ã€ŠScathing Reviewer [A LitRPG System Apocalypse]ã€‹


 UPCOMING LAUNCH JAN 15TH!

    Scathing Reviewer will be launching on January 15th! 20k words will be released on the first day, and then one chapter will be released daily until the completion of book one.

    130k words have already been written, and books two and three are being worked on, so there is plenty of guaranteed content.

    This is a rewrite of the original version of Scathing Reviewer which was released last year, but significant plot edits have been made.

    Synopsis is in pre-chapter author note, and you can expect the following tropes: Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Female MC with emotional baggage. She is initially reactive due to her insecurities, but she grows considerably, since she really just wants to connect with others.

    MC uses her existing knowledge to defeat challenges. Strong to dominant progression.

    Countless interactions with traditional mythological gods¡ªthink Percy Jackson.

    Eastern cultivation references.

    Reasonable number of blue boxes. Some chapters have many, some chapters have none. Skill progression matters more than levels.

    Although the system in Peijin''s novel becomes a reality, the story does not take place inside Peijin''s novel. It is technically a reverse isekai, so her novel merges into the MC''s world. The world is as real as the real world is to me and you.

 Chapter 1: The First Arc - Ep. 1, I

    ¡°I¡¯m Peijin.¡±

    That was how I usually introduced myself, and people, trying to be nice, would respond by saying, "What a pretty name. You must be very ambitious.¡±

    Yes, exactly. To be precise, my name directly translated to ¡°full of gemstones and fine jade,¡± and my name was associated with ambition and the essence of humanitarian ideals.

    However, my parents must have named their beloved daughter while ignoring the fact my name also insinuated tragedy, disappointment, and cynicism¡ªall of which was deeply felt when I failed the National College Entrance Examination and was sentenced to a shameful job.

    Now, the glow from my laptop screen illuminated my pale face in the cluttered apartment room. I sat on an old spinning chair, my head rested atop my folded knees, and I absentmindedly picked at the bowl of rice and marinated pork before me.

    I saw a notification pop up on the corner of my screen and opened up the web novel site, reading the comment under Chapter 3,649¡ªmy most recently uploaded chapter.

    Fourteen-year-old me thought a good pen name would fix my doomed fate, even if it was just for a stupid web novel I was writing. I both bitterly and pridefully settled on JiaLi1825 which meant ¡°good¡± and ¡°beautiful¡± girl. Two things that I wasn¡¯t.

    Almost ten years later, my lonely and unremarkable life could be summed up as such: Liu Peijin, twenty-four, single, pest control.

    I kept updating my web novel daily though, and I suppose that¡¯s where all my ambition went. Everyone loved a clich¨¦, mass-produced web novel. A classic, depressed but resourceful, male protagonist with a lousy job, no prospects, a scummy apartment¡­ wait.

    Well, I guess writing was escapism, too.

    ¡°Damnit, my life sucks,¡± I said while bashing my head against my battered desk.

    Qiu Feiyu was my very handsome and very generic protagonist, but I had poured my heart into writing about him. Sometimes, it felt like I was writing this entire story for him¡­ or maybe for the stranger who inspired him. Teleported into a world dominated by divinities, demons, and ghosts under a game system, Feiyu had to cleverly escape dangerous challenges.

    Even in the first chapter, Feiyu had to intelligently navigate and survive a challenge that would kill more than half of the population in a flash. Things weren¡¯t necessarily easy for him, and I took joy in that. Not that I was a sadist or anything.

    Although I initially wrote for my own fulfillment, projecting myself into these characters, I started writing basic tropes for readers. Numbers going up on the infinite dungeon grind, blue boxes, Demon Kings, goblins¡ªall of it.

    Except for anything romantic. I was single.

    Hey, people liked what they were familiar with. But at some point, I didn¡¯t. If a part of me was proud of my work, it was long, long gone.

    Thanks to my childhood self, I had enough funds to get through every month. Surviving My First Run was successful, having garnered around nine million total views.

    But, it didn¡¯t help that the greedy web novel contract meant I wasn¡¯t making as much money as I should have. My Paytron account was enough though, and I even let users buy their way into the storyline as characters. Apparently, I drove away readers with my allegedly ¡°confrontational¡± personality. I wouldn¡¯t really call myself confrontational¡ªmaybe reactive was a better word. Obviously, fourteen-year-old me was incredibly defensive, but I swear I¡¯ve grown since then. At least a bit.

    I looked back at my computer. The comment glared at me from my screen.

    MolaMola: Thank you for the chapter!

    I¡¯m a bit confused¡­ isn¡¯t Feiyu on his first run?

    He shouldn¡¯t have any buffs from any previous

    regressions that wouldn¡¯t exist.

    JiaLi1825: It doesn¡¯t really matter.

    Feiyu got the staff from a divinity anyway.

    MolaMola: Just wanted to point out a

    consistency issue if you cared enough to fix it.

    JiaLi1825: I definitely care, it¡¯s just not

    that relevant to the plot. Past regression or

    not, he would¡¯ve attained the staff somehow¡­

    MolaMola: It¡¯s a minor issue.

    No need to get so defensive.

    JiaLi1825: I¡¯m not being defensive.

    MolaMola: You should still fix it.

    I stared at the message; my brows furrowed. Okay, sure, I wasn¡¯t the greatest at writing a tightly knit plot, but it always got on my nerves when commenters were dismissive about my efforts.

    Had I been too defensive, though? I knew I wasn¡¯t the best at talking to people, since I spent most of my time alone¡­ Maybe MolaMola was right. It really wasn¡¯t that big of an edit, and I hated confrontation. I¡¯d make it quickly, respond with a brief thanks to his comment, and¡ª

    MolaMola: Hellooo? I¡¯ve been a long-time reader.

    Trust me, I know the ins and outs of this story, lol.

    Never mind.

    I deleted the comment thread. If MolaMola cared so much about a story I was writing, he could write his own. Now, this interaction would be on my mind all night.

    Ding. A new notification appeared, this time signaling a private message. Realizing it was MolaMola, I let out a frustrated groan but continued reading.

    MolaMola: I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.

    I simply had a question about the content, but there

    was no need to act so rudely to my feedback.

    You forget who your readers are, and how they¡¯ve

    brought you to this point. You¡¯re going to regret deleting

    my messages, Jia Li. Tomorrow, 1p.m. I have a surprise for you.

    My chest tightened, and my face flushed from a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Was I really that bad at talking to people? I glared at my computer screen for a moment longer before reporting MolaMola again and blocking him. Seriously, who¡¯d go out of their way to threaten someone who had written a story for an entire decade? What a narcissist. And his username was stupid.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    This was my mundane, unfulfilling life. Everything was the same¡ªeven the night before the apocalypse.

    For those reading this story now, then congrats, you¡¯ve survived the apocalypse. But please don¡¯t come looking for me. I¡¯m sorry this was the best ending I could write, but it was the only way to save you.

    <hr>

    ¡°What a complete dump.¡± I surveyed the infested house teeming with cockroaches and bedbugs. I was totally prepared in white protective gear with my black bob tied up in a short ponytail. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how people live like this, let alone let an infestation get this bad.¡±

    Fat brown cockroaches hissed, some darting away when I awkwardly shifted throughout the room. It was the day after I received MolaMola¡¯s message, and I went about my day as normal.

    Yang wrapped the dirtied white couch with a clear plastic wrap to trap the insects and then stood up, brushing off his suit. He wore a matching plastic suit, large goggles plastered over his eyes. They were fogging up now and sweat collected on the interior.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so judgmental, Peijin,¡± Yang said. ¡°A lot of them struggle with their mental health.¡±

    I let out an exaggerated sigh before I helped him clean up. ¡°If only I didn¡¯t flunk that stupid college test¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I find it rewarding to help them,¡± Yang said with a light smile, and I could see the large beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He was working much harder than I was. ¡°It¡¯s helping them get their life back in order, you know? I¡¯d hope someone would do the same for me.¡±

    I looked at him, my eyes narrowing in suspicion at his words. We¡¯d been co-workers for a while, and seeing him smiling up close, I could see why many in our office found him to be the most attractive one there. He had light brown hair and deep coffee-brown eyes that caught and reflected light perfectly, almost making his irises an orange color. Even as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his gloved forearm, he looked as if he were glowing.

    I scrunched my nose. Since I was young, I held sky-high ambitions for myself. I¡¯ve fallen terribly short from them, which was probably why I acted like a bitter old woman. But even though Yang was in the same spot as me, he acted nothing like me, and I knew that he would do great things while I continued to lag behind everyone.

    Yang was a completely different person than me, and we ended up at this job for different reasons. I hated how perfect he was, but I didn¡¯t hate Yang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get how people like you are real, or how you even survived this long.¡± I felt a crawling sensation and slapped my leg, exhaling slowly to calm my heart. I looked down and saw a puncture in the leg of my suit and a crushed cockroach on the inside. ¡°Shit¡­.¡±

    Yang peeked over, his face twisting into a teasing grin. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You brought the steamer, right?¡±

    We always needed to bring a steamer to kill all the bugs that might be on our clothing, jammed in the soles of our shoes, or hiding in furniture.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to pack it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always packed it, Peijin.¡±

    I shot him a crushed look.

    Yang¡¯s expression turned considerate. ¡°Let me drive back to the office to pick one up. My suit is fine, so it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll bring any bugs with me to the office.¡±

    Damn his kindness.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting in trouble,¡± I insisted. ¡°Let¡¯s just finish up. When we get back to the office, I¡¯ll ask for a steamer and deal with the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Confident.¡±

    He tilted his head curiously. ¡°I thought you only had one more warning until you got fired?¡±

    ¡°Did you really have to bring that up?!¡±

    Yang gave another toothy grin as he went to lift the couch into the van. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Rookie mistake. I¡¯ll head back and vouch for you if needed.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know how he could put up with me or how he could remain this calm, but I was glad I made the error with him there and not someone else.

    We lifted the couch into the back of the van and flicked off any visible bugs on the outer layer of plastic before unsuiting. I thought back to my cluttered, dirty apartment; just a few bed bugs caught on my shoes could be a complete disaster. My face flushed a light pink as I remembered the earlier conversation where I had judged the client¡¯s home.

    Moving into the driver¡¯s seat, I groaned, gripping the steering wheel and pressing my forehead against it. ¡°Why is my life so bad?¡±

    ¡°Maybe because you failed your college entrance exam?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Yang typed the directions back to the office on my phone and set it on the dashboard for me to see. ¡°We¡¯ll get there by 1:17 p.m. At worst, there might be a few loose bed bugs, but I think most are contained in the wrap.¡± He grinned and lifted a finger to point at the aux. ¡°Do you mind if I listen to my podcast?¡±

    ¡°You listen to podcasts? That¡¯s really weird,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re preparing for that senior citizen life already.¡±

    He shot me a mortified expression while I laughed, pulling onto the freeway. ¡°It¡¯s just that American politics are so fascinating. I want to move there in the future. It¡¯s much different than China.¡±

    It was thrilling to watch Yang speak¡ªhe was diligent and a good person, and when he spoke, his glowing eyes focused just on you, and it made you feel like the only person in the world.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to learn English,¡± I replied in a feeble attempt to look cool, tilting my chin up a bit while keeping my eyes on the freeway to avoid his stare.

    ¡°Oh, really? Are you watching shows in English or taking any private lessons?¡±

    ¡°I read English novels and plays.¡±

    Yang¡¯s expression lit up with excitement. ¡°Which ones?¡±

    I paused, trying and failing to elaborate on the lie. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was completely lying¡ªI definitely read novels, just not in English. But I wasn¡¯t going to list off trashy web novels; that would be completely embarrassing in front of someone as studious as Yang. Suddenly, The Potentate by BananaDragon became Shakespeare.

    ¡°I¡¯m reading¡­ Shakespeare.¡±

    Yang gasped, looking at me in awe from the passenger seat. ¡°Really? Wow, that¡¯s impressive. You should help me with my English. Which play are you reading?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Merchant in Venice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so niche! You must really be an expert.¡± Yang¡¯s face lit up into a bright smile as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m reading Fitzgerald right now, and it¡¯s so difficult. Do you have any advice?¡±

    Shit.

    ¡°Just read a lot. You¡¯ll get there since you¡¯re very smart.¡±

    I laughed awkwardly before turning my focus back to the road, both embarrassed and a bit ashamed. A notification pinged suddenly on my phone, blocking the map¡¯s directions.

    Yang was quick to react. ¡°Let me switch it back to the map.¡± He went to tap on my phone but paused. ¡°MolaMola sent you a message and a file. They said ¡®Thanks for writing Surviving My First Run. As promised, here¡¯s the surprise.¡¯¡±

    My eyes widened, and I looked at the time. 12:59 p.m. They couldn¡¯t even time it right. Didn¡¯t I block them? They shouldn¡¯t be able to send me any messages.

    ¡°Oh, I have no idea what they¡¯re talking about,¡± I said, playing it off as I rubbed the back of my neck.

    ¡°Do you write web novels? Isn¡¯t Surviving My First Run super famous? I always see the ads in the train station.¡± He turned to me, looking amazed.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡± I pursed my lips, swallowing and continuing to look down the freeway.

    My phone pinged again, and Yang peeked over. ¡°They sent another message¡ª¡±

    Before he could read it, I snatched my phone and read the notification, slowing down the car.

    ¡°Why hide it if you wrote it?¡±

    My blood ran cold, and I could feel my throat thickening from both anxiety and anticipation. Was this guy some freaky stalker?

    That was the moment when the phone screen and the car around me vanished. A glowing blue screen appeared before me with writing in bright white text.

    [Your free trial on Planet-2099 has ended.]

    ¡­ What?

