This man—even my gaze was helplessly drawn to his title.

Title: “Arthur”

ID: Inheriting King Stomach

Class: Sword Berserker | Level: 32 | Guild: Eight Kings

Fiery red hair spiked above his forehead, a single thick ahoge standing defiantly upright. Violet-gold plate armor sheathed his frame. In his grip rested Excalibur, a rare blade.

This must be the member of the strongest guild DeerDeer mentioned. Level 32? Ridiculously high—even frontline raiders barely hit 30.

“It’s Arthur of the Eight Kings! Quick, take a screenshot!”

“Arthur! We love you!”

This popularity was utterly absurd—stealing my thunder completely!

I spun, my sword finding the assassin behind me. One strike locked his throat. A flurry of blows finished him.

But my fight paled beside the spectacle unfolding there.

“Excalibur.”

Pinpricks of light swarmed toward Inheriting King Stomach. He raised his sword, absorbing the glow. The blade blazed, stretching over five meters long.

Three warriors and two assassins swarmed him. Not a flicker of panic crossed his face. He stood rooted.

The sword descended. Light erupted from the earth, a pillar of radiance piercing the sky.

The shockwave hit like a tidal wave, scattering onlookers. When the glow faded, only five charred corpses remained on the blackened ground.

“I killed you. Come for revenge anytime.”

Inheriting King Stomach strode toward the surviving priests. My duel with the summoner was already forgotten—like a side character erased when the protagonist takes the stage.

As the fight wound down, Alicia logged in, rushing from the city gates.

After slaying a priest, I scooped up spilled potions and approached BiXueRanChangQiang’s corpse.

“Bro… spare me. This ring’s all I own that’s worth anything. I swear—I’ll never bother you again.”

“You think you’ll *have* a ‘later’?”

I typed my reply while looting the body.

…

“Spare him. For my sake?”

Inheriting King Stomach’s hand clamped my wrist before I could grab the Revenge Ring.

“Fine.”

He’d just saved the man’s life. This small request was nothing.

“Bro, you’re insane! All white gear, surviving a 30-man ambush?”

The summoner joined us after looting his share.

“Just luck. Nothing like you, King Stomach—cutting them down one swing each.”

The crowd dispersed as the battle ended. Only a few lingered, still shooting admiring glances at Inheriting King Stomach.

Idols were toxic.

“Thanks for the help.”

I offered my hand.

*Slap.* He knocked it away.

“You’re still too weak. I’ll shake your hand only when you’re strong enough to earn my respect.”

He turned toward the forest—likely hunting a boss.

I stared at my empty palm. My lips twitched.

What a weirdo. Making a handshake this complicated? And that show-off attitude… seriously grating.

“Don’t sweat it, bro. First guild members love acting cool. Just ignore ’em.”

“Hn.”

Top guild? Strong, sure. But that attitude…

Someday, I’d throw those exact words back at him.

“Thanks. Come help me with this.”

“Nah, just hate bullies ganging up.”

The summoner ruffled his hair, grinning.

Not a bad guy.

ID: Speechless2333

Class: Elemental Summoner | Level: 22

Guild: Grandpa’s Fantasy F4

…Grandpa’s Fantasy F4? What kind of name was that? Please don’t tell me F4 was a five-person guild.

“Snowfall! I’m here! You okay? Wait—the fight’s over already?”

Alicia sprinted over from the city gates.

“You’re late.”

Alicia might be late, but she’d never miss the show.

“Phew… killed me… Why’d you have to start a wild battle♂ with a guy outside the city? I rushed in the second I saw it!”

Hands on her knees, Alicia panted. She’d really sprinted hard.

“Wild battle♂? What the hell! Use voice chat, not text!”

She was doing this on purpose. “Wild battle”? That sounded so damn suspicious! My sexuality was perfectly normal.

I opened the forum while grumbling. One post caught my eye:

[HOT] [PHILOSOPHY] Player♂ Challenges 30 Solo! Shameless Wild Battle♂ Outside Frostspire City—Fierce Combat Footage!

Views: 133,154. What?! 133k people?! Were they all this bored? Watching some random wild battle… Wait, why did that phrase sound dirtier every time I said it?

I clicked. The comments were vile.

WrestlingWithKings♂: LMAO, 30-man♂ wild battle? Just imagining being squeezed by all that musky man-scent—I’m about to lose it.

PurpleSweetPotato≠Rat: Top comment’s getting reamed. Bros, where you at? Let’s go 8-in-8-out together.

NotAFish: Charging top two’s backdoors. Can’t make the live show, but I’ll stream crying over these clowns.

SickWithLove: +1 +1 +1! Take me too, big bros—let’s make it a 4P!

SleptWithMySis: Count me in! 5P! 4P’s boring.

MySonIsAbove: *nosepick* *clap clap* Guess I caught the live stream.

MyGrandkidBelow: *clap clap clap* Don’t get ideas—I’m just applauding the show.

StarePregnancy: Damn, the car’s speeding! But what does this have to do with the video?

MonkYourBra’sOnYourHead: You filthy turtles… How am I still reading this?

HundredDeathsNoRide: …You guys are disgustingly dirty.

…

I actually read all the comments. Only one thought remained: Philosophy truly was a profound subject.

People who loved philosophy were all so… talented. And their names were so elegant.

“Huh? Snowfall, you changed your name?”

Alicia finally noticed my new ID: QingShiQingXiang.

“I keep my promises.”

Just a name. Didn’t matter much.

“Ah… sorry. I should’ve been the one to lose.”

Alicia bowed deeply.

“Uh.”

“Haha! Youth’s so sweet! You two chat—I’m outta here!”

Speechless2333 bolted, sensing the awkward shift. Only Alicia and I remained.

I opened the shop. A new item topped the list: Sprite Pet—88,000 Crystals.

I almost laughed. Clever devs.

*Sprite Pet: Replaces customer service. Answers questions. No special stats. Limited to 10,000 units.*

Even so… they were nearly sold out. The rich truly lived in another world.

“Call it a draw. Time ran out anyway.”

“Mhm! I’ll give you a rename card as an apology.”

“Deal.”

As we chatted, a meteor—blazing, roaring—hurtled from the sky.

Too fast. Too wide. Alicia and I couldn’t dodge…

My gear scattered across the ground, red name flashing. Alicia’s corpse lay beside mine.