Suddenly, a dining table appeared beside her, laden with all sorts of delicacies, accompanied by a glowing notification screen popping up.
【Restore Qiuqiu's 10,000 HP to enjoy this feast! Hurry and indulge in a culinary extravaganza!】
Before the aroma of the food could even waft out, Qi Xu slashed the entire table apart with a single strike.
"I’ve been slaving away, hacking nearly 2,500 times just to chip off 10,000 HP, and now you expect me to do it all over again for a few dishes? Dream on!"
Besides, this level of food couldn’t even compare to the creations of Master Chef Xiao. Since she could endure, Qi Xu refused to stop for a meal while her stamina was still high.
Allocating the 144 hours efficiently was crucial. With 50 million HP to whittle down, she needed to set small, relentless goals for herself.
Qi Xu packed her schedule to the brim—whether drinking, eating, or resting, she wouldn’t allow herself any breaks until she’d completed each mini-mission.
She only bought the cheapest items available, like 2-HP mineral water and 3-HP steamed buns.
"Why torture yourself, boss? You’re already miles ahead! Since when have you ever suffered like this since the game started?"
Qi Xu remained resolute, too focused to even reply.
Of course, she’d pamper herself when conditions allowed, but this "hardship" was temporary. At critical moments like this, a single compromise could lead to countless more. Self-discipline was non-negotiable, no matter how grueling it felt.
By the time she survived the first day, Qi Xu was still fueled by adrenaline, pulling an all-nighter with just an hour of sleep. Once her fatigue dropped below 20, she grabbed her blade and went right back at it.
But on the second day, discomfort crept in. The walls were white, the floor was white, and Qiuqiu was white.
The high brightness of white forced her pupils to constrict, reducing light intake. Over time, her retinal cells grew fatigued, and dizziness struck at random intervals.
Qi Xu simply shut her eyes. Since Qiuqiu didn’t move, missing was impossible. If anything, it helped her focus entirely on perfecting each swing.
By the third day, her stamina plummeted, and her slashes slowed noticeably. A gnawing sense of urgency took hold.
"Dongfang Yuan and Song Peifeng are absolute monsters. If I’m gonna be the top player in this division, I’d better make my record legendary!"
Qi Xu had tasted defeat too many times—now, she only craved victory.
By breaking her goals into even smaller increments and rewarding herself in creative ways, she pushed through the third and fourth days. One bottle of water, one bun, and one hour of sleep per day.
When her mental energy lasted, she paired her strikes with 【Crimson Assault】. Once depleted, she relied on pure muscle memory, refusing to rest outside scheduled breaks. Her biceps had visibly bulked up since she’d entered!
Then came the fifth day. Concentration frayed, irritation spiked. The toll of relentless exhaustion and sleep deprivation reared its head.
This was the downside of overexertion—but Qi Xu had accounted for it.
Clearing her throat, she belted out songs at the top of her lungs, eyes still shut, while continuing to slash. It doubled as a lung capacity exercise. When her voice gave out, she jabbed her thigh for a jolt of pain. The final stretch demanded every last ounce of effort!
"No one’s stealing my top spot!"
On the final day, reactions split.
Some players gave up entirely. Since stopping carried no penalties, many shrugged it off—like they’d never joined the dungeon in the first place.
No more attacking Qiuqiu. They feasted on gourmet spreads, indulged in mental luxuries, and clicked "confirm" without hesitation. For them, it was six blissful days.
Some even wished they could stay in this space forever—or at least savor the experience a little longer. When the dungeon neared its end, their despair was palpable.
As for the thrilled ones? Players like Qi Xu, who’d poured their souls into this.
Even at her physical limit, Qi Xu knew true limits were only breached under extreme pressure.
Dizziness be damned, she forced her eyes open, locked onto Qiuqiu’s dwindling HP, and hacked away. Her peak speed hit eight full-power slashes per second, and her damage per strike had climbed from 4 to 7.
The progress wasn’t staggering, but any improvement meant her time wasn’t wasted.
Once the one-hour countdown began, Qi Xu abandoned even her scheduled meals. That 50 million HP had to hit zero—no questions asked. Call it obsessive, but she wouldn’t stop!
【Cherry Blossom Fall】 became a blur. All frustration melted away, replaced by sheer exhilaration. Part of her even wished the dungeon would last a bit longer.
With ten seconds left, Qi Xu mustered every drop of focus for one final push. Pre-calculating two strike points, she burned her last reserves of mental energy for consecutive 【Crimson Assault】 lunges!
Five seconds remained. Qiuqiu’s HP: 30.
For the first time, Qi Xu executed a triple 【Crimson Assault】, releasing twin pink mist blades—one from each hand.
Skill upgraded! She’d jumped from a Tier-1 to a Tier-2 ability user! No items, no shortcuts—just raw mastery and comprehension.
Qi Xu’s eyes widened in shock. Zhu Fu had warned her: leveling up abilities was notoriously tedious, requiring both skill stones and Tier-2-level mental strength.
Her old team members had often stalled at this hurdle, so Qi Xu hadn’t even prioritized it.
Yet here she was—breaking through just by whacking Qiuqiu? What a generous dungeon!
Well… "easy" wasn’t the right word. She was half-dead from exhaustion, starvation, and sleep deprivation.
With seconds ticking down and Qiuqiu at 10 HP, Qi Xu didn’t dare use another ability. Emptying her mental reserves risked permanent brain damage.
Instead, she hurled herself—blade and all—straight at Qiuqiu before collapsing in a heap, limbs twitching faintly.
She almost coughed up white foam. The sudden release left her bones feeling liquefied.
..........
