Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

Xiaolu saw Yu Man performing her cult rituals and was quite envious of her hidden profession, but she still obediently became alert.

Liu Tong Qi Hua really didn't understand what Yu Man was doing, but they didn't have the courage to ask.

She just felt like a country bumpkin, with a strong desire for knowledge and inferiority complex intertwined.

The summoning ritual took effect.

The magic of the brush flowed out from Yu Man - condensed into a few drops of heavy ink, falling on the knot.

The ropes suddenly shook violently like frightened snakes, entangled with each other and formed knots.

Then, as if someone opened a huge bloody mouth, the black esophagus swallowed up everything in an instant.

And it - responded to Yu Man's call.

"Promise Keeper... I'm glad you still need my service." It was a reflection of the old world with a light voice and a faint figure.

It was like a mist, loose but blurring the air.

You can barely make out a human figure, wearing a small inverted triangle hat with an eye tattooed on it.

An extremely good scout, but unfortunately lost while exploring the fairy world - now Yu Man has summoned him back.

"I'm sorry I called you just now. I didn't have the right materials, so I planned to come to the site and buy some on the spot... Anyway, welcome back—Eye."

"Last time I was underpowered, but this is different—what do you need from me?"

This summoning was more successful because Yu Man's expertise as the Guardian and the rank of the rope were much higher than when he was summoned.

The cost of summoning chips is also expensive.

Therefore, the "Eye" summoned this time is obviously of a higher class than before and is closer to its reality.

And—much lighter.

"Explore the road ahead for me, and share your vision with the traveler—we need to draw a map."

"Ok."

Hearing her name being called, Xiaolu came over cheerfully. She had been wanting to try this for a while now. Sharing her vision with the scout, she patted her chest, which was much more impressive than Yu Man's, like a child, and had already taken out her pen and paper.

Taking paint from the shadow, "Eye" painted eyes on the deer's palm.

Not only that—it reached out again and disappeared into its own shadow.

He pulled out a very pale single dagger, rich magic dripping along the blade, even corroding the floor itself.

"This time, I brought weapons, Promise Keeper...if needed."

"Okay, I'll serve you well, but I'll also ensure you have good housing and treatment." Yu Man collected the ropes, wrapped them around her wrists, and braided them into a colorful knot again. "Now go with peace of mind."

The Eye disappeared.

Or in other words - a long journey.

……

While the deer is drawing the map, its "eyes" are gathering information.

Yu Man drank the magic potion he had just seized, slowly replenishing his already huge magic storage pool.

That is her soul.

It was easy to spend magic power, but at her level, she only had some low-quality potions of level 5 and 6, so it was not so easy to replenish it.

So, actually, she was the one who needed repair.

"Master Eel, can I ask you...what did you just do..." Liu Tong Qihua couldn't help his curiosity.

"A hidden class, similar to the summoning class." Yu Man wasn't stingy, but instead felt this was a good opportunity. "You're still a little short of maxing out your healing specialization. What are your plans for the future?"

"...Huh? Can we make plans right now?"

"Too."

For them, the future is a fog.

Yu Man changed his tone: "I know a top expert who is unmatched in the world and speaks very highly of you. And because of me, you lost your team to clear the dungeon, so I am willing to invite you to join the team."

"... To you, there are actually other masters in the world?"

"That guy will definitely pester you to form a team later, but not just for dungeons. He probably wants you to play professionally as well." Yu Man planned to pave the way for Senior Cat. Since he was the healer chosen by him, Yu Man was happy to help.

Liu Tong Qi Hua asked, "...Profession? Is that like—that thing called the Kai Kai Cup?"

Yu Man nodded. "That was just a small competition. There were two or three other equally insignificant small competitions after that. They weren't a big deal. The official website says that this game only has three big competitions a year, and they're mainly for that kind of thing."

Liu Tong Qi Hua looked very depressed. "I... I'm still a little confident in dungeons, but... if I were to team up with a master like you, against an opponent of this level... I probably wouldn't be able to be of any use."

"It's not that exaggerated. You have a long time to get stronger, adjust your mindset, and prepare. I can help you."

Senior Mao can't come for the time being, but since he has joined the team, Yu Man is happy to polish this healer.

From rough stone to gem, and then given to Senior Cat.

As a small reward for the countless help I've received from it since we met.

"Why me?" Liu Tong Qi Hua asked the question first.

"Well, first of all—it has nothing to do with you being a young girl."

In order to hide her true identity, Liu Tong Qi Hua has done a lot of covering up, and even now she still subconsciously wants to type.

In addition, when Xiaolu was with her before, her behavior was similar to that of a middle-aged uncle. Yu Man thought that this should be clarified first.

"That expert is also a high school girl, you can rest assured." As for the days of being a cat, I won't count them.

"……what?"

"Although you still need to find three high-level players, a coach, an entire analysis team, and a logistics guild...but that expert will take care of all that. All you have to do is hone yourself through offline competitions, commercial activities, boring training, and arenas, constantly thinking of new skill combinations and dismantling the opponent's build..."

Yu Man has never played it, but as a player he gets news every day, so he knows how the system works.

