The King's Avatar Chapter 1735 - Side Story: The Expectations of the Mediocre (6)

1735 Side Story: The Expectations of the Mediocre (6)

Translator: Nomyummi

Editor: GravityTales

Captain Zhang Yiwei's complexion turned deathly pale.

The original Gods, Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing, towered above him—figures he could merely gaze up at. They had never played as teammates together.

Meanwhile, his contemporaries Sun Zheping and Zhang Jiale rocketed to the summit, casting him far into the shadows.

On top of that, Wang Jiexi, the rookie sensation from last season, crushed Zhang Yiwei and numerous veterans beneath his relentless drive.

Now this season, yet another newcomer had bested him. As Huang Shaotian's blade flashed down, Zhang Yiwei's responses lagged badly. He performed even worse than Fang Minghua. In his hazy recollection, Fang Minghua had snatched a handful of heal chances amid Huang Shaotian's onslaught, striving to steady things for him. Yet his own showing was utterly dismal, completely dismal. Nothing worthwhile had he achieved.

“A four-step physical gun skill? It’s not enough, not enough, not enough!!”

Throughout his demise, taunts flooded the chat box nonstop. Even at this moment, they pierced his heart like daggers.

“Captain.” Samsara's teammates clustered around Zhang Yiwei, who remained seated onstage.

“I’m fine.” Zhang Yiwei dismissed them with a wave and rose to his feet.

“We lost this round again,” Zhang Yiwei declared.

Silence gripped the group.

“Are we really… not strong enough?” Zhang Yiwei wondered aloud.

Sun Zheping's blunt words from the prior match echoed in their minds, drawing only wry smiles.

Blue Rain's players strode to stage center, basking in audience cheers for their triumph. Samsara's crew, retreating toward the player tunnel, could only envy from afar.

The crowd spared them scant notice. In truth, less focus fell on them now than on any random spectator.

Fang Rui, Blue Rain trainee, chattered excitedly about the win with pals, mocking the losers with wild guffaws.

“That Sharpshooter was such a total noob. If that's the top Sharpshooter level in the Alliance right now, honestly, I could handle it myself!” Fang Rui lamented.

But before his buddies chimed in, a stir erupted behind.

“What’s up, what’s up?” Fang Rui, loving the drama, twisted around eagerly, only to collide with a hurrying figure.

“Aiyo.” Fang Rui dodged sideways. His reflexes saved him, clutching the chair back. Though he'd lunged into the aisle first, he griped immediately. “Why rush into people like that?”

“I’m sorry…” The bumper offered swift apology and steadied Fang Rui.

“What’s the fuss?” Fang Rui still eyed the disturbance. Peering back yielded no big scene—just several female fans gesturing his way. Their aim was the collider. Fang Rui scrutinized the guy and instantly soured with envy.

How could anyone be that good-looking?

Fang Rui fumed inwardly.

Right then, the fellow steadied him with an embarrassed look.

“Alright, follow me,” Fang Rui told him.

“Huh?” The guy blinked in surprise.

“We can exit this way too.” Fang Rui led on.

“This direction?” The man glanced ahead, toward the stage.

“Blue Rain player here. Using the player passageway for you. Coming or not?” Fang Rui grew testy.

“Oh.” The man agreed and trailed after.

The girls had spotted a cute guy in the stands, gawking and pointing, but stopped there. Seeing him veer away, they dispersed.

Fang Rui eyed him and heaved a sigh. No big deal, he figured. “It’s nothing.”

The guy rubbed his head sheepishly and grinned, staying quiet.

“You watching the match?” Fang Rui queried.

“Yes.” The man nodded.

“Rooting for who?” Fang Rui pressed.

“Uh…” The man faltered. His allegiance shone clear.

“Poor you.” Fang Rui pitied him.

“It’ll be okay,” the other suddenly replied.

“How can they top Blue Rain?” Fang Rui scoffed. “Next year with me aboard, Team Blue Rain gets even scarier,” he boasted, gesturing grandly.

The other smiled silently once more.

“Still, gutsy picking Samsara. Spill—what drew you to them?” Fang Rui probed.

“Got a friend on the team,” the other explained.

“Fair enough.” Fang Rui nodded, accepting the excuse.

“Want to head up to the competition stage for a quick look?” Passing by the stage, Fang Rui abruptly came up with a fresh thought.

“Sure.” The guy nodded in agreement.

Together, they stepped onto the stage. Staff were already ascending and tidying up the area methodically.

Fang Rui strode to the stage's heart and positioned himself commandingly, surveying the surroundings.

“Next year, it’ll be my moment.” He proclaimed boldly.

“Fang Rui!” Finally, a voice called out his name.

Fang Rui instinctively cringed his neck and glanced back. It turned out to be a Blue Rain team member.

“Gotta run! Just head down that route to exit.” Fang Rui hastily indicated the way and dashed toward Blue Rain’s teammates.

“Thanks.” Fang Rui caught the words from the man trailing him.

“What’s your name?” While running in reverse, Fang Rui spun around to inquire.

“Zhou Zekai,” the man replied.

“Once you debut and rise to fame, don’t forget about me.” Fang Rui gave a wave and pivoted to sprint off.

Zhou Zekai watched Fang Rui and returned the wave.

