Chapter 3 Qilin Studio

"Demacia!" With a shout, Garen instantly sped up, raising his sword high, about to bring it down in a mighty slash—but at the critical moment, the Lady of Light, Lux, used a flash spell to escape. Light Binding—the feet of Garen were frozen in place, followed by the luminous singularity—Final Spark!

One attack flowed into the next, and Garen, already at half health, was inevitably pinned down in front of the base crystal.

Xiao Buli picked up the still-lit cigarette from the ashtray and took a deep drag, but the faint smile that had appeared on his face due to defeating his opponent quickly disappeared.

League of Legends was the online game similar to DOTA he had recently been using to pass the time. Compared to MMORPGs, this type of game didn't have much in the way of profit potential, but it was enough to kill time.

Looking at the victory screen, he reflected on the recent events. Xiao Buli wasn't ready to leave the world of online gaming just yet. He kept tabs on the gaming market, trying every new game to see whether it was worth investing time and energy. Sadly, these games were either pay-to-win cash pits or low-quality knockoffs with nothing to offer. It wasn't just a matter of investing his energy; even spending half an hour on them felt like a punishment. With nothing better to do, he could only play some competitive games for entertainment.

"Come sit at my bar tonight," a voice from the body on the ground suddenly said.

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Buli typed out "Okay."

Four hours later—

"Here, try the cocktail mixed by our beautiful bartender—the 'Sexy Bomb' is sure to impress," Mr. Bang placed a dozen cocktails on Xiao Buli's table. It was after eight in the evening, and the bar wasn't officially open yet, just staff bustling around cleaning up. Xiao Buli looked at the glasses in front of him—twelve neatly arranged in a tray, their transparent liquid reflecting the bar's lights, dazzling to the eye.

He picked up a glass and looked at it, "VODKA?"

Clap, clap, clap, Mr. Bang exaggeratedly applauded. "As expected of the God of Alcohol, you knew the base spirit without even tasting."

Xiao Buli chuckled. The transparency of the drink made it hard to be anything but vodka. He drank it down, the burning sensation reaching his stomach immediately—a strong liquor indeed. "Not bad!" praised Xiao Buli.

"Haha, with your praise, our beauty can officially be promoted to senior bartender," Mr. Bang said, still grinning from ear to ear.

Xiao Buli just smiled. Gu Shaobang had been his friend since middle school, and among the people at the studio, their relationship was particularly solid. Even after Qingyang Studio dissolved, the two maintained contact.

After exchanging knowing smiles, Mr. Bang's expression slowly turned serious. "Boss, I think I might have found it."

"You mean—?" Xiao Buli began to say but stopped, Mr. Bang nodded seriously. He pulled a somewhat crumpled newspaper from the back pocket of his jeans, "Look at this."

Mr. Bang pointed to an advert circled by him in the paper. The ad was sizable, indicating that the other party had spent quite a bit of money. It was written in bold letters: Play games and earn a salary over ten thousand a month!, Qilin Studio urgently hiring professional gamers for power leveling, starting salary 8000 plus commission, accommodation provided, if you're skilled enough, come join us... Waiting for you… The advert included a contact number for applications.

Compared to the size of the ad, the content seemed sparse, lacking specific details which made Xiao Buli skeptical. These days, there were no such things as pies falling from the sky; a salary of eight thousand a month with additional commission was an offer not even Qingyang Studio at its peak would dare make. As a realist who never fancied wishful thinking, his first instinct was to classify the advert as a scam. However, on second thought, if it wasn't a scam, it clearly meant something significant: he had never heard of Qilin Studio or knew what they were all about, but the game they were investing in had to have significant profit potential to offer such high pay; yet, after considering all the current online games in the market, none seemed to fit the bill.

Could there be a major online game release on the horizon? He wondered. If that were the case, it would be crucial to get early access. It might even allow Qingyang Studio to reopen; perhaps this was the reason for Mr. Bang's excitement.

Although he felt that the advertisement was unreliable, seeing Mr. Bang trying to contain his excitement, Xiao Buli couldn't bear to refuse. "Fine, I'll take a look, but I hope it's not a scam."

"You definitely won't regret it," Mr. Bang said, bumping fists with him in excitement.

In the bustling center of City B, Ginza Plaza was surrounded by upscale office buildings. Standing in the open area of the plaza, Xiao Buli felt that the early spring weather was not suitable for exercising. Nonetheless, there were a few citizens taking walks, and occasionally, some white-collars in suits hastily passed through.

It's just game power-leveling; wouldn't renting a residential place do? Xiao Buli was puzzled. From his years of experience running studios, renting a space in such a location for a gaming studio did not seem like something a normal person would do. With a yearly rent of at least several million, what kind of game could generate enough profit to justify this?

Following the overly sweet voice's instructions from the phone, Xiao Buli took the elevator to the 18th floor of Ginza Block C. As the elevator doors slowly opened, he was somewhat astonished. Directly opposite in the corridor, a long queue had formed of applicants, many of whom looked quite professional. Several even carried specialized mice and keyboards or thick resumes. The scene was not on the same level as when he had recruited staff previously.

However, this was not surprising. With a guaranteed minimum salary of eight thousand a month and rumored bonuses, such compensation would be considered mid-level in other companies. And, there were no special requirements, just good gaming skills. This seemed like a rather modest requirement, so the fierce competition was understandable.

After queuing up and filling out the form, Xiao Buli sat bored in the waiting area of the corridor. The interviews were conducted in several rooms, where the applicants were not allowed to talk to each other. Some guards, dressed like they were from Hacker Empire, kept patrolling the area. Nearly two hours later, when Xiao Buli was on the brink of falling asleep in the corridor chair, a security guard called him to enter Room One for his interview.

"Tell me, which games have you played?" asked an interviewer who looked like a college professor.

Xiao Buli counted on his fingers and reported back. Considering certain factors, he did not disclose the fact that he had been the leader of Qingyang Guild. Naturally, he had played many online games, like "Legend," "Miracle," "World of Warcraft," and others. His interest in games was quite broad, but he rarely got obsessed with one, unless it was necessary for work. However, there were exceptions. At least one non-profit game had kept him immersed for a decade, and he still played it occasionally even now.

"You've played 'Diablo II' for ten years?" The interviewer looked at him strangely. No wonder, considering a vintage game like Diablo, which was not an online game, playing it for a decade was indeed surprising.

Xiao Buli nodded, "Correct." He found the interviewer's amazement odd. In his view, "Diablo II" was undoubtedly one of the most classic games. Many online games nowadays couldn't compare to it in terms of gameplay, aside from having better graphics.

"Have you played an expert level character?" asked the interviewer, seeming somewhat eager.

An expert level character, also known as hardcore mode, is a special way of playing a game where the player has only one life. If the character is killed by monsters, the player's character dies permanently without any chance of resurrection. Players who choose this mode are relatively few, mostly those who enjoy the thrill of facing challenges and are experienced veterans.

Xiao Buli nodded again, "I've played with one."

"What level?"

"Max level," he said nonchalantly.