The King's Avatar Chapter 1732 - Side Story: The Expectations of the Mediocre (3)

Excitement filled Fang Minghua as he considered that this player likely came from outside the pro scene. Besides the teammate he hoped to build a dream partnership with nearby, a shining new career prospect appeared before him.

“Why are you just standing there? Why aren’t you helping?” Fang Minghua called out to his teammates.

“Cough.” Coughs rang out one after another. The heavy awkwardness seeped right through the screen.

“The gap is too big. If we rush in, we’ll just get in the way,” Fang Minghua’s prospective partner beside him explained.

“It’s time to show our true skills.” Fang Minghua guided his character ahead. In his mind, he pictured himself striding forward with immense pride right then, but only boos echoed from those around him.

No one tried to stop the booing—it came instinctively—yet nobody discouraged Fang Minghua either. They all recognized his capabilities clearly. A squad of ten tackling a Level-60 wild boss with a single healer? Any Glory player with basic knowledge would know that healer had to be top-tier.

Fang Minghua’s buddies had no clue he’d already joined a pro team as an official member. He’d only made the roster this season, and his squad’s performance stank. He’d save that reveal for when his reputation looked brighter. Fang Minghua always schemed these moments carefully.

This moment felt like a showdown. Healers seldom took center stage, and that player deserved the spotlight.

“Brother, let me help you.” Fang Minghua approached and announced loudly.

“Alright,” the other responded.

“You long-range folks, can you contribute from spots that won’t block anyone?” Fang Minghua spun around to ask those trailing behind.

“What’s a position that isn’t in the way mean?” A voice tinged with past trauma replied. They’d clearly messed this up before.

“Uh…” The expert chimed in, sounding like he wanted to add something.

“Do you want to command the fight?” Fang Minghua inquired upon hearing the expert pipe up.

“Uh…” The expert wavered.

“What did you say?”

“Uh…”

Was he about to stretch his neck and belt out a tune to the heavens[1. a reference to a poem from the Tang Dynasty]? Those three “uh”s in a row tempted Fang Minghua to burst into verse. What was up with this guy? Headset issues maybe?

“You do it.” At last, the other forced out those three words.

“Listen to my command,” Fang Minghua bellowed. His friends then charged in.

“All of you, back off!” One minute passed, and Fang Minghua yelled once more, sending his friends scrambling back in panic. Ellipses floated up over the expert’s head.

Fang Minghua figured his pro-grade instructions would dominate effortlessly, yet the ordeal proved far messier than anticipated. The boss’s challenge wasn’t the issue; that front-line Sharpshooter moved with blinding speed amid endless shifts, leaving him unable to track it all. Fang Minghua attempted talks with him, but replies stayed vague—“oh” or “ah” mostly. Even rare specifics arrived too late to use.

Consequently, his orders clashed badly. After a chaotic minute, he ordered a full pullback. The boos this time hit harder than earlier.

“Let’s just fight as a two-man team,” Fang Minghua declared.

“Yeah,” the other agreed.

Now it boiled down to solo healing support. Needing guidance here would disqualify Fang Minghua as a pro. With healing backup, the Sharpshooter rampaged fiercer still. Bullets hammered the boss, splattering blood across Fang Minghua’s screen repeatedly.

“Isn’t this a little too fierce?” As the Sharpshooter sharpened further under healer aid, the ongoing astonishment among Fang Minghua’s friends surged anew.

“Who exactly is this person?”

“Zhou Zekai? Is that his real name? I’ve never heard of him!” One glanced at the Sharpshooter’s ID and blurted.

A system alert finally popped.

“Congratulations to the player…”

Following a list of IDs, their feat appeared: “First Clear of Night Returner on the Sea.”

The gaming world burst into frenzy. Private messages blew up in an instant, swamped by endless friend requests. Fellow players were left utterly stunned. They completely overlooked the boss loot that everyone coveted most. Shock lingered as they grappled with how one lone player had nearly soloed the Level-60 wild boss. True, the fight dragged on forever, but it proved his incredible skill. Throughout that marathon battle, he'd made hardly any errors.

“Are you serious?” All of them rubbed their eyes while staring at their screens.

Fang Minghua remained far more composed than the crowd. Being a pro player, he'd encountered all sorts of scenes. Still, neither the First Clear nor the boss's gear drops grabbed his focus. His eyes locked onto the Sharpshooter right there before him. To Fang Minghua, this figure was the genuine prize, the top loot, and a gateway to boundless opportunities.

