WTNL Chapter 41

by Aria

Streamer Hall
Chapter 41: Get on the pirate ship

Dark Fire Guild Headquarters.

“…What? You lost?”

A tall man with a slightly ruthless look between his brows stood at the head of the room, asking in disbelief.

“Y-yes.”

Kong Laoliu and Li Zongze stood below with their heads bowed, responding with ugly expressions on their faces.

The man in front of them was named Qi Qian, one of the vice presidents of the Dark Fire Guild, an A+ rank streamer.

He looked at the two streamers standing as his subordinates and furrowed his brows:

“In this kind of hunting instance, all you needed to do was eliminate the targets disrupting the instance’s balance. The resources of the entire instance would tilt in your favor, so how could you possibly lose?”

Qi Qian’s expression turned somewhat gloomy:

“Do you know how rare this opportunity was? How many streamers at your level desperately squeezed their heads in trying to snatch this chance? I gave the spots to you because I valued your potential and hoped to cultivate you into my direct subordinates. In the end, not only did you fail to earn high returns, but you even lost the main quest to the Black team. Is this how you repay my trust in you?”

“Brother Qi,” Kong Laoliu gritted his teeth and said viciously, “The Black team captain in this instance is a damn swindler. Not only did he deceive us in the instance this time, but he also scammed another streamer who is also from Dark Fire before, and even almost got him killed!”

“…What?”

Qi Qian narrowed his eyes.

Seeing that Qi Qian was starting to take an interest, Kong Laoliu couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

He quickly took two steps forward and carefully recounted Kong Shixing’s and his own experiences to the other party, adding heavy embellishments.

Thinking about how in the last instance, he was not only deceived and provoked into a counter-kill, but ultimately had his keys taken away by some piece of paper—and then realizing that all of this was broadcasted live for everyone to see—Kong Laoliu couldn’t help but secretly gnash his teeth, his features twisting with hatred.

After that dog scammer escaped from his hands, his live broadcast room’s concurrent viewers dropped by a full third!

Not only that, but the remaining viewers were all taking pleasure in his misfortune, ruthlessly mocking him in the comments section. Not a single one maintained the friendly attitude they once had when tipping.

With an ashen face, Kong Laoliu viciously added:

“When we were in the hunting instance, that swindler personally admitted to me that he was the same person who scammed our Dark Fire streamer last time. Not only does he have extreme contempt for our guild, but he also goes around spreading the news that he defeated us. This swindler absolutely cannot be tolerated!”

Qi Qian thoughtfully tapped his fingertips on the desk. “If that’s the case, then he really does need to be taught a lesson.”

“Then…” Kong Laoliu’s eyes lit up. “Can I put him on the Hate List?”

“No.” Qi Qian didn’t even have to think about it before directly refusing.

The Hate List was an internal guild bounty system based on points. This meant that in future instances, if a guild member encountered a streamer on the Hate List, they could claim the point bounty from the issuer after taking revenge.

As the second-largest guild in the entire Nightmare system, putting a low-level streamer who was a D-rank at most on the Hate List would be too degrading for Dark Fire.

“This is your private matter. I allow you to resolve it privately.”

Qi Qian said, “Whether you hire streamers from other guilds, gather people to gang up on him, or whatever else, as long as you don’t take it too far and don’t drag Dark Fire’s reputation into it, you can deal with that streamer however you see fit.”

Kong Laoliu’s eyes glinted with malicious delight. “Thank you, Brother Qi!”

He hadn’t really expected the other party to agree to let him put a low-level streamer on the Hate List anyway. But now that he had the approval of his superiors, his future actions would go much more smoothly.

After all the reward settlements were completed, the live broadcast plaza immediately closed.

The Mohawk guy stood dumbfoundedly in the bustling living area. Even now, he hadn’t recovered from the shock he had just received.

Not only was the guild completely fabricated, but even that big shot he thought was a high-level streamer…

Was a D-rank?! And he had only just ranked up to it???

