Archive of Our Own

Zhang Xinjie opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock.

Two more minutes to 6.00

He lay quietly in bed waiting for the alarm to ring when the bathroom door opened and his little sister walked out.

Zhang Xinjie immediately wanted to ask her what on earth she was doing in his room, but since he was officially not supposed to be awake till 6:00 am, he decided to let her off for now.

But unfortunately it seemed she had a death wish as she grabbed his water jug and started drinking directly from it, spilling water onto the bed.

"What are you doing?!!" he hissed, startling her.

She let out a scream and the jug slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor. Luckily it wasn't glass, but the lid broke and the water splashed all over the floor.

Zhang Xinjie let out a flurry of curses and chased his squealing sister out of the room. The noise had obviously woken up his parents in the next room but they didn't say anything as this wasn't new to them.

Zhang Xinjie came back and looked at the clock.

6:01

Tch! What a bad start to the day!

After brushing his teeth, he mopped up the spilt water and once he was satisfied he promptly hit the books. He had already prepared notes the previous day and he quickly went through them.

By 8:00 the rest of the family were awake too and he joined them for breakfast. His sister, Zhang Yimin acted extra nice and gave him the first plate of toast which he received without saying anything. He was not going to forgive her so easily. 

Their parents forgave her antics, as according to them a ten-year old was allowed to be a child but Zhang Xinjie didn't buy her innocent little girl act completely.

"Are you prepared for the test today?" asked his mother.

Zhang Xinjie just nodded. He knew his mother wasn't expecting a response and was only making conversation.

"Drop your sister off won't you?" his mother said as she grabbed her bag and walked out.

Zhang Xinjie bristled slightly but he really didn't like talking while eating. But by the time he figured this was probably being taken advantage of, he was left alone in the kitchen with Zhang Yimin who was washing her dishes.

Zhang Xinjie flipped through his notes on the way to school, one hand firmly grasping Zhang Yimin so that she didn't run off.  He had learnt to shut out her constant chatter and focus on his notes but one particular sentence caught his attention.

"Do you know what Glory is?! Is it something you can download on the computer?"

Glory

Zhang Xinjie wasn't an avid gamer but he too had heard this name. The few friends he had didn't invite him over much for casual game-nights as he was extremely goal-oriented and in their words "sucked the fun out of it".

Zhang Xinjie had no idea why they thought so when he was only suggesting how to quickly win.

Glory was the latest game on the market and to Zhang Xinjie it was only one of many other games.

An MMORPG offering both PVP and PVE and emphasised as a well-balanced game where the player skill determined the results.

Zhang Xinjie didn't really care much for these kind of games as they required dedicated regular playing and development. Of course he didn't care for trivial games like Candy Crush, but his stand on always giving his one hundred percent to whatever he did prevented him from pursuing any extra activities too seriously.

"Older Brother! Are you even listening?" Zhang Yimin tugged at his jacket vigorously.

"Yes. I think it requires a special account card of some sort. So you might need to ask someone to buy one for you."

"Will you buy one for me?!"

"No. I will think about it after I get into a good college and graduate"

Zhang Yimin looked at him in bewilderment, wondering why her brother was thinking so far ahead for a simple thing like a gift but then again it was easier to butter up her parents than ask him for anything.

After dropping Zhang Yimin off at the primary school section, Zhang Xinjie rushed to the exam hall.

The last exam of this year and then freedom.

Zhang Xinjie stared blankly at the account card in his hand. His sister was running around in excitement holding her own card. The last thing he had expected as a gift from a distant relative was a Glory account card.

"Help me set it up!!" Zhang Yimin begged.

Zhang Xinjie didn't have any more plans for the day so he agreed. Also he still had his doubts whether this game was suitable for young children.

Both cards were still registered under his name and from his initial research it was confirmed Glory did not have any adult content as such. But the player base was still a problem and it would be best if he kept an eye on things.

Zhang Yimin kept bouncing around energetically as the screen loaded. She guided Zhang Xinjie with her character customisation and at the end they were prompted for a name.

Zhang Yimin quickly entered the characters to form her name: Fire Kitten

Zhang Xinjie's eyes narrowed slightly seeing this, but it was none of his business what she wanted to call her character. After a few more loading screens, Fire Kitten was finally dropped into the starter village.

Zhang Xinjie handed over the control to his sister and just watched her progress.

The graphics were quite impressive. Zhang Xinjie realised that with such advanced controls extremely precise movements were possible.

He took out his phone and searched online for a starter guide. Soon he was absorbed reading the manuals filled with details about the classes, the skills and more.

It was only when Zhang Yimin started shaking his arm that he looked up.

"Your turn!" she said holding up the second card.

Zhang Xinjie had been rather enjoying himself, reading up on all the fascinating features and would have preferred to continue with that. But his sister wouldn't stop her nagging until he tried out his account.

Zhang Yimin customized his character this time but Zhang Xinjie grabbed the keyboard immediately when the name prompt popped up. If he left that to his sister he was sure he would end up with something like Wind Puppy.

Misty Mountains

He had come across this in a book he had been reading recently and he liked the way it sounded. Zhang Yimin shook her head in disappointment, obviously sad that she had lost the opportunity to give him a funny name.

Zhang Xinjie progressed through the starter quests quickly. Reading the guides had given him a good idea on how to efficiently finish everything. The character mechanics were by far the best he had seen and he got immersed in the game.

"Dinner!" came his mother's voice.

Zhang Xinjie looked at the time in shock. He had wasted his whole afternoon playing a game!

He shut down the computer immediately pushing aside Zhang Yimin's suggestion to play after dinner too.

"Come on! It's holidays!" she wailed.

"No. If you want to play you can. The computer is in your room. I have already played too much today!"

Later that night Zhang Xinjie lay in bed scrolling through the Glory forums. The game was much more interesting than he had thought but that shouldn't be a reason to break his schedule.

In a way he had always been afraid of this. Forming an addiction to an activity.

The truth was, though he was extremely studious and disciplined, he wasn't a genius. He was simply an average student with consistent grades. In the beginning it had annoyed him when people called him a nerd and he had gone through that phase of rebellion where getting low grades and bunking lectures was considered cool. Luckily he had got past that very quickly.

He did not have any pressure from his parents to excel at everything or meet expectations and he had felt quite ashamed he was taking this for granted. He had then set his priorities straight and changed his approach to life completely.

School. College. Job. House. Car.

His goals were generic but they made sure he wouldn't make mistakes again and fall into the wrong crowd. He had established a strict schedule for himself to bring about order into his life. It was hard in the beginning but now it was a habit.

The only reason his schedule had worked was because he had tried his best to keep away all things that could distract him.

This game Glory was now threatening to wreck his perfect lifestyle.

Zhang Xinjie wondered if there was some way to fit this into his schedule too. Half an hour of gameplay everyday would give him three and a half hours a week. He could optimise his playing time with the right amount of research and planning and it would be possible for him to unlock new features like the class specializations within a few weeks.

Zhang Xinjie wanted to kick himself for having these thoughts.

Games would come and go, there was no point in getting so excited over this.

For all I know Glory might be dead next month... I should stop getting such stupid ideas

This happy thought sent him off to sleep that night.

The final year was quite hectic for Zhang Xinjie. With the entrance examinations coming up and also other academic activities he had very little time to think about Glory.

His friends in his study group were all avid fans of Glory and half the time their study sessions turned into Glory discussions. The Glory fever was at an all time high due to the pro tournament and discussions revolved around the teams and players.

One Autumn Leaf and Desert Dust were the accounts most talked about and with some help from his sister, Zhang Xinjie knew that these two were the top players in-game.

Zhang Xinjie didn't play the game much anymore but he kept himself updated on all the latest news and had watched enough gameplay videos. So he could very easily keep up with his friends and even offer input into the game. Input which was rarely taken seriously though.

Zhang Xinjie had no plans to get sucked back into the game either. The school was on a week long break and while his friends planned to relax with Glory, Zhang Xinjie had made meticulous plans to balance his extra academic work with a series of good movies he had been wanting to watch.

