Archenemies

"So, did you find out anything?" Anya, wearing frameless glasses and with short hair, asked casually as Angel walked back.

Although she is not very old, Anya is a veteran in the entertainment industry. She started acting in movies and TV series when she was twelve years old. Now at twenty-two, she has been in the entertainment industry for ten years and has a calmness and composure that is not commensurate with her age.

Angel pursed her lips, shrugged, and sat down, a look of disdain on her face completely different from her previous expression. "Just a bunch of brainless fans. The only one I'm somewhat worried about is that Xiao Yu; I have a bad feeling about him."

Anya glanced at her. "What? You're quite cunning?"

"No, I can't yet gauge the depth of his cunning. The problem is, he seems too calm. He's completely unmoved by beautiful women. If we were on the field, this guy definitely wouldn't hold back."

Beside her, a woman with long, straight black hair and a mature, sophisticated air smiled slightly. This Keleiqi, Angel of Death, the only member of the Angels group whose skill level could be described as that of a professional gamer.

"I'd much rather have a real fight with them. We've trained so hard, and our skill combinations are top-notch. Even if it really comes down to a fight, our Angels duo might not lose to them. Don't you think winning that way would be more meaningful?"

"What's the point of fighting and killing? If we can win easily, I think it's better to win easily," said Isabella, who had long, bright red curly hair, languidly.

"Yeah, yeah, I hate fighting the most," said Odina, struggling to finish the calorie-free ice cream in her cup.

After speaking with Angel, Xiao Yu led his group into the lounge area and found an empty table to sit down.

Hey, good morning.

Someone came over to say hello. Xiao Yu glanced at them and saw that this time it was five young men and women wearing the same style of sportswear, four men and one woman, all wearing dragon-shaped badges on their chests. It was obvious that they were from the Dragon Covenant.

These guys look quite professional; even their outfits are matching, so you can tell at a glance they're a professional esports team.

"Would you mind if we sat together?"

Xiao Yu shook his head, and the people opposite him sat down together.

"You guys are from the Immortals Studio, right? We're from Dragon Clan Studio. We're the ones who founded Dragon Covenant. I'm Rod, my in-game ID is Ancient Black Dragon Sirod. And those guys over there are Red Dragon Dumas the Elder, Bronze Dragon Little Dingdang, Blue Dragon Aolanduer, and Fairy Dragon Beatrice. We used to play in Dragon Soars Age, and our guild was called Dragon Clan. We only came to Sky World two years ago."

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "So it's them." He had heard of the Dragon Clan before; they were a fairly well-known guild.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Xiao Yu said, introducing his team members as well.

"You guys are an independent studio? Wow, that's really impressive. I thought you used to work for a professional studio."

"More or less. Although I'm not in a studio, I've been a professional gamer for seven or eight years."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious. In comparison, Xiao Yu preferred dealing with these kinds of professional gamers.

"By the way, I saw you guys chatting with the Dynamic Angels earlier. Speaking of which, the Dynamic Angels are a formidable opponent this time, with eight Skull-level bosses all of them. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Xiao Yu shook his head. "I really don't take Dynamic Angels seriously. No matter how high their level is, it's useless. They are completely different from us professional players. I think the most difficult opponent in this competition is Naiser. If I had to say who can stop me from winning the championship, it would be him. -- No offense intended." Xiao Yu added at the end.

Rod shook his head with a wry smile. "No, no, we know our own strength. To be honest, our chances of winning this competition are really slim. Although we're not weak, we're far inferior to you freaks. I watched your match the other day, and I have to say, it was absolutely explosive. And to be honest, Naiser is a bit of a bug. Hmm, could it be that person?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately followed Rod's gaze and saw a man standing at the entrance of the hall, looking into the room with a slightly confused expression.

He wore a black leather trench coat, his hair was slightly messy, and he was handsome, even charmingly wicked. However, his prominent forehead made him look a little arrogant, and there was a faint smile on his lips, as if he didn't care about anyone.

"That's right, it's him, he's Naiser," Xiao Yu said almost subconsciously to himself. The man seemed to sense something, turned around abruptly, and looked at Xiao Yu. Between their eyes, something seemed to explode like a spark.

--Of course, this is from a more artistic perspective.

But what actually happened was...

Xiao Yu glanced at the person over there, and the two looked at each other, then awkwardly looked away.

The man walked straight towards them.

"Azathoth?" he asked, with a very certain tone.

Xiao Yu nodded. "Naiser?"

The man nodded slightly. "I watched your match, and I must say, it was very exciting."

Thank you.

"You're welcome. I'm stating the facts, and there's another fact I must say: I'm destined to defeat you." Naiser's eyes shone with unwavering confidence and a touch of childish arrogance.

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "This person is clearly the kind who thinks he's the protagonist of a novel, has an extremely high self-esteem, and has some genius talent, so his confidence is off the charts."

And what's with this dialogue that sounds like it's between rivals in a shonen manga?

However, Xiao Yu wasn't the type to be completely serious, so he replied in a serious yet incredibly chuunibyou-esque tone, "I've never believed anything is predetermined. In this world, destiny can only be in your own hands. If you want to defeat me, hmph, come on then! I'll show you who the protagonist of this story really is!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Naiser was not angry at all; instead, his eyes shone with excitement and fervor. "Then let's wait and see. This battle will surely be the talk of the world." After saying this, he nodded slightly, not even glancing at the others, and turned to leave.

"Weirdo," Leah Bloodmoon whispered to the others.

Rod, however, said with an admiring tone, "To become a top player in the game, one should naturally possess some extraordinary qualities."

Naiser seemed to have come alone. He found a seat, put on his headphones, closed his eyes, and started listening to music. The others tactfully refrained from joining in.

At this moment, a figure appeared in the hall. Although it was slightly different from the one in the virtual world, Xiao Yu still managed to pull himself out. It was Liu Wei, the GM of the game company.

"Welcome everyone. You are all winners of the group stage and the strongest in this gaming feast. It is an honor to have you all here. Before introducing the content of today's meeting, I need to introduce someone to you."

As Liu Wei spoke, he turned around and gestured for a middle-aged man in a plaid shirt and glasses to enter. He walked in with a friendly smile. "Hello everyone, it's a pleasure to meet you all. My Zhang Haian. You can call me Old Zhang or Brother Haian, it's up to you."

Everyone looked puzzled, wondering what this guy did for a living.

Liu Wei explained, "Mr. Zhang Haian is a professional betting expert—and also the bookmaker for this Demon King Tournament."

The room fell silent as soon as he said that. The bookmaker and the contestant meeting? What did that mean? Could it be that—! A thought immediately popped into Xiao Yu's mind.