Chapter 503

"Sharp-tongued."

The Rabbit Rogue snorted, lifted her rabbit leg, and repeatedly kicked the glass container with high-frequency, gentle strikes, causing resonance along the inner walls and producing a shrill noise.

Wanli Fengdao's face turned pale, yet he still retorted, "Thanks for the compliment, but you still beat me—you've got teeth all over your mouth, just yammering nonsense."

The Rabbit Rogue laughed bitterly, accelerating her kicks further, raising the noise frequency until Wanli Fengdao's eardrums split and bled thin threads.

"Enough."

The Griffin spoke up, halting the Rabbit Rogue; his eagle head formed a human-like frown. "Right now, our priority is waiting for Baizhu to emerge from the Dark Duel. Fungus King, have you set up the arena?"

The Fungus King referred to the mushroom humanoid, who raised his sturdy right leg and stomped hard—the ground, multicolored mycelium spread outward from his foot in all directions.

Wherever it passed, trees and shrubs were infected by the mycelium, sprouting mushrooms of varying shapes and colors like bamboo shoots after rain.

The Fungus King slowly nodded. The Griffin exhaled in relief—then his expression changed abruptly; he snapped his head upward toward the dark, gloomy sky.

The Griffin's eyes flashed with lightning; violent winds surged around him. Each feather emitted eerie blue lightning serpents, merging into a single bolt as thick as a water barrel, striking straight upward into the void.

Grey Rain yanked the control stick with all his strength; the fighter jet veered sharply right while banking its wing, narrowly avoiding the strike. Still shaken, he muttered, "Detecting a stealth target from twenty kilometers away? If this isn't cheating, I'll eat a Crazy Thursday meal right now."

Before he finished speaking, two more lightning bolts slammed down.

This time, there was no way to dodge. The edge vehicle's onboard AI instantly seized control, exited fighter mode, and reverted to motorcycle form.

The lightning passed through the space where the wing had been; Grey Rain, gripping the levitation engine fragment, rode atop the motorcycle's front, suspended in midair, with Tombstone Sister seated behind.

Claudia in bat form flapped her wings to hover; Lei Yesi released tattoos of flowing cloud patterns from his body, generating wind currents that lifted him into the air.

There was no retreat left. Bai Ma Mu Bei slammed her palm against the motorcycle's rear seat, leapt off, and yanked a stone coffin from thin air with one hand. She stood atop its lid, accelerating downward.

Boom—boom—boom!

Bolts of lightning struck the coffin's base, chipping off only small fragments of stone. Bai Ma Mu Bei remained calm, pulling a dozen vials of magical potions from her backpack slot, slicing off their tops with a fingernail, and downing their contents in one gulp.

There's always been a saying on the forums: among ten melee specialists, eleven are addicted to drugs.

It refers to the widespread drug dependency among melee maniacs—even pregnant individuals aren't exempt. Considering the existence of the Mother River and the Maternal Drowning Spring, pregnancy isn't gender-restricted; newborns already have ten months of fitness experience and can carry obstetricians and nurses on their shoulders while doing squats.

Melee specialist, one week: "I'm all-natural—no protein powder at all."... then uses protein powder.

Melee specialist, one month: "Creatine doesn't count as tech."

Melee specialist, three months: "Methandienone, 康复龙, trenbolone, oxandrolone, stanozolol, turinabol, stenbolone, metenolone, nandrolone decanoate—and a small piece of sunflower liver tablet."

Melee specialist, six months: "Folks, how much for the Origin Virus, Black Light Virus, and Compound Five?"

Melee specialist, one year: "Gamma-ray sunbathing appointment booked."

Melee specialist, three years: "Plasma Spark Tower? Just touch it."

Though exaggerated, this saying indirectly reveals how rampant drug use has become.

Some extreme melee maniacs drug themselves so much their skulls become pointed, losing the ability to think complex thoughts, forcing them to bind high-intelligence teammates as their external brains.

If on a solo mission with no teammates, they carry a solar-charged laptop with an offline AI model deployed, letting the AI make decisions for them.

In comparison, Bai Ma Mu Bei's drug intake was practically abstinent. The vials contained nothing but temporary wound-healing boosters—Heikana decoction, High Moon Potion to raise max HP, High Werewolf Decoction to accelerate stamina recovery—

Each dose lightly laced with racehorse-grade stimulants.

The potions entered her stomach, rapidly absorbed and digested, merging into her bloodstream.

Bai Ma Mu Bei's eyes glowed green; she let out a loud, grass-scented burp, every pore on her body opening wide, steaming.

Thud—

The stone coffin smashed into the primal forest floor with unstoppable force, instantly churning up dust that obscured vision.

Otherworldly players aren't like villains in literature, standing still to wait for dust to settle.

The Griffin swiftly raised his foreclaws, weaving a net of lightning over the dust; the Rabbit Rogue fired left and right—shooting light arrows into the smoke while pouring fire upward to intercept Grey Rain and the others diving down.