    I turned to look back at the freeway, careful of the cars around me. The blue screen stayed in front of me, but I could see through the interface to the cars beyond. By the shocked expression on Yang¡¯s face, I could tell he saw it, too. He must have his own screen; his vision was locked on a seemingly empty space above his lap.

    I glanced at the time on my phone. 1 p.m. On the dot.

    A blinding flash of light and a massive explosion on the freeway a few cars ahead sent debris, vehicles, and massive chunks of concrete and asphalt flying into the air. Car windows cracked from the force of the explosion, and a deafening boom rang out.

    I gripped the wheel and swerved into the emergency lane, trying to avoid the ensuing chaos. Yang cried out and grabbed my arm to stabilize himself. Cars crashed and reversed desperately, their drivers and passengers surprised by the eruption and trying to escape.

    A small dragon, barely longer than my forearm, appeared from the bright blue blast, floating in the air a few meters above the cars. After unfurling itself, it moved its limbs awkwardly, like a newborn giraffe trying to learn how to stand, and each eye blinked independently before they would eventually sync. My jaw dropped as I stared at the creature.

    ¡°??¡ê¡é¡Þ¡ì??ao¡±

    The dragon seemed to speak in a foreign language¡ªno, a completely new language¡ªbefore it opened a glowing blue interface, fidgeting with the buttons and scratching at its head.

    One of the Four Auspicious Beasts of China would appear on the freeway, and for the first time, it would open its eyes and find humanity. In their craze and panic, humans would come to recognize it as the Azure Dragon.

    I knew this. I knew this setting perfectly as that sentence popped into my mind¡ªthat sentence I wrote. This was the opening scene to Surviving My First Run.

    My heart was beating out of my chest, and I could feel my head spinning. I immediately stopped the car in a secure spot on the freeway, unable to piece together any coherent thoughts.

    There was no way any of this was real, right? I mean, seriously, my web novel becoming reality? I must have been hallucinating, or maybe I died in some freak car accident and was sent into hellish afterlife.

    [Your free trial on Planet-2099 has ended.]

    The blue screen was still in front of me. There was a white ¡°X¡± in the corner. Did the interface operate the same as it did in Surviving My First Run? Without hesitating, I easily controlled the screen, moving it with my hand or just by thinking about it. I quickly shut it with a mental command.

    Yang¡¯s voice snapped me out of my flurry of thoughts.

    ¡°Peijin? What is this?¡± Yang seemed to shrink in front of me as he tugged on my sleeve, shaking.

    I gave him a reassuring squeeze while trying to calm myself down, too. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word. I need you to trust me on this.¡±

    A booming voice sounded out, exuding an air of wicked power and confidence. Yet, the words were that of a rookie.

    ¡°Hello? Hello? Can you hear me now? Sorry about that, you guys have a lot of dialects, and I got confused. I¡¯ve never seen this specific planet before¡ªmy boss just assigned it to me this morning.¡±

    The dragon¡¯s voice was heard by everyone within the vicinity. He slowly looked around and saw all the bewildered glances from people slowly exiting their cars, and he let out an evil, cackling laugh.

    ¡°China is open for the apocalypse!¡±

    [The first arc has begun.]

    [Now commencing Chapter #1 - Prerequisite]

 Chapter 2: The First Arc - Ep. 1, II

    The small dragon lifted a clawed hand to its snout, loudly clearing its throat.

    ¡°You humans have been living such meaningless lives, waking up every day without knowing your purpose. Isn¡¯t it unfair to rot away while taking up so much valuable space?¡±

    Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely untrue, but I took great offense. Had I really written something like that? I guess fourteen-year-old me would be incredibly disappointed we ended up in pest control.

    ¡°Finally, you will join our beloved entertainment industry. You¡¯ll now live to entertain our glorious gods. What an honor! It¡¯s time you all did something wort¡ª¡±

    ¡°Can you get out of the fucking way? Some of us are trying to get to work!¡± a man in a suit shouted, honking the horn and blaring his car headlights.

    The small dragon looked rather taken aback at the man¡¯s disregard. He tried to restart his speech, but a young boy¡¯s words cut off the dragon once more.

    ¡°Mommy, is that a talking lizard?¡± He pointed at the dragon, his head sticking out from the back seat window of a small car.

    ¡°Huh? No!¡± the dragon exclaimed out of anger, though it was contrasted by its small, almost adorable blue body. ¡°I am one of the Four Auspicious Beasts!¡±

    He let out his most vicious roar, and a miniscule flame equivalent to a cigarette lighter puffed from its open mouth, small rows of jagged white teeth lining his bright red gums.

    People shouted jeering but curious remarks from all over the freeway.

    ¡°Huh? So, does that make you the Azure Dragon?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t belittle our culture like that! That thing is way too cute to be the Azure Dragon!¡±

    ¡°Hey, it kind of looks like one if I really squint.¡±

    ¡°This must be a hologram advertisement for that web novel. I read the first few chapters, and this is exactly how it started,¡± a woman chimed in, getting out of her car and standing in front of the dragon.

    She¡¯d read my novel. Did that make me a celebrity?

    More people exited from their cars, infuriated by the disturbance. Those who swerved or got into accidents were now yelling at the dragon, raising angry fists into the air.

    ¡°Get this advertisement out of the way. I heard the author was total scum, but who knew they¡¯d go as far as to block a freeway during the middle of a workday.¡±

    Never mind. I was definitely not a celebrity.

    [Channel #IS-2948 is now open.]

    [Observers have been invited to watch Channel #IS-2948.]

    The blue notifications popped up back-to-back. My face twisted in confusion¡ªwhat the hell were ¡°observers?¡±

    In Surviving My First Run, gods, demons, and ghosts would watch these broadcasts as a form of entertainment, betting their money on the humans and deriving entertainment from both their suffering and victory.

    Karmic restraint was the system that kept them in check¡ªit was the law of equivalent exchange. If one abused their power to influence a challenge, they would face severe physical repercussions in the form of karma. It could only be offset if they gave up an equivalent amount of their spiritual energy¡ªwhich was earned by increasing their number of believers¡ªor through other means like contracts, prison, and banishment. Some gods would go as far as to possess disciples, taking full control of their bodies.

    But observers? They definitely didn¡¯t exist in Surviving My First Run. But, other than observers, everything was identical to my novel.

    I tapped a finger on the glowing notification in hopes of revealing more details about them, but it rejected the request with a small vibration.

    ¡°A web novel?¡± The dragon gawked. ¡°This is the real deal. Don¡¯t mock me! Do you know how many planets I¡¯ve streamed?! I¡¯m about to be promoted!¡±

    Yang shook me, forcing me back into my new-found reality. ¡°They¡¯re not talking about you, are they?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    This bickering dragon was really killing my hard-earned author reputation.

    As if on cue, the dragon was finally fed up with the crowd¡¯s shouting. ¡°I told you¡­ don¡¯t mock me!¡±

    He roared, his body growing larger and evolving. Sharp rows of dagger-like scales tore through his flesh. The flock of people in front of him seemed to freeze before their limbs and faces compressed into a ball. I could hear their bones snapping and crunching before a wet gushing sound erupted and sent a mist of red blood flying all over the freeway.

    Yang and I both screamed, and I quickly clasped my hands over his gaping mouth, accidentally poking his eye. He screamed again while I repeatedly apologized, panicked.

    Little blue flames filtered up through the ground and began scavenging the dead bodies, pocketing the eyes, teeth, and jewelry. These flames were the weakest ghosts, human souls that were lost in the underworld. They danced around before quickly vanishing back into the pits of the underworld.

    This was insane. Utterly impossible. Still, on the off chance this was real, there was no one in the universe more qualified and knowledgeable than me. After all, this was my world, and it was following the rules I laid out.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this fun?¡± The dragon cackled, opening his arms to the sky to speak to the gods. ¡°Come. Come and watch my show! You¡¯ll never see a story like this!¡± He must have received spiritual energy from the gods if he could kill humans so easily without facing karmic backlash.

    People shrieked, scrambling into their cars and attempting to drive off, yet they quickly imploded. With loud pops, car windows were suddenly splattered with blood that dripped beneath the doors and onto the light gray freeway, coloring the freeway a dark red.

    At least a quarter of the people in front of me were now dead.

    ¡°W-where is the Liberation Army or the police?¡± a woman cried, screaming as she collapsed onto the ground, staring at the unfolding scene.

    A man wearing rectangular-rimmed glasses shouted back as he stared at his phone. ¡°The government has already been hit! Apparently, these creatures are showing up globally!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you read that?¡±

    ¡°My mother-in-law posted it on WeChat!¡±

    ¡°Then of course it¡¯s not true! The government is coming to save us, I¡¯m sure of it!¡±

    Of course, there was no government coming to save us.

    There was no government at all anymore.

    Nobody was immune to the system in Surviving My First Run. Not the rich, not the powerful, and not even the gods. I¡¯d written it that way to show the high stakes and indiscriminate slaughter¡ªno one¡¯s old life could save them here.

    Besides, what fourteen-year-old wanted to deal with the government?

    So far, the scenes were playing out as I¡¯d written them. Even the dialogue followed a similar trajectory. There were some unknown factors like the Observers, but for now, I knew I could rely on my knowledge.

    I ignored the ensuing panic, pocketed my phone, and turned to the new blue window that popped up in front of me, quickly skimming it. Whoever MolaMola was, they¡¯d need to wait until the first arc was complete.

    [CHAPTER #1 ¡ª PREREQUISITE]

    Difficulty: FUnauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Task: Survive the ensuing onslaught of monsters, beasts, and insects. Half of the remaining human population must die within the given time frame. If more than half of the population survives, automatic death will occur until quota is met. Killing monsters, beasts, insects, or humans will provide exemption from automatic death.

    Time: 20 minutes

    Reward: 100 stars per slain entity

    Failure: Death

    This was verbatim what I had written ten years ago in Surviving My First Run. Reading the rules now, it seemed so cruel. This was the cutthroat world I had created, and it was now the world everyone must survive in.

    I scanned the freeway as the timer began to tick down, preparing to drive off before I felt a sudden growth beneath my foot.

    Looking down I spotted the cockroach crawling out from beneath me. Its countless legs were spasming in the air as it rolled over onto its back, growing at rapid speeds while its wings fluttered desperately.

    [Observer Chat]

    Socrates: It looks like Jia Li is in a bad spot. Maybe this is her karma lol

    My blood ran cold when I heard my pen name mentioned. Socrates? That¡¯s right¡ªI knew Socrates.

    Socrates was one of the readers I blocked.

    ¡°Damnit!¡± I cursed, another realization dawning upon me. If the car was infested with insects during this chapter, they¡¯d grow rapidly before becoming gigantic, man-eating beasts.

    ¡°P-Peijin, this isn¡¯t real, right? Can¡¯t we try and talk to the dragon? It might let us go,¡± Yang pleaded, fully unaware of the situation playing out.

    ¡°Do you want to argue about American politics with it?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, but¡ª¡±

    I shot Yang an annoyed look before I looked out the window, checking for the dragon. I could see it in the distance, managing countless blue interfaces and excitedly commentating on the chaos.

    In Surviving My First Run, the Four Auspicious Beasts, which included the Azure Dragon, streamed the suffering of humans for gods to enjoy. They typically couldn¡¯t interfere with challenges without facing immense system backlash¡ªthe only exception was the first challenge on a new planet. The dragon however already exerted the extent of its influence in the slaughter of a few dozen people. For now, it wasn¡¯t a concern.

    I quickly slapped at the bugs. My hand made a dull sound as I desperately slapped my leg and stomped on the car floor, crushing a pregnant cockroach beneath my palm. A gross fluid oozed between my slim fingers, but I was too preoccupied by the blue notifications blocking my view.

    [You are exempt from automatic death.]

    [You have killed an entity.]

    [You have received 100 stars.]

    [You have killed an entity.]

    [You have received 100 stars.]

    [You have killed an entity.]

    [You have received 100 stars.]

    The sudden influx of money and the blue screens sent a thrill through. I shut the notifications with a mental command. There must have been at least forty eggs from that single roach. Even in such a perilous situation, my heart was beating with joy. Had I always been this kind of person?

    Without warning, the entire truck lurched forward before tipping dangerously to its side. A sharp, grating buzzing could be heard from the back of the vehicle as the metal trunk thunked loudly and became marked by deep protrusions.

    Yang gave out a sharp yelp as he reached up and grabbed the ceiling of the car, trying to balance himself. My gaze darted to the backseat where I grabbed multiple cans of the strongest bug spray before hopping out of the car.

    ¡°Yang, help me kill the bugs in the back before they get bigger!¡±

    If we didn¡¯t handle the bug infestation now, the situation would quickly escalate, and I wouldn¡¯t even survive the first chapter.

    I really should¡¯ve quit my job.

    I flung open the trunk door and covered my mouth using the inside of my shoulder, bracing myself with the open can of bug spray in my outstretched arm.

    A horrific sight greeted me; cockroaches as large as my leg tumbled out of the trunk, their hooked brown arms flailing and mandibles snapping open and shut. Enlarged bed bugs crawled all over the walls as they spilled out and flailed on the ground before finally rolling over. I shook the can and sprayed wildly. Large cockroach antennae brushed against my bare skin, causing me to shiver out of horror.

    I choked on the overwhelming smell of pesticides despite trying to hold my breath. A cockroach lunged from the trunk, wings flapping as it moved to clamp its horrific jaws into my arm. I smashed the bottom of the can against its back, throwing it onto the ground and ferociously stomped its head in.

    ¡°Yang, where the hell are you?¡± I cried out, taking steps back as the bugs continued their assault. They were growing larger and more aggressive by the second, and I could feel the spray can¡¯s weight lightening in my hand.

    In an instant, thousands of small blue portals opened all over the freeway, and grotesque green creatures stumbled out of them. With pointed noses and ugly, contorted skin, they awkwardly waddled around, small wooden sticks or rocks in their wrinkled hands. Goblins.

