Chapter 32: The Professional Tournament You’re Preparing to Enter

Following her, they meandered through many corridors, passing swimming pools and lounge rooms along the way. But when the gym came into view, her eyes lit up with excitement—so much so that she walked straight into the “No Entry” barrier with a loud clang, leaving the air thick with awkwardness.

After brushing off the embarrassment, Hua Tian arrived at the door of the private suite where the two women were waiting. There, she watched as the female bodyguard knocked and announced, “Miss, they’ve arrived.”

A familiar voice answered from within, “Understood.”

The door opened slightly, and Han Qianyu peered out at Hua Tian.

“Slaughter Queen—oh, I mean Hua Tian, why are you only here after an hour? Are you looking down on me and my sister?”

Hua Tian looked at the petite beauty before her, whose expression seemed to say: “You’re finally here, we’ve been bored, so I’ve just been observing from the sidelines, being on my best behavior.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I just had something to eat and lost track of time,” Hua Tian replied, using her index finger to touch the tip of her nose sheepishly, apologizing for making them wait.

“All right, let her in, sister,” came a voice from inside.

“I know,” the other replied.

Hua Tian saw the door open wider and stepped in. The female bodyguard closed the door tightly behind her.

She glanced around. The room was circular, its diameter more than a hundred meters. At the center sat a woman—Han Qianyun—sorting through documents. In her slender hands was a thick book. Hua Tian was startled—surely she didn’t intend to finish that in one sitting?

Han Qianyun spoke first, “Let me explain something, and please don’t get upset. Originally, I had no intention of bringing you into the pro team, but you gave me a Void-level crafting manual. At the time, I think I made you vice-captain, didn’t I? Most of the team’s resources are tied to you. To put it plainly, Han City’s development is almost entirely your doing. In the game, you didn’t know who I was—just that I was ‘Captain Han’ of the Han Crown team. I never told you I was the team’s captain. Now, I’ll say it: I am the heir to the Han Group. You’re about to enter the pro circuit. Is there anything you’d like to say?”

Hua Tian nodded; she had already guessed at Captain Han’s identity, but now it was confirmed.

“I’m practically clueless about the pro circuit. Could you explain what it entails?”

Han Qianyun had expected some surprise, since he’d never seen her personal information before.

“Of course. The pro circuit is the highest level of team play—I think I’ve mentioned this before?” She watched as Hua Tian nodded, then shook her head vigorously. The room suddenly felt awkward and silent.

“Well, perhaps it was when you first joined the team. Never mind, let me explain again.

“In the pro circuit, all enemies are zombies. Players must also guard against each other. Entry isn’t based on level or strength—it’s proportional: mages and warriors are at an 8:2 ratio. Everyone has only 100 HP; two or three hits from a boss zombie and you’re dead. I don’t even need to mention the boss zombies—one hit and you’re sent to the pro-exclusive ‘black room’ to wait for the revive skill. Even a few scratches from lesser zombies can finish you off. Scoring is odd: if you’re above intermediate level, you score low, but your skills are more than twice as strong as at the beginner level. Beginners have it best: minor zombies give one point, leader zombies two, and boss zombies five—five points! Can you believe it? Sorry, I got a bit excited—come back, come back, you two… Ahem. For players above intermediate, minor zombies are worth one point, leader zombies one and a half, and boss zombies two—even though their skill power is vastly higher than beginners’. In the pro circuit, all usable item skills, equipment skills, personal skills, pet skills, complete pets, potions, and charms are allowed. Some banned items, like revival coins or forced loot drops, can’t be brought in no matter what. Compared to team mode, the pro circuit’s difficulty is fixed—neither drops items, but the pro circuit offers generous honor rewards. Basically, any items or gear from solo or team modes are thrown into the pro circuit for their grand debut. Team mode can be entered endlessly—there’s no reason to waste resources just to show off your wealth.”

“When the pro circuit starts, a game mode is chosen at random. For survival, there are two scenarios: one life until death—after dying, you’re invincible but can’t attack, only help teammates avoid zombie hordes and wait for revive skills. Or survival with the chance to be revived by teammates. There’s a rescue mode, but that’s hardly ever activated—I only know it involves rescuing virtual characters in the toughest missions. In defense, you’re given a city to protect, surrounded by endless, ferocious zombie hordes. Everyone fights for the highest score. Escape is trickier—there are various conditions, none officially detailed. You can try team mode to get a feel for it.”

After listening, Hua Tian asked, “Captain Han, I’ve never played team mode. Will that affect my coordination with you in the pro circuit?”

Han Qianyun waved her hand.

“No, you might get a bit lost at first, but otherwise it’s fine. Your coordination with your teammates in solo mode isn’t much different from team mode; only your base strength might be a tad lower. For example, every time I team up with you, I feel like strangling you, you know? We always end up facing max-level monsters or ones above level 8, and everyone except you dies—damn!”

Hua Tian recalled the past two months, running into the Madblood Desert Serpent King. Even when activating the “No One Behind” skill, the monsters, for some reason, would flee as soon as she used it. It was exhilarating to watch, but triggering that skill required all teammates to die first.

“No, no, I was just testing skills. That passive skill is pretty nice!”

Han Qianyu chimed in, “Oh? And what did you discover? That with immense power, you stand at the pinnacle of strength?”

“Except that this power only manifests after watching us die…”

“Those were accidents. They died first—it wasn’t my fault. Xiaoyu and Liu Wei always stayed behind; every time, Liu Wei would drag her away, and it was always those two who got ambushed by monsters first. After enough sneak attacks, they got used to it. The rest of you don’t team up with me, claiming I’d ruin your kill count, but as long as I kill the monsters, everyone on my team gets the credit.”

“But by the time you finish them off, we’re long dead and have missed the window to claim half the kill points. Even after reviving, I can’t figure out why monsters prefer killing everyone except you,” Han Qianyu retorted, her reasoning impeccable—after all, she was the one always reviving, and with her wealthy older sister, it hardly mattered.

Han Qianyun interjected, “Forget it. When you’re strong enough to kill above level 8, and you can do it without triggering that passive by letting us die, then we’ll team up again. You have that skill where, after killing a monster zombie, it fights for you—I just wonder if that’ll work in the pro circuit. When the time comes, let’s go try it together.”