SWBG - Chapter 8

By the time the gravitational acceleration was finally offset by friction, Gu Jing Sheng had already smoothly rolled through one-fifth of the downhill path.

After a while, [Little Fool's Bee Friend] reappeared around her, continuously circling. Gu Jing Sheng tried to convert the item into card form and put it in her pocket—the attempt succeeded, but soon the card would transform back into a flying bee.

[From: Happy Board Games

Participant 08321-6, please note that special items can only be carried through special item slots after being converted into card form.]

The first "special items" in the message naturally referred to the various props she carried, while the second meant the card slots. After reading it, Gu Jing Sheng immediately understood why [Little Fool's Bee Friend] had remained in a used state since entering the game—her card slots were already full.

Gu Jing Sheng jotted down a note in her blank memo: [Before starting a game, try to keep at least one empty slot in the card holder.]

The uneven terrain from large irregular rocks made the hillside more rugged than her prematurely ended life. Apart from looking like a professional beggar missing only a broken bowl, Gu Jing Sheng had countless scrapes large and small, with the most severe being her left leg—apparently fractured—which was incompatible with normal human existence.

Slapping the [Elderwood Brand Bandage] onto her injured leg, without any manual wrapping, her left leg automatically took on a form that could rival a mummy's. Though just a low-star item, its effect was remarkably noticeable—Gu Jing Sheng felt the sharp pain from her fracture instantly reduced by 70%.

The [Elderwood Brand Bandage] was a single-use item that couldn't be converted back to card form after use, freeing up a slot for [Little Fool's Bee Friend].

When the ten-minute countdown ended, the bee swarm ceased activity. Before ascending again, Gu Jing Sheng cautiously chose to use [The Great Detective's Friend].

...

[From: Happy Board Games

After verification, the current environment meets usage conditions. Participant 08321-6 has acquired special status [Detective's Friendship].

This status can be canceled anytime before clearing the game.

Note: As the great detective's friend, you're accustomed to the ever-present dangers in daily life. Every stranger passing by could very well be the next case's victim or killer :).]

The note in the last line sent a chill down Gu Jing Sheng's spine.

—Just what kind of terrifying environment do detectives live in? Is there some impenetrable dimensional wall separating their daily lives from us normal people?

With this halo over her head, seeing everyone as potential corpses-in-waiting, Gu Jing Sheng encountered He Suo Wen, Wang Meng Yuan and Ma Cong while limping up the mountain.

Wang and Ma wore identical expressions of undisguised sycophancy, with a noticeable seven parts of awe upon closer inspection.

She wasn't surprised by He Suo Wen's choice to team up. As an obviously experienced participant whose only current disadvantage was temporary blindness, having players who could read messages for him was naturally more convenient. Choosing newcomers, especially multiple ones, served two purposes: first, their lack of experience made them more likely to follow the veteran's lead; second, having two allowed cross-checking their statements to avoid deception.

When they met, Boss He was confirming the time with his two temporary lackeys.

"What time is it now? Has the countdown ended?"

Wang Meng Yuan and Ma Cong answered in unison: "11:42."

Ma Cong shot a displeased look at his housemate who stole his answer and added: "Don't worry Brother He, the time ran out two minutes ago."

He Suo Wen smiled and nodded politely, appearing quite relaxed without any tension from the unexpected situation.

Gu Jing Sheng didn't join the trio, maintaining some distance. After He Suo Wen's group, she successively encountered Cao Wan Yan and Liu Han Ru.

When reaching the summit, Yao Ruo Ling and the baby-faced Shang had already arrived.

Gu Jing Sheng's unique and exaggerated appearance attracted all participants' attention.

Yao Ruo Ling twitched her lips: "You got stung by bees too?"

Gu Jing Sheng looked up at the sky: "Wasn't paying attention while escaping and took a tumble." Then added, "What do you mean 'too'? Did that Mr. You get stung?"

Before leaving earlier, Gu Jing Sheng had indeed heard a scream.

Yao Ruo Ling nodded somewhat displeased: "His injuries are quite severe, but not life-threatening."

Gu Jing Sheng felt slightly uneasy—judging from earlier conversations, You Yi Ming was at least a formal player like herself who had completed one game.

Wang Meng Yuan glanced at Yao Ruo Ling and suggested: "Didn't we bring..."

