The Esports Little Demon King Is a Sweet and Fierce Omega - Chapter 24.1

“What are you doing here?” Tian Jiu asked Shadow.

“I bought a ticket!” Shadow laughed. “My hand speed is top-tier, so I snagged a prime seat. The rest of my team is way over on the other side.”

“Is your whole team here?”

“Pretty much. All the starters are here, at least.”

Shadow pointedly didn’t mention Ji Kaile or Luo Yuan by name.

Tian Jiu whispered to Feng Wu, “Looks like our ticket revenue is mostly being scraped off these rival teams.”

Feng Wu was amused. “Scraped? Where do you keep learning these words?”

“Online,” Tian Jiu lied with a sweet, obedient smile.

Shadow watched this scene in amazement. This little overlord is actually this well-behaved in front of Feng Wu?

Sitting beside him, Li Zhen offered some kind-hearted consolation. “Tian Jiu is only like this for God Wu. No one else gets to see that side of him.”

“I see,” Shadow nodded, then paused in surprise. “Wait, aren’t you that Mecha guy? Why are you here?”

“My ticket wasn’t bought; Tian Jiu gave it to me,” Li Zhen bragged. “Know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m Tian Jiu’s best friend!”

“…” Shadow suspected him of showing off, so he added, “Well, I’ve touched the Red Panda’s ears.”

Zhao Qingqing poked her head out from Li Zhen’s other side. “I’m the one who made Jiu-jiu’s clothes. I’ve made him a bunch of new animal onesies these past two days—even God Wu said I did a great job.”

Shadow’s eyes lit up. A bunch of animal onesies? He reached out again to pat Tian Jiu’s shoulder.

“What now?” Tian Jiu asked, dazed.

“Let’s add each other as game friends. We should duo queue sometime.”

His intentions were as clear as day. Li Zhen and Old Zhao looked at him with utter disdain.

“Captain, he wants to add me,” Tian Jiu said, tugging on Feng Wu’s sleeve.

Feng Wu replied flatly, “Don’t add him.”

“Oh.” Tian Jiu agreed obediently, rejecting Shadow without even asking for a reason. “I’m not adding you.”

Shadow witnessed the whole exchange and cried out in shock, “God Wu, how have I offended you?”

Feng Wu glanced at him. “Our classes clash. If Tian Jiu needs a Jungler for duo queue, he can just find me.”

Tian Jiu thought that made perfect sense. Why duo with anyone else when I have my Captain?

Shadow felt that reason was total nonsense. Just as he was about to argue, Fei Erfeng’s familiar, boisterous voice boomed across the stadium.

“Hello, my dear residents of Yahua! It’s your favorite host and commentator—Feifei, Fei Erfeng!”

Tian Jiu clapped enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling as he watched the hot-air balloon aircraft. Fei Erfeng noticed his gaze and blew him a kiss.

“I’m beyond honored that FOX gave me this supreme mission. Feifei will be bringing you the commentary for today’s exciting trials. First, let’s meet our sponsors…”

The central screen displayed the faces of various sponsors and the corporations they represented. The founder of Hallworth and the manager of the gymnasium were among them. Tian Jiu watched intently, his tiger teeth showing in a constant grin, looking like a little kid waiting for a cartoon to start.

Suddenly, Feng Wu’s deep, pleasant voice sounded in his ear: “Do you like that?”

Tian Jiu instinctively turned his head toward him. The distance between them vanished instantly. Feng Wu froze; a strange, sweet fragrance drifted past his nose, but it vanished in a heartbeat as if it had never existed. He tried to catch it again, but only smelled the lemon scent of Tian Jiu’s shampoo.

However, that indescribable, exotic fragrance rooted itself deep in his memory.

“Like what, Captain?” Tian Jiu asked blankly. He was completely oblivious to the sudden shift in the atmosphere and didn’t seem to notice that they were well within each other’s personal space.

Feng Wu snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to speak, a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. Both looked at the central screen. The camera was focused on them. The image of them whispering intimately had been broadcast to everyone watching the stream.

Zhou Funian, sitting on Tian Jiu’s other side, quickly reached across to push Feng Wu away. They didn’t want to use “CP-baiting” to boost popularity like AS did; besides, with the fame of these two, they didn’t need it. Furthermore, Zhou Funian could sense there was something brewing between them. Until things were certain, he didn’t want the outside world putting pressure on them. Feelings should be left to the young people themselves.

Feng Wu straightened up and gave a lazy nod to the camera. Tian Jiu was the opposite, waving both hands with high energy, which triggered another wave of screams.

From the VIP section occupied by the nobles, a high-pitched female voice suddenly rang out: “Tian Jiu! Baby is so cute! Mommy loves you!”

The stadium burst into laughter. Tian Jiu looked over in surprise and saw a woman in a black gown waving at him from afar.

Tian Jiu’s heart suddenly gave a heavy thud. He stood up urgently, but when the camera panned to the woman, he sat back down in disappointment. She was a very young girl, not his mother. He wasn’t in his old world anymore; his parents and brother wouldn’t be here.

As everyone laughed, Tian Jiu also gave a soft, small smile. To the audience, it looked like he was just shy after being confessed to by a “Mommy-fan.”

