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【New, new, new—this is the noble magic of the new generation! Mages are just the best!】 

【Stir-fried buns! Stir-fried buns! How do you play when someone’s driving a comet here?】 

【Doesn’t this guy really put on a show? The way he pulls off a big move with a completely expressionless face and a casual air, then never even looks back at the explosion—that masterful vibe makes Er Shen and the others look like total rookies.】 

【Er Shen, come check this out! It’s a negative review!】

【To be fair, Er Shen calls him “big brother” all the time and seems really happy about it—he probably loves hearing it.】

……

Compared to the comments in Zone 88, wh e r e e v e r y o n e was completely blown away by his good looks, the regional channel for Zone 01 was currently filled with an atmosphere that was both exhilarating and eerie:

【So, folks, what do you think—how effective would this tactic be for killing Swifts?】

【I’d guess that after a shower of fire, another shower of Swifts would fall from the sky.】

【I have a terrifying theory…】

【To be honest, I also…】

【No, wait, that’s not right. What happened to the farmer we were supposed to be talking about?】

【I don’t believe it! The Survival Game wouldn’t trick me—this person must be a hidden powerhouse who doesn’t know who the big shots are.】

【Are you hiding your true strength so much that you don’t even want event points or the Level 3 Shelter blueprint? Don’t be ridiculous—you’ve got the game’s top players laughing.】

【But I still couldn’t quite believe it. In my mind, the gaming legend had always been the quiet yet steady and reliable “big dad” type—how could he suddenly…?】

【?? Did I miss something? Who’s the “Game Master”? Why are you guys playing these word games?】

【Check out Live Stream #71999.】

After all, players aren’t just pawns at the mercy of fate—they’ve got brains in their heads. 

If the move Qi Yu had just used had been like Dan Xingyu’s—a spectacular but clearly single-target ultimate—they might not have been so quick to suspect anything.

But Qi Yu had used an area-of-effect spell instead.

They immediately recalled the recently concluded Rain Swift Points Event, as well as… the absurdly skyrocketing points of the top-ranked player a few days ago. 

At the time, there were several rounds of discussion in the community, with people saying that such an absurd increase in points would be impossible to achieve unless a top player took a bomb pack to the Swallow’s lair and bombed it nonstop—and the Swallows had to just sit there and let him bomb them. 

Does a farmer even have the means to use area-of-effect attacks to farm mutant creatures in bulk?

But now, they’ve come up with a new theory: What if this “farmer” is also a mage? What if he’s got some incredibly powerful and flashy area-of-effect spells? 

【This is just speculation; there’s no concrete evidence yet. But if we follow this line of thought, the arena team’s absurdly strong performance suddenly makes perfect sense.】 

【And haven’t you noticed? The way the guy in the cloak—who doesn’t say much and just coolly casts spells—really looks familiar.】

Although no one dared to definitively confirm the identities of the “Game Gods” duo, once the news spread that

“Stream Room #71999 might feature the gaming legend,” at least half of the players in Server 01 were drawn to it.

Aside from those who didn’t participate in the event, there were also those who had already been eliminated and

returned to the shelter—and when they saw the intensity of Live Stream #71999, they were completely stunned.

If the spectators on the sidelines were watching a spectacular magic show, then the players on the field… Damn!

Their state of mind at that moment perfectly mirrored that of certain players in the livestream: “Ref! Commentator! I’m reporting this! How are we supposed to play when someone’s cheating?!” Countless flaming meteors rained down; they were either frantically maneuvering their vehicles to dodge them or using protective gear to take the hit head-on. But after that, there was a second wave—the fireballs hit the ground and ignited trails of flames that spread across the terrain. 

The convoy had no choice but to take a detour.

Bumper cars aren’t exactly easy to control to begin with, and with these “roadblocks” popping up all over the track, the whole scene descended into utter chaos.

“Ah, I’m not buying it!” someone shouted. “This mode totally favors ranged classes. If you’ve got the guts, let’s have a one-on-one duel!” 

