Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 442 Night of Elimination
Fang Yi did not answer immediately.

She simply stopped and looked at the man who called himself Li Zhi not far away.

He ignored the other person's pointless remarks.

They didn't focus on the other person's very gorgeous and extremely eye-catching clothes.

Instead, he discreetly examined the three dazzling coins on the other person's right hand.

A ring that most people would consider flashy and impractical.

Through his [Specialty] [Spiritual Source Returns to the Edge], Fang Yi had already keenly noticed something.

These three rings are radiating a subtle magic, quietly performing their respective functions.

Several traits that enhance resistance to mental interference and increase resistance to illusions.

Influenced by the exchange of experiences with the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Fang Yi quickly realized the function of each of the three rings.

From left to right are:
[A subtle illusion that slightly alters one's appearance based on how others perceive them]

[Consumes magic power to emit a special aura, reducing hostility to some extent]

[Automatically adjusts tone and speaking speed to increase persuasiveness]

All of these can be done without triggering a space notification.

It is also not easy for others to notice, thus causing others to feel bad.

However, these are small pieces of equipment that can effectively increase communication skills and negotiation effectiveness.

Clearly, this man who calls himself Li Zhi is a fellow 'opponent' who enjoys cultivating goodwill and engaging in marketing.

[Talent] is probably also related to friendliness.
-
Fang Yi glanced at the simple campsite.

Soon they emerged from under several crooked, makeshift wooden sheds.

I saw several people who didn't answer.

Therefore, he stopped what he was doing and looked at his 'grunts' with a slightly hostile gaze.

Or rather, the 'results' of the other party's operations.

Among them were those carrying long swords and wearing chainmail.

He was squinting as he looked himself and Corey's soldiers up and down.

Near the fence not far away, Fang Yi also caught a glimpse of someone using a bandaged hand as cover.

He secretly reached for the flintlock pistol at his waist with his other hand.

He whistled while keeping a wary eye on his thief.

And next to the stone campfire in the center of the camp.

Aside from a few reincarnators who were wrapped in bandages and tacitly accepted this rejection, there were others.

The crossbowman next to Li Zhi was adjusting his crossbow by the light of the fire.

He also pulled out a crossbow from behind his back and began to place it.

The woman behind him, wearing a feathered hat, also raised her head, and with a click, aimed her musket at Fang Yi.

Clearly, Fang Yi was no longer responding.

These 'grunts' will probably have to draw their weapons and issue a warning.

They even had the determination to fight against men, relying on these crudely made wooden stakes as a barrier.

But the man's long-dormant [battle aura perception] had already told him something.

These people are probably even weaker than Deathmask, whom the man encountered in the beginner missions of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

The physical attribute should not exceed 20 points.

[Are all reincarnators paired with companions?]

What exactly is going on with this mission? Why is there so much space?

Fang Yi sensed that something was amiss.

She also looked at Li Zhi.

A sense of novelty, which had been absent for a long time, arose.

[Interesting, a reincarnation user using borrowed power?]

[Is this a way of showing me how you want to maintain your control over the team?]
-
Li Zhi is the temporary leader of this reincarnated, mixed-origin team.

He just deliberately turned his head away.

He reprimanded the 'disobedient' musketeer.

"Insolence! Put down the gun!"

"These two gentlemen are not those despicable bandits who destroyed our carriage."

"But fellow travelers heading to the town!"

After performing a routine that Fang Yi was very familiar with.

Li Zhicai forced a smile and expressed his 'goodwill' to Fang Yi.

"With more people joining the team, it's inevitable that there will be disagreements."

"This 'mission' has various functions that are restricted, and it looks quite strange."

"So they're all a bit neurotic."

As he spoke, Fang Yi heard the notification sound from the Samsara Space.

[An unknown reincarnator has initiated a transfer of 400 points to you.]

[An unknown reincarnator has proposed a spatial contract to you, which requires 50 points to conclude.]

The specific requirement is that you must not disclose false information regarding your own merit points.

Li Zhi, with the help of his subordinates, silently launched a series of attacks.

She winked at Fang Yi.

The 'steps' are starting to appear.

"Asking about merit points is also a way to assess each other's combat strength in a way that doesn't pry into privacy."

"I was fortunate enough to experience two missions at Rank 2 and enter such a world once more, which is why I have this little bit of merit."

"He was also 'lucky' to be the first to arrive here, so he was elected as the leader by everyone."