“That…” Fang Minghua started to speak.

“You aren’t there,” the other suddenly pointed out.

“Ah?” Fang Minghua blanked out.

“On the announcement.” The other clarified once more.

Finally, Fang Minghua got it. The guy meant his name hadn't appeared on the kill announcement list. That's because he'd auto-left the party after crashing out of the game. By the time he logged back in, they'd already pulled in this Sharpshooter. So, no spot for him naturally. What's more, nobody had clocked this detail until now—this player spotted it first.

Without his name listed, he'd miss out on the sweet First Clear prizes. What a shame after all that effort. This expert was sympathizing with Fang Minghua.

Not just skilled, but kind-hearted too!

Fang Minghua's view of this Sharpshooter soared right away.

“Zhou Zekai?” He glanced at the ID and said it aloud.

“Yes?” The reply came back.

“Is this your real name?” Fang Minghua inquired. Hardly anyone in-game used their actual name for an ID.

“Yes,” the other confirmed.

“You’re amazing!” Fang Minghua exclaimed.

“I’m just alright.”

“Let’s add each other as friends!”

“Sure.”

With Zhou Zekai now friended, Fang Minghua felt like he'd struck gold.

“Um…” He fired off a whisper at once. “You’re so powerful. Which professional team are you from?”

“I’m not in a professional team.” Zhou Zekai shot back swiftly.

“I think you can become an outstanding professional player with your strength!” Fang Minghua declared loudly.

“But I still have school,” said Zhou Zekai.

This… Fang Minghua scratched his head. No way was he some kid in elementary school, right? Recalling their awkward chats during the boss fight, like a huge age gap, Fang Minghua started to wonder.

“How old are you?” Fang Minghua asked.

“I’m 17.” Zhou Zekai answered.

“Uh, that’s not possible now, but you can officially consider it next year,” said Fang Minghua.

The Professional Alliance required pros to hit 18 for official registration. In practice, though, clubs often locked in players early with contracts. Once 18, they'd formalize and debut. Loads of this season's newbies followed that path—training camp grads turned pros on their birthdays. The league kicked off mid-year, so late-birthday players sometimes missed the start. But luck shone on this season's rookies; their birthdays fell early enough for nonstop debuts.

“Oh.” Zhou Zekai responded. So brief, Fang Minghua couldn't read his mind.

“If you’re interested, you can come to our team to take a look.” Fang Minghua dropped the act and extended the invite straight up.

“Which team?” Zhou Zekai asked.

“Team Samsara,” said Fang Minghua. Right then, their string of losses weighed heavy on him. Naming his team left him awkward and unsure.

“I’ll wait for the holidays.” Zhou Zekai replied. No clue if he was turning down Samsara.

“Okay, let’s keep in touch.” Fang Minghua pondered briefly but held back. After all, as a Samsara rookie, he wasn't calling shots. Luring Zhou Zekai over was pure personal hope—he spoke only for himself, not the team.

“Okay,” Zhou Zekai responded swiftly and concisely. His interaction extended beyond just Fang Minghua. Once Fang Minghua’s buddies snapped out of their stupor, they swarmed around the pro gamer. While dividing the boss loot, they all sent friend requests to him.

“Well, I have to go now!” Fang Minghua abruptly sprang to his feet in a panic.

“Where did you go to play? The captain is calling for a meeting. Come back quickly.”

A notification from Tong Lin’s personal account appeared in the game. Fang Minghua skipped dismissing it entirely. He logged out compulsorily again, extracted his account card, and bolted away.

Partway there, his phone buzzed. Spotting Captain Zhang Yiwei’s name, Fang Minghua answered with trepidation.

“Are you at an Internet cafe? Hurry up and come back. I’m not waiting for you.”

Inside the team’s conference room, Zhang Yiwei’s irritation flared upon hearing Fang Minghua claim he’d return shortly from the nearby Internet Cafe. He’d badly misread the kid this time. Barred from playing in the training room, Fang Minghua had sneaked out instead. It didn’t violate team rules, but that mindset...

After ending the call, Zhang Yiwei shook his head and shifted his attention to the Samsara players gathered in the meeting room. “No more waiting. Let’s start.”

The team members straightened up instantly. With the captain calling a meeting on their off day out of nowhere, they all assumed it was big news. But after Zhang Yiwei delivered a rousing speech demanding more effort and progress from everyone, puzzled looks passed between them.

Was that it?

Nobody questioned the truth of Zhang Yiwei’s points, but those worn-out platitudes meant nothing.