A Person in the League, But It's the Taiwan Server System

"And after negotiating terms? Become the strongest thug under his thumb?"

Chen Ce shook his head, stopped in his tracks, and looked at him earnestly.

"Remember, I want to help you become the 'Emperor' of the Underground Fighting Pit, not a 'General' who is below one person but above ten thousand."

According to the original history, Sett was supposed to climb his way up step by step using only his fists.

To transform from a gladiator into the boss of the fighting pit requires the help of others, but it relies even more on one's own fists.

Blindly clinging to someone else would only ever result in becoming a hired thug.

By beating everyone who refuses to submit into submission and bringing all the gladiators under his command, he could become the true "Emperor of the Underground Fighting Pit."

Just like the original history.

He needed to help Sett develop rapidly, but he must never resort to pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Every action had to be based on his own inherent capabilities.

"I'm just helping you get a head start; the rest is up to you—though this tedious process will be shortened significantly. At the very least, you won't have every bottom-feeding trash heap coming to challenge you anymore," Chen Ce continued.

"You need to maintain a sense of mystery in front of the Underground Fighting Pit's backer, then slowly cannibalize his gladiators—take tonight, for example. Those ten gladiators will only hold respect for you from now on, and they will never challenge you lightly again."

"They might even block unnecessary low-level challenges for you, and you'll be qualified to take a cut of the betting pools for their future matches."

"You must keep following this pattern, and step by step, you will climb to the peak."

Chen Ce had essentially laid out the history of Sett's rise as it happened in the original timeline—though his current approach was a speed-run version compared to the original, the essence remained unchanged. After all, that was exactly how Sett had done it in history.

It was just that Sett was still very young and couldn't think of those things yet; explaining it to him in advance served as a form of "enlightenment," helping him avoid unnecessary detours.

"Hmm..." Hearing Chen Ce's explanation, Sett nodded, half-understanding—he suddenly felt his head itching a bit.

A moment later, he asked another critical question: "You mentioned earlier that you would help me find my... biological father. How should we go about that?"

"I know where he is."

"Oh?"

"He saved up enough money at the Underground Fighting Pit here to 'buy his freedom,' and then he was sent to a higher-level arena to continue fighting—the arena in the capital of Noxus."

Upon hearing this, Sett instinctively clenched his fists.

"In that case... then I'll go to Noxus to find him! And then I'll beat his teeth out!"

"As you wish. That is your freedom." Chen Ce had not the slightest interest in the conflict between father and son; he only cared about one thing—the deal with the other party.

"In any case, I need you to 'recruit' enough gladiators within the Underground Fighting Pit as soon as possible. Later on, I will need you all to do something for me."

Under normal circumstances, this tone, carrying a hint of command, would be an absolute taboo for Sett—his pride was higher than the heavens, and he would never allow anyone to step on his head.

But now, facing this young man of similar age, he felt not a shred of displeasure—he didn't even notice this small detail himself.

He just laughed loudly and extended his fist:

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

The deal with Sett had come to a temporary close.

It was late at night when he returned to the room. A weary Chen Ce was preparing to lie down for some rest, only to find that a certain fox girl had occupied the entire double bed by herself—her nine fox tails were spread out, covering the bed like a quilt.

Her beautiful amber eyes were fixed intently on the Imero Stone in her hands—the pair of gems that might hold the key to the mystery of her origins.

She had maintained this posture for a very, very long time.

She was in this position when Chen Ce left, and she was still in this position when he returned a day later.

"Have you lost your mind...?" He asked with some surprise while clearing a small space to sit on the fox-tail-covered bed. "Don't tell me you haven't slept for an entire day again?"

"Mmm..." Ahri let out a casual sound as a response—she wasn't even listening to what he was saying.

"So, have you discovered anything after studying it for so long?"

"Mmm..."

"Hey, hey, hey? Can you hear me?"

"Mmm..."

"Calling Ahri, calling Ahri, a large bottle of full Corrupting Potion has been spotted ahead."

"Oh..."

Ahri remained in her obsessed state; even her favorite Corrupting Potion couldn't capture her attention.

Seeing this, Chen Ce grabbed her tail and shook it.

Still no reaction.

He gave it a firm rub... still nothing.

It seemed these "symptoms" were significantly more severe than before—previously, if he called her a few times, she could at least communicate normally, but now, she didn't even have the reactions a normal person should have.

"You really have lost your mind..." Chen Ce extended a hand and waved it in front of her. "You haven't rested in a long time, and you haven't touched food or water either. If this continues, your body is going to have problems."

"..." Ahri silently tilted her head to avoid the large hand blocking her view.

"Hey, hey, hey?" Chen Ce followed suit, moving his hand over and continuing to dangle it.

This time, Ah Li didn't tilt her head to dodge.

She simply...

Bit down on it directly.

"Hey...!" Chen Ce hurriedly pulled his hand back.

At the same time, he noticed the dense bloodshot veins in her eyes—she was truly possessed, looking exactly like a hardcore gamer who had pulled ten consecutive all-nighters just to climb from Iron to Bronze.

How could Ah Li even trigger a blood rage?

"You've really lost your mind..." Chen Ce rubbed his bitten palm, already planning to take some forceful measures. "Let me ask you a question: what is your name?"

"Ugh..." Ah Li glared at him fiercely, a threatening low growl rumbling in her throat—she seemed to have guessed that he might be trying to snatch her Imero Stone.

She looked exactly like a puppy guarding its food.

And guarding food is a very, very bad habit.

