MMO: Pierce Heaven Til’ It Breaks

King of Pantheon was thrown into disarray due to the closed beta player incident. The players have banded together to protest on the official page, and they were also spamming non-stop in the Celestial Capital.

This had gone too far…

Five days have gone by in the blink of an eye, and the number of players that have signed the petition had reached 80,000,000!

King of Pantheon’s official page had originally intended to settle the matter inconspicuously, but based on the current situation, that was no longer realistic. As long as the players refused to cooperate, the game could not thrive.

“Announce all 10 of their names, or I’ll quit Pantheon forever!”

“Announce it! Announce it!…”

“Riot! Riot!”

This was the first time a revolt of this scale had occurred. In the end, Pantheon’s official forum buckled under the pressure and announced the names of all the 10 players.

[Eastern Continent: Defiant Feifei; Qualified for the following Instance Dungeons during closed beta: Black Dragon Legion, Tidal Throne, Light Conference, Black Paladin, and Glory; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[Eastern Continent: Star Child; Participated in closed beta for Arena; Level reached during closed beta: Level 90.]

[Eastern Continent: Ink Sleeve; Participated in closed beta for lifestyle classes; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[Western Continent: Moe Lil Cutie; Participated in closed beta for ‘expressions, mailing and emotes’; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[Western Continent: Lil Dummy; Participated in closed beta for ‘channel chat’; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[Western Continent: Autumn Love; Participated in closed beta for trading, auctioning, item pricing, and similar others; Level reached during closed beta: Level 60.]

[Southern Continent: Arthur; Qualified for the Epic Class Quests for Arcane Wizards. Level reached during closed beta: Level 90.]

[Southern Continent: Big Boy; Qualified for the Epic Class Quests for Dark Wizards. Level reached during closed beta: Level 90.]

[Southern Continent: Zhang Dada; Participated in closed beta for daily quests; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[Southern Continent: Summer Leaf; Participated in closed beta for lifestyle classes; Level reached during closed beta: Level 80.]

[The name list has no errors. To ensure the fairness of the game, we urge all players to keep an eye on the 10 of them. Should they commit any rule-breaking actions, Pantheon’s official forum will mete out harsh punishment!]

[We hope that you have an enjoyable time in the game, and we remind you that playing too long is bad for health.]

…

Once the new name list was revealed, another uproar broke out once again. This was due to the mixture of low-profile figures within the list such as Ink Sleeve and Star Child. Had Pantheon’s official page not revealed their identities, nobody would have believed that they had participated in the closed beta…

Despite that, there were also bad*sses within the list, namely Arthur and Big Boy. Both of them were considered as pros, but nobody else seemed to fit the title of closed beta player aside from them. However, the more one thought about it, the more it made sense. It was plausible that everyone had participated in different closed beta content. Take Lil Dummy and Moe Lil Cutie as examples, one of them tested out the emotes and another tested the channel chats. They held no advantage whatsoever over the rest of the players…

Of course, there was also another type of players on the name list like the Western Continent’s Autumn Love.

She tested out the trading system, the auction system, price adjustments, and various others…

No wonder Autumn Love had become so rich so suddenly it was mystifying. Although her time in the closed beta was shorter than most, the experience she had gained in the game’s early stage would allow her to go on for at least one or two years.

Naturally, the players were more shocked that the Number 1 Archer God, Dark Wing and the Southern Continent’s Number 1 main tank, Amber Sword Heart were not closed beta players…

“How is this possible? This list is fake, ain’t it?”

“F*ck, this can’t be true, right?”

“There are only two godly people, and the rest are all trash. Is Pantheon’s official forum toying with us?”

“They’re definitely toying with us. Scr*w them! Continue the riot!”

Most of the players were not satisfied with the list because it was not what they had expected. Jealousy had corrupted their hearts, and they were throwing a full-blown tantrum.

In the end, Pantheon’s official forum had enough and began to punish the problematic players.

They had already announced the names of the players. That was the very most they could do in this matter. What else could they do if even publishing the name list was deemed not enough?

Pantheon’s official forum took drastic measures. They had implemented a large-scaled mute and blocked the problematic players from logging in to the game. The problematic players were soon gone…

They had already given their answer. What more could the public ask for?

‘How can this be? Dark Wing isn’t a closed beta player? Dark Wing isn’t a closed beta player?” Defiantly Tyrannical howled as he pointed towards Defiant Feifei’s, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

Defiantly Tyrannical was no idiot, he was actually pretty smart. He had already anticipated the tragedy that would come with using Defiant Feifei’s bug to get the first kill. He still did it anyway because he wanted to irk Li Yi, even if it was a short while.

He had dispatched cyber warriors to spread lies and rumors on Pantheon’s official page in order to magnify the closed beta player incident. It was so that Pantheon’s official forum would announce the remaining 9 players and reveal Li Yi’s ‘true identity’.

This was what Defiantly Tyrannical had initially planned. He would sacrifice Defiant Feifei to drag down Li Yi.

However, now that his well-crafted set-up had come crashing down. How could he not be mad?

Defiant Feifei sighed. “I’ve never met the others during the closed beta. All I know is that there are 10 names within the list, and each of them has different roles. I already told you everything I know…”

Defiant Feifei was also very frustrated. After all, permanent bans were the gravest punishment possible, and he would no longer be able to log into King of Pantheon.

