The world in the Blue-Clad Senior Brother's vision was spinning.
His memory was still stuck on the moment he had just snatched his fifth Meal Ticket from a freshman's hands.
He hadn't even had the time to utter the mockery he had prepared.
In the next instant, three completely different auras pinned him firmly in place.
In front of him, a mountain-like giant shield carried a savage momentum, absolutely domineering.
To his left and right, two ghastly white Ice Walls rose from the ground, instantly sealing off all his evasion routes.
A perfect pocket formation.
A chill shot up the Blue-Clad Senior Brother's spine as his mind raced.
Option 1: Clash head-on with that shield, which looked like it could wreck a tank, resulting in being delayed by the Knight and ganged up on by all three.
Option 2: Shatter the Ice Wall, but looking at its thickness, it would take at least a second or two, and after a second or two, please refer to Option 1.
Thus, he had no choice but to turn his gaze toward the only "way out" of this pocket formation—that Junior Priest holding a pink staff with good spearmanship.
This was not a choice; this was the only solution in a desperate situation!
"A healer who plays with spears? Interesting!"
The Blue-Clad Senior Brother roared, the sound mostly meant to embolden himself.
He twisted his body, turning into an afterimage as he lunged straight toward the only "breakthrough point" in his eyes—Lin Qingyue!
However, facing his fierce dash, there was not a single trace of panic on the face of that Pink-Haired Priest.
Instead, it was replaced by an excited smile, like a child seeing a novel toy.
She let out a full-lunged shout that resounded in all directions:
"Magic time is over, now it's time for physical Transcendence!"
Before her voice could even fade, the [Beloved] staff in Lin Qingyue's hands was leveled horizontally. Gripping it with both hands, she lowered the shaft slightly, assuming a spear-wielding stance.
The next second, that ridiculously gorgeous pink staff transformed into a sky full of stars in his eyes.
Coil, stick, flick, thrust!
Every tap, sweep, and upward strike of the staff's tip accurately predicted and intercepted the nodes of his internal energy circulation!
[Shenhe Spear Technique: Starward Trample]!
His proud, fame-making [Floating Cloud Movement Technique] was rendered completely ineffective before that bizarre staff.
The shaft clung to his arm like a maggot on bone. Every seemingly casual quiver of the tip instantly deflected, tore apart, and shattered the power he had accumulated.
He felt an unprecedented sense of stifling frustration.
He was like a street thug who had stumbled into a professional martial arts dojo; every single move he made was seen right through, and he was beaten into total disarray!
It was this momentary astonishment and miserable state that tolled the death knell of his defeat.
"Thud—!"
An extremely muffled, heavy impact erupted from behind him.
Lin Xiyue's long-prepared charge finally arrived. Gathering all her strength into the surface of her shield, she solidly smashed it into his back.
An overwhelming force pierced through his spine, shaking him so hard his vision went dark; his internal organs felt like they had shifted.
With a heavy thud, the Blue-Clad Senior Brother was sent flying forward.
He fell into a standard prostrating posture, perfectly using his face to brake his skid.
Five golden Meal Tickets flew out of his grasp.
A fair hand traced an elegant arc in the air, calmly catching them one by one and stuffing them into a pocket.
Lin Qingyue walked over to his side, bent down, and smiled so sweetly it was as if she had just added three portions of full sugar to her milk tea.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. 5-star review!"
The Red light on his body representing a hunter flashed rapidly before finally, unwillingly, going out.
Eliminated.
The Blue-Clad Senior Brother watched the four figures chicly walking away, wanting to cry but having no tears left.
What the hell was wrong with this year's freshmen?
What happened to the promised annual feast of noob-stomping?
Why did it feel like he was the leek being repeatedly harvested?
Last year he was harvested by the seniors, and this year he was being harvested by the freshmen!
How the fuck were these freshmen? They were clearly a well-trained, highly coordinated professional gang of bandits!
The actions of the "Quantum Battleship" squad were not concealed in the slightest.
Their "chivalrous thief" behavior of specifically targeting Red Seniors was in itself a declaration, a strong signal that instantly pierced through the despair shrouding the freshmen's hearts.
In a corner of the square, a freshman with a clear shoe print stamped on his face was slumped on the ground, his eyes vacant.
He had just been kicked in the face and robbed of his Meal Ticket, his dignity shattered all over the floor.
Just when he was in complete despair, he saw it.
He saw that eye-catching four-person squad take down yet another insufferably arrogant Red Senior Brother cleanly and efficiently, with a fluid coordination he couldn't comprehend.
The Paladin's charge was brutal yet precise.
The Mage's Frost Ring was domineering and lethal.
And that Pink-Haired Priest... the way she thrust her staff to stab people actually revealed a sense of elegance and professionalism.
Snatching the tickets, turning around, and looking for the next target.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, without a single wasted movement.
At that moment, the freshman felt a certain emotion that had been trampled into the mud violently trembling and burning!
"Holy shit! Awesome!"
"How did they do that? This coordination... it's god-like!"
"That Knight girl is too fierce! And the Mage's crowd control is simply unanswerable!"
"That Priest... she uses her staff like a spear to stab people! And she hits the mark every fucking time!"
"Could we... could we do that too?"
Right at that moment, the Red Senior Brother who had snatched his Meal Ticket and mocked him as a "weak chicken" was wiped out in a single wave by the "Quantum Battleship" squad.
The execution was equally swift, perhaps even more brutal.
Lin Qingyue weighed the two Meal Tickets in her hand. Her gaze pierced through the chaotic crowd and landed on the "victim," who still had a shoe print on his face.
