[Name: Peijin Wu
Age: 24
Sponsor: None
Skills: Hindsight lvl 1, Editor’s Pen lvl 1, Scathing Reviewer (awaiting application)
Stats: Strength lvl 15, Physique lvl 10, Agility lvl 1, Health lvl 1
Evaluation: After living a miserable and wasted life, Liu Peijin finds salvation in the apocalypse.]
… Who the hell wrote my evaluation?
Yang helped me move Yue into the pest control van while Wei stood to the side, looking conflicted, before he also helped place her inside.
The three of us stood just outside the van in silence and read through our own stat windows.
I gently scratched the bottom of my chin as I evaluated my skill set, tapping my foot on the ground as the blue window continued to glow in front of me.
I didn’t recognize any of these skills, but they were clearly related to me being the author of Surviving My First Run. I already used ‘Hindsight,’ but I was curious what ‘Editor’s Pen’ could do.
My mind flashed back to the attachment MolaMola sent me. Wasn’t the skill ‘Scathing Reviewer’ the gift he was referring to?
[Editor’s Pen activated!]
[Please type the edit you’d like to make.]
A glowing blue keyboard appeared before me, and my face twisted into a slight grin. If this skill really worked the way I thought, surviving this apocalypse would be a breeze. I typed out my edit.
[After Chapter #1 - Prerequisite, the richest disciple in the area will receive a star bonus of 5,000 and gold-tier access to the Azure Dragon store.]
I couldn’t give myself a higher boost—if anything, this skill’s existence already pushed karmic restraints. Despite being the writer, I had to give some care to the laws of the narrative within the confines of the reader’s expectations. The karmic system meant every single action taken—positive or negative—would come back and impact the entity in the future.
A divinity outright murdering a disciple they didn’t like? Karma would jump in and bring immense sorrow, death, or destruction of temples of worshippers.
A moderator, like the Azure Dragon, changing the course of a chapter or arc? Karma meant they’d face the brunt of a grotesque death or eternal financial failure.
The Goblin King abusing Yue to influence the events of the first chapter? Poof. He was probably reeling from physical or mental injuries that karma brought in the demon realm right now.
This rule was the same reason powerful divinities couldn’t directly communicate with disciples at this moment. The only way around karma would be overriding it with an abundant amount of spiritual energy. This was easier for more powerful and well-known gods with a massive following, since they had more to waste.
Spiritual energy funded their magic, their grandiosity, and their influence by allowing them to skirt around karma. Still, the amount of spiritual energy needed to massively influence a challenge was incredibly high.
All individuals contained a small bit of spiritual energy. They could grow it in a similar way to the gods—by winning more challenges, their fame would increase, and the more supporters they would have meant the more energy they could expend. Humans could even achieve the status of gods by succeeding in this world.
‘Editor’s Pen’ already seemed to test karma, and I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I abused it.
[Edit granted.]
I awkwardly waited for the star payout while watching Yang and Wei chat about their skills and play around with the Azure Dragon store, but nothing came.
[Observers Chat]
Socrates: … this is seriously painful to watch.
Was I using the skill wrong? It said my edit was granted. I waved down the Azure Dragon who quickly popped up in front of me.
“We’re starting the next scenario soon, so could you keep this brief?” he asked, trying to look dignified.
I gave the dragon an annoyed stare. “What’s your name?”
“Chang.”
“Chang, who’s the richest disciple right now for this specific area?”
The Azure Dragon puffed and grabbed one of his whiskers twirling it in between his claws. “As an astute and hard-working moderator, I cannot give such classified information to a mere puny disciple such as yourself.”
I looked at him expectantly. “Do they have more than me?”
“A bit less than double.”
Less than double? Who was strong enough to kill that many people or goblins this early on? Even Feiyu got less stars than I did during this chapter, and he was the richest disciple out of all divisions.
“Who the hell came up with this stupid system?” I grumbled, kicking the side of the van and putting my hands in my pockets.
Before Chang could retort, he perked up and teleported to a more gruesome and interesting scene.
I let out an annoyed sigh before I saw Yang sitting beside Yue in the van, holding a miniature vial of kraken mucus.
Yang looked up, sensing my eyes on him, and said, “I bought it from the store. It said it was good for healing and soothing injuries.” His hands were covered in the slimy substance as he gently rubbed it onto Yue’s skinned joints and oozing cuts.
“It’s not cheap. How much did that small vile cost? Three thousand stars?” I asked.
“It’s fine. I have more than ten thousand stars left,” Yang said. “I’ll save the leftover mucus. I’ll be stingy with it.”
It was the end of the world, and Yang was still preoccupied with caring for others even at his own expense.
“You should save your stars for more important purchases. Yue could have healed from those injuries on her own.”
“Sorry, it was my idea,” Wei jumped in, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head and avoiding my gaze.
No, it definitely wasn’t, but whatever. I was more worried about the next chapter, even though it was easy.
The blue screen appeared before me with its big white text.
[CHAPTER #2 — PARTY TIME!
