Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

Gu Xinyue seemed to be deep in thought and didn't interrupt.

"Actually, I want to tell these kids, or rather, all the newcomers in the industry, just one sentence—"

Lin Shu leaned back, his gaze fixed on the screen. "Starting at a back line isn't shameful."

"It's not shameful to stop halfway through a run. What's shameful is giving up before you even start."

"Talent can make our start easier, but how far we can go depends on whether we are willing to get up early every day, whether we are willing to endure the hardship, and whether we are willing to practice more while others are sleeping."

He pointed to Luo Yu's name at the very bottom of the ranking wall. The kid was standing in front of the wall, looking up at it with a dazed expression.

"Look at that kid who came in last place. He was at the bottom on the first day, and on the second day he was woken up for breakfast and made to run three laps until he was exhausted like a dog. If things don't change afterward, he will become the first player to be eliminated from the youth training camp."

Gu Xinyue followed his finger, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded gently.

"Okay, I'll include your words in the promotional video later."

"No, don't cut it."

Lin Shu quickly waved his hand, "I'm a low-key person and don't like to show off."

Gu Xinyue glanced at him sideways, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, but she didn't expose him.

Outside the studio, hurried footsteps could be heard in the corridor, and someone was shouting, "The first segment is ready!"

On the monitor, Qi Zhanming had already led thirty contestants to the training room on the second floor.

……

Thirty people followed the staff up to the training room on the second floor.

Once everyone had arrived, Qi Zhanming didn't ask them to sit near the computer. Instead, he clapped his hands, signaling everyone to gather around the projection screen.

"The first official segment today will be no keyboard use and no ranked matches."

A buzz of excitement erupted from below, and someone couldn't help but ask, "If we're not touching the keyboard, what are we supposed to type?"

Qi Zhanming stepped aside and pointed to the projection screen.

"Now, please allow me to introduce the first formal training session of 'Next Stop, Career!'—If you're a man, you should persevere silently!"

talking.

An image pops up on the screen;

The pixelated character stands in a ridiculously cheap-looking side-scrolling level. The blue sky and white clouds are all made of mosaics, the bricks on the ground are crooked, and the flag is stuck on a high platform that looks impossible to pass.

"What is this thing?"

"A game, can't you tell?"

"Wait... isn't this just Super Mario?"

Qi Zhanming grinned: "Hmm, it does look a bit like Super Mario, but actually... hey, you guys will know once you play it."

"Summoners in the live stream, let me introduce the rules. This game is called 'HWG Professional Adventure,' developed and produced by the show's technical team. The gameplay is very simple: run from the starting point on the left to the flag on the right to complete the level. Each person has three lives; if you die, you start over. There are five levels in total. The more levels you complete, the more points you get. If you can complete all the levels today, you'll get five points."

Five points?

In an instant, the breathing of the people in the room became heavy.

That's a five-pointer!

The points added one by one in the previous levels were enough to prove the importance of this score. Now, suddenly telling them that as long as they can pass all the levels, they can get five points directly, how can they not be excited?

Something's not right...

Fang Han and Qin Yijie exchanged a glance.

The two exchanged glances.

Logically speaking, it's impossible for the production team to offer them such generous bonus points on the first day.

After all, if the score increases too quickly, what if too many contestants meet the requirements ahead of time?

Therefore... there is only one answer.

There's something wrong with this game!

Don't be too happy yet.

Sure enough, every two seconds after the two exchanged glances, Qi Zhanming added, "One point for each level you pass. Passing only one level is considered passing. If you haven't passed a single level all day—deduct five points."

"Oh, still deducting?"

"Another five points?"

"Wait, what does this have to do with League of Legends?"

One mid-ranked player couldn't help but ask, "We're here to play esports, not to play NES games."

Qi Zhanming ignored him and instead turned around and waved behind him.

The staff walked to a computer, connected the projector and controller, and pointed the camera at the long table in the middle of the training room.

The controller is the old-fashioned Famicom design, with a red plastic shell, a D-pad, and two buttons.

"Who wants to go first?"

The training room was silent for two seconds.

The dozens of people looked at each other, none of them wanting to be the first to stick their necks out—this game looked suspicious, and if they went up and got crushed, with millions of people watching in the live stream, where would they put their faces?

[Wuhu, here it comes! The most anticipated part!]

So what exactly is this game? Has anyone played it?

I've never seen this before, but since the production team made it themselves, it must be something special.

[HWG Career Adventure, hehehe, the big one is coming, guys!]

[Warning: High-energy content ahead! Please refrain from drinking water or eating in front of your computer!]

[Those people upstairs just got some advance information from E-God's fan group.]

[Huh? Fan groups can get advance information from the production team?]

Please help!

Just as the live stream chat was flooded with comments.

The show scene.

"I'll do it."

Zhao Yicheng stepped out of the crowd, his expression calm.

He walked to the long table, sat down, picked up the controller, placed his fingers on the D-pad, and waited for the screen to load.

Not only him, but also the staff finished connecting the other computer devices.

Fang Han was the second to come out. Without saying a word, he sat down next to Zhao Yicheng.

Qin Yijie followed behind him, a smile on his face, muttering "This thing is interesting," looking eager to try it out.

The fourth and fifth ranked players also came forward and sat down at the long table in the center of the training room.

The close-up shot in the live stream was given to Zhao Yicheng as a reward for his bravery.

Press the Start button.

A pixelated character appears on the left side of the screen. He flicks the right mouse button, and the character runs forward.

The scene looks harmless, with green grass, white clouds, a few bricks, and a question mark block floating in the sky, just like Super Mario.

The little man ran forward, and suddenly, a pit appeared in front of him. He jumped over it... and stepped on a mushroom monster—and died. Everything was perfectly normal.

Is it really that simple?

Among the onlookers behind them, someone muttered quietly, "That's it? Anyone could do that!"

"I could do it too..."

"I should have gone first. I let Zhao Yicheng steal the spotlight."

Zhao Yicheng ignored the commotion behind him and continued operating. The little figure ran to a step, jumped up, and just as his feet touched the ground—

A brick came crashing down on my head with a loud bang.

The pixelated character turned into a puff of gray with a "pop," and three large red words popped up in the middle of the screen: Game Over.

(I'm feeling better these past couple of days, so I'd love some encouragement for more updates and some free gifts! If any readers have suggestions for extra chapters, please leave a comment.)