    These creatures had always existed, but in various universes or planets. The system merely brought them all together.

    Panic swelled in my chest at how overwhelming all of this was, but I turned my focus back to the cockroaches, struggling to keep my composure.

    A cockroach bashed into me, sending me flying into the rocky and boiling hot pavement that tore up the soft skin on my elbows, leaving them red and raw. My weakening arms struggled to throw the cockroach off. Its jaws snapped just before my face, menacing and deadly.

    Even in my own fabricated world, I was the exact same person. Still a disappointment. Still a failure.

    Well, at least I gave it my best shot.

    I shut my eyes, preparing to feel the cockroach dig its vile mandibles into my flesh. Suddenly, the cockroach was launched off me, and my eyes flew open in surprise. Yang stood above me, holding a large spray bottle in one hand and a crowbar in the other. His chest heaved with each labored breath, but he quickly sprayed down the bugs while bashing the larger ones with the crowbar.

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± I said in a snarky tone.

    [You have received your first review!]

    <u>STREELIGHT543 REVIEW: </u>¡ï¡ï¡î¡î¡î

    Very deus ex machina. Liu Peijin shouldn¡¯t have survived, although I was very entertained by her struggle while it lasted.

    Were observers leaving... ratings and reviews?

    Are you kidding me?

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: Boooo, this is boring to watch. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re struggling, Jia Li, when you created this world.

    Nipon23: lmao imagine how much of a loser she must have been before. i finally found another observer who knows that this girl is JiaLi1825.

    Socrates: Did you get blocked before, too? For what?

    Nipon23: i commented ¡°TYFTC¡± instead of ¡°thank you for the chapter¡±

    Socrates: She was THAT petty??? She blocked me even though I was a big Paytron supporter :( Rude.

    Nipon23: i was one too. maybe only subscribers recognize her idk

    Socrates: Well, it¡¯s not like she had many. Not many people would pay for content if they got blocked 80% of the time lol

    Great, there were more. Were the people I blocked seriously the only observers?

    My face flushed in embarrassment from their comments, and I nervously met Yang¡¯s eyes, unaware if he could see the observers¡¯ notifications. Based on his still glowing expression, I realized these could only be seen by me¡ªat least for now.

    I let out a shaky sigh of relief as I stood up, continuing to crush loose insects. The mixture in Yang¡¯s hands was a combination of soap and water. Since cockroaches and bed bugs breathed through the holes in their skin, they would quickly suffocate. Surprisingly, soapy water was much more effective than some insecticides.

    [You have enough stars to purchase from the Azure Dragon store! Would you like to access the tutorial?]

    I flicked the notification away with my eyes, watching as Yang continued to kill the insects. For someone who was so frightened just moments ago, he was adapting to the situation far faster than I anticipated.

    Yang froze for a moment as if a screen popped up in his vision. I figured he must have just gotten the notification for the store as his fingers danced across an invisible interface. His thumb was rubbing against the tip of his index finger anxiously.

    Once we had killed all of the bugs in the van and dragged the couch out from the trunk, I quickly hopped back into the driver¡¯s seat.

    [Total: 2430 stars]

    Yang turned to face me, noticing the blood dribbling out of my skinned arms and onto the white seat behind me. ¡°Peijin, you¡¯re injured,¡± he said in a strange tone before popping open the glove compartment and sifting through the miscellaneous items inside.

    I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Scraped elbows were the last thing to worry about. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We need to get out of here first.¡±

    ¡°And where would we go? Everything is in shambles,¡± Yang replied, his voice higher from his anxiety. His brows were knitted together, and worry was clearly written in the wrinkles beside his eyes.

    The Azure Dragon was still hovering in the air while the hoard of goblins waddled beneath them. They curiously explored the scene, tapping on car doors and banging their makeshift weapons together.

    I ignored Yang¡¯s question and slammed down on the gas, weaving the white truck between the parked cars and wreckages. If I really teleported into my web novel, the first thing I had to catch up with the main characters before they split off.

    But the last person I¡¯d want to run into would be Qiu Feiyu, the protagonist.

    Yang trembled anxiously but nodded at my resolve, chewing on his lower lip. ¡°Why aren¡¯t the¡­ goblins outside doing anything?¡± He paused on the word ¡°goblins¡± as he couldn¡¯t quite believe the reality before him. ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill them for more stars?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch them. If you do, then¡­¡± I trailed off, realizing I seemed way too assertive and knowledgeable.

    Although the goblins were mostly passive creatures, the moment one was attacked, they would all quickly band together to kill the assailant. This challenge was intentionally set up so people would be inclined to kill the meek goblins¡ªto then be slaughtered themselves.

    If I shared that with Yang, he would know that I truly was the author of this world, though he was probably smart enough to have put it together. Still, I didn¡¯t want that to happen.

    ¡°This is just like one of those apocalypse survival games,¡± I said. ¡°So, let¡¯s just make it through the first round.¡±

    [Time left: 13 minutes 13 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 14%]

    I doubled back, staring at the blue window. Fourteen percent? That couldn¡¯t be possible¡­ it shouldn¡¯t have been that rapid of a decline. No one had even touched the goblins yet. I shrugged off the thought and focused on my goal.

    Ah, there it was. The blue Toyota and the androgynous man standing beside it. He stuck out like a sore thumb; his waist length brown hair was tied up into a high ponytail, and although he wore normal clothing, one could see the white bandages wrapped around his forearm.

    A phone was pressed against his ear as he tried to call the police, shouting at the people on the road to remain calm. Ushering seniors and crying children to the side of the road, his overwhelming desire to protect them was obvious to any onlookers.

    I swerved the car and quickly parked, blocking two whole lanes¡ªyet just before I could hop out, the freeway rumbled as parading footsteps and a deafening roar sounded, sending spit flying everywhere.

    I glanced up to see a black bear the size of a small house charging straight toward my van.

 Chapter 3: The First Arc - Ep. 1, III

    Other than the human realm, or Planet-2099 in this case, there were three main realms: the Heavenly Realm for divinities, the Demon Realm for powerful beasts that rejected divine status, and the Ghost Realm for humans who fell from grace and became resentful spirits. All of them would invest in humans¡ªwho became known as disciples¡ªto increase their personal fame and recognition.

    According to my stellar and very original worldbuilding from Surviving My First Run, these three realms had always existed but only became accessible to Planet-2099 at the start of the web novel.

    Of course, there were always anomalies given transmigrators, reincarnation, et cetera et cetera, but I avoided most of the complexities by avidly banning any form of time manipulation or regression from my novel. Call it lazy writing, but I considered it caring for my mental health.

    Jun Wei, however, transcended this system of gods and disciples.

    He had no knowledge of this fact. He was just the man standing beside his blue Toyota, watching as the bear stormed toward my truck. He had no clue he would rise to the top five most powerful beings on this planet.

    Yang thrust his arm across my chest and forced me back into my seat as he leaned over, blaring the car horn and flashing the headlights at the bear.

    I exhaled in surprise before squeezing my eyes shut in anticipation of a sudden attack, but I slowly realized the sound had upset the bear, causing it to let out a roar before scrambling backward.

    ¡°Black bears hate noise,¡± Yang said into my ear, his hand still firmly pressed on the car horn. The bear growled before standing on its hind legs, bringing an arm to shield its face before turning to another way in search of an easier meal.

    Once the bear retreated, Yang let out a tense breath and turned to face me. ¡°You alright?¡±

    A complicated emotion passed through me, and I pushed his arm off. ¡°I was thinking of doing that. You just beat me to it.¡±

    He quickly withdrew his arm like he was burned by red coals as realization set in. ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± he said in a nervous tone, waving his hands in front of his face.

    Yang opened his mouth to say more, but I moved my hand in front of my lips in a gesture to shush him. The goblins were casually wandering the streets, never attacking the frightened people, but that wouldn¡¯t last long.

    A sudden knock sounded from the car window causing me to jolt before I saw Wei¡¯s face. I rolled down the window a sliver, peeking at him through the crack.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you alright? Please don¡¯t panic¡ªI¡¯m sure officers will be here soon.¡±

    Aw, he was so cute!

    Wait, did he just call me ma¡¯am?

    Did I look that old??

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: Ma¡¯am? That was cruel, even if it¡¯s Jia Li.

    One of my eyes twitched as I heard a slight laugh from Yang. Clearing my throat, I responded, ¡°Thank you,¡± with an incredibly pressed smile and annoyed tone. ¡°Do you mind if we join you? What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My family name is Jun, and my given name is Wei,¡± he said. ¡°Please feel free to join. I¡¯ve already called the police.¡±

    Wei¡¯s eyes lingered on me for a long moment before he spoke up, seeming rather flustered. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh,¡± I mumbled. I had zoned out for a moment, and my hand had moved as if trying to push up Wei¡¯s sleeve to look at his bandages. ¡°My name is Liu Peijin.¡±

    ¡°What a nice name,¡± Wei said. ¡°You must be very ambitious.¡±

    Before I could respond, a blue flash appeared beside us, causing both of us to turn away from the burning light. From it, the Azure Dragon emerged.

    The Azure Dragon gave a little wave toward me with its small, clawed hand. ¡°You seem to have adapted pretty fast.¡±

    ¡°Move your broadcast somewhere else. I¡¯m kind of in the middle of something if you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± I replied in a snarky tone, waving my hand back and forth as if shooing an annoying fly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit too cocky this early on?¡± he snapped. ¡°Do you wanna die?!¡±

    The Azure Dragon initially served as a moderator and streamer, bringing entertainment to the gods through the demise of countless planets; however, it seemed as if Observers, or my past commenters, joined the market.

    How thrilling.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything to me since the chapter began, so I doubt you¡¯re allowed to. Besides, I¡¯m bringing you a lot of viewers, right? I¡¯m already receiving notifications.¡±

    The Azure Dragon gave me a stunned look as it continued to float on its tail in the air. After all, what I said was true. What did interest me, though, was that there were thousands¡ªif not millions¡ªof moderators once the Vermillion Birds, White Tigers, and Black Tortoises were included.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    If what Socrates and Nipon23 discussed was true, then not all observers automatically knew I was Jia Li. What set them apart must have been their Paytron status. And if that was the case, I could revamp boost my ratings and reviews by catering to the other observers. If all observers found out I was Jia Li, I would immediately be review bombed, though I wasn¡¯t sure what that entailed. Given that I created this system though, I¡¯d probably face something catastrophic and blow up into flames or some nonsense.

    More importantly, I wanted to be adored just as much as the next person. This was my chance to reinvent myself.

    The Azure Dragon opened its long snout to respond, but a desperate cry sounded further down the freeway, and my attention shifted.

    Right, the real challenge was going to start soon. The timer was ticking down, and people were panicking. In testing times like these, people became the real monsters.

    [10 minutes 39 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 20%]

    A woman stumbled out of her car, wielding her son¡¯s medal baseball bat. He was waiting in the car, his face pressed up against the window. Dozens of goblins had climbed all over the vehicles, poking and tugging at the various parts, and they stared at him curiously.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t take it anymore! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Tears streamed down her face, and she raised her arms in the air before swinging the bat down on the head of a curious goblin that had been peering inside her car. Its skull quickly cracked in half as the goblin collapsed onto the ground, convulsing as she continued to strike it.

    More and more people seemed to join the woman as they attacked the goblins, tearing off their small limbs as the goblins cried out in pain, trying to scramble away. They let out pitiful, vulnerable cries, but they continued to be massacred. Even some of the elders and children that Wei had escorted to safety began to attack the goblins out of sheer fear.

    A ghastly, animalistic scream rang out into the crowd. It was beginning. The Azure Dragon¡¯s face lit up with excitement, and he darted into the chaos, eagerly recording it.

    The woman who attacked the goblins first was suddenly swarmed by all nearby goblins. They grabbed her hair and pummeled her onto the ground. Already holding a sharp skewer from when it spawned, a goblin stood above her face as she let out blood-curdling cries. He lifted the skewer and pierced it through her eye and into the soft flesh of her brain, killing her instantly. She fell limp as her eye slowly oozed out onto the hot pavement below her and sizzled, cooking.

    More and more goblins began to attack people, swarming the ones that had assaulted or killed others. Wei scrambled forward to protect the children who were now being cornered, but I gripped his hand and pulled him back toward the truck.

    ¡°You can¡¯t change their fate! If you do, the goblins will kill you next. You can¡¯t save the kids and avoid the goblins!¡± I shouted, my fingers pressing so tightly into his exposed arm that I left white finger-shaped imprints.

    [Time left: 8 minutes 38 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 32%]

    Wei turned to me, a mixed expression of fierce determination set on his face as he tore his non-bandaged arm from my grasp. ¡°I can do both!¡± Whipping his head around, he darted forward to help them.

    A small, knowing smile crossed my lips as I unbuckled the seatbelt and jumped out of the car, signaling for Yang to follow. I looked up at the sky, spotting the bright, twinkling star just overhead¡ªa god, and one of the most powerful, watching the stream. As long as I could paint Wei as someone who fought for justice, then he and this god would forge one of the most powerful bonds in Surviving My First Run.

    Wei reached down and picked up a young child being assaulted by the goblins and dashed toward his car, quickly placing her in the backseat. I watched as he darted back to try and reach an older man who had fallen while trying to run from the chanting goblins that were slowly surrounding him.

    Suddenly, a young girl wearing her university uniform lunged at the elderly man and bashed her fists into his face, goring him and assisting the goblins. She panted, her fists drenched in blood with deep purple bruises already forming, and the goblins began to clamor around her, seeming to cheer as they circled her. The goblins almost appeared to be performing a ritual to an outsider as they clamored, banging their sticks and rocks together.

    He Yue.

