Chapter 246: Health Bar (1)

The Health Bars were displayed proportionally.

For example, Zhen Xing's defense and combat power combined exceeded six thousand, while Eugene's totaled only four thousand, making Eugene's Health Bar only two-thirds as long.

The Health Bar above Zhen Xing's head was especially eye-catching.

It was almost two or three times wider than his body, floating above his head in an imposing display.

Eugene's was also extremely long because he vastly outclassed most contestants, so the difference between the two wasn't particularly striking.

Out of the millions of participants, not a single one of the Top 100 semifinalists was weak.

However, because the gap in strength was so enormous, some contestants had Health Bars only as wide as a single palm.

—Even so, they were still obvious.

—After all, a bright red Health Bar was impossible to miss.

In a scene where everyone had a Health Bar above their head, most of them even more noticeable than the people themselves...

He Yu's head was completely blank.

That was even more conspicuous.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Almost everyone turned to look at him.

Their gazes stopped above his head, filled with astonishment.

Wanrenzhan strode forward several steps and shouted,

"What's going on?! Another system bug?! Damn it, they didn't even give you a Health Bar?!"

Victory and defeat were determined by Health Bars.

If He Yu had no Health Bar...

Didn't that mean he had already been eliminated?

Wanrenzhan was furious.

At a time like this...

The system was pulling another stunt!

And each one was becoming more outrageous than the last.

Previously, it had assigned He Yu to a third faction.

Now it wasn't even giving him a Health Bar?

He Yu: "..."

Everyone: "..."

After a long silence, in the strangely quiet atmosphere, Eugene finally spoke softly,

"Has anyone considered..."

"...that maybe He Yu does have a Health Bar?"

Wanrenzhan: "???"

Duan Yuchen suddenly thought of one of his pieces of equipment.

He took it out of his backpack and floated it above He Yu's head.

A magnifying glass.

It enlarged everything beneath it.

Every strand of He Yu's hair became visible in incredible detail.

Even magnified, his hair looked remarkably neat.

Unfortunately, no one paid attention to that.

Their eyes were fixed on the tiny Health Bar that could only be seen after magnification.

Everyone fell into another strange silence.

Wanrenzhan: "............"

【Bullet Screen: "..."】

【Bullet Screen: "Damn it... I'm both angry and laughing."】

【Bullet Screen: "He Yu is really too weak... The comparison is way too direct."】

【Bullet Screen: "Wanrenzhan really is an idiot!!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Actually... I thought He Yu didn't have a Health Bar at first too..."】

【Bullet Screen: "Same. I was already preparing to curse the system, and then... uh..."】

Duan Yuchen put away the magnifying glass.

Wanrenzhan stared at the empty-looking space above He Yu's head and swallowed.

"You're... way too fragile."

Everyone knew He Yu was weak.

Everyone knew his combat power was only 2.

But He Yu's usual performance was so overwhelmingly impressive that people constantly forgot how weak he truly was.

Or rather...

They had never possessed such an intuitive understanding of his weakness.

Now that it was displayed as a Health Bar...

The contrast was unbelievably obvious.

And therefore...

Incredibly shocking.

So...

He Yu was actually this weak...

Zhante raised a finger, looked at it, then looked at He Yu in astonishment.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I could poke you to death with one finger?"

He Yu looked at him expressionlessly.

Then smiled faintly.

Zhante immediately hid his hand behind his back, shut his mouth, and blinked innocently.

The Health Bar represented both life and the combined value of combat power and defense.

Since He Yu's combat power was only 2...

His Health Bar was so tiny that it was practically invisible.

After thinking for a moment, He Yu put on the Frost Beast Coat.

Immediately, his Health Bar changed.

Instead °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of looking completely blank...

It became—

About the length of a finger.

Everyone: "..."

Audience: "..."

Damn it.

That looked even more ridiculous.

Among all the long and short Health Bars...