As her master—er, bah, her boss—Chen Ce felt it necessary to help her correct this bad habit. The elders back home always said that a puppy that guards its food needs to be disciplined.

If he didn't stop her now, she would likely hug that pair of Imero Stones and starve to death in bed.

"Give the Imero Stone to me," Chen Ce said in a commanding tone.

Ah Li still didn't reply, only continuing to emit that warning sound, even baring her two small fangs.

Seeing this, Chen Ce didn't hesitate and reached out to grab them.

With the blessing of Gale, his speed was far greater than hers.

In the blink of an eye, the pair of Imero Stones was in his hands.

Ah Li was stunned for a moment, then immediately lunged at him viciously.

Fortunately, Chen Ce was prepared—his other hand had been resting inside his coat the whole time, just waiting for this silly fox to pounce.

Pop~

A thick, hard object was shoved squarely into Ah Li's open mouth.

Immediately after, the liquid contained within gushed out.

The fox girl's eyes widened instantly. She wanted to resist, but that strong hand gripped her wrists like iron pincers.

She could only make "woo-woo-woo" sounds while being forced to gulp down the potent liquid.

A moment later, the liquid was finished, and Chen Ce gradually loosened his grip.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Ah Li, having choked a little, coughed violently.

But... she didn't seem as angry anymore.

Or rather, she hadn't been angry to begin with; she had truly been possessed—due to the extreme overload of magic power, combined with some... strange factors.

"You drank a whole large bottle... consider that an advance on your wages for the next two days, alright?" Chen Ce shook the empty bottle in his hand, unsure whether to feel worse for the possessed Ah Li or the wasted Corrupting Potion.

"This Concubine... was just now...?" Gradually coming to her senses, Ah Li realized how bizarre her behavior had been.

"You seemed to have lost your mind." Chen Ce showed her the pair of Imero Stones before tucking them into his cloth bag. "I'll keep these for you for now and return them once you've fully recovered... Speaking of which, what exactly did you see in those Imero Stones to make you so frantic?"

"This Concubine... this Concubine..." Ah Li thought for a while, looking dazed, then shook her head with a pained expression. "This Concubine seemed to see... a pack of foxes... Icefield Snow Foxes... the pack that brought me to forage... and then things from even further back... about the person who left me alone on the icefield... that figure... it was so blurry..."

As she spoke, Ah Li squeezed her eyes shut, curling into a ball as if she had seen something terrifying.

"This Concubine wanted to see that figure clearly... but... I couldn't... something was stopping this Concubine... preventing me from touching the truth that was right within reach... my head hurts so much..."

"If you can't think of it, then don't think about it for now." Seeing the girl in such agony, Chen Ce quickly changed the subject: "Let's talk about the plan for the next few days... things here are basically resolved, and the intelligence has been sent to the Resistance Army. I plan to continue on my way."

"Continue... okay..." Ah Li remained curled up, leaning against the headboard as if she were ill. "But... this Concubine... feels so unwell right now..."

"I can wait for you to rest before we set off. Time isn't that tight yet, it's fine, you don't need to rush."

"Th-thank you..."

Ah Li gradually buried her head in her arms, looking utterly miserable.

Chen Ce wasn't in a rush to map out the next route, so he took a moment to tidy up the messy bed and, as usual, consciously "drew" a dividing line on the mattress.

Today, Ah Li didn't mention "borrowing his tail as a blanket"—her condition was poor, and her mood was low.

Chen Ce said nothing more, silently extinguishing the candle on the table before lying down in his designated spot.

"Get some rest."

"Mm..." Ah Li's weak response echoed in the darkness.

A moment later, she slowly lay down as well.

"Um... Chen Ce, could you sleep a little closer tonight... just like the fox pack rests at night... back then, we would huddle together for warmth on the icefield... it makes us feel safe..."

For once, she didn't call him "Boss." Her voice sounded cautious, revealing a desperate longing, like a poor snow fox abandoned by its pack, craving warmth in the middle of the frozen wilderness.

"Alright." Chen Ce didn't refuse, shifting half a body's width toward the fox girl—now, half of his body was pressing over the dividing line.

"Is this okay?"

"Still not enough..." Ahri's tone remained humble, yet it seemed to carry a hint of "greed."

"Alright then." Chen Ce shifted a little closer to her.

But before he could ask if it was enough again, several large, fluffy tails suddenly wrapped around his body.

Immediately after, his body began to slide across the bed.

Until he felt the girl's warm body heat.

Then, the remaining fox tails draped over them, wrapping the two up like a soft quilt—the feeling of sleeping under the same covers.

In this way, a large portion of their bodies was pressed together.

"This... is enough..."

Irelia: He must be thinking of me, right?

"Good morning, Boss~!"

The next morning, the moment Chen Ce opened his eyes, he saw that flawless, beautiful face almost pressed against his own.

"Did you sleep well last night? Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast?" Ahri smiled, looking cute and enthusiastic, a completely different person from the despondent figure of the night before.

"Hmm... if you ask so many questions at once, I don't know which one to answer first..."

Chen Ce slowly propped himself up to a sitting position and gave a comfortable stretch.

"Then let's start with the sleeping!" Ahri looked expectant.

"As for the sleeping... it was very comfortable." Chen Ce said sincerely.

Ahri's tails were soft and fluffy; covering himself with them was both warm and breathable, not stuffy in the slightest. No expensive bedding could compare to such an experience.

Besides that... because the two had slept pressed against each other, he could still smell the faint, natural fragrance on Ahri's body. It was alluring without being vulgar, a soft, clear scent that was incredibly conducive to sleep.