Chapter 586: Deal With Them

    "Miss Qiuqiu?"

    The female voice calling her name jolted Qiuqiu out of her reverie. She jerked her head up in shock, stammering out in reflex, "Y-Yes— yes, I’m here!"

    It wasn’t until the words escaped her mouth that Qiuqiu realized she had been too loud. She bit down on her lip and cursed herself mentally, while peering at the other person nervously through her lashes. But fortunately – or not – the woman’s expression remained blank and neutral, showing neither comfort nor displeasure at Qiuqiu’s visible unease.

    Qiuqiu had no idea whether she should feel relieved or not.

    But fortunately, what she feared did not happen. The tall and professional woman – a secretary, she reckoned – simply stepped aside and gestured at the corridor behind her, "Please come with me. Master is ready to see you now."

    "O-Okay." Qiuqiu rose to her feet and discreetly wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt as she trailed after the secretary.

    The closer they were to the destination, the more nervous she became. Her heart was beating so fast like it was going to leap out of her throat at any moment. Hot sweat seeped out of her pores, drenching the back of her shirt, and her fingertips trembled ever so slightly. She felt a little lightheaded like she was going to pass out at any moment.

    But Qiuqiu told herself she couldn’t mess this up. She must not! This was her one and only chance to enter the number one organization—Imhotep! Who knew whether she would still have another chance if she were to chicken out now!

    It wasn’t enough simply receiving a private invitation. Each player still needed to go through a string of tests to be formally acknowledged as the member of Imhotep— and Qiuqiu was about to take that test now. Due to its confidential nature, she did not have the slightest idea what the tests would entail, but she had prepared herself mentally and physically for this day, even going as far as refusing the invitation from several mid-rank organizations just so that she could be ready to answer the summon from Imhotep anytime.

    Because come on, who didn’t want to join the first ranked and most powerful organization in the entire Nightmare Cycle? At least, it would be a dream come true for her!

    Along the way, Qiuqiu had imagined quite a lot of scenarios in her mind, one was more grueling than others, but she did not expect to be led into what seemed like a cozy and elegant office. The stark contrast between the dim living room and the brightly lit space made her squint reflexively as the overhead lights momentarily dazzled her eyes.

    "Miss Qiuqiu?" A tall and handsome man, who appeared to be in his mid or late twenties, stood up from the couch and gestured for her to take a sit across from him. "Welcome, I’ve been waiting for your arrival. Xiao Lu, you may withdraw for now."

    Who...? Qiuqiu’s mind wandered, slightly distracted by the man’s warm and reassuring smile that was akin to a soft spring breeze.

    But then she received her answer the very next second when the woman beside her bowed, replying deferentially, "Yes, Master Shang."

    Shang... SHANG?! Qiuqiu’s eyes instantly flew wide in shock, her breath seizing in her throat. As in, the very leader of Imhotep?!

    "Miss Qiuqiu?" Shang tilted his head slightly upon finding her motionless in the doorway.

    "O-Oh!" Snapping back to her senses, Qiuqiu clumsily shuffled forward, nearly tripping on her own feet out of nervousness. "P-P-Please pardon me, God Shang! I— oh my God, I didn’t expect to meet you, of all people!"

    "Please be at ease," Shang let out a little chuckle, sending a faint blush to the young girl’s cheek. "I’m the same as you, an ordinary player. People seem to have a misconception about Imhotep’s test, assuming that it should be extremely difficult, when in fact I just want to talk and get to know the new members better..." he spread his hands helplessly. "But of course, I’d appreciate it if you can keep it a secret. It would be more interesting to keep up the mysterious persona, don’t you think so?" He gave a playful wink in the end.

    At this point, Qiuqiu had been completely bought over. She nodded again and again, starry-eyed, practically wishing she could express a thousand words of worship toward the man before her.

    She settled on the couch opposite Shang, clenching her fists shyly and nervously. "What do you want to talk about, God Shang?"

    "Hmm," Shang narrowed his eyes into a charming smile. "Just your experience in the Nightmare Cycle in general. I would like to hear about the Cycles you’ve been through, your skill cards and props... you wouldn’t mind, would you?"

    "Of course not!" Qiuqiu blurted out in a heartbeat.

    Perhaps it was the cozy atmosphere of the office, the warm and encouraging smile of the person before her, or the relaxing scent wafting from the incense burner in the corner of the room, but Qiuqiu found herself relaxing wholly and completely.

    With animated gestures, she readily spilled everything about her. Time flew by in this manner, and Shang perfectly displayed the attitude of a good listener, his gaze attentive and gentle. Every so often, he interjected with a well-placed question, drawing more out of her without disrupting her rhythm.