    She was a truly despicable character, and it was easy to see how she became a Wrath¡ªa Demon Queen of the highest rank. Cruel, calculating, and menacingly intelligent, she approached her newfound world in a purely statistical manner.

    But she didn¡¯t appear this early in the story. Not only could the worldbuilding diverge from the original, but I could also change the course of the story through the characters.

    ¡°No!¡± Wei cried, making a mad dash to try and tend to the elderly man. But it was far too late for him as he lay dead on the pavement, his body unrecognizable.

    Yue cackled as she slowly stood up, blood dripping down her arms in thick black streaks. Glittering blue particles seemed to explode from her feet, creating a halo of light around her.

    Lifting a long, slender finger, she pointed it at a parked car¡ªthe same car that Wei had just left the child in¡ªand watched as the goblins raided it, smashing the window and goring the child inside.

    I scowled. I hated Yue the most out of every character I created. She adapted too fast, far too fast, as if she had waited for this very situation.

    Just like me, I realized.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Wei shouted, his fists balled and trembling in sheer rage. ¡°How could you ever kill another person!¡±

    Yue¡¯s head swiveled over to face him in a nonchalant manner as she gave a thin, wide smile. ¡°Just trying to get some more stars.¡±

    Wei looked at her with an expression of sheer shock and disgust. Despite Yue¡¯s twisted expression and willingness to kill, Wei balled his fists and stepped closer.

    It was like watching two parts of myself fight one another. Had I not known anything about this world, who was to say I wouldn¡¯t have taken a similar route to Yue? Even now, my actions were guided by a form of author manipulation; I had a desired conclusion for Wei, and I was manipulating him for my goal.

    My eyes shifted to Wei¡¯s arm, where the bandages took a mind of their own, slowly unraveling from his arm with a menacing air. Now was my time to jump in.

    ¡°Hey, Yue!¡± I shouted, walking toward her, cracking my knuckles before shaking out my hand.

    She whipped her head around and stared at me with insane eyes. She let out a scoff as she turned toward me and spat on the ground. The goblins eagerly awaited her orders, waving their arms in the air and singing.

    ¡°Using my first name? You¡¯re entitled. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    I said a few words to myself in my head: invest 500 stars into strength and 1000 into physique.

    [Strength level 1 ¡ú level 5]

    [Physique level 1 ¡ú level 10]

    I could instantly feel a rush of energy through my body, and I was completely thrilled by the feeling of it. Crafting the perfect body suddenly became a possibility.

    [Time left: 6 minutes 59 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 38%]

    [531 observers are following you with immense interest!]

    Yue¡¯s eyes trailed to the pest control van behind me, reading the large company font. ¡°So you¡¯re in pest control, too? That¡¯s pathetic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a fortune teller, actually.¡±

    She tilted her chin up, mocking an impressed look. ¡°Really? Then go ahead and predict the future. What¡¯s about to happen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about to beat the shit out of you.¡±

 Chapter 4: The First Arc - Ep. 1, IV

    Yue stared at me for a moment before reeling over and laughing, clutching her stomach as she bent double and her shoulders shook. She stumbled, trying to stop her laughter, before she stood upright with a wicked grin. Grabbing a small blade from one of the goblins, she lunged forward and slashed the blade with vicious speed toward my throat.

    ¡°Peijin!¡± Yang shouted, rushing forward.

    With the strength from my heightened physique, I quickly grabbed her wrist and bent it backward, wrestling with her for the blade.

    Yue bent her arm and closed the distance between the two of us, pulling my hair and smashing her fist into my face.

    My hair was covering my delighted smirk. Her punch didn¡¯t even hurt¡ªit didn¡¯t even leave a mark.

    Unaware, Yue pulled her hand out of my grasp and swung again at my face, landing a firm punch. I pretended to stumble back and grab my face.

    ¡°Ha, so you¡¯re all talk,¡± Yue said. Her words were laced with malice.

    She flipped the blade in her hands, closing the distance between us. She swung frantically, but I pulled back just before she could deal any damage.

    Catching sight of my cocky smirk, Yue became more frantic and messier with her swings. Finally, I let her get close enough.

    Her blade struck my throat with astounding force, but it simply clattered against my skin. Yue froze before readjusting her grip on the knife and driving it into my stomach. The blade snapped in half. I looked down at Yue, my expression smug.

    When Yue looked up to face me, her brows were furrowed and eyes black with rage. ¡°What are you?¡±

    I gave a cocky shrug. ¡°Just a pest control worker,¡± I replied before balling my hand and slamming my fist into her liver, watching her fly back and slam into a car. She let out a surprised yelp as she bounced off the now totaled car and skidded across the asphalt

    [954 observers are following you with immense interest!]

    [4 major gods are watching you closely!]

    I couldn¡¯t help but enjoy messing with my own creation. I was rapidly adjusting to my new reality¡ªhow could I prefer pest control over a world where I could finally leave my monotonous life?

    Our fight was the most exciting thing in the area; the Azure Dragon gasped at the sight of me hovering over Yue and covered his snout with his stubby hands. I could practically see the dollar signs in its eyes. ¡°Do I really have a fortune teller in my channel? This is so good for business!¡±

    I glared at the greedy Azure Dragon and looked back to the freeway, watching the horde of goblins sprint toward me, since I had attacked their ¡°ruler.¡± With a simple sweep of my foot, they dissolved into speckled black ash that blew into the air. More and more charged and met a similar fate, and others ran toward Yue, crying out as they struggled to lift her back onto her feet. I continued to leisurely walk closer and closer to Yue.

    The freeway was filled with more and more dead bodies as people continued to fight and lose against the violent horde of goblins. Blood and gore littered the streets, painting the initially dusty gray and cracked asphalt with a deep red. I shook out my fist in the air, rubbed my knuckles, and waited for Yue¡¯s retaliation.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: This is the action I wanted to see. Keep this up, and maybe I¡¯ll leave you a good review. We all know you need it.

    ¡°Am I a street performer and pest control worker now?¡± I grumbled under my breath before I looked up at the sky once more. Stars were the system¡¯s currency, but stars in the sky represented gods who were watching the broadcasts. A few more stars were present in the sky, twinkling down on me, so at least some showed interest in me.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: Wooooow, that was the first time you responded to me. I almost thought these messages weren¡¯t getting through. I¡¯ll send more now, though :)

    [Time left: 4 minutes 39 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 44%]

    Yue coughed up blood but wiped the side of her mouth with her raw, skinned hands. She tried to stand with the help of the goblins, but her legs gave out beneath her, and she fell onto her knees, gasping for breath. Her long black hair fell over her face.

    ¡°Yue,¡± I said in a firm voice, kneeling beside her, ¡°I want you to team up with me.¡±

    Yue was, unfortunately, part of the main cast, but more importantly, she¡¯d become one of the strongest characters in Surviving My First Run by taking the Demon Bull King as her sponsor, receiving his magical and financial backing. As one of the only beings to ever rival Sun Wukong, who was the greatest Chinese divinity, the Demon Bull King was a truly formidable god.

    Wei looked over, admiration peeking through his surprised expression. He nudged Yang¡¯s arm while Yang was trying to wipe off the bug guts from his hands.

    Wei was too far to be in earshot, but he was receptive to my actions. He was easy to please, like a dumb dog.

    Yue snickered and tilted her head back, eyeing me as I stared at her busted lip and the blood that trickled down her face. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice, do I?¡±

    ¡°No, not really.¡±

    She sat up and reached for my hand, and I looked at her with a cocky, pleased smile.

    Yue¡¯s hand slammed into my gut with unexpected force, causing me to fall back onto the ground mostly from surprise.

    ¡°These observers and stars do come in handy, huh?¡± Yue dusted herself off, readjusted her school skirt, and hovered over me. Her firsts were balled at her sides, ready to pummel me into the asphalt.

    How could she possibly have enough stars to level up her strength like that? I groaned, getting up rather quickly. She should have what, maybe 500 or 600 stars? That wasn¡¯t enough to overpower my physique level. She must have been getting coins from observers.

    The Azure Dragon gawked as it redirected the broadcast toward my fight with Yue.

    ¡°Seems like a lot is going on here, too! Feel free to donate some more stars to my broadcast, so I can bring you better content!¡± The Azure Dragon batted his long gold lashes at an invisible camera just above Yue and me.

    [Observers Chat]

    Nipon23: Sorry not sorry Jia Li

    [You have received a new review!]

    <u>NIPON23 REVIEW:</u> ¡ï¡î¡î¡î¡î

    He Yue needs to win this fight. Liu Peijin is beyond incompetent.

    Seriously? This guy again? What an ass. As an observer, he read Surviving My First Run and knew I was better than Qui Feiyu at this point in the story.

    If these insulting observer ratings had an impact on my progression, I was completely fucked.

    I quickly checked to see how the chapter was progressing, looking at the blue screen.

    [Percent killed: 51%]

    Looks like the goblins had done their job at killing the majority of the population¡­ but still, something about this was unsettling. The numbers climbed a lot faster than I¡¯d expected.

    Returning my focus to Yue, she must not have invested many stars into physique given her labored breathing and the sweat on her brow.

    I didn¡¯t want to use this many stars for the prerequisite arc, but it looked like I had to.

    [2000 stars used.]

    [Strength level 5 ¡ú level 15]

    ¡°Sorry, Yue, I don¡¯t think you understand what¡¯s happening.¡± I slowly stood up and lowered my hands to my sides, trying to avoid intimidation. ¡°Your fortune ends here.¡±

    Yue¡¯s fists started glowing with ominous flames that flickered up her arm. She looked down in amazement, a chaotic grin lighting up her expression. ¡°Did you predict this, then?¡±

    Yue¡¯s fist threw me backward and hurdled me straight into the fence on the side of the freeway. My body crashed straight through the metal railing before I collapsed into the ground like a starfish, groaning in pain.

    [638 observers have turned away!]Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    [8 gods are doubting your ability!]

    [1 major god has turned away!]

    [Many demons are pleased by your failure!]

    I underestimated Yue. She¡¯d already unlocked her ¡®Demonic Fire¡¯ skill. This time, my physique was too low. Yue was advancing far faster than she had in Surviving my First Run from my toying with her. So, that meant I could force my characters to grow faster than their initial trajectory.

    I smiled at the thought, struggling to stay conscious.

    [1000 stars used.]

    [Physique level 10 ¡ú level 15]

    Wei sprinted over to me, lifting me up and slapping my cheek to try and keep me awake. He quickly armed himself with metal rubble from the car accidents and stood before me, holding Yue back.

    [You have unlocked ¡®Hindsight!¡¯]

    [Hindsight activated!]

    ¡°... and this seems to be a very embarrassing play on behalf of our¡­ fortune teller,¡± the Azure Dragon commentated.

    At once, my eyes began glowing a deep blue. I saw the entire world play out in blue frames. Yue¡¯s hands continued to glow with the demonic flames, countless white text surrounded her and described every potential move, every potential detail.

    The amount of information was overwhelming, but my mind comprehended it with surprising ease. With every breath she took, it constantly shifted to show possibilities in blips of red and purple frames. Above her, a strange, ominous green creature with pointed ears and a squished face lurked, glaring at me with glowing white eyes¡ªonly ¡®Hindsight¡¯ allowed me to see him.

    Demon King of Resourceful Goblins feels great animosity toward you!

    The demon ¡®King of Resourceful Goblins.¡¯ That bastard was still mad at me for killing all those goblins, and now, he was controlling Yue¡¯s movements to kill me.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: You just lost a bunch of observers and gods from that hit, Jia Li. And right

    before you have to pick a sponsor :(

    I grabbed Wei¡¯s shoulder, gently pushing him to the side. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Wei. I¡¯m just fucking pissed now.¡±

    Yue faced me, angling her chin up with both of her arms now blazing with demonic fire. Admittedly, I hadn¡¯t quite seen this coming; even though the skill was the same as in Surviving My First Run, she hadn¡¯t activated it until the second arc. These observers were seriously throwing off my entire story.

    Just like they had before the apocalypse.

    ¡°Come back for more, Peijin?¡± When Yue called my name, it only sounded more like an insult. She must have picked up my name earlier from Yang¡¯s shout.

    I spit out blood onto the freeway, causing a thick splatter just a few feet away. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever.¡± My two hands were raised in front of me and gestured for her to make the first move. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight you.¡±

    Yue stared at me, dumbfounded, before she burst out laughing, borderline cackling like a hyena. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re really something, Peijin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you, you narcissist. I¡¯m talking about the demon you signed a contract with.¡±

    There was no way the Goblin King could be influencing this chapter so heavily unless he signed a deal with Yue in which they both had to sacrifice something to offset karmic restraints.

    As soon as Yue moved, the blue frames highlighted the most likely possibility before vanishing, forcing me to synthesize all the information in a mere moment.

    Yue¡¯s fist barely missed my right cheek as I dodged, side-stepping at the last possible moment. I let out a sigh of relief¡ªmaybe I¡¯d be able to keep a sliver of dignity despite the Azure Dragon¡¯s convoluted broadcasting.

    I shouted over the sound of chaos, sucking in a quick breath. ¡°These aren¡¯t your movements! You let the Goblin King control your body to kill me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    A flaming fist narrowly missed the top of my head before I quickly ducked down, jumping out to the side and quickly regaining my footing. Yue¡¯s jaw was clenched tightly, her brows furrowed in rage, but she continued to throw violent punches one after another.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yue? Cat got your tongue?¡± I smirked, lightly jumping back and forth between my two feet. Growing more comfortable with the hindsight skill, I danced around her in a mocking manner.

    [You have received a new review!]

    <u>REGUS3 REVIEW:</u> ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î

    Liu Peijin is very quick to understand her opponents, and she pieces together complex deals or relationships with seeming ease. She¡¯s not as cool or good as Qiu Feiyu, though.

    I glared at the notification. Just make it a five, god damnit! Forget about Feiyu!

