"Tha-thanks."
Exaggeration retreated two steps, narrowly avoiding the Butcher-s detached head as it tumbled to the floor.
As the Butcher-s body collapsed, Jiang stood behind it, Chainsaw in hand, looking far more terrifying than the monster he had just dispatched. Remembering how he-d been badmouthing that woman earlier, Exaggeration wore an uneasy expression.
"You-re Jiang, right? ...Having a Game Item1 means you-ve already cleared a few rounds. You can-t tell me you don-t know the basic rule about not just handing your gear to someone else."
Jiang had given them the game ID -Jiang,- consistent with his usual M.O. The Main God Space had a leaderboard, and he was lucky enough to be holding the #1 spot; broadcasting his actual name would be an unnecessary headache.
Jiang stepped over the Butcher-s corpse and walked toward Exaggeration. The latter tensed up immediately, shouting, "I was just giving you some friendly advice!"
"She-s my fiancée. One more word out of you and I-ll kill you."
This game had five rating tiers. Survival alone only guaranteed a D-rank.
Lin calculated the odds in her head. With her current level, just staying alive was an achievement; she wasn-t delusional enough to aim any higher.
"The next Butcher is respawning. Do you want to try?"
Lin looked up at Jiang as he walked back. Her brain lagged for a second. "What?"
"Kill a Butcher. Want to give it a shot?" Jiang tapped his blade-s scabbard.
"I told you before about the ranking rewards. The fourth hour is the best time; they don-t respawn as frequently. I-ll keep it restrained, you just need to put some muscle into it and sever the head."
This was... murder?
Lin looked down. Even though she knew the Butcher was just an NPC simulated by the Main God, it was so hyper-realistic that there was no real difference between it and a human being. The corpse would just stay there once it was dead.
She had prepared herself mentally before this. (Like killing a chicken or a pig,) she told herself. (Just one strike, it doesn-t matter.)
She was just playing a... surreal holographic game. That-s all it was. A surreal holographic game.
"I... I can do it!" Lin looked up again. After a brief silence, she met Jiang-s eyes with a serious expression. "I can. I don-t want to be a burden. Whether it-s killing or anything else, I-ll do it right!"
Jiang laughed, patting the top of her head. "It-s just a special kind of hologram game, right?"
"Yeah. A system-generated NPC. Nothing to be afraid of."
An hour later, four Butchers spawned simultaneously across the three subway levels.
Jiang swatted the Chainsaw from the Butcher-s grip with a few fluid strikes, then, without blinking, sawed through the creature-s legs. "Come here."
He retreated behind Lin. Sensing the movement, the Butcher, still alive, pushed itself up with its hands, crawling toward the closer target: Lin, with a twisted grin.
Jiang: "Cut his head off!"
Lin gripped the Tang sword with both hands, aimed, closed her eyes, and swung with everything she had. Her first strike landed on its arm; the sharp Game Item sheared through the Butcher-s forearm like it was cutting tofu.
With that first blow, Lin felt something inside her shatter.
The old saying that the hardest part is getting started was proven true in that moment. The first cut had been the hardest, but once it was done, there was no room for hesitation.
In this wave, there was only one Butcher on this level; the other three were in the sub-levels below.
Exaggeration leaned against a nearby ticket validator, watching the commotion, letting out a string of gasps and exclamations like -Holy shit,- -Whoa,- and -Damn.-
(So, note to self: Don-t ever piss off a woman,) he thought. (That Butcher had the worst luck of any creature to respawn here. If he hadn-t stepped in, she probably would-ve chopped it into dumpling filling.)
"That-s enough." Jiang grabbed her raised hand, his tone complex. "He-s... he-s dead."
Lin didn-t know how many times she-d hacked at it. All she felt was a exhaustion similar to running an 800-meter sprint... not mental fatigue, but a genuine, bone-deep physical heaviness in her arms.
"Is he dead?"
"...Yeah. Dead."
Only then did Lin find the time to look at her -masterpiece.- A corpse so gruesome it would need heavy censorship to even exist, it nearly scared the culprit herself to death.
Jiang pulled her back. "You-re not scared? You-re staring right at it."
Lin turned to look at him. Her face and clothes were splattered with blood, yet her eyes were wide with shock and startlingly clear. "I... I did this?"
"Yeah. Guess junior year of college is stressful, huh? Don-t like a specific professor?" Jiang saw how much blood was on her face, so he pulled off his tank top and wiped it across her face, followed by an aggressive, fatherly scrubbing.
Lin hadn-t screamed when she was killing, but she couldn-t take this. "Ah! I-ll do it! You-re going to scrub my skin off..."
"It-s not that bad."
"Try it yourself and see."
"I wash my face like this every day."
"That just proves your skin is thick."