This, this, this, how was this possible?

Scene after scene of what they had experienced in the instance flashed rapidly before his eyes. The Mohawk guy’s gaze was sluggish as he gradually began to doubt his life.

Real or fake?

It couldn’t be, right?

Could these really be operations pulled off by an E-rank streamer?!

Thinking back to the hunting instance that just ended, the three of them on the Black team: one D-rank and two E-ranks… It turned out he himself was actually the highest-ranked person on the entire Black team?!

The most unbelievable part was…

They actually, actually won?

They were the Black team! Not only did they have an absolute disadvantage in numbers, but they were also facing elites heavily cultivated by major guilds, even including a C-rank streamer!

…But, they won?

The Mohawk guy’s pupils quaked.

How did they do it!!!

While he was in a daze, Su Cheng, who had already changed his appearance, walked over and patted his shoulder with pity. “It’s fine, we’ve all been there. You’ll get used to it soon.”

Used to being deceived.

The Mohawk guy: “???”

Ah?

“What are you talking about?”

Wen Jianyan also walked over at this moment.

After all, a massive sum of points had just hit his account. As a dog scammer who deeply understood the danger of his situation, Wen Jianyan had generously bought himself a new appearance.

“…”

The Mohawk guy and Su Cheng both fell silent in unison.

The man before them was a full 2.1 meters tall, with a broad nose, thick lips, and a loud, booming voice. His thin shirt stretched tightly across muscular shoulders, making him look like a mountain of flesh that gave off an extremely oppressive aura.

It was a bit…

Blinding to the eyes.

Su Cheng couldn’t bear to look straight at him. “Why couldn’t you have chosen a more normal appearance?”

Wen Jianyan: “What’s not normal about it?”

He flexed his arm, showing off his impressive muscles. “Don’t you feel a great sense of security?”

After the tragic experience of having his limbs spread and tied to an operating table, completely pinned down and unable to move by a man half a head shorter than him, Wen Jianyan felt he had developed a deep psychological trauma regarding physique. Therefore, he chose this new appearance without hesitation.

Father God this or Father God that, he could fight ten of them!

Su Cheng: “…………”

Hehe.

At this moment, the Mohawk guy took a slow, deep breath, as if having made some sort of decision. He stared at Wen Jianyan and said solemnly, “Although, although you might not be some high-level streamer, I still really want to join you guys. I wonder if I can…”

Even though he was genuinely shocked when he discovered Wen Jianyan wasn’t a high-level streamer, after thinking back to the series of operations the other party had pulled off in the instance, the Mohawk guy found himself even more astounded.

If the other party were a high-level streamer, it would actually be understandable. But, he was a rookie who had only just experienced two instances!

Whether it was his guts, his intelligence, or his courage to risk it all and take unconventional paths, it all left him breathless with admiration.

Even if he wasn’t a high-level streamer now, he definitely would be in the future!

Holding onto this belief, the Mohawk guy opened his mouth nervously.

“Of course you can.”

Unexpectedly, Wen Jianyan spoke nonchalantly, agreeing without any hesitation.

The Mohawk guy was startled, but before he could start rejoicing, he heard the other party continue:

“After all, it’s not like you have any choice but to be in the same boat as me now.”

The Mohawk guy: “…Ah?”

Wen Jianyan suddenly realized: “Oh right, I forgot to mention.”

Next, he briefly explained to the two of them his extreme operations inside the instance—basically, it was a textbook operation on how to simultaneously offend the seed players of three top-tier guilds in one go.

“Eternal Day and Oracle should still be fine.”

Wen Jianyan pondered for two seconds, a somewhat bashful smile appearing on his face. “But with Dark Fire, the grudge is probably pretty huge.”

“Since you appeared with me in that instance earlier, in their eyes, you were probably considered my accomplice a long time ago.”

