Were those just lies, or was this Sun Xiang’s personal feelings alone? And most importantly, if Ye Xiu’s skills were still superior to Sun Xiang’s, why had he left?

With all the drama, the esports press is practically foaming at the mouth to interview Ye Xiu and Sun Xiang. So far, both parties have maintained silence. This morning Happy threw them some meat by releasing an official statement, written by the PR firm they’d put on retainer for exactly this reason, but it had only officially announced that Ye Xiu had joined Happy, was now captain, and would be playing in next week’s match.

Without being able to interview either Ye Xiu or Sun Xiang, the media has had to settle for long-distance stalking instead. Unfortunately for them, Happy’s seats have the worst camera angle in the entire stadium. Excellent Era was forced to accept the brunt of the attention instead, and a pale, brooding Sun Xiang had graced the screens several times, especially after losing his individual match today against a weaker character. It was clear he hadn’t recovered from his loss against Ye Xiu.

Chen Guo hesitates before clicking on an Excellent Era fan thread. Before Happy she’d been a diehard supporter, and because of Su Mucheng the team had still held a special place for her. Shaking her head, she decisively begins to read.

The reactions of Excellent Era’s fans fall in two camps. The anti-Ye Xiu faction believes Ye Xiu got what he deserved for abandoning his team, and thought Ye Xiu had wronged Sun Xiang, which justified Sun Xiang’s actions.

The more moderate supporters and the hardcore Ye Xiu fans point out that rather than choosing a rich team who’d pay him well, Ye Xiu had signed with the only team ranked lower than Excellent Era. That could be seen as a gesture of loyalty.

The anti-Ye Xiu faction thought this meant instead that Ye Xiu intended to compete against Excellent Era directly to push them down - another sign of his traitorous nature - and that Ye Xiu was just too old to be worth money to any team that wasn’t trash.

The arguments make Chen Guo so angry she wants to spit. What did any of them know?

She tosses her phone aside, stealing her laptop back from Steamed Bun - who has yet to return the team jacket he ‘borrowed’ - and begins composing a message to the head of Happy’s fanclub. She wants every last one of them at the match in six days, even if she has to give away free tickets!

Coming from true grassroots origins, Happy has traveled a steeper road than more conventionally created teams. With their weaker financial backing, Happy couldn’t offer high player salaries, so after entering the Alliance in Season 7 Happy’s roster had been picked clean by other pro teams.

Only Hu Zeyi remains from that original team. A solid, but unremarkable player whose strength is defense, he has one unfixable flaw that keeps other teams from wanting him: he’s old. Twenty-six this season, his slipping performance makes it clear his pro days are numbered. In any other team, he’d have already been taken off the main roster.

Due to their lackluster reputation and lean financial situation, this season Happy could field only the absolute required minimum of six pro players. Happy’s ‘substitutes’ are just guild elites who could be tapped in emergency.

Of those six players, only Luo Tian can be considered in his prime. His skill level is decent, but his wavering confidence makes his performance inconsistent and unreliable. Wu Chen has good fundamentals but average talent, and is only a year younger than Ye Xiu. Similar to Hu Zeyi, his time in the Alliance is also coming to an end.

As for the three rookies, their problems are the same: they have raw talent, but are far too inexperienced. Frankly, in a less desperate team all three would still be in the training camp. Having them on the main roster was like throwing elementary school students into university. Even talent wouldn’t look good if the learning curve was too steep.

Happy’s characters are weak, so they can’t rely on character strength to cover their player deficits. Even their characters’ skill points are bottom tier in the pro league, to say nothing of their silver equipment. Deception and Combat Form don’t even have a single piece, and have to make do with orange equipment only. Lonely Tower has the most silver equipment, with four pieces, and the rest of the characters each have one or two. Tang Rou’s single piece of silver equipment wasn’t even a weapon. With Ye Xiu commanding the occasional BOSS fight in the Heavenly Domain, Happy’s harvest is improving, but he can’t split his attention too greatly when the team’s situation is so dire. For the present, Happy’s characters won’t see much improvement.

What path does that leave available to Happy? One that relies on improving tactics, coordination, and individual player skill. Ye Xiu is the irreplaceable asset that makes all that possible. In the entire Alliance, there’s no greater tactician than Ye Xiu; he gives Happy a stable, skilled core to coordinate around, and he’s more than capable of teaching the rookies.

Tonight, against Radiant they’ll put all their preparations to the test. This is the first step toward saving Team Happy.

As Ye Xiu’s debut match with the team, Happy vs. Radiant has attracted an unprecedented amount of attention. Thanks to Happy’s normally cheap tickets, tonight the stadium is packed. Chen Guo’s efforts have brought out Happy’s true dedicated fans, but the people holding signs and banners are far outnumbered by those curious to see Ye Xiu play, or hoping to see Happy fail. 

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Luo Tian moans in the stadium hallway as both teams are lined up waiting for the match to start.

“That’s fine,” says Ye Xiu. “With me leading, Deception can finish off the group arena even if you don’t do any damage.”

Luo Tian gets a conflicted expression on his face. Being told you aren’t necessary doesn’t feel good, but with his nervous temper, it’s also paradoxically the most reassuring thing Ye Xiu could have said.

Ye Xiu laughs. “Don’t think on it so much. Our goal isn’t to win, but to get points.” The lights dim, signaling the start of the match, and the host begins the introductions.

It’s a new experience for Ye Xiu to step out on stage with his teammates - revealed to the eyes of the whole stadium, rather than remaining out of sight alone. The crowd surges as his name is called, as if they can’t quite believe he’s really there.

Ye Xiu smirks and waves, before entering the player box and gathering his individual round players: Tang Rou, Qiu Fei, and Wu Chen. The pressure of leading Happy’s final struggle to avoid elimination is immense, which is why Tang Rou is leading off their roster tonight. Win or lose, she’ll keep attacking to the end. Really, Ye Xiu can’t believe Happy’s luck. Other than a few final reminders, Ye Xiu doesn’t need to worry about her mental state.

When her name is called, the crowd’s applause is cautiously enthusiastic. Of all Happy’s players, Tang Rou is the most popular. As one of the rare female pros, her beauty alone would have made her famous. But Tang Rou’s class has hampered her popularity. Berserkers weren’t elegant, or ladylike. They traded health for damage, blood for blood. A beautiful girl playing such a vicious, aggressive character? It made some people uncomfortable. As pretty as she was on the outside, there must be something defective on the inside.

It’s a bad matchup; Tang Rou is the least experienced of the three rookies, and her opponent takes advantage of her aggression to grind her down. Happy’s first round ends in a loss.

“Radiant has chosen the strategy we hoped for,” Ye Xiu tells them after she returns. “They’ve placed their strongest players in the individual matches to avoid meeting me in the group arena.”

“Really?” Tang Rou says. “Then I might meet him again in the team battle!”

“Probably,” Ye Xiu agrees, seeing the interest firing up her eyes. “Little Qiu, you next.”

Qiu Fei gets luckier than Tang Rou and draws a Warlock. Using his map advantage, once he’s broken into close range his opponent’s options are limited, scoring Happy its first point.

“It was a good match,” Ye Xiu says upon his return.

Qiu Fei accepts the praise with a small smile. “I’m glad senior and I can finally play on the same field,” is all he says before returning to his seat.

Wu Chen holds the third slot in the individual rounds. Even if both rookies had lost, he could be counted on to remain clear-headed. Matched against an equally skilled opponent, his steady and dependable playing wins out over the uncertainty and pressure affecting Radiant’s player. 2-1, Happy in the lead.

The crowd’s anticipation heightens during the break between individual and group rounds. If Ye Xiu hasn’t played any individual rounds, than he’s guaranteed to appear in the group arena. With Happy’s absolute minimum number of players, before now their healer also had to take a turn dueling. With Ye Xiu giving them a seventh player, it makes no sense to have Lonely Tower go out.

Just as expected, Ye Xiu’s name flashes up on the screen as Happy’s first player in the group round. But the character information that follows sends the stadium into shock. Poison Tree, Witch class!

A Witch ? What’s going on? Ye Xiu has played a Battle Mage for ten years, why change classes now? The commentators hastily search through their notes on Happy. No one has any answers.

In the meantime, Ye Xiu has already loaded into the map. Dressed in green and black with a broom in his hands, Poison Tree waits patiently in the ancient ruins map Happy has chosen. While not Ye Xiu’s preference, it’s a map suitable for long-range classes like Cry Havoc with plenty of ambush opportunities for Deception.

His opponent lags behind trying to confer with his teammates - Radiant had prepared for a Battle Mage, not a Witch! With their tactics thrown into confusion, Ye Xiu gives a quick end to Radiant’s stunned Grappler. The poor player barely has the wits to fight back, getting straightforwardly beaten up from start to finish.

Still seeking to solve the mystery of Ye Xiu’s class, the commentators have uncovered a clue. ‘Poison Tree’ has appeared on stage before. One of Happy’s former players used the character before retiring last season. This new information still leaves everyone scratching their heads. Surely Happy could raise a new Battle Mage for Ye Xiu. Why have him play a Witch?

Poison Tree easily defeats Radiant’s second player, though this match is less one-sided. The surprise of Ye Xiu’s class is wearing off, and Radiant’s players are beginning to fight back.

After two matches, experienced players can see that World Tree isn’t a typical Witch build. Most pro Witches are played as main attackers like Vaccaria. But this Poison Tree is a control-type Witch, a particularly despicable build that enhances status effects and AoE skills; Poison Tree has even mixed in a few pre level 20 CC skills from other classes.

Taking into account Happy’s team composition, this eccentric style is a good choice. Though Happy has a balance of long and short range classes, that was entirely by chance. Happy’s class composition is heavily skewed toward DPS because they couldn’t afford to be picky with so few players.

Ye Xiu comes very close to a 1v3, but his weak character proves too great a barrier to overcome. He still leaves Radiant’s best player with only a quarter of his health left.

With Happy’s victory nearly assured, Luo Tian finishes off Radiant’s last player with his Elementalist Cry Havoc. Luo Tian could be called the opposite of a clutch player. When the team was doing well, he played well. When the team was in a difficult situation, his mentality buckled. For this reason, Happy previously used him in the individual matches, but Ye Xiu placed him into the group area instead. Standing behind a god like Ye Xiu, how could Luo Tian feel doubt?

During the longer break between the group and team rounds, Radiant huddles together, finally managing to stabilize itself. Ye Xiu considers it a great pity. It would have been nice to face a disorganized opponent.

Happy doesn’t say much to one another. Coming into the team competition 4-1 they hold an advantageous position, so their mental state is quite buoyant. They don’t need any reminders of their plans, either. Weeks of practice have drilled Ye Xiu’s tactics into them, and only slight adjustments are necessary.

This team match will be Happy’s true test. In the past four matches, Happy’s players have focused on individual and group rounds to gain whatever points they could. But that isn’t enough. If Happy wants to avoid relegation they must grab as many points as possible in the half-season left to them, and the team competition is worth a full half of every match’s points. Thunderclap is the model for Happy’s potential success. Weak teams can win against stronger teams if they can turn their individual strengths into a greater whole.

