* * *
In the outskirts of Xinlong Paradise, there stood Liu Jun's group.
Amidst the grassy fields and trees, the beautiful Qian Xue was conversing with the cute red-bloused Xie Na. In the wildlife design of Xinlong Paradise, there were beautiful feats of nature everywhere.
While conversing, the two gorgeous girls were watching Liu Jun fight.
Fighting the monsters, Liu Jun relentlessly slaughtered the horde of skeletons. Gripping his blood-stained cutlass, he thought, "I need to become strong; I never want to have my life controlled again."
Plundering the resources of the orcs from the 'Team Battle Royale', Liu Jun's group was well-equipped with weapons. In a swift notice, their group had become the hunters instead of the hunted.
"…" Qian Xue watched her boyfriend ruthlessly slaughtering the monsters with a merciless glint in his hazel eyes. With each slash, her heart bled with pain and sadness.
"Jun… he's changing." Qian Xue's heart hurt. In the past, Liu Jun was never like this. Even in the face of hardship, he would calmly fight on with a smile.
Liu Jun's emotions were numb. The peril he felt from Sun Yi's overwhelming strength was a wake-up call. In this cruel world, he had to do everything in his power to reach the peak.
Huang Dong watched his best friend with a sigh. While he was lost in thought, a sudden cry resounded near their area. Looking around, he tried to figure out the source of the noise. Abruptly, another frightening scream rang.
Finally, Liu Jun's group discerned the direction of the noise. With some hesitation, everyone stopped their actions, and they quietly moved toward the source. Exiting from a nearby building, the white-uniformed Li Xiujing also silently sneaked out with his former party upon hearing the scream.
"Remain silent." Liu Jun signaled with his hazel eyes upon noticing the 'kind' old man's group. Seeing this, Li Xiujing's former 'bow' team nodded. Clearing his throat, he slowly made his way behind a carnival store, and he peeked around the corner.
In front of his eyes, there were five goblins surrounding a group of ten men who were carrying many packets of food. Liu Jun noted the grim-looking middle-aged man at the front.
While Liu Jun was pondering whether to interfere, he noticed the beautiful Qian Xue hurriedly running toward the group of ten.
"Ah Xue…" Liu Jun's hazel pupils dilated, and he turned restless. Tapping his foot, he also sprinted in the direction of his girlfriend.
From the group of ten, Qie Chuanli's teeth were tightly clenched, and he struggled to breathe. He was terrified for his life—incredibly terrified. The situation was such that he was attempting to find food supplies for the arcade to feed the elderly and children. Even though he was scared of the monsters, it had to be done; otherwise, everyone would starve.
Qie Chuanli gave off a painful grimace. When he thought his end was looming, he noticed a strong-looking group carrying weapons about fifteen meters away; furthermore, there was a beautiful girl with an hourglass figure running toward him.
"Help!" Qie Chuanli hurriedly cried out. In hopes of them helping, he also added, "We need to bring this food and water back to the children and elderly back in the arcade!"
Luckily, Qie Chuanli was not disappointed. Qian Xue, the beautiful brunette, raced toward the five goblins carrying a golden cutlass. In due time, she reached the goblins, and she sent a flying slash toward the neck of the closest monster.
However, Qian Xue could not cut directly through the goblin's neck due to her haste, and her cutlass was stuck halfway. Perceiving her crisis, she softly winced, and she released her hand. Without a weapon, the four remaining goblins turned to murderously stare the beautiful brunette.
Under normal circumstances, Qian Xue should have been able to cut through the goblins with ease. The entire time, she had also been hunting the goblins and skeletons while getting stronger, but she did not have the proper stance moving in this time around. It was crucial to not rush one's actions.
"No…" With evident fear, Qian Xue started backing off. Her breathing became rapid; her eyes widened. While she was frightened, the beautiful brunette noticed a familiar figure that she could never ever forget run toward her in panic.
"Ah Xue!" Liu Jun ran toward his girlfriend with bloodshot eyes. How could he have been so stupid? Was his pride really that important? He almost let his girlfriend walk into her doom right next to him!
Liu Jun bit down on his cheek so hard that it bled. With unease, he speedily slashed at the four goblins. Currently, his {Player Status} was nearing the max in all the white-level stats. The goblins were torn to shreds like a hot knife slicing through butter.
After the death of the monsters, Liu Jun instantly went to embrace the soft beautiful brunette. With obvious dread, he checked over her entire body while fearfully asking, "Are you okay, Ah Xue?! Please don't scare me…"
"Yes… Jun, I'm okay." Ah Xue relaxed in her boyfriend's familiar embrace, and she closed her eyes. Feeling extremely comforted, she thought, "Please don't ever change, Jun… We just need to survive."
