"Isn't the increase in your stats a bit over the top? And the boost from this set way too absurd?" Suo Gang muttered, his lips trembling uncontrolbly.

  Ye Lan, however, recovered quickly. "It's not that bad. Although it exceeds my expectations, it's not disproportionate. My base attack was already 500, and now it's 1050, it just doubled" she said, pcing a hand on her chest with a calm expression.

  Look! Is that something a normal person would even say?

  Just doubled?! Suo Gang thought, his mind spiraling. For him, leveling up from 10 to 15 meant an increase of 50 points in his attack stat. And now, this purple grade set had given Ye Lan a whopping 550 points boost. That was equivalent to leveling up 55 times!

  Although his comparison might not have been entirely accurate, it was close enough to make him shudder. But even more shocking than the set's enhancement was the fact that Ye Lan's base attack was already 500 points.

  An attack stat of 150 at level 15 for Suo Gang!

  An attack stat of 500 at level 6 for Ye Lan!?

  At that moment, Suo Gang finally grasped the stark reality of the Ranking Order. Being ranked 13th versus 6th wasn't just a matter of pride or status, it was an insurmountable difference in raw strength and innate potential.

  Suo Gang let out a long, weary sigh and colpsed into a nearby chair, his shoulders sagging as if he’d aged several decades in the span of a few minutes.

  "If she's only level 6, and her race is ranked sixth… then how terrifying must the top five be?" Suo Gang murmured, his voice tinged with despair.

  "It's… impossible to wlin..."

  The moment those words left his mouth, Mu Xuetong spped him without hesitation.

  "Xuetong, you!"

  "What about me?! Have you already given up? That’s not the Suo Gang I know! The Suo Gang I know would never surrender, no matter how impossible the fight seems. Are you going to throw away ten years of pride just like that?" Mu Xuetong grabbed him by the colr and pulled him up with surprising force.

  Although Suo Gang weighed two or three times more than Mu Xuetong, she was level 23 while he was only level 15. With an 8-level difference, physical strength became irrelevant, even a child could easily overpower Suo Gang with such a disparity.

  Meeting Mu Xuetong's determined gaze, Suo Gang’s expression, clouded by despair, began to shift. His lost resolve slowly returned as her words resonated within him.

  "You're right! If I admit defeat just because the challenge seems difficult, I can’t call myself an elite pyer. The harder the obstacle, the more rewarding it is to overcome it!" he decred with newfound determination, clenching his fists tightly.

  His teammates exchanged relieved smiles at his change in attitude. Suo Gang, feeling genuinely grateful, turned to Mu Xuetong, ready to thank her. But just as he opened his mouth, he noticed her turning away. A sly smile spread across her face as she began murmuring softly to herself.

  "You can’t lose spirit so quickly! Otherwise, how will you continue to be Xiao Lan’s guardians?"

  Suo Gang felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Ah, Mu Xuetong is still the same as ever... nothing about her has really changed.

  He gnced up at the ceiling, letting memories of the past wash over him. Back before the world had turned upside down, he and his teammates had spent countless hours tackling seemingly impossible challenges in video games.

  "The boss is in Berserker mode! Quick, take cover!" "We can’t handle this, captain! It’s too strong!""Stop talking nonsense! We can’t give up now!"

  He had started his professional career at 18. Now, at 28, he was the oldest member of the team. As their captain, he had led them through countless victories, facing off against powerful bosses and carving unforgettable memories together.

  But being 28 also meant his retirement was looming on the horizon. The original pn had been for him, Mu Xuetong, and the others to gather here for one st tournament. Yet, against all expectations, the world had changed, and reality itself had transformed into a video game!

  "I’ll become stronger! Much stronger! Who cares if we’re ranked 13th now? Someday, I’ll lead humanity to the top!" he decred, his ambition burning anew.

  "Don’t you all agree with me, my frien… huh?"

  As he turned to address his teammates, he suddenly realized that none of them were paying attention.

  Mu Xuetong was happily petting Ye Lan’s head and ears, her face glowing with pure joy, while Ye Lan’s face was flushed a deep red.

  "St-stop, don’t do that!"

  "Stop resisting, Xiao Lan. I’ve figured it out! Even though you have incredible strength, outside of combat, you’re completely defenseless, aren’t you? Doesn’t that mean I can do whatever I want with you?"

  "W-what?! What are you even saying?!"

  Meanwhile, Yi Lai and Du Heng were comfortably seated on the couch, casually watching an anime on the television, each holding a bag of chips and a soda.

  "Hey, hey! Get serious!"

  Five minutes ter, Suo Gang had joined them, lounging on the couch with a bag of chips in one hand and a soda bottle in the other, ughing loudly at the show.

  "This is great!"

  And so, the first day after the world turned into a video game came to an end.

  The next morning, Ye Lan sleepily opened her eyes, shifting slightly in bed, only to realize an unfamiliar arm was draped over her body. She turned her head to find the owner of the limb, and to her shock, discovered Mu Xuetong sleeping beside her! And completely naked!

  She immediately shut her eyes tightly and let out a frustrated groan. Beside her, Mu Xuetong let out a soft snore, shifting slightly but otherwise remaining motionless.

  Ye Lan frowned and extended her hands to grab Mu Xuetong’s leg, which was pressing against her. With considerable effort, she managed to push the unconscious Mu Xuetong to the side.

  "Phew… phew… finally did it! Thankfully, even though my strength decreases outside of combat, I can still move an unconscious person" she muttered, panting as she slid out of bed.

  Staggering slightly, she held her head, trying to piece together what had happened. Yesterday, she had been forced by those troublemakers to drink alcohol, which had quickly knocked her out.

  "Damn it! Don’t they know minors aren’t supposed to drink alcohol?" she grumbled as she stumbled out of the bedroom.

  When she reached the living room, her irritation grew. Suo Gang and the other two were sprawled across the couch, crumbs of potato chips scattered everywhere. The pce was a complete disaster.

  Seeing the mess, an odd sense of irritation bubbled up within her. She frowned, grabbed a broom and dustpan from the corner, slipped on a face mask, and donned gloves.

  "Too filthy! Too filthy! Don’t they know I have obsessive-compulsive cleaning tendencies? I can’t just ignore this!" she excimed in frustration as she began cleaning with fervor.

  Ding!

  [Passive Skill Acquired: Jiep zheng]1Obsessive-Compulsive Cleaning Disorder, It was too long, so...

  Jiep zheng: Upon encountering a dirty area, you cannot resist cleaning it. Additionally, you have acquired the active skill [Water Cannon].

  Water Cannon: After a 1 second charge, unch a palm-sized sphere of water. Each shot consumes 1 mana point and can increase its power with additional magic boosts.

  Suvn