Translator: AnubisTL
Chen Jiang paused, his gaze fixed on the announcement before him.
A two-star item, Activity Design Token?
He had just obtained a three-star Activity Design Token, and now this ape-man race player, Suville, had acquired a two-star version?
He then examined the brief description of the activity Suville had designed:
[At an altitude of ten thousand meters, countless vines, each nearly ten thousand meters long, stretched between two colossal trees.]
[Participating players must traverse the vines from start to finish.]
[Warm reminder: Gale-force winds rage at this altitude, and any fall will be fatal.]
Before he could fully process the activity's details, a raspy voice, audible only to him, echoed in his ear:
[Ding! Player Chen Jiang, you have been specifically selected by ape-man race player Suville to participate in this activity.]
[You may choose to accept or decline.]
[Declining will result in no rewards being granted for killing alien race players or mutated beasts for the next three days.]
[Accepting this will double all rewards you earn after the event concludes.]
[Warm reminder: This event carries significant risks.]
Chen Jiang scanned the event details again, his eyes narrowing. After a moment of silence, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved upward in a soft smile.
"Accept."
Just then, Scar Dog and the others rushed over, their voices slightly hurried. "Brother Jiang, did you hear? That ape-man race player, Suville, designed some kind of event and forcibly dragged 100 players from each race into it."
"None of us were randomly selected, but you were, Brother Jiang."
"No," Chen Jiang replied calmly, shaking his head.
"Phew!" Scar Dog exhaled in relief. "Good. I read the event details—they want us to stretch a ten-thousand-meter vine between two giant trees ten thousand meters in the air! What kind of joke is that? A vine that long would sway like crazy up there!"
"Even the world's top extreme athletes wouldn't dare try a tightrope walk like that!"
"This..."
Before Scar Dog could finish speaking, Chen Jiang interrupted, "I wasn't randomly selected, but Suville specifically named me and forcibly dragged me in."
"Ah?"
Scar Dog froze for a moment, his expression turning anxious as he prepared to speak.
However, the activity countdown had already reached zero.
A white circle of light appeared beneath Brother Jiang's feet, and his figure vanished before them.
Immediately afterward, a scene materialized before Scar Dog and the others.
The screen showed nearly ten thousand people standing on a massive, truncated platform atop a giant tree. Before them stretched nearly ten thousand vines, each leading endlessly into the clouds.
These ten-thousand-meter vines weren't merely swaying in the air—they were violently shaking, like noodles being tossed by a ramen chef. In such conditions, no one could possibly cross them!
"Damn it!"
Scar Dog stared intently at the screen, his face etched with worry. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief that Brother Jiang's racial innate ability hadn't been activated.
Fuck.
That bastard Suville will pay for this sooner or later!
A flash of white light, and Chen Jiang found himself on a platform that felt like a massive, severed tree trunk. Two stomps confirmed its solid wood construction, the vertical grain clearly visible.
Nearly ten thousand players were crammed together, a chaotic mix of despairing figures collapsing on the spot, others nervously swallowing as they watched the violently swaying vines, and some rubbing their hands together, eager to move.
The surrounding landscape stretched out empty and featureless in all directions.
Standing at the edge and looking down, Chen Jiang saw only dark clouds floating mysteriously in the night sky below.
They were higher than the clouds themselves!
Before them stretched nearly ten thousand violently swaying vines, disappearing into the endless darkness.
It was clear: their mission was to step onto these vines and reach the platform at the other end.
This was an extreme sports activity of the highest difficulty.
One had to admit, the ape-man Suville was quite the activity designer. This event perfectly showcased the ape-man race's natural abilities.
Just then—
A voice echoed in the ears of all participating players:
["The rules for this event were designed by Suville of the ape-man race!"]
["1: All teleportation items and personal innate abilities are prohibited!"]
["2: All flight items and personal innate abilities are prohibited!"]
["3: All safety buckles, protective locks, and similar items are prohibited!"]
