Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Bandit Invasion

After Night Feather and Luo Feng finally managed to deal with a few male students, they closed the door. The two exchanged glances, exhaling a breath of thick, pent-up air, their expressions etched with dark lines of exhaustion.

"Your sister sure knows how to leave you plenty of trouble," Luo Feng said with a wry smile, clearly understanding Night Feather's mood.

Night Feather shrugged, unconcerned. "I'm used to it."

"Does anyone here know anything about the Qing University Gaming Club?" Night Feather turned to the others, asking.

Luo Wei waved lightly and explained, "The Qing University Gaming Club is the parent club among several gaming societies within Qing University—hence the name. It gathers players with professional gaming talent, making it far stronger than the subsidiary clubs. Every year, at least twelve students from the club go on to become professional gamers."

"Twelve may seem few, but it's enough to stir up a storm. If you have the skills, becoming a renowned professional gamer isn't that difficult," Luo Feng nodded. "But, Old Three, from what you say, it seems only the Qing University Gaming Club really offers a chance for a professional path here."

"That's true," Night Feather agreed, glancing at the group. He caught a fiery glint in their eyes and smiled. "Since we all want to become professional gamers, let's work toward that goal..."

"After all, this is Qing University!"

Just then, Night Feather's phone rang. He took it out and saw the words 'Unable to display number,' which made him frown.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Is this the person himself?"

The voice on the other end was magnetic, tinged with a suppressed depth—though perhaps excitement was more accurate.

"Who are you?"

"Crown."

"Hmm? Crown?" Night Feather’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t surprised the caller knew his number, but it was unusual for the elusive owner of the Crown Studio to call him directly.

"Yes, our partnership will continue. Besides, Zhishang Technology gave me a decent reward, but the condition is that you must participate."

Hearing this, Night Feather was momentarily stunned. Making money through gaming wasn’t difficult, especially with a top game like 'Divine Desolation.' However, the game strictly curbed studios from exploiting it excessively, so only top-tier studios survived, creating a handful of dominant players.

Crown was one of these elite studios—a partnership with them was certainly worth considering.

"Tell me more," Night Feather said.

The Crown Studio owner adjusted his tone and continued, "This isn’t about you joining my studio, but accepting our investment."

"Investment?"

"Yes. With your abilities, I imagine you've thought about becoming a professional gamer?"

Night Feather's expression finally changed from a frown to surprise.

"You're currently the sole moderator for the 'Divine Desolation' newbie section on the Zhishang Technology game forum. Every time you post a guide, it creates a stir—even the official forum reposts them."

"I’m just lucky. I write from my own perspective," Night Feather replied with humility.

"You’re modest. Regarding the investment, you should know it’s funded by Zhishang Technology. Since they don’t want to appear directly, I’m establishing a small professional gaming club with their backing. For now, the main focus is solely on 'Divine Desolation.'"

Night Feather listened with genuine interest.

Seeing he hadn’t declined, the Crown owner went on, "If you’re willing, we can sign a contract with you and your fixed team. All required support in-game will be provided by me. Each account gets a monthly allowance of ten thousand, and you can propose changes to the distribution of in-game currency as needed."

"I’ll need some time to think it over. Right now, I just want to do my job as a newbie section moderator. I do want to go pro, but I’d like to familiarize myself first," Night Feather replied after a deep breath, calming his nerves.

"If that’s your decision, so be it. But think it over carefully. If you’re in Qing City, you should visit the gaming tech district—the club’s address is there. The club is named NM Gaming Club."

"Alright, I’ll consider it," Night Feather replied.

"By the way, my name is Wang Panzi. People like to call me Fat Wang," the Crown owner said.

Night Feather almost laughed at the nickname—just how overweight must someone be to earn such a moniker?

After hanging up, the group gathered around Night Feather.

"What’s the matter?"

"Looked like a call from that studio, right?"

Night Feather shared the details of the call, and the five others were visibly shocked.

"I just searched—there’s indeed a newly established gaming club in Qing City’s tech district, and its preliminary name is NM Gaming Club," Huang Hong said, showing his phone.

"Old Three, what do you think? Will you join?"

"Let’s get familiar first. If we accept now, it might affect us at school," Night Feather replied.

"Alright."

...

When 'Cool Night' logged in, the whole guild received a system message.

[Guild] Guild Manager: "Welcome back, Guild Leader."

Night Feather saw his friend icon blinking—'Knows the Warmth and Cold of Others' had messaged him.

Cool Night: "What’s up?"

Knows the Warmth and Cold of Others: "Check your level."

Night Feather frowned and checked—he was now level 33, with 40% experience.

Cool Night: "What happened?"

Knows the Warmth and Cold of Others: "Due to guild saturation and member limits, excess profits are converted into experience and distributed."

Cool Night: "I was only away for a short while—so much? I’m not stupid, tell me the real reason."

Knows the Warmth and Cold of Others: "[Guilty] Actually, since everyone can clear guild dungeons thanks to you, most members chose to forfeit their experience and transfer it all to you."

Cool Night: "[Staring] Huh? Transfer to me? Experience transfer?"

Knows the Warmth and Cold of Others: "[Smile] Yes, I transferred mine too. Only in special reward circumstances can experience be transferred."

Night Feather checked Luo Feng and the others—they were all at level 33 with 40% experience.

Realizing it was thanks to the guild members, Night Feather expressed his gratitude, feeling a warmth in his heart.

[Guild] (Guild Leader) Cool Night: "Thank you all for transferring your experience. I won’t let you down—I’ll lead the guild forward."

[Guild] (Vice Leader) Dark Night: "Thanks everyone for the experience transfer. Let’s make Purple Illusion Realm the best in Xuan Tian!"

[Guild] (Member) If I Don’t Show Off I’ll Die: "We’re counting on the boss to lead us ahead."

[Guild] (Member) Borrowed Money for Cigarettes and Wine: "Right, it’s just a small token. Without you, we couldn’t clear the guild dungeons since we’re not at the required level."

[Guild] (Member) More Than Just Liking You: "Exactly."

The chat channel was flooded with messages from all the guild members, and Night Feather felt a surge of warmth at their camaraderie.

Determined not to let them down, Night Feather and his five companions continued with the main storyline quests.

Suddenly, a crisis erupted in the guild chat.

[Guild] Guild Manager: "The guild headquarters is under attack by unknown bandits. All members, return quickly to defend!"

Night Feather’s expression changed. All six immediately used a special talisman from their bags that teleported them back to the guild, their forms vanishing in a stream of light from Nine Hills Ridge.

...

Every guild has its own map, which expands as the guild levels up. At the highest level, the headquarters map is as large as the 'Hero Town' map.

The six of 'Cool Night' moved swiftly, rushing to the guild headquarters where bandit monsters dressed in bandit attire appeared in the distance.

The bandits’ levels depended on the guild members’ average level—so they were level 30, which was a breeze for Night Feather and his companions.

'Cool Night' wielded an ancient zither, plucking its strings with one hand. A burst of violet radiance unleashed terrifying power, easily slaying a bandit.

...

...