Dongfang Yuan's long blade, the butterfly-emerging spear, and Lala's massive hammer—these three weapons were absolutely crucial.
Killing a spinach monster was already such a struggle; without weapons, getting through the next level would be downright difficult.
But now, the prisoner's water vat could only be drained once more, or else it would overflow past their heads. The biggest problem was that there was no guarantee the next reward would include the "water level doesn't rise" option.
Moreover, three consecutive water drains in the vat had already put immense psychological pressure on the retired magic boy, Blessed by Luck, and Muzi Li.
Fatigue reset and health fully restored—these could be set aside for now. Even though everyone was exhausted, they could still rest during Bian's chess time.
Qi Xu took his time confirming his choice, mainly to squeeze in a little more rest.
Fortune God's Only Daughter kept a nervous eye on the three prisoners, wondering if any of them would take the initiative to exploit the rules while the invincible Black Whirlwind was hesitating.
But those three idiots just stood there, grinning like fools, as if trying to show they were still in good shape...
Only when the countdown was about to end did one of them finally speak up: "I choose Reward One—the prisoner's water level doesn't rise."
Qi Xu loved observing the little details of how people interacted. After being a lone wolf for so long, even the smallest hint of human connection warmed his heart.
Fortune God's Only Daughter thought about the next level and wanted to say something, but in the end, she chose to keep her mouth shut.
Just one last time. If we can make it through this level unscathed, I’ll risk my life to see this through with you. But if we fail... I’m cutting ties for good. Call me a fool for stumbling over and over yet still holding onto hope.
Qi Xu crouched on the ruins, watching this kid cycle between excitement and despair, and suddenly felt a pang of pity for her.
If her ability truly was infinite rebirth—watching those around her die again and again, trying every possibility, exhausting every effort, yet still seeing no hope of reaching the end of the road—
then her temper, her rage, her madness... it all made perfect sense.
With that thought, Qi Xu’s heart softened. He tossed her a strawberry-flavored lollipop.
"Eat something sweet when you're unhappy."
Fortune God's Only Daughter didn’t hesitate, swiftly tearing open the wrapper. "Next time, get me orange flavor. Strawberry’s way too cloying!"
〖Level 5: Poisonous Creatures Melee—400 Enemies〗
The attack pattern had shifted again, with enemies closing in from all four directions—east, west, south, and north.
Unlike the first and second levels, the mole beasts and unicorns weren’t particularly strong, and their numbers were limited. Even with seven people split across four directions, holding the line wasn’t a concern.
But in the last level, the spinach monsters had started targeting the prisoners’ water vat. Qi Xu was worried about the vat’s safety—after all, the retired magic boy and the other two had no way to defend themselves.
A poisonous creature free-for-all meant snakes, insects, rats, and ants. If any of them breached the defenses and reached the vat, the three prisoners would be done for.
Luo Xinpan spoke up: "Boss, splitting up across four directions again—isn’t that a bit risky?"
"Great minds think alike. What if we gather everyone in front of the prisoners’ vat?"
Luo Xinpan nodded, then hesitated. "That could work, but... there’d be no fallback. If the eastern monsters aren’t dealt with immediately, and the other three directions swarm in, we’d be surrounded on all sides. At that point, it’d be a nightmare."
Qi Xu had a gut feeling this level wouldn’t be so straightforward, but he couldn’t pinpoint why yet.
"Let’s go with this for now. This is the fifth level—once we clear it, we can choose to exit the dungeon. Given how these survival games love their twists, they’re probably hiding something. Keep your eyes peeled once the fight starts, got it?"
After finalizing the defensive assignments, Qi Xu quickly pulled out 20 antidote pills. These, at least, he had in abundance.
Before the monsters arrived, he fed two pills to each of the three "prisoners." "Hold them in your mouth—don’t swallow. If something goes wrong, take them immediately."
Without wasting time, he distributed the rest to the others.
Ballpoint Pen and Lala initially tried to refuse—they had their own stock—but Qi Xu shoved the pills into their hands without hesitation.
"Just take them and keep them in your mouth. If you’ve got your own, save them for backup."
"Got it!"
"Two pills per person isn’t enough. Everyone needs at least four. But hey, feel free to ignore me if you think I’m talking nonsense."
Fortune God’s Only Daughter shrugged, her tone breezy.
Qi Xu didn’t hesitate. He dumped out another pile of antidote pills. "Quick—anyone who’s short, grab more now!"
No one questioned it. This wasn’t the time for politeness. The first scorpion monster had already appeared, its massive pincers snapping wildly as it scuttled forward, its body wreathed in a sinister black aura.
Just looking at it screamed "deadly poison"...
Luckily, no other monsters had shown up yet. Seizing the moment, Qi Xu lunged from the side, chainsaw roaring as he slammed it into the scorpion’s pincer. Sparks flew as the pink saw teeth screeched against the creature’s hardened shell.
Qi Xu’s arm instantly went numb from the impact. One of the saw teeth even chipped—this thing’s shell was ridiculously tough!
After the clash, Qi Xu finally saw the scorpion’s stats: a whopping 15,000 HP, 237 attack power, and defense over 500!
The highest stats he’d seen before belonged to the school’s Chinese teacher, but this scorpion monster matched them in every way—and it could spew poison nonstop.
One antidote pill lasted about half an hour. No wonder Fortune God’s Only Daughter said two pills wouldn’t cut it! This scorpion alone was going to give them hell.
The butterfly-emerging spear had been circling since Qi Xu charged out with his chainsaw. Now, it slipped behind the scorpion.
Seizing the moment the monster was distracted, the spear wielder flipped into the air, driving the tip straight for the creature’s compound eyes. The scorpion reacted instantly, twisting around to clamp its pincers on the spearhead.
Dongfang Yuan joined the fray, gripping a golden chair leg in each hand. He launched himself skyward, aiming straight for the scorpion’s tail, and plunged down at a perfect 90-degree angle.
The scorpion let out a shrill, agonized shriek, its poisonous aura spewing faster.
Qi Xu attacked simultaneously, pivoting to leverage his momentum. His boot skidded across the blood-slick pincer as he fully extended the chainsaw and rammed it into the soft flesh at the monster’s joint.
..........
