Wisps of white steam rose from Bane’s head.

The sweat drenching his head was evaporated by the workshop’s intense heat, condensing in the air into a white mist.

Zog suspected Bane’s "Melting Furnace" title wasn’t earned through some great renown.

It was purely because he looked the part.

The last person he’d seen steaming like this was about to go into Second Gear.

Zog, for his part, felt no pressure. Even if Bane’s lineup was complete, Toto would be there to tank it.

’So, I’m not listening, not listening. I’ll just play Fortune.’

"Fortune" was a team composition where the more consecutive rounds you lost, the bigger the reward you received when you finally won.

It wasn’t very practical, but it was extremely entertaining. When you play a game, you should do whatever makes you happy.

Zog had assigned this effect to the goblins in the Otherworld auto-battler, but since there weren’t really any famous characters in goblin history, he had to mix in a few Ogres.

"Are we... okay?"

"Of course!"

Zog had even recorded the Ogre’s voice lines himself using a voice modulator.

Unfortunately, a few of the Dwarf players filling the slots had no idea what they were doing, which meant Zog couldn’t even maintain his losing streak.

Meanwhile, Bane’s hands were trembling uncontrollably, out of both fear and excitement.

The fear came from the pressure that little girl was putting on him, a pressure comparable to that of a Giant Dragon!

Although he’d never faced a true Giant Dragon—the strongest he’d ever fought was just a sub-adult—the Toto in the game was likely on par with an Ancient Dragon.

He had been placing second for several games in a row now, consistently losing to Toto, and always by just a tiny margin.

He had already wagered away over a year’s worth of his work schedule, but that didn’t matter. Without any orders, he’d just be making things for himself anyway. The most important thing now was to figure out how to defeat this powerful opponent.

And the excitement came from the fact that he might actually win this game!

Even though he only had 11 health left, 10 less than the first-place Toto, she had already spent all her money. He, on the other hand, still had 50 gold in hand. He just had to wait for the next round to level up to 9 population, then spend it all to find the Legendary Dragon Descendant Warrior. He would surely strike Toto down.

’The advantage is mine!’

Toto, on the other hand, was playing the game while also using an Illusion Technique to play some kind of block-clearing game. Youth these days.

’The sin of pride!’

No, wait.

A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Bane. Could Toto be so calm because everything was under her control, and she was just toying with him as she pleased?

’Impossible, absolutely impossible!’

How could someone so young be so cunning? Besides, she was one of the Sharp Ears. He had to admit, the Sharp Ears cared more about honor than his Dwarves did, constantly adhering to that incredibly long code of etiquette.

The new round began, and Bane proceeded with his plan.

Toto glanced at the old Dwarf frantically rerolling for his units, then looked at Zog. She saw Zog give a slight nod, signaling that she could let Bane win.

Toto quietly moved her main damage-dealer to a spot where it would be hit by the crowd control from Bane’s units.

Of course she was toying with him.

Bane’s playstyle was so formulaic it was beyond imagination, so much so that she could do a power-leveling job for someone else while playing against him.

Bane only ever played the Dwarf Warrior lineup. And, perhaps out of respect for the previous holder of the "Melting Furnace" title, he always insisted on making Sate his main carry, leaving the Beastman Warrior—who should have been the carry in this lineup—with scrap equipment.

But Sate’s role was clearly meant to be a front-line tank.

This meant that if he couldn’t find a two-star Legendary Dragon Descendant Warrior quickly, his lineup would automatically be a GG.

But now, he had succeeded.

Bane triumphantly threw his arms into the air, causing his already impossibly short neck to disappear completely.

"Haha, die, Sharp Ears! My lineup is complete! Your arrogance is the reason for your defeat! Ooooh... ooooh..."

The old Dwarf began to sing an ancient clan ballad.

Toto sighed. ’Does this old man really not look at his opponent’s positioning at all?’ To think he would place a five-cost unit right in the path of a whirlwind.

She could only adjust her own positioning again. This was her final act of mercy. If he still couldn’t win, there was nothing she could do; directly selling her units on the board would be too obviously throwing the game.

