Free Web NovelChapter 28: Chapter 28: The Terrifying Newcomer
Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, Virtual Room
"Damn it! At my level, none of the opponents I’m matched with are weak. I lost again."
Less than an hour later, Guo Heng exited the Virtual Cabin with a frown.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time before the hour was up, and with Lin Qi and Jiangtao yet to emerge, he decided to wait for them.
So, he started wandering around the Virtual Room. There was a small snack bar selling drinks and food, as well as a seating area. He decided to find someone he knew to chat with.
In Celestial Sea City, only the three top Martial Arts Dojos had enough Virtual Cabins, so it was easy to run into acquaintances if you frequented the Virtual Room.
Just then, he saw a group of people chatting, and among them was someone he knew.
"I can’t believe I was careless and lost to a newbie just now. His Spear Technique Realm is clearly inferior to mine."
"I’m a Skilled Practitioner! In just a little while, I’ll be able to compete for Star Rank."
"I wanted a rematch to get my revenge, but I can’t seem to get matched with him again."
One of them, a guy with curly hair, was indignantly recounting his experience.
"That’s strange. For you to lose to a newbie with your strength, Lv Xiang... You’re in the top 30 of our grade at No. 1 Middle School, after all." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Sounds like this newbie is no pushover. Maybe it’s some expert who just registered for the Red Realm."
Someone mused thoughtfully.
"His name is Yang Jian, though I don’t know if it’s his real one. Remember it. If you run into him, avenge me," Lv Xiang said resentfully.
"If you ask me, you were just too careless, Lv Xiang. That’s how he got the opening."
A pretty, slender girl in an expensive Martial Arts Uniform chimed in mockingly.
"Yang Jian? A newbie?"
"What are you all talking about?" Guo Heng asked, squeezing into the group.
"Hey, Old Guo," the group greeted him.
"We were just talking about how Lv Xiang got beat by a newbie."
"Oh? Do tell." Guo Heng’s eyes lit up.
...
A bright light enveloped Jiangtao’s vision. The glare was harsh, and it took him a moment to adjust.
’Damn, my opponent was so strong. I couldn’t do anything against them.’
Jiangtao sat up, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His mind felt sluggish.
The adjacent Virtual Cabin opened as well. Lin Qi sat up, his face pale as if he’d been completely drained.
Lin Qi’s brain felt like mush. He was as exhausted as if he’d pulled an all-nighter for three days straight.
"Brother Qi, I’m so exhausted!" Jiangtao said, shaking his head.
"Me too. I’m mentally drained."
Lin Qi clutched his head as well.
"It’s normal to feel tired. Spending a long time in the Virtual World takes a huge toll on your Spirit. Especially after you’re killed—the intense pain stimulates your Spirit and causes significant damage."
"That’s why it’s not recommended to stay in the Red Realm for too long."
Guo Heng walked over with a smile, handing them two vials filled with a blue liquid.
"These are Stimulant Potions. They can restore your Spirit."
"Stimulant Potions?"
"I remember a single vial of this costs one thousand Xia Country Coins," Jiangtao said, his eyes wide. He didn’t dare to reach out and take it.
Lin Qi also looked intrigued.
"Don’t worry, it’s on me. I won’t deduct it from your pay," Guo Heng added.
"Well, don’t mind if we do," Jiangtao said with a grin, readily accepting one.
Lin Qi did the same, opening the Stimulant Potion and downing it in one gulp.
The blue liquid entered his mouth, releasing a refreshing, minty aroma.
A cool sensation spread rapidly through his brain, and his mental fatigue vanished in an instant.
Color returned to his face at a visible rate.
"This is amazing! The effect is so potent. Definitely worth a thousand a vial."
Jiangtao exclaimed, then asked,
"By the way, Brother Qi, how many Points do you have now?"
"12 Points!"
"That many? I only have 6 Points!" Jiangtao said in surprise.
"Getting 12 Points on your first try is excellent."
Guo Heng was also quite surprised. That meant at least four wins. Winning four matches on your very first time in the arena was a rare feat.
"Oh, right, Aheng, I unlocked the ranking feature. I’m ranked 458th. Where can we see the full leaderboard around here?" Jiangtao asked curiously.
Guo Heng pointed to a huge LED screen mounted on a high wall in the distance.
"Right in front of your eyes!"
Jiangtao and Lin Qi looked toward the large screen, and the data displayed there came into view.
