Chapter 63: The Price of Survival

One minute later, Yenir listened to the trading information with a trace of disappointment.

No matter how hard he pressed, the other side could only come up with just over 10,000 Credit Points.

That sum was frankly paltry for someone at Third Stage.

According to the Blood Wolf Leader, although they belonged to a Farming Team, they never held much Credit Points.

For a Farming Team, high returns came with enormous risks. If word got out, every awakened individual would hunt them down.

Thus, all supplies and items were sold off before entering an instance to maximize strength.

The A-Class Crimson Barrier she carried was a life-saving gadget she bought by emptying her entire fortune.

Sneering, Yenir tilted his head to observe the Blood Wolf Leader, now contorted into an ‘M’ shape by his own doing.

At that moment, the once proud woman had utterly collapsed under the relentless onslaught, like delicate porcelain shattering under a heavy blow.

Bereft of her former venomous glare, the defenseless Blood Wolf Leader now stared silently at him—a look so intense it unsettled Yenir.

For her, dignity and everything else had been stripped away. The anger she once felt had morphed into a ceaseless, unyielding urge to kill.

Yet, faced with the team leader in this condition, Yenir felt oddly unperturbed.

After all, you eventually pay for your misdeeds.

He hadn’t actually done anything.

Especially considering that, in a twisted way, his actions were saving humanity.

Only by rapidly gathering resources could he advance to Third Stage. Once there, the higher-ups would finally abandon their prejudices and recognize his potential.

Every day saved meant he could prepare earlier—and save countless lives.

The lessons of his past life and the bloody price he’d paid had taught him to use any means necessary. In the apocalypse, merely surviving was a monumental challenge—let alone saving everyone.

“Got any other items?”

Taking advantage of the dwindling time before the instance ended, Yenir asked again.

Not squeezing every bit from the opponent on such an opportunity made him feel he was shortchanging himself.

Lying on the ground, the Blood Wolf Leader, now regaining her senses, appeared to have embraced a bizarrely hyper-rational state. The suicidal resolve she once harbored had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Then, she suddenly laughed.

“You… simply can’t kill me, can you?”

“You’re nothing but Second Stage!!!”

Her condition had improved significantly—though she still lacked any fighting prowess, she had stopped coughing blood.

Fixated on the medal adorning Yenir, she suddenly burst into laughter, nearly brought to tears by her own mirth:

“I’m so stupid… I actually mistook you for Third Stage!”

“That skill… you can only use it once!”

“You’re Second Stage! You’ll never break through my defense!!”

At those words, Yenir’s gaze darkened abruptly.

He wasn’t surprised that she could pinpoint his true combat level as merely Second Stage—his stats were, after all, rather low.

With Sky Rift Radiance on cooldown, he truly couldn’t shatter that shield. Even if her power recovered a little, as long as she kept her gear on, he wouldn’t be able to break her basic defense.

The gap between Second and Third Stage was simply immense.

“So, what now?”

“While I can’t kill you, you won’t be able to resist either.”

“Hand over the remaining items—I don’t believe you truly have none. Otherwise…”

After his words, Yenir stepped closer to that exquisite face, confessing openly.

But in the next moment, the Blood Wolf Leader’s wild laughter gave way to a gentle smile—a posture that caught Yenir off guard.

“Oh?”

“What else can you… do?!”

“With the shield up, there’s nothing you can do!!”

“Come on! Aren’t you eager to take me on? Bring it on!!”

With a maniacal expression, the Blood Wolf Leader shed her earlier fear and locked eyes with him as if she were throwing caution to the wind.

“Useless…”

“Come on! Keep going—strike however you want! Do you really think you can threaten me? Do you really think I’m scared of you?!”

She let out a derisive laugh and then fixed Yenir with an almost deranged, seductive stare:

“Keep at it! How about I let down my shield so you can come right at me?!”

“I’ll let you have your fun—strike however you like, as many times as you want! But here’s the catch…”

“You dare?”

“Hahaha!!”

Seeing her wild, almost tearful laughter, Yenir’s heart sank unexpectedly.

He realized that any further threats would be futile—his provocations had pushed the team leader into a state of utter abandon.

But.

Glancing at the final countdown, Yenir resolutely grasped his dagger again, launching repeated thrusts.

Though the attacks held little meaning, what if they could actually bring her down?

No doubt, Yenir was convinced that if she escaped alive, she’d pursue him relentlessly to the ends of the earth.

…

“Countdown: 9”

“8..”

“6..”

“3…”

As the countdown commenced, the now composed Blood Wolf Leader acted as if nothing had happened, her gaze fixed on Yenir as if committing his likeness to memory.

With a burst of white light, she vanished. Yenir only heard a voice—calm and utterly devoid of emotion—reach his ears.

“Ye Lin, is it?”

“Remember, your sister is Lin Lan…”

“Your sister will… definitely find you!!!”

The icy, murderous words sent a bizarre shiver across Yenir’s face.

There was nothing he could do—he just couldn’t break through that protective shield.

It seemed she had truly lost her mind.

But… find me?

Yenir shrugged nonchalantly; he wasn’t worried about her finding him at all.

By the time Lin Lan caught up with him, he’d probably reached Third Stage. At that point, who would end up killing whom was anyone’s guess.

Without further ado, standing in the pristine instance space, Yenir eagerly issued the command:

“Settle up… instance rewards!”