A Man Standing Between Heaven and Earth Cannot Long Remain Beneath Another

A faint sound of the door opening came from outside, and a tuft of white fur poked in first.

Then, a white-haired young man walked in. His gaze fell on the diary on the table, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face.

"Why didn't Aunt Temari put my diary away for me?"

He muttered to himself. This diary meant a great deal to him. After all, it had been his treasured companion for many years, and he had even planned to pass it down someday.

Mu Fengyu complained unhappily and casually tossed the diary onto the bed.

He cheerfully closed the door behind him, unaware that the diary was quietly floating above the bed in the breeze blowing in, as though lamenting its loneliness and helplessness.

After leaving the bedroom, he found himself facing a spacious recreation room. The room was filled with an array of snacks, their colorful packaging gleaming beneath the lights.

At the center of the room stood an obviously expensive leather chair, its surface soft and smooth, seemingly capable of drawing in anyone's gaze.

Yet the most valuable thing in the room was the seemingly ordinary helmet resting on that chair.

Mu Fengyu had specifically asked a friend to make it. There had been fifty in total, all intended as gifts for his other companions in the game. By now, everyone in the guild had received one.

The helmet could pick up on the user's subtle fluctuations and capture the commands they wished to convey. It was an extremely advanced gaming device. Most importantly, there was no need to plug a data cable into the back of one's neck anymore.

Back then, Mu Fengyu had fiercely resisted having one of those installed in his neck. Fortunately, there was no problem in this world that money could not solve. If there was, it simply meant the money was not enough.

Mu Fengyu picked up the helmet, put it on with practiced ease, and leisurely reclined in the comfortable chair.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then a command emerged from his mind.

In an instant, a massive game icon appeared before him: a towering tree with lush branches and leaves, as though it contained endless vitality and power. Nine enormous shadows could be seen upon the tree—the nine realms of Norse mythology.

As the giant tree gradually drew closer, Mu Fengyu felt as though he had been sucked inside it. A character selection screen appeared before him.

His gaze landed on an unusual character displayed on the interface.

The character's upper body was that of a beautiful young girl. Her green hair flowed vividly around her, radiating vitality and youth.

However, her lower body was an exotic plant woven from countless vines. Her pale blue skin was covered in strange brown markings.

A diamond-shaped gemstone was set into the girl's forehead, glimmering with mysterious light.

Beside her floated a hollow blue magic orb, as though it were whispering of some unknown magical power.

Although the girl's upper body was beautiful and captivating, terrifying giant mouths would occasionally emerge from the roots beneath her, ruining the overall harmony of her appearance.

This was the character Mu Fengyu had painstakingly designed based on the Traptrix race. She possessed the ability to switch between two forms.

In the game, this character could transform into a horrifying plant tangled with roots, catching enemies off guard.

For her default form, Mu Fengyu had specifically chosen the mage path. She could provide traps and firepower support from the back line, while barely assisting her companions with several decent buff skills.

Her second form was an offensive mode specially enhanced for attack and speed. Its drawback was that it was too fragile to maintain for long, and it could not benefit from the special effects granted by equipment. It could only be used as a trump card.

As the light surrounding the character gradually faded, Mu Fengyu quietly closed his eyes.

When his vision refocused, a bird-headed humanoid was standing before him, studying him with a strange look as though judging his appearance and temperament.

The creature was even saying something horrifying like, "Brother, you smell so good." While he was not paying attention, Mu Fengyu threw a punch straight into his abdomen, right around the waist.

Bang!!

The commotion drew the attention of the others chatting nearby, and they all turned to look.

The tremendous force sent Peroroncino spinning twice across the ground before he finally stopped. Although World Tree had no pain feedback, every man present took a step back at the sight of his miserable state.

If this had not been a game, that guy would probably have had to say goodbye to one of his kidneys. Mu Fengyu blew on his fist and turned to the other companions.

"Well, it seems everyone's here. Did you all come specially to cheer me on and witness me claim the glory of today's King of Duels?"

Mu Fengyu waved cheerfully at his companions, and they returned his enthusiasm with polite greetings.