    "...I almost died in my last Cycle," she recounted glumly.

    "Oh?" Shang responded with just the right amount of concern and curiosity.

    "I don’t know what has gone wrong either..." she fiddled with her fingers and explained the treacherous situation briefly. "Fortunately, I met a lot of kind people. There was the now deceased Sword of Heaven, the Sovereign of the Dead before she became a Legendary player... and oh, the three members of SJG were present as well! They’re the ones who insisted on not leaving me behind, even using their prop to heal my injuries!"

    Even until now, Qiuqiu still remembered this life saving grace, her eyes shining with gratitude. And when she noticed Shang showing unprecedented interest in the SJG Team, she became more excited, chattering about how cool and powerful they were.

    In the end, she bit her lip and flattered him with a shy and demure expression, "...Of course, you’re the best among them, God Shang!"

    But Shang’s focus was on another matter altogether. "They have a healing prop, and it’s the kind which can be dismantled?"

    Qiuqiu didn’t think much about it and nodded. "Yes, you’re right. That’s the first time I saw a prop like that too. It doesn’t seem to exist in the store. It was... uhh, the combination of a wreath, a necklace and a bracelet. The three have to be worn at the same time for the prop to take effect."

    Shang’s smile turned subtle. "I see, what a... unique prop."

    The two continued chatting for a while longer before Shang finally concluded the meeting. He rose to his feet and extended a hand toward Qiuqiu, smiling, "It’s a pleasure to know you, Miss Qiuqiu. Welcome to Imhotep."

    Qiuqiu was so excited that her breathing quickened, cheeks flushing in excitement. Finally! Jumping to her feet, she wiped her hands on her skirt a few times for good measure before clasping his hand with both of hers. "Thank you... thank you so much, God Shang! I promise to work hard and not disappoint you!"

    Shang maintained his courteous smile as he escorted Qiuqiu to the door before summoning Xiao Lu, the secretary, to see her out.

    Gazing at her retreating back, he suddenly spoke, his voice faint yet chilling, "You heard all that, didn’t you?"

    From the depths of the dark corridor, a hidden silhouette bowed their head respectfully, "According to our intels, the Divine Oracle admitted with his own mouth that Sword of Heaven had asked him for a favor. He also revealed that the old man had gone into a high-level Cycle, ’Battle of the Gods’ where he found the Nightmare’s weakness."

    Shang scoffed lightly, his eyes devoid of warmth, totally unlike the gentle and elegant self he had portrayed in front of Qiuqiu earlier.

    The bright light from the office spilled over his tall figure, submerging half of his features in shadows. Behind him, his silhouette stretched long and distorted, like a lurking beast silently baring its fangs in the dark.

    "And you dare taking his words at face value?" he mocked, his lips twisting in contempt. "Send people to both ’Battle of the Gods’ and ’House of Evil’. Prioritize the latter."

    Shang raised a hand to rub his neck, where the vivid sensation of his head being sliced off seemed to linger particularly long. He couldn’t believe he, of all people, had been calculated against. If it wasn’t because he had inadvertently come across a survival potion early into the Cycle, he would have been done for!

    —That’s right, he was none other than the man with leather shoes, who had snatched the last revival potion from a dying player called Beibei and personally sent her to her death.

    Of course, he didn’t bother remembering who that weakling was.

    Shang hadn’t known who had placed the curse on him at first, which had caused him to lose access to his skill card and props. That was until he used a rare prop which he had obtained from a high-level supernatural Cycle— Blood Gnome. The horrendous-looking gnome could answer whatever question you asked, as long as it’s not predicting the future. The more blood and flesh you offered, the more accurate the answer would be.

    For this, Shang had begrudgingly sacrificed three of his fingers. Of course, the injuries had healed by now and new fingers had already grown out, making his hand look as good as new.

    Since he started as a newbie until he occupied the position as the strongest Elite player for two consecutive years, when had he ever suffered such crushing and humiliating defeat? Never. And he sure wouldn’t take this lying down. Who did they think he was? Someone they could pick on and bully however they pleased?

    "The SJG Team..." a dark, sinister smile spread across his face as he instructed, "Deal with them, but leave JJ to me."

    "Yes, Master Shang." The hidden, mysterious figure lowered his head in obeisance. In the next moment, his silhouette silently melted into the darkness of the night, leaving not a trace behind.

    .

    .

    A/N: in case you forget, Qiuqiu is the player who entered ’Chrono Junction Express’ with our SJG trio. She’s also the one who has a summoning skill card and accidentally summoned Medeia, the witch who placed a curse on SN