One absurdly tiny Health Bar suddenly appeared.

It was impossible not to notice!

As a high-grade piece of equipment, the Frost Beast Coat naturally possessed extremely high attributes.

For anyone else to achieve the same effect...

They would need countless combat-power and defensive equipment pieces, plus their own natural strength.

He Yu achieved such an obvious increase...

With nothing more than a single coat.

That alone proved how extraordinary it was.

But no matter how powerful it was...

It was still only one piece of equipment.

"You only have this one defensive item?"

Eugene began taking out defensive equipment.

"Want to borrow some?"

"The stats aren't great."

"But something is better than nothing."

Duan Yuchen also started taking equipment out.

"Only four minutes left."

"He Yu, stack as much equipment as you can."

"This instance is extremely unfriendly to you."

Siya sneered.

"When has any instance ever been friendly to He Yu?"

This instance looked fair.

Yet it still targeted He Yu in every possible way.

His weakness was combat power.

So the instance simply focused entirely on combat power.

He Yu stopped everyone from handing him equipment.

He declined calmly.

"Simply stacking defensive equipment won't help."

"Don't worry about me."

Everyone already wore a mountain of equipment.

Defensive attributes were naturally much lower than combat attributes.

Even if He Yu gathered every defensive item everyone owned...

His Health Bar still wouldn't become particularly long.

Moreover...

Without combat power...

Defensive equipment only allowed him to passively endure attacks.

Every hit would reduce the equipment's defensive value.

Sooner or later...

His Health Bar would still be depleted.

The method was useless.

Besides...

He Yu had no desire to wear countless defensive items.

Wanrenzhan immediately became anxious.

"You still need some defense!"

"With a Health Bar like yours, anyone can eliminate you!"

"Didn't you read the rules?"

"We can't help you at all!"

Everyone had always regarded He Yu as the team's brain.

But when had a team's brain ever been expected to fight personally?

This instance...

Had completely separated the brain from the hands and feet.

Forcing the brain to survive alone.

He Yu nodded.

"I read them."

"No two contestants can stay together for more than one minute."

The rule completely eliminated any possibility of someone remaining beside He Yu to protect him.

Qiong frowned deeply.

"An infinite cave labyrinth..."

"That means everything inside will be chaotic."

"Once we enter..."

"...finding anyone again will be extremely difficult."

"If He Yu is in danger..."

"...I'm afraid none of us will be able to reach him."

Yuan Ze's smile carried obvious mockery despite the coldness in his eyes.

"Exactly."

"They've cut off every possible way for us to assist He Yu."

"They're forcing him to become a lone wolf."

"They want him to fight entirely on his own."

But with only 2 combat power...

How was he supposed to fight?

Duan Yuchen breathed rapidly.

"He Yu..."

"Can you repair your sword within these few minutes?"

"We can give you different ores to choose from."

He Yu shook his head.

"There isn't enough time."

Compared to everyone else's anxiety...

He Yu remained remarkably calm.

Cool-headed.

Unhurried.

As though he didn't feel any sense of danger whatsoever.

He adjusted his glasses.

"I have no combat power."

"But do you really think..."

"...that means I have no fighting ability?"

Combat power...

And fighting ability...

Were two completely different things.

Combat power was merely a Federation measurement.

He Yu had never walked that path.

Everyone paused in surprise.

Wanrenzhan suddenly remembered something.

His pupils contracted.

His eyes immediately lit up.

"Taiji!"

"You can use minimal force against overwhelming strength!"

"You used Taiji against me back then!"

—He Yu possessed no means of launching direct attacks.

—But killing him wasn't nearly as easy as people imagined.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wanrenzhan relaxed.

"Right!"

"I almost forgot."

"You're not easy to deal with either."

"Anyone thinking of attacking He Yu had better think twice."

His sharp gaze swept warningly across everyone present.

The others lowered their eyes slightly.

Clearly...