"The competition will begin in half an hour. Let us send our champion to the arena first."

Touch Me, clad in gleaming silver armor, swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke in a clear voice.

Ulbert merely snorted disdainfully.

"Isn't it because someone suddenly logged off at the critical moment, forcing all of us to lend him our long-hoarded cards? Otherwise, with Hane-san's skill, he would already be handling this with ease."

There was a teasing edge to Ulbert's words, but they also revealed his deep trust and expectations for Mu Fengyu.

At that moment, a zombie with a yellow talisman pasted over its face and dressed in Daoist robes stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Ulbert-san, today is Hane-san's birthday, and it is also the championship match for the King of Duels. Let Hane-san finish the match first, then we can judge Touch Me-san together for betraying our trust."

Though he was trying to stop Ulbert, he did not doubt Mu Fengyu's victory in the slightest. Everyone knew that this event had been organized by Mu Fengyu himself for fun. How could ordinary players compete against a GM personally entering the match?

This bizarre zombie in Daoist robes was Whitebrim, who had joined the guild later. His race was Zombie, and his classes were Mage LV10, Celestial Master LV10, Talisman Master LV5... Race Levels LV25 and Class Levels LV100.

Naturally, Mu Fengyu had designed this bizarre class as well. A Chinese zombie paired with purple robes—how cool was that?

At this moment, Peroroncino, who had been knocked to the ground, staggered to his feet and angrily walked up to Mu Fengyu.

"Hane, you've gone too far. Our friendship of so many years almost ended with that one punch. You have to compensate me properly."

"No money, no life. Figure it out yourself. ←_←"

Mu Fengyu crossed his arms, glanced sideways at Peroroncino, and sent a mocking expression as he spoke.

Peroroncino, however, happily leaned close to Mu Fengyu, draped one arm over his neck, and whispered.

"I found a new cave dungeon. It has the item you've been looking for, and there's also a hidden monster farming spot inside."

"Interested in tentacles and succubi?"

Having said that, he waited for Mu Fengyu's reaction. Mu Fengyu merely slapped Peroroncino's hand away and declared righteously.

"I have drifted through life for half my days, never meeting a worthy master. If you do not reject me, I am willing to take you as my godfather. This is not the place for formalities. Once our conversation is over, we can discuss the dungeon in detail. (◍＞◡＜◍)"

Although they seemed to be quietly plotting, in a game, anything that was not a private message could be heard.

Bukubukuchagama immediately flew into a rage and knocked Peroroncino to the ground, all while repeatedly apologizing to the others.

Bang.

"I'm terribly sorry. My little brother has made a fool of himself before everyone."

Smack.

"As his older sister, I apologize on his behalf."

Bang, bang, bang.

"Honestly, Peroroncino, hurry up and apologize."

As she spoke, she grabbed Peroroncino by his bird head and repeatedly smashed it into the ground. They really were biological siblings—someone who was not related to him could not possibly beat him like that.

It seemed the slime race knew a thing or two about fighting as well.

After being beaten for a full half minute, Peroroncino finally exploded. With a burst of strength, he escaped Bukubukuchagama's vicious grasp.

He stared at his biological sister in horror. Seriously, if he had not been certain she was his sister, he would have suspected he had been adopted. How else could she treat him like this?

"It's fine, Bukubukuchagama-chan. We're all companions here. No one minds."

"Yeah, yeah."

The companions around them began trying to calm Bukubukuchagama down, but there were always a few terrible friends who wanted to enjoy Peroroncino's misery—such as Mu Fengyu, Ulbert, and Momonga.

"Peroroncino, don't be afraid. You're a shooter class. Can't you beat Bukubukuchagama?"

"Exactly. A man standing between heaven and earth cannot long remain beneath another. Go on, we believe in you."

Bukubukuchagama, who had already stopped, charged at Peroroncino again upon hearing those words, intending to show him exactly who stood at the top of the household food chain.

After stirring things up, Mu Fengyu cautiously positioned everyone in front of him and quietly used an official item to head to the competition grounds in Jotunheim.