Preparations are completed, and the audience’s anticipation rises again.Ye Xiu could rely on his individual strength in the group arena, but the team competition was different. Would trash team Happy, the biggest joke in the Alliance, drag the once-mighty god down with them? Many in the audience are anticipating Happy’s failure and hoping for a truly spectacular meltdown.

Radiant doesn’t surprise anyone by using its normal lineup for team competitions. Then Happy’s players go up. Hu Zeyi, Paladin: Lonely Tower. Wu Chen, Launcher: Dawn Rifle. Qiu Fei, Battle Mage: Combat Form. Tang Rou, Berserker: Soft Mist. Mo Fan, Ninja: Deception.

Ye Xiu, Spitfire: Target Acquired?

What?

Radiant has no idea what’s going on anymore. First a Witch, now a Spitfire? Couldn’t Ye Xiu have pity on them and be a little consistent?

The commentators are faster this time. As the players load in, they excitedly announce that Target Acquired was also used by a former Happy player who transferred to another team. Beyond that, they can’t figure out why Ye Xiu would change classes again. Was Happy so poor they couldn’t even give God Ye a proper Battle Mage?

Happy’s chosen map is Jagged Canyon IX. The Jagged Canyon maps are notorious for their winding, twisting structure and their movement restriction. The canyon walls are made of a soft red sandstone that crumbles easily and is nearly impossible to climb; knowing the few safe routes to the top of the canyon wall is a strong advantage. If the players can’t climb the walls, the sandy, half-dried riverbed is their only path forward through the brush and reeds lining the shallow river.

None of Radiant’s characters have movement skills that can be used to climb the walls. Even the recoil from Aerial Fire isn’t strong enough to push their Sharpshooter to the top. All the ledges he can reach collapse when he touches them. Radiant is forced to follow the canyon floor, searching for Happy’s location through numerous switchbacks, dead ends, and blind turns.

As soon as they spawn on the map, Deception and Dawn Rifle climb the canyon wall on opposite sides and scout ahead. A Launcher’s cannon has higher recoil than a Sharpshooter’s revolver, allowing Dawn Rifle to reach a safe ledge, while Deception can scale sheer rock walls using his class’ ninjato as a foothold.

Happy’s other three players set out at a steady pace, navigating the canyon maze without hesitation. Very soon, Deception messages the team channel to report he’s found Radiant, and doubles back to join up with his teammates, leaving Radiant unaware they’ve been spotted.

Now that Happy knows what path Radiant has taken, Dawn Rifle returns as well. Further scouting isn’t necessary. Happy can easily predict their opponent’s movements; Radiant can only move forward or backward from their initial position.

Happy sets an ambush, picking a crossroads between three paths as their target. Dawn Rifle’s greater range allows him to remain positioned on top of the canyon wall, while Happy’s other players hide behind boulders and and disguise themselves in the brush.

Radiant has yet to see a single sign of Happy. They creep forward cautiously, but don’t encounter the ambush they expect. Their continued vigilance is beginning to wear them down. They know they must be getting close to Happy’s spawn point, but the frustrating thing about Jagged Canyon’s twisting layout is that you might end up right next to your target, but with a solid rock wall separating you.

Radiant’s formation has their Cleric in the middle, with the other four players arranged in a diamond around him. One moment, they have just cleared another dangerous intersection. Then the Sharpshooter bringing up the rear realizes there’s a grenade rolling to his feet. It detonates and the shockwave knocks him slightly out of formation, opening a hole to attack their Cleric.

His teammates quickly circle around the Cleric, raising their weapons to repel Happy’s attacks. But except for Dawn Rifle’s Heat Seeking Missile, the expected assault doesn’t come. Happy isn’t paying attention to them at all!

Ye Xiu’s Spitfire is standing in full view, a steady stream of bullets knocking Radiant’s Sharpshooter back the way he came in a beautiful Delivery Gun, straight into the clutches of Happy’s rookies. The three pounce on the unfortunate Sharpshooter and begin pounding him with their strongest attacks.

“Wait, that’s not right. Where’s the Paladin?!” types Radiant’s captain.

Radiant’s other players scramble to confirm the player count. Lonely Tower is nowhere to be seen. No healer? This strategy is too crazy!

Belatedly, Radiant charges forward to rescue their Sharpshooter. Against three melee classes, he’s doomed unless he’s rescued soon.

Grenades begin raining down; the Spitfire ultimate skill Chaotic Thunder halts Radiant’s advance as their screens are covered in blinding flashes. Ye Xiu’s Target Acquired darts between Radiant’s players, interrupting their casts and holding the four of them back while taking heavy damage in return. Dawn Rifle supports from above, assisting Ye Xiu with the occasional attack while sending additional damage toward the Sharpshooter.

The Sharpshooter’s life quickly runs out under the combined damage of four DPS classes. The instant his health hits zero, Happy’s players split in a well-coordinated, orderly fashion. Deception climbs the canyon wall, disappearing from view with Dawn Rifle. Soft Mist and Combat Form break away and sprint down one of the three available paths.

His hand speed shooting up, Ye Xiu’s Target Acquired releases one last barrage of skills before retreating down the same path as Soft Mist and Combat Form.

Radiant follows, but Target Acquired’s Aerial Fire is faster than any of their class’ movement skills. With their Sharpshooter dead, Radiant can’t catch him. Ye Xiu is free to use his range to hamper their pursuit, delaying and harassing them but doing little damage otherwise.

Radiant’s team chat suddenly receives a message: ‘Under attack.’

“Fuck!” shouts their captain in his booth. Happy had split up to cover Radiant’s support zones, hunting down their sixth player before he could join up with the team.

Radiant knows the situation is already out of their control. They’re too far away - if they could even find him - to help their teammate. They chase Target Acquired instead, whittling down his health and hoping to trade Ye Xiu’s life in return.

Their sixth player’s name soon goes grey. Down two players and without anything to show for it, Radiant’s players fear they’re being led into another trap and stop chasing Ye Xiu. Target Acquired disappears around the bend, and the canyon goes quiet.

‘They didn’t follow you?’ asks Wu Chen, hurrying back to Ye Xiu after killing Radiant’s sixth player with Deception. ‘Do we try option G?’

‘Not necessary. We’ll just kill them when you get here,’ answers Ye Xiu.

‘It will only be a 4v5.’

‘If they didn’t follow me, they don’t believe they can win. We’ve already broken them,’ replies Ye Xiu.

Wu Chen doesn’t have anything to say to that.

Once the two parties rejoin, Happy advances boldly toward Radiant as Ye Xiu gives instructions. ‘Combat Form, Soft Mist, Deception, you each pick a primary target. Don’t treat this like a duel. Focus on improving your group awareness and aid each other when you can. Dawn Rifle, you suppress the cleric. I’ll provide support.’

‘I want the Spellblade,’ says Tang Rou, eager for another go at the opponent who beat her.

‘Go ahead. As long as practice your awareness you can do as you like,’ agrees Ye Xiu.

The audience and commentators are flabbergasted. Is this a match, or a training exercise? Shouldn’t Happy be more serious? They’re just a weak trash team!

The battle unfolds as if Ye Xiu had arranged the whole match for Happy to use Radiant as practice. The poor cleric is shot to pieces by Dawn Rifle while the rookies take down their targets.

The most heavily damaged of Happy’s characters, Target Acquired stands back, offers suggestions, and occasionally lobs a grenade if one of the rookies gets into trouble. It was like a wolf bringing a struggling, half-dead animal back to the den for the puppies to practice sinking their teeth into. His character gives off an air of ‘learn to enjoy your meal, children.’

Under pressure and no longer willing to fight, Radiant crumbles - a perfect team victory for team Happy. Not even a single player lost!

Happy’s fans are too stunned to respond at first, before bursting into cheers. That was what you were supposed to do when you won, right?

The commentators are going wild. The televised match even cuts away to report Happy’s surprise victory.

In the press conference afterward, the Alliance moderator has to spend several minutes wrangling the herd of reporters before Ye Xiu can open his eyes and not be blinded by camera flashes.

“Ye Xiu! How do you feel about today’s victory?”

“I’m very pleased with the result of Happy’s hard work.”

“Why did you choose Happy?”

“Didn’t I already answer that? Happy’s methods and mine are very compatible.”

“Why did you play a Witch and a Spitfire tonight?”

Ye Xiu laughs. “I joined pretty suddenly. Someone who comes late can’t be too picky!”

“Do you believe Excellent Era gave your real name as an act of revenge?”

“No. I think it was just an oversight. Little Xiang is a very honest child. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“Why did you leave Excellent Era?”

“I’m pleased that Excellent Era’s performance has recently improved. I believe my decision to buy out my contract was best for both parties. Happy is the place where I can do the most good right now.”

On the way back, Ye Xiu pulls Chen Guo away, lowering his voice. “How did Excellent Era’s match go?”

“They lost,” she replies. “Sun Xiang performed terribly. They only got one point.”

He nods. “I’m going out to smoke.”

On Sunday, Chen Guo shreds her copy of eSports News before she’s even halfway through the article on Happy’s victory.

“That Ruan Chen!” she fumes. “Happy’s victory isn’t a fluke! He’s telling everyone that we’ll definitely lose next week when we can’t choose the maps!”

“It’s a real risk,” agrees Ye Xiu. “Our next match will probably be rough.”

She glares at him too. “He’s been piling mud on your reputation! He thinks you’re a washed up has-been, and that retiring would have been less shameful than joining Happy!”

“Shamelessness is one of my strong points,” Ye Xiu replies nonchalantly, before shuffling toward the practice room with breakfast in hand.

Chen Guo stares after him. “But - don’t you want to stop him?”

“Why?” he says, pausing at the door. “If we win or lose, isn’t that answer enough?”

No matter how high Ye Xiu’s ability, there are limits to what he can brute force through skill alone.

Happy fights through their next match on the knife-edge of defeat. They lose every individual round. They prevail in the group arena only because Ye Xiu burns through two opponents by himself, and their anchor Wu Chen shocks his opponent with his insane desperation.

They fight the team competition down to the last character alive. In the end, Happy claims victory by the slimmest margin. Most surprising, it’s not Ye Xiu who ultimately delivers them victory.

“How do you feel about being the match’s MVP?” the reporters ask Happy during the press conference afterward.

Hu Zeyi smiles peacefully, as if he wasn’t the one typing ‘DESTROY HIM LITTLE TANG!’ in the team chat a half-hour before. “I’m happy I could help the team.”

After two full weeks of rest, Hu Zeyi had given his best performance of the season. While not as badly off as a Cleric, a Paladin’s strength was not PvP. When he had to fight a duel before fighting again in the team competition, Hu Zeyi’s age meant his stamina couldn’t keep up. Now that Lonely Tower only had to appear in the team competition, his performance immediately skyrocketed.

Happy’s rhythm steadies. While they don’t manage another 9-1, with Ye Xiu heading the group arena and directing the team battle, they net at least 7 points per match, even if the victories often aren’t pretty. Chen Guo treats them to an enormous dinner the night they rise to 19th place, knocking Bright Green to last.

With one more home match to go, safety and 18th place is within reach. Seaside, with its All-star account Boundless Sea, is the towering final obstacle in the way.