Zhang Xinjie turned off all distracting devices and inserted the DVD into the player. The movie was supposed to be a rather gruesome murder mystery and he had been so hyped about it that he had stopped reading the book halfway so that he could enjoy the movie better.

The first scene opened quite satisfyingly with a body in a pool of blood and Zhang Xinjie was about to increase the volume to enjoy the creepy music better when Zhang Yimin came over and plopped down on the sofa.

Zhang Xinjie paused the movie and waited for her to leave.

Zhang Yimin stared at the screen waiting for the movie to start.

"Do you need something, Yimin?"

Zhang Xinjie knew his parents didn't mind him watching whatever movies he wanted but it would be rather unsuitable for his sister.

"Nope! What are you watching?"

"It's... a documentary."

Zhang Yimin scowled.

"I'm not four! I saw the dead body!"

Zhang Xinjie tapped his fingers irritably.

"Go away, Yimin! Why don't you play Glory or something? Are none of your friends online today?"

Zhang Xinjie knew that his sister had company in the game. They were all classmates and so he had approved the usage of voice chat when she played alone with them and for some days when he had returned late from school he was greeted by the frenzied screeches of his sister shouting out skill names.

"I don't wanna play." Zhang Yimin replied.

"Please! You haven't played in a while right? Don't think I didn't notice! You can turn the VC up and close the door too! I won't tell mother!"

Zhang Xinjie knew he sounded too desperate but he really had his heart set on watching the movie today and it would just not be the same if he was forced to watch the movie with her and skip the good scenes.

"I don't want to play! Glory is stupid!" Zhang Yimin shouted angrily and banged her fists on the couch.

Zhang Xinjie was taken aback by this outburst. He silently switched off the television and sat down next to her with his arm around her shoulder.

"What happened? Anything you want to tell me?"

Regardless of how much he wanted to watch the movie, his sister was his first priority.

Though he claimed Zhang Yimin was a brat, in reality he knew she was far from it. She had her childish quirks, but she was still a relatively mature girl who rarely threw tantrums. Zhang Xinjie felt the brotherly fire ignite in his heart as he promised to himself that he would destroy whoever had hurt his sister.

After a few minutes of silence Zhang Yimin finally started speaking.

"There are so many bullies in the game! They bully us because we are kids!"

"I thought I told you not to talk to strangers!"

"I didn't! But my friends did and lots of people found out we were only kids and they made fun of us and were mean!"

"Who asked you to play with them?" Zhang Xinjie's brotherly fire was slowly getting quenched by icy rationale and Zhang Yimin directed her annoyance at her brother now.

"What do you know?? You don't play it anymore! It's hard! We can't even complete a dungeon by ourselves! So we thought we would play with some of the other teams! It's not even my idea!"

"Experienced players would obviously get frustrated when low-level players join them. This is why I told you to stick to your friends."

"That isn't the point!! I know that! We are good players ok!! But you know what those lousy guys did! After running a dungeon, they killed us off and looted us!"

Zhang Xinjie's jaw dropped in surprise. This was something new.

"What?!"

"Yeah!! And now they bully us everywhere! We can't clear dungeons by ourselves to level up! We can't join their teams or they would loot us! We can't even level in the wild as they target us out there too!"

"Hmm... Not everyone might be like that."

"Lots of them are. I bet the nice people are the top players like One Autumn Leaf and Desert Dust and I bet they don't take random little kids to run dungeons!"

Zhang Yimin sat back, crossing her arms and sulking.

"Let's go" said Zhang Xinjie.

"Go where? Ice cream?"

"No. Glory. Let's get this solved today!"

Zhang Xinjie dragged his sister to the computer. It was fortunate that his parents had got a second computer for him that year and so it was possible for both of them to log in together.

Zhang Xinjie looked at Misty Mountains. His character was still pathetically underdeveloped.

"The dungeon will eat you alive!" said Zhang Yimin with a giggle.

"Ok. Maybe not today. Give me a few days to catch up. Meanwhile tell me your the class compositions of your friends."

Zhang Yimin described the classes in detail. She had chosen to be a Sharpshooter and from a quick look Zhang Xinjie was sure her character was not lacking in power.

"What class are you gonna pick?! " Zhang Yimin peered over his shoulder as she marveled how quickly Zhang Xinjie was completing his missions.

"Let me see. Go run a dungeon with your friends now. Take a recording of the run and send it to me. "

"Ok!"

Zhang Yimin ran out without any more questions. She had complete faith in her brother when it came to Glory. She had seen him reading up on it and watching videos but he had refused to play it, claiming it was a waste of his time.

Atleast he did not consider helping his sister out a waste of his time.

After two days of levelling and studying the dungeon videos, Zhang Xinjie was finally ready to choose his class.

"CLERIC?!!" Zhang Yimin didn't hide her surprise as she shook Zhang Xinjie's shoulder "Why Cleric?! It's so weak! Pick Battle Mage!!"

"No" Zhang Xinjie replied firmly and selected Cleric.

A small animation started playing.

"Why?" Zhang Yimin calmed down immediately for the damage had already been done.

"You don't need more dps. I have studied all your runs. You are all pretty decent when it comes to skill and have sufficient dps. What you lack is strategy and a healer."

"Ok! But if you die first don't blame me!"

"I have no intention of dying! Now tell me some good places to get better equipment."

That evening the team ran their first dungeon together. It ended unsuccessfully with the whole team getting wiped out.

None of the kids dared to blame Zhang Xinjie. After all he was the older brother here.

"See! It's harder than you think!"

Zhang Yimin spoke into the microphone but Zhang Xinjie could hear it clearly in real life too.

Zhang Xinjie hadn't expected the first run to be successful either but it was still surprisingly difficult.

He didn't know most of these kids either and so it wasn't easy to direct them. They were a trigger happy bunch too. Obviously they didn't care much about strategy and positioning except for maybe Zhang Yimin who had grasped some of his instructions but still failed to see them through accurately.

"Tell us what to do, older brother! Also you can boss my friends about! Don't be shy!"

Zhang Xinjie sighed. Discretion was not one of his sister's traits.

It took a few runs for the team to come together but once it did, their strategy was solid. The kids were thrilled to bits when they finally finished their first run and were so happy that they presented all the drops to their big brother in gratitude.

Zhang Xinjie distributed them fairly. The satisfaction of watching his plan work out was good enough for him.

Soon the stories of a team of kids and a Cleric running dungeons became very popular. Zhang Xinjie's friends came to know and soon he received numerous invitations to play with them.

That was when he realised a Cleric in this game truly held more power than he had thought. He stopped trying to run away from Glory and merely incorporated it into his schedule.

He learnt quite a lot about communicating his strategies in simple terms after working with the younger kids. Even the gang of bullies his sister had mentioned asked him to run a dungeon with them. He was tempted to support them poorly and let them die, but it went against his principles.

Instead he healed then all only a little and made sure they exited the dungeon at low health so that the ambush set outside by the kids would succeed and they could pick the bullies clean.

The siblings vowed never to repeat this kind of thing again as it went against so many of their beliefs.

It still felt damn good.

"All you need to do is to choose a strong class and have the skills to match!"

Zhang Xinjie stopped walking as he heard this loud comment.

It was from a senior who had passed out last year. He was the hero of the school now as he had entered the Glory Training Camp of their home City X, Team Void.

Team Void hadn't been particularly eye-catching for these two seasons but it was still their home team and almost every other kid wanted to get into the training camp to kick-start their pro gamer career.

"Is it hard for normal players, senior? I mean, the pros focus a lot on tactics and stuff right?" asked a curious junior.

"Hah! Tactics don't matter too much when you are battling it to death! Take it from me, all the best plans fall part when you are on the field and fighting for the championship!" The Senior smiled down triumphantly at his little crowd.

"If they fall apart then they aren't the best plans."

Zhang Xinjie spoke quietly but his words were sharp enough to be heard and the senior looked at him.

"What was that?"

