Group Game Swap

Chapter 5: Collective Switch to the Game

Following the route on the map, Chen Ziyu and the others spent three hours traveling and finally arrived at the Ghost Mountains. The mist on the map began to spread, and the terrain of the Ghost Mountains started to reveal itself.

Most of the team had also completed their first task along the way and had basically exchanged for weapons from the in-game shop.

Having experienced the sensation of enhanced attributes, everyone was filled with anticipation for the game and eager to explore its various hidden features.

Meanwhile, Wang Damang had just finished his resurrection cooldown and logged into the game.

This time, as they encountered Wandering Souls on the way to the Ghost Mountains, Wang Damang became very cautious. While fighting, he constantly observed the surrounding terrain to avoid dying again from an unexpected mishap.

This realistic combat mode gradually captivated the gaming fanatic. As he pushed forward, he also exchanged for a dagger from the shop, making his monster-killing efficiency much faster.

After entering the Ghost Mountains, he spotted from a distance a group of people surrounding a massive monster over three meters tall.

Drawing closer, he realized these people were actually his own teammates.

This reignited the resentment in Wang Damang's heart: "These bastards said five minutes, but it's been five damn hours, and they're still playing. What happened to the plan to group up and push the boss in Atlantis?"

As Wang Damang approached, his teammates noticed his presence.

"Damang, come help! This monster's level is too high—we can't handle it!"

Wang Damang had originally planned to stand by and watch, but then a task prompt appeared.

[Special monster detected. Side quest triggered. All participants who kill the Netherworld Warrior will receive an additional reward of 3 Soul Coins. Dropped items can be recycled in the shop!]

The appearance of the task made Wang Damang decisively join the fight.

The Netherworld Warrior had a pair of bull horns, muscles like twisted dragons, and immense strength. Every swing of its arms left a crater in the ground, forcing everyone to keep moving and avoid direct confrontation.

Even with Wang Damang's addition, the group still found it extremely difficult.

Observing the battle, Lu Wu looked curiously at Bei Li. "Why is this Netherworld Warrior a special monster? And why issue a task to kill it?"

Bei Li chuckled. "This Netherworld Warrior formed when a Yin soldier absorbed a large number of Wandering Souls. It's a very special hybrid. In its chest is a Netherworld Pearl—a good item. You can take it to improve your physique!"

Lu Wu suddenly understood and realized what Bei Li was planning. He then used the Battle Artifact to observe the players' situation again.

Clearly, the Netherworld Warrior was far stronger than the Wandering Souls. Fortunately, everyone present was a professional player with quick reflexes. While dodging attacks, they continuously inflicted wounds on the Netherworld Warrior.

The siege lasted a full hour and a half. The group was physically and mentally exhausted. Just as they thought they couldn't outlast the Netherworld Warrior, the beast finally collapsed with a thunderous crash. A mass of Black Mist emerged, split into several streams, and burrowed into everyone present.

White light flickered on each person's body—clearly, they had leveled up.

This brought a sigh of relief from the group as they joyfully felt the thrill of enhanced attributes.

"Hey, what's this?" Suddenly, someone in the team spoke up.

The Netherworld Warrior's surface was stripped away by the artifact, revealing a black, palm-sized pearl.

Chen Ziyu quickly stepped forward and picked up the Netherworld Pearl. Information about the item immediately appeared.

[Netherworld Pearl: Can be sold in the shop for 28 Soul Coins.]

At this point, everyone gathered around. Seeing the item's info, their eyes lit up. This was the first time they had looted an item from a monster, and it was so valuable.

"Same rules—sell it and split the money."

With that, Chen Ziyu pulled up the shop list, tossed the Netherworld Pearl into the shop, and with a flash of light, the pearl vanished. His backpack now held 28 more Soul Coins.

Although each person's share of Soul Coins wasn't much, everyone still laughed happily.

It had been a long time since they'd experienced the thrill of teaming up to take down a boss like this.

Looking at his Soul Coins, Chen Ziyu opened the shop again and picked out a Chainmail worth 12 Soul Coins, equipping it.

Chen Ziyu's transformed appearance once again drew envy from the others. They all silently vowed to level up quickly and get a decent set of gear soon.

Back in the room, Lu Wu held the Netherworld Pearl in his hand, looking somewhat surprised. "Can this thing really enhance my strength?"

