Chapter 40

No one could have imagined the consequences of this move.

The dangerous waters are no longer peaceful.

Gusts of wind and towering waves raged, and countless dark shadows surged in the pitch-black sea, posing a tremendous challenge to the team still in the dangerous waters.

What happened? Why has the density of Class C alien beasts increased so much?

The organizers said everything is going according to plan, which is probably the arrangement for the second half of the competition.

Several teams were unable to continue and requested off-site assistance, but were taken away by staff. If they had accumulated enough points beforehand, they might have had a chance to advance.

Have you noticed something? While this match does have combat elements, it primarily tests the abilities of support characters. Stronger support means more maneuverability, better scouting, and greater ability to avoid conflict.

Teams with weak support players are in for a rough time.

"Yu Xiangyin, can you still hold on?"

Yu Xiangyin nodded. Although the situation at sea was bad, he was still able to manage to avoid the storm and even maintain the route he had already decided on.

It points directly to that golden sea.

Meng Shalian was tired of the endless chase.

"Prepare to fire." Her voice was icy. "Don't be stingy with your mental energy."

"Captain, but..."

"I know the academy's team will definitely be prepared, but if we let this ship continue sailing, we might not necessarily come out on top."

"Since the magicians have laid out the bait... how can we not take the bait? It would be unfair to them."

The "fire" that Meng Shalian mentioned is a powerful but costly spell card. A card master holding this card can only use it a maximum of three times.

However, the card's strength should not be underestimated; it can almost penetrate an unenhanced ship.

"I pray to the spirits of the high heavens, that the formless and intangible power may descend and shatter the illusion of the grand voyage..."

In the atmosphere, a sharp, reckless force was gathering. It transformed into an enormous cone of airflow, slamming violently into the small boat that was "ranked first in academic credits."

The ship's built-in protective shield shattered rapidly, but a new golden shield appeared, continuing the fight against the airflow spell.

Meng Shalian naturally sensed this situation, but she didn't care. The opposing team didn't have any C-level defensive players; their mere D-level cards couldn't possibly withstand her attacks.

What she was concerned about was that the "bait" thrown out by the "Magician" team—a precious teleportation anchor point—was about to be destroyed by them.

On the other side.

Under the heavy protection of the elemental spirits, the members of the magician team discussed earnestly: "Should we really not make a move?"

"Although that teleportation anchor point is fake, it still contains one-third of the power of a real teleportation point. Sister Shang Qi, are you really okay?"

Luo Shangqi's tone turned slightly cold: "You doubt me?"

"I didn't mean that, I was just a little worried..." The team member's voice trailed off, and the captain quickly changed the subject, "Everyone, let's review the battle plan again."

“Hmm.” Luo Shangqi nodded coldly. “Once the ‘First in Credits’ team is eliminated, we will activate the hidden true teleportation anchor point and deliver a fatal blow to the Aoki Guild when they are off guard.”

Everyone was convinced that the "first in credits" team would inevitably be eliminated.

Three minutes later.

Five minutes later.

The golden protective shield remained, but the fierce attack gradually subsided.

Wang Rengui forced a smile: "Ning Xi, your new card is really powerful!"

The card he used was Ning Xi's new creation, a C-rank card called [Sun Chariot]. Given his strength, he naturally couldn't unleash the card's full power and could only use it as a powerful D-rank card.

To withstand this attack, he exhausted all his mental energy and even used Zhang Min's secret weapon.

A deck of cards called "Spiritual Forge". Its function is simple: to provide the card master with extra energy and spiritual power.

As a defensive card master, Wang Rengui's only characteristic is that he is very durable.

Even though he was exhausted, he forced himself to confirm the situation with everyone before returning to his cabin to rest.

By this time, the ship had gradually sailed out of the mysterious waters and was heading towards safety. The dispute was left behind by the group.

There is one last step to complete this competition.

Transport your full catch back to the fishing company to earn points.

After a fierce battle, the team finally earned points. As the team that preserved their ship until the end, they achieved a mid-to-high level result.

That's it...

Is it over?