Zhang Xinjie had been planning to let it go but something about that condescending tone irritated him. He could see his classmates waving at him to stop except for one person who was struggling to hold back a smile.

This person was one of Zhang Xinjie's closer friends. A foreign exchange student, William.

Zhang Xinjie had befriended him in broken English and then proceeded to teach him Chinese over the last two years. If anything, William knew that once Zhang Xinjie set his mind on something he wouldn't back off.

"Strategy and tactics belong in the conference room kid! Out there on the field only performance counts! You wouldn't understand!"

Zhang Xinjie nodded patiently as if he was accepting his explanation and when the Senior stopped he spoke up again.

"My views are unfortunately not the same. How do you think Excellent Era won the cup twice? It wasn't only about performance. It was the tactics on the field. I think you are confusing preparations with strategy, Senior.

Preparations however adequate they are, may fall apart on the field when things go differently. Strategy is the art of dealing with these changes. Only fools go in with a single plan. You can make it onto a team if you perform well but to perform in an actual match you must understand strategy even if you do not create tactics yourself."

Zhang Xinjie stopped for breath and he would have continued if it were not for the dark looks directed his way.

"It's only my opinion, of course."

Zhang Xinjie was about to retreat but the Senior stopped him.

"What do you play, kid?"

"Cleric" he replied.

The Senior burst into laughter.

"Oh! That's why you talk so big!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zhang Xinjie was losing his patience.

The only thing keeping him calm was William who was distracting him by making funny faces behind the senior.

"Well, Clerics are important in PVE. But let's be honest they are not absolute game-changers."

"But they are. They are critical to not just keeping the team alive. They have a view of the entire battle and they can make calls that would certainly be game changing!"

"A shot-calling cleric!! Would you look at that?!" The Senior started to laugh rudely and Zhang Xinjie had the urge to slap him.

But William ran over and pulled him back.

"Come now, senior! We can dream right! And Zhang Xinjie here does call shots, right? His account is Misty Mountains!" William smiled at the Senior and after a moment realization dawned on the older boy's face.

"Oh! I have heard that name! So it's you!"

"Yes" Zhang Xinjie said curtly. He had no idea why William had mentioned all that but if it shut this guy up it was fine.

The Senior smiled at Zhang Xinjie condescendingly.

"The leader of that kid-army right? Sure! I've heard about you! Yeah! Making tactics for kids is really important!"

Zhang Xinjie's fingers twitched but William immediately came in between.

"Senior! You haven't even seen my friend in action! Challenge him to a battle then, if you are so confident!"

"Fight a cleric?! That's a good one!"

"A team battle then? To test if strength or tactics are better?"

The Senior was about to laugh this away too but noticed that the little fight had drawn quite a crowd. Refusing to fight would be seen as backing down from the challenge. William had trapped him quite nicely in front of everyone.

"Hah! Fine! I suppose you lot have some regular group you run with and have practiced as a team, huh? Is that why you are so confident in him?"

"Who me?" William pointed at himself and laughed "I haven't played with him at all!"

The Senior blinked in confusion.

"Huh? Then what team are you talking about? The little kids?"

"No!" Zhang Xinjie almost spat out the words. "A random team. With people I haven't ever played with before."

The Senior suddenly looked more interested.

"Go on. "

"You say performance and skill are important. I say strategy is as important and with sufficient tactics even a random group of players can be strong!"

"Ok then let's see! As long as you stick to your word and make a group of players you haven't played along with before! This weekend in the arena! Open room, so anyone can watch! And I'll show you then that teamwork is more important!"

The Senior gave a smug smile.

"When did I-" Zhang Xinjie was outraged at how his words had been twisted. When had he even mentioned teamwork?!

"Deal!!" interrupted William smoothly and shook his hands.

The crowd dispersed and Zhang Xinjie was left alone with William.

"You... did that on purpose didn't you?" Zhang Xinjie was feeling a bit faint now thinking about what he had got himself into.

"Sorry! But he had it coming! And nothing better than the silent kid of the class smacking your face like that!" William smiled at Zhang Xinjie who stared back coldly.

"I should have left you to flounder alone without knowing any Chinese."

"Come now!" William chuckled nervously as the two walked off. "I'll take care of everything! I bet you haven't played with many people from the other classes in school! I'll offer myself up as a sacrifice too! I'm kinda excited to see you in action myself!"

Zhang Xinjie said nothing. It was strange that he himself was feeling a bit excited.

I never thought I had a competitive streak

Zhang Xinjie moved Misty Mountains to the arena. A few minutes later he heard William calling his name.

William's character was surprisingly a rather well equipped Striker. Zhang Xinjie hadn't expected him to be the type to use an aggressive close combat class.

Zhang Xinjie tried to read his character name which was in English.

"Angel's.... Feet?"

"It's supposed to be Feat. It means great achievements. I made a typo."

Zhang Xinjie sighed. He couldn't believe people were so careless about something like their character name.

"Did you find any players?" Zhang Xinjie asked.

"Yep! Here they are!"

Zhang Xinjie moved his camera and read the names of the two characters that had shown up.

Spitfire, Bullet Rain

Ghostblade, Crying Devil

"You really went out of your way to find random players, huh?" asked Zhang Xinjie dryly.

He had never seen these two accounts before. Glory was indeed a large place.

"Bullet Rain is an online friend! He's good! A bit lazy sometimes but he will listen to you! And Crying Devil is Li Xuan! He's in Class-C! You know him right?!"

Zhang Xinjie had no idea who Li Xuan was. Their school had around 5 to 6 classes for each grade with around 40 to 50 students per class. Zhang Xinjie barely knew the names of the people in his own class.

"Mm.. Yes" he muttered hoping that William wouldn't press him further.

The two new players were introduced to Zhang Xinjie quickly. William had already explained the events leading to the match and Zhang Xinjie calculated the possible strategies he could come up with for a Spitfire and a Ghostblade. It was just bad luck that these were the two classes he hadn't encountered yet.

"Who's the fifth? Or is it 4V4?" asked Crying Devil.

Zhang Xinjie waited for William to say something and when there was no response he tapped out a private message.

Don't tell me you only got two

I only got two

Zhang Xinjie noticed that the Senior and his team were now approaching the arena. He was about to go into full-on panic mode when William spoke.

"We are gonna pick a random player from around here!"

The other two seemed convinced by this and William and Zhang Xinjie started conversing in private chat again. 

Should I pick that guy?

Don't be stupid, William! That's another Cleric!

Oh sorry! What about him?

He's half our level! He will die instantly!

Oh right! :) 

 

The Senior and his team had arrived and were waiting for them to join the room.

Finally a truly random fifth person was picked, an Elementalist who had just exited the arena.

Elementalist, Windy Rain

"Hi!" came a cheerful female voice.

Immediately there was a burst of energy in the VC with greetings from the others. Finding actual female players in the game really was a rare event.

The team entered the arena and Zhang Xinjie noticed there were a few spectators already. He felt a twang of despair. It was one thing to strategise for dungeons.

This was going to be his first PVP match.

Zhang Xinjie analysed the opponent lineup quickly.

The Senior was a Battlemage. The other four players were : Blademaster, Witch, Sharpshooter and Cleric.

Zhang Xinjie felt slightly disappointed on realising that he was more familiar with his opponent's classes than his own team. Then again that was not a bad thing.

A map was chosen after mutual agreement- a rather simple one which Zhang Xinjie was familiar with.

It was modelled on an area he had explored while levelling with Zhang Yimin nd her friends. It was a small dusty field with a few rocks for cover. The map itself didn't provide much room for strategy and favoured direct confrontations but that did allow Zhang Xinjie to focus more carefully on the team.

"Are we gonna mark?" asked Crying Devil.

"Yes. Pay attention to VC and chat."

Zhang Xinjie finished looking up the Ghostblade and Spitfire skills on the internet. It was interesting that he had a lot of crowd control skills at his disposal while the other team had good dps.

"Ready, Little Zhang?" The Senior shouted out. 

Zhang Xinjie moved Misty Mountains forward.

