The Esports Little Demon King Is a Sweet and Fierce Omega - Chapter 5

The FOX team had only one person, yet that person was the number one individual player?

How bizarre.

In theory, any team capable of accumulating enough points through major and minor tournaments in the first half of the year to break into the top twenty-six for the League should never be a one-man show. It wasn’t as if every single teammate decided to pack their bags and quit the moment they qualified for the finals, right?

No matter how he sliced it, it didn’t make sense.

“New here, aren’t you, brother?”

A somewhat familiar voice pulled Tian Jiu out of his thoughts. He turned his head and realized he’d run into an actual acquaintance.

“Carrying Girls?” Tian Jiu asked.

The moment he spoke, he realized his own voice had been disguised as well, becoming coarse and deep.

The man, “Carrying Girls to Rank Up,” walked toward Tian Jiu. His physical appearance wasn’t as terrifyingly gargantuan as it was in-game, though he still looked to be about 1.9 meters tall. His gear hadn’t changed. He still wore that heavy steel armor but he wasn’t carrying his machine gun.

Hearing Tian Jiu call out his game ID, he looked surprised. “Eh? You know me?”

Thinking back to his disastrous performance in the match, Tian Jiu was too embarrassed to reveal his identity. Instead, he said, “I’ve watched your matches.”

“Well, that’s a coincidence!” The man replied, pleasantly surprised. “But I’m just a Bronze-tier player, and I’m not even that good. I can’t believe you actually remember me.”

Tian Jiu nodded. “I watched the match you played against the AS trainees. You were the strongest-looking one among them.”

“I see, that explains it then.” The man, who went by the name Old Zhao, was naturally friendly. He glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying them any mind, he leaned in and whispered, “Then you definitely saw the final scene, right?”

Tian Jiu paused. “Which scene?”

Was it the scene where they surrendered decisively, or the one where they were mocked to their faces?

“Oh, you know! The one where that little Omega crushed Shadow’s pistol with his bare hands!”

Tian Jiu nodded. “I saw it.” I lived it.

“I knew it. That clip is still pinned at the top of the Fengshen forums. Any player worth their salt has seen it.” Old Zhao sighed, tucking his hands into his sleeves with a look of admiration. “I wonder where that little Omega is. Shadow’s had a bounty on him for days now.”

“What?!” Tian Jiu was startled.

It was just one pistol! Shadow was being way too petty. A bounty? Was he planning to offer Tian Jiu’s life as a sacrifice to the gods of fallen weaponry?

Old Zhao patted his shoulder and said earnestly, “You’re new, so you don’t understand. Those two pistols were the ultimate reward from the last trainee tournament. There are only two in the entire game. Now that one is crushed, it’ll cost a fortune to repair. The League rules state that in-game losses are the player’s responsibility, so obviously Shadow wants someone to take his frustration out on.”

“What!” Tian Jiu was shocked. “Doesn’t the gear just auto-refresh?”

Old Zhao laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong. Only starter weapons auto-refresh. In Fengshen, who uses starter gear besides newbies? Even my machine gun is a permanent weapon I had to pay for, let alone pro players like them.”

Tian Jiu suddenly felt his wallet tighten. According to this logic, if his skills weren’t up to par, wouldn’t he lose a weapon every round? His two hundred million could be wiped out in minutes at that rate. Unless he stuck to starter weapons, but those couldn’t possibly compare to the paid ones.

Heavens, Tian Jiu thought. Finding a team to reimburse my expenses is an urgent priority!

“Brother, don’t call me ‘Carrying Girls’ anymore. That’s just my game ID. My identity card ID is Old Zhao, just call me that.”

Tian Jiu pulled his thoughts away from his dwindling funds. “Old Zhao.”

“Yeah. And you are?”

“Tian Jiu.”

“Tian Jiu? Which characters?”

Tian Jiu showed him his identity card.

Old Zhao’s tanned face went through a kaleidoscope of expressions. He looked at the name “Tian Jiu,” which practically smelled like a sweet Omega, and then looked at the 1.9-meter bearded “Buff Alpha” avatar standing before him. He was speechless.

