The Esports Little Demon King Is a Sweet and Fierce Omega - Chapter 4

Over the two days following his move, Tian Jiu didn’t stay idle; instead, he buried his head in studying the basic rules of this world.

He discovered that the people here held an almost fanatical level of adoration for the holographic esports game known as Fengshen. The popularity of professional players was so exaggerated it was comparable to religious faith. Before researching it, Tian Jiu couldn’t empathize with the sentiment, but after looking into it, he began to understand.

Just as he had learned, this era functioned on a very distinct class system where most people’s identities were dictated from birth. Some were born in the Upper District with family protection and bright futures; even an unloved, disabled Omega like Tian Jiu had lived safely in the Upper District until nineteen. But others were born in the chaotic Lower District, living a hand-to-mouth existence.

It was an unfair world, but the game Fengshen served as a fair stepping stone. It was a vital path for Lower District residents to change their status because professional players regardless of background or gender were judged solely on strength. Even a common trainee could enjoy team protection and bring their family from the Lower District to put down roots in the Upper District. This significance alone made it clear why Fengshen was so revered.

It wasn’t just Lower District residents either; those in the Upper District also considered becoming a pro player a supreme honor. It was this very status that had allowed the Ji family to rise from ordinary nouveau riche to a high-profile new power.

Therefore, if Tian Jiu wanted to stay in the Upper District, he had to take the “pro gamer” route. As for marrying an Alpha, he hadn’t given it a second thought. Besides, he was a total gaming addict in his past life; esports was etched into his very soul. Having arrived in this world and especially after that muddled first match. He had already added “becoming a professional player” to his future plans.

Based on the match he played and the information he gathered on Star-Net, the rules of Fengshen were indeed quite similar to the 5v5 tower defense games he knew. However, the differences were even more numerous. Aside from the classes and skills, even the basic gameplay mode was entirely different.

When Tian Jiu played esports before, he sat in a chair facing a computer, using a mouse and keyboard to control a character. Fengshen was different; it was a top-tier holographic game connected to the Star-Net. To play Fengshen, one first needed a holographic bracelet. Once connected, the user could enter a holographic space: the virtual capital of the world, Hallworth.

Hallworth was essentially a physical version of the Star-Net. During their leisure time, people put on their bracelets to make friends, play games, and watch matches in the virtual world; it was like a paradise. Fengshen was a game that could only be played within Hallworth.

To play Fengshen, in addition to the bracelet, one needed a holographic gaming pod similar to an esports chair. The one he had used in the hospital was a standard model. However, Tian Jiu’s knowledge of the game ended there; he couldn’t find more detailed information anywhere, as it seemed such data could only be accessed from within Hallworth.

Thus, if he wanted to learn more, he had to visit Hallworth first.

Now, the gaming pod and bracelet he ordered had arrived. He had very thriftily chosen the most cost-effective model, figuring that once he joined a professional team, they would provide him with equipment anyway.

The pod was silver-white, resembling a high-end massage chair from the Earth era, but with a semi-circular glass “umbrella” over the head. As soon as he sat down, the pod adjusted to his frame, allowing him to lie back in the most comfortable position possible.

Tian Jiu felt like a bumpkin once again. He buckled the safety straps, which felt like backpack straps, and put on the holographic bracelet according to the instructions.

Because the original owner had never logged into a virtual account at home, and the login at the hospital used the information stored on the hospital’s equipment, the ID [Player 856965] didn’t belong to him; it was a generic identity set by the hospital. Now that Tian Jiu wanted to enter the virtual world, he needed to apply for a new account.

Erguotou automatically connected to the equipment and spoke in its unwavering tone, “Connected to the virtual capital, Hallworth. Please purchase entry authorization.”

The virtual capital was not open for free. To enter, one had to pay a fee of 100,000 Star-Coins to secure a slot. This was likely why the original owner had never entered Hallworth; he simply didn’t have enough pocket money. Looking at the long string of zeros, Tian Jiu felt a bit of a sting, but he eventually gritted his teeth and paid.

“Purchase successful. Please set your initialization form. Once saved, the initialization form cannot be modified for six months. Please set it carefully.”

A virtual screen appeared before Tian Jiu, showing an AI avatar surrounded by a dense array of adjustable sliders. It was character customization.

Tian Jiu was too lazy to mess with it, so he asked, “Can I just use my own face?”

“Yes.” As soon as Erguotou finished, the avatar transformed into Tian Jiu’s own likeness. At a glance, there was no difference from the real person; Tian Jiu almost thought he was looking into a mirror.