    At the notification, a flow of energy coursed through my body. Ha, I got it now. In a way, observers were like believers. The positive reviews gave the recipient more spiritual energy, heightening my mana and potential skill power.

    Yue let out a frustrated cry as she battered me with her fists, yet I easily blocked every single move with the side of my forearms. Each burst of her demonic flames would leave the top-most surface of my skin charred black, but thanks to my physique level, it easily dusted off.

    My leg smashed into her side, launching her into the pavement once more. Her body crunched on the pavement, leaving a human-shaped indent, before she skid a few feet further. Yue drooped, unconscious, as she laid on the crusted asphalt with spit dripping out of her open mouth.

    [Time left: 2 minutes 19 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 54%]

    At the assault of their leader, dozens of goblins shrieked and charged at me, furiously wielding their battered sticks and stones. A clever few even picked up shards of glass and attempted to slash my legs.

    With a light side kick, an entire row of them faded into black ash until they slowly dwindled in number.

    I let out an exhausted sigh, my shoulders slumping. I struggled to calm my beating heart while clearing through the countless blue notifications that had been blocking my view. The skill ¡®Hindsight¡¯ toggled off by itself to conserve my energy, and my vision returned to normal.

    ¡°Peijin! Are you alright?¡± Wei asked, stepping toward me.

    ¡°Of course, I am,¡± I replied. I signaled for him and Yang to step back once more, and I opened the Azure Dragon Store and began browsing.

    The Azure Dragon Store was the most convenient place to purchase many goods. A big limitation was the tier system. To access the better items, one had to buy into a higher tier by paying an expensive membership fee. The tiers ranged from silver¡ªthe default¡ªto gold, platinum, titanium, and black.

    Still, some of the best items could only be won through the challenges, and my current strategy was to save as many stars as possible in case I had an emergency that required me to make a large purchase or massively upgrade my stats.

    Well, if Yue made a deal to be possessed by the Goblin King, then an exorcism potion would do the trick¡­ except that was another couple thousand stars.

    Yellow sparks flittered in my peripheral vision, and I snapped my head toward them. Blue sparks signified the working of the system¡ªyellow sparks were from karmic restraint acting on an unfair action.

    The Azure Dragon let out a strange chirping and clicking sound of complete excitement.

    Yue¡¯s unconscious body was being lifted into the air like she was a doll. The movement was rigid but quickly became more fluid.

    [Time left: 1 minutes 36 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 55%]

    Judging by the yellow sparks, Yue must have agreed to let the Goblin King aid her movements in her earlier fight with me in return for the support of the goblins. But she must not have agreed to total control, even when she was unconscious.

    My eyes widened in surprise, and I let out a small huff. This strong of a reaction from a god this early on? What a total loser the Goblin King was.

    [Hindsight activated!]

    White puppet strings became visible, connecting all of Yue¡¯s limbs to the massive but blurry figure of the Goblin King hovering above her. He expertly moved his hands forward, and Yue¡¯s body was launched right at me.

    This time, without being hindered by Yue¡¯s control, the Goblin King expertly maneuvered Yue. Even if he was a low-ranking god, he was still a god, and Yue was far more of a threat now. Her fist flew at me, and I quickly lifted both my forearms, barely blocking her fist.

    The blow knocked the wind out of me. I skid back, digging my heels into the ground. I could see Wei and Yang panic, but I shook my head, reassuring them to keep out of it.

    Yue¡¯s leg lifted into the air and connected with my hip. I let out a small grunt but stabilized myself, increasing the distance between us. It was a good thing I updated my physique levels earlier.

    I faced Yue, her head lolling back and forth but her body alert and read to dash at me again. The karmic sparks were beginning to eat away at her body, punishing the physical form of Yue in response to the Goblin King¡¯s abuse of his power. Her skin was burning with every spark, and pieces of raw flesh were becoming visible on her ankles and shin.

    Though I hated Yue, I hated the gods more. The fact that the Goblin King would go this far and use Yue¡¯s body as a tool¡ªit made me livid.

    I wouldn¡¯t be able to get close enough to make her drink the exorcism potion anymore. I picked off a sturdy knife left behind by one of the goblins, and I fiddled with it in my hands. It wasn¡¯t the strongest, but it would do for what I wanted to test.

    Yue charged at me once more. I let her get close enough to swing for my chest, but I quickly ducked out of the way. I grabbed onto her shoulders and pushed her down, striking above her head for the puppet strings that connected her to the Goblin King.

    The small knife shattered like glass on impact. The string didn¡¯t even move.

    Yue whipped around and grabbed the side of my head, smashing me into the pavement. I let out a sputtered grunt, struggling beneath her grip and trying to wiggle out from beneath her.

    My frustration with the Goblin King only grew with each passing moment. Since he was fighting with her body, I didn¡¯t want to strike Yue. Any drastic move would undoubtedly hurt Yue more than him. What a bastard.

    I had to rise to the top of this system and tear down the gods with my own hands. There was no question of it now.

    Unable to hold back any longer, Wei rushed forward, and Yang followed suit. Yang used the crowbar to hit the nearby goblins. Blue sparks glimmered at Yang¡¯s feet while he leveled up his strength and physique level to avoid getting swarmed.

    Wei reached beneath Yue¡¯s arms, tugging her off. But she quickly overpowered him. Her elbow raised high in the air before she attempted to strike it into his ribs.

    [Time left: 39 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 56%]

    I gasped for a breath of air and struggled to my feet. I caught Yang¡¯s eyes¡ªhe gave a curt nod, defending Wei and I from any of the goblins and letting us focus on Yue.

    I nodded back, understanding his role. Just like at work, Yang immediately picked up on the role he needed to adopt in any given scenario. Usually, I was countless steps behind him, but this time, he stepped back to give me the front stage.

    Blue sparks erupted from my hand before the exorcism potion and a thin, but incredibly sharp, needle appeared. The needle needed to be sharp and hard enough to ensure it wouldn¡¯t snap when it met resistance.

    Yue landed a blow on Wei, and he was thrown back, bouncing off the asphalt and tearing open his arms and legs. His breath was labored, and his limbs bloodied¡ªhe didn¡¯t have enough coins to level up the way Yang and I did. Still, his eyes locked on Yue once more, utterly enraged and already getting up.

    He handled the blow far better than any human of his level could have. What a formidable asset he was¡ªone that I had to get my hands on.

    I uncapped the needle and quickly filled it with the potent exorcism potion. I bought a small but powerful exorcism potion. At least powerful enough for a god this pathetic.

    [Time left: 18 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 56%]

    Thanks to the opening Wei created, I ran forward, carrying the bottle obviously in my hand. Yue whipped around and prepared to block me.

    I grabbed onto her button-up shirt and pulled her toward me. With my right hand, I tried to force the potion down her throat.

    She instantly blocked my hand, digging her nails into my wrist. I could see the Goblin King¡¯s figure inflate with pride, mocking my stupidity, through Hindsight.

    Yue twisted my wrist until the bottle crashed to the ground, erupting into dozens of pieces of broken glass. The exorcism potion spilled out, spreading into a thin puddle on the ground.

    My left hand released Yue¡¯s collar and revealed the syringe. I jabbed it into her neck, injecting her with the exorcism potion.

    With a rancid puff of smoke, the goblin demon¡¯s energy burst out of her mouth with a loud cry before exploding into yellow sparks.

    A god influencing such an early chapter would undoubtedly be subjected to the horrific punishments of karmic restraints. After all, karma was all-powerful. The Goblin King would face punishment by the system for such heavy interference.

    Yue herself was beat up. The yellow sparks had left the skin on her ankles and shin raw and bare.

    ¡°Peijin, be careful,¡± Wei said. He stood up, wobbling and clutching onto his arm in pain.

    ¡°Is it broken?¡± I asked.

    Yang brushed passed and support Wei with his body. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look. You take care of Yue.¡±

    My feet crunched on the broken glass scattered around the freeway as I picked Yue up, wrapped my jacket around the waistband of her skirt and threw her over my shoulder.

    [Observers Chat]

    BMelv: How are you gonna be a whole demon and lose to a human this early on?? Mad embarassing

    CannedWorms: LOL you know the Goblin King is getting absolutely demolished in the demon realm right now

    MoldyBlanket: Either way Liu Peijin pulled that off really well. You could see her think through the system

    Socrates: Eh. I mean is Peijin that impressive or is the Goblin King just weak?

    Nipon23: BOOOO tomato tomato

    I finally made it back to the pest control van and let out a heavy sigh, sinking against the side of the battered truck. This had become much more convoluted than I was hoping for.

    I could hear the dragon¡¯s relentless yapping in the background, but I tuned it out. I went through the Azure Dragon Store once more, looking for the cheapest ointment to apply to Yue¡¯s wounds.

    Yang and Wei appeared soon after, but Wei eyed Yue with utter contempt and disdain.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like her either,¡± I reassured Wei, ¡°but you can¡¯t deny how powerful she is.¡± Besides, I was her creator. I could fix her.

    [Time left: 0 seconds]

    [Percent killed: 57%]

    With a blue flash, the timer for the first chapter finished, marking the end of the first challenge.

    [Chapter #1 - Prerequisite has concluded.]

    [Stars received: 21,400]

    [Congratulations! You have cleared the chapter.]

 Chapter 5: The First Arc - Ep. 1, V

    [Name: Peijin Wu

    Age: 24

    Sponsor: None

    Skills: Hindsight lvl 1, Editor¡¯s Pen lvl 1, Scathing Reviewer (awaiting application)

    Stats: Strength lvl 15, Physique lvl 10, Agility lvl 1, Health lvl 1

    Evaluation: After living a miserable and wasted life, Liu Peijin finds salvation in the apocalypse.]

    ¡­ Who the hell wrote my evaluation?

    Yang helped me move Yue into the pest control van while Wei stood to the side, looking conflicted, before he also helped place her inside.

    The three of us stood just outside the van in silence and read through our own stat windows.

    I gently scratched the bottom of my chin as I evaluated my skill set, tapping my foot on the ground as the blue window continued to glow in front of me.

    I didn¡¯t recognize any of these skills, but they were clearly related to me being the author of Surviving My First Run. I already used ¡®Hindsight,¡¯ but I was curious what ¡®Editor¡¯s Pen¡¯ could do.

    My mind flashed back to the attachment MolaMola sent me. Wasn¡¯t the skill ¡®Scathing Reviewer¡¯ the gift he was referring to?

    [Editor¡¯s Pen activated!]

    [Please type the edit you¡¯d like to make.]

    A glowing blue keyboard appeared before me, and my face twisted into a slight grin. If this skill really worked the way I thought, surviving this apocalypse would be a breeze. I typed out my edit.

    [After Chapter #1 - Prerequisite, the richest disciple in the area will receive a star bonus of 5,000 and gold-tier access to the Azure Dragon store.]

    I couldn¡¯t give myself a higher boost¡ªif anything, this skill¡¯s existence already pushed karmic restraints. Despite being the writer, I had to give some care to the laws of the narrative within the confines of the reader¡¯s expectations. The karmic system meant every single action taken¡ªpositive or negative¡ªwould come back and impact the entity in the future.

    A divinity outright murdering a disciple they didn¡¯t like? Karma would jump in and bring immense sorrow, death, or destruction of temples of worshippers.

    A moderator, like the Azure Dragon, changing the course of a chapter or arc? Karma meant they¡¯d face the brunt of a grotesque death or eternal financial failure.

    The Goblin King abusing Yue to influence the events of the first chapter? Poof. He was probably reeling from physical or mental injuries that karma brought in the demon realm right now.

    This rule was the same reason powerful divinities couldn¡¯t directly communicate with disciples at this moment. The only way around karma would be overriding it with an abundant amount of spiritual energy. This was easier for more powerful and well-known gods with a massive following, since they had more to waste.

    Spiritual energy funded their magic, their grandiosity, and their influence by allowing them to skirt around karma. Still, the amount of spiritual energy needed to massively influence a challenge was incredibly high.

    All individuals contained a small bit of spiritual energy. They could grow it in a similar way to the gods¡ªby winning more challenges, their fame would increase, and the more supporters they would have meant the more energy they could expend. Humans could even achieve the status of gods by succeeding in this world.

    ¡®Editor¡¯s Pen¡¯ already seemed to test karma, and I didn¡¯t want to find out what would happen if I abused it.

    [Edit granted.]

    I awkwardly waited for the star payout while watching Yang and Wei chat about their skills and play around with the Azure Dragon store, but nothing came.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: ¡­ this is seriously painful to watch.

    Was I using the skill wrong? It said my edit was granted. I waved down the Azure Dragon who quickly popped up in front of me.

    ¡°We¡¯re starting the next scenario soon, so could you keep this brief?¡± he asked, trying to look dignified.

    I gave the dragon an annoyed stare. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Chang.¡±

    ¡°Chang, who¡¯s the richest disciple right now for this specific area?¡±

    The Azure Dragon puffed and grabbed one of his whiskers twirling it in between his claws. ¡°As an astute and hard-working moderator, I cannot give such classified information to a mere puny disciple such as yourself.¡±

    I looked at him expectantly. ¡°Do they have more than me?¡±

    ¡°A bit less than double.¡±

    Less than double? Who was strong enough to kill that many people or goblins this early on? Even Feiyu got less stars than I did during this chapter, and he was the richest disciple out of all divisions.

    ¡°Who the hell came up with this stupid system?¡± I grumbled, kicking the side of the van and putting my hands in my pockets.

    Before Chang could retort, he perked up and teleported to a more gruesome and interesting scene.

    I let out an annoyed sigh before I saw Yang sitting beside Yue in the van, holding a miniature vial of kraken mucus.

    Yang looked up, sensing my eyes on him, and said, ¡°I bought it from the store. It said it was good for healing and soothing injuries.¡± His hands were covered in the slimy substance as he gently rubbed it onto Yue¡¯s skinned joints and oozing cuts.