On the board, the Dragon Descendant Warrior’s twin axes were swinging so fast they were practically smoking, and its wide-area splash damage cleared out both the front and back lines.

A resounding victory.

The little sprite representing Bane’s player character launched the final blow, emptying the health bar of Toto’s character.

Triumphant music swelled as the board’s Illusion transformed into a giant trophy. Amidst a dazzling fireworks display, the two large words "FIRST PLACE" appeared on the trophy.

"I knew it, I knew it! I knew I could beat a Sharp Ears! And you, the weird Sub-Dragon wearing a bow tie, remember to mass-produce my mom’s housekeeping machine!" Bane cheered.

This was the first time he’d ever seen the victory screen. The several-hundred-year-old Dwarf was as excited as a child, even breaking into a dance that Dwarves only performed at weddings.

A come-from-behind victory against a strong opponent is far more satisfying than a steamroll from the start. Of course, this particular comeback was a little doctored, but as long as the person involved didn’t know, it was all good.

After the excitement wore off, Bane asked curiously, "How exactly are you going to make money off this thing? Even if the materials for the game console aren’t that expensive, ordinary people still can’t afford it. Are you only going to sell to nobles? This game won’t be much fun with too few players."

"No, I plan to provide the consoles for people to play on, and I’ll only charge One Copper Coin per hour."

"One Copper Coin?" The number so shocked Bane that several strands of his beard stood on end. "Are you running a charity or something? I heard that’s not how you priced your Yo-Yos and tops."

"Of course not. How about this? Let me give you a small gift. First, activate this Red Middle Rune and create an account."

"What’s an account?"

"You can think of it as your identity in the game."

Bane activated it without hesitation. Proselytizing was just that easy.

"Username is?"

"A pseudonym for that identity."

"Oh, like at a masquerade ball." Bane had been the sharpest-looking guy at the balls in his youth. He jabbed at the letters with two fingers, inputting "The Excellent Melting Furnace".

"Look, this is your gift."

An Illusion of a gift box popped up in front of Bane. The moment his hand touched it, the gift box opened automatically. In an instant, the game board transformed into a replica of Furnace Castle.

The workshop, the melting furnace, the bottomless mine shafts, the smoke-belching chimneys, and even the Dwarves hammering at their anvils—it was a perfect replica.

"Whoa, this... this is..."

Bane was at a loss for words. When a person no longer lacks money, they always start to pursue a sense of uniqueness, even from virtual items.

"Is this board just for me, or does everyone else who plays the game get one?"

Hearing the big, burly Bane talk like that, Zog almost lost his composure.

"Everyone gets one, but yours has a unique signature. Look." Zog pointed to the Bane Furnace signature, formed from molten lava, on the board’s preparation area.

"And to go with the board, there’s this."

Zog sent another gift package. After opening it, Bane’s little sprite avatar changed into a Dwarf clad in Battle Armor, holding a Heavy Hammer bigger than its own body. It was both domineering and cute.

He suddenly had a new goal. Getting first place didn’t seem so appealing anymore. Now, this Dwarf avatar was what he wanted more.

Especially after seeing its powerful, forceful attack animation as it swung its hammer.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Being strong is temporary, but being cool is eternal!

"This... is this for me too?"

"No, this is just a trial version. If you want the full version, you’ll need to buy the Warrior’s Order first."

"What’s that?"

"It’s a book. You need to level up this book to get rewards. To level up, you have to do missions, like daily check-ins, completing a certain number of games, achieving specific lineups, and so on."

"And then I’ll get this little sprite?"

"No. When you reach the right level, you’ll get a Treasure Bottle. The Treasure Bottle has a chance to contain what you want."

"A chance? That’s too much trouble. Is there a faster way? I want it now."

"Of course. You can also spend money to buy levels for the Order."

At this point, Bane suddenly understood. "I knew it. You business types are always full of slick ideas."

"But," Bane pulled a pouch from his belt, "say no more, just take my money!"

’Operation: Reclaim Wages—success!’