“Let’s cut to the Happy vs. Seaside match during the break. For our viewers who are just tuning in, the score stands at 0-3, Seaside leading. The group arena has just begun. As expected, Zhao Yang is playing first for Seaside with Boundless Sea. Ye Xiu has always lead before with Poison Tree, and it appears that - hold on! Hold on! What?”

“...Ye Xiu is playing an Assassin? ‘Cold Evening’s Feast’?”

“Could this be another one of Happy’s old accounts? It’s quite flashy - with that hair, I thought it was a female avatar for a moment.”

The screen cuts to show Cold Evening’s Feast perched atop a pagoda roof, his long ponytail and scarlet-lined cloak streaming behind him dramatically.

“Look at his equipment! Cold Evening’s Feast is stacking stamina, that’s a Life Risking Strike build!”

“Zhao Yang must be aware of that as well. I’m sure he’ll be properly wary….Oh *bleep*, did you see that?”

“What a beautiful setup! Boundless Sea is down to Red Blood! On a cloth armor class like Qi Master, Life-Risking Strike is an especially devastating move! Cold Evening’s Feast has taken equal damage, but against an All-star account that’s more than worth the trade!”

Of course the eSports media can’t resist asking about Ye Xiu’s fourth class change after congratulating Happy on their 3-7 victory.

“God Ye! What brought on all these class changes?”

“Tactical flexibility is an advantage for a team in Happy’s situation.” Truthfully, Happy just really was that poor. When registering Ye Xiu, Chen Guo had lumped every vaguely competition level free account Happy had under his name. The Alliance hadn’t given her grief about it. There was plenty of precedent from the old multi-class player era, even if the strategy was outdated.

“Do you plan on using just these three accounts, or do you have more changes planned?”

Ye Xiu shakes his head. “I can’t answer that.”

“...just how many classes are you proficient it?” one of the reporters dares.

Ye Xiu’s posture radiates assurance. “All of them.”

Everyone spends a moment contemplating this response. Was God Ye being serious? That’s a joke right?

“...all of them? Why Battle Mage then?” someone asks weakly.

“Battle Mage is just my most proficient class,” he replies casually.

“....Thank you, God Ye. No further questions.”

Sensing a story, the media immediately runs to interview all the other teams, expecting loud scoffing and denials. Unfortunately, they don’t get the juicy conflict they were hoping for.

“If it’s God Ye I believe it. Any Assassin would be proud of that Life-Risking Strike.”

“Of course he’s being honest. Senior Ye isn’t called the Glory Textbook for nothing.”

“...you do know how many techniques he’s created, right?”

“Mmm. Believe.”

“Humph. Do you think three championships is an accident? Proficiency in multiple classes used to be common.”

The reporters can only cry tears and publish all these boring supportive quotes. Why did God Ye have to come out and cause them so much grief?

The Alliance could smell a publicity opportunity a mile away; when Chen Guo asked after All-Stars, Whetted Sickle Moon was almost pushed into Happy’s hands. The Alliance even granted Happy a waiver allowing Ye Xiu to play her in matches - though Ye Xiu shook his head in dismissal when Chen Guo mentioned this possibility.

Returned to her normal stats, Whetted Sickle Moon is nothing more than a max level account with a high number of skill points and a full set of Orange equipment. Chen Guo can’t figure out why Ye Xiu would want her, until she observes the utter fear and chaos unleashed when Whetted Sickle Moon appears in the Heavenly Domain leading Happy’s forces in a BOSS fight. Knowing who’s behind that notorious avatar, the other guilds quiver while Happy snags the BOSS. It’s a scene that will be repeated countless times in the future.

Chen Guo wonders how many tears the guild leaders would cry if they knew Ye Xiu was Whetted Sickle Moon’s controller only every third BOSS fight or so. Usually it’s Qiu Fei or a guild employee drawing their attention while Ye Xiu plays a non-Battlemage smurf account and unobtrusively assumes command.

But Whetted Sickle Moon’s real value manifests six weeks after All-stars, when an Alliance representative contacts Happy about licensing merchandise using her image - with a portion of the profits to be paid to Happy, of course. Chen Guo is stunned. None of their team accounts had ever gotten such an offer.

“She’s popular with the fans,” Wu Chen says with a shrug when Chen Guo expresses this. “Haven’t you seen the fanart?”

Chen Guo had not seen the fanart. Or the fanfictions. Or the cosplay. Or the hand-drawn animated fanvids. Whetted Sickle Moon’s striking, memorable design and god-tier first victory instantly boosted her fame, making her a popular and recognizable character. Apparently she has cross-fandom appeal? The male fans liked her because she was an attractive female character associated with God Ye; the female fans enjoyed her distinctive design and shipping potential.

Happy starts making good money off the figurines and other memorabilia Whetted Sickle Moon sells. For the first time since Happy’s founding, Chen Guo realizes rather than breaking even, they have a bit of money to invest back in the team.

“Another silver equipment researcher,” Ye Xiu tells her when she asks. “The best we’re capable of affording. Right now we only have one, which isn’t enough with all the equipment we’ll need to create. Leave obtaining the necessary materials to the guild and I.”

Of course, there aren’t too many silver equipment researchers in the first place, much less one who’d be willing to go to Happy. Chen Guo tucks the money aside for future opportunities, sniffling and wiping her damp eyes when she realizes a future for Team Happy is something she can plan for now.

“Don’t smoke in my office,” Chen Guo grouches.

Unlit cigarette dangling from his fingertips, Ye Xiu surveys the computer room full of guild members busily managing Happy, and then looks at Chen Guo’s tiny desk tucked in the corner.

“Don’t smoke in my office,” she repeats weakly, about to cough blood.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Ye Xiu says, sighing and putting away his cigarette. “Why did Happy’s tactics change halfway through the Challenger League?”

“You’ve been watching the old VODS?” she says, surprised.

Ye Xiu nods. “Yes. I know Happy’s tactician wasn’t Old Boss Chen. If Happy had a decent tactician, they wouldn’t have struggled so much in the early matches. I didn’t get the impression Old Boss Chen would use such a dirty style either. So who coached Happy’s matches?”

Chen Guo frowns, crossing her arms. “It was one of my Dad’s friends from the game. I don’t know his name. Dad didn’t want me around the guy - thought he was a bad influence. Some Warlock?”

“Do you remember anything else?”

She shakes her head, reaching into her desk drawer. “If it’s important, you can borrow Dad’s account card. He’s probably still on my Dad’s friends list.”

As she hands him over, Chen Guo’s fingers linger on the worn plastic of Sea Smoke’s account card, filled with warmly nostalgic memories.

Ye Xiu accepts the card with both hands and an uncharacteristic amount of gravity. “I’ll return it.”

Feeling her throat close up, Chen Guo nods. Coming over to watch Ye Xiu as he logs in, a memory shakes loose. “Oh, by the way. That Warlock - I think he was part of Blue Brook Guild.”

“Boss Chen,” their secretary wails, “there’s a suspicious man asking for Mister Ye! I think he might be a thug!”

Forgetting to be depressed by Happy’s recent string of losses, Chen Guo lifts her head, alarmed.

“Oh, I know him,” Ye Xiu says, getting up from Happy’s final team practice before their match tonight. “I should have realized he wouldn’t message me ahead of time. You all should come too. He’s our new member.”

“What!” Chen Guo and Wu Chen say in unison.

The stubbled, middle-aged man loitering and smoking in the entryway doesn’t look anything like a pro player.

Ye Xiu makes the introductions. “Everyone, this is Wei Chen, former captain of Blue Rain and ex-owner of Swoksaar.”

“Are you sure?” Chen Guo asks, squinting at him suspiciously while Wei Chen gives her and Tang Rou appreciative looks.

Ye Xiu laughs. “Of course! I beat him up in the playoffs, so I’d remember!”

Wei Chen angrily gestures with his cigarette. “That means you owe me, so you’d better let me win in return! Go on, just roll over and let me kill you a few times!”

“A few times? I only beat you up so badly one time!”

“Interest,” Wei Chen argues.

“Have you become a scholar? When did you learn something complicated like that?”

“This senior has been spending his time very profitably,” Wei Chen gloats. “I’m going to be rich!”

“In spirit, right?”

Chen Guo clears her throat loudly.

“So you decided you want to return to the stage with Happy after all?” Ye Xiu says, a hint of seriousness in his gaze. “Leaving a job half-finished is pretty cowardly. Are you going to run away again?”

Wei Chen scowls. “This senior was doing Old Chen a favor. If Happy still needs my magnificent skills, this senior won’t refuse if you beg me.”

“It’s a good thing you’re coming back now,” Ye Xiu remarks, gesturing for Wei Chen to come upstairs. “If you’d waited any longer you really would be twice as old as some of these kids.”

Wei Chen scoffs. “Just wait until you see what I’ve brought you! You’ll be thanking me on your knees!”

Ye Xiu laughs. “Wait until after our match, don’t distract them with your nonsense…”

________________________________________

Topic: Glory Alliance Season Eight

WisdomOfAges: Happy lost again. That’s four losses from their last four matches. Can’t we admit already that they deserve to be relegated?

xXMightyOakXx: they won five straight matches before that

WisdomOfAges: Against bottom tier teams! When they fight decent teams all they can do is lose. That just proves I’m right. If it weren’t for God Ye would anybody care about Happy at all?

Who_R_U_2019: Joining Happy was such a dumb decision lol. I think God Ye must have been bored. Or hes just senile. He may have been good once but Zhou Zekai is #1 now.

Happy4Life: I’d like to see you do what God Ye did! Do you think anybody else could take a team as bad as Happy and pull them out of the relegation zone?

BestCatMom: its like making a five course meal out of three raw eggs two stale buns and a jello

Happy4Life: Right! And Happy may lose, but they still get two or three points per game. They even won the team competition against Hundred Blossoms! They’re keeping themselves above the relegation zone.

Who_R_U_2019: lol I didn’t know Happy had any real fans

WisdomOfAges: Happy just got lucky. Hundred Blossoms has been inconsistent all season, and it was Happy’s home game. If they don’t have a map advantage they can’t win. You’ll see. Next week Happy will definitely lose their away game against Excellent Era.

Chapter Text

“So this is your secret weapon?” Wei Chen comments, hanging over the back of Ye Xiu’s chair. On the screen, Lord Grim defeats another opponent, racking up one more Arena victory on his way to the Heavenly Domain.

Ye Xiu clicks his tongue. “We haven’t put any effort into keeping him secret. The great guilds overlook everything except each other.”

Wei Chen scoffs. “To our advantage then!”

As Ye Xiu initiates another match, the pale glow from his monitor washes over both their faces. 

One door over from the team’s practice room, the guild is pulling an all-nighter checking the team’s pro accounts for which skill book quests they’ve already done. 

The raw data Wei Chen compiled has already been handed over to Concealed Light, who’s promised to complete the calculations as urgently as possible. But there’s too much data; it’s not possible to have them finished before the match. Happy will need to decide which accounts they want to upgrade using Wei Chen’s research alone, and which to wait on until the data is confirmed and the results are more precise.

“Are you fine with facing Excellent Era as an opponent?” Wei Chen asks suddenly.

“Am I a pro player or not?” Ye Xiu answers as calmly as ever. “I never thought I’d face them like this, but an opponent is an opponent. Will you be dragged down by doubts when we face Blue Rain?”

