Yu Yu blurted out the information she saw. "Three thousand two hundred health, fifty armor, no attack stats shown, but probably high. It definitely has a constrict skill!"
"Get to the ground," Yu Yu said quickly. "Fuyu, Shu Tu."
Shu Tu's tone was calm. "No visible threats on the ground."
Fuyu: "I'm jumping!"
The fat python slithered forward, half-coiling its body, mouth open, waiting leisurely below Fuyu.
Fuyu used shadow leap, dodging the gaping maw. "Holy crap! This monster's insane!"
"Come on, come eat your ancestor!"
Rogue passive—[Taunting Words]
[Taunting Words]: [Your speech carries a slight taunt effect. When using insults, the effect is amplified tenfold. Even a stray cat will chase and bite you for a single glance.]
The python, enraged, forgot the three still up top and chased Fuyu down.
Fuyu hopped around frantically, triggering traps as she darted. Soon, she yelled, "Get down here! What are you watching?!"
"It's trying to surround me!!!"
Zi Shu set Yu Yu down, drew her longsword, and calculated distance and angle. Her sword, slashing downward, pierced one of the python's eyes, followed by a charge that drove it through the eyeball. The silver-armored woman practically burrowed into the python's eye.
Shu Tu, expression calm, used multi-shot.
Three arrows struck in quick succession, precisely piercing the python's other eye.
The python went berserk with pain.
In its chaotic thrashing, Zi Shu couldn't grip its slick scales and was flung off.
Yu Yu locked onto her, casting force shield just in time.
Zi Shu crashed to the ground, the force shield absorbing one attack with a crisp shatter.
The python was in a frenzy.
They kept their distance, and Yu Yu seized the chance to slap another detect spell on it.
[Forest Anaconda] (Status: Critically Injured, Lacerated, Bleeding, Blinded, Poisoned)
On closer look, its health was dropping wildly at over fifty points per second. Clearly, at least one of Shu Tu's arrows was poisoned.
Fuyu murmured, "I thought we'd have to fight it a bit."
Zi Shu, covered in blood and eyeball mucus, had yellowish fluid dripping from her skin, reeking terribly. Afraid to open her mouth and taste the slime, she stayed silent.
Yu Yu looked at Zi Shu like she was a beast. "…Eternal Darkness isn't some idiot game where you ignore weak points and hack away at a monster's armor."
"Believe it or not, Zi Shu's sword would've dulled."
As she spoke, Yu Yu summoned a water orb to wash Zi Shu's face.
Fuyu eyed the rampaging python. "Fair point."
"When it opened its mouth to catch me, if I'd let it swallow me, could I have killed it from inside?"
Shu Tu considered. "I recall pythons secrete digestive juices to sedate prey. Wanna try?"
Fuyu: "…Next time, next time."
She looked at Zi Shu with mixed feelings. "Top student, you're hardcore. You keep giving me new ideas."
Zi Shu, too busy washing, had a greenish face. She dragged Yu Yu behind a tree, stripping off armor and clothes to scrub.
The python died—they got the experience.
[Gained Experience +2000]
Fuyu and Shu Tu stared at the massive corpse, lost in thought.
Now what? How to harvest this loot?
Skin it? Cut the meat? Or…
Fuyu muttered, "Can Zi Shu carry it?"
"No way, no matter how you slice it."
Yu Yu had conjured a bucket of water for Zi Shu and tossed in some body wash. Zi Shu was too dedicated, reflecting even while washing, saying this might happen often and she needed to adapt. Then her face grew greener, practically scrubbing her skin off. Too tragic—Yu Yu couldn't bear to watch.
Yu Yu stared at the python. "Fuyu, can you cut its skin?"
Fuyu slashed with her dagger, leaving a white scratch.
The scales had a faint crack.
Fuyu: "…Dual-wielding, without weak-point attacks, my damage cap can't break its armor."
She sighed. "Gotta hit weak points."
She twirled her dagger absently. "If it was Zhong Ye, what would she do?"
Yu Yu couldn't answer. "Having ideas is already good."
Zi Shu, soaked, walked over. "Did it drop anything good?"
Yu Yu: "Theoretically, python hide +n, snake meat +n, maybe a gall bladder +1, if it has one."
"But we don't have time to butcher it."
It was thicker than a bus and as long as a train.
If Zi Shu and Shu Tu hadn't blinded it, fighting this thing on the ground would've been torture. Zi Shu was also stumped. "Forget it, the magic circle's task comes first. Leave it."
Yu Yu thought. "Plus, it's corrupted. Who knows if the meat's edible?"
"In short, total loss," Zi Shu summed up.
They'd outgrown dragging monster corpses back to town for sale.
Mainly, it was too far to haul.
Senior definitely wouldn't teleport with this thing.
