Chapter 81: Xu Beifang: Load-bearing, help me die for a second!

After explaining NiKo's POV to the viewers, Xu Beifang finished his daily Deathmatch tasks and ended today's stream.

This was Xu Beifang's typical day; aside from gaming, there weren't many interesting activities like social dinners, relaxing, or 3,000-value massages.

After simply brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he went to his room, preparing to go to sleep.

However, before sleeping, he suddenly thought of the 【Dungeon - Unlimited Deathmatch Space】 he had always been afraid to enter.

This dungeon was truly very useful; it could play a major role in both Xu Beifang's confidence and in identifying and fixing small flaws in his movement.

But while this thing was good, the shadow it cast on people was not small either; the day after playing, his entire mental state wouldn't be particularly good. Previously, the battle at IEM Shanghai had been intense, and he hadn't dared to let this thing negatively affect his mental state.

So, it resulted in Xu Beifang only having entered this 【Dungeon】 once since obtaining it.

The next tournament was at the end of the month, with nearly 20-plus days remaining, so he didn't have that many misgivings now.

As usual, he purchased a 【Muscle Repair Potion】 in the system store.

Immediately following that, his mind stirred.

【Enter "Dungeon - Unlimited Deathmatch Space"?】

"Yes."

The scene began to blur; he sat in front of a computer and put on his headset.

Xu Beifang discovered that the screen had changed this time; it wasn't just a start like before, but rather an adjustable difficulty setting had appeared.

This must be the reward brought by the last system upgrade.

The previous system upgrade allowed him to upgrade a skill or other item he possessed, and it had randomized into this 【Dungeon】, turning this originally A-rank reward into an S-rank one.

Seeing this, he also let out a sigh of relief; the intensity of the previous Deathmatch was indeed high, but it was a bit excessive.

When people are under pressure, as long as they are willing to work hard, they can perform at a better level.

But once this pressure is too great, exceeding a person's pressure threshold, it will make people feel like giving up.

In his previous life, Xu Beifang didn't know how many young people he had seen who were originally striving for progress; when they came out of university, there was a light in their eyes, thinking about constantly climbing up in their careers and reaching the peak of life.

But often, not long after entering society, these young people had to start dealing with bosses' PUA, family urging them to marry and have children, and mortgage and car loans; the immense pressure instantly made them unable to breathe, and often they subsequently turned into those kinds of "give-up" youths.

The intensity of the previous 【Unlimited Deathmatch Space】 was too high, and the gains Xu Beifang got from it weren't large, but now that there was a method to adjust the difficulty, he could push up from a low level bit by bit, slowly adapt to the difficulty of this level, and then strive to surpass this difficulty.

Xu Beifang started challenging from Lv. 1.

Entering the Deathmatch Space, the number of people was still the same, but the rhythm of the kill feed in the top right corner was clearly much slower than the last time he entered; everyone's kill efficiency wasn't that high.

After playing for a while, Xu Beifang understood that his level was far beyond this grade.

So he exited, re-selected, tried for a while longer, then went out to adjust the difficulty...

Repeating the cycle, he finally stopped at the Lv. 6 difficulty.

In matches at this difficulty, he could feel a certain amount of pressure, and his kill count after the start of the match also consistently stayed in the upper-middle range of the entire match; this was a difficulty he needed to work hard to surpass.

So is my current level only Lv. 6?

I am still 3 levels away from those peak players.

Xu Beifang felt a bit frustrated for a moment, but recalling what he had learned today from watching NiKo's POV, he felt it was actually quite normal.

The NiKo who wasn't yet in his complete form already displayed techniques and tactics that were objects he needed to chase, so what about peak NiKo?

The road he had to walk was still very long!

That entire night, Xu Beifang fought fiercely in the Unlimited Deathmatch Space.

In the end, it was the crowing of a rooster in the countryside that woke him up.

Waking up from sleep, he didn't have a headache or feel groggy like before; although there was a bit of sleepiness, it wasn't as uncomfortable as before.

Sure enough, his judgment was very correct; only by playing matches at an intensity suitable for himself, without such great pressure, would he not feel so uncomfortable.

The time was still early; Xu Beifang set an alarm, preparing to take a nap before starting his day's life.

August 12th.

Evening.

It had been 5 days since Xu Beifang changed his stream title to grind FACEIT; as he continuously climbed the rankings, the pressure of gaining points gradually grew.

After winning a match, Xu Beifang took a sip of water and said to the viewers in the stream: "Last game, if I win this one, I'll be in the FACEIT Top 100!"

【That's absurd, Little Xu's match history is basically all green.】

【A 72% win rate, this is the gap between a Professional Player and a random player; he's over here getting crazy kills with 120 ping, it's too exaggerated.】

【What do you guys think will happen if he wins this one, but 98th and 99th place also win a game?】

【That's too mean, but it shouldn't be such a coincidence; winning this game should be enough points.】

【Go Little Xu!】

Xu Beifang was also somewhat expectant; he had spent so much time on FACEIT, although at the very beginning he just wanted to find a professional team to accept him, now the goal of finding a team was completed.

