The Weakest Captain

The brothers Fuyanni and Billy the Kid, found a guesthouse in Morning Light County and booked rooms for everyone. The next day, they were to head to Daji Town, which was near the county seat, to register.

The preliminary rounds of the first knightly tournament were set at the entrance of Shibazi Flagpole Alley in Daji Town. There's a landmark building there—

--These are marble statues left behind by a group of pioneers from Nine Realms four hundred years ago. The statues depict the scene of ancient laborers cultivating the geyser. To commemorate their brave and fearless ancestors, the statues have been preserved and have become a famous internet-famous photo spot.

That evening, Coach Shasha sat on the small bed in the guesthouse room and asked the team members to get to know each other, familiarize themselves with each other's elemental composition, and explain the preliminary selection schedule and format.

"Then let's follow the standard procedure. I've never led such a new team before."

To be fair, Shasha is a very professional coach. It has participated in the Best Moon God Cup three times, and its best result is the top 48. It just so happens that it led the team out of the division and into the final round where they were eliminated in the first round.

"This isn't our first meeting. Everyone has introduced themselves. Now, I want you to talk about your strengths and weaknesses—you go first, Hao!"

Xiao Hao immediately stood up from the bench, glanced around at his peers, then held his breath and shouted loudly.

"I'm twenty! Young! And I can fight!"

Shasha used a rolled-up newspaper as a pointer. "Very good! Very energetic! And then?"

Hao Bro continued, "Well, the downsides are that he's not very smart, lacks experience on the field, and is easily impulsive and loses his temper."

Shasha: "You're a psionicist. Tell me about your combat skills and transformation stages."

Hao Bro immediately stood up and proudly declared, "I've transformed into a pupa, and my combat skills are A+! Teacher Meteor praised me, saying I'm a genius!"

Shasha: "Alright, go back now. You were so cocky—next one."

Daniel pulled Hao Bro back onto the bench, then stood up and nodded to his teammates, showing great politeness, though it also seemed somewhat redundant and cumbersome.

"At twenty-one, in the metamorphosis stage, his combat skills are still A+—all thanks to the guidance of his gunsmith instructor, because at this age, even Assistant Instructor Bu Liuxing only received an A rating."

"That's enough," Shasha, his forehead creased with exasperation. He had no idea where this kid got so much talk from. "Duo Hun, you can go back now—next one."

Kaycee then stood up. "Twenty years old? I'm not that good. I'm still a nymph. My combat skills are only C, but I'm very fast! I'm very agile!"

"You run really fast? How fast?" Coach Shasha asked, puzzled.

Kaycee explained with a grin, "I can run the 100 meters in under 9.1 seconds, and the first 30 meters in just 2.8 seconds! That's on par with the top sprinters in the mortal world!"

"Wow! That's an amazing talent!" Shasha's eyes lit up, and she took out paper and pen to write it down carefully.

Psionicists' elemental energy output and reaction speed far exceed those of ordinary people; individuals like Kaycee, whose talents are entirely focused on running, are extremely rare.

"If you go all out, how long can you run?"

Kaycee looked embarrassed. "I've never tried running non-stop. I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my throat after running just over 500 meters."

Shasha nodded. "So, in a state of extreme speed, your stamina can only be maintained for a maximum of one minute?"

Kaycee glanced sideways and said, "Maybe."

Shasha: "Great! Next! Time for Fries!"

Liu Xiaomin slowly stood up and replied in a soft tone.

"I have already transformed into a cocoon."

Upon hearing this, the two boys present looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Hao Bro screamed in shock, "What the hell?!"

Daniel's pupils dilated, but he remained silent.

Hao Bro pressed on, "Just two months ago you told us you had just emerged from your pupa!"

"That's a conservative estimate." Xiao Min pursed her lips, unsure what to say. "Has anyone ever told you to hide your strength and make a fortune quietly—not to casually reveal your true stage of transformation to others?"

Coach Shasha immediately raised his hand and pointed at all the team members present.

"Please tell me your actual data, and it's best not to hold anything back! That would make my job much more difficult."

After confirming with the little ones again, Xiao Hao and Daniel were not lying. Kaycee's face turned purple, but she only separated a tiny bit of spiritual energy from her physical body—it was indeed the transformation stage they had reported.

As for Xiao Min having reached the cocooning stage, it is a remarkable achievement for someone her age to reach the fourth stage of transformation.

Aside from extreme cases like Xue Ming and Liu Xing, Robert Tang Ning is currently also stuck in the metamorphosis stage.

Hasben Madison began to emerge at the age of twenty and became a butterfly at nearly twenty-one.

If we were to rank talent levels like in a gacha game, Xiao Min would be at least an SR-level character for Ming De. A psionicist like her is extremely rare in the entire underworld.

