The saying that poor children learn independence early was absolutely true. Little Chili had been helping her family with cooking since she was seven years old. Now she was twenty. How could her cooking possibly be bad?

Walking into the kitchen, Don found her ladling soup and noodles into bowls. She had made bone broth, the kind Liverpool people loved, simmering large chunks of leg bones over low heat until the soup turned almost milky white. Bright green cilantro and jade-colored noodles floated in the pot, making the whole thing look extraordinarily appetizing.

Don pinched the top of her head lightly. "You didn’t have to make anything. We could have skipped the midnight snack."

"I took a nap and found ingredients in the fridge, so I used them."

"Those were the soup ingredients I’d set aside for this week."

He helped carry the bowls of pork rib noodle soup to the living room table. Faced with that kind of temptation, both Kira and Lily immediately softened. Lily’s teasing instinct kicked in almost before she sat down. "Brother Don, Sister Chili is really something. Honestly, she’d be perfect wife material."

Little Chili flushed. "You silly girl, stop talking nonsense. Don is destined to work hard his whole life. I’d wager he ends up marrying someone who can’t cook at all. Complementary personalities, I suppose."

Sweat beaded on Don’s forehead. "Chili pepper, that’s basically a curse. Is my luck really that bad?"

Kira smoothly changed the subject. "Come on, let’s eat. I’ll judge Chili’s cooking myself." She pressed her lips to the rim of the bowl and took a long sip of the broth, then stretched with audible satisfaction. "Lily, try it. This is genuinely delicious."

Lily tried it. Then relaxed completely.

After finishing the noodles and washing up, everyone went to rest. Don practically had to insist before Little Chili agreed to take his room, where she slept alone while he settled on the sofa in the living room.

He slept deeply, and even dreamed. In the dream, he was back on the ninth floor of Henshaw Tower. Just as he reached the studio door, two women in bunny costumes appeared on either side of the entrance, bowing gracefully. "Welcome to invest in Extraordinary Corporation!"

Before he could process this, both pounced on him simultaneously and hurled him enthusiastically into the studio. He stumbled, bumped into someone, started to apologize, and then the person turned around.

Nolan Hart. Long hair, sharp single-lidded eyes, and a deeply unpleasant expression. The entire studio had been taken over by the Gon Alliance. Gareth Zane, Damon Teague, Talia Stormsister, all of them, their levels printed prominently on their foreheads.

Nolan Hart smiled with sinister satisfaction. "Finally caught you, you bastard. Today is your death anniversary."

He drew a longsword, its blade gleaming red. The Gon Alliance surged forward.

Don gave a cold laugh. He wasn’t afraid of them in real life, so why would he be afraid in a dream? Silver armor materialized around his body, and a breathtaking golden light erupted between his hands. A divine weapon took shape in his grip, still half-obscured by the glow. He shot forward with the speed of a meteor, swept past Sun Ji in a single arc, and vanished into the corner of the room. Sun Ji stared after him in speechless confusion, then his entire body shattered into tiny mosaic squares, each about a centimeter wide, evaporating through the air.

Enraged, Nolan Hart and the rest charged. Don gathered power in both hands, let out a low shout, some impossibly cool skill name that he would have no memory of upon waking, and a massive mushroom cloud erupted before them. The explosions were thunderous. Henshaw Tower folded like a building made of paper, and the Gon Alliance members floated helplessly in the air like crumpled sheets blown by the wind.

Don hovered in mid-air, the golden light finally fading from his hands, revealing the divine weapon’s true form.

Blinding sunlight streamed through the kitchen glass and into the living room. Don squinted, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. The clock on the wall read 9:30. Wonderful sleep.

Little Chili was already up. Breakfast sat on the living room table, filling the apartment with a rich aroma. Since three girls were living in the apartment, Don had slept fully clothed, which made getting up significantly less awkward.

All four of their phones had received the same text message at 8:00 AM, a reminder from Extraordinary Studio to arrive at the studio by 11:00 AM for the final selection. All four had received it, which meant they had all made it to the final round.