Wei Chen breathes out a derisive cloud of smoke. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Then there’s no problem. What are you going to do with your skill book guide?”

Wei Chen takes another drag of his cigarette, and scrubs his hand over his face. “You’re right. Using it to produce accounts with high skill points wouldn’t be worth the effort. But selling it…”

Selling his skill book guide would make Wei Chen extremely wealthy. But selling it would also be handing Happy’s direct competitors an advantage. Even if Wei Chen invested the money back into Team Happy, Wei Chen would still technically be acting against Happy’s interests. 

They both watch Lord Grim crush another opponent.

“I’ll wait until after the regular season ends to decide,” Wei Chen says after weighing the matter, unwilling to come to a conclusion.

“No,” Ye Xiu rejects immediately, turning around to survey Wei Chen. “We need to be clear about our situation. Or rather, the team needs to be clear.” 

In the League’s early days, both of them saw teams destroy themselves over money matters. The guide belongs to Wei Chen. He can do whatever he wants with it. But Happy’s players know Wei Chen has the guide. If he gives it to their opponents, not everyone will agree with that action. When resentment grows between teammates, the team crumbles from within. 

Wei Chen savagely grinds his cigarette into the ashtray, struggling with himself. Years of work and the certainty of reward vie against the promise of that stage he yearns for.

“Fuck! Fuck. Fine, I won’t sell it.” He slumps into a chair, tension ebbing from his shoulders.

Even if he will never admit it with his mouth, at heart, Wei Chen is deeply loyal. He may have left his position as Blue Rain’s captain, but his attachment lingered for long afterward. After becoming part of Happy, he can’t give anything less.

Ye Xiu glances over at him, cigarette between his teeth. “No need to go that far. Just sell a bit of it. 500 points or so should give you a decent profit, especially if we wait until just before the playoffs. Compared to the full 1650, after giving up so much money how can anyone mind you making a little profit?”

Wei Chen swears at him. 

Chen Guo hides Monday’s edition of eSports Weekly before anyone else can see it. “Happy vs Excellent Era: a Faceoff between Excellent Era’s Gods” blares the headline. Ruan Chen’s guest column is even worse, directly casting judgment: “The Downfall of a Legend.”

Even though she knows it will just enrage her, Chen Guo browses the Glory forums furtively, pretending to work whenever anyone comes past. Team Happy has always been an easy target for public abuse, but the sheer spite leveled against Ye Xiu by his former fans sickens her. They accuse him of everything they can think of, calling him countless names: liar, betrayer, a heartless traitor trying to destroy his own team. Chen Guo hates that one the most because she knows how much Ye Xiu loved - still loves - Excellent Era.

When angry Excellent Era fans throw rocks at Happy internet cafe’s windows, Chen Guo handles the situation quietly, without telling the others. If her team notices the extra security guards hanging around the club building, they don’t say anything.

Passing by the practice room late Thursday night, she watches her team dungeon together like always, Wei Chen swearing up and down as Steamed Bun does something ridiculous. Happy’s far-away friends are here tonight too: Su Mucheng, Little Qiao, Concealed Light.

Very quietly, Chen Guo retreats to the guild room, and sits back down at her desk to tackle more paperwork. She’s the boss, and there is still work she can do tonight.

In the end, Happy decides to use Wei Chen’s skill point data on only five of their accounts: Soft Mist, Combat Form, Deception, and two from Ye Xiu’s pile.

The reason is simple: Team Happy doesn’t need to win against Excellent Era. As long as Happy can grab two or three points from their opponents, losing won’t impact their ranking. Wei Chen’s skill point guide wasn’t factored into their initial plans to escape relegation, and any gains they receive from it are a bonus. 

Instead, Ye Xiu is prioritizing Happy’s long-term success. Their characters’ skill points are only in the 4700s, which is low for a pro league account, and every additional skill point counts. Happy’s legacy characters, like Lonely Tower and Cry Havoc, started as personal accounts owned by the players who brought Happy up from the Challenger League. Since those accounts have completed many of the possible skill book quests already, and quests cannot be repeated, they’ve lost the chance to obtain those potential skill points. Rather than rush and give up badly needed skill points by wasting their remaining chances, it’s better to wait until Concealed Light has refined the data before they upgrade their older accounts. 

Tang Rou and Qiu Fei’s accounts, on the other hand, were created specifically for competition and their quest logs are pristine. Deception may have been a personal account, but Mo Fan’s in-game interests lay only in scrap-picking, and Deception’s quest log is almost as untouched. With so many available quests, Happy can afford to use the skill point guide in its current form on those three accounts, even if it means wasting a few opportunities because of less precise data.

All the excitement over Wei Chen’s skill point guide has helped Happy bear up under the immense pressure from the media and Excellent Era’s fans. Pitting Ye Xiu against his previous team and original god-level account, plus the added tension of Sun Xiang exposing his identity has generated incredible hype. Unfortunately for the media, the match isn’t scheduled to be televised. With the exception of their debut match, Happy has never merited having any of their matches aired live.

“Just remember the main focus of our strategy, and we’ll adjust as needed,” Ye Xiu reminds his teammates in their final planning session before the match. “The atmosphere will be hostile, so use this opportunity to become accustomed to it. It’s a good experience before we face Tyranny at their home stadium!”

“Tyranny’s fans know your face now, Shameless Ye,” Wei Chen gloats. “Better practice running away.”

Steamed Bun jumps up, lifting his fists. “I know what to do if they try anything, boss!”

“Pro players value their hands, Steamed Bun,” Ye Xiu says. “We can’t just get into fights.”

Steamed Bun nods, taking his status as a training camp member seriously. “Then, I’ll carry you while we run!”

Ye Xiu chokes. The rest of Team Happy continues seriously considering this problem.

“Maybe we can just disguise the captain instead?”

“Ah, the stadium has security guards for this kind of thing, really it isn’t necessary!”

“Fuck, I still can’t believe there’s a whole stadium just for matches now!”

Ye Xiu clears his throat, pleased everyone’s able to joke, and makes a shooing motion. “Go relax until it’s time to leave.” As Happy’s players shuffle out, he calls out, “Luo Tian?”

Their Elementalist jumps and stiffens, before approaching Ye Xiu cautiously. “Captain Ye?”

Wei Chen lingers in the doorway, arms crossed and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

“I’m still planning on using you in the team competition,” Ye Xiu says. “I’ve warned you that the stadium atmosphere tonight will be worse than any of our matches so far. In that environment, I wanted to confirm one last time. Do you want to play?”

Luo Tian lifts his eyes from the floor and meets Ye Xiu’s eyes. “Like we’ve practiced, as one of the starting players?”

“Yes,” Ye Xiu answers patiently. “Excellent Era’s chosen map will be simple and designed for direct confrontation. Mo Fan’s style isn’t advantageous.”

Breathing out, Luo Tian nods sharply. “Yes. I want to play.”

“Alright.” Ye Xiu nods as though he never doubted the answer. Luo Tian is a pro player, after all.

The noise in Excellent Era’s stadium has a physical presence, like a pair of hands pressing down on the shoulders of Happy’s players. When Ye Xiu goes on stage, that force transforms into a shockwave; the crowd boos and all sorts of garbage pelt the dividers between the player seating and the audience.

Ye Xiu, of course, only gives a single wave acknowledging the handful of Team Happy fans hiding in the crowd - prompting a fresh heaping of abuse from Excellent Era’s fans - and calmly sits down in the player area. Luo Tian still has a startled look to him, but otherwise Happy’s players seem unmoved. 

Receiving no response from their target, the frustrated crowd eventually settles while promising retribution for Happy later on during the match. Even though Team Excellent Era will triumph, Happy can’t be allowed to relax for a second!

The moment the cameras move away, Chen Guo jumps up, crowding her players like an overprotective sheepdog. “Is everyone okay? None of the staff or fans tried anything, did they?”

Ye Xiu watches her with a dead expression on his face, and then points at his ears, shaking his head.

“What?” Chen Guo is alarmed. Looking around, her team’s other players are showing similar reactions - expressions of incomprehension or making strange gestures.

Ye Xiu sighs, and reaches into his pocket, before holding out his hand to display the earplugs on his palm.

Chen Guo blinks. “Oh.”

“Very useful against Tyranny,” Ye Xiu shouts. “Here.”

Remembering the tsunami of boos earlier, Chen Guo puts the earplugs in, and the stadium noise level is immediately more bearable. 

Waiting for the match to start, she relaxes on the team’s bench, and happens to glance over at Excellent Era’s players. Her brow furrows. Why does Excellent Era seem so uneasy? They have the stronger roster, stronger accounts, and the home field advantage. Aren’t they the ones unanimously favored to win?

From Excellent Era’s area, a middle-aged man wearing a suit walks toward Team Happy. Chen Guo squints, because he seems vaguely familiar. Then she bolts upright - as a former diehard Excellent Era fan how could she not know this person? Tao Xuan, Excellent Era’s boss!

Ignoring Chen Guo and the rest of Happy’s players entirely, Tao Xuan goes up to Ye Xiu and begins speaking. The team and Chen Guo watch blankly. Doesn’t this guy know Ye Xiu can’t hear a word he’s saying?

Tao Xuan pauses, apparently not getting the reaction he wanted. Ye Xiu shrugs. Tao Xuan’s face darkens, and he storms back to Excellent Era’s bench without another word.

Ye Xiu gives his teammates a helpless look; Team Happy snickers openly.

That satisfaction helps Happy endure all sorts of provocation without flinching as the match opens. Happy doesn’t care about these fans or their feelings! What does Happy want? To avoid relegation! If Happy hadn’t been prepared for public backlash, they wouldn’t have accepted God Ye in the first place!

The first individual match makes everyone grateful for the earplugs. Ye Xiu’s name flashing on the screens riles up the crowd into another fit of booing. Then Excellent Era’s chosen player appears, and the stadium plunges into shock.

Su Mucheng and Dancing Rain. 

The TV broadcasters must be pleased, but Chen Guo only feels cold. The Alliance’s former Best Partners, pitted against one another in a duel only one of them can win.

Is Chen Guo imagining that hint of sadness on Ye Xiu’s face? 

But as the two former partners cross the stage, any trace of reluctance is hidden behind their mutual professionalism. 

Chen Guo bites her lip. This isn’t good. If Su Mucheng loses, she could be accused of deliberately letting Ye Xiu win. Ye Xiu will be accused of the same thing if he loses, but the accusations might be even more damaging since his status is higher. There isn’t any good resolution, and either way the public is going to make ugly assumptions about their relationship.

“Don’t look so worried,” Wei Chen says. “Whatever people say, it’s that guy. Is there a single person in the Alliance who’d promise to beat him? Winning against Ye Xiu isn’t easy.”

That’s right! Even gods like Wang Jiexi or Zhou Zekai couldn’t reliably defeat Ye Xiu! But the next moment, Chen Guo’s heart sinks again. The brainless type of fans would find any excuse to criticize, but as former Best Partners, wouldn’t rational people believe Su Mucheng had special insight into Ye Xiu that should allow her to win?

But there’s nothing Chen Guo can do right now to help, as she watches those two enter their player booths without hesitation.

