Xiang Nan and Manman were sitting outside a dessert shop in Kotaki City.
Manman wasn't sure that Xiang Nan had been communicating with other players to gather and analyze information about the next round of the Extinction Game; she glanced at the time on the system interface and spoke up.
Indeed, there were only a few hours for players to find a match. If they didn't join a team within that period, the consequences were unclear.
"From the number of players remaining before new ones got added, it looks like there are still quite a few players in Extinction 3 and Extinction 4. And from the public channel, there clearly aren't enough squads to hold them all. That also means there are probably a lot of leftover 'stragglers' like us who haven't joined a team."
Xiang Nan stroked his chin and mumbled to himself.
Including new arrivals like themselves, plus any old-timers still around, there were altogether a few hundred players of these tiers. The higher the tier, the fewer the players.
"Indeed, Extinction 3 and 4 can be considered the 'mainstay' of the player base right now."
He continued, "Although the early rounds of the Extinction Game provided crucial 'training' for players—and it's better not to exploit loopholes, as you saw with that bunch called 'Star Alliance' at Heaven's Arena—for this new round with the appearance of the 'Dimension Reincarnation' aspect, I keep feeling that the system's method of screening players isn't that simple. In fact, in every round's opening, how players respond to various tasks and requirements is part of the test."
"If the system aims to 'cultivate' players, it certainly won't rely only on raw power. Intelligence and decision-making are also critical."
Only about ten minutes remained on the system countdown. Chat messages in the public channel dwindled—many squads had evidently filled up.
"There are also hidden squads…"
Xiang Nan suddenly snapped his fingers.
Manman looked over. "Hidden squads?"
"Yes. Extinction 4 players are automatically assigned as team leaders, but the number of Extinction 4 and Extinction 3 players might not match exactly. That explains why some squads have five people, some seven. Within that difference, human nature comes into play: better or stronger players have probably been accepted by squads already, while weaker players get rejected as time goes on."
"I noticed a certain ID who first said they wanted a 7-person squad, then changed it to 5. They have some control over the team size. This also suggests that Extinction 4 team leaders likely have some bigger picture or rating system—similar to how it was in the last round."
"Those left over in the end will likely get automatically placed into squads, presumably with low average combat power."
He guessed. "But ironically, that might mean these hidden squads face a slightly easier difficulty."
"That's even better, isn't it?" Manman said happily.
"The difficulty might be lower, but the system is 'fair.' Perhaps there are other factors in its evaluation. Like I said, the end goal might not simply be to survive or clear the round but to see how you perform during it…" Xiang Nan replied.
He glanced at Manman. "Just recall what I mentioned before… This game seems complicated, yet also straightforward. The system is out to pick certain players who show promise—maybe to sponsor them, so to speak. I'm more convinced than ever of this. So in these new tasks, we must be mindful: merely passing isn't our sole objective; our in-task performance also matters. But of course, if a mission is dangerously challenging, it's okay to focus on clearing it."
"But with your strength, in the fourth round… you should be fine."
The moment Xiang Nan finished, the system prompt appeared:
[Ding! Matching period has ended. No team joined—player match failed…]
Then a second prompt:
[Ding! System is now automatically matching leftover players—please wait…]
Xiang Nan smiled. He had guessed right.
He looked at Manman. "Likely a random team assignment now, so we might not end up together. If we're forced into separate squads, remember: you should say you're a Nen user, but don't reveal you already developed your Nen ability. That way, you can claim some say in the team—maybe become an assistant leader. No matter what the mission is, personal performance is what counts. And if the mission is too tough, just survive—though with your ability, you're probably okay."
Shortly after, their screens changed: Xiang Nan was pulled into a squad channel.
Xiang Nan glanced at the list:
"We ended up in the same group!" Manman exclaimed excitedly.
He also saw Manman's ID: "LikesIceCream."
"A hidden special team, so there's no Extinction 4 team leader. We're all Extinction 3," Xiang Nan noted. "In the squad info, I see the highest combat power is 65, the lowest is Manman at 43."
"Huh, so because our powers are low, they gave us ten players?"
Many messages popped up in the team chat:
"We have ten people?"
"I guess none of us were chosen by other squads…" Discover more novels at ɴovelfire.net
"No team leader… what do we do?"
"We'll just wing it?"
"Not sure yet—let's see what the system says."
"This time it's definitely some group-oriented task—like a big confrontation. If we fight other squads, we could get wrecked. We do have more people, but if the other side has real Nen users or higher stats, we're finished, no matter how many we are."
"Don't be so glum. The mission details aren't out yet; who says we must do direct combat? Maybe we can rely on external forces or strategy…"
Xiang Nan paid special attention to the final two statements. Clearly, some of these "leftover" players did have insight.
[Ding! All players proceed to the designated location: The Kakin Empire.]
Suddenly, red text flashed across the system. Everyone in the leftover squads saw it.
"That Kakin Empire? The future 'V6' territory?"
"What's the deal here…?"
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