Fff!

A tear ripped through the dust; Bai Ma Mu Bei instantly crossed a kilometer, clasping both sides of the stone coffin, stomped the ground, twisted her waist, and slammed the lid straight at the Griffin.

Though the Griffin was five meters long with a wingspan exceeding four stories, her role was that of an elemental caster. At this proximity, she had no time to react.

Glass shattered endlessly—each crack meant another hidden magical defense item beneath her feathers had broken.

The last magical stone, with built-in teleportation, activated passively upon detecting a lethal threat, teleporting the user a kilometer away from danger.

The magical stone worked—the Griffin was teleported a kilometer backward, her hind feet crushing an unlucky rodent.

Yet within the next 0.2 seconds, an invisible force pulled her back, teleporting her to Bai Ma Mu Bei's front.

This skill was called 【Heavenly Return Strike】—its effect: when an enemy ahead activates teleportation, it severs the teleport and instantly returns them. Designed specifically for mages who over-rely on escape techniques.

The Griffin's eyes reflected the approaching stone lid; her pupils flickered with shock and terror.

Clang!!

A deafening clash of metal echoed as the Fungus King arrived late but struck first, interposing himself between the Griffin and Bai Ma Mu Bei. Two massive cleavers, as thick as security doors, locked onto the stone coffin, scraping violently and sparking, preventing any further advance.

"."

Forces were evenly matched. The Fungus King's left foot sprouted roots, sinking deep into the earth for grip; his right foot shot up, kicking Bai Ma Mu Bei's abdomen.

Tombstone Sister reacted instantly, twisting her wrists to shift the coffin's angle, taking the kick on the coffin's side and slightly dissipating the force. Even so, she and the coffin were both kicked flying.

Her feet and the coffin's base dragged long grooves across the ground; her back smashed through several tree trunks before finally stopping.

Shhh—

The Fungus King charged toward Bai Ma Mu Bei with agility utterly incongruous with his bulky frame, his two cleavers slashing upward-left and diagonally-right.

Tombstone Sister hugged the coffin, swinging it sideways to deflect the blades. The opponent tilted his wrists, letting the blades skim along the coffin's edge, attempting to slice off her fingers.

Tombstone Sister released her grip instantly, kicked the coffin's front face, forcing the opponent back several steps, then leapt high into the air, performing a forward roll, and precisely grasped the coffin's upper edge before slamming it down.

The Fungus King retreated again; the stalk beneath his two small eyes split open like a mouth, emitting a muffled growl.

All mushrooms clinging to surrounding plants split open simultaneously, releasing clouds of spore dust that clung to Bai Ma Mu Bei's clothing—immediately accelerating growth, even sprouting mycelium, attempting to invade her skin and flesh.

This move was viciously efficient: melee transcenders' metabolisms far outpace ordinary beings. Once mycelium entered the bloodstream, spores could penetrate the heart—or even the brain—in under two seconds, proliferating wildly like Cordyceps, eventually bursting from the top of the skull.

Too bad, she was Bai Ma Mu Bei—someone who'd spent years waging guerrilla warfare against multinational conglomerate armed divisions, hunting and being hunted by bounty hunters, and knew every possible precaution.

Hummm!!

In the instant the coffin sank into the ground, the white horse tombstone erupted in blue flames, incinerating all fungal spores.

His clothing turned to ash at once, leaving only his sports bra and safety shorts, revealing a body covered in scars and defined muscle.

She gathered the blue flame onto her palms, wrapping several loops of iron chains around her fists as gauntlets.

'Again.'

No words were needed—the Fungus King understood the white horse tombstone's gaze; both became afterimages, moving at high speed through the primordial jungle.

The griffin took a monocle from its backpack slot, placing it above its beak, barely making out their movements, then raised its foreclaws again, preparing to unleash lightning strikes for support.

'Your opponent is me!'

A sharp cry rang from high above—Claudia slammed back into her human form, gripping her scythe in both hands, slashing downward through the air and releasing a crimson, crescent-shaped energy blade.

The griffin remained calm, unleashing thunder to cleanly shatter the crimson crescent—but this was merely a feint. As Claudia closed the distance, the griffin's feathers trembled, and microscopic blood droplets erupted from its pores, invisible to the naked eye.

As a member of the Monutong Alliance, Claudia's power system was a rare form of blood magic, capable of manipulating concepts related to blood.

Added to that, she was herself a blood noblewoman, and the Cerberus from *Cardcaptor Sakura*—a tiger with wings.

The tiny blood droplets accumulated rapidly, causing immediate blood loss; the griffin growled low, teleported backward to increase distance, then retaliated with lightning strikes against Claudia.

Both spellcasters unleashed every technique they had—spells rained down like a storm of wind and rain without pause.

Meanwhile, Lei Yesi, who had also fallen, faced off against the Rabbit Ranger.

At a thousand meters above ground, he tore off his shirt, revealing a lean torso covered in tattoos, and roared: 'Tattoo Fruit·Bestiary Drawing!'