‘What bad luck! Anyone else would’ve been an easy point,’ Ye Xiu types as the match begins, already charging forward toward the high ground.

‘My fortune then!’ Su Mucheng replies, adding a laughing emoji. Dancing Rain had also sprung forward as soon as the match opened, Aerial Firing straight toward the same high ground. ‘You seem to be doing well. I’m really glad!’ she continues.

‘Thanks. Happy suits me nicely. And what about you? Don’t think I haven’t seen your style changing. It looks like you’ve learned quite a bit!’

‘Yeah. I have,’ Su Mucheng admits. Reaching a Launcher’s attack range, Dancing Rain hefts the cannon on her shoulder, and opens fire.

If the crowd hadn’t been stunned by the idea of Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng dueling one another, they would have made a bigger fuss about Ye Xiu’s character - one who the audience is familiar with, but who’s never before appeared in an official match. 

For his first match against Excellent Era, Ye Xiu has brought out Whetted Sickle Moon.

Ye Xiu would have never chosen to use her, except for two factors. One: She was a perfect candidate for Wei Chen’s skill point guide draft. As some game designer’s personal project, she’d been created just for her appearance, and her quest log was untouched. That was far better than any of Ye Xiu’s other registered accounts. Even so, Ye Xiu would have passed over her since she only had Orange equipment, if it weren’t for the second factor: Happy is playing against Excellent Era. 

Sun Xiang’s reaction when he saw her must have been extreme. Whetted Sickle Moon is a symbol of his complete defeat. The psychological advantage gained by reminding their opponent’s ace of his self-imposed humiliation isn’t light! Plus, Whetted Sickle Moon is a Battle Mage, a class that all of Excellent Era has been trained to fear. Which one of them hadn’t been thrashed by Ye Xiu’s Battle Mage before?

Facing Su Mucheng lessens his advantages from using Whetted Sickle Moon, but Ye Xiu can’t help the way they’re so familiar with each other. Even if he loses because his character isn’t strong, Ye Xiu is more than willing to accept that outcome. If Sun Xiang has to watch as another player defeats Whetted Sickle Moon, the character haunting his nightmares, how devastating would that be?

Excellent Era’s angry fans are too angry to appreciate it, but the visual of the two female avatars facing off against one another is quite striking - Dancing Rain’s long hair flutters in the wind created by her cannon shots, and Whetted Sickle Moon shines in her white and silver armor, her spear flashing as she leaps and dodges.

Dancing Rain’s offense is ferocious, and playing on a map she’s chosen herself, with superior equipment, she’s pinning Whetted Sickle Moon inside her firing line with no available openings. Without any ranged skills capable of reaching Dancing Rain, Whetted Sickle Moon is forced to take damage if she wants to advance, but the situation would immediately reverse if she successfully closes in.

‘As expected, you picked a map neither of us has used before,’ Ye Xiu types, rolling to escape a Laser Rifle.

‘Surprised?” she replies, adding another laughing emoji.

‘Of course not,’ Ye Xiu answers, and for the first time, Whetted Sickle Moon charges forward without attempting to dodge, casting a Magic Shield in front of her. 

Dancing Rain targets the shield instantly, sending a burst of damage that would be strong enough to break One Autumn Leaf’s Magic Shield. But Whetted Sickle Moon’s sole advantage in this battle shines: her skill points are a perfect 5000, and her maxed Magic Shield only buckles where One Autumn Leaf’s shield would have shattered.

When the shield unexpectedly holds, Dancing Rain’s follow-up isn’t fast enough. Ye Xiu uses Dragon Breaks the Ranks, and Whetted Sickle Moon’s charge carries her into attack range. 

A Launcher has few options at close range. While the commentators are still trying to explain Whetted Sickle Moon’s strength, Ye Xiu has already begun his offensive.

The match doesn’t end there. After suffering at Whetted Sickle Moon’s hands, Dancing Rain frees herself in a bold gamble only made possible because of her familiarity with Ye Xiu, reversing the situation. But Ye Xiu eventually breaks through again, and the contest swings back in his favor. The outcome comes down to the thinnest of margins. Fighting against her former partner, Su Mucheng proves herself the peak of the Launcher class. 

Whetted Sickle Moon falls.

The Battle Mage in Ye Xiu’s hands remains as sharp as always, but Su Mucheng’s shift in playstyle kept Ye Xiu from using his familiarity with his former partner to his advantage. Dancing Rain is also the second-best equipped character in Excellent Era, and the added equipment gap is too large a handicap.

After giving Su Mucheng a hug, Ye Xiu calmly returns to his seat while Excellent Era’s fans scream mockery at him. Under the worried eyes of his teammates, Ye Xiu tsks, and sits down. “What are you guys worried about? It’s not the first time I’ve lost playing for Happy.”

This was true. Ye Xiu is a god level pro player, but the accounts Happy could provide him with are only slightly better than trash. Playing against stronger teams, Ye Xiu lost almost as often as he won. The shock of watching their famous captain lose had long ago worn off for Happy’s players.

Strictly speaking, whether it was personally losing or watching their team lose, Happy’s players wouldn’t be psychologically affected. Getting beaten was their normal state of affairs. Winning was the real shock they had to adjust to.

“Oh?” Ye Xiu remarks, looking at the board showing the upcoming matchup, then turns to Happy’s second player.  “Looks like you’ll be facing Vice-captain Liu. Give him a good surprise.”

Tang Rou smiles, and carries on walking toward the stage.

Happy’s strategy for the individual matches is quite simple: use the shock of their increased skill points to create an opening for their strongest players to snatch away points. 

By now, Excellent Era will have realized that Whetted Sickle Moon held a skill point advantage over Dancing Rain. However, Whetted Sickle Moon was a completely unknown character, and Excellent Era won’t consider for one moment that Ye Xiu’s teammates have also obtained the same advantage. Tang Rou is Happy’s best candidate to press forward and turn this opening into a victory. Her aggressive, unrelenting style doesn’t let her opponent relax for a minute, and her high hand speed means her opponent won’t find much space to adjust.

Across the stage, Liu Hao hasn’t realized that Tang Rou is halfway to her player booth. He’s still obsessively watching Ye Xiu at Happy’s player bench, unwilling to miss a second of his former captain’s defeat. Under the cameras, Liu Hao is careful not to let his glee show, but he’s spitefully overjoyed that he got to witness Ye Xiu’s humiliation in person. Someone who can only lose has no grounds to criticize Liu Hao’s play. Such a shame Liu Hao couldn’t do it with his own hands, but he still has the team battle to enjoy winning over Ye Xiu personally.

“See! Ye Xiu isn’t anything to worry about,” Tao Xuan exults, personally trying to encourage Excellent Era’s players.

“Actually, he’s the person we should be most worried about,” Su Mucheng says. “Didn’t you watch the match? I almost lost.”

Excellent Era’s players waver between the two views. Hadn’t they gained victory on their first try? Didn’t that mean Tao Xuan was right? Even now, the figure of Ye Xiu looms large in their minds.

This is the paradox of Excellent Era’s attitude toward Ye Xiu. They fear Ye Xiu above all else because they know how skilled he is. Excellent Era feared him so greatly their self-sabotage to convince the public of Ye Xiu’s inability had plunged the club into its current crisis. Along the way, Excellent Era had begun to believe their own lies: Ye Xiu is also the person they have convinced themselves to disregard above all else. 

Sun Xiang’s face is an ugly mix of red and white. He hasn’t spoken a word since he saw Whetted Sickle Moon appear.

“Liu Hao, shouldn’t you be in your player booth by now?” says He Ming.

Liu Hao shakes himself like he’s woken up, and looks around. The referee is coming over to see what’s holding up Excellent Era’s next player. Liu Hao dashes over, trying to keep a dignified pace while hurrying toward his player booth. 

It was such a shame Liu Hao hadn’t been the one playing in the first individual match, he thinks as he logs in. He’d chosen a map favorable to Spellblades specifically hoping he’d be one to fight Ye Xiu while his former captain was handicapped by such a weak character. Liu Hao can’t shake the feeling of regret even while the match timer counts down to zero. Su Mucheng didn’t appreciate her victory in the least! 

Absent Sun loads into the map; Liu Hao offhandedly recalls that his opponent likes to fight head-on. That would be fine, he decides, directing his Spellblade toward the center of the map. He should finish off the Berserker girl quickly. If he wants to catch the crowd’s attention after Ye Xiu’s defeat, he’ll need to make his victory impressive.

Just as expected, he sees Soft Mist charging toward him, and starts planning how he’ll toy with her. She initiates with Colliding Stab, closing the distance between them. 

Liu Hao sends an ice wave formation at her. If Soft Mist gets Frozen, won’t that be a beautiful opening?

She cancels her skill just in time to avoid the ice, then continues her charge. Liu Hao casts another wave formation to stop her - but this time Soft Mist raises her Greatsword and slices horizontally to release a mass of blood-red energy.

Countering the Wild Blood Strike with a Thunder Wave Sword, Liu Hao scoffs, waiting for his skill to break through Soft Mist’s attack. Berserker skills have naturally high priority, but Absent Sun is the more powerful character, and the skill priority will always fall in his favor.

Soft Mist’s Wild Blood Strike hits his Thunder Wave Sword - and Absent Sun’s attack is the one dispelled.

Liu Hao has a millisecond to be shocked before the knockback from Wild Blood Strike hits Absent Sun. Thrown backward, Absent Sun smacks into a stone column, trapping him in place with nowhere to retreat. 

Soft Mist’s sword closes in.

Liu Hao leaves his player booth with a strong feeling of puzzlement. What just happened? Had he really lost? And that miserably?

From Happy’s player area, Chen Guo happily watches Tao Xuan tear into Liu Hao. As an ex-Excellent Era fan, she liked it best when her former team lost in ugly ways.

Ye Xiu nudges her shoulder. “Don’t get used to it. That’s the last of the easy points.”

Not wanting to end up like Liu Hao, Excellent Era’s next player acts properly wary, handling his match with caution. Any of Happy’s accounts could be stronger than expected, and with a few probing attacks he determines Qiu Fei’s Combat Form is one of them. With the gap in their equipment, there’s only one possible outcome.

Qiu Fei loses the last individual match and returns calmly. Only the glint in his eyes betrays his ever-burning desire for victory. Chen Guo never had to worry about his mentality. No matter how many times Qiu Fei lost or who his opponent was, that determination was never worn down.

Ye Xiu gathers up Happy’s Group Arena players. “Little Sun really hoped to fight me, so he’ll be up first–”

Just then, Sun Xiang’s name flashes up on screen. Excellent Era’s captain didn’t think much of Happy’s other players, and he’d taken the first spot with full confidence he could fight through two players to reach Ye Xiu even if Happy’s captain anchored the group arena as he often did. Unfortunately, Sun Xiang’s dreams of a rematch were irrelevant in front of Happy’s greed for points. Ye Xiu played in the individual rounds, and Sun Xiang’s plans were useless.

Ye Xiu smirks. “Console Little Sun as we planned. You two,” he gestures at Wu Chen and Luo Tian, “Make him chase you. How much damage you cause isn’t important. Consider this a warmup for the team battle! Learn his habits and don’t exhaust yourself.”

Wu Chen nods, while Luo Tian chokes out an affirmative answer.

