Descend, Struggle for Your Life and Run!

Descend, Struggle for Your Life and Run

Main God Space.

The tenth day after the second trial world ended.

The Shazhou Team's plaza, around the conference table.

Everyone had gathered for the final pre-battle meeting: four veterans and three newcomers who had each secured the guaranteed minimum reward. The only one missing was Fang Xiu, their captain, who had vanished into seclusion.

"The seating order has nothing to do with seniority or rank. It's alphabetical by surname, so don't get the wrong idea." Tang Tian, a construction worker and the meeting's host, was the first to speak.

For one thing, he had the experience.

For another, everyone had their own needs.

"Time's almost up, and the captain still hasn't shown. So I've called everyone together for now, to confirm our roles once more."

"At the very least, let's avoid any major coordination failures. Making it back here alive is what matters most."

As he spoke, Tang Tian, clad in a high-tech Spider Suit, instinctively glanced toward the light gate behind him. No one appeared, and only an hour remained before they were transported.

"My bloodline and enhancements are pretty straightforward."

Emir, the burly man who considered himself the second-strongest member of the Shazhou Team, was the first to respond. "After undergoing Astartes surgery, my werewolf abilities—which weren't fully developed to begin with—were pushed even further. I'm still best suited to taking on enemies head-on."

A mortal had been transformed into a Space Warrior, able to survive in all kinds of extreme environments.

So what of a werewolf who'd received two rounds of enhancements right from the start?

It was far more than the sum of its parts.

The bloodline development that would normally take a great deal of time and talent had been drastically accelerated, with no side effects whatsoever.

"Except for the final boss, the Clover Beast, I'm confident I can tear apart or smash any elite enemy that shows up!"

Clearly, successfully turning into a hulking brute had changed Emir's personality. He'd once been outgoing; now he was downright bold and boisterous. As he made his declaration, he patted the weapons mounted on his heavy armor.

—A Plasma Shoulder Cannon, from the Predator universe.

—A T21 Light Repeating Blaster, from Star Wars. It had an effective range of 300 meters and a maximum range of around 1,500. Its blaster bolts had enough raw power to pierce personal energy shields, the armor plating of various light vehicles, and makeshift cover.

Of course, without a side-quest reward, it couldn't function endlessly or recharge itself. But its standard power pack provided enough energy for thirty shots.

With this weapon, along with the Plasma Shoulder Cannon linked to his brain, Emir could briefly suppress enemies in a given direction, turning himself into a devastating weapons platform.

"I'm similar. I exchanged for the Primary Celestial Gunslinger bloodline and had my knees further enhanced, so I can defend myself in close combat to some extent."

At this point, Yuan Meng, another construction worker, spoke up. He held an antique-looking crossbow, and some kind of grenade launcher was slung across his back.

"The crossbow fires quickly. Paired with the sharp bolts enchanted by the Main God, it can inflict serious damage."

"If you can buy me enough time, I can use the semi-finished components stored in my Storage Ring to build a bunch of high-powered launchers. I can clear out plenty of lesser enemies and keep them from tying us down."

In two concise sentences, he explained his abilities and hinted at how important he'd be in a large-scale battle.

Next came Uncle Odubiao and Haida.

One had built himself a turtle shell and enhanced his strength, allowing him to help lift up his teammates and remove negative effects.

The other had changed course midway, going from an Inquisitor to a Combat Eldar. She leaned toward high-burst damage and assassination—and... her heavy robes were gone, replaced by a pair of blades and the revealing look of a barefoot beauty.

"I figure the captain will be surprised for a moment when he sees her."

"Not because of her looks, just the contrast in style."

Muttering to himself, Tang Tian followed the others with an introduction of his own. His performance remained steady: a composite of the third-generation Spider-Man.

"My Ripple training is finally on track. As for my Stand... it's usable, I guess. At least I won't mess around with space and pull in the wrong thing, causing trouble for everyone."

"There's no helping it. The power of space is too hard to control!" John the boxer glanced to his side, where his Stand stood—visible to him, but not to ordinary people. He continued, "For defense, I had my skin reinforced with an enhancement from the Cyberpunk universe. I can take sustained fire from large-caliber rifles and even grenade blasts without a problem."

"Oh, and there's that big slab of back meat on me, the one called Qian Ti 4. It gives me time-dilation and instant-movement boosts."

His meaning was pretty clear:

He wouldn't drag the team down.

Everyone's gaze fell on Ye Mei. Not one of them had forgotten how much faith Fang Xiu had in her—could even be said to have placed his hopes in her.

"Nothing special. Aside from my mental strength, the other five stats are only a little better than those of top athletes in their respective fields."

"I bought two one-use gadgets to save my life."

Brief and to the point.

Ye Mei was determined to build an army, turning the elite monsters and trash mobs in the Clover world into combat slaves.

"Having a meeting?"

"Long time no see."

Just then, Fang Xiu finally appeared. He stepped out of the light gate at an unhurried pace and called out to them from a distance.

His calm demeanor instantly spread through the team. They didn't show it, but the tension inside them... eased a little.

The Rinnegan? Almost simultaneously, everyone noticed the mysterious power in his right eye! As his lackey, Tang Tian also saw a little Emerald Green Gourd hanging from the captain's waist.

"Stop staring. The one-minute countdown has already started."

Before he'd even finished speaking, Fang Xiu appeared in the teleportation zone. He waited quietly for the beam of light to descend, looking utterly confident, as though he were welcoming the challenge.

The light column descended.

[Main Mission: Survive for fifteen days in a fantasy/sci-fi world and kill 5 Clover Beasts.

Upon completion, the entire team will return and receive 1 B-rank side-quest reward and 6,000 reward points.]

Their arrival was announced.

Everything before their eyes began to shift.

After no more than the blink of an eye, Fang Xiu could think again. He remembered that, in the original timeline, only one giant monster had attacked New York. It had been named Clover.

Now... at least five had appeared!

And they weren't necessarily juveniles!

Why?

He didn't need his eyes. Relying on the powerful perception his instincts had released the moment he arrived, Fang Xiu already knew the answer on a surface level: twelve newcomers had been added this time. Counting the veterans, that made twenty people, and the difficulty had been cranked all the way up.

The Main God was raising the difficulty!

It was practically making an open announcement to everyone on the Shazhou Team: the newbie-protection period was over for good. Now they had to face despair, meet the requirements to unlock their potential, and pay the rent.

"There's not much to say. The Shazhou Team won't be offering protection for now. Newcomers... struggle to escape with your lives."

"The only thing you can rely on is luck."

Finally, a day off.

Work during the day, overtime at night, writing late into the night, and only one day off a week.

If I have to work through the Dragon Boat Festival too, I'm going to lose it.

Thanks for all your support, everyone! I'll sleep in tomorrow and start saving up chapters for the big release when it goes on sale~