As soon as the brawny woman said this, the eyes of the others lit up. Everyone had been through the trial instance and understood the cruelty and danger of the Samsara Game. In a situation like this, having an experienced veteran player lead them through the instance would obviously boost their survival rate by a large margin.
Even the black man with dreadlocks, who had been holding his head high with a cocky attitude, changed his expression. He stared at the brawny woman and walked toward her, step by step.
"Are you... really a veteran player?"
Watching the mountain-like black figure approach, the brawny woman's expression shifted slightly, and she subconsciously clenched her fists. But her words were still defiant as she said coldly, "Of course. Why would I lie to you? I've already cleared two official games."
The black man narrowed his eyes and asked again, "So, what's your level?"
The brawny woman sneered. "I'm a veteran. I'm obviously much stronger than you rookies, in both abilities and equipment. I won't say more, but leading a few obedient followers through to the end is no problem."
The black man started to laugh.
"Good, very good."
The brawny woman was taken aback.
"What? You... still don't believe me?"
The black man shook his head, and then he suddenly bowed deeply to the brawny woman.
"Big Sis! The name's Daniel, your humble little brother. For the next three days, I'm with you!"
Everyone was stunned.
Even the brawny woman herself was startled by his sudden bow. She took two steps back, thinking he was about to attack.
After two or three seconds, she came back to her senses.
"Are you... serious?"
The black man straightened up, rubbed his hands together, and put on a sycophantic grin. "Of course. I'm a man who knows which way the wind blows. As long as you can keep me alive, I'll do whatever you say. You want me to beat someone up, I'll beat them up!"
The brawny woman stared, then broke into a smile, feeling an unexpected sense of delight. "Very good. As long as you're willing to listen to me, I'll definitely get you through."
The black man nodded immediately. "You got it! You point, I'll punch!"
For a moment, the brawny woman was feeling quite giddy.
She turned her head and swept her gaze over the other three, her meaning clear—what about you?
The chubby guy, the madam, and the curly-haired man hesitated for only a moment before nodding, indicating their willingness to follow the veteran player.
"Big Sis, what should we do now? Do you have a plan?" the curly-haired man asked.
"Now..."
The brawny woman paused slightly.
A flicker of confusion, completely unbecoming of a veteran player, crossed her eyes. But it was only for an instant. She immediately narrowed her eyes to hide it, then put on an air of confidence.
"This should be a deserted island... The instance requires us to survive for three days, so it must be a deserted island survival challenge. We just need to find food and water, right?" The brawny woman didn't have time to think too much, quickly proposing the most obvious idea she could think of, not wanting to show any weakness.
Hearing this, the curly-haired man's spirits lifted. He raised his hand and said, "I grew up by the sea, so I'm good at finding food. There should be plenty of seafood on this beach; we can find a lot just by foraging during low tide. If that doesn't work, I can also dive without equipment and catch things in the sea. I can take care of the food."
At these words, the eyes of the chubby guy, the black man, and the brawny woman all lit up.
"You mean... we might even get to eat things like lobster and sea cucumber?"
"That depends on what this part of the sea has to offer, but I can guarantee you all won't go hungry," the curly-haired man said, patting his chest.
"Excellent!" The brawny woman nodded at the curly-haired man in satisfaction. "You can get on that in a bit. As long as you're willing to put in the effort, rest assured, I will definitely get you through."
"Thanks, Big Sis!" the curly-haired man said with a smile.
Just then, the pink-haired madam, looking at the excited group, frowned slightly, her expression somewhat grave.
She mulled it over and decided she had to say something.
But just as she was about to speak, a voice came from several meters away...
"Sorry to interrupt your little fantasy... but shouldn't there be something more important to do right now?"
Hearing this, the group of five paused, turning their heads in unison.
They saw Fumiya Jin and Nijika, who were now on their feet and walking toward them.
Previously, perhaps because they were the only pair, they were the only two sitting on a rock, and they were a good four or five meters away from the area where the others were gathered. Plus, since they were still seated and hadn't gotten up, the others had inadvertently overlooked their presence while talking.
