The So-Called Theory of Player Strength

"Criminal Suspect Outfit... Do you think this suits me?"

After three seconds of silent silence, Bai Zhi raised his head and looked at the Steel Bones in front of him.

"And why aren't you wearing this outfit?"

"I think you're very suitable... cough cough, I'm Soldier, Soldier wearing this can easily be misunderstood."

He almost blurted out what was on his mind, then turned around Steel Bones coughed a few times, slightly embarrassed.

"While its appearance isn't the best, it's actually a pretty good Equipment for escaping. It can effectively reduce your presence... I think you might need this, considering your strength..."

"Thanks, but I have better Protective Gear."

With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Bai Zhi returned the Little Shadow Man Outfit to his hands.

"By the way, speaking of strength, do you know the current overall Strength Division of Player? How strong are the top-tier Player?"

"Strength? Player's strength is actually very difficult to define."

Since the other party was unwilling to accept it, Steel Bones did not force the issue and simply took back the Criminal Suspect Outfit.

He had tried on this suit before, and almost got shot by his comrades in the Military Region for being a criminal... The key point is that even if he was shot, he had no way to reason with them.

"It's hard to define? Isn't there anything like a strength rating to talk about?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's not the case, it's because... let me put it this way."

Shaking his head slightly, Steel Bones made no attempt to hide anything and began to speak.

"If we really had to make a definitive judgment, it would probably be that the stronger the Player, the stronger their Survival Ability. After all, in the face of those endless Anomaly with all sorts of Special rules, survival is the most important thing. Only by living can one..."

"You build six tank items when you play Game too!?"

Bai Zhi looked delighted, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"... no."

Steel Bones's lips twitched slightly.

"If we really have to say, in the overall evaluation of Player's strength, Player Survival Ability accounts for half of the score."

"What about the others?"

Recalling his own Perfect Skill, which was basically designed entirely for survival, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What about real combat capability? Let's not talk about overturning rivers and seas or towering waves. You should be able to slide tackle through a tiger or punch a 50-meter-thick steel plate, right?"

"That's true, but if their self-defense capabilities aren't strong enough, these kinds of Player simply won't survive long."

Steel Bones shook his head.

"Type of Anomaly are emerging one after another. Some Anomaly don't even have any physical form; they are simply a Curse, a sentence, or a photograph. When faced with these bizarre, intangible Anomaly, what use is your practical combat ability?"

As he said this, Steel Bones's expression involuntarily darkened.

"I was once in charge of cleaning up Anomaly Incident. The Anomaly itself wasn't particularly powerful, but it still killed dozens of Player and almost went out of control. If it had gone out of control, it would have resulted in the deaths of millions of people... Can you guess what kind of Anomaly it was?"

"What kind of Anomaly?"

Bai Zhi frowned slightly.

"... just one sentence."

"What?"

"It's very simple, it all comes down to one sentence."

Steel Bones exhaled.

"Anyone who knew that phrase would experience a bizarre, spontaneous combustion, burning them to death. By the time we finally figured out the nature of this Anomaly and its pattern of death, dozens of Player had died, hundreds of common had been burned to death, and thousands were in intensive care... What use is your combat ability in the face of such a bizarre Anomaly? In the end, everyone's memories were sealed away, which finally brought the Anomaly under control."

"Hmm... no wonder Protective Gear is so expensive at Auction House."

Bai Zhi nodded thoughtfully.

"... Therefore, the criteria for assessing Player's specific strength can be broadly divided into three parts."

After a moment of silence, Steel Bones continued.

"First and foremost is self-preservation to ensure personal safety; secondly, Intelligence is used to study the Anomaly and uncover their rules; and finally, combat skills. Improving your own Survival Ability first, and then considering enhancing other aspects of your strength, is the most correct approach. Anything else is a flawed path..."

Before he could finish his eloquent speech, Steel Bones suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He turned his head and looked around curiously, but found nothing unusual. However, a Young Girl next to him quietly turned her head away.

"Is the most important thing the Survival Ability...?"

After a moment's thought, Bai Zhi realized that his Survival Ability was actually quite strong. The advantages brought by the Perfect Skill were too great. Not only was he highly stealthy, but he could also fight, withstand attacks, and even run away if he couldn't win...

After some discussion, the three decided to rest there for the night. Nighttime was not their time; danger lurked everywhere in the darkness.

From any perspective, waiting until daytime to take action is the best option.

Nothing more was said that night.

The next day arrived quickly.

The Tian Kong was overcast, as if veiled by a black gauze.

After tidying up their things a bit, the three headed towards the castle. Everything had been calm last night, and the other two teams didn't seem to be planning to take any action.

The entire Rose Manor was eerily quiet.

For safety reasons, Steel Bones took the lead and walked at the front, while Bai Zhi brought up the rear. However, the further they went, the more apprehensive they became.

The entire manor was eerily quiet; there were no insects, no butterflies, not even a single ant, as if they were the Unique living creatures in the manor.

They walked silently through the quiet woods, as if traversing an ancient and forgotten land.

The further Bai Zhi walked, the more his brows furrowed.

What are you looking for?

Deliberately slowing down and falling behind by a step, Dead Zero approached Bai Zhi and walked alongside him.

"... trace."

Bai Zhi turned his head and glanced at the Young Girl beside him, then let out a breath.

"Traces of human presence, traces left by humans, traces caused by humans... We found those traces left by humans in that Mirror Maze before, and we followed those traces out of the Labyrinth ... It's impossible that we can't find them in the manor."

"Did you find anything?"

Turning her head to look at the dense bushes beside her, the Young Girl tilted her head slightly.

No, there's nothing there.

Bai Zhi's expression looked somewhat unpleasant.

"I have a feeling that this time..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Steel Bones's voice came from ahead.