"Ready"

As soon as the battle started, Zhang Xinjie immediately sent out a set of coordinates in chat along with the word Bullet Rain.

In VC he directed the others to their marks.

Bullet Rain seemed confused for a minute but then quickly realised that the particular coordinate referred to a cluster of rocks from where he could probably support the entire team as well as keep an eye on the opposite gunner.

Crying Devil marked the Blademaster, Angel's Feet took the Senior's Battlemage and Windy Rain targeted the Witch. The first few minutes were spent in feeling out the opponents and neither team did anything rash.

"Grenade" said Zhang Xinjie. Bullet Rain was fast this time and a grenade was chucked into the middle of the fight.

The knockback was sufficient to grasp an opportunity but only Angel's Feet took it. He pressed forward to attack the Battlemage.

"Crying Devil! Attack!" Zhang Xinjie was surprised he was playing so cautiously but a second later he realised why. The Blademaster had jumped clear of the grenade. It was like she had seen it coming.

The Blademaster charged back at Crying Devil who went on the defense. He was barely managing to keep up with the flurry of sword attacks and Zhang Xinjie wondered why he wasn't attacking directly before he realised there was something he hadn't clarified.

"Crying Devil! You are a Sword Demon right?"

"No! Phantom Demon!" came the reply.

Zhang Xinjie cursed his good friend from abroad under his breath. He shouldn't have trusted William with the job. There ought to be some sense even when picking a randomised team.

The only thing Zhang Xinjie knew about Ghostblades was the theory and the important fact that Sword Demon style was more suitable for attack-oriented gameplay.

Considering the way the Blademaster was attacking, Zhang Xinjie knew his opponents were better than he had expected. Both the Blademaster and the Witch were extremely skilled and there was a good chance that they were probably from the Senior's training camp and not normal players.

"Hey! Calm down! You've got it!" William's optimistic voice shouted out before he suddenly switched opponents and used a Straight Punch to close in on the Blademaster.

Zhang Xinjie wasn't the only one who was surprised by this sudden switch. The Senior's Battlemage had just used a Sky Strike which missed and he stood there awkwardly.

Zhang Xinjie pulled himself to the moment. For all his grand talks of strategy, during an actual match it really was hard. He was beginning to see the wisdom in his Senior's words.

But then again there was a certain decorum to saying such stuff so Zhang Xinjie set aside the sympathy for now.

"Smoke Bullet. Plague Boundary. Piercing Lightning."

All three moves were executed in perfect sync. The Blademaster was the primary target but their Cleric wasn't idle and focussed on healing. The Senior's Battlemage flicked forward and teamed up with the Blademaster to fight back.

Zhang Xinjie started feeling desperate again. Angel's Feet was being the most active but it clearly wasn't enough to keep up the damage. Crying Devil was extremely careful and was fighting decently but Zhang Xinjie was still not sure about how to make use of him. CC skills without any follow-up was the worst possible scenario.

Windy Rain was doing a great job at engaging the Witch who was clearly the next best player on the team. The Witch was rather shrewd and played along, ignoring the other fight completely. Zhang Xinjie admired this kind of calculating mentality. Obviously Windy Rain was the powerful dps on their side so it was a win-win situation by locking themselves into a 1V1 fight.

We shouldn't have marked them

Zhang Xinjie healed Crying Devil and Angel's Feet as he tried to find an opening. Bullet Rain was helpfully tossing grenades around but once in a while they were knocked off trajectory and ended up exploding elsewhere.

Wait... Who did that?!

Zhang Xinjie had almost forgotten the fifth player. The Sharpshooter.

He was not getting involved in the fight much. He had positioned himself slightly away from the battle and except for a few stray bullets towards Bullet Rain there was no sign of life from him.

That had been Zhang Xinjie's initial assumption.

But now he could see what he had missed. The Sharpshooter was the one who was knocking back the grenades. Also he was probably the one who was warning the close combat fighters about Bullet Rain's moves. His positioning was also such that he could cover their Cleric which meant there was no way their Cleric could be targeted easily.

For someone who doesn't believe in strategy their team is surprisingly filled with tactical positions

Are you going to continue healing for the whole battle or are you going to help us fight!?

Angel's Feet took the effort to type this out in chat before launching an Eagle Stamp

Zhang Xinjie was about to retort that healing was what he was supposed to do. He started to type but stopped.

Was healing all he was supposed to do?

That was the common assumption of Clerics. Their job is to heal. But the reason they healed was to help their team fight. The timing, the decisions - everything was important. Also this match wasn't about who could beat up who. It was to prove that it is more than just sheer strength that determined the outcome.

Zhang Xinjie felt a sudden clarity. He had to adapt to his team. That was the main thing.

Misty Mountains raised his cross and sent out a Holy Commandment Light.

The target didn't even realise it was aimed at her.

The minute the Holy Commandment Light fell on the Witch, Zhang Xinjie ordered both Bullet Rain and Windy Rain to attack together.

The Witch was bombarded with skills which she tried to dodge. Hastily she got on her broom and took flight. This broke the deadlock between her and Windy Rain and Zhang Xinjie immediately asked Windy Rain to cast an Ice Line. He sent out the coordinates hoping that she would be skilled enough to pull it off.

Windy Rain said something colorful in chat seeing his complex instruction which got immediately censored, but she started casting.

Bullet Rain was constantly attacking the Witch and she was moving closer to the main fight between the other characters. 

"Grenade! Dark boundary!"

Zhang Xinjie hoped the Ghostblade skill he had shouted was the one with the blind. He wasn't too familiar with the names and was relying on memory.

Fortunately he was right.

Bullet Rain tossed the grenade accurately at the Witch which knocked her off the broom and right into the Dark boundary.

Crying Devil seemed to have perfected his casting technique for it covered their entire little fight.

He couldn't be interrupted either.

The Battlemage and Blademaster had tried to move forward but immediately fell back seeing the Ice Line forming between them. Neither took the risk of forcefully interrupting the skill.

Even a few seconds of freeze would be deadly with a Striker close by. Even if they were blinded by the boundary they could still continue attacking.

The field had suddenly burst into an explosive fight. All this time Zhang Xinjie was carefully watching the Sharpshooter who was still surprisingly not venturing into the fight.

Zhang Xinjie took a quick look at his profile and smiled.

It was as he suspected. All the other characters on the field were at maximum level.The Sharpshooter was around ten levels behind.

Zhang Xinjie wasn't sure why this person was on their team. But it made the decision easier on who to take down first.

"Bullet Rain take out the Sharpshooter. He's at a low level."

Bullet Rain hesitated for a second but after checking the profile himself, he laughed.

"Ok!"

The Sharpshooter seemed to realise he had been found out. He immediately ran forward and started fighting directly. He had merely stayed away as his overall stats were obviously less compared to the rest of the team. But his skills were still fairly strong.

If he had joined the fight actively from the start he would have made a difference but now Bullet Rain was confidently attacking head-on.

The rest of the enemy team couldn't help him either as Windy Rain's Ice Line was extremely successful. It snaked through the Dark Boundary and the blinded Witch instantly ran into it.

Zhang Xinjie didn't need to say anything. Both Angel's Feet and Crying Devil pounced on her.

The Battlemage and Blademaster were trying to guess their way out of the boundary.

All this had happened in a few seconds but Zhang Xinjie felt calm now because he knew exactly what he had to do.

The enemy Cleric was torn between helping the Sharpshooter or the rest of the team. He didn't have to make a choice because Zhang Xinjie stepped in front of him.

The Cleric just stood in shock as Zhang Xinjie lifted his cross and brought it crashing down on him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the guy shouted.

"Fighting"

The other Cleric was obviously dazed as he took a few hard low-damage whacks before realising he too had a cross.

The Dark Boundary had worn off now, so when the enemy team stumbled out they were met by the sight of two Clerics in a brawl.

They didn't have much time to soak in the view. Crying Devil after the success of his first boundary was joyously casting multiple boundaries boosting their stats and debuffing the enemy.

