Chapter 86: The Hero’s Tournament (Part Fifteen)

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Now, I was the only one left. Almost everyone’s eyes fell on me. It was thanks to my exceptional performance in the finals—taking down Murong Shanshan and Sky Thief—that we even had the chance to stand on this championship podium.

Xue Han smiled faintly. “Go on, hurry up. Our food’s been delivered, and everyone’s waiting to eat.”

I nodded, placing my left foot on the third step. But a remark from Murong Shanshan nearly made me tumble down the stairs—

“Go boldly, don’t let me down. At least draw a green item~”

...

Fei’er shot me a mischievous look and quickly announced, “Next up, we have the top player of this city’s leaderboard: Vegetable Soup! Let’s all watch and see what kind of prize he’ll draw!”

“Heavens, please, just not a blue item—let alone a green one...” I prayed silently.

My heart pounded wildly as I finally pressed the stop button!

“Ding~!”

System Message: Congratulations, player Vegetable Soup, on winning the Elemental Binding Ring! Player level increased by 3!

[Elemental Binding Ring] (Ring—Purple Item)

Stamina: +45
Strength: +42
Agility: +40
Bonus Skill—Mana Lockdown: Immune to all spell-based negative effects for 30 seconds and gradually restores HP during this period.
Required Level: 35

...

Ecstatic! I think I finally understood the true meaning of that word. My mind was a jumbled mess, with only the word “binding” echoing clear and sweet. What a wonderful word!

I’d worried before that I’d be at the mercy of mages in the coming solo competitions, but now with Mana Lockdown’s 30 seconds, it was more than enough to take down any mage—even Ye Qiu!

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Because the champion’s bonus was an instant three-level rise, I was now level 35. Equipping this precious purple ring, my HP immediately soared to 2400, and my attack power jumped to 480–624. For mages with weaker gear, this meant I could one-shot them!

Fei’er began announcing the end of the team competition, and soon everyone was teleported out of the arena. The lively team battle was over, and up next would be an even more intense and thrilling solo tournament. Would I be champion again?

I opened the rankings. Thanks to the three-level boost for the champion, the top five on the city leaderboard were all familiar faces. Second place was still Murong Shanshan, with Xue Han and Xin Yu sharing fourth, and Xu Lin at level 29 in fifth. Ye Qiu was sixth, Berserker seventh. There had been a major shake-up in the world rankings as well: Hotpot Dynamite lost his first-place spot—clearly, he hadn’t won the team event. The knight “Let Go of That Girl” seized first place at level 36. And I, at level 35, had entered the world’s top three!

Hotpot Dynamite was now fourth, level 33, while Murong Shanshan, at level 30, was squeezed out of the top ten, ranking thirteenth worldwide, preceded by six other Chinese players.

“Hey, why aren’t you coming down for dinner?”

A small, fair hand patted my shoulder. Turning, I saw Murong Shanshan with a sweet smile that was hard to resist.

Glancing at Coco and the others beside her, I noticed the rogue, Sky Thief, hurrying into the cathedral. Puzzled, I asked, “Why’s your rogue going into the cathedral? Weren’t you all logging off for dinner?”

“He’s a bit lacking in security,” she replied. “He says logging off in the church always makes him feel safer...”

“He really should try logging off in the prison on the west side of town. That’s where a real thief belongs.”

“...”

Coco was at a loss for words, while Murong Shanshan wholeheartedly agreed with my suggestion.

Logging off, I found all seven girls already in the lobby. The aroma of food hit me the moment I stepped out of the room—the dishes here really were something special...

“Whew~”

A warm, soft body suddenly threw itself into my arms, and I distinctly felt a pair of ample breasts press against my chest. A sultry, teasing voice followed: “Lin Fan, you’re the hero of the finals. How should big sis thank you?”

“Come on!” I gently pushed Xin Yu off me, helpless. “Xin Yu, please, don’t keep doing this. I’m not made of stone, you know...”

Xue Han laughed from a distance. “Hurry up and eat. There’s a champion interview at three this afternoon, remember? Fei’er and Lin are scheduled for an online interview.”

Xu Lin, just out of the bathroom, wiped her hands and said, “Three o’clock, right? The morning’s ads are done, and this afternoon is just a chat anyway. Xin Yu, help me handle it. I need to go shopping. Lin Fan, if you’re free, just help Xin Yu answer the players’ questions online.”

I felt a bit awkward—flirting with girls on QQ was one thing, but fielding players’ questions was quite another.

After a quick meal, Xu Lin took Xue Han and the others out to buy groceries and supplies. Winning the championship was reason enough for a celebration. Xin Yu and I stayed behind for the online interview.

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I turned on my computer and logged into the Moonfall Gale City forum. The chat system was already up, and at the top of the window, Fei’er’s avatar was flashing. After identity verification, Xin Yu and I went online, and Fei’er immediately opened the interview interface.

The interview began. After a few pleasantries, Xin Yu and Fei’er started their exchange—

Fei’er: As an outstanding elven archer, what are your requirements for equipment and consumables? I imagine you’re quite picky, otherwise your level wouldn’t be so far ahead of the crowd.

Vegetable Temptation: Of course, having a high level is the only way to get good gear. As for consumables, I always buy the one-gold-per-quiver arrows—can’t be stingy there. If you use the fifty-silver ones, people will look down on you. In the high-level training zones, no one dares use low-quality arrows and embarrass themselves!

Fei’er: Since you buy such good arrows, you must have excellent skills as well. When you team up to grind, you must use the multi-shot skill a lot, right? How do you deal with malicious PK? Could you share your insights and experience?

Vegetable Temptation: Absolutely. You’re right—multi-shot burns through arrows fast, so I always buy three quivers at a time and resupply once I’m out. When monsters appear, just use your skills—don’t worry about hitting teammates, just make sure you don’t hit yourself. If you run into PKers, always let the strangers in your party take the lead. Stay hidden and wear the enemy down from the shadows, then come out when they’re almost finished. If there are lots of enemies left, just drop to the ground and play dead—wait until they drop their guard, then shoot them. If they catch on, just return to the city—never get killed. If only one or two are left, it depends on their gear. If they’re well-equipped, keep looking for a chance to ambush. If they’re weak, just take off your bow, switch to your dagger, and stab them to death. Then type on screen: ***

Fei’er (a bit stunned): I see...

...

After some more chatter, the player Q&A session began—

Player “Quickshot”: Vegetable Temptation, can I ask what your measurements are? And what’s your relationship with the number one expert?

Vegetable Temptation: No comment.

Announcement: “Quickshot” has been kicked from the room.

Player “Milky Diva”: I’d like to ask Vegetable Soup—do you know Murong Shanshan in real life? Why did you call her Shanshan during the finals?

Vegetable Temptation: May I answer for him? They don’t know each other in real life—they’re just online friends.

Milky Diva: Oh, is that so? Then I still have a chance!

Vegetable Temptation: Sorry, he’s already taken...

...

Only when Xu Lin returned with bags full of goods and the other girls did we finally end the rowdy chat. After an afternoon of chaos, I felt like my head was about to burst, while Xin Yu still looked fresh and full of energy.