Chapter 63: IF Ending • Original World (Extra 5)
『Q – Y』: From this moment on
At the clearing on the edge of the western dense forest.
The broadcast panel appeared:
“[Player Fei Xiao has successfully killed (target). Gained 30 points; gained additional points from player Y: 160 × 50%. No inherited skills.]”
Fei Xiao clicked his tongue and withdrew his hand. “His reaction was pretty fast. Looks like he knew he couldn’t escape. He completely gave up on self-preservation and transferred all his skills to his teammate.”
A teammate said, “No wonder he didn’t even use Invisibility just now. He must’ve been saving it for Q.”
“So he planned on burning himself out to give Q the score boost?”
“Forget it. Getting the points and killing Q’s teammate isn’t bad either.”
Fei Xiao waved his group forward. “Let’s go.”
With that, he turned and disappeared into the dense forest.
At the northern mountain waterfall.
Everyone withdrew their gazes. The captain looked at Qi He with a slight smile. “Q, your newbie is gone.”
Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly.
A purple skill suddenly shot from the side––killing Feng Ting, whose armor had been broken during the earlier fight.
This was a skill he had just taken from Yan Chuanbai.
“[Player Feng Ting, eliminated.]”
“[Player Q has successfully killed…]”
Qi He returned the other side’s smile. “Your old member is gone too.”
“……”
On the public screen:
[Q never lets himself suffer a loss, not even for one second.]
[Y transferred all his assets right before dying??]
[The problem with Q’s team is that the two of them are too far apart. They can’t communicate.]
CSl.B does not have an in-team chat channel.
—You need information leaks in order to run strategic algorithms. That’s why teams usually prefer group formations for easier communication. If you’re too far apart, you won’t even know what condition your teammates are in.
[If they had been closer, with Q’s shameless operations, Y might’ve even been saved.]
Feng Ting’s figure faded from the scene.
“Feng Ting!!!”
The other side was caught off guard and also realized that Y had transferred all his skills right before “dying.”
Qi He’s gaze burned, his lips lifting. “Guess what else I’ve got on me?”
He stood there, and just his presence alone made people want to run.
The opposing captain held his breath and stared at him for two full seconds.
Each season’s match produced different skills, and unlike the audience with their god-view—or Qi He, who had already collected information in the first round—they had no idea what was still left in the field.
They didn’t know, but they could infer—
“Q has no escape skills left, otherwise he wouldn’t be wasting time here; Y must not have had any left to transfer to him either, otherwise he wouldn’t have been eliminated.”
The captain said, “Hold the line! Keep defending!”
Qi He said, “And how do you know I don’t have an escape skill?”
The captain gave a cold laugh. “Then go ahead and show us.”
Qi He raised his hand and tapped. A collaboration signal shot into the sky.
“[Player Q has sent a cooperation request.]”
Everyone: “?”
“You think anyone would—” The captain’s words cut off as his expression abruptly changed. “You—!”
The nearest team had already arrived.
The newly arrived team took in the scene—the encirclement—and when their eyes met Qi He’s, hostility burst forth. “Q, no one’s going to make a deal with a tiger. We’re taking you down here today.”
Qi He nodded pleasantly. “Welcome, welcome… And by the way, I bound that captain over there. If you kill me, you’ll kill two birds with one stone—pull down two opponents at once.”
A feverish battle-lust flickered in their eyes.
The other team: Grass! (F*ck!)
“Wait!” the captain turned, negotiating frantically. “Give us five minutes. We can work together to take down Q!”
The newcomers looked at their remaining three members—half-dead, practically gutted by Q. Clearly they had no combat power left. No value in cooperation. “And why should we?”
Before the two sides could come to terms, Qi He had already charged into the fray!
His entrance stirred the entire situation into chaos.
The arriving team struck at him with a single blow.
A protective shield suddenly dropped in front of him from the other side, blocking the attack for him! Qi He moved with quick, slippery agility—his footwork shamelessly slick—and used that split-second of deflection to break out of the encirclement.
—Escape.
“Grass! So you two are the ones cooperating?!”
“What else? We can’t take Q down, but we sure won’t let you profit off both ends.”
Qi He leapt past the boundary and vanished. Hearing the voices coming from behind, he let out a short laugh; his gaze was calm and light.
Five versus three. The other team wouldn’t necessarily risk everything to kill him; killing the three-man team would earn them more points.
From the very beginning, low combat power meant no right to negotiate.
The match had already reached a fever pitch—they were going to start fighting for real now.