“D*mmit! F*ck this sh*t!”

Defiantly Tyrannical lifted up his feet and kicked his chair over…

The Three Major Guild Alliance was absolutely devastated…

…

After going through the official page’s list, Li Yi was surprised as well. He had always thought that a god-like player like Amber Sword Heart was definitely a closed beta player, but now, it appeared that he was mistaken.

‘Arthur and Big Boy…. So, they’re the closed beta players from the Southern Continent!’

There were a large number of people that did not believe Pantheon’s official forum’s name list, but Li Yi was not one of them. They would never lie about something like this. There was no need for them to. After all, they had always been promoting righteousness when playing the game. Their reputation would be forever tarnished if they decided to lie to now…

Out of the 10 closed beta players, Li Yi only cared about 3 of them. This was because he had never heard of the other 7 in his past life. They all lived quiet lives.

Arthur, Big Boy, and Autumn Love…

“I really didn’t expect Black Autumn to be one of the closed beta players though.” Li Yi could not suppress his amazement.

Li Yi went to look for Aurelia after successfully registering himself for the Glory Party-level Instance Dungeon. It was then she had informed him that the Dark side had yet to amass their forces, so he needed to wait a few more days.

He had no other choice. Large-sized Epic Instance Dungeons were not easy to deal with, and all Li Yi could do now was wait.

Li Yi farmed Tidal Throne on the next few days after the fiasco. He really wanted the Epic Helmet that was dropped by the Vile King, but his luck had always been bad. He had already gotten several of the other Purple-colored drops, and all he was missing was the Epic Helmet.

Li Yi was back at it today. As usual, he dealt with the Vile King effortlessly. As usual, he was aggravated by the same issue again.

3 trash Purple-colored equipment dropped, and the Epic Helmet was nowhere in sight.

Li Yi walked out of the dungeon, and right as he was thinking of going back in, he noticed three red dots floating toward him coming from the upper region of the water. They had captured his attention instantly. Then, he used Camouflage to hide himself.

The three red dots were players, and they were riding their blue seahorse mounts over. They stopped when they reached the entrance to Tidal Throne.

Although they had hidden their names, they could not hide the badges above their head. It revealed that they were Western Continent players.

“It ain’t easy coming here. Does this place really drop good stuff?” said a heavily armored Orc Warrior.

“You don’t say. The stat of the helmet that this boss drops is crazy good. If we get our hands on it, we’ll be more than a match for Dark Wing.” an archer promptly replied.

“Really? That can’t be possible…” The party’s Priest was doubtful.

“What do I stand to gain by lying to you?”

“Hmm, true.”

“Let’s go. As long as you follow my instructions, we’re sure to clear this dungeon.”

“Fine, fine.”

The Archer motioned towards the other two players and entered the dungeon before them.

Li Yi hid at a corner and watched silently.

It was not unusual for players to travel to other continents to clear dungeons. The thing that surprised Li Yi was the fact that they had the key. Furthermore, it was clear from the tone of his voice that the Archer was well-versed with the dungeon.

Since the Archer had the key, it meant that it was not his first time here and that the other two were newbies.

Li Yi analyzed the situation and thought of an idea.

He decided to stay there for a bit longer, waiting for them to come out.

Tidal Throne was neither hard nor easy. Those who knew the right methods would clear the dungeon in no time, but those who did not would never be able to clear it.

Li Yi was curious whether they had fought Tidal Throne before.

Ding! Ding!

Li Yi received a message from the Western Continent while he was waiting.

It was from Autumn Love.

The message was simple, and it contained just a few words. “Brother Dark Wing, can you protect me? I want to desert my country…”

“Desert your country? Why?” Li Yi replied.

“Now that the public knows about my identity, they have stopped at nothing to hunt me down. Even my friends are ignoring me. All of them are saying that I’m shady cause I didn’t tell them any details of the system despite being a closed beta player. This is so unfair. Ahhh, I might be a closed beta player, but I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits me from telling anyone, but they don’t want to hear it. Boohoohoo, I can’t go on to the Western Continent.”

Li Yi was shocked.

“I’m out of options. After thinking it through, only Brother Dark Wing can help me.”

“How?”

“Give me the fees for deserting the country and protect me after I’ve changed my country.”

“Oho, so what you’re saying is that I have to spend my own money, and protect you after that?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“How would that benefit me?”

Li Yi’s words caused Autumn Love to be silent for a while before replying, “You’re my big brother, so you need to protect lil’ old me, right? Hehe.”

Li Yi angrily spat, “Scr*w you! I don’t work for free, go find someone else!”

‘This damned Black Autumn, I’m guessing that she’s addicted to taking advantage of others. She still looks for a way to take advantage of others even when she can’t live in the Western Continent any longer.’

“So what do you suggest then? I don’t have any money, booohooo.”

“You pay for your own desertion fee. If you want me to protect you, fine, just pay me 300,000 each month. Don’t try to bargain your way out of this. If you agree, then nod, and if not, scram!” Li Yi’s words were harsh and devoid of mercy.

Autumn Love was silent again. Li Yi guessed that she was grappling with the turmoil in her heart.

“How about 30? 30 Gold Coins per month. What do you say?” This was the message Autumn Love sent after a while.

“Scram!”

…