Yu Yu: "Keep going on the trees or switch to the ground?"
"Trees."
"Trees."
"Trees."
Yu Yu decided. "Alright, up we go."
Zi Shu hoisted her. "Higher vantage, better view, feels safer."
Fuyu scanned the distance often. "This fat snake seems to have attracted stuff. We gotta move."
They moved cautiously, weaving through treetops, occasionally spotting powerful monsters below, but few on the trees. Besides that python, they encountered three more and one annoying black bird.
Zi Shu and Fuyu were helpless against flying monsters, and with a nest of mid-tier monsters below, they couldn't go to the ground or deal with the bird. Yu Yu and Shu Tu exhausted themselves driving it off, half-dead from effort.
As night fell, Yu Yu's group could faintly see beyond the forest. A boundless wasteland stretched out, dotted with graves, broken swords, shattered walls, spears, and lances.
Yu Yu couldn't help but sigh. "Silver Moon's people must have it rough."
Fuyu, seeing farther, agreed. "So brutal."
Zi Shu: "If we don't level up, we'll end up like this."
Shu Tu stroked her bowstring, silent.
Yu Yu snapped back. "Wind Singer's route was trustworthy. No surprise from a high-tier warrior."
Zi Shu glanced over instantly. "When can you introduce me?"
Yu Yu thought. "Never asked—what's your plan for your future build?"
Zi Shu: "What?"
Yu Yu: "Wind Singer's style is…"
She organized her words. "High attack speed, high agility warrior. Her endurance and strength might lag behind same-tier traditional warriors."
"Her attacks aim for one-shot kills, all weak-point strikes," Yu Yu said. "Steal her skills, and she'd drop Path of the Gale. You can guess from the name, right?"
Zi Shu was pondering but caught the keyword. "What's Path of the Gale?"
Yu Yu eyed her for a moment, tactfully saying, "Don't worry about Path of the Gale. Just say, do you want to go agility warrior?"
Zi Shu frowned, thinking. "I prefer being unassailable."
Fuyu leaned in. "What about me? I think I'd fit!"
Yu Yu nodded. "Looks like Wind Singer's style might not suit you."
Zi Shu's lips twitched. "I don't need it, but I want it! Who doesn't want more skills?!"
"Spill, what's Path of the Gale? No dodging."
Yu Yu: "…"
You'll be sad if you know. Better not.
Unable to deflect, Yu Yu explained.
Zi Shu faded like a dried husk, frozen in place.
Fuyu poked her twice. "Zi Shu? Wei Zishu?"
Shu Tu couldn't help laughing, scolding Yu Yu. "You shouldn't have told her."
Yu Yu's innocent face. "She kept pressing, and I couldn't dodge."
Fuyu started pinching Zi Shu's philtrum. Wei Zishu finally stirred, murmuring, "Out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new. It's because Path of the Gale doesn't suit me, it has to be…"
Yu Yu didn't dare respond. This spot was likely near the forest's edge—monsters were scarcer, and they paused here.
Why? It was almost dark.
And they were about to log off.
Despite choosing a safer route, it still took nearly a day.
Yu Yu didn't know how others were faring.
Checking the time, Zi Shu asked, "We just wait?"
Yu Yu: "Logging off soon, and you're not setting up camp? Wanna sleep outside?"
She sensed a trap.
Shu Tu scanned the area. "Set up camp here? Isn't it too close to the battlefield?"
"What if players pass by…"
Yu Yu: "Ever played Minecraft?"
Zi Shu: "?"
Fuyu: "You're not…"
Yu Yu smiled.
Moments later, a downward cellar was complete.
Yu Yu's earth tremor and stone wall were perfect for this. The entrance was camouflaged with overgrowth spawning a patch of grass—flawless.
"Why aren't you rushing?" Fuyu marveled. "I thought we'd charge out to kill monsters and claim first."
Yu Yu glanced at her spell list, then calmly looked away. "Shu Tu's still up the tree, right? She hasn't seen a second team. What's the hurry?"
Fuyu's blank face. "Doesn't that mean we should rush?"
Yu Yu looked at Zi Shu. "For exams, figuring out the examiner's intent is key."
Zi Shu sat quietly by the cellar entrance. "You know the magic circle's goal?"
Above, three mage eyes focused intently.
Compared to Yu Yu's progress, others were still suffering in the forest. Without Wind Singer's route, many had fallen.
What mildly amused Meng and the others was the outsiders' optimism. They took beatings yet kept joking, each quip unique and entertaining… dying in "glorious" poses.
That might be the outsiders' brand of romance. In contrast, Yu Yu's smooth sailing drew less attention. Her spell list was far more complete than other outsiders', and her teammates were solid. Not much drama, not fun.