Before he could finish, Yao Ruo Ling cut in: "Not yet. Healing items are limited, and you two are complete newcomers without card slots. If we use up all items on the first day, what will we do later? Rely solely on natural healing after injuries?"

Gu Jing Sheng who had used a healing item right away: "......"

He Nan saw Gu Jing Sheng's conflicted expression and became even more convinced she was a non-threatening newbie.

Liu Han Ru wasn't from Yao Ruo Ling's room and wasn't as intimidated as Wang Meng Yuan, interjecting: "With only one person injured, it wouldn't use everything up, right?"

Yao Ruo Ling ignored him, telling He Nan coldly: "Teach your own newcomer. Don't get in the way."

He Nan sighed with a smile and gently explained to Liu Han Ru: "After becoming a formal player, you get a five-slot card holder. Increasing slots is very difficult, so you must choose the most useful items for each game."

Liu Han Ru lowered his head at this. Gu Jing Sheng paused, repeating: "Slots are hard to obtain..."

"They might appear in the prize pool or instances, but the chances are low."

The reply came from the baby-faced man who had been hovering at the group's periphery.

Yao Ruo Ling remarked: "Even veterans like us only have seven or eight slots. Rumor says some have ten, but no one's actually seen it."

I have ten slots!

Survival instincts kept Gu Jing Sheng silent—whether complaining or flaunting would be mocking enough now, and combining both would draw everyone's ire.

Despite the mishaps during fruit-picking, participants quickly resumed their tasks. On her way back to Tree #4, Gu Jing Sheng made a point to check on You Yi Ming—his exposed skin showed unhealthy bluish-purple discoloration, his entire body swollen to He Nan's proportions, completely devoid of any bony aesthetic.

Gu Jing Sheng reflected that You Yi Ming, as a formal participant, must have his own card slots. Since healing items were low-star and common, he could have treated himself but chose to comply with Yao Ruo Ling's decision instead.

For a newcomer without a guide, fruit-picking wasn't as easy as Gu Jing Sheng imagined. Beyond the physical challenge, the local ecosystem was headache-inducing—bee swarms could be triggered by individual participants, then launch AoE multi-hit attacks against all players within range.

From morning to afternoon, these frenzied bees attacked seven times in total.

Having learned from her earlier tumble, Gu Jing Sheng retreated steadily step-by-step during the subsequent six evacuations.

At 3:12 PM, even the slowest-moving You Yi Ming finished picking with Yao Ruo Ling's help. After a brief discussion, the group decided to descend immediately.

At 3:49 PM, all participants reached the mountain's base.

Beyond recording gameplay insights, Gu Jing Sheng also kept brief logs of events—as the only participant injured due to poor balance, she added memory to her list of insecurities alongside physical fitness.

At 4:50 PM, just as boredom nearly drove the group to play cards, Old Ivan finally appeared in sight with his carriage.

"Lazy bums, debtors, lowlifes scamming meals! You rode Old Ivan's carriage, will eat his bread tonight, sleep in his cabin, yet didn't work properly! Look with your cunning little eyes—if greed hasn't completely clouded them—these lovely fruits were haphazardly placed in wrong baskets! An unforgivable mistake... Oh, only one worker got it right, but that's no praise since it's his only accomplishment all day."

Old Ivan dramatically berated the players in an exaggerated, theatrical tone. Only You Yi Ming from Tree #8 escaped unscathed for correct placement, while others endured the verbal storm.

Newcomers stood dumbfounded while veterans swallowed their pride. Only the perpetually scowling baby-face (who even NPCs avoided within three feet) and the politely smiling He Suo Wen maintained their established personas.

Gu Jing Sheng felt some sympathy for He Suo Wen. While others endured the ranting, they could at least look around to distract themselves visually—whereas he had to passively endure the high-decibel noise in complete darkness.

Ma Cong scratched his head impatiently: "Why does he talk so weirdly?"

Liu Han Ru: "Translation style? With a foreign name, it fits the game's setting."

Cao Wan Yan: "Then why not just speak English?"

The still-learning girl asked naively, unaware how her question made most participants stiffen—until Gu Jing Sheng leisurely reminded her: "If it were English, we wouldn't even reach the answer sheet stage. We'd sink during the listening comprehension."

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