Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

"Everyone, the dungeon has just opened, and the dangers haven't even started yet. Are you sure you want to start fighting amongst yourselves?"

The shirtless player spoke in a warning tone.

Someone immediately mocked, "Looks like even cannibals are cowards. I thought they were so ruthless."

"They're just bullies who are afraid of the strong; everyone's like that."

"13 against 4, the advantage is on our side, should we take this opportunity to eliminate them?"

"Heh, you're going to lead the way? The items are all sorts of weird and wonderful. Who knows if we'll end up being dragged down with them? I don't want to die at the gate before we even start exploring the dungeon."

Although the cannibalistic player was identified, no one took any action.

I have a feeling that cannibalistic players are becoming a vulnerable group...

At this moment, Fan Xiao called out, "There are two of us here. If you want to team up with us, come stand over here."

While shouting, he moved to a slightly different spot with Gao Wen.

The female player with the high ponytail who suggested forming a team did not go to Fan Xiao and Gao Wen's side; instead, she started calling out and forming her own team.

"This guy's got some trouble."

Fan Xiao glanced at the high ponytail.

Yan Keke had told him before that this woman's emotions leaned towards the chaotic camp, but it was hard to tell from her appearance.

"We join you."

Just as Fan Xiao was pondering, a clear, girlish voice pulled him back to reality.

He looked down and saw a cute girl with pigtails and a white eye patch over her left eye standing in front of him, looking up at him.

Behind the little girl, the burly man and the woman wearing glasses stood quietly, without saying a word, like two guardian deities.

"..."

Fan Xiao doesn't really want to get involved with this strange combination for the time being.

He had a gut feeling that the girl was troublesome.

However, just as he was about to politely decline, Gao Wen had already accepted them, introduced himself, and asked, "What are your names?"

The burly man: "Captain of the Guards."

The woman with glasses: "Head maid."

Gawain: "..."

That name is way too direct!

Are you afraid others won't recognize your identities?

"My name is Nori."

The delicate-faced girl looked up at Gao Wen and Fan Xiao, her petite body standing ramrod straight. Her tone revealed a sense of pride as she said, "Mortals are not worthy to address me by my name, but since we are now crossing the trial together, as companions who entrust each other with their lives, I temporarily grant you this qualification. Of course, don't forget to add the honorific 'Your Highness,' hmph... Feel honored!"

Gawain: "?"

Fan Xiao: "..."

See how accurate his intuition is!

This brat talks in a way that matches her age; she's got a case of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)!

Doesn't she feel awkward or embarrassed saying such things?

Looks like he's gotten carried away with his teenage angst.

"Mortal, you have not yet given your name."

Nori's gaze fell on Van Shaw.

Fan Xiao: "Commander Fan."

"Rice ball?" Nori exclaimed in surprise, "Hmm...what a cute name."

"cute?"

Fan Xiao immediately said coldly, "Such a weak adjective should not be used to describe the nobles of the Night. What an impolite act! Princess Nori, please watch your words!"

"A noble of the night? A vampire?"

Nori blinked, then immediately clicked, her twin ponytails swaying excitedly: "Ahem... I didn't expect to meet someone of your status in such a remote place. Um, I admit, I was a bit rude. I take back what I just said."

"Well, children can be taught."

Fan Xiao nodded: "I also retract my perfunctory introduction earlier. As a noble of the night in the Kingdom of Lilith, I naturally have a status commensurate with my nobility. Your Highness, you may address me as Earl."

"count?"

Nori's lips unconsciously curled into a cute smile: "I never expected to meet such a like-minded friend as you during this trial. It seems that Lady Luck is protecting me."

She lifted her skirt slightly with both hands and gave a proper curtsy: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Earl."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Fan Xiao returned the courtesy with a gentleman's bow.

In this way, he quickly built a closer relationship with the girl.

His thinking was simple: since he couldn't avoid the trouble, he had no choice but to accept it.

On the bright side, this young girl has two obedient bodyguards, which makes her a very reliable teammate.

Taking care of this little guy is equivalent to gaining control of the team.

The interaction between Vanshaw and Norrie left the usually expressionless Gawain looking bewildered.

He said he didn't quite understand it.

Is this some new way of greeting people?

Is he out of touch with the times?

The head guard behind Nori, however, had a very calm expression.

The head maid glanced at Fan Xiao in surprise, probably not expecting anyone to follow their young lady in doing something foolish.

After the introductions, the five-person team was officially formed.

A total of 17 players entered the Seventh Research Institute instance this time, and Fan Xiao took the opportunity to observe the other 12 players.

They split into three camps.

The four cannibalistic players came together, with the shirtless player as their leader.

The hot female player with the high ponytail recruited two human players, one tall and one short, to form a three-person team.

Of the remaining 5 players, 4 huddled together, led by a male player with slightly sunken eyes who exuded a gloomy aura.

Bare-chested, high ponytail, gloomy man—Fan Xiao decided on their nicknames in his mind.

