Chapter 185 Guild Tournament

Chapter 185 Guild Tournament

Twenty minutes later.

Gala had been waiting in the lounge at the end of the corridor for a long time, but Qin Fei still hadn't returned. Finally, unable to contain his impatience any longer, he got up and headed towards the restroom to look for him.

The door to the restroom was wide open. Compared to the bustling crowd outside, very few players had come to the rest area, making the restroom eerily quiet. A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air, probably from some kind of air freshener, which smelled quite pleasant. Gala couldn't help but inhale deeply.

The room was empty.

Did Xiao Qin leave early?

Although they had just been troubled by the Butterfly Guild, Gala wasn't particularly worried that Qin Fei would be caught under their watchful eyes.

This confidence stemmed partly from his trust in Xiao Qin and Q's abilities, and partly from Black Feather's overwhelming dominance over the Butterfly Guild on the guild rankings.

Taunting and playing tricks were private matters.

However, if the Butterfly Guild really kidnapped Qin Fei, it would be an entirely different matter, giving Black Feather ample reason to declare war on them.

With the guild tournament approaching, the Butterfly Guild had set its sights on climbing the rankings this year. They wouldn't be so reckless as to do something like this.

He must have left on his own.

Gala exited the restroom and returned to the lounge.

As he turned around, a glimpse out of the corner of his eye caught two unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar figures walking away from him towards the main hall.

...

Night fell, and more and more players arrived at the guild tournament gathering point.

Central City was not short of entertainment venues: amusement centers, internal activity areas of various guilds, player trading markets... all of these places were bustling with lights and sounds, offering a variety of entertainment options.

But the guild tournament gathering point was different.

This designated event area opened only once a year, and missing it meant waiting another grueling 360 days.

—360 days, who knew if one would still be alive then!

Therefore, even though the activities within the gathering point were common elsewhere, players still flocked here eagerly.

Among these activities, the most popular was undoubtedly the casino.

"Live it up tonight, indulge in revelry!!!"

Huge projection letters and dazzling lights were cast into the sky, mini gold coins and ribbons sprayed everywhere. The stern-faced NPC waiters in suits and vests walked among the players, offering free unlimited drinks, successfully pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

When Qin Fei and the Contamination Source entered the casino, many players were already red-eyed from gambling.

After losing their initial chips, they could only use other items to settle their debts: props, points, all the assets that couldn't normally be traded directly could now become shiny chips and gold coins in the casino.

A drunk man holding a handful of colorful chips stumbled towards them.

Qin Fei had changed his appearance again after leaving the restroom; now, he appeared as a pale, frail teenager standing at only 1.7 meters tall.

The Contamination Source held him close, pulling him into his arms just as the drunk man nearly bumped into them.

The drunk man, having aimed for a while, missed his target.

Unable to take advantage of the pretty boy, he raised his head in dissatisfaction and glared at the tall man. However, when he met those deep, endless eyes, he suddenly froze.

An eerie sense of fear, like a tsunami, swept over him, destroying everything in its path.

The drunk man seemed to see a vortex appear before his eyes, distorting his vision, thinning the air, and shattering all sounds and lights around him.

His already flushed face quickly turned a liverish color, his eyes rolling back, gasping like a fish out of water.

His throat felt like it was stuffed with an egg, blocking both inhalation and exhalation.

The drunk man clawed at his throat with his hands.

Despite the crowd around them, the players passing by seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall, none of them looking over.

The player's drunkenness suddenly vanished!

Who on earth is this person? The player screamed silently in his mind.

Skills and props couldn't be used in Central City, so he didn't know what the person in front of him did to achieve such an effect.

But clearly, this was not someone he could provoke casually.

One minute.

Two minutes.

The player's expression grew increasingly pained, blood rising in his throat, his heart pounding like a drum.

His consciousness became hazy, his vision darkening. Just as he was about to lose consciousness completely, the force restraining him suddenly released.

"Huh—"

He took a deep breath.

The drunk player fled without looking back.

Qin Fei paid no attention to the silent confrontation that had erupted around him.

He was engrossed in observing the bustling scene inside the casino.

Within Central City, the existence of any building need not adhere to the laws of physics. Thus, this small underground casino boasts an incredibly spacious dome.

When Qin Fei descended the stairs earlier, the square he passed was entirely flat. Yet, by height calculations, the casino's ceiling should have extended far above ground level.

