Chapter 87: Would You Like to Be My Friend?

In the wild forests among the lofty mountains...

Swish!

A flash of white light appeared, and Song Qi suddenly materialized in this place.

The moment he arrived, he immediately summoned Lü Bu and Ying Zheng.

He then surveyed his surroundings and found that his starting location was relatively safe, with no monsters nearby.

Overhead, a gigantic sheet of white paper hung in the sky, bearing the names of all the contestants. Each name was followed by the number zero.

Clearly, this was some mechanism for real-time score tracking.

Song Qi turned his head and noticed that two other contestants had appeared simultaneously to his right, scanning their surroundings.

One of them was alert, holding back from approaching. The other, however, seemed quite relaxed, smiling as he walked up.

"Hello, you seem to be a summoner. Would you like to work together?" he asked. "As for the points... we can split them equally."

The youth was dressed in casual clothes, his eyes shining like gold. His appearance wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he exuded an irresistible warmth that made one instinctively want to draw closer.

His smile radiated sincerity, as if he harbored no defenses against others. It seemed he simply wanted to lend a hand upon seeing Song Qi was a summoner.

Song Qi was momentarily taken aback. He realized that the youth’s casual wear was genuinely casual, not some odd-looking equipment.

This meant that, even for the competition, he hadn’t bothered to equip himself!

Even Song Qi had dutifully donned his heroic gear. Clearly, this person was either supremely confident or simply naïve.

But the likelihood of a fool participating in the Genius Tournament was negligible.

So he must either be exceedingly confident in his own strength—or perhaps he was a member of yesterday’s alliance movement?

Song Qi pondered and shook his head.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I’d rather go solo."

"I see..." the youth nodded, a hint of disappointment in his expression. "That’s a pity. I was hoping to make a friend with you."

A friend?

Song Qi was stunned.

"Make a friend? Now?"

Making friends in the midst of a competition? Was he truly a fool?

"Yes," the youth sighed, explaining, "I’m from the First District, but I’ve been strictly supervised by adults since childhood."

"Every day was either training or drinking all sorts of strange medicines."

"Even going out required an escort, and my every word and action was subject to rigid standards—all supposedly to maintain some aura of authority."

"Ordinary people find it hard to approach me, let alone make friends with peers."

"It’s only because I entered this tournament that I finally have a bit of freedom, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to make a friend."

As he spoke, the youth seemed to recall something and added hurriedly, "If you agree, I can handle the combat portion. You only need to kill monsters."

"How about it? That’s a fair deal, isn’t it?"

Song Qi’s expression softened with pity.

How sad...

Another child who lost his childhood to the weight of parental expectations.

Could friendship be described as a transaction?

He couldn’t tell if it was innocence or something else.

Judging by the youth's experiences, he was likely from a prominent family.

But such children hardly warranted his sympathy, given that at birth, they possessed resources that ninety-nine percent of people could never hope for.

On further thought, perhaps trading one’s childhood for a lifetime of glory and wealth was a reasonable exchange.

"Sorry—I do sympathize, but not now. If there’s a chance in the future, perhaps then."

With that, Song Qi waved his hand and strode ahead.

"Alright," the youth said, turning away in disappointment and heading in the opposite direction...

However...

Just as Song Qi departed, the third contestant who had appeared simultaneously approached the youth.

He was visibly excited.

"Um... You must be Young Master Li Zong, right? I recognize you!"

"In all the First District, only you have such unique eyes!"

"If you don’t mind, I’d be glad to be your friend."

Hearing this, the youth named Li Zong turned, his golden eyes sweeping over the newcomer in confusion before locking onto him.

The man quickly composed himself, determined to present his best demeanor.

Yet, for reasons unknown, being stared at for less than half a minute sent sweat pouring from his brow and his mouth parched.

Li Zong slowly closed his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You... cannot be my friend."

The man froze, at a loss.

"Why? If a summoner can, why can’t I, a mage?"

"And I have a super S-level talent!"

"That has nothing to do with it," Li Zong replied, evidently unfamiliar with social conventions, his explanation direct.

"You... cannot keep pace with me."

"The gap between us will only widen over time, until there is no intersection left."

"We are destined to inhabit completely different worlds."

"If you force it, the dangers you face will be magnified a thousand-fold."

"To be my friend is, for you, no blessing."

His expression was calm, as though stating an obvious truth, and he walked away, growing ever more distant...

Only the mage remained, stunned and dejected.

...

Elsewhere, Song Qi had walked a hundred meters when he finally encountered his first monster!

It was a creature resembling a gorilla, but with exceptionally long, jet-black fur.

Song Qi checked its information...

Monster: Black-Furred Berserk Ape

Level: 45

Strength: 1204

Constitution: 1130

Agility: 1148

Spirit: 511

Skills: [Rend] [Frenzy]

"Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech!"

Upon seeing Song Qi, the berserk ape immediately grew agitated and furious, its body swelling to twice its size.

It grasped a massive stone, preparing to hurl it at Song Qi.

But in the next instant...

Thud!

A streak of silver flashed by.

The berserk ape’s head soared skyward.

Lü Bu appeared beside its corpse.

[Experience +16,000]

At level 30, Lü Bu’s attributes had all surpassed the 1,500 mark! For him, a level 45 berserk ape was nothing more than a trivial kill.

On the white paper in the sky, the number beside Song Qi’s name shifted from zero to five.

"As expected, the white paper above is a treasure that tallies our points in real time," Song Qi mused, gazing upward before taking out a small booklet.

The organizers had distributed a booklet containing the map for this survival match.

It recorded the approximate distribution of monsters and locations where higher-level creatures had been placed.

At first, Song Qi couldn’t pinpoint his location, but after encountering the berserk ape, he was able to confirm his region and roughly determine his position.

"Berserk ape territory, with two mountains nearby—should be... here!"

"So I must be here."

"And just to the right, conveniently, a level 70 monster has been released."

"Seems my luck is excellent."

"Good, the first target will be that one."

Having confirmed his location, Song Qi smiled.

For others, those ten monsters above level 60 might be threats to avoid.

But for him, they were simply free points waiting to be claimed.