The quality of the national fortune rewards mainly depended on two factors.
One was the guaranteed baseline: surviving to the end and becoming the sole victor.
The other was the upper limit of the rewards, which depended on how many points the sole victor had.
Points could be earned by killing ferocious beasts and monsters in the game instance, as well as killing competitors.
Ferocious beasts and monsters were divided into seven ranks: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F, worth 10,000, 1,000, 100, 50, 30, 10, and 5 points respectively.
Each competitor was worth 5 points.
The point values alone made it clear that even the weakest F-rank ferocious beasts were not something ordinary people or ordinary Heroic Spirits could easily handle. Having a weapon would help, giving them a chance of winning one-on-one. Having a firearm, such as a handgun, would be even better.
As for A-rank and S-rank ferocious beasts, that went without saying. A single A-rank ferocious beast possessed the terrifying destructive power to destroy a city!
An S-rank ferocious beast, worth an even more terrifying number of points, had yet to appear.
If one appeared, it would undoubtedly threaten a nation's survival!
Therefore, under normal circumstances, none of the challengers entering the game instance would readily provoke ferocious beasts unless necessary. Their main approach was simple: scrape by until the end, and survival meant victory!
There had previously been one lucky person who had done absolutely nothing. Simply because all the other challengers had died to ferocious beasts and natural disasters through various accidents, that person had become the sole survivor, ending the game early and receiving the national fortune rewards.
Sometimes, luck was a kind of strength too.
So when Lin Xiaoran proposed earning more points, she did not mean specifically hunting down ferocious beasts. She would naturally pick the soft persimmons to squeeze, such as F-rank and E-rank ferocious beasts, along with other challengers.
With advanced Observation Haki sensing their surroundings, Lin Xiaoran and Issho could locate specific targets and strike them precisely, earning as many points as possible.
Otherwise, would leaving a fighting force as powerful as Issho unused not be a waste?
At that moment, Lin Xiaoran and Issho were heading toward a ferocious beast they had sensed.
To explain the National Fortune Game instance's map, it was a large circle when viewed from above. Every challenger's destination was the center of that circle, so there was only one direction to advance in.
Of course, they could also travel along the edge. That depended on each challenger's choice. However, they absolutely could not remain in place, or they would automatically be eliminated after exceeding a certain time limit.
This format somewhat resembled the battle royale games Lin Xiaoran had played in her previous life. Although there would not be several rounds of poison circles, the available area was certainly shrinking continuously.
In addition, the hours from six every evening to six the following morning were a safe period. After all, the game lasted five days in total, and every challenger needed rest.
However, this safe period only meant that they would not be eliminated for staying in one place too long, not that they would be safe from attacks by ferocious beasts or opponents. Therefore, all challengers still needed to remain vigilant at night.
"Uncle Issho, I wanted to ask... have you already died?" Lin Xiaoran asked curiously as they walked.
Issho smiled. "Haha, this old man isn't dead yet. I was still aboard a ship when I came here."
In Issho's world, he had only recently become a Marine Admiral through the World Military Draft. When he came here, he had been on his way to Dressrosa for a mission and had still been aboard a warship.
According to the information the National Fortune Game had given him, his world would remain paused after he came here until he returned.
At the same time, since he was in the form of a Heroic Spirit, dying in the game would not affect him in reality. In fact, if he helped his Master win, he would even receive certain rewards.
Therefore, no matter what, Issho had to take this seriously and do his best to help his Master, Lin Xiaoran.
After hearing this, Lin Xiaoran nodded and thought, It looks like Heroic Spirits don't necessarily have to be people who have already died.
Outside the game instance, the viewers exchanged looks as they watched Lin Xiaoran and Issho behaving so casually.
[Are they kidding? Did they come here on vacation?]
[Take this seriously, hey!]
The U.S.: [Haha, have they already given up?]
Country R: [They've definitely given up and are waiting to die! What can a blind Heroic Spirit do? He probably wouldn't even know which direction danger was coming from!]