Bullet Rain disregarding his own health, had almost finished the Sharpshooter off. The Sharpshooter twisted to the side as if making a final break to freedom but a bolt of lightning struck him followed by a merciless assault of elemental magic energy. His health plummeted to zero and the Sharpshooter fell.

"Hey! I almost had him!" shouted Bullet Rain.

"Are you even watching your hp?! You do realise he was gonna attack you right?!"

Windy Rain stopped speaking seeing Zhang Xinjie's instruction in chat. This time she did not say anything and immediately started casting.

Zhang Xinjie disengaged from the enemy Cleric but it seemed his opponent had been enjoying this clash and refused to be shaken off.

"Hey Cleric! You might wanna heal the rest of your team before they die too!"

Angel's Feet's trash-talk caught the Cleric's attention and in that split second Misty Mountains got free and started casting.

The rather beaten up Witch had been left to Crying Devil and Angel's Feet was now on the Blademaster. Having activated Reinforced Bones he was taking on the Blademaster's skills directly to deal damage.

The panicked Cleric started to heal her.

"Not bad kid!" The Senior shouted out.

His Battlemage flickered towards Bullet Rain, sure that a single blow would be enough to kill him.

A bright light shone down on Bullet Rain and recovered his health substantially.

Bullet Rain hadn't been expecting a Great Cure and was ready to meet his impeding end but with sudden vigour he started attacking the Battlemage.

Zhang Xinjie sighed. This guy was far too energetic and didn't care about his health at all.

Why in the world had William said he was lazy?

The Witch was almost down to her last health and Zhang Xinjie hoped Crying Devil would be able to finish her off.

After a few more attacks, Windy Rain had withdraw her support and had moved away to cast a long spell. But the Witch showed sudden agility as she threw out a Shadow Cloak and bound Crying Devil. She flew past him towards Windy Rain.

But Windy Rain started to run away continuing her casting. The Witch continued to move forward, confident that she could still interrupt the casting as movement speed was considerably affected due to Mobile Casting. But as if suddenly realising what exactly was being cast she quickly changed her direction and tried to move away.

It was of no use.

With a burst of light the entire enemy team was knocked up into the air as Windy Rain finished casting the Elemental power skill.

Zhang Xinjie looked at the chat filled with all the coordinates he had sent to the rest of the team to get them to group together. He hadn't been one hundred percent sure but it had worked.

Everyone needed no invitation to attack the knocked up enemies. Skills rained down on them. The enemy Cleric had taken quite a bit of damage trying to protect the Blademaster and Windy Rain immediately sent her strongest skills at him.

Both teams had lost much health but they didn't stop fighting. With a final effort, the Witch threw a Lava flask before being hit by a powerful Ghost Slash from Crying Devil. The Cleric threw a very heroic Small Cure at the last moment which recovered her health by a bit before he himself was devoured by Windy Rain's Raging Flames.

But the next second the Witch's health slid to zero as a Stun Bullet hit her followed by a series of normal bullets.

Bullet Rain couldn't do anything more because the knock up effect of Elemental Power had come to an end and a Circle Swing from the Battlemage knocked him right into the burning flames made by the Lava Flask.

Crying Devil, after his ending lag, tried to save Bullet Rain but it was extremely difficult to get to him because of the flames and instead assisted Windy Rain to kill the Cleric.

Bullet Rain fell under the force of the Battlemage but he had already played extraordinarily well and Zhang Xinjie wondered if he would ever get the opportunity to fight alongside such a good Spitfire ever again.

Only two players were left on the field - the Battlemage and the Blademaster.

Windy Rain was almost out of mana and was simply throwing normal magic attacks now which were easier to dodge. Angel's Feet was now their main dps but Zhang Xinjie could see that he was getting tired too.

The Blademaster was much better than Zhang Xinjie had thought. She had patiently worn down their frontline fighter so far. But with the Battlemage joining her, she suddenly went on the offense again and started  chaining her skills. Until now she had used the least number of skills on their team and so had almost her entire arsenal available.

Angel's Feet prepared to meet her attack but with a nimble Triple Slash she rushed towards Windy Rain. Zhang Xinjie asked Crying Devil to fall back to fight her but before he could respond both Crying Devil and Angel's Feet were swept into the air by a Tyrant's Destruction from the Battlemage. 

Zhang Xinjie knew he had to make a choice now.

He could try to save Windy Rain but having exhausted most of her mana her contribution was much lesser now.

Misty Mountains cross glowed as he began casting decisively. Zhang Xinjie's hand-speed exploded as he started filling the chat with instructions.

He had no clue why he was still alive.

Logically the Cleric was always taken out first. He had suffered some damage from the AOE skills but nobody had specifically targeted him so far. But he didn't want to get careless and so the most important thing now was to convey his plan to the others.

Windy Rain's health was dangerously low. Both Crying Devil and Angel's Feet could have helped if it were not for the Battlemage who was single-handedly fighting them both now. He chained together skills quickly and the chasers formed attacked both of them.

Finally a shining light fell on Windy Rain. Expecting a heal, the Blademaster used a Rising Dragon Slash but as the light faded it was clear that Windy Rain's health hadn't increased at all.

After all it had been Wish Prayer that Zhang Xinjie had cast and as the Blademaster came crashing down Windy Rain disappeared using the Teleport skill.

Windy Rain appeared behind the Battlemage and started attacking. Angel's Feet used a Launching Kick to knock him up and activating Cloud Body he rushed at the Blademaster with a Dashing Jab.

The sudden switch in opponents threw the Blademaster off her momentum a bit but quickly she hit back with a Sword Draw.

Windy Rain launched different elemental balls at the Battlemage while Crying Devil used the knock-up effect of his Slashes to keep him in the air.

Angel's Feet and the Blademaster were engaged in a violent battle now. They were both dealing equally high damage until Zhang Xinjie sent out a Holy Commandment Light.

He was extremely pleased to see Angel's Feet react instantly and unleash a flurry of punches and kicks.

It was always a pleasure when someone made good use of your support and Zhang Xinjie couldn't help but think what a powerful combination a Striker and a Cleric were.

Strikers exerted the most pressure when they could relentlessly attack and stay close to their enemies. This often put them in a dangerous position. But a good Cleric could support them to fight back.

They made the perfect team and that's exactly what Misty Mountains was with Angel's Feet now.

The Blademaster couldn't break free and both her and Angel's Feet health turned red.

The Battlemage had been tossed about for a while but he managed to dodge a few skills. He used a Sky Strike to launch Windy Rain up and then a perfect Falling Flower Palm which sent her flying away. He was about to use his next skill when a bright Sacred Flames opened up below him.

With sudden agility he rolled away, laughing loudly. But his laughter died as he rolled right into an Ice Boundary and his Battlemage froze.

Crying Devil finally rushed out confidently throwing all his damage skills while Windy Rain summoned a Blizzard. Misty Mountains sent a Holy Commandment Light along.

It was probably overkill but better to be safe than sorry.

Angel's Feet had already finished off the Blademaster but had so little health even a hit on the head with a Cross would be enough to wipe him out and so stood to the side watching the hailstones crashing down.

Finally the last name on the enemy team turned grey.

They had won.

The Senior and his team were unexpectedly quite pleasant after the match and praised them openly.

As Zhang Xinjie had guessed the Blademaster and Witch were trainees from Team Void too with one more year of experience than the Senior. Also they explained that the under-levelled Sharpshooter was a last minute substitute for another trainee.

Zhang Xinjie felt slightly relieved hearing this. They were just trainees but clearly their level of understanding was higher than normal players and one more would have been a nightmare.

"Why did you not target Misty Mountains?" asked Zhang Xinjie.

"Well... The challenge was between us right? It would have been pointless if you died first!" The Senior laughed before speaking again, "But don't think we looked down on you! That's why I brought along two of my seniors to have a proper game! You were right! You proved it's more than just skill and I'm sorry for looking down on you like that!"

Zhang Xinjie acknowledged the apology politely. The Senior wasn't such a bad person and having experienced the rush of an actual match, Zhang Xinjie could understand the views of the other side too now.