That freshman was staring fixedly at her.
His eyes contained a mixture of envy, unwillingness, and a trace of desire that was practically overflowing.
What he desired was not this Meal Ticket.
It was the power to reclaim his dignity.
Lin Qingyue understood.
Her lips, which always wore a lazy smile, curled into a smirk that reveled in chaos.
Just relying on the four of us to "collect packages" won't win this Red vs. Blue Exercise. We have to get all the freshmen moving!
She lightly flicked her finger.
A golden card traced a perfect parabola, landing squarely in his hands.
"Yours. Hold onto it."
Lin Qingyue's voice rang clearly in his ears.
"But remember, a Meal Ticket isn't a handout from someone else."
"Dignity only rests upon the edge of a sword. Truth only exists within the range of magic. Got it?"
The freshman subconsciously caught the Meal Ticket, standing completely stunned in place.
He looked down at the Gold Card in his hand. Its warm touch was like a red-hot steel needle, instantly piercing through his numbness.
His eardrums were buzzing, and the skin on his neck was burning hot!
They were all freshmen, so why could those girls counter-kill the seniors?
Why must we just get crushed like noobs by the seniors?
The next second, his face flushed red. He tightly gripped the Meal Ticket and roared with all his might at his fellow sufferers who were still sitting in a daze on the ground:
"Brothers! Stop complaining! If they can do it, so can we! Let's fight them!"
"That's right!"
Beside him, a warrior freshman who had just been knocked to the ground smashed his fist into the floor, using the momentum to stand up.
"I came here to go to college, not to be a punching bag!"
The other freshmen who hadn't completely given up yet also stood up.
"For dignity!"
"To not be bullied!"
"Let's fuck 'em up!"
Although the freshmen's morale had been ignited, they were still like a sheet of loose sand, lacking a common goal that could unify all their anger.
Standing nearby, Lin Xiyue could hold back no longer. She gathered her strength, raised her arms, and shouted with all her might, her voice overpowering the clamor of the entire square:
"For the Braised Pork——!"
That single phrase was more provocative than any grand, heroic words.
It instantly ignited all the suppressed hunger and rage in the entire square!
"Fight!"
"Team up! Hurry and team up!"
"Fight them!"
Roars rose and fell, rapidly spreading from this small corner to the entire plaza.
"Right! Copy them! Three or five to a team! Hey you, you're a warrior, right? Get in front of me!"
"I'm a Mage, someone protect me! My Slow can annoy them to death!"
A fierce light gleamed in the eyes of a skinny new Assassin: "I'm fast. You guys hold them down, and I'll grab it and run!"
In an instant, the crowd was fired up.
The freshmen, who had been a disorganized mess fighting for themselves, actually began to spontaneously organize themselves under the stimulation of "Quantum Battleship".
"Right! We have the numbers! Even if we can't grab any, we have to hold down those Red-Name Senior Brothers and create opportunities for the others!"
"For the Braised Pork! Fuck 'em up!"
The senior hunters realized that the tone of the battlefield had suddenly changed.
A minute ago, they could elegantly snatch Meal Tickets from the freshmen and leave behind a handsome taunt.
A minute later, right after grabbing a ticket before it was even warm...
"Copy that Knight girl from earlier! Push forward!"
A new Mage temporarily acting as commander roared hoarsely.
Three burly freshman warriors rushed up howling, even throwing away their Weapons. Two hugged his legs and one locked his waist, using a "sticky plaster" tactic comparable to a thug's street fight to firmly pin down a red-named Assassin.
That Assassin's agile movement skills were completely useless with three burly men weighing over five hundred jin combined hanging off him. He cursed furiously but couldn't move an inch.
"Where are the Mages? Did you see what that aloof girl did? Don't aim at their bodies, aim for their feet! Use Slow and Frost Ray to glue him in place for me!"
At the rear, two freshmen Mages copied Su Wan. Although they couldn't cast instantly, they spammed Slow and Freeze at the senior's feet as if the spells cost no mana.
They didn't aim for accuracy, just pure annoyance.
In the chaos, a skinny freshman Assassin slipped in like a loach, took the opportunity to snatch a dropped Meal Ticket from the flank, and shouted back as he ran, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Their teamwork was rough, perhaps even a bit comical.
But the results were surprisingly good!
The initially one-sided massacre began to undergo a subtle reversal.
At the edge of the square, the smiles gradually froze on the faces of the seniors who were just watching the show.
"What's going on? This batch of freshmen... actually has some tricks up their sleeves."
"Look at them, they actually know how to work together."
"Who's leading them? Oh... it's those four girls, the team from the Special Training Camp's Purification Dungeon? No wonder, they really are monsters."
"This is getting interesting. It seems this year's noob-stomping session is turning into a tug-of-war."
Lin Qingyue watched with great interest the "freshmen's desperate counterattack" that she had single-handedly directed.
Watching their clumsy yet effective coordination and listening to their imposing shouts, she felt things were getting more and more fun.
[Ding! Detected that the Host actively stirred up the situation, mobilizing her group to take active action and becoming their spiritual leader. Elation Value +666!]
"Sis, they're all copying us!" Lin Xiyue nudged her with an elbow, looking somewhat smug.
"That's good, there's strength in numbers." Lin Qingyue felt that this kind of situation was exactly what made things interesting. "However, our warm-up should also come to an end."
"Get ready, everyone."
She tightened her grip on [Beloved] in her hand and tapped the base of the staff lightly on the ground, producing a crisp, ringing sound.
The laziness and playfulness in her eyes completely faded, replaced by focus and excitement.
"The main course is about to be served."