Sword Among Us

A few men with different temperaments sat in an office that was 2,152 square feet big. Its windows were clean, and the men either sat or leaned against the couch while they stared with indifferent or fiery gazes at the holographic screen ahead of them. It had the brief fight between Silver Wolf and One Emperor.

“…That’s another battle replay that’s sold like hot cakes.”

Beep!

A man in fitting white casual clothes shut down the autogenous picture, threw away the controller, and said to a man who was flaunting off his pecs in a tank top while staring at a handheld tab, “What’s the sales rate right now?”

“Around thirteen million, and the numbers are still rising!” Once Tank Top Man reported the numbers, he could not help but curse. “Damn it, we wouldn’t get so much money even if we robbed a bank. That video has been uploaded for less than two hours, and more than ten million people have bought it. That means earning six hundred million… Even if he only got one-tenth of the rate, he still would have earned more than sixty million within two hours. Is this still a game?”

“This is a VR game… It’s normal that you don’t understand it.”

There was a man with a strong build sitting on the couch across from them. He was playing with a butterfly knife and did a few difficult moves with it while he answered. “Times have changed. Most players treat spending three hundred for a game as nothing. When this becomes something universal, everyone will basically have one VR Helmet with them, and they will have a fixed rate of a few hundred million in their bank account.

“When you have a helmet and some cash services around, saying that World of Martial Arts is currently the game that earns you the greatest amount of money isn’t an exaggeration at all.” While he spoke, the butterfly knife in his hands showed no signs of slowing down. It became much faster when he became excited.

“While I was studying, there were plenty of gaming companies that used the concept of in-game purchases to quickly get money. The normal operation time for good games is very short. They needed a very good system and courage to be able to make the game generalized to this extent.”

“You studied before?”

“…Don’t toss that stuff around, it’ll spoil the couch. The boss will kill you.”

Tank Top Man caught the butterfly knife that was sent flying at him without even raising his head. He threw it back, but the knife flew in a direction that was completely different from where he wanted it to go.

White Casual Clothes Man frowned and rebuked him, “Stop fooling around and pay attention to the numbers. Our goal for coming back to the country isn’t for you lot to practice your knife-throwing skills. Make an estimation of the profit from this battle replay.

“Then we’ll search for a professional game expert to figure out the reason for its success.”

White Casual Clothes Man looked as if he was a professional high level manager in a company, and he sounded very convincing.

Tank Top Man seemed to be a little wary of White Casual Clothes Man. He shrugged before he tapped a few times on the keyboard. The screen changed, and an illusory curve diagram instantly appeared.

“During the first half an hour, the sales were not even at twenty thousand. At the end of the first hour, the sales rate reached one million. At one hour and thirty minutes, the sales rate reached four million and seven hundred thousand.”

When Tank Top Man reported the numbers at each segment, the few people in the office, including two quiet white-haired men who had not spoken since the start, quirked their eyebrows in shock.

“The sales rate increased by nearly one hundred million within half an hour?”

“Is it for real? Based on that speed, there doesn’t seem to be any problem with the sales rate being able to hit one hundred million.”

“Are these people sick in the head? This is just a short clip that’s two minutes long and it’s sold at 50 RMB, but there’re still so many people who bought it? What do they think this is? An American film?”

“I have to say, based on the situation, it’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s an American film.” White Casual Clothes Man put his hands into his pocket, and the smile on his lips grew larger. “And based on some of the insiders’ information, there are many film companies who have already contacted the official developers of World of Martial Arts. They’ve stated that they want some of the models, character designs, and clothes for their martial arts movies.

“America’s Hollywood has also shown an interest to work together. They’re prepared to gather funds to film a few major eastern style martial arts films while the trend of World of Martial Arts is still the rage.”

The men were silent.

“Boss, why exactly did we return to the country? Is it actually related to World of Martial Arts?”

“Obviously.” White Casual Clothes Man had a faint smile on his lips. “We have absolutely no knowledge of this market, and we didn’t know that it could grow to this level. Now that we know, there is no way we can just ignore it.”

He stopped talking for a moment and pointed at a few VR Helmets boxes by the corner. “This is a business that earns a lot of money, and it’s not dangerous as well. It’d be a waste for us not to delve into it.”

“But the people inside have already created a very large distance. If we enter it now, won’t it be too late?”

“I’ve already entered the game to understand the situation. During the early stages of the game, new players needed half a year before they could reach Life and Death Realm, but now, those with the ability to do so can reach Life and Death Realm very quickly. They will need at most three months, and if it’s us, we can be even faster.”

“Why?”

“Once we get in, I’ll tell you the details.” White Casual Clothes Man ignored Tank Top Man’s question and just continued providing explanations. “The boss is already inside. It’s best if you complete your own missions within three months, then, you can do whatever you want to earn money. The world inside is a world of wanderers that is not restricted by law. You will not have your actions restricted. As long as we gather together when we have quests, everything will be fine!”

He paused for a moment before he said something that caused everyone’s eyes to shine with a bright spark. “During the first three months, boss said that he will pay you lot based on how much he gives you during your normal missions. He will not pay you a cent less if you complete your mission. Also, when you truly complete your missions, you… will understand the true meaning of the World of Martial Arts being a land of gold.”

As he spoke, he raised his chin.

Everyone’s gaze instantly landed on the newest figure in Tank Top Man’s hands.

The sales rate had already exceeded twenty million!

They grabbed helmets one after another, and with a wave of their hands, they left with elegant strides.

When the last person left, White Casual Clothes Man smiled in satisfaction as he stared at the handheld tab Tank Top Man left behind. Indescribable craze and confidence shone in his eyes.

*****

When Tank Top Man walked down a street with the box containing the helmet, he felt a little ill at ease, but when he noticed that there were quite a number of people on the streets who were just like him—holding a helmet in their hands—he quickly became calm.

When he managed to buy a plane ticket, he suddenly noticed three men with extraordinary presences in the hall in the airport. They were dressed in simple clothes and held army-green duffel bags. It made them incredibly eye-catching in the crowd.

They stood tall and straight, were built, and their muscle distribution was well-proportioned. They had the presence of soldiers, and their gazes were sharp. Even though they seemed to be standing together in a lackadaisical manner, they could see everything in the airport, including the things behind their comrades, which displayed extraordinary teamwork and vigilance.

Tank Top Man paused for a moment. He instinctively reacted to it, but he soon restrained himself and the glare in his eyes faded away.

Knife’s expression changed. He reacted to the strange sensation by immediately redirecting his gaze to the direction where his heart directed him to when a hint of fear rose in him. He then saw a person walking into the airport cafeteria.

“What’s wrong?”

Thunder and Bar turned around at the same time and looked toward the entrance of the cafeteria in the direction of Knife’s gaze.

“There’s someone strange. He seems to be pretty good, and he has a VR Helmet with him.”

Knife might have only seen him briefly, but he remembered Tank Top Man’s back, which showed his great attention to detail. “But he should have come from ‘that place’.”

“Could he be someone from the same field?” Thunder smiled and pointed at their duffel bags.

The trio looked at each other and smiled.