"Boss!"
The retired magical boy was already sobbing uncontrollably. Having witnessed Qi Xu's heroic battles countless times, seeing him now—beaten to the ground, trembling in pain—felt like a knife twisting in his heart, suffocating him with grief.
Yet no amount of shouting or crying made any difference.
The others were equally devastated, but none had faced a situation like this before, leaving them utterly lost. Dongfang Yuan crouched helplessly, clutching his head, unable to bear another glance at the scene on the stage—even if it had been him up there instead.
At least then, he wouldn’t feel so powerless.
Zhu Fu took a deep breath, patting Luo Xinpan reassuringly before speaking in a calm, steady voice. "Qiuqiu, I’m invoking the Warrior’s Hidden Rule."
"It’s no use. I already tried—Qiuqiu ignored me," Dongfang Yuan interjected, only to realize Zhu Fu had broken free from the system’s control.
"You spoke too soon. It only works if you start from the third level."
〖Warrior’s Hidden Rule: Willing to sacrifice for the Strategist or Leader. Does the warrior Fortune God's Only Daughter consent to convert her remaining life force into health points and combat power for the leader, Invincible Black Whirlwind?〗
"Yes."
As soon as Zhu Fu answered, she was forcibly transported to the base of the ruins. The flames that had died out at the start of the level suddenly roared back to life.
"Kid, you—"
The group stared in disbelief as the fire surged higher than even the tallest among them, engulfing Zhu Fu, who was pinned against the wreckage, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her face contorted in agony...
Yet strangely, her health points seemed locked—she endured the searing pain but wasn’t in mortal danger.
Meanwhile, Qi Xu noticed the anomaly too. His health bar was fully restored, his fatigue completely wiped clean. Glancing at his stats in shock, he saw his three core attributes had jumped by another 20 points!
Just as Qi Xu was processing this, a projection flickered onto the hazy screen beside him—Fortune God's Only Daughter, engulfed in flames.
Tears streamed down Qi Xu’s face. He understood immediately.
This kid was the one with the sharpest tongue, yet the softest heart. Her self-introduction had been spot-on: "I’m a really good person."
Qi Xu wasted no more time. Ignoring exhaustion, he swung his blade again and again, hacking through the endless horde of monsters.
The fourth-level Spinach Monsters were no joke. Without the luxury of farming them for resources, Qi Xu found them harder than ever—four or five would band together, forming an impenetrable defensive unit.
He chuckled bitterly. Turns out, his earlier "resource gathering" had been a lucky accident.
Forced to revert to his old tactics, he picked them off one by one, tearing through their leaves.
But without his teammates, even his formidable strength wasn’t enough against the relentless swarm. The monsters crowded so thickly that swinging his chainsaw became a struggle.
Time blurred. By the time Qi Xu finally cleared the last Spinach Monster, his heart ached at the sight of Zhu Fu still burning in the flames—helpless, desperate.
Then, in an instant, his fatigue vanished again, his health restored, and his stats climbed another 20 points.
But now, Dongfang Yuan’s figure appeared on the left screen, likewise engulfed in fire.
Qi Xu wanted to scream. He hated this—hated that he couldn’t take their place. All he could do was keep fighting, end this nightmare faster.
The moment the final Spinach Monster fell, nearly half a dozen voices rang out simultaneously:
"I invoke the Warrior’s Hidden Rule!"
"I invoke the Puppet’s Hidden Rule!"
"I invoke the Prisoner’s Hidden Rule!"
Every role except the Strategist had loopholes in their hidden rules. The Prisoner’s, for example: "If death becomes inevitable, you may freely transfer this death to any teammate."
A rule meant for self-preservation—or sacrifice.
Qi Xu refused to look at the screens, at Zhu Fu and Dongfang Yuan burning. He couldn’t stop, not even for a second, slashing wildly with his chainsaw, abandoning technique for sheer brutality.
Even trading injuries for kills was worth it if it meant ending this faster, freeing those trapped in the flames.
Again and again, his stats climbed—20 points at a time, health and fatigue fluctuating wildly—until he barely scraped through the eighth level, facing down 200 Diamond Apes.
Even with his "Undying War God" title already spent, he somehow managed to kill them all.
Now, the ninth level loomed: the Advanced Amalgam. Qi Xu knew he stood no chance, even with boosted stats. No trump cards left, no summoning items usable—and the Literature Teacher wouldn’t stand a chance either.
Only two teammates remained outside the flames: Lucky Charm and Luo Xinpan.
Lucky Charm didn’t hesitate. As the last Diamond Ape fell, he invoked his hidden rule.
As before, Qi Xu’s stats recovered, his attributes climbing another 20 points.
Then Luo Xinpan spoke: "Qiuqiu, my hidden task is complete. I’d like to claim my reward."
"Are you sure? Redeeming now grants only 100 points. Waiting until after the dungeon awards 200."
"Positive."
A selection screen appeared before her. She’d already decided, but the array of miraculous items still stunned her.
"Exchange for: Single-Battle Triple Stat Doubling Card (Target: Any Specified Ally)."
Other items could defeat the Amalgam, but Luo Xinpan believed only one outcome would truly unite the team: Qi Xu overcoming it with his own strength.
Even if it meant more suffering. For victory, she’d always be the rational one.
After confirming her choice, she declared, "I invoke the Strategist’s Hidden Rule."
Then, she too vanished—into the flames.
Qi Xu was already locked in combat with the Amalgam. As predicted, he was outmatched. Blow after blow sent him crashing down, though he kept scrambling up like a cockroach.
But hope was nowhere in sight. All around him, his teammates burned. The agony threatened to shatter his mind—until...
..........