Qin Fei looked up, and through the curved glass, the stars seemed within reach, as if he were standing atop a mountain at an extremely high altitude.

Qin Fei marveled, "The power of the system is truly magical sometimes."

It effortlessly breaks the scientific framework that humans have spent hundreds or even thousands of years establishing.

The man beside him snorted, expressing his clear displeasure at the casual praise of the system from the person in his arms.

Qin Fei tilted his head up and saw the man's slightly aggrieved jawline: "I can do it too."

Though they shared the same pair of blue eyes, the way he looked at Qin Fei was entirely different from how he had looked at the drunk passerby earlier. The clear blue sea now rippled with gentle waves.

The Pollutant was tall and broad-shouldered, with long legs, making him a standard double-door refrigerator in the human world.

Qin Fei himself wasn't short, standing over 1.8 meters tall. Though he didn't quite match the Pollutant, he could still stand eye-to-eye with him.

But now, he had changed his appearance.

The boy's overly slender frame made his glare completely harmless. His sea-blue eyes reflected his expression; his eyebrows slightly raised, paired with the upward tilt of his eyes, almost seemed flirtatious.

Qin Fei silently withdrew his gaze for a moment.

"Would the two players like to play a game?"

A waiter approached with a tray, smiling broadly as he handed chips to both Qin Fei and the Pollutant.

An NPC waiter with a sour face actually smiling was more attention-grabbing than the drunkard.

Several gazes fell upon them, and their curiosity grew when they saw unfamiliar faces.

Qin Fei took the chips without changing his expression and walked deeper into the crowd.

Someone called out, "Hey, buddy, want to play a round?"

Qin Fei ignored them.

After absorbing the third fragment, the Pollutant informed Qin Fei that the energy he now possessed was sufficient for him to appear among players and NPCs like a normal person in the next instance.

"To better master this ability, I will stay in Central City until the next instance begins."

The Pollutant spoke earnestly, his arm around Qin Fei's shoulder familiarly, his embrace warm.

Qin Fei: "..."

I don't believe a single word you're saying.

The Pollutant finally had a chance to come out openly, and it would be a pity to go back so soon.

And indeed, Qin Fei wanted to gather some information from the outside world before the team competition began.

The two decided to take a lap around the banquet hall, leading to the scene just now.

"Boom!"

"Open, open, open!"

"You go down, I'll take the next one!"

"No more playing, let's go have a drink outside?"

Various shouts and calls filled the air, making the gambling room noisier than a market.

Amidst the countless conversations, Qin Fei suddenly caught a slightly different voice.

"...The Guild Tournament is different from other live broadcasts. Last year, I was genuinely part of a team."

"The limited time for last year's Guild Tournament was forty days. This year, it might be more or less."

They were talking about the Guild Tournament.

Qin Fei became interested and followed the sound. Passing several intense gambling tables, he saw four or five players gathered around a resting table at the edge of the room. A pitcher of beer sat on the table, and the bearded man in the center was speaking animatedly.

"In the Guild Tournament, all registered guilds enter the instance together."

"Each guild can enter up to ten people at once, with a total of fifteen slots. As long as there are fewer than ten people in the tournament, replacements can be made anytime."

Qin Fei had only agreed to join Black Feather two hours ago, and Lu Cheng hadn't had time to tell him these details yet.

Qin Fei sat down not far from their table, propping his chin on his hand, listening with interest.

"Due to its duration, the Guild Tournament instance usually has a well-developed world setting, allowing players a high degree of freedom to explore."

The man held his glass high as he expounded.

Just as Qin Fei was getting engrossed, the player suddenly stopped talking.

He looked past everyone and gazed far toward Qin Fei.

"Hey, buddy," he chuckled, but his smile wasn't very sincere, "you've been listening for a while. What do you think?"

Qin Fei blinked.

It seemed he wasn't pleased that Qin Fei was eavesdropping?

Qin Fei smiled and replied, "I think what you said was very good."

The player's hand wavered, nearly dropping the wine glass.

Normally, when someone is confronted like this, they would either get angry or put on a forced smile. He had never seen anyone as shameless as this person, who seemed to climb up the pole without any hesitation.

The player scoffed and took a few steps forward.

He finally got a clear look at the newcomer's appearance.

