There was a tale that a single player who had been playing since the BETA Test period (testing period) was able to single-handedly defeat all the actual party members of an e-sport club in the championship league.
All of them!
After that, "he" mysteriously disappeared and became a legend in the MGC game.
It is said that he was from the Middle East, and his name was "Shamshir" (Shamshir, a crescent sword, an ancient Arabian sword).
With a name like a sword, it was certain his primary profession was a swordsman. As for his secondary profession... it's still a legend.
Such mystery arises because he dared to fight entire parties alone. If it was just one embarrassed club, it might not have been a big deal, but he visited every club in the top league, emulating Miyamoto Musashi who destroyed fencing schools throughout Japan!
Given that, how could the clubs let him go?
Character level reduction might be acceptable, but losing face is not!
And no matter how skilled he was, if he had to constantly watch out for clubs looking to get revenge at every step, there was no way he could enjoy the game anymore.
People also say that because tens of thousands of players were hunting him down, Shamshir canceled his ID and started playing anew since then."
Melon-chan closed her eyes tightly, ready for a new life. But when she opened them, she discovered that the [Lightning Blade] skill had been blocked. What she saw was a thin man in strange protective gear, holding a peculiar long sword, effortlessly countering the [Lightning Blade] skill.
The plain-faced man turned and smiled at her, and then...
Whoosh whoosh whoosh, swish swish swish.
Melon-chan's vision blurred. Only now did she understand that simple rolling combined with the [Tornado Slash] skill. As for the other weird skills, he executed them smoothly without any hitch—she had never seen anything like it before.
Not only that, but the guy moved left and right in a zigzag pattern while using skills, leaving her hardly able to keep up!
In the blink of an eye, a dozen players surrounding them disappeared, all respawning at their starting points.
An entire team wiped out in the time it takes to cook instant noodles.
What is this!!!
Melon-chan stood agape. She had seen many skilled players before, but never someone as godlike as this.
The thin man stood with a [Wave Sword] posture amid the dust and the dissolving bodies of the players, exuding maximum coolness.
But Melon-chan wasn't captivated by his coolness. She bowed graciously to the man striking a cool pose to show off to a girl, "Thank you."
The expert Zhu zhu also bowed repeatedly in thanks.
The thin man dropped his pose and said with a charming tone, "A damsel in distress is a man's duty to help."
"Anyway, thank you," Melon-chan replied politely and with concern, despite his flirtation. "But wouldn't this cause you trouble?"
"I stand by my words, miss. When a lady is in trouble, I shall lend my hand," he said with an even more charming voice.
Melon-chan thanked him once more, then turned to Zhu zhu, dragging her off to scold her sternly, "We agreed to clear the dungeon outside the city. If you encounter hostile players, you should've run into the city! There must be city guards to help. Instead, you ran towards me without even sending a heads-up message!"
"They ambushed me not far from here..." Zhu zhu pointed to a path not too far away, speaking dejectedly. She admitted her mistake, but it was human instinct to seek help in a crisis, and Melon-chan was the closest familiar person.
Facing such a sudden situation, Zhu zhu didn't have time to think about sending a warning message. She just ran for help immediately.
Once Melon-chan finished scolding, she dropped the matter, not blaming Zhu zhu further. If what Zhu zhu said was true, she herself would have panicked and run as well. It would take a moment to gather one's thoughts and decide to run back to the city. Hence, if Zhu zhu ran towards her, it wasn't wrong.
Melon-chan turned back to the thin man and said, "Thank you very much again. If there's anything we can help with, just say the word."
Zhu zhu nodded in agreement, "A debt of gratitude must be repaid!"
The thin man smiled faintly, then asked, "What did you two do to make so many players surround you like that?"
Melon-chan and Zhu zhu looked at each other, hesitating whether to share the story or not.
"You'll be able to make friends soon, heh heh," Sagittarius stood with hands on hips, laughing with shaking shoulders in front of the shrine of Odin, the city of Chandra's patron deity, which was under construction.
The shrine's power didn't help the city much, but the quests it releases could attract a continuous stream of players.
Moreover, what would happen if he could increase his positive relationship with the NPC gods?
That was what Sagittarius was eager to know.
For human NPCs, high positive relationships, like those in his city, led to high trust in the city lord, settlement stability, no job abandonment, and eventually loyalty.
But what about the gods?
Sagittarius wasn't expecting much. Just one phone call, and the magical spear Gungnir annihilating his enemies would be enough.
That wasn't asking for too much, was it? Just destroying his enemies...
It was a common man's fantasy, and at that moment,
"Um... hello," a female voice rang out.
Sagittarius turned around and met Melon-chan's eyes curiously.
The lady herself was also awkward, laughing nervously.
The skinny man beside her stood straight and spoke politely, "I am Shamshir, pleased to meet the Lord of Chandra City!"
Melon-chan forced a bitter smile. She didn't willingly use such relationships; it felt more like transferring a debt of gratitude. She didn't make promises, she only brought Shamshir here. She wouldn't ask Sagittarius to do anything for Shamshir.
Melon-chan sighed deeply and explained the situation that led her to bring the skinny man to meet Sagittarius.
Sagittarius tried not to smile. Why, you ask?
Because a few days ago, when he kept repeatedly burning someone, there was someone named Shamshir among them!
The incident at the club, which made Shamshir famous, happened after Sagittarius went to Mars, but Sagittarius had been back on Earth for a while and updated on the news. So, he vaguely remembered the name.
Therefore, seeing this guy who was notably burned standing in front of him meant…
Obviously, even a big toe could guess that Melon-chan's assault was staged.
Of course, Sagittarius didn't say anything, waiting to see what this skinny guy would do.
Shamshir then said, "I am Thai, just like you, Sagittarius."