Not convinced, Liu Jun continued to check across her soft white skin for a solid few minutes: only after seeing his girlfriend's reassuring smile did he relax. With a deep breath, he quietly stated, "Ah Xue, don't ever do that again. Let me handle everything."
"Mn." Seeing her boyfriend's familiar fierce protectiveness, Ah Xue finally relaxed. Pleased, she giggled, "It was your fault, Jun. You've always helped others when you could—but not this time. I thought I was losing you…"
Hearing Qian Xue's remorseful words, Liu Jun thought of his recent selfish actions. Sighing, he coaxed, "Ah Xue, I won't ever change. I promise."
Qie Chuanli noticed that the monsters had been dealt with. He was about to thank the university students, but his mind was suddenly invaded by a cold notification. Within the domain of Xinlong Paradise, everyone received a message.
[Party Hunt—In a party of up to ten members, hunt down one-hundred monsters before dusk. If the mission is failed, the player's soul will be wiped. ☆Secret Prize Available☆]
[Mission, 'Party Hunt,' has been forced on player Qie Chuanli. Until dusk, players can hop between parties; however, Captains must remain. there is no time limit on the member invitations.]
[★All losing parties will cease to exist★]
For Qie Chuanli, the mission was forced; however, it was different for Liu Jun and Li Xiujing's group. In front of them, their groups had the option of whether to participate. This was due to receiving the bonus prize from the 'Team Battle Royale' mission.
Liu Jun noticed the keywords, 'Secret Prize Available.' Feeling enticed, he wanted to accept the mission, but he also noticed his frightened girlfriend. Clearing his mind, he crossed that option off, "Decline."
"What do I do?!" This was the first time Qie Chuanli had received a mission. Seeing the punishment for failure, he started panicking, and he begged the two university students, "Please, help us! We have hundreds of children, women, and elderly back in the arcade at the center."
"Very well…" Liu Jun recalled his recent promise to Qian Xue merely a few seconds ago. With some hesitation, he still accepted the grim middle-aged man's proposal for help.
"Lead the way." Liu Jun sighed. To his side, Qian Xue also happily smiled seeing his familiar answer.
Hearing the reassuring answer, Qie Chuanli was extremely grateful. Thus, he started leading the way back to the arcade. In response, both Liu Jun's and Huang Dong's group followed.
* * *
Back at the arcade center, Xinlong Paradise.
Walking into the arcade, Liu Jun saw just under a thousand figures. Yesterday, there had been many more survivors inside, but a minority of them had left to different locations within Xinlong Paradise. The two fourteen-year-old children departed a few minutes after the mysterious black-robed man had left.
There was blatant fright and alarm everywhere. Along with the mission, the dire situation inside the arcade had turned even more chaotic. Of the nearly one-thousand figures, numerous men were desperately forming 'powerful' parties that consisted of the stronger-looking men.
"Filthy." Liu Jun was disgusted at the sight, and he disliked the desperation. Along with the increasing power from the system, his values were changing without him knowing.
"So, old man. What do you want me to do here?" Liu Jun crossed his arms while examining the utter chaos within the arcade.
"Umm… the mission is to kill one-hundred monsters. Maybe your group can help us hunt them?" Upon seeing the university student's reluctance, Qie Chuanli hurriedly offered a proposal.
Hearing this, Liu Jun wanted to laugh, but he had to admit that the words contained some truth. With his current strength, it would be simple to hunt one-hundred white-portal creatures. Furthermore, he could get stronger at the same time. It was also stated that members could hop between parties. So, he could simultaneously help all his friends.
When Xie Na heard this, she also joyfully agreed, "Yeah! There's no harm, after all. Brother Jun is strong; he will definitely help!"
Being praised by such a pure girl, Liu Jun felt his ego being stroked, and he nodded, "Mm, we'll help."
Furthermore, Qian Xue also agreed with the middle-aged man's proposal. Looking at her boyfriend, she saw him blush at the cute red-bloused girl's words, and she felt some jealousy. From the beginning, Liu Jun has always enjoyed being protective of girls.
Sighing, Qian Xue shook her head. Men were fickle creatures, after all. All of them enjoyed praise. As long as Liu Jun continued treating her well, she was satisfied with their childhood relationship. It was difficult to find a man who would be completely loyal to one woman throughout an entire lifetime.