The next day.
Yu Yu rubbed her sore waist as she got up. "So stiff… Should've brought a blanket."
Shu Tu: "Next time, bring a sleeping bag."
She emerged from her sleeping bag, looking quite comfortable.
Zi Shu was already stretching outside.
She eyed the intact, lush thorn wall. "If only I could cast that."
Yu Yu, brushing her teeth with a small cup, filled it with a water orb spell, with some to spare.
"Then you can dream I'm great at enchantment. I'll make you a little accessory just for thorn wall."
Zi Shu: "I'll hold you to that."
Fuyu, also aching, grumbled, "Why brush again after logging in?"
Yu Yu: "…Forgot."
"Whatever, already brushed."
Yu Yu quickly finished, stashing her cup and toothbrush in her bag.
Unbeknownst to them, their every move was observed by three pairs of eyes.
Felix, now fully dressed in her black robe, leaned to one side, expression cold.
Meng, early in the morning, had caught a wild rabbit and roasted it, eager to dig in.
But after two bites, she spat it out, tossed the rabbit aside, and sulked, staring at the outsiders.
As for Felix, she stood motionless, utterly uninterested in food.
Han, puzzled, saw Meng ditch her meal and happily took it all, eating with relish.
Meng stared for a while, finally spotting Yu Yu logging in.
She began scheming how to hint at Yu Yu to bring her some food.
"Are we just squatting here?" Zi Shu was a bit confused.
Yu Yu pulled out apples, passing one to each. She was already perched on the top of the stone wall, legs crossed. "You're not happy about resting?"
"Wait for Senior and the others to call us."
Yu Yu crunched her apple. "It'll be exhausting today. Rest up."
Shu Tu sat beside her, delicately eating her apple.
Zi Shu sighed, letting it go. With a light push, she hopped onto the matchbox's top.
Moments later, the four sat in a row, munching apples, chatting, and pointing at the "savage" players sleeping outside.
Xiang Qin and the others logged in, saw their leisurely monkey-watching vibe, and felt a pang of internal injury.
The other players felt the same.
High-tier spellcasters weren't spared the sting either.
Meng watched them crunch apples, even hearing the crisp sound.
Han finished the roasted meat, looked up, and caught their expressions.
Two of them stared at the outsiders with deep, unreadable faces.
Meng took a deep breath. "Fine, summon them."
Soon, the four happily munching apples weren't so happy anymore.
They gathered spiritedly before the three high-tier spellcasters.
Yu Yu's glance swept the campfire, spotting some bones.
She realized and looked at Senior.
Has Senior eaten?
Should I sneak her some food later?
Meng's face was stern and cold. "You're the best of your professions, so the magic circle has unique expectations for you."
"Now's the time to prove your worth," Meng said. "Go. The top sixteen who hunt the most undead cores will earn the magic circle's attention. The rest of you survivors," she said coldly, hands behind her back, "I'll send back to the city."
With that, she raised a hand, projecting a light screen displaying the terrain, one direction marked in vivid red.
Meng: "That's a battlefield from years of Silver Moon's clashes with mutants and cultists. Bones pile high. Remember, don't go too deep."
At "too deep," her lips twitched, clearly not the kindest NPC.
The players exchanged glances. Yu Yu stood with arms crossed, waiting, then noticed everyone—Zi Shu included—looking at her, overtly or covertly.
As if waiting for her to speak, to take the lead.
Yu Yu: "?"
You don't know Senior Meng's temper, so you want me to stick my neck out?
No way!
Yu Yu lowered her arms, calm and silent.
The air fell quiet. Players wanted to speak but feared breaking some magic circle taboo, getting frozen and shattered for no reason. Their faces shifted, unwilling to take the risk.
A few mentally rehearsed their tone, wary of offending the high-tier spellcasters.
Zi Shu poked Yu Yu.
Don't mess around, ask the important stuff.
Yu Yu: "?"
She was hoping some fool would trip and offend Senior Meng.
Poked twice more, Yu Yu finally asked, "If we go too deep, will we face external threats?"
"Like getting chased by high-tier mutants?"
"Would that count as a magic circle oversight? Would we get compensation?"
Yu Yu added, "Three days offline is a big loss."
Xiang Qin was still carefully scripting her words in her head when she heard Yu Yu's less-than-polite barrage. One question after another, painting the magic circle as some exploitative capitalist.
Meng: "…That's your bad luck. What's it got to do with the magic circle?"
Yu Yu: "???"
Is that something a person says?!
Yu Yu's eyes darted. "But if external factors are too much, this competition's pointless. Might as well roll dice to see who's luckiest."
"Executor, can't you give us some clarity? Like, what if we face overwhelming high-tier threats? What's the 'too deep' standard?"
