Qi Xu felt a pang of heartache, because in the previous round of the game, she had been in the same situation. Though there were many humans participating in this survival game, quite a few of them had backgrounds in fitness or combat training.
Whether it was martial arts, dance, fighting, shooting, sports, or anything else, they all had a significant physical advantage over an ordinary person who spent their days typing in front of a computer.
To stand out among so many trained individuals, the only way was to push oneself to the limit—it was the only method to go further.
"Alright, alright, she’s already killed eight. That’s enough. Let’s handle the rest easily and pull her back."
Dongfang Yuan couldn’t bear to watch any longer and gently nudged Qi Xu...
Qi Xu already had an intermediate healing card ready in her hand, but she hadn’t yet used her leader’s authority to recall Ballpoint Pen.
"Trust her. Stick to the original plan—let her take down ten. She’s different from the kid earlier; she needs to develop. Her body hasn’t reached its peak yet.
The closer she is to life-or-death situations, the more obvious her growth and progress will be. Only at the brink can one’s true potential be forced out. Right now, we’re right beside her. If she’s really in danger, we can call her back in time.
But most of the time in this game, you have to fight alone. If we protect her too much now, it won’t do her any good."
Dongfang Yuan understood this logic, but it still didn’t sit right with her. After all, they were teammates, and Ballpoint Pen was a good person. She scratched her head vigorously but ultimately held back.
Dongfang Yuan hadn’t even realized when she’d become so soft-hearted. These injuries were nothing—back in her childhood, she’d been in this state almost every day.
The tenth Diamond Ape was a tough fight for Ballpoint Pen. She was thrown to the ground repeatedly...
But it had to be said, even as her stamina plummeted, Ballpoint Pen clearly fought much more strategically than she had at the start.
By the time the tenth Diamond Ape finally fell, Ballpoint Pen retreated on her own.
Though her steps were unsteady, her smile was bright. "The rest is up to you, Sister Slasher and Boss Whirlwind."
Qi Xu immediately handed her the intermediate healing card. "Use it now."
"Got it."
Dongfang Yuan, who had been worried sick just moments ago, instantly reverted to her cool demeanor the second she saw Ballpoint Pen was fine.
Without a word, she charged into the center of the fight. There were 51 monsters left in total. Dongfang Yuan took down 20 in a row, leaving the remaining 21 for Qi Xu.
After all, she was the leader and the boss—she could afford to take one extra.
The others watched as Dongfang Yuan walked back, composed and effortlessly stylish, leaving them at a loss for words.
Damn, just look at that skill! Fighting Diamond Apes was no different from fighting mole rats to her—she didn’t even break a sweat.
When Qi Xu stepped up, she chose not to use her Pink Chainsaw, mainly because she wanted to use the Diamond Apes to train her endurance. She’d been too busy lately—with the "Hundred Ghosts Rampage" disaster, she couldn’t bring herself to waste time at the gym when there were monsters right here to fight.
Meanwhile, Old White Dragon had unlocked the profession at the Bunny Muscle Monster’s place.
Every morning at dawn, Old White Dragon would head to the gym. And he was sharp—he ended up challenging the Bunny Muscle Monster to a series of fights, racking up nearly 100 matches before finally securing the job of fitness coach.
Coach Chen had grumbled about needing to change his name, since he’d been unemployed ever since entering this survival game...
But complaints aside, the two of them got along surprisingly well, bonding over their shared interests and sparring daily.
Qi Xu fought purely with her fists, taking hits head-on. She endured quite a few blows, but her endurance stat rose by 4 points in the end. As long as there was progress, it was worth it. Only after finishing off the last Diamond Ape did she use a basic healing card.
The Retired Magical Boy watched from inside the tank with teary eyes. So this was how the boss grew stronger... No one was born powerful. Both Sister Yuan and Sister Qi must have suffered greatly to reach this point...
After clearing the sixth stage, everyone checked their health and fatigue levels and decided to press on.
The chosen reward was: [Water Level in the Trio’s Tank Drops].
Once the reward took effect, the water level in the prisoners’ tank receded to ankle height.
Even Fortune God’s Only Daughter, who had been spouting pessimism earlier, regained her confidence and shouted excitedly, "Hahaha, let’s go! Maybe we’ll be the first team to clear this dungeon as play... ers..."
Mid-sentence, she suddenly remembered the absurd clearance conditions—information that had only been revealed after a previous wipeout of over 6,000 players in the server.
Though that Qiuqiu wasn’t the same as this one.
"By the way, I wanted to—&√￥％＃√＃..."
"Damn... heavens, I still can’t say it!"
Bian suggested, "You could try using poetry or metaphors!"
Fortune God’s Only Daughter opened and closed her mouth for a long time but couldn’t get a single word out. Frustrated, she flopped back onto her pink bunny chair.
Poetry? Metaphors? She barely remembered any poems to begin with—aside from "The grass grows lush on the plains" and "Red palms paddling through clear waves," she’d forgotten most of them. This damn game was just bullying her.
Bian had started another round of chess, this time switching from Chinese chess to Go. She wasn’t worried at all—she wasn’t well-versed in Chinese chess, but Go was her specialty. This worked out perfectly.
The only downside was that the match would take a bit longer. Qi Xu took out a long table, along with chairs, mattresses, beanbags, snacks, and drinks.
She wanted everyone to rest properly and recover their stamina.
In comparison, the three prisoners had it rough. Though they hadn’t fought, they’d been restrained for nearly an entire day. Their limbs ached, and their legs below the knees were sore from being submerged.
"Don’t worry about us three. We didn’t have to fight monsters or face sudden dangers. A little discomfort is nothing."
Muzi Li was too perceptive—just one slightly concerned glance from Qi Xu, and she immediately understood.
The Retired Magical Boy nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah! Honestly, I’m glad I chose to be a prisoner. If I’d had to fight... I’d rather be tied up here."
"Great minds think alike, sis! Boss Whirlwind, you should go rest. There’s more fighting ahead. For us three, a good nap afterward will fix everything." Blessed by Luck quickly chimed in.
After feeding the three prisoners for a while, Qi Xu saw that Bian’s match wouldn’t end anytime soon, so she lay down on a mattress and dozed off for a few minutes.
Bian had dragged things out as long as possible, even deliberately passing up a winning move to buy everyone more rest.
But Qiuqiu was just too terrible.
"Qiuqiu, serious question—did you not program all the chess manuals properly?"
..........