Strategy was important to make proper use of a team's skills. Skill was important for the strategy to work.

Both their views were correct.

After chatting for a little more, the Senior and his team left. Zhang Xinjie thanked the other members of his team and commended them on their performance.

"Sorry I didn't mention I was a Phantom Blade! And damn! I didn't understand half the stuff I was doing until I saw it work!" Crying Devil said.

"You are really good at this, Misty Mountains! My head hurt because of all those instructions but that was so awesome!" Windy Rain added cheerfully.

Zhang Xinjie accepted the compliment.

Windy Rain was exceptionally talented herself. It was one thing to devise an impromptu strategy but an entirely different thing to execute it so flawlessly.

Similarly Crying Devil's awareness about his skills was quite impressive though he claimed to have not understood the strategies.

"You should have healed more though." said Bullet Rain.

Zhang Xinjie didn't want to point out that the only one who had been graced by a Great Cure was Bullet Rain, which he had proceeded to waste away.

Though Bullet Rain had been the first to fall he had made quite a strong impression.

Zhang Xinjie was sure that with such talent, if he worked hard he would surely be scouted someday and make it big in the pro scene.

In fact every one of these players were talented and Zhang Xinjie wondered if they were all aspiring to be professional gamers.

I suppose it can even be considered a career option with how Glory is growing

The news about the match spread around the school quickly and William's story-telling skill made it seem as if a legendary war had taken place. Zhang Xinjie suddenly rose in popularity and was approached by various players seeking his guidance.

Zhang Xinjie assumed that everything would die out within a few weeks as the entrance exam season started. But one evening as he was leaving school he was surprised to see the Senior from before, approaching him.

"What are your plans ?" asked the Senior as the two started walking together.

"The exams"

"Oh. I see. Pressure from home?"

"Hm? No. It's not like I have anything else to do."

They walked in silence for a few minutes and Zhang Xinjie had a feeling the Senior wanted to say something more.

"Zhang Xinjie... You do realise you are more than just an average Glory player right?"

"Huh?" Zhang Xinjie stopped walking and looked at the Senior, surprised that the conversation had steered to Glory.

"Yeah! I'm not kidding! Don't look so shocked! Besides your analytical skills you have a very good presence of mind on the field! You work well in a team, understood Glory and you are talented at the game!

Also do you realise how good your hand-speed is?! I bet if you were not a Cleric, and using an intensive combat class, people would have noticed it more!"

Zhang Xinjie was silent as he processed these words. He wasn't sure what the Senior was getting at exactly.

"Zhang Xinjie, have you ever thought of becoming a pro gamer?"

Pro Gamer.

Zhang Xinjie's jaw literally dropped hearing this.

It was true he liked Glory and considered himself fairly good at it. But a pro gamer?! And that too as a career?! There was something exciting about that thought, but his rational mind simply couldn't accept it.

"From your expression, I gather you have not! Now I'm not pushing you or anything! Maybe you have your own ambitions but think about it, ok! There's an upcoming camp at Team Void. You can try it out. Who knows?! You might be interested!

It's like you said, Excellent Era won the cup twice not with skill alone but with meticulous strategy and planning! I bet skills like yours would be greatly appreciated in any team in the Alliance!"

Zhang Xinjie was at a loss for words but he quickly gathered his thoughts.

"I haven't really thought of it. Also Senior, I'm not sure why you think I have such good analytical skills let alone hand-speed!"

"William sent me screenshots of your chat from that battle! I showed it around the club and many of my seniors mentioned how incredibly detailed it was! Also I can judge your speed fairly from the amount of text! "

"Oh... William didn't tell me anything. "

"I hope you don't mind! I saw your talent and that's why I asked! No other reason. Team Void is still growing and it's part of our job to recruit new players too. We aren't much in the Alliance now! But we have to keep trying, right?! So think about it! Give me a call and I'll help you apply for the camp!"

Zhang Xinjie nodded quietly. This was the last thing he has thought he would have to make a decision about.

His career.

That night Zhang Xinjie had a chat with William about the whole thing.

Yeah, I told him. He's trying to pull us all in, ok! I think he asked Li Xuan too!

Are you joining?

Nope. I'm moving back to the States after this year, right? So I can't.

Oh. I forgot.

BUT YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD!

I'll think about it.

No thinking! Just do it! Admit it! It's not like you have some great dreams of turning into a research scholar or getting an office job! You just want to make sure nobody has any excuses to yell at you! 😒

You are surprisingly perceptive

Hah! Be serious. You are really good! And I think this would suit you way better than college!

How do you know that?

I don't know anything! But four years keeping a low-profile and slaving over average grades doesn't sound so good compared to doing something that excites you and which can  definitely make a difference!

When you put it like that....

Try it! If it doesn't work out you can always come back to college, right! 😄

I suppose

I know you like Glory more than mathematics and science. You are just too fixated on perfection that you are unsure about doing anything you can't plan for completely. 😑

 

Zhang Xinjie stared at this silently.

It was true.

He always knew this deep inside but did his best to mask it.

Hearing everyone talk about becoming a pro gamer made his heart race too, but he had tried so hard to contain his real thoughts.

All because he was scared of dreaming about something he wasn't sure he could achieve.

Thanks, William.

Ok. I won't ask what for 🙃. I'm sending Senior's number. I trust your instinct! Good luck!

The next morning Zhang Xinjie sat his parents down for a serious discussion regarding his future plans.

He was rather shocked when they both happily accepted his decision to try becoming a pro gamer. It seemed they had always wanted him to do something he wanted rather than take up a job out of compulsion. Even they agreed that he should try this when he was still young and if didn't work out be could always continue his studies.

Zhang Yimin was naturally excited and insisted he get autographs from Ye Qiu and Han Wenqing for her.

Zhang Xinjie smiled, knowing fully that even if he did attend the training camp, actually getting into the team was a one-in-a-million chance. But his family's support helped him make up his mind and he contacted the Senior that very day.

Over the next few months, Zhang Xinjie attended the camp at Team Void. He learnt much about the basics and perfected many such techniques.

He realised that this was why his Senior's mechanics were so fluid. The training camp was a very useful place to create strong foundations.

Unfortunately, the benefits ended there.

Team Void didn't really have a good programme for Cleric classes and so Zhang Xinjie had to take part in the general sessions but had no other specific training plans. He used the time to brush up on his Glory knowledge and theory. He never wanted to be in the situation again where he would have to deal with an unfamiliar class.

It was rather boring besides that and Zhang Xinjie didn't really make any friends. He had heard from William that Li Xuan or Crying Devil had joined too but Zhang Xinjie still had no idea what he looked like and didn't seek him out.

Finally he managed to catch the attention of the Senior and discussed with him on how the camp really wasn't very effective for him.

"Yeah. Someone else mentioned it too. I guess Team Void really isn't a good place to hone your Cleric skills. We really could use your planning skills but I suppose you aren't gaining anything in this whole business, right?"

"I suppose I would prefer to receive better training more suitable to my style."

The discussion was amiable and professional and ended with a surprising offer from the Senior.

"How about Tyranny? With the top-tier Immovable Rock account they surely have better programmes for Clerics there! Also they are one of the top teams in the Alliance and your skills will definitely be noted there!"

After some discussions, Zhang Xinjie took up the offer. The Senior had a few contacts and arranged for his application in Tyranny.

It was quite strange that he was so willing to send Zhang Xinjie over to another team especially after having witnessed his calibre first-hand.

When questioned on this he had only one thing to say.

"Right now we can't use you and you can't use us. It's true I wanted you here but I don't want your potential to go to waste! Ha! I hope in the future I can be happy telling everyone I know you, when you show your brilliance on stage!"

That's how Zhang Xinjie came to Tyranny, far from home and far from his original life, but hoping he was taking one step closer to becoming a pro gamer.

It was a much harder journey here. More rigorous training and being juniors, they were expected to contribute to in-game guild activities as well.

Zhang Xinjie was just one of many Clerics in Tyranny. It was clear that with the high number of trainees with this subclass there was a chance that any one of them could be picked to be a successor for Immovable Rock.

