Chapter 53: Eruption

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Eruption

[Survival Tip: For the top 100 players on the supply leaderboard, red-dot tracking mode will be permanently enabled within this dungeon. All players, please pay attention to those with numbers above their heads. Killing them will grant you all of their supplies and their rank.]

[Special Announcement: If a high-ranked player on the leaderboard kills a lower-ranked player on the same leaderboard, they will receive half of the lower-ranked player’s supplies, and their rank will not change.]

[If a lower-ranked player kills a higher-ranked player, they will receive all of the deceased player’s supplies and their rank.]

[If a player on the leaderboard kills a player not on the leaderboard, the rewards will be random.]

The system’s reward conditions were not favorable to the players on the leaderboard. Instead, they incited and incentivized lower-ranked players to kill the higher-ranked ones.

The previously silent players instantly broke into whispers.

A few players, forgetting the pact, ran over with torches to get a better look.

Shi Zhile was also thinking about the pact in her mind.

1. Fighting, killing, and arson are forbidden in the Medicine Lake area. Violators will be put to death!

2. The vegetation around the Medicine Lake must not be trampled or picked. Violators will be put to death!

3. Please protect the environment!

Once the pact expired, the players gathered around the Medicine Lake would swarm them.

She looked up and saw the number 8 slowly materialize above Jiang Jing’s head. Then she looked at Jiang Yu, Wang Peng, and Chuyi.

The numbers above their heads were 28, 21, and 4, respectively.

Wang Peng exclaimed in surprise, "There really are numbers! Sister Zhile, you’ve got a one over your head, and the light from your body is so bright. You’re like a lightbulb.

Chuyi is number four, and his glow is really bright too. Jiang Jing is 8, and his glow is a little dimmer than both of yours."

He sidled closer. "You know the saying, ’like a moth to a flame’? You three are the flame right now. It makes people want to lunge in and take a bite."

Shi Zhile pushed him away, her face impassive.

Her rank was the highest, so while she could see the numbers above their heads, she couldn’t see the glow emanating from their bodies.

But with all five of them having numbers, in the eyes of the other players, they were a juicy prize that everyone wanted a piece of.

Once the pact expired, the five of them would undoubtedly become everyone’s target.

Shi Zhile checked the time on her panel: 11:37 PM.

Less than half an hour remained until the pact expired.

The gazes of the players around them shifted from subtle to brazen. They sized up Shi Zhile and her group, and the bolder ones even began to whistle.

"Didn’t expect Contentment Brings Happiness to be such a pretty girl. With you taking the number one spot, it makes the rest of us look useless."

"Everyone, let’s rush them together later. We kill these five and split their supplies evenly."

"Surround them first, so they can’t escape later."

Chuyi stood up, stretching his wrists, a smile spreading across his face again.

"There are only five of us, and with so many of you, there aren’t enough ranks to go around. Besides, some of our supplies are extremely valuable. Who do you think should get them?"

A man from the crowd of players stepped forward. "You’re about to die, and you’re still trying to sow discord? Once you’re all dead, we’ll divide the supplies however we please."

Chuyi scoffed. "If I were you, I wouldn’t just focus on the five of us. Behind us is the Medicine Lake. Any player who touches its water will freeze solid. Wouldn’t it be better to leave a few people to keep us trapped and send the rest to take care of the others?"

He pointed to the wooden cabin. "There are other high-ranked players over there. I remember the second and third-ranked players are inside. I don’t care if I die. The point is, I want to drag everyone down with me."

His smile sent a chill down their spines. The players who had been gradually closing in were so intimidated that they took a few steps back.

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Zhile and Jiang Yu retreated to the lake’s edge, while Jiang Jing and Wang Peng stood in front of them, completely blocking them from the other players’ line of sight.

11:50. Ten minutes remained until the pact expired.

Shi Zhile looked at the time on her panel and quickly messaged Jiang Yuxing: [After we get to the bottom of the lake, can we leave the dungeon right away?]

Jiang Yuxing replied: [No, one of the dungeon’s exit conditions must be met.]

Shi Zhile described the situation outside to him, adding at the end: [Get your weapons ready. The moment we arrive, we’ll launch a counter-attack.]

[Jiang Yuxing: Okay.]

He sent over his coordinates.

11:54. Half of the players surrounding the group of five were drawn away, likely to pursue other high-ranked players.

Even so, a large crowd of players remained.

Wang Peng moved closer to Shi Zhile and whispered, "Should we use the same method as last time? I’ve got a full stock of lava this time."

A snowflake landed on Shi Zhile’s palm, melting into a droplet of water two seconds later. She looked up at the sky and saw it was filled with falling snow.

"It’s snowing. The moment you use your lava, the dungeon will make it snow or rain heavily."

Rain would extinguish the lava, and the scorching lava would melt heavy snow into rain. So, whether it snowed or rained, the lava method wouldn’t work.

Wang Peng took out a stone vat filled with lava. In almost the same instant, the snow started to fall as thick as goose down.

In less than a minute, everyone was covered in a layer of white.

The heavy snow fell into the vat, and the top layer of lava let out a harsh sizzling sound, startling Wang Peng into quickly stowing it back in his inventory.

11:58. The players watched them like predators, weapons and tools in hand.

Shi Zhile held her Water Gun in one hand and an axe in the other, fully prepared for a fight to the death.

Jiang Jing moved closer to Jiang Yu and Shi Zhile, whispering, "Are you sure Jiang Yuxing’s information is reliable? Will we be safe entering the bottom of the lake at midnight?"

Wang Peng chimed in, "Don’t worry, Brother Nan has always been reliable. Once you get to know him, you’ll see you can always count on him. If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Zhile."

Shi Zhile kept her eyes on the time, ignoring them both.

11:59. The system’s countdown began to sound.

As the seconds ticked away, the cold voice grew thick with anticipation.

[Countdown: 56, 55, 54...]

Jiang Jing tightened his grip on his shovel, and Wang Peng clutched his dagger.

Chuyi slowly backed up to Jiang Yu’s side. "When the countdown hits two, we all jump together. The remaining second is more than enough time for us to hit the water."

Jiang Jing frowned. "To be safe, we should only enter the water after the countdown is over."

Chuyi retorted, "No way. These people will charge before the countdown even finishes. Every second we delay jumping just increases the danger."

"And you can guarantee it’s safe underwater?"

"At least..."

Shi Zhile was getting fed up. "Both of you, shut up!"

[...15, 14, 13...]

"Players will definitely follow us in. A second early, a second late—those who are meant to die will die regardless. Fate will decide. Choose for yourselves."

[...8, 7, 6...]

Shi Zhile gripped her Water Gun tightly. About a meter to her side stood a woman.

She held a bow and arrow, the tip aimed right at Shi Zhile.

Her gaze was steady; you could tell with a single glance that she had killed before.

Shi Zhile memorized her face, her axe already raised.

The moment the timer hit zero, she would instantly take the woman’s head.

[...3, 2, 1.]

As the "1" faded, Shi Zhile tilted her head, dodging the oncoming Arrow Fletching.

She swung her axe in a backhand strike to cut the woman down, while her other hand reached around Wang Peng to press the trigger on her Water Gun.