Chapter 8: From Virtual to Reality (5)
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After the disastrous battle in Cold Wind City, Li Hanbo, the forward who proudly represented White Feather City and led the Heavenly Sword Sect Guild, found himself utterly humiliated. His reputation crumbled faster than a cookie in a toddler’s hands, and before he knew it, other players yanked the Guild Leader title right out from under him.
But fear not, for as the highest-ranking player in the inner circle of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Li Hanbo was like a cockroach that just wouldn’t d*e. He still had a dozen loyal little brothers clinging to his side.
With the entrance and exit to the Small Thousand World locked up tighter than a drum, Sky Sword City had fallen into a deceptive calm before the storm. Li Hanbo decided it would be a brilliant idea to storm the headquarters of the Heavenly Sword Sect Guild.
In the past couple of days, the guild had been on a recruiting frenzy, ballooning their roster to a whopping 5,000 players, making them the top dog in Sky Sword City.
The catch? Most of them were fresh recruits.
At that moment, they were huddled on the streets outside the headquarters, looking like a bunch of beggars munching on the guild’s free steamed buns.
Even so, many were grumbling.
“What a pathetic guild, treating us like livestock!”
“Dude, there’s no gravy in this meal. I’ve scarfed down three buns and still feel like I haven’t eaten a thing.”
“Chill out, bro, at least there’s food. Want to go buy a meat bun yourself?”
“Haha, a meat bun costs 10 Spirit Coins. Man, I’ve seen what shameless merchants look like; it’s the same in both worlds!”
“I saw on the forum that nearly a million new players just flooded into Sky Sword City.”
“Do we really need a forum to tell us that? The streets are packed with people. We’ve become the merchants’ cash cows—ughh! We’re gonna get slaughtered!”
“What can we do? Can you take on a Law Enforcement NPC? A few troublemakers got their butts whipped and were bleeding all over the place.”
“Have you heard? It seems like the Heavenly Sword Sect’s backing is about to tank. If we could take advantage of the chaos, we might snag a few days’ worth of supplies…”
“Shh, keep it down! You wanna get yourself killed? Didn’t you see those Law Enforcement NPCs glaring like they want to strike?”
“I applied to this guild because of its Heavenly Sword reputation, and look where that got us—treated like beggars!”
As the new recruits vented their frustrations…
Suddenly, a young man dressed in a sleek modern black trench coat appeared before the crowd, a red sword sheath slung over his back. A group of similarly dressed, sunglasses-wearing little brothers followed closely behind him.
The aura he carried was more dazzling than a peacock on parade.
The crowd was captivated.
Wait a minute, isn’t this a game set in a fairy-tale realm? Newbies just starting out in newbie village wear ragged burlap, and now here comes Li Hanbo making everyone feel underdressed.
Holy heck, is this guy the main character?
The entire street fell eerie silent.
Li Hanbo jumped up to a high vantage point and scanned the crowd. “I know everyone’s holding their breath, wondering why you got to strut around like a boss in reality, but here you’re treated like dirt, stripped of all dignity.
Why? Because you’re too weak.
One little Law Enforcement NPC could wipe out a hundred of you. Don’t believe me? This is the harsh truth.
So if you want to thrive in this world, we must band together. And we need to get everyone to level up fast!
As the Guild Leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect,
I have the responsibility to help our guild establish a firm footing in this looming chaos.
From now on, drop any pity you’ve got.
Anyone who stands between us and survival—be they players or NPCs—are our enemies!
You only have one life.
You’re safest when you hold your own life in your hands…”
The newcomers’ eyes were changing.
Just then, a few people burst out of the headquarters, shouting at the newbies,
“He’s not the Guild Leader! Don’t get fooled by him!”
“Right! He’s already been kicked out of our guild!”
“Swish…”
Li Hanbo’s fiery sword swooshed and cleanly sliced through the neck of the guy in front.
The guy staggered back, clutching his throat, eyes wide with disbelief.
A notification popped up in his vision:
【Ding! The life-saving talisman has activated, saving you from certain d*ath.】
“Ah! My life-saving talisman! My life-saving talisman!”
Screaming like a banshee who’d lost its last worshipper, he clutched his neck.
Li Hanbo coldly asked, “Who else wants to test their luck?”
The guild staff quickly fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
What, do you think they’d want to waste their only perk as veteran players—the life-saving talisman—on this nonsense? That would be a hefty loss!
“Great! From this moment on, I reclaim my title as Guild Leader.”
With a swish of his trench coat, he commanded, “All of you, heed my orders!”
The sword he just swung had instantaneously conquered every new member in the guild.
It’s a simple fact: in every age, might makes right.
In the real world, power comes from money and influence.
But in this fairy-tale realm, sheer brute strength was king, and with it, money and power would soon follow.
Although the gates of Sky Sword City were shut tight, nearly a million new players roamed its streets like an ominous storm gathering strength, threatening the very fabric of order.
The Law Enforcement teams were running ragged from morning till night.
They prayed for the Small Thousand World’s exit to reopen immediately, or else Sky Sword City would be facing the apocalypse.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the last straw that broke the camel’s back made an appearance.
That very night, a band of Black-Clad Masked Persons launched a surprise attack on the city’s major banks, mercilessly cleaning out Spirit Coins.
By the time the Law Enforcement showed up, all that remained was an empty room, and the masked figures had vanished like a bad dream.
Before they could even catch their breath, unprecedented chaos erupted in Sky Sword City.
Various guilds scrambled to set up roadblocks, seizing turf, and completely ignoring the warnings of Law Enforcement disciples.
The brawl was too big to ignore—there were just too many players at each skirmish.
Law Enforcement disciples felt like they were drowning in an ocean of players. By the time they realized what was happening, several had already succumbed to stabbing in the back.
With that, the remaining members decided it was time to skedaddle, retreating to defend the City Lord’s Mansion, hoping to keep the rioters out.
The chaos raged all night.
When morning light washed over this former bastion of humanity, what lay exposed was a gruesome sight, filled with the aftermath of a battlefield: bloodied streets littered with fresh corpses.
Veteran players could instantly tell this disaster was the doing of inexperienced rookies—clumsy strikes that barely left a mark, most victims dying from bl**d loss rather than any real skill.
This was a process filled with despair and pain,
with most eyes wide open in shock.
The fallen newbies probably never imagined that their grand saga as the chosen champions in this new world would end in the swift embrace of d*ath.
bl**d has a magical way of making people grow up fast,
teaching them about survival of the fittest, and the harsh rules of an alien world.
Drenched in the harsh reality of bloodshed, they said goodbye to fantasy and their naivety.
Facing the dawn, the surviving newcomers held their heads high.
Because they knew when the time came to wield a blade against their own kind again, they wouldn’t hesitate.
…