Meng preferred watching other outsiders suffer—their shrieks were hilarious. But Yu Yu's words piqued her interest, and she eavesdropped.
Tch, the magic circle's intent?
Can you guess it?
I don't even know the Grand Archon's intent!
Three chubby mage eyes squeezed together, perking up.
Yu Yu backpedaled. "How could I know?"
"But I can guess."
Zi Shu mused. "Did an NPC tip you off?"
Yu Yu shook her head. "Nope. They might not even know what the Grand Archon wants."
"Even if I guessed right, they wouldn't tell me."
Felix gave a soft scoff.
She might actually guess.
But I sure won't say.
Fuyu wandered nearby, playing with her dagger, her voice drifting. "So, spill."
"Wow, really no one around, no monsters either. The battlefield's super quiet. Why?"
Yu Yu answered casually. "Maybe they're sleeping underground."
"Later, we'll join them. Happy?"
Fuyu: "Happy, my foot!"
Zi Shu: "Is the magic circle picking players?"
"Strong ones? Fighters? Or obedient ones?"
Meng glanced at her, then tsked.
Too weak, next.
Zi Shu's next line: "I can be all of those!"
Still not satisfied, she added, "Clinging to the magic circle's golden thigh, no question."
Yu Yu: "Remember what Shang Wei asked?"
Zi Shu: "Yup, and the magic circle hit her with a triple shrug."
"Her questions were leading."
Zi Shu pondered. "So we shouldn't attack each other?"
Yu Yu: "What kind of players do you think the magic circle wants, given its current state?"
"Lawful good? Chaotic evil?"
Zi Shu: "Depends on the magic circle's alignment…"
After a moment, she looked at Yu Yu. "You think the magic circle's staying hands-off to observe players' actions? And record them?"
Meng raised a curious brow.
Zi Shu pressed, "You know the magic circle best. What's its alignment?"
Yu Yu: "They practically rule the Allen Peninsula. Look at Moon Bay Town."
Zi Shu hesitated. "Lawful good?"
Yu Yu couldn't take it. "No way!"
"Even if I'm dead, lying in a coffin, turned to ash, I'd croak with a rotting voice that the magic circle isn't lawful good!"
Meng: "…"
Felix: "…"
Han: "…"
Say it louder, why don't you?
Yu Yu fumed. "With so many chaos-lovers, how could they be lawful good?!"
What lawful good is this scummy?!
Zi Shu was speechless. "Not chaotic evil, surely?"
She mused, muttering, "At most chaotic neutral, not chaotic evil."
Shu Tu, from above, chimed in. "I'd say lawful neutral or lawful evil."
"The magic circle values order. Look at Silver Moon's laws—spellcasters seem bound by them too."
Zi Shu was lost. "So, do they like players attacking each other?"
Yu Yu: "They definitely don't like chaotic players."
Lawful alignments hated chaotic players.
Zi Shu mused. "You're saying Shang Wei's questions were meant to mislead others?"
"If we eliminate players by attacking, the magic circle will note it?"
Fuyu gasped. "They're that sneaky? Isn't that entrapment?!"
Zi Shu got it. "What if others attack us?"
Yu Yu: "We fight back. I don't know if the magic circle likes chaos, but Senior absolutely hates bottling it up. Anyone who messes with me gets their ashes scattered!"
Meng: "…" Oh?
Felix: "…" Hmph.
Shu Tu: "I hadn't thought that far."
"If we see Shang Wei and she only provokes without attacking, that's probably it."
Fuyu, half-getting it, said, "She thought that far ahead back then?"
How's she so sneaky?
Yu Yu pulled out another apple, crunching. "It's all guesses. Maybe the magic circle spans all nine alignments, with every type."
"Senior said the magic circle used to be super powerful," she said casually. "Like the Enforcement Office, hmph, full of vicious people. Probably all chaotic evil."
Yu Yu smiled. "No matter the player type, the magic circle has a use for them and a place for everyone."
"Like Shang Wei—perfect for cannon fodder, zapped daily."
Meng fell into thought.
Does Yu know we're listening?
What's with this blatant bias?
Zi Shu's face turned odd. "…If you're right, the magic circle must track our actions, even words. Isn't that too much?"
Yu Yu pulled out more apples. "Want one?"
As Zi Shu reached for one, the apple floated upward.
Zi Shu's shocked face.
Fuyu looked up.
Shu Tu looked up.
No one in sight.
This?
Yu Yu: "…Eavesdropping's unethical."
Felix teleported, catching the other two apples that flew up.
Han: "?"
Meng's voice drifted lazily. "Speak softly. Why isn't the magic circle lawful good?"
"Or I'll tell the Grand Archon you've got beef with the magic circle."
Yu Yu: "?"
"??"
"???"