Chapter 1 Players Behaving Fiercely

Hearing Claude's words, the players' expressions turned cold.

In a desolate, restriction-filled place, encountering a powerful, bizarre-looking humanoid who invites you to a potentially life-threatening game...

The whole thing seemed highly suspicious.

The players exchanged glances. With their combined strength, traversing mountains of blades or seas of fire would be easy. They certainly wouldn't be intimidated by mere threats.

Hohenheim took a half-step forward, smiling ingratiatingly, and said, "How about this, Mr. Claude? You directly point out the path for us, and we can provide you with food, supplies, gold, silver, jewels, or other items..."

"Huh? Are you out of your mind?"

The three-armed freak mocked without any politeness, "Do you think gold, silver, and jewels are of any use in this primeval forest?

Don't taint this land with your outside world's copper stench.

Either start the game with me, or get lost. Don't waste my time."

Hohenheim maintained his smile, not getting angry in the slightest due to the other party's insults. In many scenario missions, some eccentric characters had their own set of thinking logic.

Just like NPCs in video games, their brains could only handle one thing at a time.

As an unquestionable top-tier player, he had seen this situation many times, so he was already calm and no longer bothered by being cursed. Instead, he began to think about how to avoid risks and squeeze out profits.

"Alright, we don't mind playing the game,"

Hohenheim exchanged glances with his companions and turned to Claude, saying, "But before we start, we want to know the rules of the game and the rewards."

This scenario mission placed them at the edge of the forest. Walking a short distance forward, they encountered the NPC, triggering this plot.

According to past walkthrough experience, a relatively lenient mission time limit often implied that there were multiple ways to complete the mission. Clearly, this NPC was a part of the walkthrough process, perhaps even an important part.

The players present were all intelligent and courageous. With their various basic attributes and rich equipment, items, and skills, they were more than capable of handling any challenge. No matter what kind of conventional game it was, they had a high chance of winning.

Even if they lost...

If worse came to worst, they could directly draw their blades and start a righteous gang fight, capturing and interrogating the other party to obtain the information and items needed to complete the mission.

Players weren't goody-two-shoes who followed moral codes and contractual spirit. If there was a profit to be made, they could help old ladies cross the street, return wallets to their owners, or transform into butchers, slaughtering wantonly just to obtain meager game points.

'There are fewer and fewer good people like me.'

Li Ang glanced at his companions, who were silently letting Hohenheim be the negotiator, and instantly guessed what they meant. He sighed silently in his heart, crossed his arms, and waited to watch Hohenheim perform.

"I can tell you the rewards, after all, that's only fair."

Unexpectedly, Claude was quite talkative this time, generously waving the three cloth bags in his hand, "I've wandered in this forest for a long time, and I've seen many outsiders like you who come to the holy mountain to pray. I know all kinds of dangerous situations you might encounter if you want to climb the holy mountain.

These three bags each contain a treasure. Open them at the appropriate time, and they can help you solve the difficulties you encounter."

What was this, a clever scheme?

Were you Zhuge Kongming?

Hohenheim cursed inwardly but showed no expression on his face, nodding, "Then what about the game rules?"

"Very simple."

Claude grinned, raised the slender arm in the middle of his chest, reached into the wrinkled skin of his chin, and pulled out a blood-stained copper coin, "I will toss this coin, and you and I will guess its heads or tails."

"Guess heads or tails?"

Hohenheim frowned, "That's it?"

"The specific rules are a bit more complicated, but they are actually very simple,"

Claude smiled sinisterly, "If you agree, then let's start now..."

Before he finished speaking, he raised both arms and clapped his hands heavily in front of him.

Rumble!

The ground beneath their feet suddenly rose. With the flying of fallen leaves and dead branches, the two were supported by cylindrical earthen platforms, rising to mid-air parallel with the treetops.

Hohenheim frowned slightly and scanned his surroundings. The earthen platform was three meters in diameter, just enough for the two to stand face to face.

The distance from the ground was exactly the height they had previously tested, infinitely close to triggering a lightning strike.

"This is my game with you, your teammates cannot participate."

Claude waved the middle arm. Dozens of dense spikes automatically extended from the cylindrical earthen platform, intercepting the Kui Niu mecha trying to climb up.

"..."

Hohenheim glanced downward. The situation below had not changed.

The wild boar corpse that was killed by Claude before was lying in front of the stone pillar.

The forced-landed Kui Niu mecha, David and the others stood behind the stone pillar, looking up at Hohenheim. They seemed to be opening their mouths and shouting something at him, probably asking about his condition.

The stone platform raised by Claude was affected by some unknown force, making Hohenheim unable to clearly observe the outside situation, as if separated by a thick layer of glass.

However, supernatural power was not restricted...

He felt the magic contained in his body. The Sand Book in his hand moved without wind, circulating back and forth among several powerful spells. The magic power was condensed and not scattered, and he could attack at any time.

Hohenheim thought for less than a second, then made up his mind and cast a spell that could amplify the sound effect, shouting to his companions below: "I'm fine."

David and the others standing below should have heard his voice, nodded, and retreated ten steps, away from the stone platform, maintaining a distance where they could climb up and support him at any time.

"Are you ready?"

Claude smiled and looked at Hohenheim, who had turned his head, and said leisurely, "Now, let me tell you the specific rules.

What you and I have to do is each choose a sequence of three consecutive coin tosses, such as heads-heads-heads, heads-tails-heads, heads-heads-tails.

I will keep tossing the coin until a result that matches a sequence is tossed. According to the result, it will be counted as you win or I win, and then toss again, until there is a best of five situation. Fair and reasonable.

So, let's begin."