Chapter 36: Someone Who Hasn't Experienced Failure

The late night passed, and a new day dawned in City A. The air was fresh, and a magnificent sword mark adorned the clear blue sky, with the white clouds shimmering.

Today was Sunday, the last day of the weekend for students before they had to go back to school.

But Alister no longer had to worry about such things. Three years ago, he graduated early from Jiujing University with outstanding results and embarked on a life of boredom without any goals to strive for.

With no older or younger relatives and no unnecessary social interactions, only a string of cold, hefty numbers in his bank account accompanied him.

"Life can be so boring."

The sky was blue and clear, and the tender leaves of the trees shimmered in the sunlight.

During breakfast, Alister, who had dispelled the fatigue from the previous night, carried a bowl of lean pork and century egg congee to the wooden table in the living room. He sat on a comfortable armchair and glanced sideways at the urban morning scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room.

The brilliant neon lights of the previous night had already disappeared, replaced by a modern landscape outlined by simple lines.

He swiped his finger on the phone screen, dismissing the push notification about the "News: Undeveloped Area of City A to be Replanned," and opened a video titled "Kamen Rider GAZER - Battle Showcase Highlights."

When the three characters "Can't Afford to Play," "Bug Fix," and "Ratings" appeared, Alister couldn't help but let out a laugh. The plot from the East was quite interesting.

But as interesting as it was, Alister recalled his participation in the sequence game and realized that there seemed to be some underlying patterns.

Setting aside the different ability systems in different regions, it seemed that the Z players he had encountered were all part of the Z Legend system, and he hadn't seen any Z players with magic abilities.

At least in the E-rank sequence game, Alister hadn't encountered any players with magic abilities.

Different regions had different ecosystems, just like Antarctica and Australia. A penguin boy would never dream of a kangaroo schoolgirl...

"Does the sequence game also have its own player ecosystem?" Alister refocused his attention on the "Kamen Rider GAZER - Battle Showcase Highlights" video.

"You can transform into a Kamen Rider too?"

"Well, if the legends of cultivation, martial arts, and yokai in Z Country can be realized, then there's no reason why the urban legends of the East shouldn't exist..."

Ghouls, onmyoji, devil fruits... and the power of tailed beasts?

"If you decide to do that, then I have a countermeasure as well."

With these thoughts in mind, he delved deeper into his exploration.

So, did the strength of different factions and player systems in the sequence game to some extent reflect the popularity of real-world legends?

Or perhaps, did the appearance of different player ability systems coincide with the time of the birth of legends in the real world?

"Stop overthinking!"

"...Never mind." Alister exited the video interface.

Since these were currently unverifiable matters, Alister didn't dwell on them for too long. He simply picked up his spoon and leisurely savored the lean pork and century egg congee.

Breakfast he made himself tasted more delicious than any other food. There was a sense of accomplishment that surged within him.

Of course, this was purely in his mind.

After finishing breakfast and spending half an hour tidying up the living room, Alister spent an hour browsing the internet, and then he felt bored...

"The second Battle Emperor Cup offline PK tournament is currently underway. Who will be the..."

Suddenly, his homepage pushed a live broadcast preview of an offline gaming tournament taking place in City A.

"It's Sunday..." Alister sighed slightly and put away his phone.

He returned to his bedroom, changed into a casual jacket, put on Yumikou's black duckbill cap, then closed the wardrobe and headed back to the front door.

"Top-ranked player in the country applies to participate."

Alister put the keys in his pocket, took a moment to admire the living room, and then headed out.

The creak of the door gently closing, followed by the soft click of the lock.

...

...

"Hello, dear viewers! Welcome to the live broadcast of the second Super Invincible Passionate Battle Emperor Championship!"

On the first floor of a shopping center in Linggu District, the commentator struck a dramatic pose on the temporary stage, with a huge screen behind him broadcasting the live matches between the players.

A crowd of spectators had gathered, not only on the first floor but even on the second floor, leaning on the safety railings, curious to watch the competition unfolding below.

"The eight players have defeated their respective opponents in the online group stage and advanced to the finals, representing the pinnacle of skill in the Battle Emperor world!"

With a wave of the commentator's hand, the screen displayed the game avatars of the eight players, each with a different style.

"Now, the eight players are here to compete for the ultimate championship! They are..."

At this moment, the participating players began to take the stage one by one, generating excitement among the live audience.

Seven players quickly went through the formalities.

"...and this contestant, the dark horse from the East, Fujitani Nisuke!"

As the announcer's voice fell, a middle-aged man in a brown coat slowly walked onto the stage. His hair was somewhat disheveled, and he had heavy dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well last night.

"Devour the Sword of the Dragon God!!!"

"In Z Country, there's an old saying... 'A wise man knows the time.'"

"Moshi moshi?"

"Uh... Good morning, everyone."

To the discussions of the audience, Fujitani Nisuke only greeted them briefly and then yawned before slowly stepping down from the stage.

The commentator watched Fujitani Nisuke leave the stage, and then with undiminished enthusiasm, he took two game ID cards out of a drawing box.

"Alright, the eight contestants of the second Super Invincible Passionate Battle Emperor Championship are ready. Now, for the first match of Group 1..."

"Sleepy, three hours of sleep is still not enough..." Fujitani Nisuke mumbled to himself, emitting an aura of weariness.

"It's 'Taisui Taisui,' right?"

"Um... Well then, good morning, everyone..."

Listening to the discussions of the audience, Alister silently translated Fujitani Nisuke's words and thought to himself that the work-life habits in the East seemed worrying. Was this the current state of affairs for East players?

After seeing the pre-match live broadcast on his phone, Alister spent half an hour and arrived just in time for the official start of the competition. He now leaned on the railing of the second floor, watching the eight final contestants.

The final stage of the competition allowed the live audience to challenge the champion player. Alister had come precisely because he knew about this stage.

Masters always yearn to encounter worthy opponents.

Before becoming a player in the sequence game, Alister had topped the rankings in various competitive games, always achieving victory. He always chose "Extremely Easy" when filling out the game developers' questionnaires.

But even when the game developers eventually increased the difficulty, Alister continued to breeze through, unable to experience the joy of the game.

"A person who has never experienced failure has a relatively failed life..."

In the spacious and brightly lit modern shopping center, the crowd bustled about as usual, but Alister was lost in thought.

"I feel like I said something profound, but it also sounds like nonsense..."