Now alone at the stage's center, he scanned about. Most spectators had departed, leaving mostly vacant seats overhead when he gazed up. This eased him greatly. He exhaled deeply in relief. Next, he shifted his view to the pro player setups. Though tempted to approach for a nearer inspection, he noticed staff dismantling them busily. Ultimately, he stayed put.

Right then, two figures dashed onto the stage in Team Samsara uniforms, beelining for their booth. Half the PCs and chairs were dismantled already. The lead one abruptly freaked out and questioned a staffer urgently. The companion, meanwhile, bowed his head, searching around, shook it in dismay, and locked eyes with Zhou Zekai.

Zhou Zekai offered a smile.

Fang Minghua froze momentarily but nodded courteously before joining Tong Lin.

“What’s the update?” He inquired.

“He’s checking.” Tong Lin eyed the staffer heading off to phone someone.

“We’ll track it down.” Fang Minghua reassured him.

“The card itself isn’t a big deal, but the account holds two crucial items. We can’t afford to lose or ruin them,” Tong Lin explained. “No way, I need to report it missing right now.”

As Tong Lin patted down for his cell, Fang Minghua glanced over and spotted the youth from the stage center approaching them.

Fang Minghua eyed him.

“Fang Minghua.” The newcomer reached him and spoke his name directly.

“Huh? And you are?” Fang Minghua blinked in surprise.

“Zhou Zekai,” the other stated.

“Huh?” Fang Minghua’s eyes bulged. Following last week’s game, he’d invited Zhou Zekai to drop by Team Samsara sometime, never imagining they’d cross paths here.

“How did you…” Fang Minghua only got three words out before Tong Lin’s thrilled shout cut him off.

“Found it? Thanks so much! Where do I pick it up?” Tong Lin exclaimed to the staff, face lit with shock and joy.

“He’s on his way now with it. Just hold on a sec,” the staff replied.

“Thanks a ton!” Tong Lin bubbled gratefully, then spotted Fang Minghua with Zhou Zekai.

“A buddy of yours?” Tong Lin quizzed Fang Minghua.

“This is the Sharpshooter I’m pushing for the team,” Fang Minghua replied.

“Oh?” Tong Lin promptly started appraising Zhou Zekai.

“Hi, I’m Zhou Zekai.” Zhou Zekai offered his introduction.

“Tong Lin of Team Samsara here.” Tong Lin extended a hand for a shake with Zhou Zekai.

“Heard your Sharpshooter plays pretty well?” Tong Lin probed.

“He’s decent,” Zhou Zekai answered.

“Got your account card with you?” Tong Lin followed up.

“Yeah.” Zhou Zekai affirmed with a nod.

“Hey buddy, you cleaning everything up right away? Mind if we borrow a computer for a couple minutes?” Tong Lin asked the staffer. Once approved, he grabbed a chair and plopped down.

“Here, show us what you’ve got,” Tong Lin urged.

“Okay.” Zhou Zekai approached.

After two minutes.

“Eh?” Zhou Zekai noticed his inputs weren’t responding.

“Internet’s disconnected.” Tong Lin rose. He glanced at Zhou Zekai, then back at Fang Minghua suppressing chuckles. Fang Minghua had always trusted Zhou Zekai’s skills, and witnessing him go head-to-head with a pro like Tong Lin boosted that faith even higher.

“Whose account card is this?” Just then, a newly arrived staffer held up a Glory account card, calling out loudly.

“That’s mine! Mine!” Tong Lin bolted over, snatching it back thankfully.

“Nice one.” Fang Minghua seized the moment to commend Zhou Zekai. Short as the two-minute bout was, his prowess shone through unmistakably.

“It’s alright,” Zhou Zekai repeated softly.

“Let me ask you this.” Tong Lin retrieved the account card before questioning Zhou Zekai, “Is that 3.5-step physical gun skill your maximum right now?”

Zhou Zekai pondered it carefully. “I believe I can push forward another half step.”

“A full three-step physical gun skill.” Tong Lin felt deeply stirred. “My thinking was far too limited.”

“Hehe.” Fang Minghua chuckled foolishly.

“Major changes are in order,” Tong Lin murmured to himself.

“Huh?” Fang Minghua looked puzzled, glancing over at Zhou Zekai, who seemed equally baffled.

“I don’t mean you two.” Tong Lin brandished the account card he held. “I’m referring to this.”

“What do you mean?” Fang Minghua inquired.

“You’ll discover it soon enough. No—the whole Alliance, every single Glory player, will find out.” Tong Lin grinned broadly. He clutched the account card, infused with his blood, sweat, and tears. The silver revolvers Wildfire and Shattered Frost had been custom-forged specifically for Cloud Piercer. Yet even if the young man before him mastered only a 3.5-step physical gun skill, he already outclassed the majority of pro Sharpshooter players. Moreover, Tong Lin was certain he’d advance that additional half step.

Wasn’t this exactly what everyone in Samsara had eagerly awaited? The realization brought sudden tears to Tong Lin’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Fang Minghua gasped in surprise.

“I can envision the future,” Tong Lin declared.

Fang Minghua grasped Tong Lin’s meaning at once. The very first glimpse of Zhou Zekai’s Sharpshooter had sparked thoughts of what lay ahead for him. He gave Zhou Zekai’s shoulder a firm pat, and Zhou Zekai responded with a smile.

The moment had arrived for Team Samsara to embark on its voyage.