Rewards are here! The prize for clearing the ninth stage is that all members receive a random-colored fragment secret realm card! Now, everyone must make the most crucial choice... whether to continue the challenge!
"If you choose to exit the dungeon now, each member will permanently gain 5 attribute points in all three stats and 1,000 survival coins, in addition to the dungeon ranking rewards. But if you continue and fail, you might lose your life.
The survival game is being incredibly generous—it doesn’t force everyone to participate in the next challenge, so players don’t need to worry about their choices affecting their teammates.
Choosing to exit means ending early, while choosing to continue means facing the next challenge. But be warned—the next stage has no dungeon death-protection card. If you fail, you’re done for. Say goodbye in advance, tsk tsk tsk... How pitiful, making it this far only to meet your end in the dungeon. Sigh~
Greed is a bottomless pit. Your current achievements are already worthy of a server-wide announcement. Will you be content with what you have, or will you gamble for a slim, unknown chance? Make your choice now!"
The suddenness of Ball Ball’s words left everyone stunned. Before they could react, their surroundings blurred into obscurity. No one could hear or see each other anymore.
After all, Ball Ball had learned its lesson—no more giving hints through winks and nods.
Qi Xu stared at the two buttons before him, pondering what the others might choose.
The easiest to predict was Sister Cut You—she would undoubtedly choose to continue. Bian was also likely to press on; she had no shortage of dungeon death-protection cards.
Breaking Cocoon into Butterfly, La La, and Ballpoint Pen were all bold and driven—they’d probably choose to continue as well.
The only uncertainties were the three prisoners and little Zhu Fu.
Zhu Fu had been too wary of this dungeon, trying several times to "spoil" things, only to be silenced by the system’s interference.
As for the three prisoners, their combat abilities were slightly lacking. Now that they could exit without affecting their teammates, they’d likely choose to leave.
But Qi Xu couldn’t shake the feeling that Ball Ball’s words were setting a trap. Still, there was no time to dwell on it—Qi Xu himself would definitely choose to continue.
His goal was to clear the dungeon, after all.
Once he made up his mind, he pressed the "Continue Challenge" button. After nearly five minutes of waiting, the barriers around them finally lifted.
Qi Xu looked around—everyone was still there! Not a single person had left!
Even the fish tank was gone, and the three prisoners had regained their freedom.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, the screen lit up with another announcement:
〖Tenth Stage: Coronation of the Leader. Number of Monsters: Unknown〗
Dongfang Yuan immediately deflated. "Damn, it’s not just pure combat. This isn’t my forte. Even at the tenth stage, I don’t get a chance to shine?"
"Are we still prisoners now?" Muzi Li had a vague sense that the tenth stage wouldn’t be simple, so this question weighed heavily on him. Unfortunately, the usually talkative Ball Ball remained silent.
The broadcast continued: "Let the coronation begin!"
The ruins suddenly transformed, covered in layer upon layer of golden steps that stretched endlessly upward...
Qi Xu had no lack of confidence. By now, the entire team had built unshakable trust. No matter what bizarre choices Ball Ball threw at them, everyone would act in the team’s best interest.
With that trust, Qi Xu knew they couldn’t lose—no matter what happened.
He felt like he was walking on cotton until he reached the top of the ruins.
The screen flashed: "Take your seat."
Qi Xu: ???
He glanced around—nothing but bare ruins. Where was he supposed to sit? Then it hit him: there had been a golden throne, but he’d destroyed it earlier...
So he simply sat cross-legged on the ground. But the moment he did, the surroundings blurred again, and hordes of monsters appeared—all mole rats.
Cursing under his breath, Qi Xu leapt to his feet, chainsaw in hand, and started cutting them down. If they were just going to fight, why make him sit first? What was the point of that?!
The top of the ruins wasn’t spacious, but Qi Xu soon realized with growing dread... the mole rats seemed endless.
They kept surging up from below.
Then things got worse. Alongside the mole rats, unicorns from the second stage began appearing.
A terrible suspicion took root in Qi Xu’s mind...
"Why can’t we go up? Ball Ball, answer me before I jump up there and slap you!"
The others had watched with pride as Qi Xu ascended the golden steps. But the moment the monsters appeared, they found themselves frozen in place.
Helpless, they could only watch as Qi Xu fought alone against the horde.
Luo Xinpan’s expression darkened. "I think the final stage is a repeat of all the monsters we’ve faced. I counted—exactly 40 unicorns, the same as in the second stage."
"What the hell is wrong with this survival game? We fought tooth and nail to get here, and now Qi Xu has to solo everything again? How is that fair?!"
Zhu Fu sighed. Just as the original Ball Ball had hinted, the final stage had arrived.
"Listen, everyone—actually, never mind. I probably can’t say much. Just know this: we can clear it. Stay strong."
Hearing Zhu Fu’s words, the team relaxed slightly. But when they looked up and saw Qi Xu surrounded by unicorns, frustration surged anew.
After the unicorns were cleared, the third stage’s mixed monsters appeared—200 of them!
Qi Xu didn’t know how to break this stage, but for now, the only option was to fight—to kill every last monster that appeared.
But the relentless battle left Qi Xu gasping for air. Fatigue mounted rapidly, and though he avoided serious injuries, his health bar teetered precariously.
If his guess was right, every monster would reappear. That meant the effect of 〖Undying Warrior〗 had to be triggered as late as possible.
There was no time to question the stage’s fairness. Qi Xu could only focus, giving his all against each new foe.
As long as I’m alive, I’ll never give up hope. That’s how it was in the Serpent’s Abyss, and that’s how it is now.
But no matter how careful he was, the endless waves of monsters took their toll.
A green-furred beast knocked him down, and before he could dodge, a colossal ape stomped on his shoulder. Even with the pink chainsaw’s shield, the sudden burst of pain turned his lips ghostly white...
..........