Qi He’s silhouette quietly slipped into the dense forest.
—
By now, there were almost no items left on the field.
Qi He didn’t search anymore, nor did he continue harvesting kills. He returned to the Main Shrine Hall, sat before the statue like someone enjoying retirement.
[Is it just me, or does Q look both old and young at the same time?]
[Might be because he’s leaning against the statue, but I swear I just got a trace of benevolence from Q’s sharp features…]
Qi He couldn’t hear any of the public screen’s commentary.
There were many obstacles here—perfect for maneuvering. And since he had “reset” here in round one, the players still had psychological trauma tied to this area. No one dared approach for now. Completely safe.
[Is Q… turtling now?]
[He doesn’t have many skills or weapons left.]
[He’s probably fattening the sheep. With Q’s skill level, he’ll definitely come out at match point to reap a wave.]
……
Amid the heated discussion, one team after another was eliminated.
By the late stage, everyone had high scores; the situation was intense and constantly shifting. Teams chased each other’s points neck and neck.
On the public screen, the rankings refreshed in real time:
[Q: 270]
[Fei Xiao: 210.5]
[Wu Ce: 205]
……
Aside from individual points, the final calculation was based on the team’s average score. In previous years, Qi He alone had the highest score—totally unbeatable.
But this year—
[Y’s 80 points dragged the average down.]
[Second place and third place are about to catch up.]
[If Q keeps turtling like this, he’s going to hand over the championship this year.]
Suddenly, another pillar of light lit up in the arena.
Qi He looked out from the shrine; his mental tally had never stopped. Besides him, six teams remained—23 players in total.
Ten minutes later, another flash—another disappearance.
Two teams had cooperated to take down one team, and their points surged ahead—20 players left.
Match point.
Qi He pressed off the statue and leapt down. Walking out of the broad, gleaming Main Shrine Hall, the light slowly filled his eyes.
Next, he needed to head to the most open area in the entire map: the central plaza.
…
In the circular central plaza—
The view was wide and unobstructed. Scorch marks from previous battles still stained the ground. Dense forest surrounded the area; it was the heart of the entire map.
For now, no one else was present.
Qi He stood dead center. He lifted his head, and a signal flare shot into the sky:
“[Player Q has sent a cooperation request.]”
The dazzling light was bright enough for every player to see.
Across the map, teams halted. “Q?”
Was he truly desperate and seeking cooperation?
Or was this another lure?
But Q was still the highest scorer.
Any team still alive at this point was aiming for the championship.
No matter what scheme Q had in mind, his every move would throw the entire match into chaos. And at match point, everyone had to go—if only to observe.
In that moment, it was as if all teams reached a silent agreement.
Everyone began converging toward the central plaza.
[Is Q preparing to counter-kill everyone? Exciting!]
[His score is about to be overtaken—he wants to recover. But no matter how godly he is, one person versus a dozen… that’s almost impossible.]
As the discussion heated up, the teams began arriving one after another.
Qi He stood at the very center of the plaza. Looking around, he saw the remaining teams emerging one after another from the forest. Before everyone arrived, no one dared to make the first move.
They all watched like tigers eyeing their prey, alert and defensive.
Each team stopped at the forest’s edge, keeping the same safe distance.
[…I’ve seen this scene before when I was a kid.]
[Is this the six major sects besieging Bright Peak?]
Soon, every player had arrived.
Qi He swept his gaze across them, one by one—unhurried, as if one person was the one surrounding everyone else.
“Who wants to start first?”
The air in the plaza tightened.
After two seconds, Fei Xiao spoke. “Q is cunning. We should all cooperate. After we kill Q, we split the points evenly. Then the remaining players fight it out among themselves.”
If they stopped Q, any team could still win;
if they couldn’t stop Q, then none of them could.
Fei Xiao finished speaking and sent out a cooperation signal first.
The remaining teams glanced at one another, then—almost as if publicly declaring their stance—responded one by one.
Whoosh… whoosh, bang! bang! bang!
Signal flares streaked upward, drawing white trails before falling back down.
It was as if a cage of light had formed around Qi He, trapping him inside.
Qi He lifted his eyes and smiled. “Then come at me together.”
Everyone’s alertness shot to its peak.
In an instant—defense! control! offense!—all launched toward the lone figure standing in the center—
Some teams were still watching from the edges.
But the moment real attacks began flying, someone shouted:
“Hey! We agreed to cooperate—don’t you dare hold back to save strength!”
The remaining teams had no choice but to join the fight as well.
Qi He’s skill level wasn’t even in the same league.