They were thinking.

Weighing the risks.

Not everyone had witnessed He Yu's Taiji personally.

But everyone had heard about it.

Its existence was common knowledge.

Not merely a rumor.

Therefore...

Even if they encountered He Yu inside...

Actually fighting him...

Didn't necessarily guarantee victory.

Zhen Xing and Ling Buchen had already thought of this earlier.

Yet worry still remained in their eyes.

The two silently questioned He Yu with their gazes—

Will it really work?

Unlike Wanrenzhan...

They weren't so easily reassured.

He Yu's ability to redirect overwhelming force had limits.

Back then, Wanrenzhan had represented "a thousand pounds."

Now...

Most contestants had already reached "ten thousand pounds."

Could He Yu still redirect them?

After all...

Only He Yu's mind had been strengthened.

His own body had never been enhanced.

Neither of them voiced those concerns aloud.

They merely communicated through their eyes.

The more cautious everyone remained toward He Yu...

The safer He Yu would be.

He Yu calmly met their gazes.

Then looked away.

Both men's hearts immediately sank.

Bo Jingshan watched the silent exchange.

His own expression darkened slightly as well.

Eugene glanced at the time.

Only one minute remained before the spawn area disappeared.

This instance was incredibly straightforward.

Fight.

Nothing but fighting.

Pure slaughter.

There were no conditions.

No missions.

Not even the possibility of a draw.

There was nothing worth discussing.

Looking back at He Yu, Eugene said,

"Take care."

Wanrenzhan swung his axe.

"If anyone dares touch He Yu..."

"I'll never let them go!"

As he spoke, his gaze turned vicious as he glared around at everyone.

Everyone maintained perfectly calm expressions.

Not a trace of hostility toward He Yu could be seen.

Zhen Xing exchanged glances with the others.

Holding his zither, Ling Buchen slowly spoke,

"You all go in first."

"He Yu and I will stay behind."

Everyone understood immediately.

Ling Buchen and the others were worried that if someone entered immediately after He Yu...

They might simply follow his route and hunt him down.

So everyone else would enter first.

Only then would He Yu choose an entrance.

There wasn't much time left.

Nor was there room for objections.

One after another...

The contestants entered the labyrinth.

When only He Yu and the remaining thirteen people were left...

Yuan Ze's expression instantly turned cold.

"Kill."

"We have to move as quickly as possible."

Compared with the other contestants...

Their group knew far more.

Each also had their own reasons.

None of them would allow He Yu to die.

The fastest way to ensure He Yu survived this instance...

Was to eliminate fifty contestants as quickly as possible.

If they killed fifty people...

As long as He Yu remained alive...

No matter how tiny his Health Bar was...

He would still advance.

Eugene nodded without hesitation.

Duan Yuchen and the others likewise offered no objections.

The additional match existed to eliminate fifty contestants.

To advance...

They simply needed to remain among the top fifty Health Bars.

That was easy for them.

They were all top experts.

As long as they stayed alive...

Victory was guaranteed.

But He Yu wasn't.

To ensure He Yu advanced...

They would have to start killing.

Eugene looked at He Yu.

"Do you really have a way to protect yourself?"

He Yu tilted his head.

"What do you think?"

Eugene: "..."

He sighed heavily.

"We'll meet the conditions as quickly as possible."

"You take care."

"When it's appropriate..."

"...don't hesitate to appear weak."

"I'm honestly afraid..."

"...that you'll already be dead before we've killed enough people."

Siya suddenly remembered something.

She took out a pair of whistles.

Handing one to He Yu, she said,

"This was an equipment reward I obtained in the <Kill the Prisoners> instance."

"If you blow it..."

"With enough luck..."

"...someone else carrying the matching whistle might find you by following the sound."

"Of course..."

"If you're unlucky..."

"...the first person to find you might be someone trying to kill you."

He Yu lowered his eyes toward the whistle.

