The Elf Badge

"Awesome!"

"Attack!"

"Block them!"

"Get him!"

"No way!"

"What a crazy play!"

"Those two are incredible!"

The internet café was abuzz with people watching a computer match of Warcraft.

"Haha! Yes! Victory!"

The match had lasted only half an hour before it ended decisively. Just as everyone had expected, Huang Long, hailed as the Warcraft King, had won.

As the renowned Warcraft King, Huang Long was known throughout the university district. At every internet café in the area, anyone who played Warcraft knew just how skilled he was. One-on-one, playing against him was pure torture. And unlike those other experts who relied on speed, he would wait until his opponent had amassed a full army and was feeling most confident. Then, with a few flawless maneuvers, he would wipe out the entire force in no time. He would let them build another army, then crush it too, leaving them utterly devastated. Few dared challenge his skill.

"Haha, I won! Boss, didn't you say you'd give me the badge I picked out if I won? A deal's a deal!" Huang Long picked at his ear and looked at the portly internet café owner, a pleased smile tugging at his lips.

He had spotted the badge on the owner's counter. It was beautifully crafted, with a massive throne engraved on the back and a handsome elf on the front. Huang Long's favorite Warcraft faction was the Night Elves, so he had fallen for the badge at first sight.

After Huang Long had pleaded and pestered him endlessly, the owner had agreed to give him the badge if he could use the Night Elves to beat the owner, who would also be playing as the Night Elves.

Huang Long was very confident in his gaming skills, and the Night Elves were his favorite faction, so he had accepted without hesitation. That was how the match had come about—and it had drawn a big crowd.

Only after facing off against the owner did Huang Long realize that the big, friendly man, who usually kept a low profile, was a Warcraft expert. Even Huang Long had only just managed to beat him.

Huang Long secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn't toyed with his opponent like he usually did. Maybe it was how badly he wanted the badge, but he had started laying down all sorts of contingencies from the very beginning. That was why the owner's army had crumbled so completely in the decisive battle.

Thinking of that, Huang Long broke out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't wanted the badge so badly, he might have lost through carelessness. That would not only have damaged his reputation, but probably cost him the Night Elf badge as well.

"I'll give you the badge, of course. You're pretty good, kid. I didn't expect you to be this strong!" The portly owner wiped the sweat from his brow and gave a wry smile.

With that, he stood up and retrieved the box containing the badge from a drawer behind the counter.

"Damn, I only stepped away to use the bathroom, and you spotted it before I could put it away. What bad luck!" The owner grumbled, his belly full of resentment.

"Well, what can I say? The badge and I were meant to be. You and it just crossed paths, that's all." Huang Long put on a disappointed look, acting like a typical sore winner.

"Maybe you really are meant to have it!" The owner laughed at that. But Huang Long was too busy admiring the silver badge to notice the mysterious glint in the eyes of the helpless-looking owner.

"Well, boss, I'll get going." Huang Long saw how reluctant the owner looked and grew wary, afraid he might ask for the badge back. He hurriedly made an excuse to leave.

Watching Huang Long hurry off, the owner's disgruntled expression suddenly settled. He gazed after him, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long while, the owner finally came to his senses and murmured, "At last, I've found someone suitable. I wonder if it'll work this time."

The next day, people discovered that the busiest internet café in the university district had put up a sign saying it was for sale. They couldn't help but be astonished. The café had always been packed—how could it possibly be closing?

"How do I use this thing? It's kind of strange. There's some inexplicable pull to it." Huang Long turned the silver Elf Badge over and over in his hands.

Huang Long had been an orphan in this world. But ever since high school, he had never taken another cent from the government. He felt he could already support himself and shouldn't ask the government for help; that money should go to people who needed it more. So from high school onward, he had studied while working, eventually scraping his way into a third-rate university. Years of working had given him a very mature outlook.

Later, he discovered he had a talent for Warcraft and entered quite a few competitions, winning a good amount of prize money. He had wagered money or items like he had today plenty of times, and he had won far more often than he had lost.

"This thing is pretty interesting. I wonder how that internet café owner got it. Maybe he had it custom-made." Huang Long mused quietly as he unknowingly reached the entrance to his dorm building.

"Rumble!" Thunder boomed overhead.

"Is it going to rain? Oh no, the bedding on the rooftop!" Huang Long suddenly remembered and hurried toward home, racing up to the sixth floor.

"Good thing it hasn't rained yet. I'm pretty lucky!" Huang Long reached the rooftop and saw that the old man had not brought the rain after all. There had only been a few distant rumbles of thunder.

"Damn you, you bastard! You scared me!" Huang Long flipped the sky off and complained, "You made me run all this way!"

"Boom!" A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck Huang Long squarely in the chest—right where he had just tucked the silver Elf Badge.

"Ah!" Huang Long cried out, then fell silent. He was gone from the rooftop.

In the void, two figures stood and gazed at the spot where Huang Long had vanished. They smiled. "That means we've finally fulfilled our last responsibility. We've done all we could."

"Mm. Let's leave it at that. We've already sent the first three on their way. Now all we can do is wait and see what happens," the other figure replied softly.

Then the two figures turned into wisps of shadow and disappeared.

His First Steps in Another World