As he spoke, dozens of beast tattoos on his body glowed—lion's strength, cheetah's speed, eagle's vision, turtle's defense—all bestowed upon himself.

His physical stats surged to rival those of average melee-tier transcenders, twisting his body sharply to evade a barrage of light arrows fired skyward by the Rabbit Ranger.

To be matched with the famed Master Pi Fu and the Bai Ma Mu Bei, Lei Yesi was no ordinary man.

Long ago, he was merely a small vendor in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; forced into criminal activity to protect his family's debt to a gang, he joined the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a low-level enforcer.

Pressure and exploitation from superiors, assassinations by rivals, police manhunts, and his family's lack of understanding and support left him gasping for air.

Until, by accident, he was selected as a player. He cautiously searched online for information, learned of the underground world, and decisively chose to hide himself, hoard strength, and in one scenario mission, obtained the Tattoo Fruit.

This was a Superhuman-type fruit from the *One Piece* universe, never appearing in the original work.

Its core effect: 'Convert strength, memory, and concepts into tattoo patterns, then apply them to others or oneself to activate their effects.'

For example, tattooing an open-eyed Guan Yu pattern grants martial arts prowess at the level of a Martial Saint;

Tattooing a whale pattern grants resistance to deep-sea pressure and immense strength;

Transferring tattooed bandages or blood packs to others allows temporary first aid;

Due to the Jalisco Cartel's tight internal surveillance, Lei Yesi dared not reveal he was a player—not even logging into the Slums—and could only piece together the truth from fragments of conversation among his scenario mission teammates.

During this time, he gradually discovered two other transcenders within the Jalisco Cartel who also hid their identities; the three formed a tight-knit team, protecting one another, inching their way up to mid-level positions.

At one banquet, they managed to poison all the high-ranking members (including several transcenders), ultimately seizing control of the cartel—or, as one might say, a snake swallowing an elephant.

The leader of this trio was none other than today's one of Mexico's Four Emperors: Blackbeard.

After reorganizing the Jalisco Cartel, Lei Yesi decisively registered a shell company in the tax haven of Panama Island and spent a fortune to sponsor the Japanese Ichibō Publishing Group.

Ichibō Publishing owned the subsidiary Shueisha, which published *Weekly Shōnen Jump*, which serialized *One Piece*.

Since Ichibō Publishing was not a publicly traded company, Lei Yesi's money could not be converted into voting shares; yet through donations of office buildings and Maybach luxury cars, he still managed to secure certain privileges.

Namely: allowing the magazine to print official merchandise and embed hidden content about the 【Tattoo Fruit】.

Of course, he didn't directly invent lore—claiming the 【Tattoo Fruit】 could awaken into the 【Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Beast Type: Quetzalcoatl Form】 would be absurd.

Instead, he subtly planted clues, suggesting the Devil Fruits still had untapped potential.

In short, through upper-level narrative manipulation via capital operations, combined with his own relentless research, Lei Yesi could now unleash domain-level abilities through complex, intricate tattoos.

Just like now.

'Tattoo Fruit·Ink Concealment Technique!'

Lei Yesi plunged both hands into the ground; the tattoos on his body instantly flowed into the earth, transforming into two-dimensional shadow beasts that swarmed and lunged at the Rabbit Ranger.

The Rabbit Ranger snorted, expression unchanged, moving with effortless grace through the tree shadows; each time he drew his bow and fired a light arrow, it shattered one shadow beast.

He mocked carelessly: 'That's it? Even transcenders must obey the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Let's see how many tattoos you've got.'

'Try me.'

Lei Yesi grinned, having grown up seeing human corpses hanging beneath the bridges of Juárez—he knew this was a world that devoured its own, so he was harder on himself.

Even at Lv7, he secretly went to the Slums, visited an underground clinic, and tattooed his skin's inner layers, his large and small intestines, and the inner and outer walls of his stomach.

As humans and non-humans clashed in battle, Grey Rain rode his motorcycle diving to the surface, arriving before the glass container, and shouted to Wanli Fengdao, the only one free: 'Uncle, have you seen a cute guy named Master Pi Fu? He looks something like this.'

Grey Rain raised his palms; liquid metal on his palms reshaped into Li Cheng's face.

'Never seen him! That octopus probably has a Heaven-Equaling-Soul skill—temporarily banished himself and the Pi Fu you mentioned into a sub-space.'

Wanli Fengdao, with his goatee, spoke rapidly: 'Also, don't call me uncle—I'm a '90s kid.'

Huh?

Grey Rain's expression froze; the humans and non-humans on the field also turned their startled gazes toward him.

You don't look it, bro—how many years have you overloaded? Or have you been hanging out too much at the Evil Science Alliance's foot bath parlor?

'Forget it.'

Wanli Fengdao was clearly used to this reaction; he rolled his eyes and spoke quickly: 'This glass container was made by a top-tier player from another world—external force can't break it. Be careful. I'll explain your opponent's info.'