"And what's an undead core? How do we hunt it?"
Xiang Qin tilted her head.
Oh, she's an Executor?
Magic circle Executor?
Another tidbit from Yu Yu.
Mixed feelings.
Not calling her Senior now?
Meng glanced at her, itching to shut her down, but after a moment, she kept her stern face and replied, "Since last time, the Grand Archon harshly reprimanded the frontlines. No more mutants will sneak through. You can rest easy."
"The dangers you'll face come from the land itself. The magic circle doesn't interfere."
Yu Yu thought, glancing at the map.
The map wasn't hard to memorize—she got the gist after a few looks.
So, the danger was from the forest and battlefield.
Hmm, still tough.
Lynn had been cautious carrying her through, let alone them, mostly low-tier weaklings. Unless the magic circle had pre-cleared the area, culling overpowered threats.
But from Yu Yu's understanding of the magic circle, "overpowered" likely only meant high-tier. Top mid-tier and regular mid-tier dangers were probably still there.
Recalling the magic circle's style, Yu Yu guessed this was the case.
Good news: The magic circle had swept the area once.
Bad news: Not thoroughly.
Unknown news: How careless was the sweep? Were high-tier threats missed?
Plus, beyond the forest, the battlefield posed its own dangers.
That was another matter.
If they were unlucky, they might take losses en route.
Meng finished, resuming her stern, silent demeanor.
Felix chimed in. "Best not to go beyond a kilometer into the battlefield. High-tier undead wills roam there—mutants or Silver Moon warriors, none you can handle."
"Undead cores are just that. Kill, and they drop. You'll know them when you see them."
She looked at Yu Yu. "No compensation. Don't die."
Yu Yu: "…"
Senior didn't need to say that!
Yu Yu's mind had raced far and wide, but… she saw no need to ask more.
She wasn't helping Qing Qian, Shang Wei, or those brats.
No one knew the magic circle better than her anyway.
Yu Yu: "Got it. Thank you, Senior, for explaining."
Polite Yu Yu.jpg
Meng: "…"
Felix took it in stride, nodding slightly. "If there's nothing else, go. The forest gets worse at night."
Shang Wei stepped forward, smiling and bowing. "Senior, can outsiders attack each other?"
Meng's expression stayed cold. "That's your business."
Shang Wei, still smiling, asked, "What if fewer than sixteen survive?"
Meng: "Then so be it."
Shang Wei stepped back. "Understood. Thank you, Senior."
Next, another player mustered courage. "Do we have to team up?"
She glanced at Yu Yu's group of four. "The strongest of each profession are in one team. Isn't that unfair?"
"Can more people band together?"
Meng: "Do what you want."
"The magic circle doesn't care."
"Act as you please."
Meng's triple shrug left the questioner dumbfounded.
She stammered, "Alright, understood. Thank you, Executor."
After someone tested the waters, players grew more polite.
Zhong Ye wasn't thrilled.
Strongest of each profession?
Fuyu?
Can't you be more precise?
More players asked key questions.
"Executor, is there a time limit? Do we need to return by a deadline?"
As top players, they found their rhythm, regaining confidence.
Meng seemed in a good mood, answering each. "Two days. No need to return—we'll know."
More detailed questions followed, until there was little left to ask.
In summary, the magic circle imposed no restrictions on players.
No guarantees either.
Chaotic evil or lawful good, they didn't care.
Results over process.
Yu Yu checked the game time, quietly chanting.
[Feather Fall]
She cast it on herself, then Zi Shu, giving them a look.
Yu Yu: "Senior, we're off?"
Her spell's ripple was practically in their faces—how could three high-tier spellcasters miss it?
Felix nodded slightly. "Go."
Yu Yu: "Let's move."
Instantly, Fuyu and Shu Tu each grabbed one, vanishing into the forest like a gust.
Clearly, they had no intention of teaming with other players.
Xiang Qin frowned, thinking. "What do you think?"
Shang Wei twirled her staff, then looked up. "Boring. Let's go."
Zhong Ye didn't speak, just gave Xiang Qin a look she understood.
The rookie rogue stayed silent.
"Let's go," Xiang Qin said.
Qing Qian: "Trust Destiny? Join us. We'll leave with sixteen."
As the two high-warrior teams peeled off, those wanting to group had to choose Qing Qian.
The top sixteen per profession totaled sixty-four, but Meng had killed one, leaving sixty-three.
Player teams formed irregularly.
Pairs, groups of three to five, seven or eight, with Destiny team the largest at sixteen.
Destiny's strength shone—beyond team members, many guild warriors made the top sixteen. They rallied around Qing Qian, maintaining control even when recruiting others.