As Wu Chen heads out to face Excellent Era’s captain, Ye Xiu waves toward Mo Fan. “You don’t have any reason to save your strength. I want Sun Xiang to look at you and think one word. Irritating! Incredibly irritating!” 

Wei Chen leans over Ye Xiu’s shoulder. “So just fight like usual.”

Ye Xiu nods sagely. “Indeed, indeed. Be your normal self, scrap picker Mo Fan!”

Mo Fan just nods, and settles back into his corner.

Team Happy had made a choice: to sacrifice the group arena against Excellent Era. It wasn’t like they weren’t willing to fight for points, but Excellent Era, even scattered and demoralized, was still three-time champion Excellent Era with its powerful accounts and top players.

Happy, made up of the old, the young, and the weak, could get lucky and scavenge a point or two in the individual rounds. But the group arena exposed too many of their flaws. They’d staked everything on the Team Battle, where tactics and teamwork–things that Excellent Era lacked–could make the most difference.

Chen Guo knows all this, but it doesn’t feel good to watch Tao Xuan look so self-satisfied every time one of Happy’s players returns to the bench! She stays on her feet at the rail, cheering and hollering to welcome them  back.

Go on , she urges Sun Xiang’s One Autumn as he chases Happy’s players around the dusty arena map. Chase and chase to your heart’s content! Chase until it’s the only thing that you remember how to do!

Happy’s eyes are already turned toward their next goal. Even as Mo Fan’s Deception darts forward, lands a few blows, then runs away again, Happy’s group arena players are with Ye Xiu conferring on a few final adjustments in their strategy. 

Chen Guo watches them together–the faithful healer-captain her dad had trusted to lead Happy through the Challenger League, the experienced pros he’d worked hard to recruit, the rookies he’d painstakingly dug up, and even the dirty Warlock he’d sought help from–and she fiercely scrubs a arm over her watery eyes.

Even if Happy doesn’t win, Chen Guo thinks, this was exactly what her Dad had been hoping to see.

Chen Guo hollers her loudest when Mo Fan returns in defeat, thumping him on the back.

“Very good,” Ye Xiu praises, looking over at Mo Fan and giving two thumbs up. “Never letting Little Sun build up an offensive rhythm, he’ll be quite frustrated!”

Wei Chen cackles in a disreputable way. “That kid’s about to spit blood! We need to teach you to trash talk,” he tells Mo Fan.

Mo Fan hesitates, then slips out from under Chen Guo’s hand and sits down–but not as far away from his teammates as he had before.

Excellent Era’s players are in a good mood during the break between the group arena and the team battle. While the referees are setting up, they’re joking and laughing, spirits strengthened by Sun Xiang’s 1v3 in the group arena and Happy’s pitiable 1-point score.

“You’d better put your earplugs back in,” Ye Xiu tells Chen Guo, coming up to the edge of Happy’s player area with Hu Zeyi, Wu Chen, Tang Rou, Luo Tian and Qiu Fei behind him.

“Mmm!” Chen Guo nods fiercely. “Good luck!”

Ye Xiu laughs, stepping out once more to the brightly lit stage. Team Happy follows him into battle.

Chapter Text

Team Happy’s practice hours ended two hours ago, but there’s a light on in the practice room. 

Chen Guo is unsurprised to find Ye Xiu still at his computer, thick smoke filling the air and a full ashtray at his elbow. Happy’s captain spends more time than anyone preparing for their games, which is why Chen Guo doesn't expect to find him browsing Glory’s official forums, scrolling through the recent updates.

“Hey, make a bet with me,” Ye Xiu says, glancing up when he hears her come in.

Chen Guo is immediately suspicious. “What for?”

“I’m out of cigarettes.” Ye Xiu sighs, aggrieved.

Chen Guo twitches. “What do I get if I win?”

Ye Xiu gives her a listless stare. “Why set a prize you won’t win?”

“You!” Chen Guo grits her teeth, then slams her palm on the table. “We’ll see who wins! What are we betting on?”

Ye Xiu smiles, and lights up his last cigarette. “I know what map Excellent Era will pick for our team battle.”

In his player booth, Ye Xiu laughs as soon as he sees the map. “Boss Chen owes me a pack!”

Really, it wasn’t hard to guess. In the current Excellent Era, Sun Xiang’s preferences are the same as the team’s preferences. No one on the team has both the power and the desire to tell him no, even if what he wants isn’t the team’s best choice. 

From there, it was easy. Sun Xiang is a straightforward player who disdains tactics. With his loss to Ye Xiu still stinging, he’d pick a map suitable for an uninterrupted duel. Something flat, with the fewest possible obstacles. Since he wanted an ‘even fight,’ his second demand would be a map that neither he nor Ye Xiu had studied or played on before. With Ye Xiu’s status as a ten-year veteran, that was a difficult requirement to satisfy. Sun Xiang’s best options were the new competition maps released with the Tenth Server. And the flattest, simplest map released in that batch is Harvested Wheat Field.

This map is divided into three equal sections. As the name suggests, on each end is a large field of low wheat stubble. In the narrowest center section, screened by high, thick hedges on either side, is a dirt farmyard with a concrete and steel grain silo in the center. Each team spawns on the opposite end of the map, occupying one of the harvested fields. 

As soon as they load in, Happy falls into formation, then waits without any suspense for Excellent Era to charge over. Ye Xiu’s account stands the farthest out from the team’s spawn point, with Soft Mist nearby. Tucked together, much further back, are the two long range classes Dawn Rifle and Cry Havoc, protecting Happy’s healer Lonely Tower. For this battle, Qiu Fei is their sixth player in reserve.

Excellent Era doesn’t disappoint Team Happy’s hopes. With a speed that must’ve burned through his movement skills, Sun Xiang’s One Autumn Leaf blasts apart the narrow hedge gate, and his teammates spill into the field behind him. 

First are Guo Yang with his Qi Master, Qi Breaker, and He Ming with the Elementalist Merciless Magic. Bringing up the rear with their slower movement speeds are Liu Hao’s Spellblade Absent Sun and Zhang Jiaxing’s Cleric Woven Shadows.

No one typed anything in Excellent Era’s team chat after loading in. Their plan didn’t require discussion. Sun Xiang would attack Ye Xiu, and the rest of them would each focus down an opponent. With Happy’s lack of Silver Equipment, Excellent Era’s players hold the advantage. Happy’s head-scratching increase in skill points had made them hesitate, but Sun Xiang had insisted they didn’t need any changes. Liu Hao hadn’t said no. If the vice-captain wasn’t going to argue, how could they?

Ye Xiu is using his Witch, Poison Tree, for this battle. Conveniently for Excellent Era’s plan, Poison Tree stands at the forefront of Team Happy, dressed in deep green with his broom in hand. 

Excellent Era prepares to carry out their assault, but at Excellent Era’s disorganized entry, Poison Tree mounts his broom and rockets straight toward them!

Poison Tree is so blindingly fast that he covers the distance in an instant. More than one of Excellent Era’s players instinctively flinch back from their screens. Even Sun Xiang lets out a curse.

No Witch is naturally that fast! Poison Tree must be stacking equipment bonuses. A character built around movement speed is a risky build, and not just because Ye Xiu had to sacrifice damage and defense for that wild speed. Most players wouldn’t have the hand speed necessary to control a character that fast, let alone one who moved three-dimensionally in flight. To keep that kind of reaction time and speed at Ye Xiu’s age - the Glory Textbook really was utterly terrifying.

After a few moments of chaos, Excellent Era pushes aside the fluttering awe and fear of Ye Xiu’s skill, then realizes it had been a little too early to relax when Poison Tree starts casting.

All kinds of Witch builds existed in Glory. There were powder Witches for those who liked close combat, and spell witches for people who liked space. There were broom Witches, staff Witches, and wand Witches for those who liked to maximize agility, or high attack, or quick cast speed. There were even Witches like Vaccaria who used idiosyncratic builds that matched none of those.

But the most hated Witches of all were the crowd control Witches, who liked to Freeze and Stun and Burn their opponents, turning huge swathes of the battlefield into nasty dangers. And this reskilled Poison Tree is the worst sort of control Witch.

Witches are a class with high attack but low defense; to gain speed and a high chance of crowd control effects, Poison Tree had sacrificed so much defense that he was practically made of glass, but it didn’t matter unless someone could catch him. 

Which Excellent Era is completely failing to achieve. Poison Tree flies around happily causing trouble, here one moment and slipping away the next.

Team Happy had taken advantage of the chaos to slam Excellent Era with their biggest, most damaging skills. Dawn Rifle and Cry Havoc were bathing the choke point right outside the hedge gate with AoE explosions, paying special attention to Woven Shadows to keep him from healing. 

Soft Mist had rushed forward to hack at Merciless Magic, who could only use his Teleport skill and do his best to run away. An Elementalist is practically helpless at close range. Since Excellent Era’s only long-range class is occupied, Happy’s own backline is safe from attack.

No matter how shocked Excellent Era’s players are, they’re pros, and their confusion doesn’t last long. Once they stop trying to catch Ye Xiu and start looking out for Poison Tree’s sneaky attacks, their next thought is to turn the tables and attack Happy. Soft Mist is within easy reach; if they all gang up on her they can take the first kill! 

Just as Excellent Era prepares to spring, Poison Tree drops into their midst, and tosses out–

“A doll?” says the commentator, feeling faint. “Is that Doll Shururu?!? Has that skill ever been used in competition before?”

It hadn’t, and for good reason. Doll Shururu is a low-level Witch skill that taunts monsters to control them. Witch players might put a few early skill points into it, but by the time they hit level 30 or 40, tanks had enough control skills that Doll Shururu was superfluous. 

A few players who preferred to solo grind would keep putting skill points into it, but Doll Shururu had an even more damaging limit. The Doll can only taunt enemies of equal or greater level. One skill point per level meant it took a whopping 70 skill points to affect max level enemies. Then you had to add even more skill points to max out the Doll Shururu upgrade, which would finally allow Doll Shururu to taunt characters rather than just monsters.

Who had that many skill points to burn? No one did, which was why Doll Witches might exist in theory but were never used in practice. 

Until Poison Tree. Thanks to Wei Chen’s skill point guide, he had more than enough skill points to wastefully spend them on maxing out Doll Shururu.

Doll Shururu’s taunt effect lasts for 20 seconds or until the doll runs out of HP. When Poison Tree tossed out his little cloth doll, Excellent Era’s players were all compelled to turn and attack this lure. 

In that split-second of shock, Poison Tree turns to Qi Breaker, knocks him off his feet with a quick Sweep skill, and passes him smoothly to Soft Mist. The Berserker welcomes Excellent Era’s Qi Master with a Colliding Stab that drives both herself and the character impaled on her blade straight toward Happy’s long-range accounts, far away from the safety of Qi Breaker’s teammates.

A low level taunt skill like Doll Shururu can’t absorb much damage, but Excellent Era doesn’t bother trying. Their Cleric Woven Shadows casts Focus to cancel the taunt skill, freeing his teammates. 

Excellent Era’s players are just beginning to rush over to rescue Qi Breaker, when Poison Tree mounts his broom, makes a sharp turn, and shoots like a bullet toward them. 