“Exactly. Let’s have a proper tournament. If Xin loses, he’ll accept it gracefully.”

Others countered: “Guys, we agreed this was just a fun match—we’re here to have a good time, so there’s no need to take it so seriously.” 

“Yeah, you’re shouting so loudly, but since you can’t attack from a distance yourself, just use an item.”

They’re all thousand-year-old foxes—full of mischief and cunning. 

So far, all the big moves have basically relied on their innate talents or class abilities: like the Necromancer from the Dark Group earlier, the Mind Control from the Abyss Group, Qi Yu’s fire magic, and Dan Xingyu’s single sword strike. 

Simply put, they’re all sustainable.

Aside from casting a shield on their own useless little cutie, most players haven’t revealed their true capabilities. 

Everyone’s mindset is pretty much the same: if you can compete for a high ranking, great; if not, just show off your top-ranked skills a bit so you don’t make a complete fool of yourself.

As for actually using precious consumable items to compete for the top spot in such a casual event—that’s not guts, that’s stupidity. 

A group of people zipping around in bumper cars through the fiery pits and black mist actually managed to find a bit of fun in it, consoling themselves: If it were just one person getting beaten up like this, that would indeed be pretty embarrassing.

But now, a whole group of people has been beaten like this by a single person. It seems… not so bad? 

After all, the person suspected of cheating is “I Love Survival Game,” and this “Gaming God” supermodel hasn’t been around for just a day or two—he posts server-wide announcements every other day. Just a few days ago, he posted a server-wide announcement about green resource spots in Server 01. 

Losing to him—is that embarrassing or not?

“Oh—the ‘Game Gods’ duo from the Newcomers’ team truly lives up to their name! A fire-element area-of-effect spell successfully held back all the teams behind them! At the same time, empowered by wind-element magic, the vehicle reached speeds it shouldn’t even be capable of! In this round, the ‘Game Gods’ duo has secured a massive lead!” 

Dan Xingyu was in charge of driving, while Qi Yu monitored the situation behind them.

Just as he’d said, if the gap wasn’t wide enough, he wouldn’t feel secure. 

So, whenever a car from the pack behind them appeared and got within a certain distance, Qi Yu would unleash a Meteor Fire Rain at them. The cars behind them: “……”

We’re really at our wits’ end with this No. 6! Is being a mage such a big deal?

Don’t these wide-area attack spells drain his mana completely when cast?! 

They felt like they weren’t even playing the same game as the Game Gods. Coincidentally, the audience felt the same way.

【This is hilarious—the cars behind them are really racing. But what are Er Shen and his crew doing? Playing Whack-a-Mole? As soon as a car pops up, they blast it back with a spell.】

【Er Shen actually got swept up in it. I thought, given his personality, he’d be upset about having his spotlight stolen.】

【Come on, you guys—Er Shen is thrilled to have married into a wealthy family.】

【Huh?? Tui Shen, how did you end up here?】

Someone noticed that the person who just spoke was none other than “Heart’s Desire and Inclination,” a top-ranked player from their 88th server.

This person was also well-known in Server 88 as a friend of Er Shen.

【Heart’s Desire and Inclination: Don’t even get me started—someone played dirty and used underhanded tactics, so they were kicked out of the game.】

【Tui Shen! First, tell us—what’s this about Er Shen marrying into a wealthy family?】

【Heart’s Desire and Inclination: I was just joking around and taking a dig at him—and you guys actually caught that? You’ve got some sharp eyes!】 Heart’s Desire and Inclination laughed it off in the server chat, then turned his attention back to the livestream.

After he was kicked out of the refuge, he quickly scrolled through the comments on the regional channel and stumbled upon God Has No Form’s livestream. He watched how those two interacted, then looked at Er Shen’s insincere smile and the way he kept calling him “bro.”

Is there anyone who still doesn’t get it after this latest update?

All kinds of delicious fruits, gourmet food, swiftlet meat, alchemical air conditioners…

That kid Er Shen must’ve been secretly hooking up with Xin—the current “King of Survival Games”—for ages now, pulling off a “Chanchang” maneuver behind everyone’s back! 