Jiang rubbed his own face, then wiped his hand on hers. (Fine, she thought. Thick-skinned it is.)
Meanwhile, the battle on the third basement level was drawing to a close.
Two Butchers had spawned there, and as time passed, this wave was proving significantly stronger and faster.
Superman clearly lacked Jiang-s raw power; his weapon was knocked aside the moment it collided with a Chainsaw. As for the rookie, Forced, he was a lost cause... even with a weapon in hand, he didn-t dare charge in.
Gentleman had already ditched his cumbersome suit jacket, revealing a pair of red boxing gloves he-d equipped at some point. Another Game Item. His footwork as he dodged the Chainsaw strikes made it clear he was a skilled boxer.
After a few exchanges, Gentleman sidestepped another swing of the Chainsaw and delivered a precise punch to the Butcher-s temple.
"Superman, grab the Chainsaw!" Gentleman shouted to his teammate, who was struggling with the other Butcher. Superman shouted back and broke contact with the monster.
But just as Gentleman turned toward the Butcher, and Superman moved to snatch the weapon, Forced... who had been hiding God-knows-where... bolted forward, beating Superman to the prize.
"Wow," Superman sneered, throwing his hands up. "You sure about that?"
"Please, I... I need this more than you do! Sorry! I-m sorry!" Forced, clutching the activated Chainsaw, backed away from Superman. Once he reached a safe distance, he finally turned and sprinted toward the stairs.
Back on the second basement level, another Butcher was taken down. But along with it, the unlucky rookie Light had met his end.
Slaughterhouse and Evil, the names alone weren-t those of saints. From the moment the first Butcher spawned and Light had come running toward them for help, they had already made up their minds.
Summary:
Jiang and Lin navigate a brutal encounter with a Butcher, marking Lin's first time killing in the game. Meanwhile, in the basement levels, other players struggle against increasingly difficult enemies. The chapter concludes with the introduction of two sinister players, Slaughterhouse and Evil, who have begun plotting against their fellow survivors.
Trivia:
Jiang maintains his top rank on the leaderboard by using the alias 'Jiang'.
Lin's physical exhaustion from killing is equated to an 800-meter run.
Game Items are clearly distinguishable gear that provide tactical advantages.
The Butcher NPCs are hyper-realistic, creating psychological distress for new players.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ In this context, 'Game Item' refers to specialized equipment or weaponry acquired through the game's systems, distinct from standard or found objects.
Notes:
• Exaggeration - A hot-headed veteran and survivor of a Butcher encounter, he leads combat and coordination with pragmatic ruthlessness, openly looting fallen comrades. Despite his experience, he remains biased against rookies and women forming alliances. Prone to loud, hyperbolic shock, he acts as a polarizing, intense presence who prioritizes game survival over camaraderie or traditional social conventions.
• Butcher - A hostile, respawning creature in the game instance armed with a chainsaw.
• Jiang - Ranked first in the Main God Space, 'Jiang' is a stoic, cynical, and highly skilled survivalist. A working-class young man with a lean, fit build, he appears in-game as a weary construction worker in a white vest and camo pants. Armed with a Tang sword and chainsaw, this reluctant, protective solo-ranker masks his growing attachment to his rookie partner, Lin Shuang, with a teasing demeanor.
• Lin - A university junior and Jiang Mo’s fiancée, she is a resilient survival game player who masks her trauma and vulnerability with a facade of bravado. Lean and striking in a black blazer and pencil skirt, she swaps a formerly sedentary life for tactical combat with a Tang dao. Though judged by others for her appearance, she skillfully navigates the brutal game while forging vital alliances to survive.
• Superman - A player struggling with the strength of the Butchers, often losing his weapon during combat. A player who utilizes makeshift weapons, such as a security baton, with precision despite being injured in the leg. A player whose hero name is "Superman Can't Fly," who sustains a serious leg injury.
• Forced - A desperate player who exhibits cowardice and selfishness by luring monsters toward others to ensure his own survival. A desperate rookie player who resorts to stealing equipment from others to survive.
• Gentleman - A skilled, tactical player dressed in an elite-style suit, he brings a background in boxing to his combat, often using red gloves as a signature game item. He is known for engaging in violent disputes with others over equipment. Despite the chaos of battle, he remains a composed observer, maintaining an elite presence while ruthlessly competing against other players.
• Light - An unlucky rookie player who was killed by a Butcher during the subway station incident.
• Slaughterhouse - A ruthless veteran and student-like combatant who has cleared four games of the Main God's Game. While initially confident, his demeanor falters during intense encounters. Known for his aggressive, opportunistic nature, he shows little mercy to weaker, panicking players, yet displays a complex side, such as pausing to close the eyes of a fallen comrade.
• Evil - A player who is killed during the final stages of the game instance. An accomplice to Slaughterhouse, equally cold and calculating.