    ¡°It¡¯s not cheap. How much did that small vile cost? Three thousand stars?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have more than ten thousand stars left,¡± Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ll save the leftover mucus. I¡¯ll be stingy with it.¡±

    It was the end of the world, and Yang was still preoccupied with caring for others even at his own expense.

    ¡°You should save your stars for more important purchases. Yue could have healed from those injuries on her own.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, it was my idea,¡± Wei jumped in, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head and avoiding my gaze.

    No, it definitely wasn¡¯t, but whatever. I was more worried about the next chapter, even though it was easy.

    The blue screen appeared before me with its big white text.

    [CHAPTER #2 ¡ª PARTY TIME!

    Difficulty: FThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Task: Team up with at least 2 other people by high-fiving them. Appoint a group leader and choose a name.

    Time: 5 minutes

    Reward: 100 stars

    Failure: Death

    This chapter was solely meant to sabotage people like Yue, rendering the savages incapable of finding teammates. Yue managed to survive this chapter in Surviving My First Run by using her surprising power to knock out two other people and force them to join her party.

    I turned to face the group, tying my shoulder-length black hair into a short ponytail. ¡°We¡¯ll be a party but keep it just to us four.¡± I raised my hand into the air and slapped all their hands, lifting the unconscious Yue¡¯s arm and giving her an unnecessarily hard slap.

    [Observers Chat]

    Nipon23: why are you bitchy in real life, online, and in your own fictional world?

    ¡­ Okay.

    I was definitely not going to check MolaMola¡¯s attachment, and hopefully whatever the hell my skill ¡®Scathing Reviewer¡¯ was, it would remain far, far away. However, I wondered why MolaMola wasn¡¯t sending any observer messages. I did block him if that was a requirement to be an observer.

    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go!¡± I motioned for everyone to get into the car. Yang quickly circled back to the passenger seat while Wei uncomfortably got into the back beside Yue.

    I climbed into the driver¡¯s seat and tried to slam the door shut, but it slammed down on someone¡¯s hand instead.

    ¡°Oh my god.¡± I pushed the door open quickly and faced a trembling woman on the outside, holding her crushed hand. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Her voice trembled when she spoke, and her hand was bloodied and crushed. She held it tightly against her chest. ¡°You need to let me join your party.¡±

    I gave her a dumbfounded look.

    [Hindsight activated!]

    A blue box hovered over her head to identify her, but I immediately recognized her frail limbs and tired expression as those belonging to Wang Ting.

    In the fourth arc, Ting had developed a romantic relationship with her party¡¯s leader. Out of paranoia that her fellow party members were jealous and would soon sabotage her, she began hiding significant portions of the party¡¯s food, elixirs, and weapons. She would die in that arc, and the rest of her party would only survive thanks to Feiyu¡¯s charity.

    Obviously, there was no reason to team with Ting nor was there a reason she should live as a character.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my party is full.¡± My voice was firm.

    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll even pay you. I saw you during the first chapter, and I can¡¯t team up with anyone else. I won¡¯t survive.¡± Her voice was frantic, and she grabbed onto my collar now, practically pulling me out of my seat.

    Yang reached over and gripped her wrist until she released me, but she only became more desperate.

    ¡°Ok, look,¡± I said. ¡°If you head further back down this lane of the freeway, you¡¯re going to find a group of around seven people that you can team up with, okay? And they¡¯re all very qualified,¡± I said, offering an alternative. I felt horribly gilty for crushing her hand, even if it was by mistake. The party I suggested was pretty good, too. I brought them up in Surviving My First Run quite often, though they were still far beneath Feiyu¡¯s party.

    I tried to shut the door once more, but she stuck her entire arm through. I quickly stopped myself and swung it open.

    ¡°Are you insane? Don¡¯t shove your arm in when I¡¯m about to shut the door!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m begging you! Please! You want money, right? I¡¯ll give you all my stars. All of them. I¡¯ll do anything, I mean it!¡± Ting reached into the car and fumbled for my arm and struggling due to her shattered hand. She grabbed onto me and tugged me toward her, trying to force me to give her a high five.

    I instantly pulled my wrist out of her grasp and shut the van door, making sure it wouldn¡¯t shut on any of her limbs. She began furiously banging on the door. Blood from her shattered hand smeared all over the window.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: ?? Jia Li, what are you doing?? Have you serioulsy lost your mind??? That¡¯s Wang Ting, you need her!

    I shook out my shoulders. My interaction with Ting ruffled me more than I expected. I could feel Yang and Wei¡¯s stare burning into me, but I wasn¡¯t worried about that. An ominous blue screen had appeared before me.

    [Warning: This action will have unforeseen consequences.]

    Wei gave Ting a sympathetic look as she cried out, slamming her body against the side of the van and crying loudly.

    ¡°How can you be alright with all of this, Peijin?¡± Wei asked me.

    His words startled me, but I quickly regained my composure. ¡°We¡¯re only alive because more than fifty percent of the population had to die. If we must team up, I need a group without liabilities.¡±

    ¡°You have an awfully transactional mindset for someone who complains about their exploitative job all the time,¡± Yang added.

    I glared at Yang, pursing my lips, but I knew a part of what he said was true. Rather, none of this felt real to me. I was trapped in a job I hated for years with no hope or fulfillment in sight, but I was now in a world that I had crafted with my own two hands for a decade.

    Still, this was only a story with fabricated characters and fabricated opportunities.

    The banging on the van stopped. I peeked out the window to see Ting vigorously waving everyone toward the pest control van. She caught my eye through the window and glared at me. Chills spread down my spine.

    An even larger group of people turned toward the van and raced toward with their arms raised in the air and their voices clamoring and overlaying each other. Some were gesturing a high five in the air while others already had their hands clasped together, ready to beg to join my party.

    Ha. At least now I didn¡¯t need to feel guilty about my decision.

    I started the car and drove further down the freeway, trying to throw the crowd off my tracks. Survival meant partnering with people who adapted the fastest and oftentimes abandoning people like Yue, so I wasn¡¯t surprised that they were flocking to me. Afterall, Wei, Yang, Yue, and I had already established ourselves.

    A small girl caught my eye on the side of the freeway. No one was near her, and she was weeping into the body of a small puppy in her arms, her shoulders shaking with each racking sob. The puppy was clearly deformed, with some of its limbs and features bulging out more than others from the previous chapter¡¯s monsterization.

    I quickly shook my head. No. I couldn¡¯t let it get to me. I made it clear¡ªthe party was solidified. What kind of party leader would I be if I broke my own rules?

    I immediately pulled the van up beside the little girl. Her blonde hair waved in front of her face, and she had stunning and crystal-like blue eyes that peered back up at me with tears spilling out. The dew of youth seemed to have kissed her skin and gave it a lively appearance. I had a warm smile on my face, my hand outstretched toward her.

    Her hair and eye color told me she was a foreigner. I peeked into the destroyed car behind her and winced at the sight of her two dead parents who obviously had been gored by goblins. She must have been forced to kill her puppy to survive the chapter.

    ¡°Do you have a party yet?¡±

    [Time left: 2 minutes 03 seconds]

    I turned around and saw the crowd of people storming toward me again, and I desperately turned back to the girl with an almost impatient look that was disguised under my hopefully sympathetic expression.

    She responded with a language I couldn¡¯t understand, tears streaming down her face. She held her puppy tighter and pressed her back into her family¡¯s car out of fear.

    I gave a little sigh and shut my eyes, slightly frustrated. Would I really have to buy this skill? The Azure Dragon store opened before me as I swiped, looking for the ¡®Translator¡¯ skill.

    Before I could purchase the skill, the little girl slapped my hand, and the puppy¡¯s corpse was now carefully laid down on the car seat.

    ¡°Amelia.¡± She murmured the words under her breath with hesitation, her large blue eyes still full of tears that clung onto her blonde lashes.

    This was the world I had created and thrown her into. Even if this was just a story, I felt an odd pang in my heart at the pathetic sight.

    ¡°Amelia,¡± I awkwardly repeated, unfamiliar with the string of consonants and vowels. I grabbed her forearm and threw her over my back in one movement, running back into the van. As soon as I locked the doors, the crowd of people reached the van

    ¡°Stop banging on the door!¡± I shouted angrily at the people outside the locked truck while I gingerly passed Amelia over to Yang. ¡°This isn¡¯t an orphanage! Just team up with the people next to you!¡±

    I drove off once more while Yang held Amelia tightly in his lap, both swaying with my atrocious driving; Yang let out a surprised shout as Yue rolled onto the floor of the van, banging against his seat. Wei hesitantly lifted her back onto the back seat.

    For some odd reason, Yang seemed unnecessarily tense around Yue, even though he was in the front of the van. His brow sweated more when he saw her, and he would nervously bite his lower lip, but he hadn¡¯t made any complaints.

    Yang spoke to Amelia in English, and she gave a little nod of her head, receptive. He guided her through the Azure Dragon store and transferred enough stars to her to purchase the ¡®Translator¡¯ skill.

    This man spent money like water. Good thing I was the richest disciple so far.

    Richest disciple in this party. Stupid ¡®Editor¡¯s Pen¡¯ skill.

    [Time left: 1 minute 38 seconds]

    ¡°We need to come up with a group name. It¡¯s temporary for the next few rounds, but does anyone have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°You should pick, Peijin!¡± Wei said enthusiastically, leaning into the gap between the driver and passenger seat. ¡°You should be the party leader for sure. You¡¯re the one who saved all of us.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯d be party leader,¡± I replied with a satisfied expression on my face, my chin held high.

    ¡°I love your confidence, too!¡±

    That sounded passive aggressive. Wei¡¯s childish character was predominately based on the type of character I idolized since I was a child. Funny, brave, and handsome. He was cute like a puppy and as loyal as a dog. I garnered the inspiration for his character based on my weirdly idealized version of my first crush, and Wei was the complete opposite to Feiyu.

    I was deep in thought for a moment before replying. ¡°What about ¡®Peijin¡¯s Pest Control Corporation?¡¯¡±

    Yang let out a boisterous laugh before going dead silent when I shot him a glare. He replied, seeming perfectly serious. ¡°Why not ¡®Yang¡¯s Pest Control Corporation?¡¯ People might be driven away if they see your name in the title.¡±

    I stuck my tongue out at him, blowing a raspberry. ¡°Not a single entity in this world would want to watch a group with that stupid of a name.¡±

    [Party Leader: Liu Peijin

    Party Name: Peijin¡¯s World Dominion]

    I winked in the rearview mirror and laughed before leaning over to cover Amelia¡¯s eyes as the scenario ended, and anyone who failed to complete the scenario exploded, their heads seeming to swell as their eyes popped up before they turned into a puddle of red sludge.

    I could see Ting far in the background, her gaze staring straight into the van even though she was too far to see inside, before she exploded and collapsed onto the ground.

    Yue was beginning to wake up in the back of the car, groaning as she sat up before punching Wei straight in the face, startled. Amelia let out a horrified shriek, and Yue became even more panicked at the sight of an unknown child.

    This was going to be a fun party. If things worked out how I planned, we¡¯d be in the top three strongest parties in China by the second arc.

    [Chapter #2 - Party Time has concluded]

    [Stars received: 100]

    [Congratulations! You have cleared the chapter.]

 Chapter 6: The First Arc - Ep. 1, VI

    Although currency in Surviving My First Run was technically based on stars, there was one thing far more valuable: worshipers. Every worshiper meant the chance your story was passed down increased, more temples were constructed, and more sacrifices were conducted. This popularity manifested into a god¡¯s spiritual energy.

    Nothing in this world was immortal, not even the divinities, and once someone died, they could only live through the stories people passed down. Every experience or life event was a story, and the more well-known you were, the more widespread your existence became.

    Of course, stars and worshippers still went hand in hand¡ªa positive feedback loop of sorts. The richer you were, the more famous. The more famous, the richer. More entities would be willing to make sacrifices for you.

    Gods¡ªwhich included divinities, ghosts, and demons¡ªall rose to their powerful status because their many believers heard their stories and worshiped them.

    Which was why choosing a good sponsor was critical. Not only would they be able to support their disciples materially but through skills as well. A disciple and their sponsor were bound for life¡ªthis was undeniably one of the most important decisions that could be made. A bad sponsor could ruin even the best disciples.

    Although any disciple could sign a contract with a god the way Yue and the Goblin King had, you could only ever have one sponsor, and you would rely on them for every aspect of the system. A contract was a temporary transaction, lacking a bond that typically defined the relationship between disciple and sponsor.

    Now that I¡¯d become part of this system, I wanted to craft the perfect story for myself¡ªone devoid of unnecessary sacrifice or loss. One of success and fame.

    [CHAPTER #3 ¡ª SPONSOR SELECTION]

    Difficulty: F

    Task: Select a sponsorship from any of the gods that have made offers. Once you have picked a sponsorship, declined gods may offer to other members in your party.

    Time: 15 minutes

    Reward: Sponsor

    As expected, my list of sponsors was pretty impressive¡ªthough I was disappointed to see no ghost offers. None of the gods used their true names, but I could determine who they were based on their pseudo titles.

    <u>POTENTIAL SPONSORS LIST</u>

    Great Sage Equaling Heaven

    Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven

    The One Who Fights in Front

    Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas

    Eternal Wish

    Great Sage Equaling Heaven¡­ Sun Wukong was here? Sun Wukong as my sponsor¡ªthat was the dream.

    I let out a nervous laugh, itching the side of my head once I finished rereading the list. This might have been a bad list. I was doing pretty good in terms of the number of offers, considering that Chang¡¯s channel was tiny and new, but this list was¡­ contradictory to say the least.