They don’t even have time to duck. Barreling straight into his victim, Poison Tree snatches up another one of Excellent Era’s accounts like a hawk with a rabbit. 

Excellent Era, just about to go save Qi Breaker, is flummoxed yet again. Ye Xiu has kidnapped their healer! 

Woven Shadows, that unfortunate Cleric, is being carried off in the opposite direction from the rest of Team Happy. Dismounting his broom in front of the hedge gate, Poison Tree lets Woven Shadows crash into a heap beside him, then casually swats their healer through the gap and out of sight.

Happy doesn’t react to this new kidnapping at all, ignoring their captain and Excellent Era as they juggle Qi Breaker in midair, keeping him helpless while he’s being beaten up.

What should Excellent Era do? They need to rescue their teammate–but which one?!? 

Right now, it would be three of Excellent Era’s players versus four of Happy’s players. Excellent Era’s accounts and players are stronger, so if they try rescuing Qi Breaker they might succeed - but they only have one healer. Even if Poison Tree’s DPS is abysmal he’ll be able to kill Woven Shadows given enough time.

Qi Master or Cleric? Qi Breaker or Woven Shadows?

Sun Xiang alone doesn’t hesitate.

After being provoked by seeing Whetted Sickle Moon, baited by Happy’s Group arena players, and then frustrated by Deception’s wretched playstyle, there was only one possible outcome.

Sun Xiang chases after Ye Xiu, exactly as Happy had arranged.

Left behind without orders, Liu Hao and He Ming are momentarily shocked, but the duo can only rush away after their captain. Qi Breaker is left behind to die, giving Happy a guaranteed first kill.

Past the hedges, Poison Tree is circling the grain silo on his broom, juggling Woven Shadows in midair while One Autumn Leaf stalks the Witch from the ground. Sun Xiang’s idea isn’t bad. Witches can only stay airborne for a set time before they need to land. Eventually Poison Tree will have to come down, and when he does Excellent Era will have an opportunity to attack him.

Liu Hao orders He Ming’s Merciless Magic to prepare, counting the seconds and eagerly waiting for this opportunity. Remembering that Qi Breaker will die soon, Liu Hao also gives an order to Excellent Era’s sixth player to spawn into the central support zone.

Just as the timer in Liu Hao’s head runs down to zero, Absent Sun staggers and Liu Hao's screen floods with a brilliant, searing white light.

Satellite Beam?!?

Yes, it was Satellite Beam, the Launcher’s ultimate skill. Trapped inside the light columns, Liu Hao realizes it's been a while since he's heard Dawn Rifle’s cannon fire coming from the field behind them. The Launcher must have left his teammates behind with Qi Breaker, crossed the field on foot for stealth, then struck at the critical time. No wonder Qi Breaker hasn’t died yet–he's only taking damage from two attackers rather than three, plus whatever Happy’s healer could add.

Liu Hao’s confidence soars. If Excellent Era foils Ye Xiu quickly and takes back their Cleric, perhaps Qi Breaker can still be saved. Even after his screen clears and, as expected, Ye Xiu’s Witch has escaped, Liu Hao’s mood stays high. This manifests as an intentionally showy twist designed to look accidental as Absent Sun pivots to attack Dawn Rifle. 

Unfortunately, Dawn Rifle is far out of Absent Sun’s grasp. The instant Satellite Beam gave him cover, the Launcher had used Aerial Fire to cross the dirt farmyard, moving straight toward the grain silo in the center. Now halfway up the only ladder leading to the silo’s roof,  Merciless Magic’s spells alone can reach him.

“Stop him!” types Sun Xiang furiously. 

A Launcher taking the high ground is a nightmare scenario. Taking advantage of having the largest attack range in Glory, Dawn Rifle can stand atop the silo and hit any target in the central map zone without having to worry about being counterattacked. 

Naturally, this least-advantageous moment for Excellent Era is when Ye Xiu chooses to cause trouble. Poison Tree throws the kidnapped Woven Shadows at One Autumn Leaf like a human cannonball and dives toward Merciless Magic, launching a Star Ray to prevent his cast.

It works. Merciless Magic dodges to avoid the damage and interrupts his spell; Dawn Rifle slips out of cast range and leaps up onto the flat, corrugated metal roof, in perfect position for sniping.

Liu Hao is about to ‘suggest’ that Excellent Era retreat toward Happy’s spawn point and go after Qi Breaker, when Ye Xiu pipes up in the public chat.

“Ready to surrender yet?” Excellent Era’s former captain types, circling above One Autumn Leaf’s head a precisely calculated hairsbreadth out of the Battle Mage’s reach.

Sun Xiang, being blatantly taunted yet again and still smarting from having his own Cleric tossed at him, expresses at length that Excellent Era would never, ever surrender and that Ye Xiu is too frightened to duel him directly.

“Duel? Sure! Let’s go somewhere less crowded!” Poison Tree’s broom dips teasingly low, and the Witch speeds off through the far gate, which leads to the field where Excellent Era spawned.

Offered the rematch he wants most, Sun Xiang runs after Ye Xiu without another word, leaving his slower teammates behind again. Excellent Era’s captain doesn’t feel he needs to make any special arrangements. Other than Ye Xiu, none of Happy’s players are a threat. It’s only natural that top tier pro players like Excellent Era will easily wipe out trash like Team Happy.

Once again lacking clear orders, Excellent Era’s players hesitate. 

Dawn Rifle does not hesitate, and begins steadily raining down cannon fire on Excellent Era.

Even without a plan, Excellent Era’s players are still pros. In formation, they retreat to the base of the grain silo, where the angle is sharp and harder for Dawn Rifle to hit, and circle around the building using it as cover, forcing the Launcher to constantly change his position.

Liu Hao senses it’s time to make himself look good again. Rather than going after Dawn Rifle on the roof above, he decides they’ll chase down the rest of Happy’s players instead. Dawn Rifle is too hard a nut to crack. Excellent Era can only pry him off his perch by expending great effort and trouble. Compared to that, taking down Happy’s rookies with their weak accounts is an enticingly soft persimmon. Maybe they’ll even be able to join up with Qi Breaker!

At that precise moment, Qi Breaker’s name greys out on his team list. 

Liu Hao makes an ugly face in his booth. The first character eliminated is by Team Happy, which doesn’t look good to the fans, but the situation is still salvageable. Excellent Era still has the stronger characters and players. They’ll go join up with their sixth player, Wang Ze’s Sharpshooter Matchstick, after he loads in and–

Liu Hao blanches. 

He starts to type frantically, but it’s too late. Matchstick’s name has already lit up, showing he’s entered the battle. Liu Hao is nearly going crazy. Why had he ordered Excellent Era’s sixth player to spawn into the central support zone?

The central support zone is inside the grain silo. The same silo Dawn Rifle is positioned on top of. To join his teammates, Matchstick has to climb up to the roof using the single ladder inside, make it past the Launcher, and then climb down. Can’t Dawn Rifle casually keep Matchstick pinned inside without even trying?

Liu Hao tries to calm down. Maybe Dawn Rifle won’t notice Matchstick. Excellent Era can distract the Launcher until the Sharpshooter climbs up. Maybe they can even use this to dislodge Dawn Rifle from the roof – Launchers are nearly helpless at close range.

Then Dawn Rifle’s cannon fires. No explosions fall on Absent Sun and his companions, but Liu Hao hears a muffled echoing boom and the silo wall they’re using as cover vibrates just as Matchstick calls for help in the team chat. The recoil from the Sharpshooter’s Aerial Fire is only strong enough for him to jump halfway up the ladder inside. He can't break out through the wall either. Sharpshooters are a class whose bullets only have penetration damage. He might be able to shoot through the thick steel and concrete silo wall, but creating a door bullet by bullet? The match will have ended long before then. Punching through the wall is equally useless. A Sharpshooter's few physical attacks don't have the damage of a true fighter class. Matchstick can only escape by going upward. As long as Dawn Rifle stays on the roof and keeps knocking Matchstick off the ladder he'll stay trapped at the bottom of the silo.

Liu Hao’s hope that Matchstick would go unnoticed by Team Happy hadn’t been reasonable in the first place. Thanks to the map having few obstacles, Team Happy could visually check the two other support zones. One Ye Xiu reported that Matchstick wasn’t in the field where he was dueling One Autumn Leaf, and his teammates confirmed the Sharpshooter wasn’t in the opposite field, it could only be the third support zone inside the silo that he loaded into.

…speaking of the rest of Happy’s players, shouldn’t they have come over by now?

Liu Hao’s concern comes a little too late. Excellent Era’s players are positioned on the side of the silo facing Poison Tree and One Autumn Leaf’s duel, unable to see the other gate through the hedge on Happy’s side. While the audience watched Team Happy’s three players advance silently around the silo, sneaking up on their opponents, Excellent Era had been panicking over Matchstick’s miserable situation. 

As Dawn Rifle shoots Matchstick down again, he pauses to send down a skill barrage on the rest of Excellent Era’s players. With these explosions as cover, the rest of Happy’s players charge forward. Excellent Era was expecting an attack, but having to defend themselves amid Dawn Rifle’s support is particularly difficult, so only Zhang Jiaxing, the one most sensitive to this issue, notices the immediate problem.

“Where’s the healer?” 

Yes, Happy had used this risky plan again, switching out their healer for their sixth player. No other team used this strategy so much. Only Happy, with their weak accounts and master tactician Ye Xiu, had both the confidence and desperation.

Team Happy’s gamble has paid off. With Matchstick stuck in a hole and One Autumn Leaf off dueling Poison Tree, Excellent Era only has two DPS players left to face Happy’s four. Even worse, neither of them are melee classes who can match Happy’s Battle Mage and Berserker at close range. Excellent Era’s biggest advantage lies in having the only healer on their side, but that only becomes an advantage if they can defend him. The critical question becomes whether Excellent Era can do so.

Liu Hao considers calling back Sun Xiang, but ultimately says nothing. Won’t Sun Xiang be unhappy with Liu Hao if he interferes in Sun Xiang’s long-desired rematch with Ye Xiu? And if Liu Hao can turn around this situation, won’t he be praised by the fans?

Setting their backs against the silo wall and keeping Woven Shadows behind them, Merciless Magic and Absent Sun coordinate to lay down a defensive spell wall, barring Combat Form and Soft Mist from advancing. 

Under the threat of heavy damage, Happy’s melee duo can only test this defense for holes and place pressure on Excellent Era. Dawn Rifle supports them from above, but thwarting Matchstick’s relentless attempts to escape limits the help he can offer.

Inside this careful balance, it’s Luo Tian’s Elementalist who becomes the critical tipping point. Cry Havoc’s equipment clearly outlines his purpose in today’s match: damage, damage, and just enough cast range to exceed Excellent Era’s Merciless Magic. 

Safe outside of Excellent Era’s attack range, Cry Havoc feverishly unleashes skill after skill on their trapped opponents. Blizzard, Piercing Lightning, Dark Missile, Fire Storm – each time Excellent Era’s players are interrupted mid-cast, Happy’s melee players draw a little closer, step by step.