E Country: [Hmph! Not a shred of national pride! Has this Lin Xiaoran forgotten what she was chosen for!? She's nothing like our hero Andrei!]
Country R: [Exactly, exactly! Look at how cautious our Tanaka Ning is. Learn a thing or two!]
Country L: [...]
They had no response.
If Lin Xiaoran had not been the challenger chosen for their own country, they would have wanted to curse her out too.
They thought Lin Xiaoran and Issho were treating the game's dangers as a joke, or had even given up long ago. Little did they know that, within the range of the pair's Observation Haki, there was no danger nearby. That was why they were not nervous.
Then Lin Xiaoran and Issho stopped.
"Uncle Issho, you can handle this one, right?" Lin Xiaoran turned to ask.
"Oh? You noticed it too, Master?" Issho was somewhat puzzled. Hadn't his Master been described as an ordinary person? How had Lin Xiaoran discovered that a ferocious beast several meters tall was lurking in the fog ahead?
Come to think of it, he seemed to have been heading this way only because he had been following his Master's lead all along.
It seemed this Master of his, Lin Xiaoran, was not quite as "ordinary" as the National Fortune Game had described.
Lin Xiaoran rubbed her nose and laughed a few times. "Maybe I have sharp instincts?"
She did not want to expose her ability to draw Heroic Spirits' abilities. If she did, she feared her opponents would target her. At the very least, she could not say it herself.
"I can handle it. Its aura isn't strong." Seeing that Lin Xiaoran did not want to elaborate, Issho asked no further questions. Prying into other people's secrets was not his way, so he answered her previous question instead.
Lin Xiaoran nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Issho."
"Leave it to this old man!"
With that, the two continued forward, exploring the map.
[What are they talking about? What aura being strong or weak? What does he mean, leave it to this old man?]
[What did they discover?]
[Seriously, what abilities does this Issho have, anyway?!]
Country L's viewers were nearly frantic!
Very soon, however, they learned what Lin Xiaoran and Issho had meant just now.
As Lin Xiaoran and Issho advanced, the fog receded like a tide, and an enormous head abruptly appeared before them.
[It's a ferocious beast!]
[Oh no! Run!]
[Can she get away?! Five meters! Can Lin Xiaoran react that fast!?]
Country R: [Oh-ho! How unlucky! They're going to die!]
The U.S.: [Well, there we go. An early elimination!]
E Country: [I said it ages ago. Someone without any national pride like her won't survive!]
As everyone watched with nervousness, malicious anticipation, or the air of spectators enjoying a show, the ferocious beast spotted Lin Xiaoran and Issho the instant its eyes emerged from the fog. Then, as though acting on instinct, it opened its mouth, roared, and charged!
"ROAR!"
Its roar thundered, and the ground shook as the ferocious beast ran.
Over two meters tall and powerfully built, the ferocious beast charged toward them trailing wisps of fog. Five meters was neither particularly close nor particularly far. Without anything blocking it, it could reach Lin Xiaoran in practically the blink of an eye.
Lin Xiaoran instinctively took a step back, frightened by the ferocious beast's hideous face and intimidating presence. After all, she had never encountered such mortal danger at such close range before.
Even when she had gone to the zoo to see tigers in her previous life, there had been glass between them, and she had stood several meters away. It had been nothing like this-Lin Xiaoran could even smell the heavy stench of blood on the beast!
Fortunately, Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho was beside Lin Xiaoran!
Boom!
Just as the ferocious beast was about two meters from Lin Xiaoran, with half its body still in the fog, Issho activated his Devil Fruit ability!
A purple light appeared, completely enveloping the ferocious beast. Then came a thud! Powerful gravity bore down on the beast's entire body, pinning it flat against the ground!
It even pressed a large crater into the ground!
[What!?]
[Oh my god! That's a superpower!]
[This is unbelievable!]
[Aah! Amazing! We're saved!]
[Uncle Issho really isn't an ordinary person!]