The Mohawk guy: “……………”

Wen Jianyan: “By the way, what’s your name?”

The Mohawk guy answered numbly, “…Ji Guan.”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

He subtly glanced at the other party’s hairstyle. “Not bad, quite fitting.”¹.

“However, you better hurry up and spend some points to buy a new appearance right now.”

Wen Jianyan added.

Ji Guan: “Ah?”

Wen Jianyan kindly reminded him, “Forgot? We have a lot of enemies right now.”

He affectionately slung an arm around the petrified Ji Guan. “But don’t worry, they are all very easy to deceive. I’ll teach you a few tricks someday.”

Ji Guan closed his eyes, his heart turning to dead ashes.

It’s over.

He really boarded a pirate ship this time.

And the kind you can’t get off once you’re on!!!

Wen Jianyan bought himself two more sets of appearances to make it convenient to occasionally fish in troubled waters and gather information in the streamer plaza.

Su Cheng, on the other hand, stayed cooped up in his room every day with a bitter face, reading and memorizing the “Comprehensive Guide to Tarot” he had redeemed from the system shop, trying to figure out how to use his talent.

Meanwhile, Ji Guan fully revealed his true nature during this time.

Sporting a rebellious Mohawk guy, he actually loved baking very much. He wore a pink floral rabbit apron every day and baked cupcakes for his other two teammates.

Since his account now had ample points, Wen Jianyan wasn’t planning on entering the next instance very soon.

Not just because his wallet was full, but for a more important reason…

Every time he remembered the terrifying smile that man—who he had deceived twice and backstabbed once—showed before the end of the last instance, Wen Jianyan always felt his hair stand on end.

Although he had been asking around everywhere recently, the answer he always got regarding this was “BOSSes are not interconnected between different instances”…

But Wen Jianyan still had an ominous feeling in his heart.

This made him push back the time of his third live broadcast again and again.

Until…

A week later, when Wen Jianyan tried to use points to exchange for more rest time again, he was warned by the system.

[Ding, detected that the streamer’s rest period has reached one week; please start broadcasting promptly!]

Wen Jianyan: “…”

[Live Broadcast Assistant’s Warm Tip: The maximum rest period varies for different streamer ranks! The maximum rest period for a D-rank streamer is seven days. You have less than six hours until expiration. Once expired, a live broadcast will be forcibly started. Please prepare yourself.]

Wen Jianyan: “…………”

Oh, your big fat head.

He returned to his room shrouded in gloom, only to run into Su Cheng who was sporting an equally bitter expression.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Jianyan asked.

Su Cheng showed Wen Jianyan his phone screen. “Oracle sent me an invitation.”

Wen Jianyan paused. “The rank one Oracle?”

Su Cheng: “Yes.”

He took a deep breath and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know where they got the information, but they found out my talent is Seer-type… Today they sent an invitation directly to my phone.”

Wearing little yellow duck oven mitts, Ji Guan walked out of the kitchen holding a cake base that hadn’t been frosted yet. “Sigh, the Oracle guild is mysterious and eccentric. A lot of their information sources are very peculiar. It’s probably because they have too many Seer-types…”

Under Su Cheng’s stare, he hastily tried to smooth things over. “Not counting you, of course.”

“Anyway, the reason Oracle can be the number one ranked guild on the points leaderboard is mainly because of the Seer-type streamers in their guild. They have essentially monopolized the Seer-types in the entire Nightmare. This leads to a situation where, as long as a guild wants to enter an instance and bring a Seer to increase their success rate, they have to hire streamers from Oracle, allowing their entire guild to rake in mountains of money.”

Ji Guan looked strictly at Wen Jianyan, who was stealthily reaching a hand over:

“Don’t!”

“…”

Wen Jianyan reluctantly moved his hand away from the cake base and turned to look at Su Cheng. “Do you want to go? If you want to go, then go.”

Su Cheng shook his head. “I already refused.”