"I wonder what this gentleman is like?"

Fang Yi accepted the points from the other party.

He glanced at his impressive 611 merits at a leisurely pace.

He spread his hands with amusement, giving a dignified and unyielding response that he wouldn't disrupt the event.

"Fang Yi, in terms of merit points."

"Only slightly higher than you. No less than 400 points."

"But its strength is much higher than 400 points."

"I have my own plans."

A few words were spoken.

The smile on Li Zhi's face froze instantly.

The man, skilled in rhetoric, had already understood the implication in Fang Yi's words.

I have no interest in vying for leadership of this team.

I've been kind to you, so don't bother me.
-
The reincarnators gathered around the stone campfire instantly looked up at Fang Yi.

They began to whisper among themselves.

"400 merits, I'm afraid it's more than that!"

"Neither he nor his companions were injured in the bandit attack, so they must be quite strong, at least stronger than us!"

"This mission started with a life-threatening enemy, and before we even reached the 'safe zone' rendezvous point, we encountered several veterans with over 300 merit points. This doesn't seem normal at all!"

"But how come someone with such high merit only had one companion? That old man is no ordinary person either?"

"With someone like this joining us, and following that ghost's advice, staying here should be safer!"

Li Zhi looked at Fang Yi approaching the camp and shook his head.

They changed the way they addressed each other at the right time and gave a message that had been repeated many times before.

"I regret to inform you, Lord Fangyi, that we will likely have to stay here tonight and 'share the burden' no matter what."

"You were probably guided here by the crows as well."

"But when I arrived, the axle of that large carriage was broken and it was unusable."

"At the same time, all our carriages were destroyed!"

Fang Yi's heart skipped a beat.

I knew it; the tasks that reward points in the game wouldn't be this simple.
-
Following Li Zhi's finger, Fang Yi quickly spotted several carriages hidden in the darkness around the camp.

Each horse in the carriage is accompanied by a crow that looks very similar to the one in the picture.

Except for one of the somewhat luxurious carriages, which remained relatively intact with no visible damage, the rest of the carriages were undamaged.

The carriages of the other horses were all riddled with holes or completely broken.

It is obviously no longer usable.

Fang Yi turned his head and exchanged a glance with Corey, who was standing next to him.

The old man shook his head and quietly made a hand gesture to Fang Yi.

This conveys a valuable lesson.

[Wagons placed in temporary outposts are generally undamaged.]

After finishing his conversation with Fang Yi, the old man glanced contemptuously at the 'grunts' entrenched around the campfire.

A warning was issued.

"If I were you, and I were to recklessly stay in this forest to endure the 'pressure erosion' and survive until dawn, I would..."

"There wouldn't be so many [Apprentice] level people in the team."

"Add a little bit of weak fuel to the campfire."
-
As soon as the old man said these words, Fang Yi heard a notification sound from the space.

You now know about the [Mercenary Level] and [Apprentice] rank; you have obtained information related to the keyword [Mercenary].

Please try traveling to the town to explore further information.

You have learned about the keyword "stress erosion".

You have unlocked the [Stress Level]. Your current [Stress Level] is 0/100.

As the leader of the temporary squad, you can view the stress levels of your team members to make commands and judgments.

Fang Yi glanced at the old man beside him, who was walking towards the large carriage with the damaged axle, trying to find out what was going on.

Then I received this message.

Your temporary squad member Corey's stress level is 2/100.

It is clear that the elderly man's 'stress resistance' is lower than that of Fang Yi, who has many other qualities.

Still a little bit off.

At the same time, Fang Yi heard the long-absent 'spoiler' from the [Main God Space] in his ears.

[Friendly reminder: We do not recommend fighting when your stress level is too high. Staying calm and engaging in stress-relief activities will help lower your stress level.]

I recalled that the character's stress level in the original game was 100.

If you fail the test, you will fall into a state of madness.

Or they could simply become NetEase Cloud Music users, spreading pessimism to their teammates and dragging everyone into a frenzy of teamwork and dismantling the team.

Either they start ignoring all commands during battle, transforming into a "yes, yes, but I won't do it" type of guy who just gives up.

Or you could just turn around and stab your teammate in the back.

A heart rate of 200 or higher can lead to heart failure and even death.

In addition to monitoring health, you also need to manage stress levels in this mission.

I glanced at my stress level, which wasn't jumping at all.