Even in the chaotic battlefield, he remained untouchably smooth. Meanwhile, the teams—forced to cooperate yet destined to compete—each held back a little.
Taking advantage of a brief pass-by and borrowed momentum, Qi He killed one player.
A purple and a blue skill in hand.
The purple skill he obtained was used immediately—turning offense into defense; and with the inherited blue weapon, he took down another player.
His score continued to skyrocket.
“[Player Q has inherited a purple[Weapon]×1.]”
“…Don’t let Q recover any more points!”
“Who still has a control skill? Don’t you dare hold back!”
On one team up close, player Luo Qingyang clenched his teeth.
Most of the golden skills in the match had already been used up. He still had one left.
Originally, he planned to save it for the final fight for the championship.
But now…
Golden light flashed in his palm!
At almost the same instant, Qi He retreated three meters, stopping dead-center in the plaza.
“It’s useless,” Luo Qingyang said, eyes blazing.
“[Player Luo Qingyang has activated golden skill[Bind Body] (one-time).]”
[Bind Body]: Ignores movement, ignores evasion, can penetrate obstacles, and immobilizes the designated player for 3 seconds.
Qi He was instantly frozen in place at the center.
For all the players, at this distance—with these many people—three seconds was more than enough to kill Q.
[Ahhhh nooooo!!!]
[It’s over, it’s over it’s OVER…]
[Wait!]
In the public chat, professional players from the gaming scene had been tracking the entire match from a god’s-eye perspective:
[Up to now, counting the skills Y transferred to Q, Q still has one blue and one purple skill unused.]
It was the final showdown.
Given Q’s nature—who wouldn’t even spare a dog hair if he saw one—there was no way he’d leave any resource unused.
[“Invisibility” still has two uses left.]
[What?!]
In the arena, everyone unleashed their killing moves.
“GO!!”
Qi He didn’t move. His eyes reflected the figures closing in—everything enlarged in slow motion as the killing blows fell toward him—
And the next second, everyone’s panels went gray.
It was as if someone had pressed pause.
Breaths stalled along with it; amid everyone’s dazed, bewildered expressions, their figures dissolved one after another.
The entire field was wiped out.
“[Player Fei Xiao, eliminated.]”
“[Player Luo Qingyang, eliminated.]”
“[Player … eliminated, eliminated, eliminated…]”
[……]
[…………]
The public chat fell into a silence so complete it felt erased.
…What just happened?
“[Player Y has activated purple skill[Trap].]”
A figure slowly appeared at the edge of the plaza. Tall and silent—yet the instant he lifted his eyes, sharpness flashed, like a seasoned wild wolf born to hunt.
It was Yan Chuanbai, who was supposedly already eliminated.
[Trap]: A deployable one-time skill. Must be placed at least 10 minutes in advance; effective radius: 20 meters; cannot trigger passively—must be manually activated.
Immediately after, the announcements for stealth-type skills sounded as he revealed himself:
“[Player Y has activated blue skill[Feign Death] (one-time).]”
“[Player Y has activated purple skill[Invisibility] (1 use remaining).]”
“[Player Y has activated purple skill[Invisibility] (depleted).]”
……
[Feign Death]: A life-saving skill. When receiving a fatal attack, the player is treated as “eliminated,” losing 50% of their points and dropping all items; they respawn at the starting point 10 minutes later.
Across most of the plaza, Qi He met Yan Chuanbai’s gaze—his brows and eyes shimmering with light.
Yan Chuanbai lifted his foot and began walking toward him.
—This was the pair’s first true combination play of the season, and together, they wiped out everyone.
…
A massive wave of information crashed down in rapid succession.
After several stunned heartbeats, the public chat exploded:
[“Feign Death”!???]
[Wait—that blue skill… that’s Y’s starting skill! It never showed up in either match!]
[Q didn’t go after “Medusa’s Eye” because he was diverting aggro. Then he had Y burn the enemy’s strongest finishing move, shielding Q—and using the chance to trigger “Feign Death,” setting up for this moment.]
[…Everything linked together, a three-in-one strike.]
[So it turns out they weren’t raising one fat sheep—they were raising an entire flock.]
[I get the tactics now. But the real question is, they were separated the whole time. When did they ever discuss this? …Don’t tell me geniuses share a brain?]
……
As he approached, the interface lit up again.
The slowly appearing “Y” looked like a triumphant, fully provocative gesture reflected on the screen.
[Y (Team 2/5) Status: Alive.]