    There was no failure scenario for this arc, which meant that if I didn¡¯t pick a sponsor, nothing would really happen; however, I¡¯d miss out on a lot of buffs. Feiyu never picked a sponsor to rebel against the gods, but I didn¡¯t have the luck of the protagonist.

    I opened the Azure Dragon store before buying ten prayer candles with decadent designs carved onto the wax, laying them out across the dashboard of the car.

    ¡°Yue, light them.¡±

    Yue snickered in the back seat. ¡°Ha, why would I do that?¡±

    It was her first time talking since our earlier skirmish. Her bitterness was apparent, but she made no idiotic attempts to overpower me.

    ¡°It¡¯ll help you, too. Don¡¯t pick a fight when you¡¯ve already lost one,¡± I said.

    Yue let out a loud huff before using demonic fire to ignite all the candles¡ªalthough I supposed it was a bit offensive to use a demon¡¯s power to worship divinities, I didn¡¯t want to spend extra money on a lighter.

    I whispered the names of all my divinities under my breath, and five of the candles turned into a crimson red. Now, my sponsors would be allowed to easily communicate; the candles served as a gift of worship and helped manifest their spiritual powers into early rounds without drawbacks of karma.

    Yang looked at me curiously. ¡°Are you praying?¡±

    ¡°Say the epithet of your sponsors. This serves as a prayer gift and will let you have minimal communication.¡±

    The first of my sponsors was Sun Wukong from the iconic Journey to the West, and he was arguably the strongest Chinese God who I was dead set on selecting at first. His epithet was ¡°Great Sage Equaling Heaven,¡± and despite being arrogant and snobby, the only entity who¡¯d ever been able to overpower him was Buddha.

    The second was Sun Wukong¡¯s main enemy, the Bull Demon King. He virtually matched the Bull Demon King¡¯s level. I never really considered him much of a villain in Journey to the West. Picking Sun Wukong as my sponsor would turn the Bull Demon King directly against me unless I found a way to keep them both.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    The Bull Demon King¡¯s epithet was similar to Sun Wukong¡¯s, but he cockily made it ¡°Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven,¡± to appear superior to Sun Wukong.

    Demon Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven sponsors 1,000 stars.

    Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven expresses contempt toward ¡®Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven.¡¯

    Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven sponsors 1,001 stars.

    I placed my hands on my hips and faced the wide sky. ¡°Don¡¯t bother bribing me with stars. I already know who I plan on picking,¡± I shouted up at the stars in the sky.

    Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven says not to make stupid considerations.

    ¡°Your third sponsor is Athena, right?¡± Yang chimed in, peeking over at my screen. ¡°That¡¯s one of her epithets. It¡¯s how the Greeks referred to her.¡±

    Since this chapter was involved the entire party, we could see one another¡¯s choices.

    I shifted away, awkwardly leaning over to try and block my screen.

    ¡°Stop being nosey.¡±

    Yang sarcastically placed a hand to his chest, moving his hands around for dramatic effect. ¡°Sorry CEO Liu, but this requires teamwork and talking. Yue also got a Greek goddess sponsor.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell would sponsor Yue?¡± I grumbled, turning to the back of the car. Yue was slumped in the back seat, her arms crossed and her lips forming a slight pout shape. She looked far smaller and less¡­ unhinged than earlier. The scrapes and cuts on her legs were already healing thanks to the kraken mucus.

    I gawked when I read her screen. She had only gotten two offers, a far cry from the original novel, but I hadn¡¯t expected such a good divinity after her embarrassing loss.

    <u>POTENTIAL SPONSORS LIST</u>

    King of Resourceful Goblins

    Far Shooting Queen of Beasts

    I looked back and forth between the blue screen and Yue. ¡°You got Artemis? You didn¡¯t even do anything in the Prerequisite chapter!¡± I exclaimed, slightly jealous and fully ignoring the Goblin King¡¯s offer.

    ¡°Beast class divinities usually don¡¯t make offerings un¡ª¡± I awkwardly paused, realizing I let too much slip. ¡°Until they see something more impressive. At least they don¡¯t in video games.¡±

    ¡°Ha, ¡®impressive?¡¯ Wait until I gut you,¡± she threatened, her eyes black holes.

    Gut me??

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try. It¡¯s stupid for anyone to have made you an offer at all,¡± I said.

    Yue snorted at my response. ¡°You jealous?¡±

    ¡°Me? Jealous?!¡± I grabbed the back of Yang¡¯s seat and leaned over to the back of the cab. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t spend the last two rounds blacked out in¡ª¡± Yang let out an awkward laugh and clasped his hand over my mouth.

    My fingertips gripped the front of my blue screen and shifted it in front of Yue¡¯s view, showing her my list of offers.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re a cheap cosplay of Feiyu! Did you know observers might be able to sponsor stars after this arc? Better be nice to me :D

    Socrates was really pissing me off. Besides, there was no way observers would get access to an abundance of stars when one needed to be a powerful god to have any impact¡­

    I shot a judgmental look at Yue, my brown eyes narrowing to form an exaggerated expression, before I looked back at my own offers. The third was Athena, who was undeniably one of the most well-known mythological figures. If I had her, I¡¯d receive the best war advice and immediate connections to the Greek divinities.

    But¡­

    My eyes wandered to the fourth offer. The kraken was by far the most powerful water beast in Surviving My First Run. And, of course, he had indirect anger toward Athena, since the sea serpent, a fellow water beast, was slain thanks to Athena lending Perseus Medusa¡¯s head and a shield.

    No one else in my party had any beast offerings or any water skills though, so lacking in those categories could put us at an early disadvantage¡ªa disadvantage that Artemis could bridge. Especially in the fourth arc, which would take place in the middle of the sea with pirates and sirens, a beast or water disciple was crucial.

    As for ¡°Eternal Wish,¡± I had no idea who that was. I¡¯d never even thought about a character with that name when writing Surviving My First Run. Given the rather weak and stupid epithet, I assumed he must have been a pathetic god.

    ¡°Wei, Yang, and Amelia, what offers did you get?¡±

    Amelia looked nervous before speaking, brushing her hair behind her ear and looking down at the ground. Her voice was whisper. ¡°I didn¡¯t get any.¡±

    Her expression was incredibly shy, almost ashamed like she was expecting better from herself. It reminded me of someone or something I couldn¡¯t remember.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, that¡¯s why we¡¯re in a party.¡± I gave her a bright grin before rubbing the top of her head, her blonde hair immediately frizzing.

    ¡°Peijin is so understanding,¡± Wei chimed in from the backseat, turning over to Yue.

    Yue rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah right. All of you are delusional,¡± she muttered, kicking her feet against the back of my seat to throw me forward into the steering wheel.

    I looked up at Yang, who seemed to also be looking at Amelia with a mixture of fondness and protection. ¡°Yang, who do you have?¡±

    ¡°I have Chang¡¯e. She must be good for healing then, right? I can pick her if you think that¡¯ll help the rest of the group.¡±

    Chang¡¯e was an incredibly popular and beloved goddess among Chinese culture, and she was frequently celebrated at the moon festival, but if Yang picked her, he¡¯d be limited to being a healer. Even though that was a crucial role to every group, couldn¡¯t Yang do more?

    I looked up at him and inspected his features once more. In the mere time that the world had turned into this devastating apocalypse, he quickly adapted into a supporting role.

    ¡°Let me think about it. What about you, Wei?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, seemingly startled, ¡°I got the ¡®Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts.¡¯¡±

    My face lit up into a stupid grin as I gave him a massive double thumbs up. Some things remained the same as the web novel. ¡°Pick him, that¡¯s perfect.¡±

    Without any hesitation, Wei selected his sponsor. Despite his almost intimidating appearance, he was an incredibly trusting and kind man, and his nature never changed, not even later into Surviving My First Run.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Peijin, but I¡¯m not as good at recognizing myths as you or Yang,¡± Wei said. ¡°Who exactly is my sponsor?¡±

    Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts lets out a booming laugh.

    Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts sponsors 1,500 stars to all members of ¡®Peijin¡¯s World Dominion.¡¯

    I didn¡¯t get what was so funny, but I appreciated the fat paycheck.

    ¡°¡¯The Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts¡¯ is Archangel Michael. He¡¯s one of the strongest divinities from the Abrahamic religions. Don¡¯t worry about it, he¡¯s perfect for you,¡± I reassured Wei. ¡°He¡¯s a symbol of justice and strength against evil.¡±

    Wei¡¯s face lit up, and he brought both of his hands in front of his face. ¡°Do you really think so highly of me, Peijin?¡±

    I let out an awkward laugh, patting his broad shoulder. I could see why Feiyu liked him¡ªhe was like a golden retriever. ¡°Yeah, yeah, but don¡¯t start crying or you¡¯ll change my mind.¡±

    [Time left: 6 minutes 29 seconds]

    ¡°Amelia, Yang, and Yue. Don¡¯t pick a sponsor yet. The arc instructions show that there¡¯s no failure, so there must be another time for us to pick a god in the future. I¡¯ll pick first, and we¡¯ll see if any of my gods move to one of you.¡±

    Yue interjected. ¡°Who are you picking?¡±

    I tilted my chin up and narrowed my eyes arrogantly. ¡°Sun Wukong.¡±

    Her nostrils flared. ¡°You can¡¯t pick him!¡±

    ¡°And why not?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think a bitch like you should have a sponsor like him?¡± Yue snapped back, slight blue sparks at her hands.

    Wei promptly covered Amelia¡¯s ears and eyes.

    I pulled my lower eyelid down and flipped her off. ¡°What happened to all that big talk about how good your sponsors were? Careful, you might piss off your only good one, and then you¡¯ll really be stuck at rock bottom,¡± I taunted relentlessly.

    I moved to click on the glowing white ¡°X¡± on the top corner of the blue box, but an invisible force suddenly slammed my hand into a different sponsor option.

    [Congratulations! You have selected ¡®Eternal Wish¡¯ as your sponsor!]

 Chapter 7: The First Arc - Ep. 1, VII

    Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven is tearing out his hair in offense!

    Divinity The One Who Fights in Front no longer thinks you¡¯re very wise.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± I cried out in anger, staring at the blue screens in front of me. ¡°I swear, something pushed my hand!¡±

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: What are you doing. You had Sun Wukong.

    Hedgehog1938: LMFAO NO WAY SHE JUST FUMBLED THAT

    Nipon23: ¡­

    CactusLiver: STOP HAHAHA

    Nipon23: I actually can¡¯t even process what I just watched

    Socrates: :(

    [You have received a new review!]

    <u>HEDGEHOG1938 REVIEW:</u> ¡ï¡î¡î¡î¡î

    Liu Peijin is an absolute idiot when it comes to her decisions. Not only is she hypocritical in who she saves, but she can¡¯t even make rational decisions during chapters.

    <u>CACTUSLIVER REVIEW:</u> ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï

    Liu Peijin is SO bad at this it¡¯s seriously the most entertaining thing I¡¯ve ever seen LOL

    I could hear Yue burst out laughing in the back of the van, clearly finding my disastrous error to be funny. ¡°What happened to being a fortune teller?¡±

    All of a sudden, Chang, the Azure Dragon, appeared in the center of the car with a small blue flash.

    ¡°What¡¯s with all the commotion here? This is a no-risk scenario, and you still manage to blow up my system with messages.¡±

    [309 observers are leaving to watch a different disciple.]

    Fuck! If I wanted to grow in status, I needed as many cheerleaders as possible.

    ¡°Can you please let me reselect my sponsor?¡± I desperately pleaded with Chang. ¡°Somebody interfered with my selection. My hand was pushed, and I made an accidental selection.¡±

    ¡°If something interfered, I would have been alerted. There¡¯s no godly interference to that extent this early in the scenario.¡±

    ¡°Did you not just broadcast what happened with the Goblin King?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but the karmic system handled that. It would¡¯ve handled any interference here, too.¡±

    I buried my face into my hands and groaned in sheer frustration. Where the hell was karma? Influencing a disciple¡¯s decision like that should¡¯ve been immediate sentencing.

    [Editor¡¯s Pen activated!]

    [Allow disciples to make edits to their sponsors if there is still time left in the scenario.]

    Whatever. If Chang couldn¡¯t fix this, then I would.

    [System Error: Edit cannot be processed.]

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I cried out angrily, waving my hands around me. ¡°How can you call this a system when sponsor selection and my skills don¡¯t even work! Can¡¯t you open an error ticket?¡±

    ¡°Why would I open an error ticket when you¡¯re blatantly lying? It¡¯s not my fault if you stupidly misclicked,¡± Chang replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you; my hand was pushed!¡±

    ¡°All selections are final.¡±

    Without processing his words, I continued scolding the dragon. ¡°How can you criticize humans for living monotonous, meaningless lives when you can¡¯t even do your job? You¡¯re the equivalent of a minimum wage customer service worker, but you have the audacity to scold us? What the fuck!¡±

    Chang¡¯s blue skin flushed a deep purple as he nervously looked around the car, surprised at the angry outburst. We were now centered on a bridge above a deep bay.

    ¡°Ha ha, you see, I¡¯d love to help, but I¡¯m actually getting a really important call, so I need to go. Also, weren¡¯t you a pest control worker? I wish you luck, though!¡±

    The dragon vanished with a poof and a swish of his pointy tale through the air.

    I groaned, bashing my head repeatedly onto the car horn. This sucked. I was just as unlucky in this new world as I¡¯d been in my original pest control life.

    [Time left: 4 minutes 39 seconds]

    The gods were now forced to pick other disciples from my party. I looked around the van, looking at all the visible screens. Yang now had Chang¡¯e and¡­ Sun Wukong. My face flushed red.

    Fucking Yang! If he wasn¡¯t so nice and virtuous and perfect I would¡¯ve murdered him already. Damnit, I really wanted Sun Wukong. I would have killed for Sun Wukong.

