Huang Ji had an ordinary appearance, a flat-topped haircut, and a medium, well-proportioned build. He wore a light gray, rigid combat suit. Beyond his status as a Level 12 powerhouse, there was nothing remarkable about him.
Yet, who could have imagined that beneath such an unassuming exterior lay strength capable of effortlessly obliterating a Level 12 beast?
Instantly obliterating a Level 12 beast.
Before this, only Sarl had achieved such a feat. In the subsequent battles, everyone witnessed Huang Ji's power firsthand. He too channeled the power of two Law Galaxies, and was but a hair's breadth away from fully manifesting a third.
His overt power surpassed even Sarl's. Everyone was stunned.
"Damn, that Sarl has no shame. He's like a rabid dog, trying to snatch even Level 10 beasts?"
Within the team, Saya stared at the orange flame leaping through the beast swarm in the distance and couldn't help but mutter.
"If I could beat him, I'd punch him!"
Tang Dun clenched his fist and muttered in a muffled voice.
Lu Sheng remained silent, watching quietly. Perhaps stimulated by Huang Ji's appearance.
Sarl, the "most outstanding" genius in their group, now radiated an intense hunger to win and grow stronger after sensing Huang Ji's "threat."
At first, he'd often compete for beasts but at least left scraps for others. Now, though, this guy intended to leave nothing for anyone else. Whenever a wave of beasts appeared, he charged in first, slaughtering Level 11s to free his hands for Level 12s.
Eventually, he wouldn't even spare Level 10 beasts—creatures that only had a low chance of possessing crystal cores. Worse, he swallowed every core he obtained on the spot, completely disregarding the Guide's warnings.
He clearly flaunted an arrogance that screamed, "I'm the most gifted genius here! I'll grow stronger, faster than anyone else, and crush them all beneath my feet!"
"I thought he was stronger than Monroe," Lu Sheng mused casually to himself. "But now, I'm not so sure.""Sara!"
Finally, someone stepped forward, face darkening as they shouted at Sara, "You've gone too far! Do you expect to take all the benefits for yourself?"
"Exactly."
With one person leading the charge, a second and third quickly followed suit.
Clearly, many had long harbored resentment toward Sarl's actions.
Truth be told, this guy wouldn't even spare a Level 10 beast. It wasn't just skimming the cream off the top—he was devouring everything, licking the plate clean.
Forget the Level 12 powerhouses; even the Level 11 members of the team were seething with resentment.
Sarl, with his fiery orange hair, paid little heed to the faces brimming with discontent. The arrogance between his brows remained undiminished as he spoke with a cold smile, "Dissatisfied? If you're dissatisfied, try snatching it from my hands. Of course, that's assuming you can actually take it from me!"
A cold glint flashed in Sarl's eyes as his tone grew sinister.
The moment these words left his lips, many faces in the group darkened instantly. Even the two guides couldn't help but frown.
"What do you mean by that? You're only slightly stronger than us. Do you really think you're invincible?"
Such arrogance naturally provoked even stronger backlash.
"Shut up, loser!"
An orange flash erupted as Sarl charged straight at the speaker.
"Stop it!"
The guide roared.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the situation on the field erupted. Several figures instantly tangled in a melee. Then, somehow, the chaos escalated. More and more people joined the fray. The entire group descended into utter chaos.
"This..."
Saya, who had been waiting eagerly for the show to begin, found himself momentarily stunned when it finally started. Of course, he wasn't the only one bewildered.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Can't you just talk this out calmly?!"
Someone couldn't stand by and watched, stepping forward to try and stop the brawl. Instead, a streak of light appeared out of nowhere and sliced through them.
The person flinched, their combat suit ripped open across the chest.
"Fucking hell!"
The peacemaker froze, then snapped out of it. Rage surged up, and without another word, they joined the fray.
Within moments, over a third of the entire group had either willingly or unwillingly become entangled in the chaos. From an observer's perspective, this sudden outbreak of infighting seemed utterly bizarre and absurd.
"Have these people lost their minds?"
Saya stared at the chaos unfolding before him, muttering to himself. Suddenly, his gaze landed on Sarl, who was being surrounded and attacked by several Level 12 powerhouses.
A peculiar glint seemed to flash in his eyes as a bold idea rapidly surfaced from the depths of his mind.
"What if... what if I sneak up and ambush Sara now? Could I have a chance to take him down?" The moment this thought emerged, it ignited like wildfire within Saya's heart.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He didn't notice the bloodshot eyes spreading across his own, his mouth drying, his breathing quickening. His entire state began to slip into an inexplicable frenzy and excitement.
But just as Saya was about to act on this thought, a large hand suddenly reached out from the side.
"Smack! Smack!"
Two resounding slaps landed on Saya's cheeks, stunning him into a daze.
The tiny spark of fire in his heart was extinguished by those two heavy blows.
"Ugh."
Saya stood frozen, clutching his face. Turning his head, he met the calm gaze of Lu Sheng.
"No need to thank me."
Lu Sheng slowly withdrew his hand, replying indifferently.
Saya froze. As his mind regained its composure and processed the situation, cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
Had he truly attempted to ambush Sarl just now, he wouldn't have even known how he died.
Regardless of whether the plan was feasible, with his measly Level 11 strength, barging into a battle group filled with Level 12 players would have ended in certain death.
"Thank... thank you, Lu Sheng."
Sweat beaded on Saya's forehead as he wiped it away, his face pale. "Damn it, why did I even consider that?"
Though Saya and Sarl had their differences, they were merely minor disagreements—nothing that would escalate to a life-or-death struggle.
While Saya hoped Sara would suffer misfortune, he never truly wished for his death, let alone risk her own life to ambush him. This decision was utterly absurd.
Anyone with half a brain would recognize it as foolish. How had he been so bewitched as to think it feasible, nearly acting on it?
"Something feels off."
The stone-faced Tang Dun spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"Way off!"
Saya cried out, then turned to Lu Sheng with urgent eyes, firing off questions: "Lu Sheng, do you know what the hell just happened?"
His face was pure desperation, clearly treating Lu Sheng as his anchor.
Most likely because it was Lu Sheng who'd struck him awake moments ago.