After a long pause, he gave a dry laugh. “Well, that’s… nice. Subverting expectations is very popular these days.”

Tian Jiu nodded absentmindedly, ignoring the awkwardness. “Old Zhao, I want to learn more about Fengshen. Where should I go to find out?”

When he searched on the Star-Net earlier, it said he could only access game info from within Hallworth. Now that he was in, he still didn’t know where to look.

“You can see it on the Star-Net,” Old Zhao explained. “The reason you couldn’t find it before is that you hadn’t registered a Hallworth identity card or bought a membership. These elites love their ‘bundled marketing.’ If you want to see Fengshen news on the Star-Net, you have to be registered in Hallworth and pay for a membership.”

Now that Tian Jiu had a virtual identity but no membership, the virtual city was open to him, but game permissions and discussions remained locked.

Following Old Zhao’s advice, Tian Jiu spent another 100,000 Star-Coins on a one-year membership.

The moment the payment processed, the world before him underwent a radical transformation. The virtual city became even more prosperous. Buildings that were previously unmarked now sported massive signs—game centers, match halls, and various entry points. Some allowed viewing of live matches and replays, others for participating in different ranked tiers, and some for watching streamers…

The biggest change was that Tian Jiu could now see the World Channel.

Massive virtual screens floated in the sky, scrolling through endless messages: people looking for teammates, people confessing their love, and people promoting themselves to find “CP” partners. It was dizzying.

Old Zhao pointed to a pinned post in the bounty section and laughed. “See? Shadow is offering 10,000 cash just to find that Omega.”

Tian Jiu: “…” I’m only worth 10,000?

Suddenly, the crowd around them began to stir. People were running excitedly toward the streaming hall.

“Hurry! Feng Wu just started a stream!”

“Ahhh! I have to get a front-row seat this time!”

“God Wu! Hubby! I’m coming!”

Feng Wu? The rank one professional player?

Before Tian Jiu could react, Old Zhao grabbed his arm and started dragging him along with the crowd. “Move it, brother! You’re lucky today. You actually caught God Wu’s stream!”

They ran like mad. Since both were 1.9-meter-tall hulks, they easily pushed past smaller players and made it to the very front. Tian Jiu’s thick beard whipped around in the wind, plastering itself over his face. He could barely see, let alone breathe.

What kind of skin is this!

Free stuff really is garbage!

I’m taking this off as soon as I can!

Struggling against his own beard, Tian Jiu followed along and finally collapsed into a seat in the auditorium five minutes later. After a frantic effort to smooth his facial hair, he looked up and gasped.

The entire arena, with over ten tiers of circular seating, was packed. It was a sea of people, many of whom were clearly Omegas. In the center of the hall was a massive game field, though the match hadn’t started yet.

Last time, Tian Jiu was down there playing; now, he was finally a spectator watching from above.

Old Zhao rubbed his hands together, his face glowing with excitement. “This position is great. We can see the whole board from here.”

While the arena was full, those who couldn’t squeeze in had to settle for watching from home or local hubs via virtual projections or the Star-Net.

Old Zhao opened his own Star-Net and entered the stream page. A dazzling armory of weapons appeared. He shared his screen so Tian Jiu could see as well.

Tian Jiu was momentarily blinded by the golden glow of the weapons. Then, he saw the real-time viewer count on the stream and felt a pang of jealousy. “As expected of the number one player. Such incredible popularity.”

He had been the most popular player in his previous life too, but his highest viewer count was only around 50 million. Feng Wu’s count had already rocketed past 60 million before the match even started, and it was still climbing.

Then there were the comments scrolling at lightning speed which mostly “Hubby, I love you”—which was a far cry from the “Wuhu, mama wants to hug you” comments Tian Jiu used to get.

Tian Jiu was jealous. Seriously jealous!

Old Zhao didn’t notice the bitterness. Instead, he happily shared some trivia. “That’s right. Feng Wu might have a personality that isn’t exactly ‘likable,’ but his skill and charm are undeniable.”

“Not likable? Why?” Tian Jiu asked curiously.

Old Zhao gave a mysterious smile. “You’ll see in a minute.”

