When Armand returned to the group, Mu Sicheng, who had been knocked down by the wind, scrambled to his feet and tried to push forward again—only for Bai Liu to hold him back.
Bai Liu glanced across the crowd, locking eyes with Georgia in the distance.
Georgia's gaze lingered on the frustrated Mu Sicheng for barely a second before shifting to Bai Liu. The Golden Dawn captain studied him intently, his expression serious, as if he were trying to burn a hole through Bai Liu's face with his stare.
"Wow." Bai Liu smiled. "This Captain Georgia looks like he knows me."
Tang Erda's expression darkened. "…He shouldn't. If he remembered what you did, he'd be attacking by now."
"Georgia's the type to act first and ask questions later."
"Then why does Captain Georgia keep staring at me?" Bai Liu squinted up at Tang Erda. "Don't tell me he fell in love with me at first sight?"
Tang Erda blurted out, almost reflexively, "It's not impossible. He only met you once before he ran off with you, too…"
Bai Liu: "…..."
Fortunately, Georgia didn't stare at Bai Liu for long. As soon as Armand rejoined him, he withdrew his gaze and led his team forward, acting as if Bai Liu had never existed.
The wind had thrown the onlookers into a brief panic, but their fear quickly gave way to cheers and excited screams—they had interpreted the chaos as part of a dramatic duel.
Armand was the clear winner of that exchange, and the fact that the striking newcomer had proven his combat prowess only fueled the enthusiasm of Golden Dawn's supporters.
As the gold-clad team passed Bai Liu and the others, the crowd's cheers hit a fever pitch, almost taunting in their intensity.
Mu Sicheng scowled. "Shit, so my skills are banned. If we could actually fight it out in a game—"
"Enough." Bai Liu cast him a lazy glance. "You've already given them plenty of free publicity today. Don't hand them any more—train."
"…Yeah." Mu Sicheng clenched his fist, realizing his own impulsiveness. His fingers shifted from clawed monkey paws back to human hands, and he fell silent.
Without another word, they turned and headed toward the boarding gate to begin the next round of training.
------
Two games later, Liu Jiayi's system panel lit up amid the swamp and the toxic fog, displaying a message:
[System Alert: Player Liu Jiayi has reached the required number of games to register for the league. Do you wish to register?]
Liu Jiayi glanced up at Bai Liu. Seeing the unwavering certainty in his eyes, she took a deep breath.
[OK.]
[Registration Guild Choice: Killer Sequence, King's Guild... Wandering Circus...]
Her gaze lingered momentarily on the King's Guild crown logo before she selected Wandering Circus.
[System Alert: You have officially registered as a player for the (Wandering Circus) Guild League. Please find your remaining four teammates as soon as possible...]
The moment her registration was confirmed, an image of her appeared at the bottom of the popularity poll announcement—a shot taken at an odd angle, capturing Liu Jiayi mid-battle. Her veil was half-blown by the wind, her stance decisive as she unleashed poison upon a towering creature. A faint, almost childlike smirk curved her lips, playful yet chilling in its innocence.
This wasn't a screenshot from a small TV; it was too close, not from a broadcast perspective. Someone had taken this photo while standing near her—too near.
Liu Jiayi froze, staring at the image. She remembered this angle. The person standing behind her during that game, covering her defense, had been... Hearts.
She recalled the moment clearly—after she had killed the monster, Hearts had smiled at her. Then, without hesitation, she had drawn a playing card and slashed forward. Liu Jiayi, caught off guard, felt the veil torn from her face, a sharp sting left behind where the edge had scraped her skin.
Shocked, she had looked up at Hearts, bewildered.
Hearts had crouched down to meet her gaze, smiling.
"This is your first lesson about the league," she had murmured. "Never trust your teammates so easily, even if they're standing behind you."
Lowering her eyes, she whispered, "You never know when the people around you will lose control. When they do, they'll betray you and attack."
"Teammates aren't reliable. The only person you can trust as a tactician is yourself—and your absolute control over your team. Even if they go mad, they must still be nothing more than weapons in your hands."
Liu Jiayi hesitated, then replaced the photo before stepping out of the boarding area, her head held high.
As her name lit up on the system's popularity bulletin board, electronic fireworks burst across her panel.
[System Alert: Player Liu Jiayi has joined the Wandering Circus team!]
[System Announcement: Player Liu Jiayi has permanently withdrawn from the King's Guild!]
Through the falling digital confetti, Liu Jiayi spotted a familiar figure standing near the exit.
