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When people were pulled into the game, they arrived wearing whatever they had on at the moment of their disappearance—short-sleeved shirts, jeans, high heels, suits... Some outfits were suited for running and jumping, while others were decidedly not.
After surviving a few rounds and gathering resources, most players opted for more practical attire, such as hiking suits or sportswear.
Those with the means even equipped themselves with thick-soled combat boots for better foot protection.
Zuo Chengan was one of them.
During a trip to the mall, he had purchased two sets of durable long-sleeved tops and pants, along with a sturdy pair of boots.
Fortunately, the game wasn't too strict about clothing.
If attire were treated as a consumable item, 90% of players would have no choice but to enter dungeons stark naked.
Only those utterly destitute—unable to afford even a meal, let alone new clothes—continued venturing into dungeons in their tattered, bloodstained, unwashed attire.
Such was the plight of Zheng Ren, whose worn-out clothing drew mocking remarks from the four Tidal Surge members seated nearby.
They didn't bother lowering their voices, confident that their guild's influence protected them from any consequences.
Zheng Ren ground his teeth in fury, fists clenched as he resisted the urge to leap over and land a few punches.
The sightseeing vehicle they were on had four rows of seats. The two groups—seven people and one dog in total—occupied two rows each, one in the front and one in the back.
The Tidal Surge members sat in the front two rows, while Zuo Chengan's group sat in the rows behind them.
The distance was close enough that a single swing of a fist could easily connect.
Seated in prime position for a brawl, Zheng Ren decided to act.
The cloth strap connecting his waist to the handrail gave him the confidence to stand up carefully on the bumpy vehicle.
He grabbed his item, the House Specialty Spatula, ready to smash it into the head of the woman with the sharpest voice.
Tan Huihui, the target of his wrath, turned pale with fear and immediately sought refuge in the arms of the man beside her.
"Brother Yang Ye! Look at him!"
Yang Ye, who had already been captivated by Tan Huihui's slender legs, now had the beauty in his arms. Naturally, he felt compelled to stand up for her.
He pulled out his own item—a massive syringe, as thick as a calf, with a needle over ten centimeters long!
In the world of combat, size mattered.
Yang Ye, a legitimate first-tier player, wielded a weapon that was nearly half a meter long when you counted both the syringe and the needle.
With his superior attributes and weapon, Zheng Ren's spatula was immediately outmatched, leaving him scrambling to defend himself.
However, Zheng Ren's spatula seemed to have a stroke of luck, triggering its effect multiple times and summoning four flies that buzzed around Yang Ye, as if cheering Zheng Ren on.
Zheng Ren's nose twitched in frustration as he waved his hand to shoo the flies away. "Go on, get out of here!"
But the flies were like loyal bodyguards, refusing to leave no matter how much he tried to drive them off.
Yang Ye, annoyed by the incessant buzzing, thought to himself, *This is such a dirty trick! Can't win a fight, so you summon a bunch of flies to annoy me? How vile!*
A sudden sharp turn in the sightseeing vehicle forced both men to steady themselves, bringing their scuffle to an abrupt halt.
Recognizing that now wasn't the time for a serious fight, they reluctantly backed down.
For a moment, the only sound in the vehicle was the persistent buzzing of the summoned flies.
Zheng Ren felt that he hadn't regained any dignity. If anything, the absurdity of his item's effect made him feel even more embarrassed.
But the thought of summoning even more flies if the fight continued forced him to sit back down and stay quiet.
Before long, the flies were left behind as the vehicle sped away.
On the other side, as soon as Yang Ye returned to his seat, Tan Huihui immediately showered him with praise. "Brother Yang, that was amazing! You totally crushed him!"
"Well, of course!" Yang Ye replied, basking in the beauty's admiration.
In truth, Tan Huihui was filled with disdain.
Yang Ye was short, unattractive, and weak.
He had completed more dungeons than anyone else in their group, yet he was still stuck in the 1st Heavenly Ascension. If it weren't for his decent item, she wouldn't have bothered with him at all.
Within their four-person team, the hierarchy was clear.
Zhang Zhuang had the most potential. Though Level 1 dungeons no longer granted him free attribute points, he hadn't attempted many Level 2 dungeons yet. Each time he did, he managed to earn at least 5 attribute points.
His future was promising—he might one day achieve dual-max stats and ascend to the 2nd Heavenly Ascension.
At that level, he could join Tidal Surge's elite group and gain the opportunity to run Level 3 dungeons alongside the guild's top players.
Yang Ye, in contrast, was a lost cause.
He had completed over thirty Level 1 dungeons and eight Level 2 dungeons, yet he was still stuck in the 1st Heavenly Ascension.
He hadn't even saved up many credits.
It was clear that his performance in the dungeons was abysmal.
Unless he dared to venture into a Level 3 dungeon or found a powerful ally, it was uncertain whether he could even reach the minimum requirement of 30 attribute points needed for 2nd Heavenly Ascension, even if he focused on a single attribute.
Barring any miracles, his achievements were pretty much set in stone, with no hope of further progress.
In comparison, Tan Huihui had attempted only three Level 2 dungeons, leaving her with considerable untapped potential.
Quiet and reserved Qian Xiang was similarly promising, making him another candidate for advancement.
Their seating arrangement reflected their status: Tan Huihui and Yang Ye shared the second row, while Zhang Zhuang and Qian Xiang sat in the first.
Had Zhang Zhuang not warned of an impending monster attack, she would have already switched seats to be closer to him.
Tan Huihui smirked inwardly. Their team had grown savvy, discussing critical information only in private chats to avoid tipping off opportunists.
The two groups enjoyed a rare two minutes of silence.
Zheng Ren, still reeling from the needle attack, hugged his spatula and remained quiet for a long time, looking thoroughly dejected.
Meanwhile, Li Yueqiu's instincts told her that trouble was brewing.
Unease churned in her gut.
"Brother Zuo, do you feel like something's off?" she asked.
Zuo Chengan didn't feel it, but he saw it—the cluster of health bars above them had moved closer to the sightseeing vehicle and could descend at any moment.
He had already retrieved his weapon, Little Seven, from his inventory and applied a final coat of Tetanus Serum.
The handle of Little Seven had been fitted with new anti-slip straps when he first bought it, and the body had been polished to remove the rust, revealing the silvery metal beneath.
The weapon resembled a rectangular metal block, more like a ruler than a sword or knife.
It was straight and uniform, allowing him to switch ends and rewrap the anti-slip straps if one side became worn.
Li Yueqiu didn't have any items for self-defense, so Zuo Chengan lent her his Flying Pebble.
…
[Flying Stone (White)]
[Type: Tool]
[Effect: Automatically returns to the thrower.]
[Limitations: Power and range depend on the user's strength.]
[Description: Shoo, weakling! Shoo!]
…
When he had bought this item, it seemed like Little Seven came as a bonus with Flying Pebble, but in reality, it was the other way around—Little Seven was the main purchase, and the Flying Pebble was the freebie.
Li Yueqiu was both surprised and grateful as she carefully held the pebble.
Zheng Ren, fearing for his life, had been stacking his Constitution attribute, while she, due to her skills, had been focusing on Strength after meeting the minimum Constitution requirement.
As a result, her strength attribute was actually the second highest in their group, excluding the dog.
She wanted to say more, but seeing Zuo Chengan lost in thought, she remained quiet and familiarized herself with her new tool.
Zuo Chengan wasn't daydreaming—he was laser-focused on the barrage of messages flashing across his vision.
The audience for this dungeon was massive, and the sheer volume of text made it hard to catch anything significant before it scrolled away.