Tian Jiu became even more curious, but his attention was quickly drawn to the armory. The strange swords, daggers, guns, and staves… every single one of them smelled like money.

Suddenly, a light cough echoed in his ears.

Then, a deep, magnetic voice spoke: “Good afternoon.”

“!!!”

Tian Jiu’s breath hitched. His heart did a little somersault.

Heavens, that voice is so nice!

He sounds like a total heartthrob!

The arena erupted into uninhibited screaming. Men and women alike were losing their minds with a fervor unique to fangirls and fanboys.

Old Zhao shook his head in wonder. “As expected of a Super S+ Alpha. Just three words and the Omegas are swooning.”

Tian Jiu’s mind was still replaying that voice; he didn’t even hear what Old Zhao said.

“What should we play today?” Feng Wu asked nonchalantly. The armory on the screen began to scroll, showing even more weapons. The comments section sped up.

[Hubby, play Swordsman! I want to see you flourish the blade!]

[Sob, when can we see a Physician? I want to see Hubby in a white lab coat.]

[Wizard is good too! Hubby in that wizard skin with glasses is to die for!]

[Hubby is the most handsome no matter what he plays! But an Elf would be even better~]

“Hmm? No one wants to see a Cannoneer?” Feng Wu chuckled. “Then I’ll play Cannoneer.”

With that, he decisively chose a heavy shell-gun and clicked to start a solo game.

Tian Jiu: “?” The voice is nice, but why does he sound like he needs a good smacking?

“See why he isn’t ‘likable’?” Old Zhao chuckled. “He’s just a brat. He never lets anyone have it their way.”

Tian Jiu felt that deeply and nodded in agreement.

Wait—what was the solo game mode?

Suddenly, the previously empty arena center transformed into a dense, lush forest. It featured hills, rivers, swamps, monsters, supply points, and various types of cover. The terrain was rugged and resembled a giant maze.

“What is this?” Tian Jiu asked in surprise.

This map didn’t look like the 5v5 tower defense he had played; it looked more like a battle royale.

Old Zhao explained, “This is the solo game mode. A hundred players are randomly dropped into the map to eliminate each other until only one remains. You know the annual Fengshen trials? Those are individual battles, and this is the game mode they use.”

The trials were a rite of passage for every pro player. Even trainees raised by teams from a young age had to pass the trials and secure a rank to become a true professional. For someone like Tian Jiu, he would have to enter the trials first and hope a team scouted him based on his performance.

“I see.” Tian Jiu made a mental note. After the stream, he would definitely research the details.

“The game is about to begin. All players, please prepare,” the familiar mechanical voice announced.

“Countdown: Three, two, one. Start!”

As soon as the words fell, the map changed. Towering, thick trees appeared on the field. Since Tian Jiu and the others were in the third tier, they felt as if the canopy was casting a shadow over them. At the same time, a tall, upright figure appeared in the forest.

He wore black cargo pants and combat boots. His hair was dark and thick, and he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He had one hand in his pocket while the other easily held a massive shell-gun.

“We’re watching Feng Wu’s stream, so we only see his perspective,” Old Zhao said, putting away his projection and focusing on the field.

Tian Jiu bit his lip, his eyes shyly following Feng Wu’s back. He suddenly felt the man wasn’t quite so smackable anymore.

Feng Wu lazily glanced up at the sun, then turned his head toward the camera.

“!” Tian Jiu gasped. His heart actually skipped a beat.

Those sharp features, that high bridge of the nose, those sexy thin lips, and those deep, piercing black eyes… Coupled with that nonchalant expression, Feng Wu looked like a masterpiece of the Creator. Ordinary mortals couldn’t even customize a face this handsome!

Tian Jiu felt his resolve was wavering!

He declared right then and there: he was now a hardcore fan of Feng Wu’s face! Hardcore!

Feng Wu only spared the camera a brief glance. Then, under the gaze of tens of millions, he stretched his arms, kicked off with his long legs, and climbed a massive banyan tree in a few swift motions.

Then… he actually just lay down on a branch, closed his eyes, and went to sleep?

“Damn,” Old Zhao said, heartbroken. “He really knows how to flex!”

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