Keqing’s Defiant Retreat

Frustration gnawed at Keqing's nerves, its sharp claws digging deeper with every stumble, threatening to unravel the cool-headed poise of Liyue's youngest Yuheng star.

She'd risen to the Seven Stars through sheer will and talent, a prodigy fueled by pride and an unyielding need to prove her worth against any challenge.

Now, each reset to the "happy hometown" in Dig to Ascend stoked her irritation, the game's relentless mockery clashing with her stubborn determination to conquer it.

The crowd of onlookers hovering behind her didn't help, their whispers and stifled laughs tightening her grip on the mouse, her every move growing stiffer under their gaze.

After clawing her way through the narrow stone gap with painstaking precision, she exhaled a shaky breath of relief, her tension easing for a fleeting moment.

Liam watched from the counter, a sly grin tugging at his lips, knowing full well that the next stretch of this brutal game was where true despair awaited her.

He'd seen countless players back in his old world crumble here, their confidence shredded into howls of rage, and Keqing's fiery resolve was about to meet its match.

Oblivious to the storm ahead, Keqing pressed forward with renewed vigor, her violet eyes locked on the screen, intent on bulldozing through to victory.

The path slanted upward to the right, but first required a detour left, scaling a small, slippery stone with a treacherously tiny foothold.

Her sharp instincts flagged it as a trap, a deceptively simple hurdle that demanded caution, and she adjusted her approach with meticulous care.

Yet caution alone couldn't bridge the gap between her novice skills and the game's unforgiving design, a fact she'd soon learn the hard way.

She swung the hammer, launching the bald, jar-bound figure onto the left stone, but her follow-through faltered, the hammer nudging him off balance with a rogue push.

Horror flashed across her face as the bald man teetered, then plummeted from the stone's edge, her desperate cry drowned out by the crash back to the starting tree.

She stared at the screen, dazed, her mind reeling from the sudden loss of progress after climbing so high, undone by a single careless flick.

"I'm not letting this beat me," she growled through gritted teeth, her pride flaring as she seized the mouse and dove back in with furious determination.

Anger simmered beneath her focus, a dangerous fuel for a game like this, where hotheaded swings only magnified errors and deepened the spiral of defeat.

The familiar tree, once a quick triumph, now mocked her with repeated snags, her hammer veering off course as her patience frayed at the edges.

She hooked a paddle only to launch in the wrong direction, her bald avatar tumbling back down, each fall chipping away at her composure.

After scraping through the stone gap again, a reckless swing sent her crashing from the left stone once more, the screen resetting with a cruel, inevitable thud.

As if on cue, the game's background music kicked in, a jaunty tune crooning, "Go home often, take a look, help your folks with the dishes," its cheer a vicious taunt.

The irony snapped her last thread of restraint, the song's mocking lilt transforming her frustration into a full-blown blaze of exasperation.

"I'm done with this nonsense!" she shouted, hurling the mouse onto the desk and slumping back on the sofa, her legs kicking in a rare, petulant outburst.

Her catlike ears flattened, her mouth parted in a silent snarl, and she squeezed her eyes shut, a picture of a frazzled Yuheng undone by a bald man in a jar.

This ghost of a game demanded not just perseverance but a heart wide enough to weather its relentless blows, a test her pride wasn't ready to endure.

She shot to her feet, whirling on Liam with a glare that could've sparked lightning, "What's wrong with this game? Is it just built to torture people for your amusement?"

The crowd nodded in quiet agreement, especially those who'd wrestled Dig to Ascend themselves, their own battles with its cruelty still fresh in their minds.

Liam spread his hands with a shrug, his tone light, "It's a test of grit, Lady Keqing—you didn't think you'd master it in a few hours on your first try, did you?"

He added with a nod, "Back where I'm from, this game broke plenty of tough folks, and you've already done better than most newcomers with a computer."

His words softened her scowl, a sliver of comfort seeping in—she was new to this tech, after all, and outpacing others wasn't nothing.

"Take it slow, get the hang of it, and you'll clear it in time," Liam continued, his voice coaxing, "Plus, being the first to beat it? That's bragging rights and a little prize from me."

The crowd perked up at the mention of glory, their competitive spirits stirring—who wouldn't want to strut as the first to tame this beast of a game?

Keqing's bruised ego latched onto the challenge, the lure of being Liyue's pioneer in this torturous trial reigniting her drive to claim that top spot.

Then it hit her—she'd been at this for nearly two hours, lost in the grind, her Yuheng duties completely forgotten in the heat of her struggle.

"Work!" she gasped, her eyes widening as she bolted from the seat, muttering, "I'll be back for this later," before darting out the cafe door.

Liam shook his head with a wry smile, watching her vanish into the street, amused by how she'd let the game swallow her meticulous schedule whole.

She didn't need to push herself so hard, he mused—half her workload could've been delegated, but her relentless sense of duty was her own worst enemy.

The crowd buzzed with chatter, some stepping up to take her place, their coins clinking as they vied to outlast the Yuheng's valiant but flawed attempt.

Liam's system thrummed, gorging on Keqing's emotional rollercoaster—her pride, her rage, her fleeting despair—a rich feast for his growing power.

She'd return, he knew, her stubborn streak too fierce to let this defeat stand, and he'd be ready with a front-row seat to her next fiery clash.

For now, the cafe pulsed with life, its strange machines weaving frustration and triumph into a tapestry of chaos Keqing had only begun to unravel.

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