"This is the leaderboard, compiled from battle records in the Red Realm Arena. For short, it’s called the Red List."
"However, right now, the rankings are limited to just our Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo’s Celestial Sea Branch. It counts anyone who logs in with an IP address from this dojo."
Guo Heng explained, gesturing toward the large screen.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi and Jiangtao were already studying the leaderboard.
[First Place: Battle Axe Bear, Rank: Star]
[Second Place: General Guo Hengdaolima, Rank: Star]
[Third Place: Ten Thousand Swords, Rank: Star]
[...]
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"The person in first place is Battle Axe Bear... that couldn’t be Li Zhou from our class, could it?"
"It has to be him!"
"Aheng, don’t tell me second place is you! And you’re already at Star Rank? Amazing!" Jiangtao exclaimed in awe.
Guo Heng tilted his head back, a smirk playing on his lips as he said humbly,
"This is just temporary. As time goes on, other experts will start joining the Red Realm, and the rankings will shift."
"As far as I know, there are several experts from our No. 1 Middle School who are stronger than me. They have their own Holographic Virtual Cabins at home."
"If they were to log in from the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, they’d probably shoot to first place in an instant."
"The Red List is also known as the Prodigy List; it’s only for Martial Artists who are eighteen or younger."
"University students are excluded. The rankings are usually reset after the college entrance exams are over."
"The scope of the rankings expands periodically. Right now, we can only see the rankings for our Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo here in Celestial Sea."
"Eventually, it will expand to include all of Celestial Sea, then the entire Cang Province, and finally, the whole country."
"Even though I’m second right now, my rank will definitely drop once the scope of the rankings expands."
"My goal is to hold on to my current rank."
Lin Qi and Jiangtao learned a lot from Guo Heng’s explanation. None of it was secret information, but it would have taken them time to figure it all out on their own.
Guo Heng’s answers saved them a lot of time.
"Right, what’s the deal with these Ranks?" Jiangtao asked, pointing to the Star Rank on the screen.
Guo Heng began to explain,
"The Ranks represent your skill level."
"When you pass the AI test in the arena, you start as a Novice. After ten placement matches, you can become an Elite."
"In ranked matches, you get 3 Points for defeating an opponent, 1 Point for a draw, and zero for a loss."
"Once you break 150 Points, you get promoted to Star Rank."
"The Red Realm Arena divides the Ranks into four tiers: Star, Bright Moon, Radiant Sun, and the highest, Divine Level."
"I’m currently in the Star Rank!"
Lin Qi and Jiangtao exchanged a look, inwardly shocked.
"150 Points to get to Star Rank? Doesn’t that mean you have to win at least 50 matches?"
"The opponents I just faced were already plenty strong, and they’re all geniuses. Winning 50 matches sounds incredibly difficult," Jiangtao marveled.
’Lin Qi’s heart skipped a beat. After only five matches, he already felt how powerful his opponents were. Everyone who entered the Red Realm was a genius.’
’Each of these geniuses was stronger than the last; winning 50 matches would be an immense challenge.’
’The fact that Guo Heng managed to win 50 matches just went to show how strong he really was.’
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you guys. The Red Realm officials have launched an event," Guo Heng said, as if suddenly remembering something.
"Anyone who can get promoted to Star Rank before October 10th—that is, before the Celestial Sea Monthly Exam—will receive a reward of 500,000 Xia Country Coins."
"500,000?"
Lin Qi’s eyes lit up at the news. ’I can get 500,000 Xia Country Coins just for reaching Star Rank?’
’To put that in perspective, even the second-tier genius loan was only for 500,000.’
Lin Qi quickly did the math in his head. ’If I can get both the event reward and the second-tier genius loan, that’s 1,000,000 Xia Country Coins.’
He and Jiangtao exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them.
’They had to get that 500,000. Both of them were desperate for money.’
"I just overheard some students from the Elite class at No. 1 Middle School chatting. A classmate of mine, someone in the top thirty of his grade, was actually defeated by a newbie named Yang Jian."
"This newbie is no pushover. Since you two are also new, you might get matched with him. Be careful," Guo Heng reminded them with a smile.
"Yang Jian... To dare to take the name of the Erlang God, he must be pretty confident in his own abilities," Jiangtao snarked.
Lin Qi froze. He never expected to be the subject of the very gossip he was listening to.
"Don’t worry, we’ll be careful."
He said, his voice laced with guilt.
...