Siya kept one herself and handed him the other.

"If the two whistles get close enough..."

"...they can lock onto each other's positions."

"They also allow communication."

After a pause, she added helplessly,

"Though inside a labyrinth..."

"...they may not be that useful."

They could determine a location.

But they couldn't indicate a route.

Inside an infinite cave maze...

Someone might follow the signal...

Only to discover they were separated by a wall...

Unable to meet.

Wanrenzhan's eyes lit up.

"This thing's great!"

"Even if the positioning isn't precise..."

"...at least you'll get closer."

"And you can still talk."

"You'll be able to exchange information."

Eugene looked completely envious.

"This equipment is amazing."

"Siya, how is your luck always this good?"

Siya tossed back her gorgeous purple hair.

Lifting her chin proudly, she smiled with dazzling confidence.

"Naturally."

"Who do you think I am?"

"I'm the most beautiful woman in the entire universe—Siya!"

Qiong: "..."

"Blegh."

Siya snorted proudly.

"Bean Sprout."

"You're just jealous."

Qiong tilted her head slightly beneath the brim of her hat.

A tiny dimple appeared.

"Why would I be jealous of you?"

"Isn't it you who's jealous of me?"

"What did you say—"

The two immediately began bickering again.

Zhen Xing felt a headache coming on.

He raised a hand.

"Time is limited."

"Everyone, get moving."

"Siya's equipment is useful."

"He Yu, keep it."

"It'll also discourage anyone thinking of attacking you."

He Yu had already accepted the whistle.

Lowering his eyes, he examined it curiously.

—A Federation mobile phone?

"Take care, He Yu."

Worry filled Zhen Xing's eyes.

He Yu nodded.

Then walked together with the others toward the cave labyrinth.

Although they couldn't move together...

Zhen Xing and the others still wanted to protect He Yu.

Ling Buchen walked ahead of him.

Zhen Xing walked behind.

All three entered the same tunnel.

The moment he stepped inside...

Ling Buchen glanced back at He Yu.

Then quickly looked away.

—He believed in He Yu.

—Even in a slaughter match...

—Even with only 2 combat power...

He Yu would not lose.

—

Of course He Yu knew they wanted to protect him.

Especially Ling Buchen ahead...

And Zhen Xing behind...

However...

The instant he stepped into the labyrinth...

He realized their plan had already failed.

The cave entrance possessed teleportation properties.

At that moment...

He Yu found himself inside a seemingly bottomless tunnel.

It felt very similar to the time he had been inside the Labyrinth Beast's body.

Except...

These walls were hard.

Cold.

Clearly inanimate.

The others who had entered almost simultaneously had all disappeared.

He listened carefully.

There seemed to be no one else in this tunnel besides himself.

At the same time—

"He Yu! He Yu—!"

Wanrenzhan shouted twice.

Receiving no response...

He realized He Yu was extremely far away.

Immediately, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

Gripping his axe...

He began frantically smashing the cave walls.

【Bullet Screen: "What is he doing?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Testing how strong the tunnels are?"】

Zhen Xing and the others had also tested the tunnel walls.

But they each struck only once before understanding the situation and moving on.

Only Wanrenzhan...

Continued pounding away without stopping.

After hammering for quite some time...

The walls remained completely untouched.

As solid as ever.

Given Wanrenzhan's current combat power...

The conclusion was obvious.

This was part of the instance's design.

The walls were indestructible.

Was Wanrenzhan still refusing to believe it?

Just as the audience thought that...

Wanrenzhan finally stopped.

He let out a long sigh.

"All right."

"So it isn't the Labyrinth Beast."

"It's not a living creature after all."

Audience: "............"

