It wasn’t that the players who fell behind in the rankings weren’t putting in effort—they were practically working from dawn till dusk. But it had to be said, teaming up with Qi Xu during this dungeon run left an indelible mark on everyone.
If you didn’t push yourself to the limit, your comrades would fall around you! And the sight of Qi Xu fighting alone atop the ruins in the end? Unforgettable. No one wanted to experience that again...
So after returning from the dungeon, they threw themselves into life-or-death battles every single day.
Meanwhile, Old White Dragon, Egg Seven, 009, Fitness Coach, and others, who weren’t lacking in resources, would occasionally hit the gym together, enjoying the balance of work and rest.
Neither approach was inherently right or wrong—it was all about experimentation. A bowstring stretched too tight will snap. The best method is the one that suits you, and there’s no need to doubt yourself because of outside opinions.
This was entirely different from the last "brick-moving" incident. Qi Xu naturally wouldn’t pressure teammates in the group chat over rankings. Now that the golden group chat had more players, Qi Xu was also more mindful of their words and actions.
Qi Xu first checked the rewards for the top spot on the leaderboard.
"Survival Coins ×500, Energy Stones ×300, Tri-Colored Crystals ×100, Vehicle Upgrade Cards ×100, Weapon Enhancement Cards ×50, Gene Potion ×1, Animal/Plant Growth Potions ×50, Advanced Pet Egg ×1, Orange Map Fragment (1/10), Pink Map Fragment (1/10)."
Qiuqiu was being unusually generous this time. Compared to the last monthly ranking rewards, the basic resources had multiplied several times over.
As expected of a Qiuqiu that just handed out bonuses.
Qi Xu immediately used everything they could. The plant potions were all handed over to the golden seed boss, while the animal potions were split evenly between Little Seven and Sweet Girl.
Qi Xu also chugged the gene potion without hesitation, and all three attribute stats shot up by 10 points! As insane as that was, it still paled in comparison to the overwhelming power they’d experienced in the dungeon...
When they got the weapon enhancement cards, Qiuqiu thoughtfully reminded them that the copy-paste box was now usable.
So they duplicated the weapon enhancement cards—still the most valuable item at the moment.
Upgrading to Level 7 required a Level 10 weapon. That wasn’t a problem for Qi Xu, but teammates might struggle without support. Securing the top 10 global rewards took priority.
None of them were freeloaders. Whatever they invested, they’d get back—Qi Xu had that much confidence.
As for the pet egg, Qi Xu didn’t want to hatch it themselves. Little Seven’s appetite was growing, and raising another pet would inevitably affect their quality of life.
If they couldn’t raise it well, better not to have it at all. They’d toss it into the golden group chat later and see who was willing to buy it.
After all, even intermediate pet eggs were rare in the trading hall, let alone advanced ones. While hoarding premium resources was an option, trading them to allies was far more efficient.
Qi Xu cross-referenced the leaderboard one by one and noticed that, apart from Master Chef and Bian, every player in the golden group chat had made it into the top 50.
A solid achievement. Before guild gameplay even rolled out, they’d already gathered some of the strongest players in the entire server!
Warwolf Egg Seven: "Waaah, I used to be a district boss! How’d I fall out of the top five?!"
Fortune God's Only Daughter: "Git gud!"
Warwolf Egg Seven: "Little brat!"
Fortune God's Only Daughter: "Keep yapping!"
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "@Muzi Li, damn, breaking into the top 10! Nice!"
Muzi Li: "I kinda cheated, though. Used monster summoning cards and temporary stat boosters. My actual strength isn’t on par with you guys. Just wanted to test my limits and push myself..."
Warwolf 009: "Nah, that’s legit! I had those items too but never thought to use them. You earned this!"
Watch Me Cut You Down: "Hell yeah, sis! Your progress is insane. Rooting for you!"
Muzi Li: "All thanks to Cut You Sis’s coaching these past two days!"
Dongfang Yuan had been busy lately, using the affiliation tool to track down every sister they’d promised guidance to after the dungeon. A promise was a promise, and Muzi Li’s growth brought them the most joy.
Her drive reminded Dongfang Yuan of Qi Xu, and combined with her high emotional intelligence and willingness to trust in the dungeon, their fondness for her skyrocketed.
When Muzi Li first saw her ranking, she’d nearly cried. All the pain, the wounds deep enough to expose bone, fighting tooth and nail to survive—it was worth it.
She could become someone formidable too!
Maybe one day, she’d even fight side by side with Whirlwind Bro, the one who’d saved her. Not as a prisoner in a fishbowl, but as an equal!
Warwolf Egg Seven: "Cut You Sis, I wanna be coached too!"
Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt: "Cut You Sis, I wanna be coached too!"
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Cut You Sis, I wanna be coached too!"
Warwolf 009: "Cut You Sis, I wanna be coached too!"
Chinese Master Chef: "Cut You Sis, I wanna be coached too!"
Chinese Master Chef withdrew a message.
What was I thinking?! Laughing like an idiot and joining the spam train, only to break out in a cold sweat afterward. Seriously, asking for trouble?
Cut You Sis wasn’t as easygoing as Whirlwind Bro—more like the difference between a strict dad and a doting mom. A single day under her guidance would probably flay you alive.
Panicked, Master Chef swiftly changed the subject.
Chinese Master Chef: "Ta-da! Check out what I got!"
[Private Dining Room Card: Enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet for 3 hours! Max capacity: 30 people.]
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Now that’s a score. Since we’re a team now and many of us haven’t met, a get-together’s long overdue. But it’s too late tonight, and nobody’s hungry. To avoid waste, how about tomorrow at noon?"
No objections. Only after joining a team did they realize how much smoother the journey was compared to going solo.
Once the time was set, Cut You Sis didn’t forget to tag Master Chef: "Perfect. After lunch tomorrow, you’re coming with me for some coaching. I’ll have you soloing Wolverine in no time."
Chinese Master Chef: "(⋟﹏⋞)!"
Curse my impulsive chubby fingers!
Maybe it was the excitement of meeting everyone tomorrow, but Qi Xu couldn’t help feeling a little giddy too.
Humans really were social creatures. In the last game, they’d survived three or four years of solitude just fine. But now, with a team, just a few days out of the dungeon already felt unbearably lonely.
..........
