071 Training Objectives!

In a small villa nestled within a residential area, a tall, muscular young man lay sprawled on the sofa, hands behind his head, gazing absentmindedly at the ceiling. Though he appeared calm, his mind churned with schemes of revenge. This troubled youth was none other than the Windchaser King, who had been taken offline by Morning Breeze. His original game ID had been Wind God of War, but after joining the national team, the manager insisted he change it. The new ID made it clear he was a professional player for the Windchaser team, and the title of King lent him an aura of dominance.

Yet despite such a commanding name and the skill to enter the national team, Li Sen had been killed by a player he had never even met. He had intended to loot someone’s magical ring, but before he could claim it, he’d been counter-killed. Worse still, the two-headed dragon beast that belonged to the Windchaser team had been tamed by Morning Breeze, infuriating Li Sen. He longed to slaughter Morning Breeze hundreds of times, denying him any chance to log into the game ever again.

Since his rise to fame, Li Sen had never endured such humiliation. Even in world tournaments, many foreign experts feared him. How could he possibly fall to an unknown nobody? Li Sen had always climbed over other professionals—never had he been the one trampled. Was this retribution? Was it just a matter of time?

“Duan Morning Breeze, you’ve crossed me. I won’t let you off easily!” Li Sen rose from the sofa, his eyes wild and fierce, looking almost demonic. Usually cool and composed, Li Sen had never let fans see his anger. If they witnessed his current expression, many would surely flee.

Unable to log into the game, Li Sen headed for the gym to vent his rage on the punching bag. This was how he calmed himself—and brainstormed revenge. In the pro circuit, Li Sen rarely faced adversity; he hadn’t learned the art of diplomacy or how to conceal his anger.

Veterans of society know to avoid making enemies; sometimes, after being tricked, they learn to endure and not vent trivial emotions or go out of their way to explain themselves. The Chinese Professional Alliance was still young, and while there were grudges among players, most were born on the battlefield—not like office politics. Li Sen’s edges hadn’t yet been softened by society; he remained someone who freely vented his emotions.

Captain?

Hearing his phone ring, Li Sen glanced at it—it was Zhang Leishan, the captain of Windchaser. Within the team, only the captain could keep Li Sen in check.

“Captain, what’s up?” Li Sen composed himself before answering.

“Don’t dwell on today. The opponent is a skilled player, and his gear is better than yours. Just be cautious next time,” Zhang Leishan knew Li Sen’s temperament, so he offered no platitudes about letting go of revenge. Instead, he thought Morning Breeze might be a good tempering stone for Li Sen.

“Captain, I’ll get my revenge! I’ll slaughter this guy dozens of times, show him the cost of crossing me!” In past games, anyone who opposed Li Sen never fared well. Even without using the team’s power, he could personally hunt down his adversaries, making it impossible for them to play normally.

Li Sen’s skill was on par with Morning Breeze; he didn’t need numbers like the God War Guild to suppress him. Few professionals impressed Li Sen—Morning Breeze certainly wasn’t among them!

“Revenge if you must, but let me give you some advice: don’t underestimate this guy. If he can get so much good gear, he’s formidable. Treat him as a strong professional,” Zhang Leishan knew Li Sen wouldn’t listen to reason, but at least he might heed a warning. Even Zhang Leishan himself wasn’t confident in beating Morning Breeze, especially in the wild.

After hanging up, Li Sen continued punching, venting his anger.

At the Firewolf team’s base, a human mage in blue robes watched the second-line members compete. His game ID was Magician, real name Wang Jie, captain of the Firewolf team. He’d been with Firewolf for ten years, making him one of the older pros, but even in his thirties, his skill commanded respect.

“Yang Fan, anticipate better! You wasted your spell counter!” Frost Mage Yang Fan and Elemental Shaman Wang Hao were dueling; Yang Fan’s spell counter failed to interrupt Wang Hao’s Lava Burst, wasting the skill’s cooldown. Wang Jie was usually patient, but he was on the verge of cursing—Yang Fan’s counters were consistently poor, easily baited, a professional’s taboo.

“Wang Hao, keep your distance! You let him get too close again!” Elemental Shamans are frail; once approached, they’re in trouble. Their range exceeds that of mages, so they must kite opponents, but Wang Hao always got cornered, especially near the arena’s edge, and failed to use control skills properly.