The excessively handsome young man sat smiling in the lounge chair, his slender back straight, and his star-like eyes fixed on him without wavering.

Those eyes were so clear that the player couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

"..." Coming back to his senses, he frowned.

The young man didn't seem like someone with much strength. With such an appearance, if his level was even slightly higher, it would be easy to remember him.

Just like that highly anticipated new powerhouse who attracted a large number of fans after only two live streams.

It was the male player in black behind him who looked more like a master.

But clearly, the master wasn't listening to their conversation. His hands rested on the armrests of the chair, head tilted back, and eyes closed, as if resting.

The player understood.

Most likely, this was a high-level player from some guild, casually bringing along a little canary for entertainment.

Such canaries rarely stayed long by the side of the big shots, but ordinary players generally gave them some face, albeit just a bit.

"I'm Yi Lie," the player grinned, the stubble on his cheeks pushing to the sides, making him look very cheerful. "How about a bet?"

His gaze fell on the stack of untouched chips between Qin Fei and the source of pollution.

"After all that talk, you should give me some reward," Yi Lie said as if Qin Fei was bound to lose to him.

The young man's smile deepened, the dimples on his cheeks sweet like melting milk candies: "Sure, what if I win?"

He tilted his head: "I have no interest in your chips. How about you tell me more about the team competition?"

Yi Lie's group almost laughed out loud: "Brother, don't be too confident."

"Guess why our Brother Yi sits over there? No one wants to bet with him!"

Yi Lie appreciated this fearless spirit: "What game? Poker, mahjong, or dice?"

Qin Fei nodded: "Let's just bet on high or low."

The simplest game is the purest form of gambling.

...

An hour later.

Qin Fei sat at the gambling table, while Yi Lie had already stood up.

People surrounded the table in layers, even placing bets on the outcome of the next round.

"I bet on this unknown guy!"

"Me too!!"

"Count me in!"

Yi Lie, who had a considerable reputation in the casinos throughout the central city, surprisingly found no support this time.

All the players' attention was focused on the young man opposite him.

A row of empty water glasses lined Yi Lie's side, his throat parched from talking.

"The ranking in the guild competition is determined by the real-time points accumulated by participating players within the instance. Points do not reset upon death, and new players joining continue to accumulate points. The final ranking at the end of the competition duration becomes the official ranking for the next year."

"Based on previous years' records, the guild competition instances usually follow a main storyline connected to numerous relatively complete sub-instances."

"Due to the vast number of sub-instances, strategy choice and luck sometimes play a crucial role in the guild competition."

...

Yi Lie drained the last cup of water and looked at Qin Fei with a resentful expression: "That's enough, you've drained me dry."

"?" The source of pollution, who had been sitting silently beside Qin Fei, suddenly raised his head and stared intently at the bearded man opposite.

Yi Lie: "..."

Yi Lie raised his hands, mimicking zipping his mouth shut.

"One more round?"

The young man's voice was gentle, his beautiful face smiling, but his eyes burned with a fiery light.

Just as Yi Lie felt like running away now, Qin Fei was quite willing to continue sitting here.

Gambling itself did not fascinate him, but continuously winning was indeed enjoyable.

Qin Fei was adept at observation, and the casino was never purely a place of luck.

Unconsciously, the other party's gaze, movements, and even the frequency of their breathing when lifting the dice cup revealed information.

Meanwhile, the player, whose acting skills weren't great, kept making unnecessary gestures and even tried to distract Qin Fei with irrelevant chatter, which instead made Qin Fei more confident in judging the outcome of the dice roll.

Without needing the help of the source of pollution or the ghost infant, this game was merely a matter of ease for Qin Fei.

The young man stared intently at the man opposite him, and Yi Lie instantly felt a strong sense of provocation.

"..."

Yi Lie's lips twitched slightly.

"No, no!" He sneered, "I have no more information to lose to you. The most important thing in gambling is knowing when to stop."

"Alright then." Qin Fei stood up with a hint of regret.

In fact, Yi Lie hadn't lost anything substantial.

He had been recounting his experiences from previous team matches to the surrounding players, and Qin Fei's interruption merely added some interesting twists to the conversation.

But as Yi Lie watched the two figures disappear, he couldn't shake the feeling that his pride had been thoroughly trampled upon.

The player sighed deeply.

...

Fifteen days later.