But these natural things made Liu Tong Qi Hua feel embarrassed.

After all, although she hadn't told anyone, her family's hardship was real... and it troubled her.

Even if you win a lottery, you won’t always be lucky.

He quit the team in a fit of anger a few days ago and returned the $300 medical allowance.

Epic dungeons take a long time to complete, and except for eating and going to the toilet, you may even have to spend 24 hours in the game.

Therefore, the leader of the "Strategy Group" believed that this would interfere with the players' personal lives, so he issued a living allowance to the participants.

But for her, who was already immersed in the game, this was an incredibly large amount of income...but she gave it up so impulsively.

As for Liu Tongqihua, whose family was poor and in debt, and whose education had been interrupted, Yu Man's description seemed like a fairy tale. She had no bargaining chips to support her journey into such a illusory world of idleness.

but--

"You see, there are some benefits. That expert doesn't have money to pay salaries, but the prize money for competitions is still quite generous... For example, the spring competition that will be held soon has reportedly raised hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship fees, and the organizers plan to use all of it as prize money."

Yu Man just casually said it as a rumor based on what happened in last week's episode.

It is not certain what will actually happen, but it will definitely be similar.

Today, "Old World" has become a second life, taking away the sleep time of the entire human civilization. At the same time, it does not deprive people of their normal life, but is integrated into this world as a necessity.

"Billion?" Liu Tong Qi Hua didn't understand, but just wanted to continue the topic out of habit.

But as Yu Man spoke, it gradually dissolved into her rationality.

Suddenly—she felt a glimmer of reality.

"...Can the contestants...get it?"

She didn't even know what she was asking or what to ask.

It was just a shocking force beyond her imagination, exploding in her mind and then boiling throughout her body along with her blood and spinal cord.

"You can if you win." Yu Man's words were always light. "It is said that even if you only go through the first round, everyone can get tens of thousands of dollars. There are three such competitions a year. The other smaller ones are-"

"I must become stronger." She suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice as if her vocal cords were torn.

Yu Man was startled.

"I swear I won't hold you back. I'm willing to do anything. Please take me with you no matter what."

"Short of money?"

"Yes." She no longer felt ashamed to mention it. "I want to make that money... to free my parents... They are ordinary, upright people who don't deserve to bear that kind of burden... Sorry, it's nothing. As for me... no matter what, please take me with you."

Yu Man could hear the deep cruelty in her tone.

She has also been through a lot, so she can particularly resonate with it.

But—perhaps Senior Cat had chosen this healer simply to lend a hand? Yu Man hid this suspicion deep in her heart.

"Use this copy to measure you." Yu Man said with a smile.

"it is good!"

……

Two minutes later, Xiaolu's pen stopped.

"I've finished the seafood painting and am sharing it with you." Her tone was as tight as a steel wire, without any sense of relaxation. "But there is bad news."

The map information was updated to the team members, and Yu Man could also see the next route.

After the corridor, there is a hall.

It used to be the place where the Chamber of Commerce held offices, entertained guests, negotiated and conducted transactions.

Then there are three forked roads, one of which is the main road going up to other important public areas, while the other two branches go down to different warehouses.

In other words, the hall is a must-go route that cannot be avoided in any way.

That's where the problem lies.

"There's a group coming down the main road, and they'll undoubtedly collide with us."

"Team one?" Yu Man indicated more precise information.

Xiaolu replied, "A hundred-man team... but less than a hundred, maybe seventy or eighty. They look like they've been through battle, their condition is very different, their equipment and temperament are not inferior. They're all foreigners, chatting in a strange language I can't understand, but they're very tense and organized."

Sounds like a losing team... but not really.

If that were the case, you would have chosen to abandon the copy instead of walking back.

Do you want to pick someone up? But there won't be so many people coming to pick them up, unless they are picking up the leader or an important commander... But then their temperament will not make Xiaolu look embarrassed.

that……

Oh.

"I see, I understand." Yu Man clapped her hands. "The team we just killed was theirs. The dead members reported our information, and they deliberately turned back to block us."

"...Is there such a thing?"

If I guessed correctly——Yu Man looked towards the entrance.

The fighting team that was wiped out has now purchased new equipment and is ready to come over from that side to block them.

Double-team.

Yu Man explained, "Lu, they are very interested in your high-level equipment, and knowing that there are very few of you, they think they can eat you."

"...Damn, I was too arrogant just now...I should have fought more fiercely...to avoid exposing the value of my equipment."

The deer could still speak normally, but his expression was more serious than ever.

She had witnessed the team of a hundred people with her own eyes and felt firsthand the presence of a hundred people who were still tightly united after the battle.

"If we're caught between two opposing forces... we can only give up on the dungeon?" Xiaolu tried to say, "Stay out of the spotlight for a day, and then go in again?"

Liu Tong Qi Hua bit her fingers, trying to think of other solutions.

But Yu Man looked puzzled: "...What?"

"I...was I wrong?" The deer was a little panicked.

Yu Man was even more confused: "Why are you running?"

"...Is there any way to avoid fighting?"

"……Ugh."