In Lust Village, deep in the mountain wilderness.
Apu sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the diluted Water of Life, looking as though he had never seen the world. "How do I use this?"
"Drip it into your mouth." Ren Ye surveyed their surroundings with his hands behind his back. "There's still some time before morning, and things are chaotic around here. Keep your Star Source Fluctuation as low as possible. The two of us will protect you free of charge."
He looked thoroughly righteous, making a point of emphasizing "free of charge."
"All right, thank you."
Without another word, Apu opened the transparent bottle, tilted his head back, and poured a drop of diluted Water of Life into his mouth.
As the drop went down his throat, a faint life force emanated from him. The wound in his abdomen healed at a visible rate, and his complexion looked much better.
Nearby, Ren Ye stood in the mountains, gazing toward Lust Village. The rain had almost stopped, but sounds of fighting still came from the village now and then. There were probably still Players searching for clues and fighting Remnant Souls.
It was almost three in the morning, yet these Players were still working hard to earn points. The competition was fucking insane.
Thinking of points, Ren Ye suddenly came back to himself and checked his team's status with his mind.
[Qingliang Prefecture Park team: 1,055 glory points, ranked 387th on the glory leaderboard.]
Sure enough, his team's glory points had increased by a full 500. That night, after leaving the dilapidated house, Ren Ye, Old Liu, and the Princess Consort had killed eleven Remnant Souls in succession, earning 55 points. Then they had opened the basement, triggered the clue involving the imprisoned women, and gained 500 points.