The annual Guild League officially began today. As one of the first players to enter the instance for Black Feather, Qin Fei did not appear in Black Feather's pre-match preparation room but stayed at home instead.

"The annual Guild League is about to begin. Please all participating players get ready—"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"

As the countdown ended, a heavy sensation of weightlessness washed over him. Qin Fei felt like a bird whose wings had suddenly filled with air, floating into the sky. The scene before his eyes vanished, replaced by boundless darkness. He closed his eyes, waiting for the arrival of the instance world.

"This is a world where countless ghost stories coexist with human life, hidden within the human world."

Before the new world appeared, the familiar female voice of the system sounded in the players' ears.

"Too many ghost stories have severely impacted the quality of human life, leading to the formation of the Ghost Story Research Federation. The Federation holds an event annually to discuss strategies for human survival in the coming year."

"You received an invitation from the Research Organizing Committee and eagerly went to attend."

... Faint voices drifted through the system prompt, mingling with footsteps and other background noises, forming a new ambiance.

Qin Fei suddenly opened his eyes.

"Please all players spend the 30-day conference period in the instance and strictly follow the conference requirements."

"Players earn 5 points for clearing a new instance as internal attendees, and 1 point for clearing an old instance."

As the last prompt faded away, Qin Fei found himself in a bustling hall.

It looked much like the lobby of a hotel. Directly in front of him was a revolving glass door, and the lobby was filled with people. A banner reading "Warmly Celebrating the Successful Holding of the 23rd Ghost Story Research Association" hung on the wall opposite the door.

Qin Fei's gaze slowly fell to below the banner.

There hung a red paper with white letters, resembling an announcement, listing several prominent rules.

"Rules for Attendees of the 23rd Ghost Story Research Association"

1. This year's conference is held in full transparency, with attendees divided into internal and external categories. Internal attendees are provided with accommodation and must hold a personalized invitation letter issued by the Organizing Committee to register on the 12th floor of the hotel.

2. Due to the public nature of this year's venue, it is expected that various ghost stories will infiltrate the conference to gather information on the human world. Please carefully distinguish between "friendly" and "hostile" entities to avoid being tricked by ghost stories and actively seek out easier ones to tackle.

3. The total duration of the conference is 30 days, with each 10-day period serving as a checkpoint. Internal attendees must provide clues for three or more ghost stories or a single core clue for a ghost story. Those who fail to meet this requirement will lose their internal attendee status. However, the organizers will continue to provide accommodation until the end of the conference.

Qin Fei's eyebrows rose slightly.

This third rule was quite interesting.

According to the list of participating guilds and members released five days before the competition, a total of 22 guilds were participating in this year's tournament.

Excluding the few small guilds that barely met the qualification criteria and intended to just enjoy the perks without caring about rankings, at least 15 guilds were determined to compete seriously.

Each guild could accommodate up to 10 players in the instance, plus 5 substitutes. If any player died within the instance, a substitute would immediately take their place.

However, according to the third rule in the hall:

If a player fails to complete the task of providing clues within the specified time limit, they would not face any harmful penalties but would lose their "internal" status and thus be unable to earn any new points for their guild.

But the player would not die.

In other words, the player would continue to occupy a spot in the instance, living off the resources until the 30 days were over.

Qin Fei blinked and continued reading.

4. Humans are a community of shared interests. Any actions detrimental to fellow humans within the conference hotel are prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: killing humans, harming humans, hindering human attendees from exploring ghost stories...

More and more people were flooding into the hotel lobby, including some players whose faces Qin Fei recognized.

In this instance where distinguishing humans from ghost stories was crucial, the familiarity gained from pre-match gatherings could play a significant role.

Unfortunately, the attendees were not just players.

Distinguishing between ordinary human NPCs and urban legends has become the players' top priority.

Qin Fei turned to face the revolving glass door. He still wore the delicate appearance of a young boy that he had used at the pre-game gathering in the casino, but the reflection in the glass door was not entirely the same as his appearance outside the instance.

For example, those light amber eyes.

Or the slightly taller figure.

This appearance became less concealing.

Tsk.

A bit troublesome.

If, with the passage of time in the instance, the appearance becomes increasingly transparent—

Qin Fei touched the khaki-colored long overcoat he was wearing. In the pocket of the overcoat was a hard card, folded like an invitation.

The young man stepped forward, heading towards the elevator door in the corner of the lobby.