The Player Used to Death

Then Zheng Dong and the others went around to the other side, doing the same—tossing in smoke agents and hunting those foxes.

The players from Xu Corporation glanced at them but said nothing.

Unlike Xu's people, Zheng Dong's group used wire mesh. They first cut the foxes down to Canxue, then trapped them with the net.

This way, Gao Linzhi could kill them very safely.

So Zheng Dong didn't have him wear armor, keeping him agile so he could escape in time if something happened.

From this detail, Gao Linzhi understood that the village really needed reliable players.

And Gao Linzhi's Basic Lightness Skill, which had already reached level 3, was paying off.

Any stray fox that tried to attack him was easily dodged, then cut down with a single slash.

He immediately gained a chunk of experience and dropped the relevant materials.

Soon, the grinding entered a stable phase.

The two teams, not interfering with each other, steadily farmed the foxes.

But before long, an accident finally happened.

"Ah!" someone screamed.

Gao Linzhi turned to look. A player from Xu Clan Team Two had charged too far forward, stepped on a loose cave entrance, and because he was clad in full Steel Armor, he crashed straight through.

Then he tumbled down entirely.

And as he lost his balance, the vulnerable gap at his neck was exposed.

A leaping Grey Fox seized the opportunity, clawing viciously at his throat.

Luckily, a teammate nearby cut the fox down with a blade and dragged him out.

"Good thing we came as a team. If someone tried to solo this, they'd be asking for death," a player muttered.

"Damn it. If I weren't in debt to the company, I wouldn't be farming these monsters."

"Those Rogue Players, working in the village and buying kills—that's safe." The unlucky guy, still shaken, couldn't help complaining.

He had almost died just now!

"Damn it, how long is this going to drag on?" someone else chimed in angrily.

Playing games was fun, but when the game became a job and the rewards all went to someone else, it was anything but fun!

"They said once we farm enough materials worth 648 gold, they'd cancel our real-world contracts."

"Why are you still talking about that? Do you want to die?" The team's leader quickly shut them up.

Gao Linzhi found it amusing.

Didn't these people know that the Game Poster only dropped after a player died?

They thought they could earn their freedom?

Impossible. A single player's value was too great.

They'd be used by the company until they died. After death, the Game Poster would drop, and the next signee would take over.

These cannon fodder would only be pushed to level up fast, used to death, then replaced by a new batch.

And this game had one convenient feature: leveling was relatively simple—just kill monsters of the appropriate level.

But that was actually a hidden trap: leveling this way only led to a dead end.

Truly promising players, at low levels when experience was easy to get, would learn and upgrade as many skills as possible, using skills and materials to bolster their stats.

And that was exactly what Gao Linzhi was doing.

"Looks like it's still a bit dangerous. Do you need to wear the same Steel Armor as them?" After seeing the accident with Xu Corporation's player, Zheng Dong asked with concern.

Gao Linzhi shook his head. "No need. Without armor, I can practice Lightness Skill and combat reactions at the same time."

If it were high-grade armor that didn't hinder movement and provided protection, he'd gladly wear it.

As a true player, enhancing agility and evasion was the key.

"True enough. Be careful, then. Once you've mastered Basic Lightness Skill, you Descenders can really show your advantage," Zheng Dong said enviously.

And so, Gao Linzhi followed the Patrol Team, grinding through another afternoon.

Dusk approached, the sun slanting westward.

He had gained a full 1250 experience points.

He immediately poured all the experience into Basic Lightness Skill, raising it to level 13 (90/100).

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully breaking through Basic Lightness Skill to level 10. +1 Constitution.]

His stat panel transformed:

[Constitution: 5+1 (Basic Lightness Skill adds 1 Constitution every 10 levels)]

[Spirit: 7]

[HP: 60 (Constitution x 10)]

[MP:70 (Spirit x10)]

After all, this was different from a real game.

The monsters didn't respawn instantly; their total numbers were limited.

And those foxes were cunning.

In the end, they would rather suffocate to death in their dens than come out to be killed.

Plus, there were many cave entrances. They often took advantage of a moment's carelessness, darting out and vanishing in an instant.

Completely blocking them off was no easy task.

Gao Linzhi glanced at Xu Clan Team Two and saw they were also forming up.

"Old Zhang, what level are you now?" someone asked.

"I'm at level 9 now. Each level gives one attribute point, so I've got eight points," another replied excitedly.

"Originally, my Constitution was 6. If I add all of them, that's 14—breaking the limit. One-Ton Strength, Five-Second Hundred Meters, no problem. I'm already a superhuman!"

"Wake up, you want to be a superhuman? We have contracts. Back in the real world, we have to behave and can't expose our abilities." Someone immediately poured cold water on that.

"Damn it. If I just went out and ran a hundred-meter dash, I could easily make a few billion. That debt I had before? Nothing at all!"

"Stop complaining. If you want to live long, keep your mouth shut. Don't forget—whether we're Online or Offline, we only have one life!" a man who looked like the Captain scolded.

Hearing this, Gao Linzhi suddenly understood.

Why had this game existed for so long, with True Body travel, yet no superhuman athletes appeared in the real world?

Now, the reason was clear—there definitely were reckless Rogue Players who tried to use their superhuman physiques to make big money and gain fame.

But the moment they exposed themselves, they were caught by the security departments of various companies and turned into player tools.

As for the Company Executive Players who didn't worry about being caught, they didn't care about money or fame.

Just like many big bosses who invest in movies, they would make one star after another famous while never showing their own faces.

Of course, there were certainly a few company executives who wanted fame and to show off, but they were suppressed by their peers.

Their goal was to monopolize the game before it spread, accumulate an early advantage, and thus maintain their current class and status.

And any individual who betrayed that goal would face ruthless suppression—even elimination.

That was why Gao Linzhi had never heard of this game's existence before Brother Li died.