Inside his booth, Luo Tian’s back is covered in cold sweat, but his emotions stay strangely calm. After following Ye Xiu into so many battles, this nervous, inconsistent player has formed a conviction: his captain will never ask him to do something beyond his skills. Since Ye Xiu asked Luo Tian to be a starting player today, he knew Luo Tian could accomplish what was needed if he played well, and if Luo Tian got anxious and tanked his performance, Ye Xiu would have already planned around that too. Happy isn't even in danger of being relegated if they lose this match. What is there left to be afraid of? Luo Tian can sit here and calmly let loose.

Seeing Happy come dangerously close to reaching melee range, Zhang Jiaxing calls for Sun Xiang to come help. Their captain grumbles, but ultimately turns toward his teammates.

But Ye Xiu isn’t willing to let Sun Xiang go. Poison Tree blocks One Autumn Leaf from reaching his teammates by every means possible–and pays the high cost in his own blood. As Poison Tree’s health plummets, the deciding point of the match appears: can Ye Xiu's teammates break through and cement their numerical advantage before they lose their captain?

At this key moment, it’s Soft Mist who charges forward with Colliding Stab, powering through every attack sent her way as long as it doesn’t knock her off course. 

Combat Form pulls back his spear, accumulating the magic signifying Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, a Battle Mage’s ultimate skill. Just as the dragon flickers into being at the end of his spear, Cry Havoc uses Ice Line. 

In such a limited space, there are only so many places to avoid the ice. Woven Shadows and Absent Sun evade, but Merciless Magic isn’t so lucky. Frozen for four seconds, the Elementalist can only stare into the maw of Combat Form’s dragon, surging toward Excellent Era. As Dawn Rifle pours down cannon fire from above, the dragon snaps its jaws shut around Merciless Magic, its Grab effect yanking him out of formation.

Soft Mist doesn’t miss this chance. Throwing herself through the gap in Excellent Era’s defense, she finally breaks through to melee range! It costs almost all her remaining health, but her aggressiveness remains the same as always. This fearlessness is one of the reasons she suits Berserker so well, a class who trades health for strength. On the edge of death, Soft Mist is at her strongest. She uses Enrage, buffing her stats even further, and shoots toward her target–not Woven Shadows, but Merciless Magic!

After being bloodied by Soft Mist at the beginning of the fight, taking full damage from Satellite Beam and Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, and having his health steadily lowered by Dawn Rifle and Cry Havoc, Merciless Magic’s health isn’t much better than Soft Mist’s. He instantly Teleports as far away as possible.

Stuck in the ending lag for Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, Combat Form can’t go after him, but the rest of Happy’s players spring forward to support Soft Mist’s attack.

Before Merciless Magic even finishes his Teleport cast, Dawn Rifle has already released a Stinger shell, blanketing the possible destinations inside the range of the Stinger’s eight smaller missiles. 

Cry Havoc activates Mobile Cast, rushing to a position that can cover the possible range. The instant after Merciless Magic reappears, buffeted by the Stinger’s explosions, the glittering walls of Magic Prison sprung up around him. Unable to use any skills, Excellent Era's Elementalist can only wait for Soft Mist to close the distance.

Absent Sun and Woven Shadows try to counterattack by going after the vulnerable Combat Form, but a quick shower of cannon fire buys enough time for Cry Havoc to unleash Heavenly Lightning Earthen Fire, forcing them to stay in place to take less damage and interrupting Woven Shadows’ emergency healing spell.

Soft Mist reaches Merciless Magic, and once the Magic Prison dissipates, she straightforwardly bursts down the last of his health. Dawn Rifle chips in where he can, still keeping Matchstick trapped at the bottom of the silo. 

Down to the last sliver of her own health, Soft Mist immediately heads over to where Combat Form, supported by Cry Havoc, is facing off against Absent Sun and Woven Shadows.

Meanwhile, the captains’ duel is reaching its final stage. No matter Ye Xiu’s skill, Poison Tree is still a weak account with no Silver Equipment. Keeping the Alliance’s Battle God from escaping is already the limit. 

Sun Xiang isn’t pleased that their pure, one on one duel was interrupted by their teammates, but with the taste of defeating Ye Xiu about to pass his lips, he’s not feeling picky. Just as Poison Tree’s health dips below 20% it – rises again?!?

Standing inside the support zone, Lonely Tower hefts his axe, the holy glow around him dimming. On Happy’s team list, Soft Mist’s name is now greyed out in death. 

Poison Tree rises up on his broom, health jumping higher every few seconds. In the distance, cannon fire booms, flames crackle, and Woven Shadows’ health falls. 

Sun Xiang has two choices in front of him. He can keep trying to reach his teammates, or he can keep trying to kill Ye Xiu.

“Ready for another round?” Ye Xiu types, hovering above Sun Xiang.

Even without the Battle God One Autumn Leaf, Ye Xiu is still someone Sun Xiang can't reach. Sun Xiang grits his teeth. For a man who always considered Ye Xiu as his only opponent in this match, and never once thought of the rest of Team Happy as a threat, the choice is simple.

Glory’s Battle God, wielded by the hands of a long-praised prodigy, stands and faces his opponent and their healer.

Only a field away, a nameless, small Battle Mage, in the hands of an equally unknown rookie, is also facing his opponent and their healer.

Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form.

In a strange mirror of each other, the final stage of the match unfolds in parallel. And like a mirror, that resemblance only goes skin-deep.

When Combat Form charges toward Absent Sun, Qiu Fei isn’t thinking about how to beat his opponent. He isn’t even thinking about his own victory at all. The only thought in his head is how to pave the way for his team’s victory.

Today, that path leads over Combat Form’s corpse. 

Combat Form attacks Absent Sun head-on, without hope of victory. The gap between him and his opponent is wide. Though filled with talent, Combat Form lacks equipment, experience, and a mature playstyle. But that doesn’t matter at all, because Combat Form never needed to win. To carry out his purpose, he has exactly what needs. 

In the audience, all eyes follow Sun Xiang’s climactic duel with Ye Xiu, eager to witness the crucial point of this match. That’s how they miss the match’s true turning point.

With a simple Falling Flower Palm, a low-level Battle Mage skill, Absent Sun is pushed back a few steps, exposing Woven Shadows behind him.

Qiu Fei’s teammates pounce. A raging column of flames shoots up, launching the Cleric in the air and a curtain of explosions sends him tumbling back down, far out of Absent Sun’s defense range.

Absent Sun panics. To rescue Excellent Era’s healer, he tries every means possible to break free, but Combat Form pours out his life like water and holds the Spellblade back at every turn. 

Just as Ye Xiu arranged, Cry Havoc’s damage-heavy build, supplemented by Dawn Riffle, explodes Woven Shadows into bits. Watching the Cleric’s health drop in his team list drives Sun Xiang into a frenzy. Even propped up by Lonely Tower’s healing, Poison Tree is barely holding on, so Cry Havoc hurries away to support Happy’s captain the instant Woven Shadows falls. 

Combat Form is left behind – low on health, and grimly clinging to his final task. 

In the stadium, only a few screens show Absent Sun and his opponent. Combat Form’s loss is certain, so nobody bothers watching this last desperate, ugly struggle. 

There is no sudden reversal. Just as expected, Combat Form loses his last scrap of health and dies to Absent Sun’s blade. But he succeeds at what matters most – delaying Absent Sun so his teammates can complete their final kill. 

Sun Xiang’s One Autumn Leaf dies alone, the same way he fought, with the final blow struck by a lowly player he disdained.

One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei. 

Today, neither of them made a single kill. Even so, with the different statuses of these two Battle Mages, highest and lowest, who would dare to compare them?

But today, it is Qiu Fei, quietly doing everything he should, who tastes victory.

Tucked away in the bowels of Xiaoshan Gymnasium is a small smoking area, nothing more than a bench next to a window that can be cracked open to air out the smoke. It was to this bench that the seniors of the victorious Team Happy retreated for their celebratory cigarette.

“Ah, the things you don’t pay for really taste the best.” Wei Chen exhales in satisfaction. The brand Chen Guo bought as Ye Xiu’s prize in their bet is more expensive than the cheap cigarettes Wei Chen usually smokes. He leans back, sloppily sprawling across the bench.

Hu Zeyi politely makes room for Wei Chen, sliding his bulk to the bench’s edge and handling his cigarette with surprisingly delicate movements. He only smoked on special occasions, and defeating a powerhouse team certainly qualified.

Getting up to go stand by the window, Ye Xiu tsks. “Things you don’t pay for taste the best? Old Wei, I’m surprised you can tell the difference. Aren’t you always mooching off other people?”

Wei Chen scoffs. “This senior will be rich soon. Won’t you be the one begging to mooch off me?”

“Who keeps score between friends?” says Hu Zeyi, mild as always. “Especially when we’ve been so fortunate tonight.”

Wei Chen cackles, slapping his thigh. “That’s right! I didn’t expect Excellent Era to make such a mistake. Stranding one of their own players in a hole!”

“Mmmm,” Ye Xiu agrees, watching his cigarette burn down with a contemplative look on his face. Happy’s plans relied on leading Excellent Era to make mistakes, but even Ye Xiu had never expected such a scenario. “Excellent Era's players had no coordination with each other. Their individual strength wasn't enough to overcome this weakness because their leaders were thinking about other things instead of the match.”

“Do you think that will change?” asks Hu Zeyi, gentle sympathy in the way he watches Ye Xiu.

Rubbing his forehead, Ye Xiu breathes out a cloud of smoke. “It will depend on Sun Xiang’s reaction to their loss tonight. His seniors haven't been guiding him the way I hoped.”

The three players were silent for a moment. All of them had a team they’d left behind who still held a place in their heart. Wei Chen and Hu Zeyi understood better than anyone how tonight had been hardest on Ye Xiu.

“So, who are we beating next?” Wei Chen says.

Ye Xiu regards this question with disdain. “We? What match did you play today?”

Wei Chen curses him out.

Topic: Glory Alliance Season Eight

namesRhard: the Whetted Sickle Moon merch is SOLD OUT nooooo T_T

TrueMeiren: Is that really the most important point right now?!? God Ye beat Excellent Era…ignoring whatever grudges exist between them, a powerhouse lost to a shitty almost relegated team. That’s never happened before in the entire history of the GPA. It’s insane. 

ooorange: Really makes you wonder what was going on at Excellent Era when God Ye broke his contract…

WisdomOfAges: I hate to say it, but I agree. Excellent Era consistently played poorly in the first half of the season. If God Ye can still pull off a brilliant match like today, why did Excellent Era do so badly back then?

3champdynasty: that *****ing traitor sabotaged us!

ooorange: And then paid a ton of money to break his contract and go to…Happy? That makes no sense. If it was God Ye’s fault, why isn’t Excellent Era playing better without him?

3champdynasty: because the traitor came back to push us down again!!

ooorange: Okay, but EE lost to more teams than Happy?

TheMostExcellentEra : I don’t know what’s going on anymore. How could we lose to Happy??? Nothing makes sense. T_T

1000yearsoftyranny: Tell me about it. I’ve hated Excellent Era and Ye Xiu for so many years…Am I supposed to be happy that Excellent Era lost to a pathetic team like Happy or am I supposed to be angry that Ye Xiu won so brilliantly?!?

TheMostExcellentEra: NOT HELPING

Happy4Life: Can’t relate. Clearly we are living in the best timeline. <3