Wen Jianyan: “Hmm?”

Su Cheng: “I asked if they could bring my teammates along, and they were unwilling.”

He sighed: “So…”

While Ji Guan wasn’t paying attention, Wen Jianyan secretly broke off a piece of cake. “I see, then you’re probably about to get the same treatment as me very soon.”

Su Cheng: “Ah?”

Wen Jianyan panted heavily from the heat of the cake. “I did a bit of investigating into Oracle recently…”

Su Cheng passed him a glass of cold water and pressed, “And then what?”

“I’m actually not very surprised that Oracle can gather so many Seer-type streamers. After all, they have deep pockets and offer generous conditions.”

Wen Jianyan stuffed the slightly cooled piece of cake into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly, “What I’m more surprised about is why other guilds don’t have Seer-type streamers.”

Su Cheng paused.

Wen Jianyan took a sip of water. “After all, it’s impossible that there aren’t streamers like you who have already formed a team and don’t want to leave their original team, right?”

Having just taken off his oven mitts and walked out of the kitchen, Ji Guan gasped upon hearing this sentence:

“You mean…”

“Yes, I did a little checking and found out that many Seer-type streamers who rejected Oracle died violent deaths in their subsequent instances. Of course, it’s also possible that the instance difficulty was too high, or some other reason…”

Wen Jianyan brushed the pastry crumbs off his fingertips and slightly narrowed his eyes. “But, it shouldn’t be that there isn’t a single non-Oracle Seer-type streamer at all.”

Su Cheng: “…”

In short, to maintain their long-term monopoly over Seer talents and their throne as number one on the points leaderboard, this guild might prematurely eliminate anyone who rejects their proposals and could potentially threaten their monopoly position.

In the Streamer Hall, the system didn’t allow streamers to slaughter each other, but inside an instance, it was different.

Not to mention, the Oracle guild was extremely mysterious and peculiar; it was highly likely they had ways to deal deadly blows without leaving a trace.

Wen Jianyan: “Besides that… I have another piece of bad news.”

“What is it?” Su Cheng had an ominous feeling in his heart.

Wen Jianyan: “We’re going to enter the next instance very soon, probably… in about five hours.”

He added, “Forced opening.”

Su Cheng: “…”

What did they call it when it rains, it pours? This was exactly it!

Ji Guan: “So it can be forced… I never knew that before. After all, I rarely have enough points to last a whole week…”

He sighed, just preparing to continue speaking, when his sharp eyes noticed that a corner of the cake base was missing.

Ji Guan narrowed his eyes:

“Who sneaked a bite!”

Wen Jianyan pointed at Su Cheng: “Him.”

Ji Guan’s angry gaze shot straight over: “You again!”

Su Cheng: “…”

Motherfucker, you dog scammer.

After a week had passed, the “Integrity First” live broadcast room finally lit up after a long time.

[!!! The dog scammer has started broadcasting!]

[Ahhhhhhh, charge!]

[Wuwuwuwu it’s been a week! He hasn’t broadcasted in a week! The days of relying on VODs to sustain my life are over!]

[Come, come, come, family, place your bets! Will the rollover streamer roll over in the new instance! How many new victims will be added!]

The [Antai Community] lobby is open.

A blood-red logo flashed in the air.

Lobby Difficulty Level: B-

Historical Highest Unlock Progress: 56%

Viewing Value: D

[??? Wait, is something not quite right?]

[Did the system make a mistake or something?]

[Isn’t the dog scammer only just a D-rank? His match this time should be C+ at most, why has the difficulty reached B-?]

[This can only explain one thing. Although the streamer’s rank hasn’t met the upgrade requirements, the system’s evaluation of his abilities shows he can clear instances above his tier.]

[Good heavens, this is only his third live broadcast!]

Author’s Note:

Wen Jianyan Swindler Training Class!

All victims are welcome to enthusiastically sign up.

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