["4: Players are forbidden from attacking each other during the event!"]
["5: Each player may only step onto one unoccupied vine!"]
["6: Players are forbidden from damaging other players' vines!"]
["7: The first hundred players to reach the platform at the far end of their vines will receive rewards based on their ranking!"]
["Countdown to the official start of the event—"]
["00:01:59"]
This rules panel was simultaneously broadcast live to all players in the Ten Thousand Races Arena!
"What do you think?"
At that moment—
In Chen Jiang's vision, an ape-man with a bare upper body, covered in coarse hair and bulging muscles, strode confidently before him and stopped, a hint of smugness flickering in his eyes.
"Human player Chen Jiang, what do you think of my rule design?"
"Suville?"
Chen Jiang raised an eyebrow, glancing at the nearly two-meter-tall ape-man before him. After a pause, he chuckled softly. "I must admit, your design is quite impressive."
"Naturally."
Emboldened by Chen Jiang's acknowledgment, Suville puffed out his chest, his eyes burning with competitive fire as he glared at Chen Jiang. "You've already claimed the top ranking in several activities."
"I wonder if you can snatch the top spot from me this time!"
"This time, I'm giving you a fair chance to compete!"
"I hope you can give me some real pressure!"
As his words faded, Chen Jiang showed no reaction, but the human players watching in the Ten Thousand Races Arena erupted in fury!
In Kindling City, Li Long glared at Suville on the screen, his face contorted with rage. "What the hell is this bullshit? This is supposed to be fair?!"
"Everyone knows the ape-man race are masters of vine manipulation, right?"
"Competing with Chen Jiang in vine swinging? What the hell is fair about that?"
"Exactly!"
A subordinate standing nearby chimed in, his face flushed with indignation. "If they're so tough, why don't they challenge the humans to a soccer match?"
Li Long fell silent for a moment before slapping the subordinate's head. "You're the real traitor here!"
Meanwhile, human players watching from various locations erupted in outrage, all rallying behind Chen Jiang.
It was glaringly obvious that the activity's rules were heavily biased in favor of the ape-man race.
There was nothing fair about it!
What truly ignited the human players' fury was Suville's claim of a "fair fight." They despised petty villains, but they loathed those who acted like villains while pretending to be virtuous even more!
In stark contrast, the ape-man players watching from the Ten Thousand Races Arena pounded their chests in exhilaration as they watched the screen.
They knew perfectly well that the activity was rigged in their favor.
"Ha ha!"
Watching the scene unfold before him, the ape-man race chief of Suville's tribe stroked his beard and chuckled, "I must say, Sage, your design for this activity is flawless. It maximizes the ape-man race's natural advantages."
"Naturally," replied a gaunt ape-man standing nearby, nodding with satisfaction. "Chen Jiang's fame has been growing rapidly. By having Suville rise to prominence by surpassing Chen Jiang, the ape-man race will gain a stronger voice in the Ten Thousand Races Arena."
"At the very least, we need a representative leader to emerge."
"Otherwise, without a clear leader, the ape-man race's unity will crumble. We must first establish a focal point for our people to rally around."
"Suville should secure the top ranking this time, right?"
"Absolutely. There's no doubt about it."
With nearly ten thousand players participating in the activity, the Ten Thousand Races Arena's live broadcast couldn't possibly show every individual's progress. However, the arena staff clearly recognized which players were drawing the most attention.
Suville and Chen Jiang each had their own dedicated camera, transmitting their every move in real-time to the Ten Thousand Races Arena for the ten thousand races to witness.
In addition to the close-up shots, there were also several wide-angle shots that captured all the players from above.
Soon, the official countdown for the activity ended.
Suville, an ape-man, showed no anger at Chen Jiang's silence. Instead, he grinned broadly, displaying remarkable magnanimity. "It's starting. I'll take my leave now. I hope to see you at the finish line."
Without hesitation, the moment the countdown ended, Suville launched himself toward an unoccupied vine like an arrow shot from a bow!
