Free Web NovelChapter 61: Chapter 61: Rise in Rankings
Zhao Chi froze.
He saw Tang Ruan wearing white Cloth Clothing and pants, with Silk Stockings on her feet.
She was hugging him tightly, her body soft against his.
All Zhao Chi could feel was softness and warmth.
He asked in surprise, "What’s wrong? Why are you hugging me? Did you equip your Cloth Clothing to the cosmetic slot? Change back to Equipment mode, this isn’t safe."
As he spoke, he quickly scanned their surroundings.
Fortunately, no Ghosts were nearby.
Tang Ruan pressed against his chest, lifting her shy face to look at him.
"Sister Gu told me to do this. She said it would distract you, and then maybe you wouldn’t be scared anymore. Sister Gu also said that if other people couldn’t see, she would have told me to take off all my clothes before hugging you."
’Why does Gu Qing have so many terrible ideas?’
However...
"...It seems... it actually has gotten a little better."
"Hehe, that’s great."
Tang Ruan hugged him a bit tighter, her proud, trembling assets squeezed out of shape.
Zhao Chi didn’t refuse her kind gesture and let her continue to hold him.
Tang Ruan pressed against his chest, listening to the fierce thumping of his heart.
The screams quickly grew sparse.
All the Ghosts had been dispersed.
A notification arrived from the system.
[Stage Five Cleared]
[Defeated] 50 Ghosts
[Time] 4 minutes 42 seconds
[Score] 75 Points
[Total Score] 298 Points
[Rank] 31st
Zhao Chi’s rank didn’t show up immediately.
Instead, it only appeared after a few more minutes.
This was also indirect proof that his clear time was much shorter than most of the other students.
He hadn’t expected his rank to jump 17 places after this one stage.
It seemed the Ghosts’ screams had indeed been a significant obstacle for the other students.
The Ghosts’ Combat Power was average.
But their bodies were transparent half the time, making them impossible to hit.
Combined with their fear-inducing screams, it made the players’ Soldiers timid and afraid to Attack.
Even when they did Attack, they were flustered, easily missing or lacking in Power.
Although everyone knew deep down that this was the Effect of a Skill.
But it was just like drinking.
Someone who has never been drunk can’t imagine what it’s like.
They think they can stay sober just by concentrating.
That they can avoid getting drunk indefinitely.
But the truth was, they were all overthinking it; you can’t fight the laws of nature.
Salt tastes salty.
Getting cut hurts.
You can’t resist it just by reasoning with yourself.
Furthermore, while the Ghosts’ Attack wasn’t very strong, it couldn’t be underestimated.
Taking a solid hit could still cause injury, or even prove Deadly.
Gu Qing and the others gathered around.
You could tell they were all relieved.
Gu Qing giggled and sidled up to Zhao Chi. "Tang Ruan, the battle is over. Why haven’t you let go of the Lord? How long are you planning to hug him?"
"Ah! It’s over?" Tang Ruan said blankly, finally letting go of Zhao Chi.
Gu Qing covered her mouth and chuckled. "Why so reluctant to let go? I’ll give you the next chance like this, too."
Tang Ruan pursed her lips, not saying a word.
But after a moment’s thought, she shook her head. "No. I promised the Lord I would be his strongest Shield. Besides, my Enhancement is in Defense, while yours, Sister Gu, is in Spiritual Power. Let me be the one to go up from now on. I don’t have much experience, but I can work hard."
Gu Qing smiled. "Alright. You’ll get your chance to shine soon. And don’t worry, I’ll be here to heal you right away."
Tang Ruan nodded emphatically.
Zhao Chi asked, "How is everyone? Any injuries?"
Gu Qing nodded, pointing to a few Female Soldiers nearby. "Everyone took a few hits, but the Leather Armor blocked them. Plus, everyone’s Enhancement is in Defense, so not much Life was lost. Only nine of the Female Craftsmen used nine Pills."
Zhao Chi said, "That’s good. It seems we did well this time. We cleared the fifth stage in under five minutes. Everyone, rest up. We have over twenty minutes of break time now."
The Female Soldiers and Female Craftsmen immediately sat or lay down to recover their Physical Strength.
Gu Qing sat down in front of Zhao Chi.
She said with a radiant smile, "Lord, listen to me scream and see if it has any Effect."
"Scream? Scream what?"
"Hehe, AHHH—!!"
Gu Qing suddenly parted her lips and let out a scream.
"Huh??" Zhao Chi was baffled.
Gu Qing tilted her head and asked, "Lord, did you feel any fear in your Inner Heart?"
Zhao Chi smiled.
"No. I just think your voice is very pleasant."
Gu Qing was deliberately imitating a Ghost’s scream, but her tone wasn’t sharp and ear-piercing. Instead, it was a magnetic and gentle feminine voice.
Even when she screamed, it was completely different from the cries of the Ghosts.
It sounded more like a woman squealing while being tickled by her partner.
Gu Qing smiled. "So the Lord likes my voice?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then I’ll talk to you more in the future, as long as you don’t find it annoying."
Zhao Chi chuckled. "How could I? It’s just that I might not have enough Time."
Gu Qing asked, confused, "Why? With us in the territory now, you won’t have to work so hard, Lord. Isn’t it enough to just command us?"
Zhao Chi shook his head. "How could that be possible? I need to keep improving too. But thankfully, with you all here, I can carve out more time for Learning and self-improvement."
Gu Qing nodded.
She deeply agreed with his words.
"Yes, that’s right. Lord, you just focus on your Learning. Leave everything else to me. I’ll do my best to handle it for you."
Tang Ruan chimed in, "I’ll work hard, too."
Gu Qing smiled. "That’s right. We certainly can’t do without your Power."
Zhao Chi laughed. "Gu Qing, you always manage to say what I’m about to say."
Gu Qing froze, looking a little guilty.
"Oh... I’m sorry, Lord. Did I... overstep my authority again? I’ll be more careful."
Zhao Chi shook his head. "Don’t be so dramatic. I just meant... we think alike. I was trying to say that I admire that about you."
Gu Qing was overjoyed.
The beautiful corners of her lips curved up once more.
Zhao Chi opened the rankings:
[Live Test Rankings]
[1st Place] Class 5: Pei Yuanxiu
[2nd Place] Class 3: Xiao Liu
[3rd Place] Class 8: Wei Jinlong
[4th Place] Class 9: Zhou Lue
[5th Place] Class 1: Hua Yuyin
The top five were still the same people.
There was nothing to be done about it.
They were already strong to begin with, and they had accumulated a huge number of points in the previous stages.
This stage might have caused them some trouble, but it caused even more for the other students.
This only widened the gap between them and everyone else.
Pei Yuanxiu from Class 5 still held firmly to first place.
During the fourth stage, Zhao Chi had guessed his Race wasn’t afraid of Thunder.
It seemed his Race wasn’t afraid of fear either. He was likely from a Race like Golem or Puppet.
Xiao Liu’s rank had skyrocketed.
Perhaps he was of a similar Race, or simply from the Skeleton Race.
Wei Jinlong and Hua Yuyin were on the leaderboard again.
They were both combat-type Lords. He figured their subordinates were either exceptionally brave or had high Morale, allowing them to endure the fear and kill the Ghosts. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
When Morale is high, even if soldiers are afraid, they will endure it to fight the enemy to the death.
