[Grandmaster! Grandmaster, how am I supposed to live without you?!]
[Where's the Data Monster been lately? Why haven't we heard anything from him?]
[Factory Director's playing dirty—he's got the Data Monster on a monthly subscription...]
[Grandmaster! You're my god!!]
[Does anyone know what this Mini Game is for?]
The livestream chat scrolled by like rushing water. Some viewers had noticed the conversation between Factory Director and Xu Cheng and were curious.
But most players didn't know much about it, so naturally they couldn't offer any real answers.
Meanwhile, Xu Cheng had already clicked Start.
This Mini Game was simple: all you had to do was dodge the obstacles falling from above—
Of course, the obstacles gradually sped up until they were coming too fast for anyone to react.
It pushed players right up to the limits of human ability.
This was a ridiculously brutal Mini Game.
Xu Cheng found it fairly easy at first, but after Level 5, he began to take it seriously.
Then came Level 6, Level 7, Level 8...
"Is he done yet?"
Factory Director had been rubbing his hands together, unable to wait. His excitement had been building with every level Xu Cheng cleared, like someone storming through one challenge after another.
Fuck.
This inhuman Mini Game was famous throughout the pro scene.
He'd tried it once during S5, and his reaction speed had topped out at Level 9.
His fingers had only made it to Level 7.
That score had caused quite a stir at the time.
But supposedly, Uzi had reached Level 13 in both categories, a record that still stood at the top of the entire LPL.
As for players from other regions, like Faker, the game wasn't widely available there, so Factory Director didn't know how they'd done.
Based on plenty of experience, though, everyone agreed that Li Ge could have made it to Level 15 at his peak.
The question was, how far could Xu Cheng get?
Watching Xu Cheng sit there without moving for so long, Factory Director was getting restless.
"Is he done yet? He could've played two rounds in this amount of time... Is he playing one life at a time?"
"That can't be right. Knowing him, he wouldn't waste his time like that..."
"Holy shit, did he really not lose a single life and just keep going until now?"
The more Factory Director thought about it, the more worked up he got. By now, he could barely hold himself back.
Just as he was about to break his usual rule and interrupt Xu Cheng to ask how he was doing—
[Done.]
Holy shit!
Factory Director perked up, asking almost reverently: [How'd it go, bro? What level?]
[What level?]
Xu Cheng rubbed his wrist, which had been twitching wildly just moments ago. It was still a little sore.
[Maybe Level 18? Did the game end there? There weren't any more levels after that.]
?????
Factory Director felt his chest tighten, and for a moment he even stopped breathing—
Level 18!!
Eighteen!!
The game had twenty-four levels in all, but ever since it came out, no one in the LPL had managed to get past Level 13.
Even Faker was only estimated to have made it to Level 15.
The version Factory Director had sent Xu Cheng was the original build, which ended at Level 18.
Had he seriously beaten the whole game?!
Fuck!!
At that moment, Factory Director saw stars. His blood seemed to run cold, and goosebumps rose all over him.
[What's wrong? The version you sent me was incomplete, right? Was my score not very good?]
Xu Cheng sounded a little puzzled.
By the later stages of the game, he'd actually been struggling for once. At the very end, he'd nearly been hit by the obstacles several times.
More importantly, it turned out this was an incomplete version—
What did that mean?
The full version had to be harder, with even more levels.
Was I just bad?
Even this incomplete Mini Game had been a struggle.
"Huh? Not very good?"
Seeing that straightforward question, Factory Director was completely stunned.
Bro, with a score like yours, you still thought it wasn't good?
If that didn't count as good, every player in the LPL might as well buy a block of tofu and smash their heads against it!
But Factory Director had already decided how he was going to handle Xu Cheng.
So—
[It was okay, I guess. So-so. I'd say average!]
[Bro, it's harsh, but I have to say it: your talent really is pretty average!]
"Phew..."
Xu Cheng let out a long breath, sounding a little dejected.
[So that's how it is?]
[I knew it. I don't have much talent. I can't even do well at an incomplete Mini Game.]
Factory Director's eyelids twitched twice, but he kept up his stern tone.
[Actually, that's not quite true. You do have a tiny bit of talent, bro. Of course, just a tiny bit...]
[Last time, you said those pro players were really strong. How far behind them am I right now?]
Xu Cheng remembered that Factory Director had said last time that, as a hardcore LOL fan, he'd studied a lot of pro matches.
[Well, you're a long way behind those pro players.]
[Like you said, they make a living from this. Even the weakest players in the secondary league have much more talent than you!]
Sigh!
Xu Cheng let out a long sigh.
He'd expected as much.
But he hadn't thought his talent would be this lacking.
Then again...
He'd hardly ever played Rank in King Rank, so it made sense...
Xu Cheng thought it made sense, but the countless viewers in the livestream chat, along with Xi Ye and the others—who'd already made a deal with Ming Kai—were all losing it.
[Pretty average talent]
[I don't know what Grandmaster was playing just now, but judging from Factory Director's pervy grin, he's PUAing my Grandmaster again!]
[Calling the Data Monster's talent average is ridiculous. With his talent, he could crush a whole crowd of players!]
[Worse than the secondary league? Sure, buddy...]
[Hahaha, I'm dying. The Data Monster actually seems to believe him...]
"????? Level 18, bro! Eighteen!"
Xi Ye glared, then swore furiously. "How can Ming Kai say something as bullshit as 'pretty average talent'?"
"That's ridiculous. With reaction speed and fingers like that, even Faker might not be able to keep up!"
"We're doomed, guys. I think we just invited a wolf among us. The LPL's never going to know peace again..."
It was one thing if Xu Cheng never went pro. But if he did, and got used to the Professional Arena, he might become a giant shark that devoured people whole.
Another Demon King?
Factory Director seemed to feel a little guilty about lying so shamelessly to such an innocent, clueless kid.
Mostly, he was worried he'd discouraged Xu Cheng too much.
So he tried to soften the blow: [Of course, bro, you're still a really fast learner. I can vouch for that!]
[Anything else? If not, I'm logging off.]
Xu Cheng sounded listless.
[Don't go!]
Factory Director panicked.
Lately, he'd clearly sensed that Xu Cheng didn't really want to hang out with him anymore.
He was getting tired of him.
How could he let Xu Cheng get away?
[Here's the thing. We've played together for quite a while now, and I've seen how fast you're improving. You haven't played much Rank before, have you?]
[How about you give it a shot? Let loose, see what your limits are, and try to reach National Server First?]
First of all, thanks so much for all your votes. I'm really touched!
And... today my editor told me that I can't update this much during the new-book period, or it'll throw off all the recommendations and the book won't get much exposure. So I can only update twice a day from now on...
But don't worry too much. I'll be building up a stockpile soon. You've all seen the recent updates—five chapters a day is no problem, and there'll only be more in the future!
I hope you understand. I'm bowing my head in thanks!
Thump, thump, thump!
Before you continue