Zhang Xinjie felt completely alone in the new city. Also with his rigid schedule and silent nature, people didn't approach him much. He didn't really mind and continued to focus on the game.

Once in a while the trainees had matches against the senior roster. Most of the main roster took part except for Han Wenqing. On rare occasions, he showed up to watch the rookies but he never played against them.

Due to the sheer number of trainees with Cleric classes and the fact that practice matches with multiple Clerics on a team was impossible, the set of Clerics playing against the main roster were rotated each time on a regular basis.

Zhang Xinjie got to play these team matches once or twice but he simply stuck to his job of healing. It was all rather casual and so nobody really focused on strategy. It was just a way to measure progress.

While the other classes tried to do fancy stuff to catch the pro player's attention, the maximum Zhang Xinjie could do was throw a perfectly timed Sacred Flames and pray that his team caught on.

Zhang Xinjie's passion of Glory had grown immensely over these few months but also an uneasy depression started to set in.

Every single player here was talented and inspite of there being no aggressive competition, each of them dreamt to be a part of the main roster.

He was just one of them.

And he was just a Cleric.

He could be in this camp all his life and still not receive an opportunity because it simply wasn't possible for everyone to clear through.

Clerics came by a dozen and he wasn't different from the others. His speciality was strategy. How could he ever stand out in a setting where each person was on their own and there was no way to show his tactical prowess?

Zhang Xinjie felt isolated and pulled down by his doubts. He continued the sessions numbly but no matter how optimistic he was, rationally he could see no future for himself as a pro gamer.

Zhang Xinjie was alone at his  computer that day. He was experimenting with some interesting map features he had discovered- some useful terrain details that could be exploited in a match to secure a prominent advantage.

He felt excited noticing how successful his observation was but immediately became depressed again, remembering that it didn't matter and he had no one to share it with. 

His strategy and tactics were useless. All those other players were doing fine without it and were incredibly happy here.

He was the one playing the game wrong. 

Zhang Xinjie shut down his computer in frustration. He wanted to clear his mind but not doing anything substantial put him in a bad mood too. 

Zhang Xinjie looked at his watch. There was still time to make it if he left now. 

The Season 3 semifinals. 

Tyranny versus Excellent Era. 

Zhang Xinjie watched Captain Han Wenqing lead the team away from the stadium. The match had been fierce as always and Zhang Xinjie had held his breath almost the entire time. 

Tyranny had lost but the match had been intense.

Zhang Xinjie had wondered at every point what he would have done if he had been on the battlefield. It was probably silly but reading the underlying strategy of another match helped him calm down. 

His head was filled with opinions and conclusions and deductions which would have normally given him much happiness to dissect and analyse. But today he just wished he could shut them all out.

He stood up to leave, wishing he hadn't come at all as it had only made him feel more empty now. 

Whatever went in his head didn't matter.

It will never matter. 

"It's a shame"

Zhang Xinjie snapped out of his thoughts hearing this sudden remark. He looked around and noticed two young men talking to each other in the row below. 

They were discussing the Tyranny match and one of them opened a notepad and began to describe something.

For some reason Zhang Xinjie stood fixated, listening to their discussion.

The youth with the notepad talked about how Tyranny's healer could have changed the match and started describing the four points where he could have controlled the match. 

Zhang Xinjie blinked his eyes, feeling slightly dazed hearing him talk.

It wasn't that he himself had the exact same views but he too had identified these precise points and considered the gameplay if he had been the one controlling Immovable Rock. 

The youth was still talking to his friend and his analysis of the Cleric's style was so accurate that Zhang Xinjie accidentally spoke out. 

"You're right "

The blonde-haired friend who had been peering at the notebook curiously, suddenly stood up and whirled around. 

"Who are you?"

Zhang Xinjie ignored the question and gazed at the markings in the notebook. 

"But about those four critical points, I have a few different views." he added. 

Immediately the guy with the notepad became interested and turned around. He lifted up his notes for Zhang Xinjie to see and the two began to discuss earnestly. 

Zhang Xinjie had never felt so happy releasing all his pent up thoughts that he didn't even notice how the stadium had become empty and almost half an hour had passed. 

The blonde friend shouted out again, "And who are you?"

Zhang Xinjie was about to answer but he saw his gaze was directed at another youth with glasses standing nearby and nodding along to their discussion. 

Zhang Xinjie and his new notepad friend looked up at this newcomer wondering how long he had been listening. 

"I'm sorry... " he said looking slightly awkward "I'm Xiao Shiqin. "

"Yu Wenzhou" said the notepad youth with a smile. 

"Zhang Xinjie" 

Almost half an hour of discussion and finally they had got around to introducing themselves. 

"Me me me me!! Huang Shaotian!" came the energetic shout from the side. 

"Hello" replied both Zhang Xinjie and Xiao Shiqin in unison before Zhang Xinjie turned back to Yu Wenzhou again. 

"What do you think about that match between Hundred Blossoms and Tiny Herb?" 

They had pretty much finished the Excellent Era versus Tyranny match but Zhang Xinjie still had lots of excess energy.

Having found someone who was not just interested in listening to his views but who also actively participated in the discussion, Zhang Xinjie really wanted to grab onto this opportunity. 

"Let's talk somewhere else" suggested Xiao Shiqin and the other two readily agreed. 

The three of them left with Huang Shaotian running behind, shouting incoherent words. 

Zhang Xinjie spent a delightful two hours in the company of his new friends. He had never felt so at ease talking about his opinions. Yu Wenzhou and Xiao Shiqin had so much to say and for the first time Zhang Xinjie felt the pleasure of listening to an analysis. 

Drawings filled the notepad as they discussed various positions and gameplay. Zhang Xinjie had never talked so much in his life and he felt some disappointment when they had to part as it was getting late. 

The trio decided to meet up again for the finals and Zhang Xinjie fervently hoped they could do it. Months of pent up energy was finally being used properly. He felt so alive talking to someone again about what he loved that his quiet and introverted nature was nowhere in sight. 

Three days later they watched the Hundred Blossoms versus Excellent Era match together. 

Seeing the Hundred Blossoms team chat where Sun Zheping was constantly reminding everyone to watch Qi Breaker, the three youth in the audience broke into a smile. 

Hundred Blossoms had already found the key point of victory. Now all that remained was for them to seize it. 

Zhang Xinjie and the others had already analysed and speculated on today's match and even now as the match went on, they continued to analyse each move. 

Huang Shaotian was also sitting with them and though he seemed rather lost with these discussions, he sometimes made a sharp remark or two which sent Zhang Xinjie's head reeling because it was such a good point and he had completely failed to see it.

From the expressions on Yu Wenzhou's and Xiao Shiqin's faces he realised they too were surprised. 

Even though Huang Shaotian seemed like a blabbermouth he had incredible insight and Zhang Xinjie graciously changed his opinion about him.

He had already seen before how people like his Senior had acted all boisterous on the outside but had a strong Glory base and keen instinct on the battlefield.

He wasn't about to make the mistake again of underestimating anyone. Huang Shaotian immediately received respect and was included in their discussions. 

The match finally ended with Excellent Era completely crushing the Hundred Blossoms core duo and wrecking their unique style.

The might of One Autumn Leaf was so strong that the four of them in the audience couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by how strong he was. 

"He's still being underestimated by his opponents" said Yu Wenzhou with a sigh. 

“It’s because they don’t understand him well enough. Only an opponent that truly understood him would have the chance to defeat him.” Zhang Xinjie meant every word but he too could only wonder. 

How could anyone possibly understand this mysterious player? 

Ye Qiu was not just an incredible player. He was a Glory Textbook and from today's battle it was clear that his adaptability and tactical instinct was leagues above every other team in the Alliance. 

It wasn't wrong to call him the Battle God. 

“Then who will be the one to defeat him?” Yu Wenzhou chuckled as he looked around at them

“Me, of course,” Huang Shaotian said, boldly. 

Xiao Shiqin was still awed by the match but he too smiled and pointed at himself. 

