The Big Shot Just Wants to Be a Casual Player

[The blurb may get a polish, but the general premise won't change]

Gu Ting is a genius esports player. During his career, he won the seasonal championship five times in a row, making him the undisputed king of esports and the father of jungle kings.

But after retiring, all he wants is to find a game where he can relax and enjoy a peaceful life as a casual player.

As luck would have it, the full-immersion game Tianxuan is taking off, and Gu Ting happily joins, becoming a cheerful healer and alchemist.

But the moment Gu Ting leaves the beginner village, all he does is find a teahouse for a cup of tea, and a server-wide announcement immediately pops up above his head.

[Congratulations to player Ting Feng Chui Xue for triggering the first-ever teahouse encounter in the Tianxuan Continent!!!]

Gu Ting: ...

Then the system messages start coming one after another:

[Ding! Gu Sha Tian has invited you to join a party]

Oh, that's number two on the wealth rankings.

[Ding! Cai Ji Bie Wan has sent you a friend request]

Oh, that's number three on the combat rankings.

[Ding! Yu Wan Bu Hao Chi has sent you a private message]

That's number two on the combat rankings...

[Ding! Xin Huo Zhu Jiu has requested to join your party]

Number one on the combat rankings...

[Ding! Because you declined his party invitation, Gu Sha Tian has placed a Level One bounty on you]

[Ding!...]

From then on, Gu Ting triggers a chance encounter everywhere he goes, proving himself the luckiest of the lucky.

Gu Ting: ...

. jpg, frantically testing the limits of quitting the game

Jiang Ci is one of the first big-name players in the full-immersion online game Tianxuan. He's number one on both the combat and wealth rankings, but nobody knows he's a devoted fan of Gu Ting.

One day, he happens upon countless players attacking a helpless little healer. The healer's technique is uncannily like his idol's!

On a whim, he saves the little healer and invites him to team up.

Then he discovers that this healer is really, really bad!

He always dies first when fighting monsters, can't heal, and can't control the lane.

Jiang Ci: ...

But the healer not only plays like the great Gu Ting, he has the same personality and voice, too, and even knows all kinds of secrets about him.

Jiang Ci: I'm definitely making this guy my friend!

Gu Ting meets a strange little fan who has been rooting for him since before his first official match and is willing to do anything just to learn a little about him.

He feels like this game has gotten interesting again.

A big-shot top who just wants to laze around (Gu Ting) x a beautiful, fiercely competitive fanboy bottom (Jiang Ci)

The story was also going to be called The Fanboy's Guide to Crashing and Burning, but I vetoed it for not being interesting enough. x

A little explanation:

Q: How could a renowned esports genius like Gu Ting get killed?

A: Because his healer is level one, with no talents chosen, no skills learned, and no gear equipped. If he didn't die, who would? (.)

Blurb screenshot dated December 20, 2023.

Theme: A thousand-mile match made in heaven, cherish this bond!