Heroes' Prison

Chapter 226 - 222: Variables

God of Slaughter!

This was the first player name bestowed in the entire world. Just yesterday, Huang Yi was dubbed "King of Slaughter" by the leader of The Seven Archdemons—King of Hell, Yanmo, which pitted him against the entire world.

But today, his bestowed name had effectively whitewashed his reputation!

"King of Slaughter" was merely a title, unilaterally given to Huang Yi by the King of Hell, similar to a nickname.

On the other hand, "God of Slaughter" was a name bestowed, the official one, universally recognized. In very formal situations, a bestowed name could even replace the original name. Later, when the system announced Huang Yi again, it would no longer start with "Chinese Player [Instakill]" but would directly start with "[God of Slaughter]," underscoring the formality of the bestowed name.

Moreover, the difference between titles and bestowed names can also be highlighted in equipment naming. Many heroes have titles, the most typical being those of Tower of Pantheons’ 50th floor, such as Dragonlance Pfister, Zombie King Iron Bone, Rotten Dragon, Bart, and others. Their prefixes, Dragon Lance, Zombie King, Rotten Dragon, are just titles, not bestowed names. Therefore, the Legendary Equipment they drop are named after them, such as [Fister’s Belt], [Ironclad Boots], [Bart’s Blade], and so on.

Whereas for the likes of Murloc Nightcrawler Slark, Harbinger of Doomsday Lucifer, their prefixes are bestowed names, so the Legendary Equipment they drop are named after these bestowed names. For instance, the pair of boots at Huang Yi’s feet, called [Harbinger of Doomsday’s Footprints], uses the bestowed name Harbinger of Doomsday, rather than [Lucifer’s Footprints]. Legendary Equipment named after a bestowed name are considered better than others; Huang Yi’s [Harbinger of Doomsday’s Footprints] are a notch more powerful than the similarly Legendary [Ironclad Boots].

Of course, many times players can’t tell the difference between titles and bestowed names as there’s no apparent distinction on the surface. But in any case, the prefix of a hero must be a bestowed name, which is one of the conditions to be recognized as a hero. Huang Yi now met this condition, and the only things left were the other two—reaching level 100 and passing the hero’s trial.

"Instakill, oh, I should say God of Slaughter now! Congratulations on earning the bestowed name; that’s quite an achievement!" Just then, the vast voice of the White Dragon King came from the sky, followed by his massive body flying over, casting a huge shadow on the ground.

"White Dragon King, thank you for your assistance!" Huang Yi expressed his gratitude.

The White Dragon King landed on the ground, his huge eyes focusing on Huang Yi and said, "You are a member of our White Dragon Clan; it’s only right that I save you. No need for thanks. That Ghost Axe Black Wolf is indeed powerful. I fought with it for so long and yet couldn’t kill it, allowing it to escape with severe injuries."

At this moment, the surrounding 600,000 players dare not even breathe out loud. Conversations at such a level were beyond their involvement. Yet, from this sporadic talk, they gained a deeper understanding of Huang Yi, surprised to learn that he was a member of the White Dragon Clan.

"Instakill, you have now earned a bestowed name and truly made a name for yourself in the world. I, the White Dragon King, did not misjudge you. Once you grow up, our Bai Long Clan will undoubtedly usher in a brilliant era." The White Dragon King spoke with a hint of excitement.

"Grandpa Bai Long, my brother is very tired. Can you take us somewhere to rest for a while?" Then, Xiao Chunzi considerately suggested.

"Alright!" said the White Dragon King as he lowered his massive head.

"Brother, let’s ride on it!" Xiao Chunzi said as she climbed onto the White Dragon King’s back.

Huang Yi, unable to carry anyone in his White Dragon Form, placed Qin Shiyu’s body on the White Dragon King’s back as well and mounted behind, ready to be taken away.

"Instakill!" Suddenly, the deputy head of the Demon Sect Yueguo called out.

Huang Yi turned his head and saw that hundreds of thousands of players were looking at him with complex expressions as he was about to leave.

With a slightly embarrassed look, Demon Sect Yueguo said to Huang Yi, "So, will you create a Guild in the future? All of us brothers here would like to follow you. We know you’re someone as extraordinary as a Divine Dragon. We’re self-aware and won’t be a drag on you. To be able to join your guild would suffice, as at least we’d have a great leader unrivaled by Dao Feng."

Gazing over the 600,000 players who had fought bravely alongside him, Huang Yi pondered for a moment and replied, "Maybe I will create one! Everyone is welcome to join anytime!"

After speaking, the White Dragon King spread its wings and took to the skies again, quickly disappearing on the horizon.

All 600,000 players looked up at the direction of his departure, their faces slightly crestfallen.

The twenty hours they spent fighting alongside Huang Yi would forever shine in the annals of their lives. In the future, they might boast about this experience to their friends while drinking at a tavern at dusk.

...

The White Dragon King was incredibly fast, as swift as lightning; it crossed immense distances in a blink of an eye. A few minutes later, it arrived over an oasis and descended.

