Ten minutes earlier…
"Jiaxiu, how's the situation with the Hua Kingdom side?"
Park Jiho, having finished a day of hunting, finally returned to the village. Exhausted, he slumped onto a table at the tavern, asking weakly.
Though he was absolutely confident in his abilities, he knew this challenge left no room for mistakes. So, he gave his all today, using all his strength to hunt monsters, level up, and earn points.
As a result, he earned a staggering 600 points in just one day, and the few team members with him also racked up nearly 200 points each. Their team's total score accounted for about a third of the 9th Newbie Village's total score.
Although he hadn't yet seen the opponent's score, Park Jiho was certain that their performance meant victory was practically secured.
In his eyes, no one could surpass his monster-hunting efficiency. The Hua people had always relied on their large numbers, but now that both sides had equal numbers, it was clear the Koreans had the upper hand.
"Jiho oppa, their highest score is close to 300 points, only half of yours. Their total score is about 2,500 points, which is 500 points lower than ours!"
"Haha, I knew it!"
Park Jiho chuckled proudly. Of course, he was pleased, because that 500-point gap was almost entirely due to his contributions. It was clear now—he was the hero of the 9th Newbie Village!
Once they won this challenge and claimed the rewards, most of the villagers would level up to level 10 within half a month, all thanks to him!
He would quickly rise in power and reputation, becoming the king of 9th Newbie Village, building his own faction, and expanding it further...
Park Jiho was an ambitious person. Since he had come to this world, he had no intention of doing anything less than building an empire.
"Jiho oppa, is 500 points lead really enough to secure victory?"
"Haha, don't worry!"
Park Jiho looked at the Korean girl beside him, his eyes heated. Despite the hex-tech marks on her face, what did it matter? She looked good now, and her body was also quite nice. Tonight, he could have a good time.
"Actually, I had my subordinates save some points… Two people, about 400 points in total. So, we're actually ahead by nearly 1,000 points. Tomorrow, when I take people out to hunt monsters again, once our 9th Newbie Village's total score hits 4,500 points, I'll have them upload the extra 400 points. We'll win the challenge instantly, and the Hua people won't even have a chance!"
Jin Jiaxiu smiled, reassured. "As expected of Jiho oppa. Even if those Hua people catch up and think they still have a chance, we'll suddenly win, and they'll be stunned!"
"Exactly."
Park Jiho began to imagine the scene, picturing the Hua people's broken expressions. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became, bursting into laughter.
Meanwhile, in the 9th Newbie Village chat channel, a group of Koreans was discussing the matter, boasting about how amazing Jiho oppa was.
Those lucky enough to team up with Park Jiho became the center of attention, admired by everyone.
However, just as they were enjoying themselves…
[System Notification: The total score of the 0th Newbie Village has exceeded 5,000 points, reaching the challenge's point threshold. The system has automatically judged the 0th Newbie Village as the winner!] [Congratulations to the 0th Newbie Village players for winning the challenge. All players receive +10 to all attributes, and experience gain is increased by 50% for the next 7 days!]
[The 9th Newbie Village has lost the mandatory challenge against the 0th Newbie Village. According to challenge rules, the village will be penalized: All players will have their attributes reduced by 10, and experience gained in the next 7 days will be reduced by 50%!]
Park Jiho's expression froze, his mouth agape, staring blankly for a long time before reacting.
Beside him, the woman named Jin Jiaxiu showed a painful expression. Because she was too afraid to hunt monsters, her level remained at level 1, and her attributes were low. With a deduction of 10 points, her attributes went negative, and her body trembled as her expression twisted. Eventually, she burst like a balloon, turning into a cloud of blood.
The penalty for having attributes below 10 and going into the negatives was death.
Park Jiho, standing so close, was immediately drenched in her blood. He screamed, watching the terrifying scene before him, clutching his head, nearly going mad.
Similar events were happening all over the 9th Newbie Village.
Some players with decent attributes, not yet reduced to negative numbers, had become "vegetables," losing consciousness, some still barely awake but unable to move, completely disabled.
Only those who had leveled up were safe, but they weren't out of danger either, especially those who barely reached level 2 after hard work, now back to square one. Many collapsed in despair.
"How could this happen? How is this possible?"
"We had the advantage! Why did they win?"
"Cheating! This is definitely cheating!"
"Right! Those despicable Hua people must be cheating!"
Park Jiho snapped out of his stupor and hurriedly opened the contribution leaderboard, where he saw the name at the top of the list.
"Li Mingyou… 6487 points?!"
His face turned dark. He certainly didn't believe the score was earned legitimately. There had to be some loophole in the system that this person exploited to cheat!
He quickly opened the chat channel, indignantly typing, "Korean brothers and sisters, this Hua person named Li Mingyou won the challenge through despicable means, causing the death of our people. We cannot let him off!"
"Jiho oppa is right! If they weren't cheating, the Hua people wouldn't be able to beat us!"
"The Hua people are despicable and shameless! We'll make them pay sooner or later!"
…
Park Jiho wiped the sweat off his forehead as he watched the others venting their anger. Thankfully, the blame was successfully shifted away. Otherwise, as the one who initiated the challenge, he might have been torn apart by the crowd.
Next, he would have to convince them not to give up and keep leveling up. They would never reach level 10, but Jiho could. Once he convinced them to join him in hunting the Newbie Village boss and using their lives to overwhelm it, he would survive…
The more Park Jiho thought, the more bitter he became. His gaze locked on the name at the top of the leaderboard, filled with resentment. "Despicable Hua people, just wait. If you dare ruin my plans, you will pay the price!"