Chapter 117 – The Final Wave

“Both of you have surprisingly mentioned ‘accident’ and ‘experience.’ It seems reaching max level first wasn’t something either of you anticipated. Moreover, according to reliable sources, you haven’t defeated the final boss of the Dewpine Ridge dungeon yet, meaning the key to max level actually lies in an inconspicuous part of the dungeon?”

Big H & White Dragon Horse: “…”

Hostess: “Uh, this unusual silence is…”

Drink Till You Drop: “Sorry, but the fun of the game lies in the unknown, so let’s not spoil it.”

“Looks like the three guilds signed a non-disclosure agreement! To this day, there hasn’t been a single leak about the key to max level on the Huaxia forums. It seems luck truly is a form of strength.”

Big H: “It wasn’t luck.”

White Dragon Horse: “It was thanks to a teammate.”

Big H: “We can’t reveal his glorious name.”

White Dragon Horse: “But we can tell everyone he’s from the Ghost Server Legion.”

(T/N: the whisper format in this section is different. Possibly YY format. I’m not familiar with the app, so I can’t confirm.)

[Whisper] You to Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Why can’t you say the name =_=

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse to You: Big H and I discussed it. This way, we promote your guild while maintaining some mystery, making it seem extra high-end, grand, and classy, right? >_<

[Whisper] You to Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Please tell Big H I have three words for both of you.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse to You: Don’t be like that, cursing will get you muted.

[Whisper] You to Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Get together already.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse to You: I’d rather you just cursed at me =_=

On the mic queue, Drink Till You Drop and Big H took turns explaining the reason behind the three guilds teaming up.

“Gaming is only fun when everyone plays together.”

“It was fate. Our three guilds have always gotten along since the moment we met.”

“Technically, it’s three guilds, but really four—the Anti-Romance Alliance’s leader Hu Yifei and member Zeng Xiaoxian were also key players in the dungeon run. But they couldn’t make it today because they were working overtime.”

“Dewpine Ridge is the hardest dungeon I’ve ever encountered, but Five Peaks Pavilion and Ghost Server Legion are also the most righteous guilds I’ve ever met!”

“Before the dungeon, we were friends. After the dungeon, we’re brothers.”

White Dragon Horse & Fang Zheng’s inner thoughts: When the hell did these two write scripts for this? =_=

The routine interview segments passed one by one. Later, the hostess asked the two to showcase the gear from their reward packs. They complied with screenshots and honestly admitted that two very rare pouches had been given to the mysterious “X” whose glorious name couldn’t be revealed. Thus, the interview reached its final segment—player Q&A.

Host: “First question—as requested by the player, we won’t reveal the asker’s name. They want to know: if Ghost Server, Five Peaks Pavilion, and Meteor Blitz were to PVP, who would win?”

Big H: “…”

Drink Till You Drop: “…”

White Dragon Horse: “…”

Fang Zheng: “Please refer to the cross-server PVP records.”

Host: “The Ghost Server Legion Leader has spoken! From the start of the interview until now, the Ghost Server Legion Leader has finally spoken! He wasn’t disconnected! He wasn’t disconnected!!!”

=_=

Fang Zheng moved his mouse to the whisper section of YY and scrolled up. After Birdy-kun’s single flower, messages from Ghost Server members poured in—

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: Our guild’s image is already in shambles. Please don’t make it worse.

[Whisper] Refined Into a Demon 715 to You: Commander, thousands of people are listening. Tone it down a little, okay?

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: Commander, mind your manners.

[Whisper] Mad Lad to You: Don’t stress. If you can’t imitate Drink Till You Drop’s official speech, just act mysterious.

[Whisper] You to Polly: They won’t let me go wild!

[Whisper] Polly to You: 👍

[Whisper] You to Polly: I’ll suffocate like this TAT

[Whisper] Polly to You: Fine, you can go wild once.

[Whisper] You to Polly: Love you >_<

The fully immersed commander, wearing headphones, didn’t notice his deputy—who was sipping on AD Calcium Milk—choking and spraying it all over his screen.

Player questions were all over the place, ranging from tactical advice to gossip and rumors, practically digging into every corner of the three guilds. The affair between Greatsword and Vivian was, of course, brought up, and even the old incident where Birdy killed Vivian, leading to Five Peaks Pavilion hunting Birdy down, was dragged out. Fang Zheng’s expression could only be described as “😳”—Holy shit, even I almost forgot about that!

But it wasn’t all negative. At the very least, it brought back the Ghost Server Commander’s beautiful memories of his first love.

Every first love begins so unexpectedly yet leaves such a deep impression. Like a smile beneath cherry blossoms, a sign-up sheet for a college club, brushing past someone in the crowded Marketplace, accidentally holding the same handrail on a bus—or a failed ambush on Mount Emei.

——Just one glance before dying, and I could never forget the face that insta-killed me.

“May I ask how you cleared the ten-question checkpoint at the dungeon’s entrance?”

A suddenly detailed question pulled the healer out of his romantic daydream.

Drink Till You Drop answered again: “Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing, but breaking through that checkpoint was entirely thanks to Ghost Server’s Blood Bulls Don’t Graze. She’s the most knowledgeable girl I’ve ever met—bar none.”

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: Still needs to improve in the fashion department.

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: Not interested.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: No, you just lack the right spark to ignite your interest.

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: So which brand of perfume are you planning to gift me?

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: …

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: Just kidding, haha, mad?

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: Not really.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: Ugh, I just can’t shut up. I genuinely see you as a friend, nothing more.

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: Mm.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: Honestly, if I were to gift you something, a mechanical keyboard would suit you better.