However, the environment also affects the number of psionicists. In the past, when the Madness Butterfly ran rampant, psionicists matured early and aged prematurely. They grew up quickly but died young. They might not even have time to grow up before becoming sacrifices to cultists or being used as offerings in the hands of cultists.

Many other psychics who weren't originally that powerful have more opportunities to interact with the Phantasms in peacetime, so there should be more and more people like Xiao Min.

"My specialty is knightly combat skills, and my combat skill is A-level—not as good as these two boys. My hand-to-hand combat skills are weaker than my shooting skills. I'm not sure exactly how weak they are, because I've never been on the field before."

Liu Xiaomin spoke very slowly, as if afraid that Shasha wouldn't have enough time to remember.

"In the school's knightly tournament course, the mock exams are out of 120 points, and I can get around 107 points. The points I lose are all related to quick reaction problems, such as self-preservation, emergency rescue, defense and counterattack in the event of a sudden terrorist attack, etc."

"My personality makes me less sensitive. It's like whatever happens around me seems normal to me. When I'm hit by a flashbang, I don't even have time to turn my back or cover my eyes immediately. By the time I realize there's danger, it's too late."

Xiao Min felt a little embarrassed when talking about these things.

"That's it, my weakness is being a beat too slow."

She then hurriedly offered an explanation, trying to cover up this shortcoming.

"But as long as I gradually get used to the environment and find my rhythm, my classmates who have fought me a few times know this: they might be able to beat me to a pulp at first, but after a few minutes, I won't be so easy to take down. After a few more minutes, they won't be able to beat me anymore."

Shasha muttered, "He's a slow starter."

"Hmm!" Xiao Min suddenly laughed out loud, "Aunt Hong and Dad said that I'm not very smart, like boiling water, I don't make any noise until the water boils."

"Very good, Fries, you explained it very well! Next!" Shasha called out, "Miracle Bro, it's your turn!"

"Oh," Qi Ji stood up. Compared to his older brothers and sisters, he seemed more like an outsider.

After several seconds, he couldn't utter a single word. He tried to find some expertise in himself, but it seemed that nothing he said would be appropriate.

"I'm 87% complete in the pupal stage, and I should have 13% more experience left to reach the cocooning stage. I'm seventeen years old, not yet an adult."

"I'm wondering if I can bring my household registration booklet to the Moon God Cup competition, because my temporary ID card expired two months ago."

"Wow!" Shasha exclaimed, "You're the first person to compete with their household registration certificate."

"Ha," Qi Ji chuckled dryly, "Hahahaha. Is that so?"

Shasha perked up immediately. "It's okay! Relax! Young man! Although I'm your coach, you're probably much, much older than me! I'm not even thirteen yet! I also have to bring my household registration book and animal quarantine certificate to participate in the competition, and I even have to wear a pediatric quarantine sticker."

"Hello, Coach!" Qi Ji immediately felt much more relaxed.

"Hello to you too!" Shasha gave Qi Ji a high five. "Tell me about your special skills!"

Qi Ji rubbed his fingers together and began to speak slowly and gently.

"My ability is quite special; I can run six games simultaneously. My spirit form is very scattered, with little power, but many, many strands of spirit."

Before he finished speaking, two hands emerged from Qi Ji's arm. The shape of those hands was very unstable. As soon as they touched the air, the clump of threads made of spiritual silk immediately turned into strands of rope, transforming into about twenty more supple and powerless fingers.

"They're not very strong, only good for the keyboard and mouse, but they're very sensitive, allowing me to do many things at once. I can think and collect a lot of data simultaneously."

Qi Ji glanced at his teammates' expressions; none of them had any objections, genuinely regarding this spiritual energy as a talent.

"I don't know what role these things will play in Best's arena; at least in the realm of fighting, I'm a complete novice."

"Wait a minute! Miracle Bro!" Shasha interrupted, "You just said you can feel your own transformation progress? Is that right?"

Qi Ji: "Yes."

Shasha then pressed on, "How was that 87% calculated? Can you see your own experience bar?"

"I just like doing it this way," Qi Ji quickly explained. "I like to digitize things in life. It makes things simpler and more intuitive, and it can make a lot of complex things concise and easy to understand—that's what the Phoenix did too."

The "Phoenix" here refers to Teacher Su Ling's Soul Power; she is also known as the "Phoenix" among VIPs.

Similar to Su Ling's psychic abilities, Miracle Bro also possesses this talent.

He can clearly perceive his own psychic abilities and has remarkable Inspiration, possessing an eye for discerning true data.

He's practically a genius, capable of executing tasks with a six-core, multi-threaded approach, simultaneously trash-talking and achieving godlike status.

But can these abilities really be applied to the Moon God Cup knightly tournament?

It wasn't just Qi Ji; the other team members shared this thought.

Is this little boy really capable of handling real-world physical challenges?

"Exceptional ability!" Little Shark showered praise on the youngest team member, "You should be the captain!"

Qi Ji: "Huh?"

