When the first rays of sunlight filtered through the forest, Xia Qingqing was lying beneath a large tree. The soft light brushed against her face, as if trying to rouse her from her slumber.
Within a one-meter radius around her, dense vines coiled protectively, never straying far. Occasionally, small animals would pass by, and the vines would kindly give them a rollercoaster-like ride.
A soft groan escaped Xia Qingqing’s lips as she stretched hard, wiping away a glistening drop of drool from the corner of her mouth. “Huh? Where am I?”
She froze for a full half-minute before suddenly remembering—she had been captured by the vines, and then… then she got a little tired… and fell asleep. Yeah, that seemed about right.
Nodding to confirm her own guess, she immediately plunged into panic. “What do I do? Where should I go? Qingyi! Luo Xiu, you handsome guy! Where are you?”
The same scene played out in various parts of the forest. Many woke up to find themselves alive, with only minor injuries. While relieved, they had no idea what to do next and quickly fell into confusion.
Just then, the fitness trackers on their wrists buzzed to life. When they checked, an anonymous message appeared:
“The trial has only just begun.”
What? After barely surviving that ordeal, you’re telling me the trial is just starting?
Some were immediately displeased, cursing into their wristbands. If they didn’t dare speak up in person, at least they could vent in private.
When Su Mo received the message, he was moving through the woods. He glanced at it, his heart undisturbed—as if he had expected this all along.
He had long suspected that last night was merely an appetizer before the real test. The only possible anomaly was the attack by the mysterious vines, and now it was almost certain that those vines were man-made.
During his rest, he had reviewed the battle with the vines and noticed something strange.
First, why did the vines only entangle limbs and not necks, which would have made subduing their prey much easier? If it was mere luck, why did everyone he saw get their limbs tangled, with no one caught by the neck or elsewhere?
Second, while dragging him, the vines deliberately avoided thorny patches and sharp rocks, sticking only to soft ground, occasionally pressing down on rotting branches.
Putting these two points together, if this wasn’t man-made, then there was only one other possibility—these vines had gained sentience!
Su Mo couldn’t help but imagine what kind of overpowered superhuman could pull off such an insane feat.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Another message appeared on the wristband:
“Hunting Time. Duration: 1:00:00.”
00:59:59…
The countdown had begun, yet there were no immediate signs of danger. Perhaps the threat was still on its way.
“Can’t even catch a break, huh?” Su Mo grumbled. Instead of rushing off, he decided to scout the area.
Wild animals occasionally crossed his path, but they were all small creatures, posing little threat. The most dangerous encounter was a one-meter-long venomous snake, but he spotted it early and avoided injury.
Clutching a sharp stone, Su Mo moved swiftly through the forest, his steps light and sure.
Over half an hour passed, and with no sign of the anticipated danger, he began to relax.
But just then—
A sharp gust of wind whistled past his ear. Instinctively, he tilted his head, narrowly dodging an arrow.
“Oh? Not bad. A jungle hunter, ancient-style.”
Su Mo spun around to face his attacker—only to be stunned by the man’s appearance.
Gleaming armor. A feathered helmet. A quiver on his back. A bow in hand.
“Seems the higher-ups are taking this test seriously, even hiring such a realistic NPC. Though their aim is a bit too aggressive.” Su Mo yanked the arrow embedded in a nearby tree and gripped it tightly, dodging another shot.
With a sharp cry, he closed the distance between them. Against ranged weapons, melee combat was the best counter.
In an instant, Su Mo was upon the NPC, only to notice the man wore a mask.
Relying on his superior physique, Su Mo engaged in a fierce struggle but found himself struggling. The opponent’s armor was incredibly sturdy, rendering his stolen arrow useless.
“Wrapped up tight, aren’t you?” he muttered.
The NPC hunter never spoke a word, attacking relentlessly with ruthless precision—every strike aimed at a vital point.
A flicker of doubt arose in Su Mo’s mind. “Who are you?”
The NPC remained silent, drawing a sword from his waist and slashing straight at Su Mo’s head. Frowning, Su Mo realized this was no ordinary test—this was a genuine attempt on his life.
If that were the case, regardless of motive or purpose, he was in real danger.
No longer holding back, he searched for an opening—and found it in the mask.
The bronze mask had an ancient aesthetic. Seizing a moment of distraction, Su Mo snatched it off, revealing a rotting face beneath.
“Rotting” was the only way to describe it—a thin layer of decayed flesh barely clinging to bone.
This was no NPC. It was a walking corpse!
Its sunken eye sockets held no eyeballs—only two flickering emerald flames pulsing rhythmically.
“What the hell is this?!” Fighting back disgust, Su Mo drove the arrow into one of the corpse’s eye sockets, twisting it before yanking it out and repeating the process on the other.
The eyes seemed to be its weak point. Once pierced, the creature stiffened, its movements slowing. The blade meant for Su Mo froze mid-swing.
The flames in its eyes dimmed, on the verge of extinguishing. Seizing the chance, Su Mo wrested the sword from its grip, preparing for a final strike.
The blade plunged into the corpse’s eye socket, its gleaming tip bursting out the back of its skull. The massive body collapsed with a thud.
“Whew—that was close. Good thing I trained in the Jade Seed Art, or I’d have been done for today.” Su Mo wiped his brow, relieved to have escaped unscathed.
He examined the sword he’d taken from the corpse. Not only was it razor-sharp, but it was also beautifully crafted.
The blade, about a meter long, showed no signs of damage despite piercing through skull and helmet.
Nice weapon.
He took the scabbard from the corpse’s belt, claiming it for himself, then confiscated the bow and arrows. “Consider this compensation for emotional distress. A delicate girl like me can’t handle such frights, you know.”
Shaking his head at his own shamelessness, he turned his attention to the corpse’s armor. He was curious—what did the body underneath look like? Was it as decayed as the face?
Driven by curiosity, Su Mo felt around the armor but found no way to remove it. Just as he considered hacking it open with the sword—
The corpse twitched.
Its head lifted, its hollow, ruined eye sockets locking onto Su Mo.
Its expression seemed to say:
“Hey, buddy… can’t we talk this out? No need for violence.”