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: Dorm 305, Building 27, D University, X City. Recipient: Lin Yi. I’m not picky about brand or model—you choose.

[Whisper] 2B Fighter Jet to You: You’re becoming more and more like our commander =_=

[Whisper] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze to You: As long as you don’t.

If it were the commander, he’d have no problem choosing “cash on delivery,” right?

Damn it, I can’t do that! TAT

Shamelessness isn’t a skill or an art—it’s a gift, a precious blessing from the heavens!

“And how did you clear the Dark Zone? Any secrets?”

“This is also a bit embarrassing—it was all thanks to Ghost Server’s Mad Lad. Of course, we can’t reveal the specifics, but rest assured, we took a bit of a shortcut by using certain items. It wasn’t the conventional strategy.”

“I’ve heard that first-time dungeon runners often overlook certain items, which are usually key to clearing the dungeon. Do you have any tips for spotting these crucial elements?”

“The trick is to have at least one extremely curious teammate out of thirty.”

“And who was your curious teammate?”

“Sorry, can’t reveal his glorious name.”

[Whisper] You to Drink Till You Drop: Why are you doing this too? =_=

[Whisper] Drink Till You Drop to You: Your guild’s Demon Refiner whispered me, saying this makes it seem high-end, grand, classy, and a little mysterious.

Those three must have died together in a previous life while playing cards!

Host: “As expected, strong teams love keeping things mysterious! Now we have two mysterious figures whose glorious names cannot be revealed!”

Drink Till You Drop: “No, just one.”

Host: “You mean the behind-the-scenes hero who discovered the max-level secret is also the key figure who found the crucial items? The one from Ghost Server?”

Drink Till You Drop: “Yes.”

Host: “Actually, I’ve always wondered—since he was the first to discover the key to max level, why wasn’t he the first to actually reach max level?”

Drink Till You Drop: “…”

Too much to explain in one word. =_=

Fang Zheng: “Max level isn’t his goal.”

Host: “As expected, the guild leader knows their own members best! So, what is this mysterious figure’s goal?”

Fang Zheng: “Taobao¹Yes, this is a marketplace, but the meaning of its name is literally to “hunt for treasures”.”

Host: “…”

……

Fang Zheng’s inner thoughts: You don’t get it, do you? You don’t, right?~~~

Host’s inner thoughts: =_=

Fang Zheng’s inner thoughts: It means scouring the entire Huaxia world for pets, itching to capture every mob he sees.

Host’s inner thoughts: Why couldn’t you just say that directly instead of condensing it into such a weird abbreviation?!

Fang Zheng’s inner thoughts: If I explained it clearly, they’d know it’s the Demon Refiner, and his identity would be exposed! >_<

Host’s inner thoughts: How high-end, grand, and classy can staying mysterious possibly be?!

……

Host: “Sigh, next question: During the twelve-mob segment, only four players could engage in combat. What was your party composition?”

Drink Till You Drop: “Two Demon Refiners, one Assassin, one healer. We actually tried several setups and only found the most effective one after multiple failures.”

Host: “Same asker wants to know: Why didn’t you use a Spirit Master for crowd control instead of Demon Refiners? How did this composition handle the final wave of mobs?”

Drink Till You Drop: “Actually, both Demon Refiners handled crowd control. Their ability to lock down mobs in terms of quantity and stability far surpasses that of a Spirit Master.”

Host: “But Demon Refiners don’t have crowd control skills, do they?”

Fang Zheng: “Pets do.”

Host: “But the pet’s name can’t be revealed either, right?”

Fang Zheng: “Sure it can. 502.”

Host: “…”

“Alright, final question…”

[Whisper] Qiqi to You: The planner says there’s still plenty of time left.

[Whisper] You to Qiqi: Tell him to drop dead!!!!!

“Interesting—the final questioner requested we announce his name. So, the last question is from Holy Light Sanctuary server’s No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains. He wants to ask Ghost Server’s commander: You contributed so much to the dungeon but ended up with nothing. How do you feel about that? Wow, this is a sharp question…”

Entire audience: You clearly enjoyed asking that…

There was no denying it—this was a malicious question. Whether it was the asker, the host relaying it, or the listeners, everyone was waiting for the answer with varying degrees of schadenfreude.

Ghost Server members were also nervous. Though their commander had behaved throughout the interview, with even his rare responses ending in proper punctuation, as long as the final whistle hadn’t blown, the great commander still had the potential to rip off his shirt, wave it wildly while running laps, and end with a French kiss on the referee’s face.

“Ahem,” Fang Zheng mused for a moment before finally speaking. “I’m grateful for Drink Till You Drop’s recognition of our guild. It’s true that we played a role in some key moments of the dungeon. But a team’s success is never just the work of a few—it’s the result of everyone’s cooperation and effort.

Everyone in Ghost Server Legion: Is this still our commander?! (⊙o⊙)

Everyone in Meteor Blitz & Five Peaks: Is this still your commander?! =_=

“Of course, getting the max-level reward pack is exciting, but what we gained from this joint dungeon run isn’t just the pack—experience, friendship, camaraderie, and love for the game are all invaluable treasures! I love my guildmates! I love my allies! I love Huaxia!

Everyone in Ghost Server Legion: Commander!!

Everyone in Meteor Blitz & Five Peaks: Milk Mom!!!

“Finally, I’d like to end with a few words from the heart—but these don’t represent any group, just me personally. Yours truly, Huaxia Summit’s Milk is Mom, offering power leveling, gold trading, material exchanges, and gear farming services. Interested parties, add me on QQ. My number is…”

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  Yes, this is a marketplace, but the meaning of its name is literally to “hunt for treasures”