Not only was the little brother shocked, but the other older brothers and sisters also looked quite surprised.

The gunsmith, who was squatting by the door talking to his wife and letting his children know they were safe, also twitched his brow.

Xue Ming deliberately turned around and looked at Shasha again, and saw a firm and determined heart in Shasha's eyes. That kind of confidence doesn't lie. It has always been an excellent decision-maker. If Shasha insists on making Qi Ji the team leader, then it means that this team should be led by the youngest brother.

For the participants of the Moon God Cup, the most crucial core member of a team is not the strongest one, but the weakest one.

The pressure and fear this person has to endure are unimaginable to the other team members. As the weakest link in the team, he not only has to bear the targeting of opponents, but also has to face the pressure from his own heart, the blame from his teammates, and the differential treatment from the audience and the coach.

Only inner strength can forge an invincible warrior. This point was covered in the knight's combat skills course. A warrior's most important weapon is his fighting will.

The key factor in determining victory or defeat is destroying the enemy's fighting will.

In a state of confusion where neither side understands the other's fundamental composition, let alone possesses a thorough understanding of the enemy or the ability to win every battle, it is often the side with the stronger fighting spirit that ultimately tips the scales of victory after repeated probing, understanding, and encounters.

This fighting spirit will be worn down by all sorts of negative emotions, and dimmed by infighting, jealousy, blame, and pressure.

Even Morpho butterflies, if they lose their fighting spirit at any moment, will expose their Gate of Death without reservation, either by being impatient for quick success and revealing their vulnerabilities, by blaming others and losing their fighting spirit, or by being fearful and weak and surrendering on the spot.

At this moment, Shasha wants to promote Qi Ji to the captain's position, because the clever little shark has led many, many teams before.

--The students from Galahad are all pampered canaries, caged birds.

A Hao only knows how to charge forward; he's an excellent penetrator and might become a clutch player.

Daniel's heart is too full of anything else; he only focuses on himself. He's a very pure person and could become an excellent attacker.

Kaycee Gerrard reacts quickly, but the girl is like a squirrel; any slight disturbance can affect her and change her thinking. She can't filter information or filter out noise. She can fulfill the duties of a sentinel, but she can't be a team leader.

Xiao Min is always a step behind. Her excellent psychic talent and combat skills make her a solid support for the team, at least providing a backup option. She can stay in the center and use her outstanding combat skills to engage the enemy in the second instance. However, if she were to command other members, she would probably bring this slow-moving habit to every teammate.

Qi Ji had never been in a fight, let alone knew how to fire a gun. He had excellent overall vision and, when discussing his strengths, he was always paying attention to the expressions of others, showing great concern for his teammates' instantaneous state. He was the weakest and the youngest—he was equipped with the special items used in the competition, such as the Universal Elixir aerosol, spray, and bullets.

He could become an excellent field medic, able to oversee the entire operation from a safer location without directly confronting the enemy.

Therefore, Shasha insisted that Qi Ji could only become the captain, and only he could become the captain.

The teams were positioned according to their roles and rankings from previous years' Best Moon God Cup, forming a classic formation.

Hao Bro is position one. Daniel is position two. Xiao Min is position three. Kaycee is position four.

Qi Ji was ranked fifth, which in other teams would be considered a support role, responsible for logistics, first aid, battlefield medics, and vehicle driving. On the field, he was half coach and half logistics team member.

Every club and every team uses this ranking system, trades players with each other, and each player has a different role.

As the sixth member, the coach works with the gunsmiths, blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and psychologists in the support team to help the contestants win the competition. With wealthy backers, the team will also have Michelin-starred chefs to improve the contestants' meals, and there will be all sorts of strange and wonderful benefits.

Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only five players battling it out on the field; there are probably dozens of people waiting on the sidelines, specifically to serve these star athletes.

Qi Ji felt as if he were hallucinating.

"I'll be the team leader?"

Shasha: "You're the one!"

"I want to be the captain!" Hao Bro said immediately. "Can I? Coach, do you think I can?"

Shasha: "You can twist the rope, that's fine as a morale booster, but the captain has to let Miracle Bro do it."

"Why?" A Hao asked, puzzled.

Daniel didn't understand either. "Coach, I think..."

"Shut up! I don't care what you think! I care what I think!" Shasha's face darkened, revealing sharp teeth. "I'm the coach, and you're the coach? Now I'm going to use my authority. If you're not happy about it, you can ask that uncle at the door who's having a sweet phone conversation with his wife, and hear what he thinks!"

Xue Ming turned around and gave a Thumb.

"Boss! I'll listen to you!"

Shasha immediately pulled out a palm-sized team logo from his bag with a smug look on it. It was blank, seemingly intended as a gift for the sponsor to use as a trademark logo.

It slapped the team emblem hard onto Qi Ji's arm, and the Velcro immediately snapped onto the cotton shirt on the boy's arm.

"In this team now, besides me, you're the oldest!"