Qi Yifang.
He was holding two boxes, his eyes red and puffy—he'd clearly been crying. But the moment he saw Liu Jiayi, he forced a smile, trying to put on a brave front like an older brother should.
"Congratulations, Little Witch, on making it to the league!"
Liu Jiayi halted mid-step.
Behind her, Bai Liu gave her a gentle push. "Go on. Say goodbye properly."
Slowly, she walked forward. Qi Yifang's smile trembled, and before he could stop himself, tears spilled down his face again.
"Ooooh, Jiayi, you're amazing, I'm so happy for you..."
He crouched down, wiping at his face with his sleeve. "I—I got into the official team, Jiayi."
Liu Jiayi gave him a look. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not at all, wooooh—" Qi Yifang sniffled loudly. "We've been training with a nun's player, and she's so strong. Liu Ji and I can barely keep up. The Queen calls me a loser every day. And now, when I think about having to go up against you later, I—"** His voice cracked. "I'm terrified."
His words tumbled out in a miserable wail. "What if we win?! The Queen said she won't go easy on you!"
Liu Jiayi couldn't help but laugh, crossing her arms and tilting her chin up proudly. "Don't underestimate my new team. It's not certain who'll win."
"Stop crying!" She sighed. "Aren't you embarrassed wailing like that?"
Qi Yifang sniffled again, shoving the boxes into her arms. "It was supposed to be the new guild information officer delivering these, but he saw the system message that you joined the league and had a breakdown. He's crying worse than I am—everyone else is bawling in their dorms. I was the only one who could hold it together, so they sent me instead."
Liu Jiayi accepted the boxes in silence. Then Qi Yifang suddenly pulled out a pair of skates.
A very pink pair of skates.
There was a doodle of a doll and a tiny witch awkwardly holding hands on one side—clearly added later.
Liu Jiayi's eyes widened. "[Super Speed Ice Skates]? Where did you get these? I haven't seen a Level 3 dungeon drop these in ages."
Qi Yifang hesitated. "They're in the game pool, but the monster book requirements are insane. It took a whole team of us over half a month to farm this pair. Liu Ji got hurt grinding for them, but—he improved a lot from it. That's how he made it onto the official team."
The smile faded from Liu Jiayi's face.
Qi Yifang went on, "We wanted to get you a gift for when you made it to the league. You're not the fastest runner, and these will help. They'll keep you safe."
He gently pushed the skates into her hands. "Take them."
Liu Jiayi studied him for a long moment. Then, in a low voice, she said, "Half a month ago, I was part of the King's Guild. Now I'm not. I didn't join the league for you, so this isn't something I should—"
"But we are!"
Qi Yifang lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her in a fierce hug.
"We joined the team so we could protect you!"
Liu Jiayi inhaled sharply.
Qi Yifang choked out, "No matter which team you're on, we just want you to be safe."
His grip tightened. "The Queen said the league is brutal and fair. She said you're smart enough to know that if we held back to let you live, it would only make things worse. It would mess with your decisions, make you hesitate—and that hesitation would make you more vulnerable in the tournament."
Liu Jiayi clenched her fists.
Qi Yifang closed his eyes. "We're not as smart as you. We didn't know what else to do. After thinking about it for a long time, this was the only way we could protect you."
His voice hardened. "We'll fight you with everything we have, Jiayi. And you—you fight us with everything you have. If we come after you—run."
"Run as far as you can! Run until we can't catch up! Run until the game ends!"
"Just live!"
Liu Jiayi let out a quiet laugh, eyes misty. She pulled him into a firm hug. "Don't make me sound like such a loser."
"Who's running? We're going to win!"
Qi Yifang wiped his tears and smiled through them. "So are we!"
Bai Liu watched as Liu Jiayi returned, two boxes and a pair of skates in hand.
Behind her, Qi Yifang turned to leave. But he didn't make it far before breaking into another fit of crying as he ran.
Liu Jiayi picked up her pace, then broke into a run—throwing herself into Bai Liu's arms, burying her face.
"Bai Liu, can we really... win?"
Bai Liu stroked her hair. "We will."
Her voice softened. "And the price?"
Bai Liu glanced toward Qi Yifang's retreating figure.
"You've already paid your price. The cost of victory belongs to me."
The number [0] below Liu Jiayi's poster suddenly changes a little in the system's popularity voting panel.
[League player Liu Jiayi gets one vote.]
[League player Liu Jiayi gains access to the game pool].