The Great Thief

On the last day of the Christmas Double EXP event, Lu Li let out a long sigh as he watched the Lv50 Experience Reindeer fall.

Level 47!

This was the result of their hard work; they had been grinding non-stop for the past few days. Besides sleeping, eating and tournaments, all their time was spent on the Christmas event. Ever since they were raided by a group of players, Lu Li even went as far as organizing some players in the area to protect their kills.

In other words, they had reserved the whole area for themselves.

"Ruling Sword has reserved this area; if you don’t want to die, then leave immediately."

"This Boss belongs to Ruling Sword, so don’t loiter around. If we accidentally attacked you, then that’s your fault!"

"That’s just how cool Ruling Sword is – if you don’t follow our rules, we’ll organize people to kill-steal you. I doubt any other guild would dare to try and protect you."

"Law, what is the law? Go ask Heart of War – he’d know a lot about this topic."

As an educated scholar, Square Root Three would never allow his subordinates to utter such rude statements as those above. However, it didn’t matter how they said it – it was about what they were saying.

Power. Whether in real life or in a virtual game, human beings craved power over others.

No.1 on the Level Rankings! Level 47!

Based on this title alone, Square Root Three wasn’t afraid to show off their dominance.

The level rankings were still dominated by the members of Ruling Sword, who were all around Lv47 and Lv46. There were very few players from the other guilds that had reached Lv46, and the majority of celebrity players were around Lv45.

The Gaming Company was pleased with the outcome.

They had managed to even out the playing field in a fair and reasonable way. Although they still weren’t sure how balanced the upcoming tournaments would be, at least Ruling Sword’s advantage had been slightly decreased.

Both Ruling Sword and the players from the other guilds would be wearing Lv45 equipment. Even if Ruling Sword had a slight advantage in levels, this wasn’t enough to be the determining factor.

While they would have a few more Attribute points, in the setting of a professional tournament, these differences were minute and not enough to give one side a greater advantage.

"Too bad. No more free wins for us." Square Root Three said bitterly.

"What did you expect?" Lu Li laughed.

"Brother Three, don’t be angry. I think it’ll be fine," Shen Wan San said as he sat down beside Lu Li. The three were having a drink together and discussing the current changes that had been introduced into the game.

"What’s fine about this? I thought Dawn said that they wouldn’t interrupt with the progression in the game? Isn’t this what they said they wouldn’t do? Screw this," Square Root Three couldn’t help but swear.

They had spent 17,000 gold in-game to place themselves in a favorable position to win the Professional League. Additionally, with their previous accolades, including the Championship of the Shadow cup, Ruling Sword would have definitely made it into the top 10 Guild Rankings.

Top 10 did not sound all that impressive, but it wasn’t to be underestimated.

Peerless City took many years to break the Top 10, but had to completely rely on Drizzling Court now to survive. Who knew how many unfair contracts they had been forced to sign with Water Fairy? On the other hand, Ruling Sword took 3 to 4 months, which was almost a tenth of a normal guild’s progression. This was completely unheard of in the history of gaming and could quite possibly be a record for the quickest rise to power.

"Brother Three, it’s because you’re blinded by your anger and can’t see clearly when you’re in the situation yourself. Sometimes it’s better to see things from an observer’s point of view, like me," Shen Wan San laughed.

Square Root Three calmed down and wanted to listen to why Shen Wan San thought that this could be good for them.

"Mr. Shen, stop beating around the bush. I’m all ears for what you have to say."

"The gaming company’s goal is very obvious – to have the League Tournaments function without a clear advantage on one side," Shen Wan San said as he tapped the table with his fingers. "The balance of the game is much more important than whether Ruling Sword is first place or not. Think about it like this – the major guilds are like fish and the gaming company is like water. When big fish like Ruling Sword and the other major guilds fight for their survival, the water becomes murky and dirty. What’s the point of fighting for your survival if the environment has already gone to complete and utter chaos?"

"Heh, it’s very hard to tell that you have such insight," Lu Li said in surprise.

Square Root Three sipped on his wine and sighed, "Mr. Shen, well said, but I’m still quite worried."

"Stop worrying," Shen Wan San assured as he patted Square Root Three on the shoulders with his chubby hands. "Besides, it’s not like you guys lost all your chances of winning the championship. Have you lost all your confidence just because you lost the level advantage?"

"Cheers."

Square Root Three said nothing and raised his cup to drink more.

Ruling Sword faced off against a Lv45 team on New Year’s Day and also the 2nd last day of the Double EXP and Reindeer Event. They were up against a guild called Warp 13.

Though they were ranked in the Top 100, they weren’t well-known. However, they were backed by a guild that was well-known to everyone in the game.

Blood Red War Flag!

Blood Red War Flag was ranked third on the Guild Rankings. Because Gangnam Royals were currently in a slump, they could be considered as a Top 2 guild in the game. They were even more powerful than Drizzle Court.

There were no celebrity players in Warp 13, but no one dared to underestimate any team in a tournament setting.

These players were all reserves that did not make the main PVP team for Blood Red War Flag.

Up until now, Warp 13 had amazing results and hadn’t lost a game yet in the tournament.

If they knew that they were up against Ruling Sword two days ago, it was quite possible that they would’ve given up all hope. However, the EXP event had given them the confidence to give them their best fight.

"Warp 13’s team composition is rather weird," Dark Wind commented.

"Why do you say that?" Pure White Season asked.

"Two Thieves, two Mages, a Priest, a Warrior and a Hunter – that’s a team full of DPS players. They’ve always played an aggressive and offensive-focused play style. I wonder if it’ll miraculously work against Ruling Sword!" Dark Winds exclaimed.

"It seems like Mr. Winds isn’t very keen on Warp 13," Pure White Season chuckled.

"Warp 13 have performed well this season. Even if they lose this match, they will still advance into the Top 100. Their players Crimson Ashes and Convex are quite formidable – they’re almost on the same level as celebrity players," Dark Winds explained. He clearly favored Ruling Sword over Warp 13.

Even Blood Red War Flag has lost to Ruling Sword before.

"If there’s a will, there’s a way I suppose. Warp 13 has made a name for themselves in this tournament and they managed to reach Lv45 in time to put up a good fight against Ruling Sword. We are looking very forward to this match up," Pure White Season said. All the teams that could potentially go up against Ruling Sword looked forward to observing them in this match.

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