【Bullet Screen: "He's permanently the comic relief!"】

【Bullet Screen: "That idiot is killing me with laughter!!"】

【Bullet Screen: "He's only this reckless because he's so strong. Nobody dares fight him one-on-one. He's guaranteed to advance."】

【Bullet Screen: "Among their entire group, only He Yu is actually in danger."】

The thirteen contestants who had remained until the end of the previous instance—

He Yu, Zhen Xing, Yuan Ze, Zhante, and the others—

All possessed terrifying combat power.

This instance focused entirely on individual combat.

For twelve of them...

Advancement was practically guaranteed.

All that remained was waiting.

Of course...

To protect He Yu...

They were already hunting down other contestants.

He Yu...

Was the only one truly in danger.

The rules of this instance severely restricted him.

Everything depended on combat power.

Intelligence meant nothing.

Countless viewers flooded into He Yu's livestream.

Praying he would survive.

Some were worried.

Others remained relatively optimistic.

【He Yu saved everyone in the previous instance. Until the final struggle for advancement begins, most contestants probably won't attack him. He's relatively safe.】

Many people agreed with that assessment.

Including Zhen Xing and the others.

They also believed He Yu should be fairly safe at the beginning.

Thus they confidently went off to hunt other contestants.

Zhen Xing sprinted through the maze, Magic Cube in hand.

Eugene and Gedai modified themselves to scan for traces of other contestants.

Searching.

Tracking.

Siya, Qiong, and the others also gave it everything they had...

Only He Yu...

Strolled leisurely through the tunnels.

Completely unconcerned about his own circumstances.

If not for the tiny Health Bar floating above his head...

Anyone seeing him would probably assume he was some overwhelmingly powerful expert.

Walking along the dimly lit passage...

He naturally noticed the Bullet Screen.

He also saw that almost all the viewers believed he was safe.

A faint smile appeared on He Yu's lips.

—Not necessarily.

—This was the <Top Talent Show>.

A <Top Talent Show> hiding countless secrets.

How could anything here ever be certain?

After walking a few more steps...

He suddenly stopped.

Without turning around...

He calmly spoke.

"Come out."

"Since we've already met..."

"And you intend to kill me..."

"...then stop hiding."

The moment his voice fell...

A deliberately lowered voice echoed from behind him.

"I thought I hid myself perfectly."

"With your pathetic 2 combat power..."

"And such terrible physical ability..."

"...how exactly did you discover me?"

He Yu remained calm.

"Echoes."

"I calculated how my footsteps echoed from every direction."

"When I reached this location..."

"...the values changed ever so slightly."

After a pause, he continued,

"So I was certain..."

"...someone alive was hiding here."

The other person: "..."

Audience: "..."

Even dogs would fall silent after hearing that.

—Just how absurdly intelligent and quick-thinking was that brain of his?

—In a situation like this, he still had time to calculate echoes?

—Wasn't he afraid of dying at all?

A gust of wind suddenly came from behind.

Clearly...

The hidden person had launched an attack on He Yu!

The audience had guessed wrong.

It wasn't true that no contestant wanted to attack He Yu.

On the contrary...

There were still people determined to kill him.

And they had acted...

The instant the additional match began.

【Bullet Screen: "AHHHHHHHHH!!"】

【Bullet Screen: "He Yu! Watch out!"】

Naturally, He Yu heard the incoming attack.

He instantly dodged to the side.

The opponent's strike missed.

However...

The powerful equipment they wielded still grazed He Yu.

Half of his Health Bar disappeared immediately.

The finger-length Health Bar...

Was now reduced to barely a tiny sliver.

He Yu had already moved aside.

The attacker landed exactly where He Yu had been standing.

Turning around...

The two now faced each other.

They had practically exchanged positions.

Once the attacker saw He Yu's face...

The determination in their eyes only grew stronger.

Just as they prepared to attack again...

He Yu calmly raised a hand.

His voice remained steady.

"Melvi."

"Why are you trying to kill me?"

Melvi.

The contestant eliminated at the end of the previous instance.

One of the top experts.

A contestant from the Mechanical Planet.