Fang Yi immediately understood that the [Benevolence of Beelzebub] and [Blessing of the Alien] traits he possessed could bring unique advantages to him and his team in this mission.

His [Divine Blood] can manifest [bloodline].

These traits are granted to others in conjunction with [physical modification].
-
Fang Yi glanced at the somewhat agitated group that had unlocked the [Stress Value].

The team became extremely chaotic, shouting things like "Why am I only 80 points?", "I only have 70 points", "How do I lower this number?", and "Will there be problems if it's full?"

However, they had no intention of making a move.

He only intended to accompany the old man to check the condition of the carriage and see how to repair it.

Arrive in the town as soon as possible and begin exploring.

See if the private messaging function can be unlocked.

They then contacted Ms. Gu Qi to proceed with the transaction.

Judging from the reaction of the veteran next to him.

Traveling overnight is a viable option.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhi, who had been so nonchalant, strode up.

"Besides the carriage matter, I have some information I would like to share with Lord Fangyi."

"I don't know?"

Li Zhi gestured for him to speak privately.

A very pleasant notification sound rang in Fang Yi's ears.

[An unknown reincarnator has initiated a transfer to you; the amount is 1000 points.]

Before Fang Yi could react...

He now held a money bag in his hand.

An unknown reincarnator has submitted a request to you to change the ownership of the [Old Gold Coin].

[In the current region, [Old Gold Coins] acquired within a certain timeframe are considered unbound and their ownership can be changed.]

Fang Yi took the money bag and easily determined the amount by weighing it in his hand.

50 pieces.

Seeing Li Zhi take out these old gold coins, he seemed to feel a little pained.

Even though I have the necessary permissions, the system only provides 100 [Old Gold Coins] as starting capital.

It is clear that the value and purchasing power of the 'token' [Old Gold Coin] from this mission are not low.

They can also play an indispensable role in the tasks to come.

Money, as a general equivalent, is only useful in transactions.

Therefore, this kind of thing should be effective in small towns.

Fang Yi glanced at the team behind Li Zhi, who had become somewhat restless due to the unlocking of the [Stress Value].

He glanced at the veteran beside him again.

He flashed a standard smile.

It seems we can rely on this experienced old man to extract more "old gold coins" from these people for initial capital accumulation.

[This also allows me to easily build up some prestige, making it easier to collect [old gold coins] from these reincarnators in the long run.]

Fang Yi accepted the money bag and happily accepted the points.

He looked directly at Li Zhi.
-
Fang Yi took the money bag and accepted the transfer.

Li Zhi then smiled and quietly made his request.

"Lord Fangyi, these are insignificant rewards."

"Could you have your partner share some information about [stress levels]?"

Fang Yi glanced at the old man who was bowing his head and inspecting the large carriage, and smiled.

"Of course! But..."

Before Fang Yi could finish speaking, another money bag appeared in his hand.

This time there are 30.

Li Zhi gritted his teeth and made a promise to Fang Yi after stuffing the money bag back in. "I still owe you 50 coins, sir."

The system messaged me: "[You cannot continue trading, otherwise there will be a great risk to the subsequent tasks.]"

"Therefore, I can't give any more now."

As he spoke, Li Zhi turned his head and pointed to the group behind him.

"But they still have a lot on them."

"Once we arrive at this 'safe zone' of a small town, I will find a way to present you with a gift."

As he spoke, Li Zhi took off his ring and humbly revealed his identity to Fang Yi.

"Aside from these low-level tricks."

"I am still a trustworthy and generous businessman with some business partners."

Fang Yi glanced at Li Zhi.

I think this man, who is quite capable and flexible, is very impressive.

He coughed toward the veteran inspecting the carriage.

"Mr. Corey, let me take a look."

"I do know a little about mechanical structures."

"As for compiling the intelligence, I'll leave that to you?"

Before entering, I received advice from Miss Chen Shu.

The man upgraded his Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Principles skill to level 15.

Now is the time to test the waters.

Corey remained silent upon hearing Fang Yi's suggestion.

She simply raised her head and silently walked towards Fang Yi.

As he brushed past the old man, Fang Yi made another gesture.

[A fat sheep!]

The old man nodded slightly after being reminded by Fang Yi.

She walked up to Li Zhi in a very calm manner.

"You want to exchange intelligence?"
"But the value of intelligence also varies."

Li Zhi didn't speak, but instead looked with unusual familiarity at the 'miscellaneous soldiers' and reincarnators behind him.

