Chapter 28 - "Number One Player?

Under the vast expanse of the cosmic seas lay a gargantuan chessboard of black and white.

Eni, the center of attention from around the world, stood atop the black and white chessboard, positioned at the very back of the blue side.

Comments began to scroll frantically:

[So cool! Young master Eni is so handsome!]

[He's a born king, the true ruler of the world of gaming!]

[Come on... you brainless fans, aren't your compliments a bit too nauseating?]

[If you don't like it, just leave! Don't vent your keyboard anger in young master Eni's live stream!]

[Hubert, Qiao Liya... everyone on Eni's team could make it to the Hall of Fame Level, they are probably the strongest team in the world. I wonder who was so unfortunate to go up against them.]

[Who's the opponent? Such bad luck to face Eni Your Majesty's team.]

[Su Ming'an... sounds like a name from Dragon Country.]

[I know him, he made it to the preliminaries because of his severed arm, doesn't look very strong.]

[Maybe he has some strength, let's wait and see...]

[...]

...

Eni stretched out his hand, his sword tip pointed straight ahead.

Just moments ago, the system had informed him of the rules.

The world chessboard is divided into the red and blue sides. Depending on the current number of people in the team, one can be chosen as the [King], while other positions become the "Chess Pieces" under the King's command. The Chess Pieces' strength is the same as their actual Combat Power.

Both sides attack in turns, with only one Chess Piece allowed to move per turn. The player can command the Chess Piece to move forward, and once it is within attacking distance, they can command it to attack the opposing side.

The [King] is the core; if the King dies, regardless of how much health the others have, the game will end in failure.

[Knights] receive an attack bonus, have short attack ranges but long movement distances, though knights cannot jump over the opponent's Chess Pieces to attack the King directly.

[Guards] have short attack ranges and movement distances, and upon entering their attack range, a guard can attack any Chess Piece.

[Towers] have long attack ranges and are able to attack any Chess Piece of the opponent, but cannot attack the King directly by passing over the Queen.

[Bishops] are a healing Occupation, and can heal any team member upon moving.

[Queens] have long attack ranges and movement distances, their attacks are Spell Attacks, and Queens possess a Sacrificing Skill, which upon death, provides an all-around boost to any one Chess Piece of their own side.

Moving a Chess Piece, attacking, or using a Skill each requires one turn.

All Chess Pieces must absolutely obey the King's commands; they have the right to act but not the right to refuse.

In a normal, temporarily formed team, such arrangements would cause a scramble for the position of "King," and even internal conflict, as nobody would want to put their life in someone else's hands.

… But Eni's team was an exception.

He could effortlessly win everyone's trust and was confident that he could lead them to victory. He was such a strong and self-assured person.

"— Appoint Hubert as Bishop, appoint Qiao Liya as Queen, appoint Hans as Knight, appoint Selt as Tower!"

Eni made his appointments, and his teammates instantly changed their attire, transforming the entire scene magnificently.

His somewhat distant gaze skipped over the aimlessly drifting stars, looking towards the opposite red King, where only a solitary shadow stood, with an unconscious girl on his back.

He called out to that direction: "Hey, Su Ming'an? Is that your name?"

Su Ming'an lifted his head.

"Remember this well," Eni spoke from afar, "Not everyone is entitled to claim they can stand 'til the end. One should learn to face their own place in the world—you should know that no matter what state the world is in, those who can stand until the end are always that fixed number of people..."

"You seem very confident," Su Ming'an said.

Eni laughed, and Qiao Liya beside him also let out a snicker, flicking her long hair flirtatiously. Her curls spiraled around her delicate fingers, her gaze sultry as she encouraged like one would a child, "Dragon Country's boy, you are very brave... I at least acknowledge your bravery. There might not be many people in your live stream room, they haven't reminded you, so you might not grasp what kind of team you're facing... However, I personally admire the courage of your severed arm and rather like your appearance. If you give up now and apologize for your presumptuousness from before, I might engage in a more in-depth interaction with you..."

Eni frowned: "Qiao Liya."

"Alright, alright, no more talking, dear Eni has an opinion." Qiao Liya said with a laugh that nearly burst her clothing at the chest, blowing a kiss towards the opposite side: "So, good luck, yeah? I hope you put on a good show in front of billions of viewers."

The chat in Su Ming'an's live stream room also filled up with comments from viewers who had heard the news:

[I came from His Highness Eni's live stream.]

[He looks so harmless, really brave to step into the third floor of the hospital.]

[Maybe he didn't know what kind of team he'd stumble upon before matchmaking began.]

[Don't be so sure, guys, maybe he does have the strength.]

[He doesn't have a fighting chance, it's not just because he's alone, even if Yuanyuan were awake, they likely couldn't win...]

[How did he just so happen to get matched with the world's Number One Player's team? One man versus a team, Ming'an bro can't even assign all the positions... It's so unfair, he's really trying hard…]

[The Organizers' matching system must have eaten crap??? How can they match like this? It's as bad as my ranked matchmaking in King of Glory!]

[It's okay, Ming'an bro, even though you really wanted to reach the end, you've done enough now, we won't blame you...]

[...]

Su Ming'an didn't glance at these comments; from how his upper right corner suddenly lit up with activity, he knew he was being watched by many.

Countless eyes focused on him in an instant.

… This scene was strikingly similar to his speech at the opening ceremony.

... Perhaps he should learn to get accustomed to these gazes.

Su Ming'an slowly laid the unconscious Yuanyuan down on the ground.

Facing the gaze of millions, suddenly under the world's spotlight, he confronted Eni, widely regarded as the best fit for the title of Number One Player.

... Unwittingly, he seemed to have been thrust into such a spotlight.