The three were rookies set to play for Blue Rain and Thunderclap and Zhang Xinjie wished he too could get on that stage. All along he hadn't thought why he wanted to compete but now he knew. 

He wasn't alone. 

He wasn't the one playing the game wrong.

He was playing it the way it was supposed to be.

This was how a pro gamer should play. 

But he had chosen not to let himself shine. Opportunity wasn't going to come to him. He had to make it for himself. That was the only way he could ever make his presence known. 

His initial verdict on Glory was right.

Even if you did not have a deep understanding of setting strategies like Xiao Shiqin or Yu Wenzhou, it was important to atleast understand them like Huang Shaotian. 

Meeting these three reinforced his beliefs in himself that he still had a chance and that he wanted to compete on this stage. 

To meet more people like them. 

To play with them or against them and learn. 

To win the championship. 

“Next season, we will see,” said Zhang Xinjie.

That week during the match against the senior roster Zhang Xinjie finally spoke up. 

"Can I direct the shot-calling this time?"

The rest of the team were initially taken aback by this request but though nobody really knew him, they did respect his skill and knew he was a rather fine Cleric. It was a rather harmless request really and so they agreed and the match started. 

Han Wenqing was watching the match from the side, silent as always. But he too was taken by surprise when the chat window popped up and the rookie Cleric, Misty Mountains began to send instructions. 

The team was initially playing in their usual disarrayed manner but under Misty Mountains's command, things changed. 

Zhang Xinjie suspended all his doubts and focussed completely on the match. The map, the senior team, his teammates - he had analysed them all thoroughly this time. He was prepared to take this match seriously as if this were the finals themselves. 

The rookie team lost in the end, but only after having killed three players from the senior roster and giving the remaining two a bad scare.

It was unfortunate that someone had seemed to realise Zhang Xinjie was the culprit and Cold Seasons, under Ji Leng had ruthlessly wiped him out. 

The main roster was full of praise for the team and Ji Leng himself asked Zhang Xinjie who he was and how long he had been in here.

It was the most attention he had got so far. 

Zhang Xinjie sneaked a look at Han Wenqing but the Tyranny captain simply left after the match.

Zhang Xinjie was way too practical to have expected Han Wenqing to speak with him too and so didn't think too much about it. 

A few days later, Zhang Xinjie was called by the management to their office. He opened the door nervously and saw the team manager and Han Wenqing waiting for him. 

After a few pleasantries the manager got to the point. 

"We've gone through your progress, Zhang Xinjie. You are a solid Cleric but it seems you have an exceptional understanding of other Glory classes too, correct?"

"I like to read up on strategies and Glory in general."

The manager lit up hearing this. 

"Good! Good! So how would you like to be the successor to Immovable Rock?"

Zhang Xinjie's eyes almost popped out hearing this and he let out a gasp. He then composed himself, feeling slightly embarrassed for his rather amateurish reaction. 

Han Wenqing hadn't said a word so far but a faint smile was tugging at his mouth seeing this rather honest expression from Zhang Xinjie.

Han Wenqing then turned to him and spoke. 

"Immovable Rock's current user is retiring and he himself agreed you would be a perfect fit to take over the account this season. The club has no issues and I, as captain, agree to the move too. The only thing that remains is your consent. "

Zhang Xinjie was sure nobody would be crazy to refuse something like this. But ignoring the thumping in his heart he asked, "You said this season. You mean... I will be playing on the roster in Season four?"

"Yes. Unless you think you are not ready."

Han Wenqing's keen eyes never left Zhang Xinjie's face, searching to catch even the slightest hint of hesitation. 

But there was no trace of nervousness in Zhang Xinjie's voice as he spoke. 

"I'm ready."

"Excellent!" The manager shouted out "Don't worry! You still have ample time to train with the team and prepare! Tyranny expects great things from you!"

So started Zhang Xinjie's position as Cleric in the Tyranny main roster.

The rest of the team received him quite warmly. Zhang Xinjie was initially a bit scared of working with them as he had a very strict schedule when it came to his sleep timing and meal timings and he knew most pro players had very flexible schedules themselves.

But they adjusted to his peculiar habits easily without saying a word and he got along well with them, especially Ji Leng.

Zhang Xinjie formed a rather special understanding with the Assassin player and Ji Leng was most interested to know about his analysis of all their previous matches. 

Slowly Zhang Xinjie built his rapport with the team as well as with his new account, Immovable Rock. 

He was a bit wary of approaching Han Wenqing initially as the training camp was full of talks about how he was rather tough and difficult to talk to. 

But his apprehensions were unfounded. One day when he asked Han Wenqing if it was possible to discuss a point, the Captain was not only extremely attentive but he also insisted he share it with the rest of the team and not just him. 

"You are a part of the team now, Zhang Xinjie. If we are to win the championship, it will be as Tyranny. So get rid of any inhibitions you have. We are your colleagues and teammates, so feel free to speak to us directly."

After that Zhang Xinjie never hesitated again. When the season started, he no longer felt like a rookie. 

He was the Cleric and tactician of Tyranny. 

Tyranny forged right to the top in Season 4.

It was the same Tyranny from before but with Zhang Xinjie the team performed at a whole new level.

Though Season 4 had put out an amazing collection of rookies, it was still a rather unanimous choice by the Alliance to present the best newcomer award to Zhang Xinjie. 

Zhang Xinjie himself had quite a thrilling and memorable journey. 

He went up against the dynamic duo of Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian in Blue Rain, and the intelligent Xiao Shiqin in Thunderclap. 

Then there were some old friends too.

A talented rookie Elementalist, Windy Rain in Team Misty Rain, commanded by a rather energetic young lady, Chu Yunxiu. Zhang Xinjie made sure to pay special attention to her. 

Then there was a Spitfire, Bullet Rain in Blue Rain played by a young man, Zheng Xuan. To Zheng Xinjie's disappointment Bullet Rain was rather lacklustre compared to his fight from before.

But Zhang Xinjie didn't let down his guard and made sure Tyranny wiped him out very fast, which earned a very hard stare from Zheng Xuan during the post-match handshake. 

In the playoffs, Zhang Xinjie faced against Team Void and went up against Crying Devil. After the match, Zhang Xinjie met Li Xuan for the first time and the two broke into smiles.

Finally Zhang Xinjie got to know what Li Xuan looked like. 

At the end, Tyranny stood on stage proudly as Captain Han Wenqing held the cup up high. Tyranny had beaten their long time rival Excellent Era in the finals. 

In that final moment when Ji Leng moved Cold Seasons behind One Autumn Leaf and used Life Risking Strike, Zhang Xinjie had known this was it.

The successful assassination led them to make Glory history. 

Zhang Xinjie had a feeling people would contemplate for years to come if this had been just a lucky hit or if it had been a master trap laid for Ye Qiu and One Autumn Leaf. 

Zhang Xinjie knew it was neither. 

On the field the greatest strategy was to adapt. As long as the other teams never adapted, One Autumn Leaf had always reigned supreme.

But Ji Leng knew that single move could possibly change the match and that Zhang Xinjie would make sure that opportunity would not go to waste. 

Zhang Xinjie made sure it wasn't wasted and adapted to the game and the risk his teammate took. 

This was their only pre mediated strategy - to find the key points in the match and make sure to seize them, and to trust your teammates to follow through. 

"Well done" said Han Wenqing in a low voice looking at Zhang Xinjie. 

"Thank you" Zhang Xinjie replied. He knew these two simple words from Han Wenqing were his highest and most sincere form of praise. 

Over the months he had grown to understand his Captain much better and appreciate him as a colleague too. 

It wasn't the words that mattered, only the emotion. 

Glory, the Championship, Tyranny - finally he felt like he was where he belonged. 

He looked at Han Wenqing and smiled. He had a feeling this was not just the beginning of a long journey in Glory with his new team. 

This was going to be the start of a strong partnership with his Captain and now a close friend. 

Together they would follow their dreams and make Tyranny reach the heights of Glory. 

Striker and Cleric 

They really were the perfect team.