    ¡°Yang, you should pick Sun Wukong as your sponsor. We¡¯ll find a healer later,¡± I ordered.

    Yue now had the Goblin King and the Bull Demon King. Amelia now had Athena and the Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas as an option. Artemis, however, was dissatisfied with the rest of the party and withdrew her sponsorship entirely.

    ¡°As for you, Yue, pick the Bull Demon King,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯ll be advantageous to have both of them in one party. And¡­ he¡¯s a very fitting sponsor for you.¡±

    Yue¡¯s face twisted. ¡°Hey, what the hell does that mean?¡±

    I ignored Yue and turned to Amelia with a pleasant smile.

    This was a significant moment¡ªthe Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas could provide a beast controller to the team, with the Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas providing a vastly superior water advantage, but Athena was one of the strongest Greek warriors.

    ¡°Amelia, don¡¯t pick a sponsor yet. Let¡¯s wait till you have another opportunity, alright? You might not get the same sponsors, but you¡¯ll be stronger then and have more options.¡±

    ¡°Were none of my sponsors good?¡± Amelia frowned, her eyes tearing up again.

    ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± I grabbed her and squeezed her face, dramatically fake sniffling. ¡°You¡¯re perfect, don¡¯t worry about a thing.¡±

    Yue fake gagged in the back before letting out a surprised yelp as Wei punched the side of her leg.

    I was going to get Artemis to sponsor Amelia no matter what. Not only did it anger me that Artemis so easily gave up on the rest of my party, but she was a god that provided my team the benefits of both Athena and the Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas.

    It was advantageous to choose a sponsor earlier on for various reasons¡ªa higher chance of survival, various buffs, and a together relationship to certain gods¡ªbut I was confident that I could cultivate Amelia into a formidable disciple without a sponsor. Later on, she¡¯d have more options and could choose for herself.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Demon Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas feels slightly sad.

    Divinity The One Who Fights in Front seriously regrets trusting you.

    I really had to give it to public figures for keeping all their fans happy. It was only more of a misfortune that there was no block or report feature. I¡¯d try ¡®Editor¡¯s Pen,¡¯ but I¡¯ve had enough of my awful skills.

    [Chapter #3 - Sponsor Selection has concluded!]

    [You have completed the first arc.]

    [You have earned the achievement Beginner¡¯s Luck.]

    This was definitely not beginner¡¯s luck. I hated my younger self a bit more with each passing hour.

    [HOP ON THE TRAIN!]

    Please head over to Futian Station immediately.

    The next arc will commence in 23 hours and 59 minutes.

    The atmosphere will become more toxic with each passing hour until you reach Futian Station. If you do not make it to Futian Station in time, you will succumb to illness.

    You will now be marked by a specific color and symbol for your party. These will remain private until the third arc.

    ¡°Futian Station?¡± Wei repeated, his head tilted a bit in confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t that pretty far?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine since we have a full day. Right now, we should focus on our skills and get some more stars,¡± I grumbled, trying to mask my indignation. ¡°If it¡¯s an underground station, it¡¯s probably a dungeon arc.¡±

    A blue message flickered before me. Socrates had a habit of messaging me privately rather than in the public chat. He¡¯d only call me ¡®Jia Li¡¯ in private¡ªI guess I was grateful for his consideration.

    [Observers Chat]

    Socrates: Jia Li, all the observers have spiritual energy. And there¡¯s a lot of us. You¡¯re going to have to be careful.

    At that little message, my blood immediately ran cold. If they ever found out I was the infamous author, I¡¯d be seriously screwed the moment they decided to work together. Socrates, please keep my identity secret. I swear I¡¯ll be less of an ass!

    A firm kick to the back of my seat launched me forward. I whipped my head backward and glared at the snickering Yue.

    She sat up in the back of the van, running her fingers through her silky ink hair. ¡°You seem to know a lot about this world, Peijin. And you¡¯re definitely not a fortune teller.¡±

    Her left eye glowed a purple hue as she stared at me. For a moment, I was reminded of Yang¡¯s eyes in the sun.

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Scathing Reviewer?¡¯¡± Yue said. ¡°How do you have a skill that isn¡¯t equipped?¡±

    Damnit, so Yue already got the skill ¡®Profiling,¡¯ which would allow her to view everyone¡¯s skills and stats.

    ¡°H-hey!¡± I protested, waving my arms in front of myself. ¡°Should you really be so invasive of your party leader?¡±

    ¡°My party leader? You kidnapped me!¡±

    My face was flushed bright red. I was hoping to gain that skill soon, but Yue beat me to it.

    I quickly opened the party settings before me. As party leader, I could toggle certain features.

    [Make all system notifications of ¡®Peijin¡¯s World Dominion¡¯ visible to party members.]

    [On] [Off]

    [Toggle: On]

    [Disciple Yue has activated Profiling!]

    I glared at Yue. ¡°Turn that off.¡±

    Yue¡¯s nostrils flared out of anger, but she obliged, turning off the skill and slumping back in her seat. ¡°At least answer my question,¡± Yue said.

    I let out a dramatic sigh and ran my fingers through my short hair. ¡°Whatever, fine. I lied about being a fortune teller.¡±

    Yue let out a satisfied huff and crossed her arms. ¡°Then how do you know so much?¡±

    Without warning, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I removed it with sweaty hands. In Surviving My First Run, technology ceased to work unless it was powered by the system. Thus, all phones and alternate forms of communication were shut off. However, certain people had tech-related skills and maintained access to the web. So¡­ why was my phone working?

    MolaMola¡¯s message and the ¡°Scathing Reviewer¡± attachment appeared again, sounding off despite me dismissing it previously.

    In Surviving My First Run, technology would cease for the most part unless it was a crucial part of someone¡¯s skill. In this case, it was a miracle my phone was working at all. More so, I couldn¡¯t stop a feeling of dread at the convenient timing of the notification.

    Who was MolaMola, and how could they have sent me a skill? Not to mention a skill that sounded detrimental to its user more than anything.

    ¡°Peijin, are you going to answer?¡± Yue cooed in a mocking tone.

    Wei turned to Yue, responding in my place. ¡°There¡¯s no need to interrogate Peijin. She¡¯s already saved us, so let¡¯s just trust in her.¡±

    Yang seemed more skeptical, eyeing me from the passenger¡¯s seat while still holding onto Amelia. ¡°How do you know so much about what¡¯s happening, Peijin?¡±

    ¡°I read a lot of novels,¡± I said, my face twisted into an embarrassed expression. I was ashamed to admit such a truth in front of someone as admirable and stellar as Yang, so I excluded the fact they were actually web novels.

    ¡°Like Shakespeare?¡± Yang asked.

    ¡°What? Why the hell would I read Shakespeare?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind,¡± Yang responded with a strange look of satisfaction with my response. ¡°But you¡¯re still lying.¡±

    ¡°Am I on trial for a crime or something? Look, we can host a slumber party and play truth or dare when we get to the station.¡±

    Yang¡¯s confrontation caught me off guard. I figured he¡¯d be more predictable and controllable given his laid-back nature that I¡¯d gotten familiar with. I didn¡¯t trust him any less, but I was certainly more on guard now.

    I continued driving on the freeway. Other parties searched for any working vehicle they could, tossing out and running over dead bodies if they had to. The freeway was elevated above a mountainous landscape, full of trees and large rocks.

    Thankfully, I had refilled the gas tank before our job this morning, so we would be fine for the rest of the trip.

    ¡°If the air outside is going to be toxic, we should all buy ¡®pigeon¡¯s lung¡¯ from the store,¡± I said while swiping through the store, my eyes flickering between the blue screen and the road.

    The pink and lumpy ball appeared first in Yang¡¯s hands. It had a hardened texture with a place to bite down on and breath through. Yang quickly attached it to his mouth; it expanded and deflated with each breath he took.

    Yang stuck out his tongue and removed it for a moment. ¡°Are these actual pigeon lungs?¡±

    ¡°I really hope not,¡± Wei gagged, covering his face with a spare hand and staring at the pigeon¡¯s lung in the other.

    Amelia squished the pigeon¡¯s lung in her hand and looked mortified when she realized it was far firmer than she expected. Yang helped her get used to breathing through it, but she looked ready to burst into tears.

    Laughing, I continued to drive, breathing through my own pigeon lung attachment. ¡°If the next arc is a dungeon, then we¡¯ll have a good chance to level up our skills and get some weapons.¡±

    ¡°Peijin,¡± a sharp voice called out from the backseat.

    ¡°What?¡± I groaned at the sound of Yue¡¯s voice.

    She finally seemed to get used to the set up and was much less tense, even leaning in toward the front of the vehicle. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be alright, and that this apocalypse is just temporary?¡± Yue quickly added on, ¡°I¡¯m only asking because you know a lot.¡±

    Yue bit down on the pigeon¡¯s lung attachment after, but she stared at me expectantly.

    My face remained unfazed despite my surprise at her words. It surprised me to realize that even though these were characters I¡¯d created, characters as psychotic and insane as Yue, they still wanted to return to their own normal lives. They still had desires beyond what I¡¯d brought out in Surviving My First Run. They were their own people now.

    Did they have lives before the apocalypse, though? After all, they were just characters. Did they just randomly appear today and think they had existed?

    I looked in the rearview mirror, staring at Wei and Yang before an out of place movement in the reflection caught my attention.

    I blinked at my reflection. It didn¡¯t blink back.

    My reflection turned to face me head on, mouthing something.

    Found you.

    A wide grin spread across my reflection before it winked at me, giving a peace sign beside its eye. A childish laughter echoed in my ears, but no one was there.

    My chest tightened so much I forgot to breath. Nothing like that ever happened in Surviving My First Run, and for a being to appear even in an alternative form, meant they had to counter an incredible amount of karmic restraints.

    Before I could even process what I¡¯d seen, yellow sparks appeared all over the freeway before exploding with a deafening crash. Debris and dust blasting the van forward.

    I cried out, squinting my eyes to try and see through the sudden dust. I slammed on the gas and swerved the van toward the side of the road. Everyone shouted, their bodies slamming into the sides of the car. Yang hugged Amelia while Wei tightly held onto Yue in the backseat.

    Yellow sparks? What the hell were karmic restraints here for?

    The van rocked dangerously back and forth but came to a halt on the side of the freeway. I let out a relieved sigh, pressing my forehead against the top of the wheel.

    Chang¡¯s voice boomed out over the entire freeway. I couldn¡¯t spot him.

    ¡°Alright, meetings over. None of you had a good enough performance to satisfy your benevolent gods, so let¡¯s make things more interesting, shall we? A big thanks to the demon realm for their massive donation of spiritual energy. A show like this wouldn¡¯t have been possible otherwise!¡±

    [Hindsight activated!]

    The sound of rushing water erupted in the distance. I whipped my head around and saw dark blue waves come crashing over the hills with an explosion of white bubbles. With terrifying speed, the tsunami raced toward us.

    A few years ago, an aquarium had been built in a nearby town¡ªand all those creatures would have been impacted by the last arc.

    A giant blue sea serpent with red scales and whiskers around its face crashed through the mountains and trees, its massive jaws snapping, tearing, and chomping through entire buildings in a violent frenzy. Its bright red eyes locked on our van. It lunged, following the rushing waves that slowly flooded the land beneath the freeway.

    This was my perfect opportunity. I could practically feel my heart skip a beat from my excitement.

    ¡°Yang, you¡¯re the driver now! Get everyone to the station no matter what, and make sure our party is the ruling party! Don¡¯t let anyone else control the station!¡± I threw open the door and leapt out, scrambling toward the serpent.

    Yang immediately obeyed, quickly crawling into the driver¡¯s seat while calling after me. ¡°Wait, Peijin, where are you going?¡±

    I sprinted down the freeway, not wasting a second. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill this son of a bitch!¡±

    ¡°Peijin!¡± Amelia cried, desperately trying to crawl out of the car and run to me. Yang held her back, and only a small feeble hand reached out the car before Wei pulled her into the backseat. Yang shut the door and instantly drove off, not wasting any more time.

    I was analyzing the scene before me using Hindsight. The entire freeway trembled beneath me, and I desperately clung onto the safety bars that lined the side of the freeway to avoid the other disciples who were scrambling away.

    I could see the snaking body of the serpent swim through the waves toward me. Water droplets splattered against my face, and I wiped them off.

    Had this degree of godly influence ever happened so early in Surviving my First Run? The demon realm must¡¯ve been infuriated by the Goblin King¡¯s embarrassing performance and collectively chipped in enough spiritual energy to permit this wicked situation.

    If these demons wanted a show, I¡¯d give them one.

    My vision was blue once more with countless numerical and written possibilities scribbled all over the serpent. It snapped forward, its teeth gnawing through the freeway as if it were nothing more than a soft, malleable plastic.

    In Surviving My First Run, the sea serpent was nothing more than a gluttonous beast that consumed everything in its path. It had no care for other demons, no care for anything other than satisfying its insatiable bloodlust for destruction and chaos.

    I gripped onto the metal bar even tighter while the freeway crumbled away beneath my feet. I was dangling above the flooded canyon now, my sweaty hands gripping onto the bar for dear life. I spared a glance behind me to see my party members racing away, quickly becoming a speck in the distance.

    The sea serpent locked its eyes on me and erupted forward, jaws wide open.

    Damnit, damnit, damnit! I seriously did not want to die!

    At the perfect moment, I let go of the bar, just missing the sea serpent¡¯s jaws. It ate meters of the bar in a single bite, tearing it apart with frightening ease.

    I tumbled backward toward the rippling water, looking up at the open jaws of the sea serpent lined with horrific teeth. I reached up for the sky and braced for impact.

    [SIDE STORY ¡ª SEA SERPENT]

    Difficult: C-

    Task: Survive the sea serpent.

    Reward: 10,000 stars

    Failure: Death