Chapter 72: The Heroes' Challenge Tournament (Part One)

“Lin Fan, wake up! Do you even know what time it is?!”

As I opened my eyes at dawn, I was greeted by Xin Yu’s beautiful face.

Suddenly, I remembered last night—I was so overjoyed that I didn’t fall asleep until one in the morning. Just yesterday, Xu Lin transferred over 120,000 RMB into my personal account. Ever since I withdrew from AR3 a year ago, I hadn’t seen such a sum. All the money I earned before had gone to my parents, leaving me penniless, and yet they heartlessly kicked me out of the house. Is playing games truly so worthless? When I was a professional player, my annual salary reached 200,000 RMB—far more than most white-collar workers. Why can’t people acknowledge the legitimacy of esports?

Now, I’m a ten-thousandaire again—I’ll no longer have to mooch off Murong Shanshan for meals!

After reaching level 32, I could no longer gain much experience in the Muddy Marsh, and the three quests available there were already completed. There was no reason to linger. To continue leveling, I needed a new training map. The four major cities in the China region would only open after the first Brave Challenge Tournament, which would last four days. If I kept competing until the end, there would be no time to level up. It’d be better to wait until the city system opened before finding new training grounds. With players gathering in the main cities, accepting missions and selling goods would be much more convenient.

Over two days in the Muddy Marsh, I acquired seventeen pieces of equipment, plus one blue item dropped by the Guardian. Aside from two weapons, the other sixteen pieces sold for over sixty thousand RMB, and the two weapons together fetched nearly forty thousand. Especially the axe with exceptionally high attack—the price was driven up to 26,800 RMB, which surprised me. But with the tournament approaching, every player dreams of possessing a top-tier weapon. It’s no wonder.

At the breakfast table.

Before eating, Xu Lin declared, “In one hour, the Brave Challenge Tournament will begin. From eight to eleven in the morning, there’s a match every fifteen minutes. The first two days are team matches; the next two are individual. I believe the champion’s rewards will be substantial, so our goal is singular: Champion!”

Everyone responded in unison, united: “Champion!”

“Absolutely no underestimating the enemy!”

“Underestimating the enemy!”

...

Breakfast began. Xue Han handed me a bowl of soy milk, smiling, “I still can’t equip that purple necklace. I’ve been grinding furiously these past two days but only made it to level 27. I’ll have to wait for next month’s tournament to use it.”

“Twenty-seven is good. Murong Shanshan, the city’s second-ranked, is only at twenty-eight.”

Murong Shanshan, after recovering from illness, worked especially hard, surpassing Ye Qiu in just two days to become the city’s second-ranked player.

Xin Yu, having just finished her facial skincare routine, sat beside me, exuding a delicate fragrance. “The blue bow Lin Fan gave me has such high attack—otherwise, I wouldn’t have reached level twenty-eight. Tell me, how should I thank you?”

Xin Yu deliberately puffed out her chest, tossing me a flirtatious glance.

I hurriedly buried my head in the pile of buns...

After breakfast, everyone retreated to their rooms. Xu Lin had already taken us to register yesterday. Now, we just needed to wait in the city for the system to teleport our five-member team to the competition area.

Before the top sixteen are determined, all matches are monitored and synchronized by the system. Once the top sixteen are decided, the subsequent matches will be held one by one in the city’s central arena, with all players able to spectate via the system’s viewing program.

It’s said that matches after the top eight will be broadcast live on entertainment channels in Jiangsu and Shanghai’s city TV stations. By then, the advancing players will compete under the gaze of the province’s gaming enthusiasts—fame awaits. It’s obvious that the individual and team champions will become overnight sensations, which is why Xu Lin values this tournament so highly. If we become the top studio in Jiangsu and Shanghai, the money we can make will be enormous!

As I was pondering, Xu Lin, Xin Yu, Xue Han, and Li Qing all arrived at the East Gate Bridge, which had become our tacit meeting spot. Everyone’s equipment had just been repaired. As the match approached, we didn’t know whether there would be equipment repair NPCs at the arena. If our gear’s durability dropped during the match, it’d be embarrassing.

Xu Lin checked the time and spoke in the team channel, “Each round is every fifteen minutes, with ten minutes per match. That leaves five minutes to observe the opposing team's class composition and strategize. There's no point in discussing tactics now—let’s wait for the match to start. Everyone, turn on your communicators. During the match, we’ll communicate directly by voice.”

Everyone agreed. This was our first time in "Yueheng"—the game’s inaugural tournament, and our own. There was little to learn from others; our experience would have to be gained in the matches ahead.

Ten minutes passed swiftly. Amid the tense countdown, the five of us were teleported to match arena number 1025211. In a flash, five opponents appeared opposite us—our first adversaries in the group stage of the Brave Challenge.

Two in cloth armor—most likely a mage and a priest; two in heavy armor, one with a shield, one wielding a battle axe—clearly a knight and a berserker. The last wore leather, holding what appeared to be a white dagger—the infamous rogue.

Time ticked by. Li Qing, our most impatient member, couldn’t help but ask, “How should we attack?”

Xin Yu and Xue Han smiled. Just a glance at their gear revealed mostly white-grade items, while our weakest member was outfitted in green. The match was clearly stacked in our favor—a chance to gather PK experience.

Xu Lin grinned, but still instructed, “Xue Han, watch Lin Fan’s health—make sure he doesn’t fall. Xin Yu, attack while moving, and use Shock Arrow to support me and Xue Han—don’t let the rogue or berserker get close. Li Qing, direct your pet to assist Lin Fan in attacking their priest and mage!”

Both teams were separated by a blue light. Five minutes later, the light vanished—the match began!

Immediately, their rogue disappeared right before our eyes...