Meng sat down. "She glanced at us before leaving. Wanted to ask something?"
Felix thought. "Probably wanted to leave food but was too shy."
Meng was shocked. "Really?"
"Should've secretly kept her back."
Felix: "…"
Meanwhile, atop a towering tree in the forest, the four made simple disguises, holding a brief pre-battle meeting. Senior was right—Yu Yu did want to leave food, but with so many players around, she hadn't dared.
If she lingered, no player would leave, suspecting she had some secret deal with the seniors. She could only let Senior go hungry.
"The forest's huge, with plenty of dangers. It's hard for them to cross our path," Yu Yu said. "Looks crowded, but once we're in, they'll scatter."
Zi Shu checked her task panel. "Task's up."
[First Stage: Hunt Undead Cores (0)]
Under their gazes, Yu Yu said seriously, "Our first hurdle is getting through the forest."
"From what I know of the magic circle, they'll clear the area but not too thoroughly, so…" Yu Yu declared, "There's a hundred percent chance mid-tier monsters are in there."
"Plus, environmental hazards—poisonous bugs, ferocious beasts—will threaten us."
"I've got two plans."
Zi Shu listened intently.
"Plan one: follow Lynn's route. She carried me across the treetops, so we could bet on that. Treetops might be safer. Trust a high-tier warrior's experience."
"Downside: she's a high-tier warrior. Her experience might not apply to us."
"Plan two: stick to the ground, but…"
Fuyu, chin in hand, couldn't wait. "But what? Spit it out."
Yu Yu pondered. "I'm not sure it'll work."
Shu Tu: "Just say it."
Yu Yu: "If high-tier spellcasters swept through days ago, could we fake a high-tier spellcaster's illusion above us? Would weaker monsters flee?"
Zi Shu considered. "Not impossible, but risky."
"We don't know if the remaining monsters hate or fear high-tier spellcasters."
"Or how they cleared the area."
"Most importantly, can you make it convincing?"
Yu Yu spread her hands. "That's why it's iffy."
"I've only seen Senior Dai fight. I don't know if other seniors hide their aura for low-key combat or go all-out, smashing through."
"If we fake it poorly… we're asking for trouble."
Yu Yu sighed. "What a shame."
Such a great shortcut, ruined because she didn't know high-tier spellcasters' combat style. Frustrating.
Zi Shu pressed, "Do you remember the Wind Singer's route?"
Yu Yu: "Not the details, but the general path, yeah."
"She barely fought, and when she did, it was one-shot kills," Yu Yu said. "But like I said, it's risky. She's a high-tier warrior. What's easy for her could kill us."
"We'd be gambling," Yu Yu said.
Zi Shu: "Then we gamble. A route's better than none."
"Trust the Wind Singer," Zi Shu said firmly. "If it's too dangerous, we switch."
"Pure luck is the worst."
Yu Yu nodded. "Up the trees, then?"
Shu Tu thought. "We need to plan carefully. Fuyu and I can climb, but our defense is low. If we're attacked, can you fight on trees?"
Zi Shu considered. "This tree, I think I can leap. I'll carry Yu Yu, and you and Fuyu watch the surroundings."
"We've learned it, so let's try. If it's dangerous, we'll rethink."
Yu Yu's thoughts wandered.
Why didn't she learn summon wind elemental?
With a wind elemental, couldn't it carry her dashing through?
Maybe even fly briefly!
Sigh, no points.
Shu Tu and Fuyu exchanged a glance. Shu Tu said, "My perception's long-range. I see far, and Baibai's scouting above. I'll watch the sky and distance, alerting you if players appear."
Fuyu: "Mine's instinct-based, short-range. I'll lead, but don't follow too close."
"I'll bolt if there's danger."
After quick role assignments, they moved.
Yu Yu recalled the map, orienting herself. "This way, up the tree."
Meng and the others, cloaked in invisibility, floated along, following.
Each tracked a few outsider teams, but Meng and Felix deliberately hung a mage eye over Yu Yu's group.
They listened to their discussion with keen interest.
Seeing them, even Han copied, slipping a mage eye over.
Yu Yu's group remained oblivious.
Now, Yu Yu showed a hint of her godly flair, each spell precise and perfectly timed.
A spellcaster choked by chants and mana costs could never shine like she did back then!
But surprises always come.
Seeing the awakened python ahead, Fuyu couldn't help but curse, "Trash magic circle, missing a snake this big?!"
Yu Yu slapped a detect spell on it.
[Forest Anaconda (Elite)]
[Tier: Level 10 (Mid-tier)
Health: 3283
Armor: 50
Resistance: Minor fire resistance
Corruption: 15
Skills: Unknown]
Felix: "?"
Meng: "?"
Han: "?"