Chapter 24: Ah, that’s my mighty sword!

“Ha… ha… ha…”

Bai Xue gripped a stone spear in her hand, panting slightly.

Her once-pristine face was now streaked with dirt.

Lying before her was a large blue lizard.

Frost clung to the grass around it.

To be precise, it was a [Frost Lizard]—covered in wounds and very much dead.

Level 2.

Physically strong, average speed, capable of breathing icy mist to freeze its prey.

Surrounding the corpse were several other players, each armed with crude stone weapons.

Not long ago, they had encountered the Frost Lizard right here and managed to defeat it—barely.

Now, they were a mixture of exhaustion and excitement.

This was the second battle for the Huaxia Squad.

Only two people had sustained minor injuries, and, more importantly, no one had died.

Even though Ye Lian had once called them a ragtag bunch, their performance so far hadn’t been too bad.

At least, there were no signs of infighting—yet.

The reason, of course, was that this game was far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.

During their first battle, they had been so terrified of the monster that they nearly turned and ran.

If Bai Xue hadn’t stepped forward to fight, it was questionable whether anyone else would’ve even made a move.

In the end, they all worked together and barely managed to take down the fanged, gray-black One-Horned Rabbit, which stood half as tall as a grown man.

If you asked Bai Xue why she had stepped up, she probably wouldn’t know how to answer.

As a top tennis player, she was faster than anyone else present.

If she really wanted to run, she could probably outrun even the rabbit.

If she had to give a reason, maybe it was the responsibility of being captain.

A few hours ago, Bai Xue had been made captain of the Huaxia Squad.

Not because of her strength—but simply because no one else wanted the job.

They pushed her into it.

As for Zhao Gang, no one took him seriously.

He was just a disgraceful burden.

In fact, in both battles, Zhao Gang hadn’t lifted a finger—just stood at a distance, looking like an outsider.

“Good work, everyone,” Bai Xue said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and addressed the others.

“Captain, you’re the one who worked hardest!”

“Yeah, seriously!”

“That was one tough fight.”

“I almost had a heart attack when the lizard started to breathe frost!”

“If Captain hadn’t thrown that spear into its mouth and stopped the attack, we might’ve been in real danger!”

“That was way too close!”

The team buzzed with chatter.

“I only did what anyone would do,” Bai Xue said with a faint blush, then quickly changed the topic.

“Alright, enough talk. Let’s clean up the battlefield. Also, be careful of those cracks in the ground. Falling into one could be serious trouble.”

By “clean up,” she meant processing the Frost Lizard’s corpse.

“Captain,” a voice called out as a player walked up to her.

“What is it, Mengpai?” Bai Xue blinked.

The player’s name was [Young Mengpai], an 18-year-old boy with a youthful face.

“I got a system reward just now,” Mengpai said shyly.

He couldn’t even make eye contact with Bai Xue.

“That’s great! Be sure to make good use of it,” Bai Xue said warmly.

“You’re not curious what it is?” Mengpai asked, a little disappointed.

“I am! Very curious, actually.” Seeing his expression, Bai Xue gave a wry smile.

To her, Mengpai was no different than a kid brother—just another boy trying to show off in front of a girl.

‘Was every teenage boy like this during puberty?’

For some reason, Bai Xue suddenly thought of Ye Lian.

“So… you really wanna see my Big Sword, Captain!?” Mengpai exclaimed excitedly.

Everyone around them broke into awkward silence and sweatdrops.

Bai Xue froze for a moment, her face flushing red as she glared at Mengpai.

‘He looked so proper—when did he turn into a little pervert?!’

Before she could scold him, a flash of cold light streaked through the air.

A longsword, over three feet in length, suddenly appeared in Meng Pai’s hand.

“That’s a real Big Treasure Sword!” someone exclaimed in surprise.

“I take it back—he wasn’t joking. That really is its name: Big Treasure Sword.“

“That’s such a ridiculous name.”

“Who would’ve guessed Big Treasure Sword was actually the name of a sword?”

“Which genius came up with that?”

As the jokes continued, everyone around burst into laughter.

The tension that had built up since the beta test finally eased a little.

Even if just for a moment, they wanted to escape reality.

Bai Xue stared at the Big Treasure Sword, her eyes filled with envy.

‘If I had a sharp weapon like that, fighting would be so much easier.’

Crude stone tools just couldn’t cut it.

Literally.

No matter how hard they tried, they were still just rocks.

The Frost Lizards they encountered this time had thick hides and powerful vitality, making the battle incredibly difficult.

“Captain, this sword…” Meng Pai was about to offer the weapon to Bai Xue, hoping to win her favor.

But before he could finish, someone interrupted him.

“Can I take a look at your sword?”

Everyone turned toward the voice.

It was Zhao Gang, who had been practically invisible up until now, slowly walking over.

His face was pale as a sheet, and his breath was weak—he looked seriously ill.

Meng Pai didn’t like Zhao Gang.

In fact, he hated him.

Bai Xue clearly wasn’t interested, yet Zhao Gang still clung to her like a leech.

Even worse, the guy had the nerve to flirt with other girls right in front of her.

Eventually, he got what he deserved—someone kicked him nearly to death.

Serves him right.

As if he hadn’t heard anything, Zhao Gang repeated himself.

“Can I take a look at your sword?”

Meng Pai hesitated.

He really didn’t want to hand it over.

But since they were on the same team, refusing outright felt wrong.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t we part of the same team? Or are you scared I’ll steal it?”

Zhao Gang smiled.

“Fine! Take it! Who’s scared of you?” Meng Pai rolled his eyes and handed over the Big Treasure Sword without hesitation.

Zhao Gang lowered his head and reached out his hand.

From Meng Pai’s angle, he couldn’t see the twisted smile forming on Zhao Gang’s lips.

He also couldn’t see the tiny, black tendril slipping out from the corner of his mouth.

“Meng Pai, don’t give him the sword!!“

From Bai Xue’s position, she saw everything.

She shouted in a panic.

Meng Pai froze.

Zhao Gang seized the moment and snatched the sword.

Then, gripping it with both hands, he slashed sideways.

Meng Pai’s vision turned strange—first high, then low, then spinning wildly.

Just before his body hit the ground, he realized.

His head and body had parted ways.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, soaking the grass in an instant.

“Ahhhh!!”

No one knew who screamed first, but once it started, it spread like a plague.

Bai Xue stood frozen, stunned.

She never imagined that someone who had been perfectly fine just a moment ago would be lying there dead—decapitated, gone for good.

“Hahaha! As expected of the Big Treasure Sword! It’s incredibly sharp!”

Zhao Gang laughed, his face twisted with madness as he looked at the blade in his hands.

Then, two gray-black tentacles emerged from his mouth, writhing.

“A-a monster!”

“He’s been possessed! Kill him!!”

“Kill that freak!!”

Several armed players forced themselves to push past their fear and launched an attack.

“Fufufufu… HAHAHA!”

But before they could close in—

Zhao Gang’s arms extended grotesquely, twisting at impossible angles and moving with terrifying speed.

With a single sweeping motion, several heads went flying.

Then he turned toward Bai Xue, who was trembling, her face deathly pale.

His lips curled into a twisted, wicked smile.

“You’re next, Bai Xue.”