The All-Star tournament created by the players was never meant to be highly competitive. It was mostly for entertainment. The earliest competitions focused on individual skill rather than combat. In the Asia region, players even gave titles such as "CN's No. 1 Guard" and "JP's No. 1 Sniper," and every year professionals would fight for these honors.
There were also side disciplines, like No. 1 Rapid-Fire Specialist, No. 1 Arts Combatant, and so on. The categories were extremely detailed.
Within Asia alone, more than twenty professional teams existed. In the usual Spring and Autumn seasons, the main highlights were always the pro teams' coordination and tactics. Yet during the recent All-Star events, lesser-known players occasionally delivered stunning performances. Their market value shot up immediately, surprising many.
A total of twenty top professional players were selected for this year's All-Star roster. Alongside them were another twenty rookies who had entered the pro scene for less than a year, and these newcomers would be given the opportunity to challenge the veterans.
All participants were chosen by vote. Among the veteran stars were Yanfei from Yanyu Pavilion, Xiyiye and 955, and the Dynasty team's Huang Tianhou Tu, Cheng, Uzi, and others. Major pro teams occupied most of the slots, usually two or three each, leaving only one spot for the smaller squads.
Under such circumstances, even appearing once on the All-Star stage was already something they cherished.
Felix recognized several players who, in his previous life, had shone brilliantly in the 2.0 and 3.0 pro leagues. He considered whether he should recruit them into the players' legion in this world as well.
But fairness mattered. Everything needed balance. He couldn't give all the resources and kindness to those who were already well-known and established. Newcomers needed opportunities too. Only with that kind of fairness would players cherish the time they spent with him.
"I want to challenge Yanfei."
The moment that sentence rang out, the audience erupted. The challenger was also a female sniper player. Her ID was Touka, and her secondary specialization was rapid-fire.
Yanfei's primary class was sniper, also specialized in rapid-fire, but she had high proficiency in heavy-shot techniques as well. That much was obvious from the weapons she carried. She held a submachine gun in her hands, while a massive sniper rifle hung on her back. The strength required to wield both was no joke.
Touka's equipment looked decent, but the difference in weapon enhancement was clear. She also used a Tomorrow's Development submachine gun, but it wasn't heavily upgraded and her modules weren't fully optimized.
"Ohhh, our first match is a thrilling showdown of pure marksmanship! Let's see which battlefield they'll get today!"
Akane's voice cracked with excitement. Zen checked the drawn result and shouted, "Stone Ridge Field!"
As soon as the words fell, the center of the arena began to shake. With the rhythmic clatter of machinery, small mountains of various sizes rose from the ground. Dozens of stone pillars followed, each tall enough to obstruct a player's line of sight in PVP.
The two competitors could not see each other, but the audience saw everything clearly. Gasps spread through the crowd. It really was that simple—when in doubt, use Originium technology.
Yanfei lifted her submachine gun and exhaled slowly. Her eyes narrowed. It was her heavy-shot skill, allowing her to suppress her heartbeat and improve accuracy. Her detection ability rose as well.
In a sniper-versus-sniper match, claiming the high ground was crucial. But since her opponent only had a submachine gun, suitable for mid-range encounters, Yanfei held the advantage.
Touka wouldn't climb for elevation. She would close the distance.
Understanding this, Yanfei sprinted toward the center and tossed decoy grenades along the way. These were common in real combat and functioned exactly like their CS counterparts, mimicking gunfire to mislead the enemy.
For Yanfei, they were meant to mask her footsteps.
Knowing Yanfei carried a sniper rifle, Touka would definitely try to end the fight at close range. Yanfei reached a hill near the center, dropped to the ground, and mounted her sniper rifle.
She only had one chance. After taking a shot, Touka could activate the sniper skill "Hawkeye" to trace the shooter's position and evade the next shot. It was a rare skill, but one that could be bought in Tomorrow's Development. Yanfei didn't believe the opponent lacked it.
Yanfei spotted her. Touka darted through the stone ridges with remarkable speed, pausing to scan her surroundings before rolling to the next cover point, hiding behind each jagged block.
"As expected…"
Yanfei held her breath. Her heartbeat slowed, her body calm. As her pulse dropped, Touka's movements in the scope seemed to slow as well. Slower and slower, until the crosshair steadied.
"Bang!"
The sniper rifle spat flame. Touka immediately rolled to the side the instant she heard the shot, but her agility wasn't enough to avoid the bullet completely. Her arm was hit, the impact knocking her to the ground. Her left arm went numb, and her HP plunged into the dangerous yellow zone.
Touka clenched her teeth and quickly activated a first-aid skill, then triggered a rare ability with a ten-minute cooldown: Combat Continuation. Only after the numbing effect set in did her mangled, bleeding arm regain some usability. She raised her submachine gun, sprinting toward Yanfei's direction in a zigzag pattern. While rushing, she yanked smoke grenades and frag grenades from her waist and hurled them all at once.
With deafening blasts and thick plumes of smoke, Yanfei completely lost her line of sight. She decisively abandoned sniping and equipped a revolver she had earned from a limited-time event in her other hand.
Dual Wielding—a skill unlocked only after reaching a certain class level. Yanfei had spent a great deal of resources and favors to learn it, but she finally succeeded.
Touka's figure flashed out of the smoke like a streak of orange light. As both sides opened fire, muzzle flashes flared wildly. Yanfei and Touka were hit several times in the exchange. Touka tossed another flashbang; the blast forced Yanfei back several steps. Gritting her teeth, Touka swapped in a magazine loaded with Arts rounds and fired again.
Ratatatat!
