Chapter 1 The Budding Esports Scene

On Planet Aquamarine's four continents, numerous newbie spawn points saw a continuous stream of beta test players descending. Their numbers steadily increased, but compared to the planet's overall population, they were still minuscule. The players completed newbie quests, slowly leveled up, and mostly stayed huddled near their starting villages. The players at Great Horn Mountain were the envy of others, as they could encounter a high-level character (Han Xiao) who imparted basic knowledge, while players in other newbie villages could only suffer as they leveled up their secondary occupations.

Players could be divided into three types: casual players, studio players, and professional esports athletes.

At this moment, a live press conference was being held on the forums, concerning the mainstay of China's esports powerhouse, the Temple Club, the second-ranked virtual reality game esports player in the country, and the twenty-first-ranked god-level player in the World Esports Association, ID "Li Ge," who was officially announcing his entry into *Galaxy*!

The number of viewers reached millions! And was still climbing!

"Li Ge-dada, will you be shifting your work focus to *Galaxy* from now on?"

"Why did you choose to join only after the official launch?"

"Please tell us..."

Faced with the reporters' questions, Li Ge spoke eloquently. He was a handsome young man, always wearing a gentle smile, which was very infectious. With his powerful skills and attractive appearance, Li Ge had an extremely large fan base.

"*Galaxy* is a game of epoch-making significance, with a lot of potential. It possesses countless possibilities, an extremely vast map, and unbelievable freedom, sketching out an incomparably fascinating world. From my personal point of view, I believe *Galaxy* will become a phenomenon-level game. The World Esports Association has already begun preparing for the first professional league for *Galaxy*. This will be a global large-scale event. Not only me, but all esports players in China will participate in this grand event, competing with esports powerhouses like the United States, France, and South Korea to win glory for our country."

"Just yesterday, major clubs in the United States, such as Key, Devil, and Thundersnake, also announced their entry into Galaxy, choosing the most promising Frostwinter Star as their base, and will be formidable opponents. Our Temple has also contacted large clubs such as Changkong and Baoyu, and will definitely not fall behind!"

Reporter: "Li Ge-dada, your old opponent, the French player 'Lost Angel,' said that he will defeat you in *Galaxy*. What are your thoughts on this?"

Li Ge smiled, his tone containing great confidence. "I am not afraid of any enemy. I will reach the top in *Galaxy* and lead Chinese players to defeat all foreign enemies!"

This press conference was like a signal. *Galaxy*'s influence soared geometrically, and the entire esports circle was in turmoil, with countless esports players announcing their campaign in *Galaxy*.

Ming Yue Chang Zhong, Shan Guang Chao Fan, and Jiang Yu Luo, who had already been playing since the closed beta, also held press conferences under the arrangement of their clubs. The liveliness of the esports circle also increased the enthusiasm of ordinary players, the topic of discussion was constantly hyped up, the forum was incredibly popular, and the activity reached a phenomenal level! Countless players eagerly awaited the pre-sale of the second batch of game pods.

Just as the heat was constantly rising, the official *Galaxy* finally released its first promotional video. The scenes were of the scenery and environment of various newbie planets, equivalent to a fleeting montage of landscapes. Civilizations of different styles immediately attracted enough attention—magic, technology, future, ancient, and so on. This promotional video was compiled from recordings collected by players during the closed beta, edited into a promotional CG, with the recorded scenes all from the players' perspectives.

This promotional video introduced the world background and environment through visuals. The official *Galaxy* announced that it would soon release other types of promotional videos, gradually introducing other aspects of *Galaxy*, and released news that the next promotional video will focus on the battle scenes of various classes, allowing players to better understand the combat styles of different main classes, making them feel full of anticipation.

The forum activity exploded. Han Xiao was also paying close attention to these trends. The IDs of the professional players he had once fought against and boasted with in the group chat stirred up complex emotions in him. He still remembered that at this time in his previous life, he was also an enthusiastic newbie player. In the blink of an eye, many years had passed. He had not only become a hardcore gamer but had also transmigrated. Truly, the world was unpredictable. Reality was much more exciting than novels.

Back then, he was a player who bought the second batch of game pods. Han Xiao was curious if another version of him existed, and he kept an eye on the forums.

In the past few days, Han Xiao had been staying on Great Horn Mountain. During this time, players had come one after another, drawn by his reputation, and new players continued to arrive.

A group of newly arrived players came to the outside of the Great Horn Mountain settlement, looking curious. "This is the newbie village, right?"

A player with a handgun on his waist walked past, immediately attracting the attention of the newbies.

"Big brother, where can you buy this handgun?"

"Oh, you guys are newbies, right? You've come to the right person to ask. Let me tell you, don't go to Great Horn Mountain to buy guns. Go directly to the west. There's a high-level character called Black Phantom there. The guns he sells are good and cheap, and you can also change your class." The player with the gun said.

"Really? Let's go take a look now!" The new players' eyes lit up.

"Go ahead, and don't forget to thank me." The player with the gun looked smug.

More new players were lured in. As soon as they entered the game, they ran to find Han Xiao, and then went to Great Horn Mountain to accept quests, using all the money they earned to buy things to increase Han Xiao's favorability, like hardworking little bees, constantly transporting wealth to Han Xiao.

In just a few days, Han Xiao made a killing, earning more than five hundred thousand Aquamarine coins and nearly a million experience points. The efficiency was extremely astonishing, and it was very safe. It was much more comfortable than doing bounties to the point of exhaustion. This provided him with a potentially huge channel for acquiring experience.

"The current players are all newbies. When they grow up, the profits I can get will be even greater."

The functionality of the NPC allowed him to gain a huge advantage when facing players, but Han Xiao was well aware that there was a prerequisite, which was that he could always maintain an all-round lead, so that he could squeeze profits from the players.

"Although the situation is good now, I can't relax." Han Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke, thinking to himself.

Among the players on Great Horn Mountain, about 20 percent chose to change their class to Mechanic. The other players were waiting and watching. Only when he demonstrated the strength of the Mechanic class would they be swayed.

Han Xiao looked at the computer. The Dark Net organization sent intelligence that the Germination's retreating army would pass through Great Horn Mountain this afternoon.

Just as he was thinking, a cute female voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Black Phantom, why are you fighting against the Germination organization?"

Han Xiao turned his head to look. In front of him was a petite female player, only up to his chin, with a cute short haircut, watery eyes full of curiosity, and a face like a small apple, making people want to poke her cheeks with their fingers. The ID above her head was "Feng Yue," the first female player who learned skills from him.

"This is an acquaintance." Han Xiao raised his eyebrows, and memories floated to his mind.

"Feng Yue, one of the representatives of the Mechanic's rise in the third season. She was originally a casual player, but she emerged in the third season, becoming an instant hit and signed by a club. News had previously been revealed on the forum that Feng Yue liked to dig up hidden plots, accumulating until the third season, when the version was beneficial to Mechanics, so she had a late start after accumulating a wealth of knowledge..."

Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and a new idea emerged.

"Such a player, it seems, can be..."