Ning Xi woke up with a start. She had just escaped the salty sea breeze and the fierce battle, and the smell of sea salt on her clothes had not yet dissipated. The sea breeze came in through the window, like the prelude to a nightmare.

They did indeed escape the battle at sea and joined the fishing company, intending to exchange their catch for points to end the competition.

When do dreams begin?

She activated a stealth card, and darkness engulfed her, merging her with the surrounding darkness.

Night had fallen in this area. The sky was filled with stars, and it was very quiet, with blurry shadows cast by the windows in the corridor.

"It's a good time..."

A series of abrupt sounds entered my ears.

“With the emergence of the ‘sea monster,’ rescue workers will definitely have a lot of time to focus on other things and won’t have time to pay attention to us.”

"Let's get started and work together to 'solve' the core issues in this field."

The sound faded away, and the fishing company began to shake violently.

...

"No!"

"Help me!"

The eliminated contestants stayed in temporary medical support facilities. Most of them had exhausted their mental energy and suffered physical damage in the field.

Therefore, when the domain expanded at a self-destructive rate, they were powerless to resist and were thus swept up in it.

Within this domain, the once calm sea roared, whipping up towering waves. And beneath the ocean... no, these were no longer creatures of the ocean. Numerous strange beasts, covered in flames, vegetation, and even tentacles, clearly not native to this domain, were wreaking havoc.

What happened?

Ning Xi found her companions, and the group rushed out, but couldn't find their way.

"Do you know Red Giant?" The security officer sent by Mingxin Academy answered their question in a moment of pause. Her speech was unhurried, but her hands moved extremely fast, the cards transforming into a large net that bound the surrounding beasts.

"After a certain point in a star's life, its burning will suddenly intensify, causing it to expand rapidly and engulf everything around it, becoming a dazzling red giant. But after a short period on a cosmic scale, the red giant will cool down, compress its volume, and become a white dwarf, reaching the end of its life."

"Life...the realm also has its life cycle."

"You mean, this field is about to reach the end of its life?" Ning Xi shouted.

"This field should have been in a stable period and shouldn't have expanded so rapidly. Someone must have taken away the core of the field... Alas, it's too late to say that now."

Rescue is the priority.

A long blade formed from flames slashed down, and the beast's head fell to the ground. The rescued contestant, panting heavily, thanked her.

Nariren nodded slightly and turned to fight another beast, but the long sword in her hand no longer seemed to be burning hot.

Her mental energy was completely exhausted.

Zhang Min's face turned pale, and she almost collapsed.

Her mental strength was the lowest among them. Originally, she couldn't participate in the battle of the Card Masters, but repeatedly using [Mental Furnace] to replenish her teammates' mental strength still depleted her already limited mental strength reserves.

Yu Xiangyin and Wang Rengui were also struggling to keep going. Once Naliren started to lose her strength, the pressure they faced increased significantly.

As for Ning Xi, she didn't have the worry of running out of mental energy, but she had fewer and fewer cards available to her.

"not good!"

The expanded territory is extremely unstable, with the level of the monsters that appear ranging from E to B. The sudden appearance of a B-level monster just startled the security officer.

She immediately made a decision: "I'll lure it away, you all run in that direction!"

"Remember to prioritize your own safety and don't be reckless!"

After the safety officer left, the group continued their arduous journey.

Ning Xi, exhausted, was injured by the strange beast. Yu Xiangyin tried to use the healing card, but was unsuccessful.

Just then, Ning Xi heard a voice.

Or rather, they all heard that voice.

“Abandon them.”

He told Ning Xi, "These people's mental strength is only B+ at most, they are worthless."

"A woman who wields fire, despite her hard work and excellence—" His tone suddenly turned sarcastic, "can only reach the C-rank strength."

"C-rank, just the lowest level of a card master, not worth mentioning at all, has no value whatsoever."

Nariren clenched her fist.

The others were also upset. If C-level was the bottom, what about D-level? Was it not even considered the bottom?

Furthermore, where exactly is this sound coming from? Why didn't they see anyone else?

If there are other humans, why doesn't he step forward and join forces to defeat these monsters?

“Ning Xi…”

“It has value,” Ning Xi said decisively.