But the goal of the FACEIT Top 100 hadn't been completed yet; this was still worth his time to play, after all, it was an S-rank reward.

He knew too well how much the Unlimited Deathmatch Space improved him.

He was very much looking forward to what this second S-rank reward would actually be!

While thinking, he heard the FACEIT notification sound in his headset; the match had been successfully matched.

"Whoa!"

The lineup of the match made Xu Beifang frown.

Because at a glance, he saw two guys on the opposing side with NaVi avatars.

The IDs were s1mple, and flamie, whom he had been matched with before.

Below them was also the genius teenager ropz, who had done a self-verification at FACEIT headquarters.

This lineup on the opposite side instantly made him feel immense pressure.

【GG!】

【"S1mple and flamie are on the other side, how are we supposed to play this?"】

【"The road to ranking up is full of hardships; I actually thought it would be smooth sailing, haha."】

【"Are there really no pro players on this side? Then this match feels like it's going to be very difficult."】

Xu Beifang also glanced at his own team lineup and discovered that one of his teammates had a profile picture of someone sitting in a go-kart; his heart immediately relaxed.

"We can play this, we can play this."

He finally realized why they had been matched into s1mple's small party; his teammate Zywoo's rating was too high, forcibly pulling up the average rating.

After a round of BP between the two team captains, the map was confirmed as Inferno.

"The quality of this match will be very high, friends, watch closely and learn," Xu Beifang said to the viewers in his livestream, then began to focus on the screen in front of him.

Entering the server, both sides had a knife round to choose sides; the Ukrainian Sword Saint was indeed worthy of his reputation, getting three kills in the knife round to win and choosing to be the CT.

Xu Beifang's side started as the Terrorist.

"Zywoo? Why aren't you playing FPL?" As the Pistol Round began, Xu Beifang asked.

"Haha, just wanted to play for fun." Zywoo's English was stuttering; clearly, he was not yet capable of fluent English communication.

However, he was very happy that Nice could recognize him; after all, Nice had read his ID correctly as Zywoo, and not something like "Zoe" or "Thief-woo."

The blue teammate took the initiative to call for a strategy to hit Banana, and Xu Beifang and the others naturally had no objections, following along to charge directly into Banana.

Xu Beifang's positioning wasn't great, so for this round, he stayed in Mid to watch the flank, jiggling to gather information and preventing the opponents from pushing up.

Zywoo rushed into Banana; he wasn't in the first position, so he stood at T Spawn by the Barrel, covering his teammates as they pushed forward.

A Flashbang exploded in the sky over Banana, a flash from s1mple, leaving the Terrorists completely Flash.

The two random teammates were also covering their eyes and were instantly taken out by flamie.

But Zywoo's holding of the angle wasn't just for show; after flamie and another CT strafed out to get kills, he also landed two Headshots, and combined with the damage dealt by the teammate at Tree Position, he easily traded kills to even out the numbers.

"Let's hit B directly, they might push up Mid!" Xu Beifang saw that Zywoo had secured two kills and had already gained an advantage at B Site, so he immediately made the judgment.

Zywoo and the random teammate charged forward, but they were met with an HE Grenade from s1mple, their health dropping sharply.

After throwing the HE Grenade, s1mple hid directly behind Three Boxes, listening to the footsteps coming from ahead.

Seizing the timing, he jiggled to the left and pulled his Crosshair over.

"Bang!"

The USP bullet easily blew off a Terrorist's head.

s1mple jiggled again, looking for trouble with the other person, wanting to stall for time.

But the moment Zywoo saw him Counter-strafing and Firing, he crouched and fired two shots at him.

"Bang!"

【Zywoo used a Glock to get a Headshot kill on s1mple】

Zywoo and Xu Beifang entered the Bomb Site, and the random teammate shouted: "Two sets of footsteps in Banana, watch out!"

Xu Beifang planted the C4, and Zywoo waited for the opponents to come find him.

ropz Pre-aimed and jiggled out from Banana, only to be instantly killed by a single shot from Zywoo.

On the other side, s1mple was about to suffocate.

"My god, what are you doing? Why didn't you follow up to Trade Kill for ropz?"

The random teammate's voice sounded a bit embarrassed: "I was still adjusting; I didn't expect ropz to strafe out like that, and the opponent is Zywoo."

Domestic players might not know who Zywoo is, but those of them who play high-level Faceit know Zywoo all too well.

Having been the top-ranked player in FPL for several months in a row, he was simply not a mortal.

Zywoo, like ropz, had been suspected of being a cheater, simply because his skill was too terrifying.

The random teammate's reason made s1mple laugh.

"Don't be afraid, I'll find the timing for you; now 3, 2, 1, strafe out."

The random teammate listened, strafing out, only to be instantly killed by a single shot from Xu Beifang, who was holding a USP after planting the bomb.

