Players, Please Board the Train

”We were all first-time participants in this dungeon, so we naturally overlooked the background details,” Yuan Yao said. ”We simply treated The Headhunter Demon as a fixed boss, completely missing the hidden information within.”

They had assumed they were among the game’s earliest players, thinking the three-year backstory was just setting. Just like how they’d mistaken the woodchopper for an NPC, who would have guessed this place had been a dungeon for decades—and an open-world one at that?

”Who could’ve predicted this place has been a dungeon site for decades, with random players stranded here?” Liu Yuanyuan’s usual arrogance had noticeably diminished.

”We should thank that woodchopper,” Yuan Yao added. ”Otherwise we’d never have known the last person can’t clear the dungeon.” His eyes suddenly lit up as he pounced on Xu Huo. ”Bro Xu! We’re good friends, right? Let’s exchange numbers! Or at least add each other on social media!”

Xu Huo pushed him away with a hand to his face and turned to Wang Wei. ”Considering your little tricks, The Headhunter Demon was definitely a player.”

”Then why don’t you suspect her?” Wang Wei pointed angrily at Liu Yuanyuan.

”Of course I did,” Xu Huo replied calmly. ”Didn’t we just eliminate possibilities?”

Wang Wei trembled with rage before suddenly grinning ominously. ”Meeting you was my bad luck, but don’t think you’ll finish this dungeon so easily!” He flicked his fingers, and an almost invisible thread materialized beside Xu Huo. This filament differed slightly from before—it seemed capable of blending with surroundings, though its metallic glint remained detectable.

”Again?” Xu Huo grabbed at the thread, but it slipped through his fingers like oil, darting toward Yuan Yao instead!

Not targeting him after all!Xu Huo kicked Yuan Yao aside, but the thread bypassed Huang Junjie entirely, shooting past his ear toward Abel in the rear!

Abel scrambled backward, summoning his massive cross again. He swung wildly, accomplishing nothing except creating distracting foam bubbles before the thread hoisted him into the air!

Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao rushed to help, attempting to lift him free, but the thread seemed fused to Abel’s neck—rising whenever they lifted him higher!

”This is my tool ’Omnipresent String.’ It grows anywhere. Nothing you do matters—just watch him choke!” Wang Wei laughed maniacally. ”Don’t worry, I’ll kill you all one by one!”

The other players’ expressions darkened. Wang Wei possessed far too many bizarre tools!

”His tools can’t target the same person twice. Huang Junjie, you go!” Xu Huo shouted, then tapped his heel twice—vanishing instantly!

His speed created afterimages. Wang Wei’s triumphant expression shattered before he could even finish smiling, finding Xu Huo already before him!

”AAAHHH!!” Wang Wei screamed, staring at his severed left hand—four fingers and half his palm gone!

With the controller incapacitated, Abel dropped free. Huang Junjie tried coiling the thread with his bamboo blade but failed, watching helplessly as it zipped back toward Wang Wei!

”Xu Huo! The thread’s returning!” Huang Junjie warned.

Without turning, Xu Huo blocked an axe swing and kicked Wang Wei into the wall. Snatching his brass lighter, he caught the airborne thread between his teeth, tied multiple knots around the lighter, and tossed it to Huang Junjie!

Seeing his tool stolen, Wang Wei roared and charged recklessly with his axe. But injured and without his black cloak’s enhancement, his wild swings couldn’t touch Xu Huo.

Xu Huo signaled Yuan Yao, who sidled away unnoticed.

”Die! Die! Die!” Wang Wei’s screams echoed through the warehouse. Xu Huo remained composed, avoiding direct confrontation while backing away—until Yuan Yao crept behind Wang Wei.

”Want to know how I identified your tool’s weakness?” Xu Huo asked suddenly.

Wang Wei hesitated—just as Yuan Yao seized his arms, yelling, ”Now, Xu Huo!”

Realizing the trap too late, Wang Wei gaped at the knife plunging into his chest. Xu Huo calmly met his bulging eyes, removed the axe, and stepped back as he collapsed.

Wang Wei’s death triggered a system announcement all players heard:

[Congratulations on clearing ”The Headhunter Demon” dungeon. As the dungeon concluded early with collaborative elimination of the demon, all players receive standard rewards based on performance PLUS the villa owner’s 100,000 bounty and one special tool.]

[Note: The Headhunter Demon’s tools are dungeon-locked. Players may choose either one trait development authorization OR one tool. IMPORTANT: Recipient will be determined by player vote.]

[Performance ratings:]

[Player Extra: B-grade

Player Drunken Swordgazer: D-grade

Player CodeMonkey: D-grade

Player Gods’ Faith: E-grade

Player FairMaiden: E-grade]

”D-grade!” Yuan Yao leaped up first. ”I got D! The Preliminary Trial Train didn’t even rate me! First dungeon and already D! Haha!”

”Congratulations.” Huang Junjie relaxed slightly—his D-grade meant personal rewards and train tickets were secure.

With both at D, Extra’s B-grade clearly belonged to Xu Huo.

”Why am I lowest?” Liu Yuanyuan complained. ”I helped capture the demon.”

”Me too,” Abel scratched his head. ”Probably because we stumbled around blindly the whole time. And you nearly made us fight each other.”

Liu Yuanyuan scoffed, eyeing Huang Junjie’s lighter-bound thread. ”Let me see that tool.”

Huang Junjie retreated warily. ”Four against one—you’d lose.”

She snorted, turning to Xu Huo lingering by the wall. ”What’re you doing? Time to vote. Don’t tell me you want the exchange reward for yourself.”

Xu Huo kept searching until finding a reflective fragment in the corner. Pocketing it, he finally rejoined them.

Post-announcement, Xu Huo’s black cloak and axe in his inventory had grayed out, revealing only the voting interface.

”Before voting, we decide who gets the exchange reward,” he stated.