And right after Y appeared, the panel that hadn’t lit up ever since Y had been “eliminated” finally resurfaced in front of Qi He:
[Q (Team 2/5) Status: Alive.]
From beginning to end, the team had always been 2/5.
Yan Chuanbai stopped in front of Qi He.
He curved his lips slightly and asked, “Did I do it the way you imagined?”
Qi He looked at him too. “Exactly as I imagined.”
—They didn’t need to discuss anything. The moment they saw the skills, they already knew how and where to use them.
Before “fake death,” Yan Chuanbai had transferred all his skills to Qi He; and after Yan Chuanbai “respawned,” Qi He transferred [Invisibility] and [Trap] back to him.
Two charges of [Invisibility] remained— one to set the trap, one to trigger it.
And the ideal place to plant a trap was the central plaza that could contain all remaining players.
The ideal moment to trigger it was the instant they tried to kill him.
…….
By now, there was no need to even look at the scoreboard.
Only then did the audience in front of the public screen finally realize—
Q’s team never cared about points from the beginning, because their plan was to eliminate everyone.
“The match is over.”
Qi He said to Yan Chuanbai, “Let’s go.”
As the words fell, the two figures vanished instantly.
—
After coming out of the simulation pods, the two followed the staff toward the awards area.
All the eliminated players were already waiting there.
The moment the two figures stepped in, every gaze in the venue snapped toward them— teeth clenched, eyes blazing!
Qi He walked through the barrage of stares with perfect composure, practiced and unhurried, making his way with Yan Chuanbai to the brilliantly lit podium at the front.
The spotlight poured down like liquid mercury.
On the giant screen behind them, their scores towered far above the rest. Under the trap skill: both the one who set it and the one who lured others into it shared all points. The scores of more than a dozen players had been harvested by them together.
A champion team without the slightest suspense.
The public screen was already exploding with comments:
[Aaaaahhhh God Q has returned!!!]
[Q!!! Y!!! [flowers][flowers][flowers]]
[Champions! Champions! Champions!!]
[Champions! Champions! Champions!!]
……
On the podium, Qi He’s expression was as calm and composed as ever. Yan Chuanbai stood beside him—though it was his first time here, he showed no hint of nervousness.
The host, emotional yet practiced, delivered words he had spoken countless times:
“Let us congratulate the champions of this season’s ‘CSl.B’ — ‘Q’! And ‘Y’!”
He handed them the microphone. “Do you two have anything you’d like to say to everyone?”
Qi He took the mic, facing the sea of watching eyes.
“This season’s tournament brought together all the distinguished talents, young and old—”
Everyone: “……”
Public screen: [……]
Q was actually giving a proper speech, but where did the “young and old” come from!?
Qi He continued, “And our team standing here today is truly deserving and beyond dispute.”
Below the stage, the crowd’s anger immediately flared even hotter!
The host hurriedly cut in, steering the topic toward the newcomer:
“Y, this is your first time participating—anything you’d like to say?”
Yan Chuanbai took the microphone. “Our strength is clear for all to see. Nothing more needs saying.”
“……”
[What an expert at pouring fuel on the fire!]
[…Have these two never been beaten up before?]
[They have, but the attackers probably lost. People may dislike them, but they can’t take them down. [OK sign]]
The host forcibly snatched the microphone back.
“…Next, we will now present the championship trophy to this season’s champion team, ‘Q–Y’!”
…
The trophy was brought forward.
Captain Qi He reached out and took it, its surface gleaming with shifting light.
On the public screen ahead, the comment barrage lined up in unison:
[Aaaaaahhh]
[Champions! Champions! Champions!]
Overhead, fireworks burst with a “pop!”
The focused lights shimmered like starlight, as if forming a coronation around the figures standing on the podium.
Amidst the drifting confetti and scattered glimmers—
Qi He suddenly pulled Yan Chuanbai’s hand over, letting the two of them hold the trophy together. He lifted his gaze toward the camera:
“From now on, it’s always a duo team.”
Yan Chuanbai turned his head slightly, lips curling in a faint smile.
The trophy was raised high, reflecting the glowing “Q–Y” above their heads.
As if gathering all the glory of the world, under the brilliant lights, the return fired its very first shot.
Two names standing side by side—
from this moment on,
began writing a new legend.
——————————————————————
Author’s Note:
Yan Chuanbai: Thank you, thank you for all your blessings. [rose][rose][rose]
Qi He: [question mark]
The system watching the livestream at home: Hehe…
There will be one more chapter of relationship fluff + epilogue. [rose]