Huang Yi immediately dismounted, placed Qin Shiyu’s body on the ground, and said to Xiao Chunzi, "Sister, please take care of her for me. I’ve been fighting for over thirty hours and am quite tired. I need to rest for a while."

"OK! Brother, you can rest assured. I will take good care of sister," Xiao Chunzi nodded in response.

Huang Yi finally logged off with peace of mind.

He did not choose to return to the real world but instead went to the forums to see if he had won any awards.

In his mind, all the awards for the annual grand ceremony should have already been handed out by now, and he could see the results directly on the forums.

However, when he entered the forums, he was immediately met with a pinned post—"Live Broadcast of the First Top-level Award of the Annual Grand Ceremony—The Best Newcomer Award!"

Huang Yi was a bit surprised; he didn’t expect the annual grand ceremony to still be going on. He immediately clicked to watch.

The post contained a live video of the annual grand ceremony, which simultaneously showcased the splendor of the award ceremony on site.

"Next, please welcome the Chairman of the World Federation to present the first top-level award—the Best Newcomer of the Year!" the host said passionately.

The venue was thunderous with applause, with everyone’s face filled with anticipation. After waiting five days, the top-level awards were finally about to be presented.

In the midst of vast applause and endless camera flashes, a middle-aged man slowly emerged from behind the curtains. He was Mr. Oster, the Federal President, who took over the position of the World Federation after the assassination of the previous president, Beino Kang.

Seeing this man, Huang Yi’s eyes turned cold. Oster was also one of Beino Kang’s allies, essentially a second Beino Kang.

Oster stepped onto the award platform, said a few opening remarks, and then officially began the award ceremony by announcing the list of nominees.

Immediately after, the big screen began to play promo clips for the 100 nominees, each only lasting five seconds.

"Thunder God! Thunder God! Thunder God!" Soon, when the Thunder God’s promo clip appeared on the big screen, the audience below burst into exclamation, instantly showcasing overwhelming popularity that dwarfed all other nominees.

The Thunder God’s five-second promo clip briefly showcased his well-known achievements, including being the first to cross continents, the first to elevate his War Soul to the 9th Stage, the first to conquer overseas regions, breaking the world record for the 40th floor of the Tower of Pantheons, and securing the world’s first kill of Rotten Dragon, Bart with the Yanhuang Legion, among others.

"Instakill! Instakill!" After a while, Huang Yi’s promo clip was displayed on the big screen, and once again the venue resounded with lively screams, highlighting the rivalry between Huang Yi and the Thunder God.

In this five-second promo video, it mainly showcased Huang Yi as the first to kill an NPC over level 200, breaking the world records of the 10th, 20th, and 30th floors of the Tower of God, saving Dragon City, the first to obtain Legendary Equipment, and helping the Yanhuang Legion secure the Zombie King’s first kill, among several other major achievements.

The promos for the following nominees failed to provoke large-scale screaming. Everyone knew that the real contenders for the Best Newcomer Award were Huang Yi and the Thunder God.

After the nominees’ promo clips were played, the Chairman of the World Federation, Mr. Oster, turned to the microphone, looked around the venue, and solemnly announced to the whole world, "Next, we will reveal the top ten nominees for the Best Newcomer Award!"

Then, the big screen started to play the promos for the top ten nominated players, each of their promo clips extended to 20 seconds!

"India—Zi Xing!"

"Japan—Sakura!"

"China—Thunder God"

"China—Yang Yuheng"

"China—Instakill"

"United States—Fallen Angel"

...

The nominee promos were quickly played to the audience’s anguish!

Mr. Oster, the Chairman of the World Federation, spoke into the microphone the phrase the world had been waiting for a long time, "Next, we will reveal the winner of the Best Newcomer of the Year Award!" Subsequently, he took out a red envelope!

In that moment, the camera flashes in the venue suddenly intensified, all cameras were fixed on him without shifting their focus, and the whole world held its breath, prepared to listen to Oster announce this year’s Best Newcomer.

Countless media journalists had already prepared a batch of articles and were ready to instantly publish them globally at the moment of the reveal!

Oster calmly opened the red envelope, and countless hearts thumped with anticipation. Meanwhile, on the big screen, ten small squares appeared targeting ten spots in the venue—the ten Best Newcomer nominees. However, two of the positions were empty; those were the spots for Huang Yi and the Thunder God, who hadn’t attended the ceremony.

The remaining eight nominees sat either straight and serious, feigned calm, or bit their lips, adding even more tension to the atmosphere at the venue.

Finally, Oster opened the envelope and pulled out a card from inside that bore the name of the Best Newcomer Award winner!

"Dadada!" Just at that moment, a staff member suddenly rushed up from behind the curtain, and the abrupt sound of his hastened footsteps broke out!

This staff member, like an uninvited guest, barged into the view of billions of viewers worldwide. He rushed rapidly to Oster’s side, whispered something into his ear, but his voice was so soft, no audience members heard it.

Mr. Oster, his face a picture of shock, softly asked, "Really?"

Since he was in front of a microphone, his soft inquiry was amplified several times over by the microphone and broadcast to the world! (To be continued. If you like this work, your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets are welcome at Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)