The tone was raised.

"Of course, valuable information that could save everyone's lives should be compensated accordingly!"
"We will pay the corresponding price from you and buy it!"

Hearing Li Zhi's words, he saw his own pressure level gradually rising.

It took less than half a minute.

The rest of the group pooled together two rather 'full' money bags and handed them over to the temporary leader.

Looking at the bulging money bag in Li Zhi's hand.

The old man smiled with satisfaction.

"Of course, I have a way to make sure you survive tonight."

"you want."

The two began to talk.
-
They arrived at a very large carriage, which could probably accommodate four people.

Fang Yi bent down to examine the carriage with its broken axle.

With the help of the [Transparent World - Enhancement], he only glanced at the broken axle.

I haven't yet figured out how to repair the axle using the principles of mechanical design and manufacturing.

With just a touch of one hand, I noticed something was wrong.

Although the axle's break was quite natural, there were no signs of deliberate damage.

But the knowledge brought by the Alchemy of Truth School taught him one thing.

Within a region approximately five centimeters to the left and right of the axle breakage point.

An extremely unnatural 'deterioration' phenomenon has occurred.

It was this 'deterioration' that led to the axle breaking.

Fang Yi immediately came to a conclusion.

Someone sabotaged the carriage, which was intended as a backup mode of transportation.

This created a situation where people from the surrounding areas who wanted to travel to the town 'had to stay here.'

If it weren't for my arrival and the arrival of the elderly, which unlocked the "stress level" for these people...

It is highly likely that those gathered at the stronghold will suffer casualties.

He then died from unknowable stress erosion.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Fang Yi frowned slightly.

Didn't Miss Zhuang say that missions in the [Derivative World] that don't pursue the [Grand Prize] are low-intensity missions?

How did we end up in such a dire situation, with half the team wiped out, by making just one wrong move?

He looked into the distance, having received information from the veteran.

He is directing a group of people to renovate the camp.

At the same time, he purchased special liquor from veterans and distributed it to some people under excessive stress in order to combat Li Zhi's "stress erosion".

[It was him? He did these counterproductive things in his attempt to unify the team?]

【still?】

Fang Yi raised his head and looked at the unusually gloomy forest, which exuded a strange aura.

Is someone pulling the strings behind all this?

Fang Yi felt that something was very wrong with this mission.

However, being suspicious and paranoid when there is insufficient information is clearly just needless worry.

He was determined to focus on getting to the town as soon as possible to advance the mission and get help.

He then removed an axle from the wreckage of a nearby carriage.

Take out the gold bar and activate [Truth Forging - Completion] to begin [Repairing] the axle.

He gestured to the veteran.

I can handle the axle issue.

The veteran nodded and responded to Fang Yi.

[We'll divide the spoils later!]
-
A few minutes later, they boarded a luxurious carriage heading towards the town.

Leaning back in his seat, Corey flashed two very sturdy money pouches at Fang Yi.

"Teamwork, leveraging each other's strengths and compensating for each other's weaknesses."

What you said is indeed correct.

"Without you repairing the axle, we'd probably be stuck there with those ignorant cowards who wouldn't dare travel at night and would only dare to stay in their hideout."

The old man, while speaking, took two coins out of his money bag.

Then he handed the money bag to Fang Yi.

"This time, I will only give you 2 old gold coins as a token, and you can take all the remaining 511 old gold coins."

"Although you are quite skilled and quick-witted."

"But when you first arrive in town, you are only at the [Apprentice] level."

"We need some [old gold coins] as start-up capital to recruit people."

Then he added a sentence.

"Remember to return the 260 coins to me later."

"If we split it 50/50, I should get 5 coins in interest!"

It's clear that the old gold coins are very useful in the town.

The veteran was unaware that the space would distribute a certain amount of "old gold coins" to the reincarnators.

Therefore, they regarded Fang Yi as a penniless 'gold prospector' who was trying his luck in the small town.

Watching the other person's waist bounce up and down with the poorly shock-absorbing carriage.

But there was no sound of water coming from the wine jug.

Knowing that the old man had exchanged all his wine for these coins, Fang Yi did not refuse his kindness.

Instead, he took out the [rare item] [Emperor's Golden Wine Cup] and gestured for the other party to open the wine pot.

"I heard that the bandits we killed would drink a little wine to celebrate when dividing the loot."