He helplessly said to flamie beside him: "Looks like it's going to take some effort to win this match."

flamie added: "Besides Zywoo, that Ladder monster, that Nice on the other side is also inhuman; this match is going to be very difficult."

"Have you played with him?" s1mple asked.

flamie chuckled: "I've duo-queued with him and got carried for several rounds."

Just like s1mple and NiKo like to act as actors for each other, these pro players come to Faceit to relax; everyone doesn't really want to go all out, and being able to enjoy the pleasure of being carried is naturally the best thing.

s1mple shook his head: "It's fine, they have two big players, don't we have two as well? Not to mention we have ropz."

……

"Nice Zywoo!"

"Nice nice!" Zywoo's voice was very simple and honest as he laughed; he felt that this random teammate's ID was truly interesting, and he had a very good impression of him.

Easily taking the Pistol Round, the Terrorists were all in a good mood.

But the result of relaxing was getting two kills from s1mple with a Desert Eagle, and ropz stealing a side-angle kill with a CZ at A2; the Terrorists collapsed, and the CTs caught up in the score.

The score quickly reached 1:5, and the first Full Buy Round of the first half arrived.

Xu Beifang led the way to Banana, throwing an Incendiary Grenade at the Barrel at the start.

Zywoo followed up with an HE Grenade at the close angle, then sprayed a burst at the Barrel; the series of actions was quite silky.

The CTs' control at B Site wasn't strong; they only threw one fire at the close angle, then threw an HE Grenade toward the Tree Position.

Xu Beifang stepped out two paces when he saw the HE Grenade flying, so he didn't take too much damage, which was acceptable.

After the first wave of utility faded, Xu Beifang stepped onto the Wood Pile at the Tree Position and glanced at the Yellow Wall corner; Zywoo also understood, sticking step-by-step to the front of the Stone Slab.

Xu Beifang peeked at the Yellow Wall corner; he had looked at it while standing on the Wood Pile at the Tree Position before, but if someone was crouching in that area with an AWP, they wouldn't be visible from above.

After confirming no one was there, Xu Beifang took a step back and asked: "Flash?"

"OK!"

The Flashbang was thrown at Stone Slab, and Zywoo, who had turned away in advance, swung out directly, quickly clearing the nearby areas, while Xu Beifang spent the entire time holding the corner for him, guarding against anyone pushing out.

Their Map Control on B Site was methodical, but over at A Site, their teammates did not bring them any good news.

The original plan of the random teammates was for him and Zywoo to take Map Control of Banana, then the other three would take Mid, and then they would return to execute a grenade set on B Site.

But they didn't expect the Navi pros to be so ruthless, pulling out professional tactics directly.

s1mple stood above the Shed, Flamie stood below the Shed, and ropz was at the A1 corner.

This triple-angle positioning stunned all three of them, and in the end, they only traded for s1mple, who was standing in a high position.

What was left for Xu Beifang and Zywoo was a 2v4 Clutch.

Xu Beifang returned to T Spawn to pick up the bomb, then asked, "Should we go solo to find an opening or execute a site hit?"

Zywoo chose to come to Xu Beifang's side, the meaning self-evident.

The two began to move toward B Site; after Zywoo finished shifting, he pre-aimed and then swung out to peek.

A spray instantly killed the CT at CT Spawn!

Zywoo was not in a hurry; he jiggled to throw a Smoke Grenade into CT Spawn, then came back to peek Coffin.

—Bang!

The sound of a Sniper Rifle rang out, and Zywoo turned his head, preparing to retreat.

In his FPL habits, a Sniper Rifle was always difficult to deal with, so he wanted to turn around and find trouble with the two Rifles at A Site.

"Zywoo, help me pull, I'll provide the Trade Kill from behind."

Hearing his teammate's words from behind, it took Zywoo two seconds to understand, and then he sent a "Roger" radio command.

After pre-aiming, he peeked out toward the back.

—Bang!

The Sniper Rifle's bullet hit Zywoo's body, killing him with one shot.

But Xu Beifang's Trade Kill speed was very fast; he swung out directly and completed the Trade Kill.

Zywoo's sacrifice was not in vain!

After getting the kill, Xu Beifang was not in a hurry; he threw a Flashbang toward Bomb Site, made some footsteps, then shifted back to Wooden Board and peeked out.

ropz heard his teammate call out that they were already on the platform, but he didn't expect the opponent to have already returned!

He couldn't react in time and was directly taken down by Xu Beifang.

With plenty of time, Xu Beifang held the angle at Banana for a few seconds, then ran directly toward A Site.

After planting the bomb at A2, he stepped directly into Pit and ultimately succeeded in winning against Flamie through Gunplay.

The score reached 2:5, and his and Zywoo's little jalopy had finally secured their second point.

The next chapter will transition through daily life, and then the First Time major will begin; there should be another chapter tonight.

(End of chapter)