"Hmm???" Sagittarius questioned in surprise. The name was so Middle Eastern, yet he was Thai? But since Thai players had been top solo gamers in Asia for a long time, it was plausible.
"I'm very pleased to see another skilled and famous Thai," Shamshir said cheerfully.
Sagittarius smiled back, "You're quite famous yourself."
Shamshir responded modestly and sadly, "But right now, I can't reveal myself or show off anywhere."
Sagittarius continued to smile without commenting to Shamshir, instead pulling Melon-chan aside to talk privately, whispering so Shamshir couldn't hear, "Are you asking me to shelter Shamshir, giving him a refuge?"
Melon-chan hurriedly whispered back, "I wouldn't ask you for such a thing. It's just that something happened outside and he insisted on meeting you, so I brought him here. The favor he did in saving my level, I will repay with myself."
Hearing that, Sagittarius' eyes changed. However, within the game, it still couldn't display realistic eyes as the saying goes, "Eyes are the windows to the soul." Ultimately, Sagittarius nodded and turned towards Shamshir and Zhu zhu who were standing there, asking Shamshir, "What are your plans after this?"
Melon-chan, hearing that, quickly grabbed Sagittarius' arm and whispered again, "Hey, you don't have to do this for me!" She would repay this favor by herself.
Sagittarius slightly lifted the corner of his lips and whispered, "I don't know what you've been through, whether you've experienced so much that you're disgusted and don't want to receive help from anyone anymore, or if it's for another reason. But trust me a little, okay? I'll explain the reason to you later."
Shamshir, seeing the two whispering in front of so many people without any regard for the media, was convinced; his analysis of the situation was correct!
"Approaching this way is the right move!"
The city lord is like a provincial governor. If you try to directly approach the governor's house, it's harder than climbing to heaven. But if you approach the governor's wife... things become easier.
Unfortunately, Shamshir didn't notice a small difference: usually, when approaching through the governor's wife, the wife helps to talk while the husband avoids it because he doesn't want to befriend anyone through his wife. But what he's witnessing now is the opposite!
Melon-chan's expression showed disagreement, but Sagittarius stood firm.
Finally, Melon-chan let go of Sagittarius' arm.
"You're being too vague. Be clear," Sagittarius said to Shamshir.
Shamshir, putting on a sincere face, said, "I, Shamshir, ask you, Sagittarius, to take me in!" He thought to himself, this guy is straightforward.
Sagittarius nodded, making a face that a boss would make when ordering a subordinate, "I'm not accepting you yet. There must be a probation period first!"
"Probation???" Shamshir, who was confident, repeated in confusion. He thought that with his status as the strongest in the game, capable of taking down entire parties alone, he would be accepted, especially with such a straightforward question. But instead, there's a probation period like he's a fresh graduate.
Sagittarius nodded, "Although you helped Melon, for me to take you in, you must prove your worth. During the probation, you have to show your abilities to me."
As Sagittarius confirmed it as a recruitment, Shamshir, who desperately wanted to "infiltrate," had no choice but to accept.
Sagittarius tried to hold back laughter, nodding seriously, "Then, your first task will be... hmm" He stroked his chin, thinking.
Shamshir, fully confident in himself, assumed that Sagittarius would test him with combat. As the ultimate god in this game, he was ready for any task, be it assassination or taking down someone. He was waiting to hear more.
But what took Sagittarius so long was not finding a "task" for Shamshir but selecting a "name" from his memory and holding back laughter.
Sagittarius chose a suitable target for Shamshir, saying, "Have you ever heard of Robby Tiger 0001? During the battle of Seven Lakes with Dwarf AI, he sneak-attacked my backyard. I want you, Shamshir, to be my representative and ask him face-to-face…"
Meanwhile, raising one finger, "One, has he learned his lesson?"
Then raising a second finger, "Two, if not, I'll bring model A to visit him personally."
Raising a third finger, "Three, if I visit and he still hasn't learned, I'll attack his city every three days until he's buried in debt."
Raising a fourth finger, "Four, if after all that he still hasn't learned, you tell him straight up that other than bombing his city every three days, you'll wait at his spawn point to kill him instantly each time."
Sagittarius patted Shamshir's shoulder, adding, "You probably won't get a warm welcome this time. Consider it a test of your abilities."
In the Thai restaurant where they first met,
Tangmo was holding a glass of smoothie with both hands, listening to Phakin while furrowing her brows. She somewhat understood that Sagittarius had many people who disliked him, but she never expected that she would be used as a stepping stone in such a scheme.
The dark side of the game was this intense?
No different from real life!
As for Phakin, it wasn't the first time he encountered such a situation. To become the lord of a metropolis, he had gone through countless trials and tribulations. But this time, it was one of the easiest times for him,
because he knew his goal clearly.
Phakin said, "The reason I asked you to meet and talk outside is to avoid leaving any evidence. I didn't want the game company to record my conversations with you on their server. I apologize for asking you to come out."
Tangmo waved her hand and said, "No need to apologize. You did the right thing... Besides, I just found out that there's such darkness even in a game."
Phakin chuckled slightly and said, "When 'money' and 'power' are involved, anything can be dark, even in a game... This time, the game company got involved because they still want the five lords to balance each other's power so the game wouldn't belong to just one person. If a strong force were to emerge, the game's appeal would decline, and people would stop playing it."
Tangmo pouted upon realizing she had been used. But looking at it another way, it meant she no longer had to repay Shamshir. She sipped her smoothie and responded, "Thank you very much for telling me this honestly."
Phakin smiled and replied, "I'm the one who should thank you for understanding. From now on, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor..." Tangmo repeated, then gradually thought it through and understood.
He wanted her to continue to play along in front of Shamshir.