The members of the 8v8 team... some even had monsters from crates that were just ordinary green-haired fiends.
Being dragged into this cross-region challenge, how could they not be demoralized? What's the big deal? I love chatting in the lobby, so what? Aside from one chubby guy, the opponents all looked downright vicious—what if they just killed me outright?
As Qi Xu and Warwolf 006 took their positions, Qiuqiu began overseeing the match. "Life or death doesn't matter—victory is the only goal. The match ends only when one side surrenders or dies."
"Are both sides ready?"
Qi Xu gave a cold nod, gripping his twin blades tightly, already in an offensive stance.
Rose-gold ribbons studded with diamonds instantly coiled around his wrists, securing the twin blades firmly in his hands. Just the opening stance alone made Warwolf 006 realize he was in for a beating today.
Warwolf 006 wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth... he shut it again.
Whether one could defeat their opponent was often clear the moment their eyes first met before the fight.
Warwolf 006 was absolutely certain he was no match for his opponent, yet faintly, he also felt a thrill of excitement...
Who wouldn’t want to fight a stronger opponent? After all, only by battling the strong could one become stronger themselves!
With a self-deprecating laugh, Warwolf 006 thought, If they went easy on me right from the start, I’d probably feel even worse. This is better!
So he drew his own weapon—a silver longsword. Though it was also a Level 7 weapon, under the reflected glow of Qi Xu’s pink twin blades, it looked like a flimsy sheet of metal...
At Qiuqiu’s signal, the two lunged forward simultaneously. Qi Xu, heeding the advice of the ever-reliable Old Nine, unleashed his full strength from the very first move.
With lightning speed, he closed the distance, spinning mid-air as his twin blades carved intersecting pink arcs. Warwolf 006 immediately abandoned his attack and retreated—if he hadn’t, he’d have lost in a single move!
Qi Xu’s left blade barely grazed his ear, but in a flash, he shifted stance, slamming the back of his right blade into Warwolf 006’s spine. The impact felt like being hit by a boulder—Warwolf 006 coughed up blood on the spot.
Had Qi Xu used the blade’s edge instead of the flat, that one strike would’ve left him half-dead at best!
Before Warwolf 006 could recover, Qi Xu pivoted on the tip of his blade, his right sword sweeping toward the throat while his left slashed upward at the ribs.
With no room to retreat, Warwolf 006 raised his sword to block—but the moment their weapons clashed, his longsword was sheared in two by the pink blades!
Using the momentum, Qi Xu leapt up, crossing his blades in an X-shaped thrust toward the face. As he landed, he rolled, his blades skimming the ground to sweep Warwolf 006’s ankles, sending him crashing down. Before he could even attempt to rise, twin blades were already crossed at his neck.
"Holy crap, that was badass! Cyclone Boss is unstoppable!" Old White Dragon in the Waves jumped three feet in the air, utterly hyped. This was textbook combat—not a single wasted movement.
Every strike aimed for a vital point, leaving the opponent no chance to resist.
The others were just as pumped. The boss has gotten even stronger! How is he improving so much faster than the rest of us when we’ve had the same amount of time?
Dongfang Yuan couldn’t suppress a grin, his lips nearly curving into a checkmark. So damn cool. I really want to fight Qi Xu now—it’s been ages since I’ve felt this fired up!
Warwolf 009 and Warwolf Egg-Seven were practically losing their minds, jumping, shouting, and cheering like idiots.
Seeing this from the ground, Warwolf 006 felt worse than when he’d been defeated.
We’ve only been in this survival game for a short while—have you all forgotten any sense of camaraderie? Eight years of training and fighting together, all gone, just like that?!
"Hey, friend—you surrendering?"
Qi Xu wasn’t trying to show off, but he had to maintain his cold, serious, no-nonsense persona.
Warwolf 006, still coughing blood, could barely speak but forced out a hoarse reply, "Impressive... I... surrender..."
He wanted to add, If your region wins, pick me to join you, but before he could speak, both were teleported back to their respective waiting areas.
"Well, well, look who it is! The almighty Rank 1! What happened to all that big talk?"
"Why so quiet now? Oh right—got your ass kicked so hard you can’t even speak!"
"Compare our Rank 1 to theirs... tsk tsk."
The moment Warwolf 006 returned, he was met with sneers from nearby players. Silently, he sat down to recover, not responding.
After all, he had lost—and not just lost, but been completely dominated from start to finish. If his teammates were upset and venting, he deserved it.
He also understood their frustration. He had messed up. As Rank 1, he hadn’t fulfilled his responsibilities—he didn’t even know who the strong players in the region were, blindly picking teammates with no clue.
"Sorry, I—"
"Don’t tell me you don’t even have healing items? Here, take a Basic Healing Card—but you better pay me back later, or I’ll curse you out and put a bounty on your head!"
"Pathetic. Next time, spend less time lecturing others and more time training yourself."
"Seriously... Ugh, just our luck to be stuck in the same region as you."
"Yeah, so damn annoying."
Holding the Basic Healing Card, Warwolf 006 felt a bitter mix of emotions. He’d already realized something was wrong when he couldn’t get along with anyone.
Now it was clearer than ever. But how could he change? If he didn’t, even if he joined a new team, wouldn’t he just be a misfit again?
That "Invincible Black Cyclone" was stronger than him—probably stronger than Old Seven and Old Nine too. That meant Old Seven and Old Nine weren’t the leaders in their team.
They likely didn’t have much influence either. Even if he was chosen to join, causing trouble would just make things harder for them.
Suddenly, Warwolf 006 felt too disheartened to even want to be picked. Life was hard enough in this survival game—one misstep meant death.
If his presence would burden Old Seven and Old Nine, what was the point? They were brothers. If he couldn’t help them, at least he wouldn’t drag them down.
Old Seven and Old Nine had no idea Warwolf 006 was spiraling into these thoughts—they were still too busy raving about how awesome Cyclone Boss was!
Soon, the second 1v1 began.
Warwolf 006’s team lineup was simple: the earlier you fought, the stronger you were. The later picks were just fill-ins.
So the second fighter, "Grass Is a Plant," was decently skilled.
But his opponent was Dongfang Yuan—a man with zero social awareness and absolutely no concept of holding back.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, a brutal kick sent him flying to the edge of the ring. Before he could even get up, a dagger came hurtling from afar, nearly piercing his skull. He didn’t dare so much as take a deep breath after that!
...........