Feng Wu looked at him. His lively teammate was still smiling, but Feng Wu sensitively detected that something was off. His little teammate didn’t seem truly happy.

Tian Jiu reached up to smooth his hair, masking the disappointment in his eyes. Feng Wu watched the arena, his fingers tapping the armrest. What secret is Tian Jiu hiding that makes him show that expression?

******

Fei Erfeng laughed and transitioned the event. “Time is almost up! Let’s check on the contestants!”

The screen shifted to a complex tropical rainforest. The 230 participants had been randomly dropped across the forest. Once the countdown ended, the match began.

“Countdown in three seconds… the long-awaited FOX trials are about to begin!”

Immediately, the sounds of battle echoed through the woods. The camera cut to two Mages—a female Alpha Fire Mage and a male Omega Hurricane Mage. Their staves were a blur as they moved through the thick vegetation.

In another part of the forest, cannon fire erupted. This was a massive brawl; seven or eight players were gathered around a swamp, smoke and fire everywhere. Because FOX was looking for a Defender, a Mage, and a Healer and the first two classes usually lacked high damage. Those players were allowed to carry one extra weapon for offense, though they would be judged on their primary role.

The camera kept switching, and Fei Erfeng provided frantic commentary. Every player was performing well. After the first poison circle shrank, 180 of the 230 players remained.

“I didn’t realize there were so many talented players outside of the starters.”

“They just lacked an opportunity to be seen.”

“FOX really might be able to build a powerhouse team.”

Zhou Funian discussed the players with Tian Jiu and Feng Wu.

“Wait, it’s him!” Tian Jiu grabbed Feng Wu’s arm, surprised. “Captain, look! It’s the Omega from that day!”

Feng Wu nodded. On the screen was the Omega from the school restroom. Zhou Funian, having memorized the profiles, provided the details.

“His name is Mo Li, twenty years old, a junior at Imperial University. An S-rank Omega. He used to be the starting Healer for the mid-tier team ‘Night,’ but he left two years ago after some conflict with his teammates. At the time, he was praised as the ‘Strongest Healer’ in the league.”

“So that’s Mo Li,” Tian Jiu said, impressed. They had noted Mo Li during their preparations; his resume was very bright.

“If he’s that good, the team shouldn’t have let him go unless something serious happened,” Tian Jiu noted.

Zhou Funian shook his head. “I haven’t looked into the details. His skill is undeniable, but players with a ‘troubled past’ can be controversial.”

Tian Jiu said seriously, “Coach, I think he must be a good person.”

He’d seen Mo Li being bullied at school; maybe he’d been bullied on his old team too. Tian Jiu instinctively sided with him. Feng Wu and Zhou Funian thought more deeply about it, but they didn’t shoot down his idea. It was good for an Omega to keep some innocence.

“Fine,” Zhou Funian smiled. “I’ll reach out to him after the match.”

Mo Li’s skill was indeed formidable. As a Healer, he managed to grind down a full-combat Mage using only his healing abilities and his agility to dodge skills.

Fei Erfeng commentated excitedly: “As expected of the former ‘Number One Healer of Yahua’! Two years of silence haven’t made him rusty; he’s more stable and powerful than ever! We might just see him return to the stage under the FOX banner!”

Tian Jiu watched Mo Li. He still had his heavy bangs and black-rimmed glasses, and even his in-game skin was a simple, dark tracksuit. Yet, Tian Jiu thought he looked dazzling while fighting.

******

The camera shifted to a new battlefield. Two Defenders were traveling together, both carrying machine guns as secondary skills. Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath them.

“It’s a swamp! Who the hell put all these leaves here?!” One player scrambled to escape but sank deeper.

The other activated a shield skill under his feet, trying to back out. Before he could, a hurricane gust blew from behind. He lost his balance and fell forward, his hands and knees sinking into the muck.

A whistle sounded. A figure leaped down from a tree, landing at the edge of the swamp. As the camera showed his face, Tian Jiu said, “Wow, he’s handsome!”

Feng Wu shot him a look, feeling a slight headache.

“Oho, youth team players?” the handsome guy sneered. “Youth teams aren’t much if you can’t see through such a clumsy trap.”

“Fight me face-to-face if you have the guts!” the Defender snapped.

“Sure.” The youth held a staff that looked like a chopstick and pointed it at them. A two-meter-long wind blade sliced through the air, and both Defenders vanished, leaving behind two bottles of nutrient solution.

He gestured again, and the nutrients were swept up by the wind toward him. But a second later, an invisible wall blocked his path. His skill was severed mid-air, and the wind carrying the nutrients reversed direction, floating into someone else’s palm.

A man, standing nearly 190cm tall, was on the other side of the swamp, tossing the nutrient bottle in his hand.

Tian Jiu’s eyes went wide. The ‘handsome guy’ quota for this match is a bit high today.

If the Wind Mage was a “bad boy” type of handsome, this new Defender was a “righteous hero” type.

The Mage raised an eyebrow and fired a wind blade, but before it hit the Defender, it dispersed into a gentle breeze. The breeze ruffled the Defender’s thick black hair as he said slowly:

“I can’t beat you, but you can’t kill me either. So, I’ll give you one bottle, and we go our separate ways.”

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