Chapter 19: The Rude Gamer

  Boom.

  That was the only way to describe the reaction—an explosion. More explosive than even the wildest moments in a world championship. A declaration of war from a fledgling nation aimed directly at the mighty Emperor himself, delivered in the most straightforward way possible: an iron arrow lodged in his chest.

  And not just any arrow—it was a homing arrow fired while Emperor Drarkarr was fleeing on dragonback.

  The sheer thrill from that single arrow ignited a surge of motivation in people who had never even stepped foot into Valia. On that very day alone, a staggering two million new registrations came in, all choosing Despera as their banner.

  Two million!

  ===

  The resounding success of the livestream had completely blindsided Helen. Within just two hours of broadcasting, she had shot straight into the top 10 most influential streamers across all social media. And the rest of the top 10? Also tied to Valia. That morning, Valia eclipsed every other form of content.

  Her colleagues in the newsroom scrambled to gather intel, pitch ideas, and get articles ready for the editor-in-chief. Meanwhile, she was still in charge of a livestream with over fifty million views! The chat was exploding with excitement, and Helen knew the viewers were starving for more—more drama, more info, more everything.

  Her avatar, Helena, remained on the battlefield outside Asterith’s west gate. Zephrania’s forces were retreating—swiftly and with discipline. Though they had maintained dominance throughout the battle, it was clear now: the entire Esta-doom campaign was reaching its conclusion.

  Among the ruins of this colossal clash, she spotted the fiery silhouette of Ignis Flamma, still standing atop a rocky outcrop, gazing into the distance.

  Helen realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. She made Helena dash toward the military genius, hoping to pry some red-hot intel from him while the shock of near-defeat was still fresh.

  "Ignis Flamma, this is Helena from Gamers Assemble—"

  "I’ve been waiting for you."

  Ignis turned to face her and triggered a smile emote. His in-game avatar smiled too, but for some reason, it felt cold and lifeless. Helen suddenly understood—Ignis had intentionally set up this moment to be broadcasted.

  "What are your thoughts on the Esta-doom campaign and the recent unexpected turn of events?"

  "Esta-doom was a military masterpiece designed by His Majesty Drarkarr and the high command of the glorious Zephrania Empire. Our warriors performed superbly, bringing the Emperor’s vision to life. Esta-doom deserves to be immortalized in the textbooks of e-sports as one of the most iconic campaigns of all time."

  "Clever," Helen thought. He didn’t claim credit for himself—he praised Drarkarr. But his over-the-top praise only served to reinforce his own role as the mastermind.

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  "As you saw, we succeeded. Esta-doom was a massive triumph. An unexpected event occurred, beyond anyone’s calculations—ours or yours. I won’t blame anyone if bias or unfairness occurred. Surprise is part of the thrill of gaming. Esta-doom proved the strength of Zephrania and showed that backing this Empire is the right choice. I hope the world continues to believe in Zephrania’s greatness, so we can create more masterpieces to shake the very foundations of this continent."

  “And now he’s subtly criticizing the devs for what looked like biased interference,” Helen thought. And he wasn’t wrong. His goal in appearing right after Esta-doom’s collapse was clear: calm public opinion and reassure investors. He didn’t want the billions watching to forget: Zephrania still won the war with Estapha.

  Sharp. Perfect timing. Honestly, she thought, these were qualities Emperor Drarkarr himself should’ve had.

  "Well then, thank you Helena, for your valiant work on the battlefield—"

  "Wait!" Helen blurted—she wasn’t about to let this golden moment slip away. "That mysterious newbie named Kai, he seems to know tons of advanced tricks in Valia—and even claimed he created Deter Cheat! Do you know anything about this mysterious gamer?"

  Ignis didn’t turn to look at her. He simply gazed off into the direction of faraway Estaphalia. His blazing red hair billowed in the wind.

  "My vision… has long surpassed your imagination, Kai."

  Leaving behind that cryptic line, he leapt onto his dragon and vanished into the night sky.

  ===

  Riiiiiiing! RIIIIIIING!

  Opportunity was knocking loudly. The livestream hadn’t even ended yet, and Helen’s phone was blowing up with calls. Everyone wanted rights to rebroadcast the Ignis Flamma interview.

  She panicked and fumbled her phone. At first, she told them to contact her office—she didn’t have the authority. Then she just started hanging up.

  "Helen, the Editor-in-Chief wants you in the office—urgently."

  ===

  Estaphalia.

  Elenora stood there, watching the savior who had literally fallen from the sky and rescued her entire kingdom, unsure how to properly express her gratitude.

  Kai didn’t say a word. He was busy opening the Guardian Faction Selection Interface. The others had been so slow—Despera almost hadn’t been available as a choice. If Lafieii’s buff had expired before he selected a faction, his avatar might’ve been permanently deleted from Valia.

  "Hey, you!"

  He called out to Elenora rudely.

  "Uh… yes?"

  "Visa. Now."

  "Huh…?"

  "What do you mean ‘huh’? Visa! Now! You're the ruler of Estaphalia, right? This place isn’t my faction's capital—I need a visa. Hurry up!"

  Kai had officially joined the Despera Guardian Faction. Estaphalia, a city activated by the Estapha Kingdom, only offered protection to Adventurers loyal to them. Everyone else needed a visa issued by the city ruler.

  A request window popped up in front of Elenora—a visa application for the maximum 100 days. The title? Just one word: visa.

  "Hey! Would you mind speaking a little more politely? Thank you for your timely assistance—on behalf of all Estapha, I’d like to express our deepest gratitude. As you probably already know, but allow me to introduce myself—I am Eleno—"

  "Yeah yeah, I know. It's literally written right there above your head."

  Elenora threw a pouty-face emote. This rude gamer was really testing her patience. If not for the fact that he had just saved her, she might’ve smacked him back to the respawn point with Lux Veritas.

  Wait… he did pick Estaphalia as his city, didn’t he? That means when he respawns… it’ll be right here, in the Royal Hall?

  "Come on! What, you want me to vanish into thin air?"

  He kept nagging her in that same curt, bossy tone.

  Argghhhh!!!

  She was done! But as the Queen of Estapha, she couldn’t afford to be petty—not with millions watching. Oh, right—the stream. She had to wrap it up.

  "To all citizens of Estapha and everyone watching, thank you for your unity and your contributions during this national defense campaign. The threat has passed, and we have driven out the invaders. All promised rewards will be delivered. Estapha will announce new policy updates shortly. Thank you for—"

  "WILL YOU JUST APPROVE THE DAMN THING ALREADY—"

  Poof.

  The stream cut off.