The match ended; Yang Fan won but wasn’t excited, fearing the captain’s criticism for his many errors—especially his poor use of spell counters. The mage class demands precise skill usage; a master can kite and control effortlessly, but mishandling skills means instant defeat.

Wang Jie gathered the five second-line members for his customary admonition. They expected to head out and grind for levels afterward, but Wang Jie suddenly assigned a special task: “Every night after nine, you have a new mission. Do everything you can to hunt a player named Duan Morning Breeze. Attack together; if you kill him, great—if not, retreat and ensure your survival.”

“Each of you starts with five points. Killing Duan Morning Breeze earns ten points; assisting in a kill, five; being killed costs one. When the professional league begins, whoever has the highest score can play one to three matches with the team. If your score drops to zero, I’ll reconsider your contract renewal!” Wang Jie knew they all wanted to play in the league, but their skill wasn’t there yet. By using a top player to hone their teamwork, assassination, and evasion abilities, he could accelerate their growth.

Wang Jie had wanted them to try when Blood Dragon appeared, but he’d tested its strength himself. Even he couldn’t guarantee a kill, let alone the second-line members. But Duan Morning Breeze, targeted by several guilds, was different—dangerous, but not as monstrous as Blood Dragon, and his survivability wasn’t overwhelming. Five could possibly take him down.

A chance to play in the league? The five’s eyes widened. They’d dreamed of improving enough to join, but never had the opportunity—now it had arrived. They understood this was both a test and a chance to quickly boost their skills.

“Captain, we’ll do our best!” Yang Fan, leader among the second-line, spoke first.

Wang Jie nodded, his gaze falling on Berserker Yu Jiexi. “Jiexi, your opponent is also a Berserker. Watch his techniques, movement, and skill combos. Berserker skills are few, but the right combinations are crucial for explosive attacks!”

Yu Jiexi was the weakest among the group; even the Holy Knight Li Wanyi bullied him. Suddenly singled out by the captain, he was flattered and murmured, “I will.”

Among second-line members, Yu Jiexi’s weakness was well-known; in the world of professionals, skill was everything, and he was always the one doing grunt work. He envied Morning Breeze—despite being a second-rate pro, he played worse than regular players, and his teammates often compared him unfavorably to Blood Dragon and Morning Breeze, making him feel utterly inadequate.

One team member possessed an item for locating players, and once they learned Morning Breeze was in the Dark Marsh, the five set out. They knew his strength—wielding a magic ring and two Brotherhood swords. If he got close, a single burst could leave them all crippled. Even the Windchaser King, a former national team member, had been ambushed and killed by Morning Breeze. They considered him on par with their captain.

As they entered the Dark Marsh, excitement surged. Unlike other professionals who underestimated Morning Breeze, they saw him as a training target and proof of their own ability—if they could kill him, they might play alongside their captain in the league.

With no tank in the team, Yu Jiexi was pushed forward to fill the role. Berserkers with shields had little damage output, and as they cleared annoying mobs, he was frequently blamed. Yu Jiexi was used to it; his mind was on survival during the assault on Morning Breeze, knowing that unless Morning Breeze was controlled, killing him would be nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, Morning Breeze had no idea he was once again being hunted. He was grinding monsters in the Dark Marsh with Cheng Xue and the alchemist Qiu Lan, leveling rapidly. Cheng Xue had gained a level in just over an hour, now at twenty-five, with Morning Breeze’s experience at fifty-two percent toward twenty-six. The fastest to level was Qiu Lan, who had jumped from ten to sixteen—another couple of hours and she’d catch up.

Mudpies in the Dark Marsh respawned quickly, with hordes of monsters—high defense, lots of health, and a plethora of slowing skills, making them hard to kill. Their drop rates were low, usually just copper coins or junk materials, rarely any gear. For Qiu Lan, cleaning them up was fairly easy. But fighting the Dark Crocodiles was trickier—slow, dangerous, but with excellent drop rates. Morning Breeze was focused on fast leveling, so he targeted the mudpies.

Someone’s here! After clearing two waves, Morning Breeze spotted an elven hunter approaching. She vanished into stealth upon seeing him. She moved so quickly that if Morning Breeze hadn’t sensed someone watching, he wouldn’t have noticed.

So soon? With the magic ring in hand, everything became more complicated. Morning Breeze realized he had to eliminate these players coming to snatch his ring—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to level up!