Erguotou continued, “Hallworth is a virtual reality city. To protect your privacy, you may choose to wear a virtual skin. Skins are swappable items and must be purchased with gold coins.”

A virtual skin was a layer of protection. Many people chose to use their own faces like Tian Jiu, but being in a virtual world often brought a sense of insecurity. Skins were needed for cover—essentially “shell-switching.”

Tian Jiu thought about it. Many people recognized his face; to avoid unnecessary trouble, wearing a skin was indeed safer.

“If you are short on funds, you may choose from the free skins provided by the system,” Erguotou suggested helpfully.

Tian Jiu: “…Let me see them.”

The image changed to show three rows of small figures, with two in each row.

The first row featured Buff Alphas (Male/Female). The male Alpha was tall, mighty, and sported a rugged beard; he wore a work vest, and his arms were larger than his own head. The female Alpha was dressed similarly, with short-cropped hair and the same bulging muscles and imposing aura.

The second row featured Betas (Male/Female) in sportswear with average builds and unremarkable faces. The male Beta’s outfit was identical to the look Tian Jiu had used in his previous match. However, since this was an initialization form, he didn’t even have the white coat or syringe belonging to the Physician class; he would only get the corresponding weapon after choosing a class in-game.

Tian Jiu made a sound of surprise and asked, “Wait, why does this initial Beta have shoes?”

In his previous match, he only had shoes after buying them from the squirrel.

Erguotou explained solemnly, “All initial forms have no shoes once they enter the game. This is a special setting, signifying that ‘those who go barefoot do not fear those who wear shoes.'”

“I see, how profound.” Tian Jiu was enlightened!

Erguotou: “Yes. Please continue selecting your initialization form.”

Tian Jiu’s gaze completely bypassed the third row. The two Soft Omegas (Male/Female) in pink plush pajamas and said decisively, “Give me the Buff Alpha male!”

He wanted to experience the 1.9-meter perspective and see what the view was like from up there.

“Understood.” Erguotou immediately equipped the new skin for him and added, “Your real information has been saved to the system. No one has the right to view it unless necessary.”

“Now you may set your virtual information and create your identity card for the virtual capital, Hallworth.”

The identity card had only three simple fields: Name, Age, and Gender. Since pheromones couldn’t be smelled in the virtual city, many people filled in the gender field randomly, and no one took it too seriously.

Tian Jiu quickly filled the three boxes: [Tian Jiu, 18 years old, Male Beta].

Once the information was complete, Erguotou prompted Tian Jiu to sit still and close his eyes.

Tian Jiu complied. Soon, his bracelet lit up with an icy blue light. He opened his eyes as if sensing something, and was instantly stunned into silence.

A metropolis far more spectacular than the Central City appeared before him. Skyscrapers that seemed to touch the sky, a chaotic network of aerial traffic, massive dynamic posters, the noise of laughter and discussion, people of all shapes and sizes…

And most eye-catching of all, displayed high on the exterior wall of the tallest building and occupying the entire surface, was a massive [Gods’ Ranking Board]!

Tian Jiu subconsciously took two steps toward it. As his legs moved, he realized he could feel everything; it was as if he were truly walking there. He could even feel a slight breeze brushing against his cheek, causing his thick beard to flutter.

However, he didn’t have the heart to be surprised by that; he was more focused on the Gods’ Ranking Board.

The board was divided into two parts: the left side showed the current rankings of all professional teams, and the right side showed the top 100 individual professional players.

Although there were thousands of Fengshen teams of various sizes, only 26 could actually make it onto the leaderboard. These 26 teams were the ones qualified for this year’s league.

The team ranked first was Team WIN, last year’s Yahua Star System champions.

Ranked second was Team AS, where Ji Kaile and Luo Yuan were both members, and the runners-up of last year’s system.

******

Ranked last was a team called FOX.

Tian Jiu looked at Team FOX for a few extra moments because every other team showed the number of current pro players. Team WIN, for instance, had over three hundred. But Team FOX showed only one single player.

How strange.

Tian Jiu was curious but didn’t know where to look for data, so he turned to the individual rankings.

Individual rankings were updated in real-time based on a player’s overall performance. After every match even a standard ranked game, a player’s rank would change. On the leaderboard, ranks below 50 were constantly shifting, but above 50, the changes were minimal, with positions only swapping occasionally.

Tian Jiu’s gaze lingered on the name ranked number one. He felt a bit hesitant and confused, so he turned back to the team rankings from a moment ago.

After checking back and forth twice, he finally believed what he was seeing.

[Individual Rank NO.1 —— Team FOX, Feng Wu]

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