After breakfast, the three women changed into formal attire and came downstairs with Don. On the way, Lily asked, "Brother Don, will the selection be difficult? What’s it like?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "I honestly don’t know much about it. Ask Kira, she’s a veteran. She’s spent time at studios before."

Kira smiled. "If I’m not mistaken, the number of slots won’t exceed fifteen. They’ll probably pit us against the examiners in direct PVP or PVE scenarios. As long as the skill gap isn’t too extreme, you should make it."

Lily’s face fell immediately. "Ah? Then I’m doomed. Waaah..."

Don shook his head. "Lily, if that’s how it works, you’re actually in a stronger position than you think. Your performance yesterday outside Vellari Village was genuinely good, your skill combos were clean and your accuracy was high. Just perform the way you normally do."

"But Brother Don, I’ll get nervous. Yesterday those people deserved what they got, so everything just flowed naturally. Today I’m facing an examiner."

"Then just treat the examiner like Nolan Hart."

"You make it sound so simple."

Kira added, "Though don’t take my word for it too literally. My experience might not apply here, the format could be completely different. I’m a little worried that our level advantage won’t translate the way we think in a controlled selection environment."

"My feeling is that everyone should just relax as much as possible." Don smiled faintly. "If nothing unexpected happens, Kira and Chili are essentially guaranteed spots. Kira is the only hidden class player in the entire American region. Chili is top-ranked among all dwarf players with 50 percent dexterity. Nobody can dismiss those credentials. As for me, I’m number one on the thief ranking list in the American region. The boss of Extraordinary Studio has to factor that in."

Kira’s beautiful eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Brother Don, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Don scratched the back of his head and said, with complete seriousness, "Remember when we were kids, girls used to play jump rope. There was always one player who was terrible at jumping, she was called ’the beauty.’ But if that beauty was popular enough, her teammates would protect her unconditionally."

Lily took a moment to process this, then gritted her teeth. "You stinky brother. You’re calling me the great beauty, aren’t you?"

Don looked at the sky.

"I’ll punch you!"

Kira nodded with visible appreciation. "Brother Don, you’re incredibly calculating. Isn’t this essentially blackmailing the studio owner before you’ve even met him?"

"You can only blackmail someone if you have the leverage to back it up. And besides, I genuinely don’t want a complete stranger filling the last spot on our team."

He had to admit to himself, this was a somewhat dark side of him. But anyone with common sense cultivated their own network of trust, and he was no exception. In a small studio with five members, internal unity mattered more than almost anything else. Little Chili had been by his side for years, her loyalty was absolute. Lily and Kira he’d known for only a few days, but those days had been enough to show him they were straightforward, warm-hearted, and genuinely good people. Anchoring those three around him was his highest priority right now. And in a five-person team, the studio owner would already understand that forcing in an outsider over an established group with shared goals and chemistry was a bad investment. When the moment of decision came, a smart boss would take the cohesive unit.

They reached Henshaw Tower, took the elevator to the ninth floor, and stepped out. The three women were tense to varying degrees. Don was steadier, he’d been through enough high-pressure situations that this particular flavor of anxiety barely registered.

When they arrived at the studio entrance, Don almost laughed out loud. There were indeed two receptionists standing on either side of the door, though they were wearing navy blue suits and skirts rather than anything dramatic. The moment they arrived, one of the receptionists opened a sixteen-page notebook and looked up. "Please introduce yourselves."

They filled in their names, seat numbers, in-game IDs, levels, and other information before being allowed inside.

The studio wasn’t crowded. Players sat scattered here and there in small clusters. The list of finalists was posted prominently on the center wall, IDs and levels displayed for all to see. Don was still the highest-ranked player in the studio, with Kira and Lily behind him. Surprisingly, fourth place wasn’t Little Chili. It belonged to a player with the ID Doomsday, Knight class, Level 28, with a percentage coefficient slightly higher than Little Chili’s.

Sixteen players in total had made it to the final selection. Nobody yet knew exactly how the elimination would be conducted.