This is a man who can spawn green resource spots across the entire region! A real man’s man! 

Isn’t this just a love story?

That kid Er Shen—eating so well and not even introducing his brothers to the action.

Although… well, his godfather looks a bit young, but he’s not a bad option either! 

“Let’s all congratulate the ‘Game Gods’ duo! You successfully completed the Wild Race track in 1 hour and 30 minutes! By the way, our arena was also the first to reach the finish line of the Wild Race track. Let’s give another round of applause for the ‘Game Gods’ duo!” 

Suddenly, a giant screen appeared in midair. It displayed the rankings for the Wild Race competition.

First place goes to the “Game Gods” team, with a total of 10 points.

“Players who have already completed the course, please wait in the rest area. Teams that are behind shouldn’t give up—you can still compete for second and third place, as well as the ‘Complete in Three Hours’ achievement!”

“Any team that hasn’t reached the finish line within three hours will be eliminated.”

【Watching the “Game Gods” team compete against the other livestreamers—it’s like they’re not even on the same playing field.】

【Exactly. I’ve checked out several new streams, and some of them are literally like bumper cars—they get stuck on a single obstacle for ages.】

【……I used to think the players at the very back of the pack were really lucky—even when noobs were just bickering among themselves, they still had a chance to snag a reward box. But now it looks like the absolute last-place players probably won’t even meet the basic requirement of reaching the finish line within three hours.】

Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu walked over to a rest area off to the side.

They had originally thought the rest areas were shared, but to their surprise, as more teams arrived one after another, they all headed to different locations.

Dan Xingyu muttered under her breath, “I thought we’d be able to exchange some intel. This Survival Game sure is stingy.”

Qi Yu: “……”

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to stop him. “Don’t say that.” 

Dan Xingyu looked at him in confusion, then it clicked a second later. Qi Yu was telling him not to speak ill of the survival game.

After all, he had said that the Survival Game was his good friend. 

Dan Xingyu marveled inwardly once again: Are all little aliens like this? He takes things so seriously—it’s practically adorable!

The two sat quietly in the rest area; it looked like they’d be waiting for a full three hours. With nothing else to do, Qi Yu decided to close his eyes and meditate.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than he heard Dan Xingyu whisper, “What are you doing?”

Qi Yu: “Nothing much. Just meditating for a bit.” 

【Damn!】

【Is this what a big shot is like? He even uses this little bit of time to practice.】

【So does munching on sunflower seeds while watching someone practice live count?】

【That just counts as watching a livestream.】

……

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

The Host’s voice rang out again: 

“Congratulations to the newcomers on successfully completing the first round of the competition, ‘Racing Frenzy’! Next up is the second round of this racing extravaganza—Deep Sea Racer!” 

“Viewers watching the livestream, don’t forget to tap your screens and send little stars to your favorite livestreams!” 

“Deep Sea Racing? Is this a race on the ocean?”

Qi Yu’s heart skipped a beat: “Three rounds of competition—could it be based on the three settings of land, sea, and sky?” The only good thing about this survival game is that it doesn’t keep you in suspense. 

No sooner had the host finished speaking than the scene before all the players shifted. An endless, deep-blue ocean stretched out before them.

All teams remained paired up, each standing on the back of a pale blue sea beast.

“This round is ‘Deep Sea Wave Chase,’ and the battlefield has shifted to the ocean. Unlike the Wild Race, players may vie for the sea beasts beneath other players’ feet. As before, all means are permitted in this round; if a player sustains a fatal attack, their wristband’s protective mechanism will be triggered, and once triggered, they are eliminated.”

“This round will last three hours, and teams will be ranked based on the order in which they reach the finish line.”

【Wow, a race at sea—I’m regretting again that I didn’t sign up. I don’t need to compete for a top spot; just experiencing it would have been nice.】

【I’m a little worried—won’t the Cloaked Guy’s fire and earth magic severely limit his options here?】