The man wearing gold-rimmed glasses lay on the felt sofa with his head tilted to the side and his legs crossed and raised. Hearing footsteps, he uttered a single word without even looking up.

Just as the girl named Linlang was about to report the situation, the slightly chubby young man spoke up before she could.

“We saw a four-person team at a nearby school. They were hiding in a tent. I guess it was a defensive setup. I think we can launch a surprise attack under the cover of night.”

"Okay, continue."

“…Uh.” The chubby young man thought for a moment, then added, “There’s also a player who uses ice. The temperature is very low near the school, and icicles occasionally fall from the sky. He must be a high-level player.”

"Tsk." Fu Guan waved his hand dismissively. "Next."

The chubby young man scratched his head, looking unhappy but not daring to say anything, only silently complaining in his heart.

It's not enough that Fu Guan can see all this from so far away. What else does he want to hear?

He glanced at the other two out of the corner of his eye, wondering what new nonsense they could come up with.

Another young man who came in later made a gesture to Linlang that she had to go first.

Linlang didn't refuse and said directly, "Four people. I'm not sure if it's the initial four people or the four left after the reduction in personnel. If it's the former, I suggest we give up."

She always tends to anticipate the worst-case scenario, and if it really is the former, she has another guess.

Linlang stared at Fu Guanzai: "This is my first time participating in the points competition, but you said there will be a lot of high-level players in this round, so I think there is still a possibility that we will encounter humanoid props. It is possible that there are humanoid props in that team."

Fu Guanzai: "Why would you assume that it was someone from that team?"

"It's just a guess. Applying our team dynamics, if everyone else is resting and only one person is fighting monsters, then someone will definitely keep making a fuss."

She glanced meaningfully at the chubby young man, "Especially those who are incompetent but love to show off, because this is a matter of points, not a matter of who put in more effort. They are all players who have experienced at least eight rounds. If they have the ability to protect themselves, who wouldn't want to get more points?"

Fu Guan opened one eye. "Is there anything else?"

"There weren't many monsters attacking them, so for a player like me, I would definitely take this opportunity to rack up more points. My abilities aren't enough to handle a monster horde, so this attack frequency is just right for me. But that team's performance showed that they didn't care about points at all."

Linlang emphasized the three words "doesn't care" to make a special point.

"With that kind of strength, there's a high probability that the four of them were the initial number. The reason there are no monsters at the school is probably because they've all been defeated. The intervals between the four of them taking turns to rest would be relatively short, and someone always needs to rest. If there are humanoid props around, then it makes sense that they wouldn't leave their tents and would still be in the mood to spend the night."

"May I have your name?"

“Linlang”.

Fu Guan beckoned to her, "Come over here and follow me."

The chubby young man exclaimed, "Then I...?"

Fu Guan interrupted him, "Go out now and ask anyone else if they want to come. If not, you can leave."

He's not doing charity work. He's been given thirteen people in this round, and he doesn't need those points. He's not in the mood to be a babysitter.

The most troublesome are the "newcomers" who are participating in the points competition for the first time. They think they have some skill after playing a few games, they don't listen to what you say, and they always think they have better ideas. They are impossible to guide.

But ignoring it completely isn't an option either. If he really loses everything, given the game's nature, he'll probably get some trouble before he finishes the game.

Instead of doing that, it's better to pick a few smart ones to bring along. That way, if we get matched together again in the later regional competitions, at least we'll have some idea of ​​who's ahead.

After sending the fat young man away, Fu Guan spoke to the last young man who had come in.

“I didn’t go to the school. I found a group of five people in the subway two streets away. One of them died yesterday. It was an initial six-person team. They had a crystal. This team is more suitable for us than the one at the school.”

The young man opened his palm, revealing a parchment scroll displaying the scenes he had glimpsed with his eyes.

"There are only two offensive-oriented team members, neither of whom have two-word skills. We don't know which of the other three is a high-level player yet, but one of the three is injured. This group is much weaker than the school team, which can barely be counted as four people."

Fu Guanzai: "Did you find out this information yourself?"

"Yes, it's myself."

"name."

"Shangying".

“Come here, you and she come with me.” Fu Guan sat up from the sofa, put his hands in his pockets and walked out. “Do you have any other connections with the other nine people, such as friends or lovers? If so, you can go on your own.”

Linlang and Shangying answered in unison, "No."

"I hope you're telling the truth." Fu Guan pushed open the flimsy door, took a few steps, and saw the fat young man blocking his way.

Where are you going?

"Go fight monsters." Fu Guan shrugged him off. "You and those people don't need to follow me anymore."

"Why?!" the fat young man shouted, and the people who followed him were equally puzzled.

Didn't this player say they were from the same server and could play the game together?

Fu Guan ignored him, but looked up at the corner of the wall in the upper left corner. His gaze focused on the empty corner for a few seconds before he looked away.

"Shang Ying, lead the way to the subway station you mentioned."

The chubby young man tried to block the way, but when he saw Linlang, he pointed at her and asked, "Why is she allowed to follow you around?"

He glanced at Linlang back and forth, and said sourly, "Being good-looking has its advantages."

Fu Guan ignored him and continued walking forward.

Linlang followed behind him and said calmly, "He has a three-character skill card, and I have a five-character one."

The implication is that Fu Guan could rob him to make himself stronger and lighten his burden.

The fat young man didn't understand what was happening before a chain bound his body.

As Fu Guan passed by him, he flicked his finger and used the nine-character useless card from his item bag to steal the fat youth's three-character skill card, then tossed it to Lin Lang, saying, "Take this."

"Thank you." Linlang took the [Death and Reunion] card and put it on herself.

Skill: [Death's End]

Effect: Ignores defense, a desperate counterattack that instantly increases attack power by 12,000% when on the verge of death.

Note: The base attack power of this skill card depends on the user's level, and it can only be used once per dungeon run.

Linlang was very satisfied with the card, which had great limitations but was surprisingly effective. She left with Fu Guan and Shang Ying.

After the three left, the remaining nine looked at each other, wondering, "What do we do? Go it alone?"

"How can we go it alone? All the big shots have left. How about we go to that subway station they mentioned?"

"Go where?!" the chubby young man said with a gloomy face. "They just played a few more rounds of the game than us. They go to the subway station, we go to the school!"

"...You've lost all your skills, are you alright?"

"Why not?" The chubby young man equipped his old four-character card and turned to walk towards the school.

Although it's unclear how Fu Guan managed to break the rules and give others skill cards, he can just take back his own cards after he robs those people at the school!