The Arts bullets burst into violet arcs as they struck behind the rocky outcrop. Yanfei pressed her back to cover, taking a brief moment to breathe. She glanced at the stun debuff floating above her head and let out a faint smirk.
Not bad at all.
She had also used Combat Continuation to dull the pain. In a PVP match like this, saving skills and losing because of it would be a lifetime joke among players.
Touka's fighting style was instinctive and wild. She was exceptional at one-on-one engagements, but in team battles she would need very coordinated teammates to let her throw utilities this recklessly.
After reloading, Touka rolled forward and advanced. When she ducked behind a stone pillar, a crisp click sounded beneath her foot. Her expression froze—then the next second a blast sent her flying backward, her HP plunging straight into the red.
Yanfei stepped through the smoke cloud created by the explosion. Her gun barrel parted the haze and pressed against Touka's forehead. Yet she did not pull the trigger.
Even though death in a 1v1 challenge didn't cost any EXP, dying still felt awful. Yanfei chose to stop there.
"I concede."
Touka looked at Yanfei's remaining HP—about fifty-five percent in the green—and bit her lip before admitting defeat.
"Ohhhhhhhh!"
The crowd roared with thunderous applause for the brilliant duel between the two young women. Even the commentators were momentarily speechless. Surrounded by the tremor of thousands voices, they could only marvel. If only such a stadium existed in real life… but even then, it would never reach this level of attendance.
Yanfei and Touka felt the impact most deeply. Yanfei grabbed Touka's hand and lifted her to her feet. Gazing at the players cheering for them, both felt the same thing—this sensation, this experience, was something no VR arena could truly replicate.
At this moment, not only players and commentators from Asia but also international pros who purchased tickets understood exactly how future tournaments would be held.
Only this kind of stage could give professional players a true sense of achievement.
After the match, Cabus from the Warrior Team immediately called his coach.
"Listen, old man. A month from now, the European regional qualifiers—we're hosting them in Kazdel."
Others quickly followed: Universe from Evil Geniuses, Kuma from T1's coaching staff, and more. Each of them started contacting the necessary parties. No matter what, they wanted to secure this venue. It promoted their region and allowed them to earn considerable revenue. Why not do it?
Besides, players were already deeply tied to the Pioneer. And the Pioneer, too, was responsible toward the players. With such a righteous, reliable, protagonist-type NPC providing so much and staying permanently in Kazdel, there was nothing to complain about.
This small opening match had already set multiple forces into motion.
On the stage, Yanfei waved goodbye to Touka. In their brief chat, she learned the younger girl was also a fan of the Pioneer—the kind who had posters at home. Yanfei decided to chat with her more later.
The tournament moved on.
Felix rose from his seat, ready to leave. He had no intention of watching all the matches. He glanced at Loughshinny, and she responded with a gentle smile, following him out.
After the big boss left, the atmosphere among the upper management relaxed noticeably.
W's eyes glimmered as she recalled the tactics used by the two adventurers earlier. "Ines, if I fought the way they did…"
"Do you possess an art that makes you immortal?" Ines replied coolly. "Or do you think your blood won't run out?"
W opened her mouth to retort, but after remembering how recklessly those two women fought, she swallowed her words. Maybe only adventurers would use such life-for-life tactics.
Loughshinny walked beside Felix, a gentle smile on her face. "The investment in the arena turned out extremely well."
"The arena will bring us a considerable income."
Felix paused for a moment. "How are Saria and Ifrit doing these past two days?"
"Ifrit is still undergoing various medical examinations, but based on the doctors' reports, her condition is improving. She may need some time to rest before attending school."
Loughshinny continued, "Saria has accepted the position of director at the Tomorrow's Development research institute in Kazdel. She is currently familiarizing herself with the work."
"Give her whatever she needs. Saria and I have worked together for many years, just let her handle it."
Most of Tomorrow's Development's upper management were people Felix personally trusted. And Saria, with her broad shoulders and iron fists, was the very definition of a heroic woman. Entrusting the research institute to her gave Felix complete peace of mind.
"With control of the western region secured, we will begin interacting with Leithanien. Lately the remnants of the Witch King have appeared, the situation is filled with hidden agents, but there is no threat to Kazdel. There is no need to maintain a wartime alert in the west, and we can open the border to Leithanien's merchants."
"Understood. Anything else, boss?" Loughshinny asked while taking notes.
"Find a messenger. I want to send a letter to Leithanien."
"Of course."
The recipients… were Professor Naumann and his wife. In the original timeline, they would lose their lives this year while exploring a volcano. Felix could only hope it was not too late; he wanted to persuade Professor Naumann to come work in Kazdel. With Kazdel's extraordinary frequency of Catastrophes, this place was practically a dream research site for the professor.
His purpose was also for Eyjafjalla. Recently, Senomi and Mandragora had been whispering to him at night, saying they missed their dear little friend. If possible, Felix wanted to bring the Naumann family to live in Kazdel or Lungmen. The tragedy that befell the little sheep in the previous life was something he hoped never to see again.
A few days later, he received news from the messenger he had dispatched to Sami to deliver letters to the Cyclops tribe. The messenger also returned with a letter from the Cyclops chieftain.
In the letter, she thanked him for everything he had done for Kazdel and expressed her willingness to perform a "future sight" for him, if he desired. This was the Cyclops tribe's unique racial ability: a clear vision of a person's future. It resembled fortune-telling, but unlike divination, they could actually see specific images and describe them precisely.
In addition, she reported that a demon outbreak had occurred in Sami. Some Cyclopes were fighting on the front lines, while another group would escort their people to Kazdel.
Another race, soon to be in his hands.