Bei Li nodded firmly. "Eat it. The soul power inside will slowly improve your physique. It won't have a huge effect, but it's lasting!"

Lu Wu nodded upon hearing this, then brought the round pearl to his mouth and took a bite.

"Mmm... tastes a bit strange!"

After eating the Netherworld Pearl like an apple, Lu Wu let out a burp, feeling warm all over and very comfortable.

After finishing the Netherworld Pearl, Lu Wu and Bei Li turned their attention back to the group still exploring the Ghost Mountains.

This time, Lu Wu issued three consecutive tasks to them, setting them to trigger upon entering the Ghost Mountains.

From now on, whenever a player entered the Ghost Mountains, they would automatically receive the task prompts, sparing Lu Wu the trouble of reissuing them.

Side Quest: Herb Recycling All herbs rated in the Ghost Mountains can be sold to the game shop. Soul Coins are rewarded based on rating (herb grades from low to high: Mortal Grade herbs, Spirit Grade herbs (Level 1–9), King Grade herbs (Level 1–3), Divine herbs).

Side Quest: Monster Hunter, Completion Reward: 30 Soul Coins Kill 30 Wandering Souls, 20 Lifestealers, 20 Skeleton Warriors, 10 Silent Wolves, and 2 Netherworld Warriors in the Ghost Mountains.

Growth Quest: I Am Strong, Task Reward: 30 Soul Coins

Reach level 20 and own a full set of blue-rated equipment.

Ten equipment slots:

Accessories: Ring x2, Bracers (Wrist) x2, Necklace x1

Armor: Helmet (Hat) x1, Battle Armor (Robe) x1, Weapon x1, War Boots (Leather Boots) x1, Belt x1

The appearance of these two tasks reignited the players' excitement, filling them with anticipation for boosting their strength.

Lu Wu had his reasons for not releasing a main quest yet.

After all, the players were still too weak. Pitting them against other ghost generals with large numbers of powerful underlings would be like throwing eggs at a stone. He could only guide them to strengthen themselves first, then craft a main quest later.

Everyone originally planned to keep hunting in the Ghost Mountains and gather herbs to sell to the shop, but then a game notification suddenly appeared:

Game time has reached 12 hours. In 5 minutes, you will be forcibly logged out. Please prepare.

This notification stunned everyone. They hadn't expected twelve hours to pass so quickly.

"This is way too fast. Twelve hours already? I feel like I just entered the game!"

"Can we add some time? I'm just 1.5 Soul Coins short of buying the Bone Cleaver. What the hell?"

But the system's rules were unbreakable. After five minutes, amid a chorus of complaints, all players were forcibly kicked out of the game.

Back in reality, everyone was frustrated. As gaming fanatics, they had never encountered such an addictive game, and having a time limit made it unbearable.

With nothing else to do, the team members started chatting in the Penguin Group.

Strike_Gold (Chen Ziyu): Twelve hours a day—guess it's for our health? But why? I still want to play (crying.jpg)

Young,Wild&Free (Wang Chao): Forget it. Give me the dev address. I'll go door-to-door and make them show me how to catch a blade barehanded (rage.jpg)

Xueli_The_Strongest (Xueli): Second that. Remember to film it.

Master_Wang: Guys, what are you up to? Why didn't I see you in the game today? The Arena Team Tournament is almost here, and you're not out there getting stronger? (rage.jpg)

Strike_Gold: Boss, you might not believe this, but I want to quit the game!

Young,Wild&Free: You might not believe this either, but I'm thinking the exact same thing as the guy above.

Xueli_The_Strongest: Boss, you might also not believe this, but I'm on the same page as the two above (cat being cute.jpg)

Then a whole line of people followed suit, leaving the team boss dumbfounded.

Master_Wang: You all don't want to work anymore?

Everyone: Yeah!

Master_Wang: Can you tell me why?

Everyone replied in unison: Hooked on a game, can't stop...

Master_Wang: What game has you all so obsessed? Which big company made it?

Then Chen Ziyu sent a screenshot of the Lu Wu Mini-Game Website, complete with the game's description.

Strike_Gold: It's this 800MB epic game.

Young,Wild&Free: +1

Xueli_The_Strongest: +2

Strongest Berserker: +3