"So since it's about splitting the money, it would be a bit boring without wine."

He looked at the fine wine being poured into his wine jug.

The old man smelled the strange aroma emanating from the wine.

A rare smile appeared on her wrinkled face as she corrected the man's mistake.

"You're really young, and a bit 'naive'."

"Those bandits don't drink when they divide their loot."

Instead, they would hide a dagger behind their back, trying to get an extra piece of the pie.

"It's easy to wipe them out at times like this!"

A look of nostalgia flashed in the old man's eyes.

Clearly, this was after the spoils were divided.

The veteran and Fang Yi became acquainted and enjoyed talking about various trivial matters.

Upon hearing these words, Fang Yi tilted his head.

He gently squeezed the old man's wine flask and teased him.

"Then should I give you a different dagger?"
"Experienced seniors?"

The veteran gave it a gentle tug.

He snatched the wine pot from Fang Yi's hand and gave a nonchalant response.

"That's unnecessary."

"Consider this little bit of wine as tuition for young people to broaden their horizons."

As he spoke, the veteran raised the wine jug towards Fang Yi, who was holding the "Imperial Golden Cup."

"So?"

Fang Yi took out a wine glass and poured himself some wine.

He bumped into the wine jug that the old man had raised.

The character Corey's favorability towards you has increased to 71/100.

[This character can offer you more assistance once you arrive in the town; please explore on your own.]

The two exchanged a smile and said nothing more.

After lifting the wine pot and taking a small sip of wine.

The old man put away the wine jug and sighed.

"You young man are really hard to figure out."

"You probably shouldn't go to that town."

"Instead, they should mingle with those nobles, scheme and plot, and they'll surely have a very 'bright' future."

Fang Yi was about to speak when he sensed the carriage that had been speeding by just a second ago.

But it seemed to have suddenly lost its momentum and came to a strange stop.

The two people in the car exchanged a glance.

They all simultaneously pulled out their weapons and peered out of the car windows.

They began searching for the root cause of the carriage stopping.

They quickly found the culprit.
-
It was a ghost so standard it couldn't be more so.

It is completely transparent and about two people tall.

It was floating in mid-air, blocking the center of the carriage.

This was clearly the culprit that caused the carriage to stop mysteriously.

Fang Yi and Corey peeked out.

The ghost did not launch an attack.

Instead, he raised his arm and pointed to one finger.

It pointed in completely opposite directions to the town where the two were heading.

They persuaded them to leave.

Go back. Don't go to the town; it's not a good place.

The veteran looked at the ghost and gripped his meteor hammer tightly.

She gave Fang Yi a questioning look.

【fighting?】

Fang Yi, who possessed the [Substitute Spirit] and [Nine Transformations of Dragon Refinement - Yazi] abilities, which allowed him to sense [souls] and malice, shook his head at the old man.

The old man was stopped.

He felt no malice from the ghost.

On the contrary, the other party showed some goodwill.

This act of persuading travelers to leave the town is probably seen as doing a good deed by the travelers themselves.

After glancing at Fang Yi...

Seems to have noticed something.

Or perhaps the "substitute spirit" in the man's body was at work.

The ghost lowered its arm, which had been pointing towards leaving the town, and pointed to its own eyes.

After giving the man an additional, ambiguous hint about the meaning of "eyes,"...

Then it disappeared without a sound.

And then the ghost disappeared.

The crow acting as the 'coach' cawed once.

The sluggish horse, which had previously stopped moving, started galloping again.

The carriage continued its journey toward the town.

Fang Yi recalled the ghost that had given him a strong sense of déjà vu, and his unease grew stronger.

Based on its role as the world-building model in the game, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The ghost that just tried to drive away the two was actually an Easter egg that foreshadowed the difficulty level.

Its existence signifies that the game is at its most terrifyingly difficult level.

Blood Moon

Therefore, the difficulty of this mission in the [Derivative World] is probably unprecedented.

The corresponding gains are also...
-
A few minutes later, Fang Yi looked at the town whose outline was beginning to appear in the distance.

My body relaxed a little.

Once he arrives in the town, he can begin his exploration.

See if we can unlock the [private message] function to contact Ms. [Gu Qi].

At the same time, see if there are any people you can only win over and befriend.

This mission had an eerie atmosphere from the very beginning.

To be on the safe side, he needs to recruit more combat troops and act more cautiously.

(End of this chapter)