The last remaining male player, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that revealed his perfect muscle definition, looked around for a moment before walking towards the female player with the high ponytail.

His slightly aggressive gaze lingered on the high ponytail and voluptuous figure for a few seconds before he smiled and asked, "Beautiful lady, can I join your team?"

"of course can."

The woman with the high ponytail looked at the muscular man's strong physique, licked her lips, and smiled in return: "We are the fewest in number, so your arrival is just in time."

At this moment, one of the male players in the four-person team led by the gloomy man seemed to have received a hint from him and stepped forward to ask, "Everyone, how much do you know about psionic energy?"

"The background information for this instance mentions researchers at the Seventh Research Institute, who ultimately focused their research on psionic energy."

"This is a hint from the dungeon; perhaps digging deeper will have unexpected benefits."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of psionics."

Among the cannibalistic players, the shirtless one said, "It sounds like it's related to talent. Only you human players have talent, don't you know that?"

“As expected of a brainless, cannibalistic player,” Fan Xiao chimed in. “You don’t even know this? You must be from the countryside.”

"What did you say!"

The shirtless man's face immediately darkened, and his temper flared up: "Don't think that just because we have the numbers, I'm afraid of you guys!"

He stared intently at Fan Xiao and said, "You're finished! When the fight breaks out, I'll specifically target you and kill you!"

"Oh... I'm so scared."

Fan Xiao grinned with a sly expression: "Bluster is often a coward's disguise. If you have the guts, come and kill me now. Are you trying to scare your father? I was raised to be scared."

"..."

The shirtless man's eyes turned sinister.

However, Fan Xiao didn't care at all.

He was standing on the outer edge of the cannibal player group, with the research institute gate behind him.

The cylindrical prop in the shirtless man's hand is clearly a ranged attack tool.

If the opponent fires at him and he dodges... the item attack will then be fired directly at the invisible barrier at the gate.

Fan Xiao was happy to see players take the risk and test what would happen if they attacked the invisible barrier with force.

He almost did it before taking off his shirt, which shows he's an impulsive person, and there's a high chance he successfully instigated him.

To his disappointment, just as the other party was about to make a move, he was stopped by his three cannibalistic player companions.

Gao Wen reminded Fan Xiao, "Although the cannibalistic players are hateful, we shouldn't provoke them at this time. If we clash with them, it will easily give others an advantage."

"Count, don't let your emotions get the better of you."

Nori also reminded Van Shaw.

Fan Xiao did not explain, but simply said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and won't implicate you."

"Let's all be a little more amicable," the female player with the high ponytail said. "Psionic power is a kind of superpower that a small number of evolved beings will naturally awaken..."

She explained the basic concepts of psychic energy, and then said, "That's all the basic information I know. Does anyone else know more?"

"The talent of human players can be considered a fragment of psionic energy."

The head maid behind Nori said, "If a high-level player can collect several talents of the same attribute, they can fuse the talents into a more complete spiritual energy."

The head maid planned to use some low-value information as bait to see if others could provide any psychic information she didn't know.

Unfortunately, her information surprised other players instead.

People seem to have very little understanding of psychic powers.

The girl with the high ponytail looked at the head maid and asked, "Besides natural awakening, are there any ways to awaken psychic abilities later in life?"

"I don't know," the head maid said coldly. "Even if I did know, do you think I would provide this kind of information to you for free?"

"I'm not asking this to take advantage of anyone."

Takama explained, "The Seventh Research Institute has been conducting research on the psionic abilities of evolved individuals. We can infer this from the background information."

"As for the research objective... it is nothing more than to achieve the mass production of psionicists, which is the essence of scientific research."

"If we could find out the way to awaken psionic energy later in life, it might be very useful for us to understand the background of this instance."

"That's not what we should be concerned about right now, is it?"

In the group of players, one said, "The first game notification is that items cannot be used during the day. I didn't expect there to be a dungeon that restricts players from using items... Have you guys encountered this before?"

"No." The woman with the high ponytail shook her head.

"You mortals' lives are so mundane."

Nori seemed to have found an opportunity to speak, and said rather boastfully, "Trials are all kinds of strange and varied, testing us in every aspect. There are naturally many trials that restrict the use of items. Just because you haven't encountered them doesn't mean they don't exist."

"Trials? What are those?"

The player who had asked the question earlier asked it again.

“She must be talking about the dungeon,” the girl with the high ponytail chimed in. “It seems this young lady is quite knowledgeable. Is she from Division 001?”

Just as Nori was about to reply, a burning sensation suddenly washed over her.

The flames suddenly pierced the night, illuminating the faces of every player.

Fan Xiao looked ahead and saw clusters of flames suddenly appear on the ground floor of a building not far away. They exploded and began to burn the ground, scorch the air, and quickly spread toward the players.

The scattered flames quickly merged into a moving sea of ​​fire, which reached the players within seconds, spreading at an alarming speed.