Now that the two were walking over, they finally realized there were still two people who hadn't introduced themselves.
The brawny woman and the others took a good look at Fumiya Jin and his companion.
And then, one by one, they were all stunned by their appearance.
Nijika's pure cuteness went without saying.
The chubby guy and the curly-haired man found themselves staring, completely captivated.
But what was even more striking was that Fumiya Jin, standing next to her, seemed a bit too handsome... It was one thing for the brawny woman to be practically starry-eyed, but even the men felt their hearts skip a beat.
"Uh..." The curly-haired man was dazed for a few seconds before snapping out of it. He laughed and said, "Ah, I almost forgot, there are still two people who haven't introduced themselves."
So, everyone looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman, ready to hear their introductions.
But Fumiya Jin was in no mood for such pleasantries. He said flatly, "Our names are too long for you to remember. Just use our codenames. I'm Doctor, she's Pudding. This is also our first official game. Also, we should hurry up and find materials to start a fire. Otherwise, we might not even get to eat any seafood before we're all dead."
As soon as he said this, the brawny woman and the others froze.
The madam's eyes, however, lit up, and her brow relaxed.
"Start a fire? Is it really that urgent... uh—" The curly-haired man trailed off, suddenly understanding halfway through his sentence. He whipped his head around, looked at the setting sun nearing the horizon, and had a moment of realization.
"He's right!"
The others weren't fools either.
They had just been swept up in the good news of 'having a veteran player to carry them' and had their attention diverted by the plan the brawny woman had proposed, so they hadn't thought of it.
Now, with Fumiya Jin's reminder, they immediately understood.
"Yeah, we have to start a fire first!" the chubby guy nodded emphatically. "Otherwise, when it gets dark, we'll be plunged into darkness. Who knows what could happen then..."
The brawny woman finally realized she had almost led everyone astray.
She gave an awkward cough. "I was actually just about to mention that. After all, Haji can go forage for seafood alone. The rest of us, of course, need to get a fire started."
The others didn't seem to mind much.
"We don't have a lighter... are we supposed to make fire by drilling wood?" the chubby guy asked, scratching his head.
The curly-haired man raised his hand. "I'm good at making fire too. But we'll need to prepare some tinder like cotton fluff, dry leaves, and twigs, as well as firewood for sustained burning... It's okay if the firewood is a bit damp; even freshly cut wood will work."
Hearing this, everyone simultaneously looked toward the island's interior.
Judging from the direction of the setting sun, it was easy to tell they were on the southeast side of the island. Here, there was a wide, crescent-shaped beach over a hundred meters long and perhaps a dozen or so meters wide. Further inland was a small patch of parched grassland and shrubs on sandy soil, with most of the vegetation seemingly withered and dead from dehydration. Even further in was a dense forest, which likely covered more than eighty percent of the entire island.
"In that case, don't go foraging for seafood. You'll be in charge of finding tinder and dry branches. It shouldn't be hard to find dried-out materials in that shrub area," Fumiya Jin said, looking at the curly-haired man. "The rest of us will head into the forest to see if we can find a suitable place to set up camp and chop some wood. The night is long, and we won't be able to move around in the dark, so we need to prepare enough firewood to last the entire night."
"Hey, kid, the Big Sis hasn't even spoken. Is it your place to be giving orders?" the black man said, glancing at Fumiya Jin.
The brawny woman, however, shot him a glare. "You shut up... what he said is quite handsome—I mean—quite right, and it's pretty much what I was planning anyway. Let's just do as he says."
The black man was suddenly left in an awkward position.
He scratched his head.
"Alright, Big Sis..."
_____
🔥 40% OFF to celebrate 2 new stories! 🔥
We've just launched 2 new stories, and we want you to join us! Take advantage of the 40% discount to become a member.
When you join, you get instant access to:
✅ Over 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Exclusive content and updates!
Plus, your support unlocks bonuses for the entire community. Our goals are still active:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
Secure your spot with the discount and get access to everything right now:
👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan