Chapter Seventy-Three: Mischievous, Are You? I'll Show You What Mischief Means!

"Once you're inside, it's none of my business how long you dig," he said.

Huang Yunshuo replied, "The entry fee is fifty thousand credits per person. No haggling, no tabs, copper coins accepted. As for PK, don't worry, I won't cut off my own income. And you don't need to worry about the Little Rooster, either—truth be told, I've already been in twice."

At those words, the players grew visibly tempted.

"Fifty thousand is too steep, isn't it? Old Song's place gives out fifty copper coins per grade-nine iron ore. That means we have to mine at least five just to break even," someone protested.

Huang Yunshuo sneered, "Are you stupid or what? Old Song's task, the first three grade-nine ores you bring him, you get a reward of three hundred copper coins—that's already sixty thousand credits."

"If you come in with me, even if you only get three grade-nine iron ores, you're still making a thousand credits for nothing. Don't want to join me? Then at least wait until you can take on the Little Rooster before you start dreaming about mining," he added, intentionally omitting the cost of buying a pickaxe. But unless these players were truly brainless, they understood what he meant.

Of course, no one goes in just to dig up three grade-nine ores—otherwise, it wouldn’t be the easy profit Huang Yunshuo claimed. You’d actually be losing money.

"I'm in!"

"Count me too. Are we heading out right now?"

"Wait a second, I need to buy a pickaxe."

As everyone did the math in their heads, the crowd quickly turned into a scramble to sign up.

"Only twenty-seven spots," said Huang Yunshuo.

He picked out twenty-seven players from the crowd and collected 1.35 million credits.

To the restless remainder, he said, "You can also wait by the mine. I might not just take this batch."

That calmed the eager players a little.

He and Morning Dew Frost headed west toward the edge of town, a great mass of players trailing behind in a spectacular procession. With one of them boasting over a hundred in Strength and the other over seventy, they forged ahead like bulldozers, clearing a path through the crowd. Soon, they reached the quieter western outskirts, where Foxy Soft was already waiting.

"You twenty-seven, send us party requests," Huang Yunshuo said. In no time, three teams of ten were formed, their member IDs glowing green for easy identification.

"So it's the Legendary Fool himself! Damn, I didn't even recognize you just now!"

"Bro, why so low-key these days? Hiding your ID and everything?"

The nine who joined his team immediately recognized Huang Yunshuo and grew excited.

"Shh," he gestured for silence. Why were these guys making such a fuss—did they want him to be even more high-profile?

The whole group marched grandly towards the Elephant Mine. Huang Yunshuo glanced back—good grief, there were hundreds of players as far as the eye could see. Who knew how many had actually come?

Clearly, plenty of players were lusting after the mine.

"Stammering Liu!" someone suddenly called out in alarm.

Huang Yunshuo looked over and burst out laughing. A hundred meters ahead, on a rocky outcrop, Stammering Liu was scratching his foot and watching their group, but made no move to come down. That guy actually dared show up? With Morning Dew Frost’s help, he’d blow the guy to pieces on the spot if he tried anything.

"Stammering Liu, you idiot!" Huang Yunshuo cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted.

Stammering Liu leaped up, gesturing wildly, but the wind carried his words away.

Huang Yunshuo laughed aloud at the sight. The memory of being bullied by Liu last time faded considerably.

"Stay back, all of you. Wait behind this slope—don't let the Little Rooster see you," Huang Yunshuo said, settling behind a small pile of stones and addressing the crowd. If possible, he didn’t want them to witness how he dealt with the Little Rooster.

But with over a thousand players following, it was impossible for everyone to listen. The twenty-seven who had paid nestled obediently by Morning Dew Frost and Foxy Soft. Dozens more rushed forward, some circling around the stones, others heading straight for them, eager to see how Huang Yunshuo would handle the Little Rooster—or perhaps with other motives in mind.

"Are you deaf or what?" Huang Yunshuo roared. Without hesitation, he opened fire on the dozen or so players charging toward the rocks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of rockets exploded, scorching the earth black. Five or six players were killed instantly, the rest left bleeding and slowed or stunned, their health draining away.

He put away the rocket launcher and drew his iron sword.

Power Strike!

Huang Yunshuo shot forward like an arrow, slashing every player in his path with his battered sword.

Swish, swish, swish…

Red damage numbers bloomed everywhere. One near-dead player was sent flying, turning to white light midair. Because of diminishing returns, only the first two struck fell, but the others were left with even less health.

Dragon Dance!

In a flash, Huang Yunshuo leapt back and lunged again, cutting down another wounded player.

Combo!

He finished off the healthiest among them, then, using his high Agility and Movement Speed, chased down the rest.

Charge!

The remaining Fighters and Knights with escape skills activated their charges.

Knockback!

He fired his knockback cannon behind him, letting the recoil fling him forward. Midair, he swapped back to his iron sword and, landing, lashed out with several quick strikes.

The remaining wounded without escape skills were left with nowhere to run or hide; Huang Yunshuo finished every last one, turning them all into white light.

"Come pick up the loot," Huang Yunshuo called, his name now blood-red with a +15 kill value, beckoning to Morning Dew Frost and the others.

Morning Dew Frost and the twenty-odd players rushed forward, excitement evident as they gathered the dropped gear, sprays, and materials.

The thousand-strong crowd could only wipe cold sweat from their brows.

So this is the power of a top-tier player? Killing fifteen full-health players in a flash—many with hidden schemes in their hearts glanced nervously at the ruthless Huang Yunshuo and abandoned their own ambitions.

Meanwhile, the players who tried to sneak around the stone pile met disaster of their own.

The hyper-aggressive Little Rooster and its gang, already pumped with hormones and ready to attack on sight, immediately charged the moment they caught a glimpse of intruders.

How fast was the Little Rooster? Nearly as fast as Huang Yunshuo, even without knockback or movement skills. Ordinary players stood no chance of outrunning it.

Those players hesitated only a split second before they were surrounded by ten Little Roosters, which attacked without mercy.

-81!
-79!
-158!

Huge chunks of health flew up. Most players at this stage, even those focusing on Strength, had only 120-130 HP. If they were lucky, they survived with a sliver; unlucky, a critical hit killed them instantly.

With twenty defense, three hundred health, and sky-high Agility, the Little Roosters attacked rapidly and relentlessly. In the blink of an eye, most of the twenty-four or so players surrounded were slaughtered, their equipment, coins, and materials clattering to the ground.