Chapter 23: Tactics Learned from That Kind of Manga  

Seeing their former allies suddenly turn on them, the backline players froze for a moment before scrambling to fight back—but it was too late.

Caught off guard, the squishy mages and archers stood no chance against the melee fighters.

With a few swift strikes, like chopping vegetables, the mages and archers dissolved into white light.

“They’ve turned? No, it’s some kind of mind-control skill!” 

Seeing this, Xue Zhongxun Mei shouted, “What are the rest of you standing around for? Attack!”

Only twenty members had been sent forward; there were still eighty more waiting.

The remaining Sky Treader members swarmed onto the suspension bridge. 

As the second wave advanced, the controlled players vanished into white light.

“Heh, you caught me off guard, but what’s the point?” Xue Zhongxun Mei laughed. 

“How many can your spell affect? Two, three, four? I’ve got over eighty people left!”

Bai Yue Ling, expressionless, stuffed a few wild fruits into her mouth.

In truth, her spell could only target one person at a time. 

The earlier effect was from casting it multiple times, nearly draining her mana.

Fifty… sixty… seventy… that’s enough!

After counting the players on the bridge, Bai Yue Ling lightly tapped her foot and retreated swiftly.

“She’s out of tricks—don’t let her escape!” 

To Xue Zhongxun Mei, her side held an overwhelming advantage, victory assured.

All they needed was to bring Priest Hero down, humiliate her, and let the world know she’d fallen to the renowned Xue Zhongxun Mei!

This would make up for Sky Treader’s loss of the World First Kill announcement, cementing their fame in World of Fate and earning her the guild leader’s favor.

Fantasizing about this glorious future, Xue Zhongxun Mei’s lips curved into a smile, her mood soaring…

Suddenly, a cold, black dagger pierced her body.

Xue Zhongxun Mei screamed, coughing blood, and glared back. 

“You… Ying Ye?”

Ying Ye had slipped behind her like a phantom, her dagger piercing straight through Xue Zhongxun Mei’s heart.

After Bai Yue Ling’s advice last night, she’d been grinding mobs in the forest, only emerging now.

“Pointless!” Xue Zhongxun Mei laughed through her pain. 

“Killing me changes nothing. My plan is perfect—you two can’t stop us…”

Ying Ye yanked out her dagger coldly. 

“No need to worry about that. I trust Little White has her own way.”

As Xue Zhongxun Mei dissolved into white light, her nearby guards snapped out of their shock, surrounding Ying Ye.

“Little White handles the main force, while I clean up those who didn’t cross the bridge,” Ying Ye said calmly. “I won’t hold her back.”

***

Meanwhile, the players on the bridge jogged after Bai Yue Ling.

With over eighty people chasing one, they’d completely let their guard down, certain of victory.

But then, the lead warrior stumbled, causing a dozen others behind to crash down with her.

“What’s wrong with you? Tripping now?” someone in the back cursed.

“It’s not me!” the warrior cried in panic. “It’s the bridge—it’s shaking!”

Only then did they notice the already rickety bridge trembling violently, as if hit by an earthquake.

“What’s happening? Why can’t I stand?”

“Are there earthquakes in this game?”

“Whatever—everyone, get off the bridge!”

Scrambling to their feet, they noticed their hands were coated in pale blue slime, cool and elastic like jelly.

At that moment, Bai Yue Ling turned around, spreading her arms. 

Countless pale blue slime tendrils rose from the bridge.

“Useless big sisters, meet my new pet from yesterday.”

The pale blue slime coalesced along the bridge, forming a massive slime that swiftly engulfed everyone within its body.

Bai Yue Ling had positioned her slime pet under the bridge from the start.

She’d feigned weakness to lure the enemy in, waiting until most of Sky Treader was on the bridge before ordering her slime to use its Gigantification skill, swallowing the players whole.

Those trapped inside grew weak, unable to resist.

They struggled in panic, watching their clothes dissolve and their health bars dwindle.

As white lights flashed, the giant slime bounced happily, shrank back to normal, and slithered into Bai Yue Ling’s sleeve to digest its meal.

[Congratulations! You have earned the new title: “Big Sister Trapper.”]

[Your kill count has increased. Current kill count: 100.]

Good grief—a kill count of 100 made her a major wanted criminal. 

Bounty hunters would come for her, and city guards would attack her on sight in main cities.

But out here in the wilderness, bounty hunters wouldn’t show up anytime soon, so she didn’t worry for now.

Ying Ye ran up, gleefully hugging Bai Yue Ling. “Little White, we did it! We won!”

“Ugh! Easy… easy…” 

Their ample softness collided, and Bai Yue Ling felt suffocated by the pressure.

2 vs. 100—a fifty-fold numbers gap, yet they’d triumphed.

Even in her nine past cycles, Bai Yue Ling had never achieved such a glorious victory!

Ecstatic, Ying Ye buried Bai Yue Ling’s head in her chest. 

“Little White, you’re amazing! How’d you think to hide the slime under the bridge?”

“Hehe, it’s no big deal,” Bai Yue Ling blushed, embarrassed. 

“Don’t they always use slimes to punish adventurers in those manga…”

Feeling shy, she nuzzled deeper into Ying Ye’s soft embrace, savoring the warmth.

After such a battle, a big sister’s cozy hug was the perfect reward.

“Oh, I saw someone sneaking around in the treetops, so I took her out and found this on her,” 

Ying Ye said, handing over a black camera, faint blue mana shimmering within.

“A camera?”

Bai Yue Ling inspected it, her lips curling into a sly, fox-like grin.

“It’s got all the footage of us thrashing Sky Treader. Posting this on the forum’s gonna be fun.”