Despite his nearly two-meter-tall frame, Suville moved with surprising agility, like a rabbit darting through the jungle. Gripping the vine with both hands and feet, he seemed to ignore its swaying as he surged forward!
In mere seconds, he had already covered nearly ten meters, far ahead of all the other players.
Simultaneously, the other ape-man players followed Suville's lead, charging straight for the vines and taking the lead in the race!
Chen Jiang, however, remained motionless. Leaning on his cane, he stood at the edge of the platform, observing the players from various races as they climbed onto the vines using different methods.
This activity brought together players from all races for the first time, giving him his first opportunity to witness them all in action.
"What a pity," Chen Jiang murmured, shaking his head slightly. It was a shame players couldn't attack each other during the event. He remembered an achievement task that required collecting the heads of all race players.
Elf race players could fly.
Although flight was prohibited during the event, this didn't seem to deter them. Several elf players raised their Magic Wands, channeling a white light into their feet. The violently swaying vines gradually calmed.
Yet even this proved largely ineffective.
After only a few steps, several elf players slipped and plummeted from the vines.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Piercing screams echoed from the abyss below, growing fainter with distance. They couldn't even hear the thud of bodies hitting the ground—the distance was simply too great.
These shrill cries sent a chill through the surrounding players, both those who had just climbed onto the vines and those still waiting their turn. Their faces tightened as they stared at the violently swaying, seemingly endless vines, cold sweat beading on their palms.
The insect race players fared slightly better.
Though they couldn't fly either, true insect race players possessed two pairs of arms and two pairs of legs. They clung tightly to the vines, inching forward with slow, deliberate movements.
Then there were the titans.
However, there were only three titan race players participating.
It was unclear whether this was because the titan race had only three players left, or because their population was so small that they hadn't drawn 100 titans for the event.
For the titan race, this was actually a thoughtful design.
After all, if the titan population had truly dwindled to such a critical level, sending 100 titans into the event would have been tantamount to wiping out the entire race.
Indeed.
The three titan race players had barely taken a few steps before plummeting off the vine.
Their sheer size and weight were simply too much.
The moment they stepped onto the vine, their bodies began to sink rapidly. After falling several hundred meters, the vine stretched taut, making further progress impossible. After struggling briefly, they could only resign themselves to falling.
Apart from the titans, players from various races were attempting different methods to cross the ten-kilometer-long vine.
For example, human players generally opted for a brute-force approach.
This involved crawling along the vine like worms, inching forward with constant wriggling motions. Though slow, this method could successfully reach the other side, provided the player didn't exhaust themselves midway.
Of course, the success rate remained uncertain.
In addition to the others, he also spotted the giant bird. He didn't know which race player it belonged to, but it was clear that a large bird was participating in the activity.
With its flight ability suppressed, the giant bird fared no better than the titan race player.
Screaming, it plummeted from a height of ten thousand meters.
Yet, one had to admit, the vines were remarkably sturdy; they didn't snap even under such stress.
After observing the race players, Chen Jiang paused no longer. He straightened the hard-brimmed felt hat on his head and calmly walked toward an unoccupied vine.
Outside, the human players watching the scene nodded in sudden realization.
"Chen Jiang is planning to use that cane as a balance beam."
Inside Kindling City, Li Long said with a serious expression, "Just like acrobats who perform stunts on tightropes using balance beams."
"But... the vine is swaying far too violently. Will the cane even be effective?"
"After all, the cane looks so short—much shorter than the balance beams acrobats use."
In that moment, the human players watching were torn between hope and anxiety.
Clearly, most doubted that the cane could serve as a proper balance beam, allowing Chen Jiang to safely traverse the swaying vine.
However, Chen Jiang, the center of everyone's attention, seemed completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Instead, he paused briefly at the base of the vine before striding confidently upward.
He didn't use his cane as a balancing pole. Instead—
He simply walked up the vine, using the cane as if he were walking on flat ground.
(End of the Chapter)
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