Difficulty: F
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Task: Team up with at least 2 other people by high-fiving them. Appoint a group leader and choose a name.
Time: 5 minutes
Reward: 100 stars
Failure: Death
This chapter was solely meant to sabotage people like Yue, rendering the savages incapable of finding teammates. Yue managed to survive this chapter in Surviving My First Run by using her surprising power to knock out two other people and force them to join her party.
I turned to face the group, tying my shoulder-length black hair into a short ponytail. “We’ll be a party but keep it just to us four.” I raised my hand into the air and slapped all their hands, lifting the unconscious Yue’s arm and giving her an unnecessarily hard slap.
[Observers Chat]
Nipon23: why are you bitchy in real life, online, and in your own fictional world?
… Okay.
I was definitely not going to check MolaMola’s attachment, and hopefully whatever the hell my skill ‘Scathing Reviewer’ was, it would remain far, far away. However, I wondered why MolaMola wasn’t sending any observer messages. I did block him if that was a requirement to be an observer.
“Everyone, let’s go!” I motioned for everyone to get into the car. Yang quickly circled back to the passenger seat while Wei uncomfortably got into the back beside Yue.
I climbed into the driver’s seat and tried to slam the door shut, but it slammed down on someone’s hand instead.
“Oh my god.” I pushed the door open quickly and faced a trembling woman on the outside, holding her crushed hand. “Are you alright?”
Her voice trembled when she spoke, and her hand was bloodied and crushed. She held it tightly against her chest. “You need to let me join your party.”
I gave her a dumbfounded look.
[Hindsight activated!]
A blue box hovered over her head to identify her, but I immediately recognized her frail limbs and tired expression as those belonging to Wang Ting.
In the fourth arc, Ting had developed a romantic relationship with her party’s leader. Out of paranoia that her fellow party members were jealous and would soon sabotage her, she began hiding significant portions of the party’s food, elixirs, and weapons. She would die in that arc, and the rest of her party would only survive thanks to Feiyu’s charity.
Obviously, there was no reason to team with Ting nor was there a reason she should live as a character.
“I’m sorry, but my party is full.” My voice was firm.
“Please, I’ll even pay you. I saw you during the first chapter, and I can’t team up with anyone else. I won’t survive.” Her voice was frantic, and she grabbed onto my collar now, practically pulling me out of my seat.
Yang reached over and gripped her wrist until she released me, but she only became more desperate.
“Ok, look,” I said. “If you head further back down this lane of the freeway, you’re going to find a group of around seven people that you can team up with, okay? And they’re all very qualified,” I said, offering an alternative. I felt horribly gilty for crushing her hand, even if it was by mistake. The party I suggested was pretty good, too. I brought them up in Surviving My First Run quite often, though they were still far beneath Feiyu’s party.
I tried to shut the door once more, but she stuck her entire arm through. I quickly stopped myself and swung it open.
“Are you insane? Don’t shove your arm in when I’m about to shut the door!”
“I’m begging you! Please! You want money, right? I’ll give you all my stars. All of them. I’ll do anything, I mean it!” Ting reached into the car and fumbled for my arm and struggling due to her shattered hand. She grabbed onto me and tugged me toward her, trying to force me to give her a high five.
I instantly pulled my wrist out of her grasp and shut the van door, making sure it wouldn’t shut on any of her limbs. She began furiously banging on the door. Blood from her shattered hand smeared all over the window.
[Observers Chat]
Socrates: ?? Jia Li, what are you doing?? Have you serioulsy lost your mind??? That’s Wang Ting, you need her!
I shook out my shoulders. My interaction with Ting ruffled me more than I expected. I could feel Yang and Wei’s stare burning into me, but I wasn’t worried about that. An ominous blue screen had appeared before me.
[Warning: This action will have unforeseen consequences.]
Wei gave Ting a sympathetic look as she cried out, slamming her body against the side of the van and crying loudly.
“How can you be alright with all of this, Peijin?” Wei asked me.
His words startled me, but I quickly regained my composure. “We’re only alive because more than fifty percent of the population had to die. If we must team up, I need a group without liabilities.”
“You have an awfully transactional mindset for someone who complains about their exploitative job all the time,” Yang added.
I glared at Yang, pursing my lips, but I knew a part of what he said was true. Rather, none of this felt real to me. I was trapped in a job I hated for years with no hope or fulfillment in sight, but I was now in a world that I had crafted with my own two hands for a decade.
Still, this was only a story with fabricated characters and fabricated opportunities.
The banging on the van stopped. I peeked out the window to see Ting vigorously waving everyone toward the pest control van. She caught my eye through the window and glared at me. Chills spread down my spine.
An even larger group of people turned toward the van and raced toward with their arms raised in the air and their voices clamoring and overlaying each other. Some were gesturing a high five in the air while others already had their hands clasped together, ready to beg to join my party.
Ha. At least now I didn’t need to feel guilty about my decision.
I started the car and drove further down the freeway, trying to throw the crowd off my tracks. Survival meant partnering with people who adapted the fastest and oftentimes abandoning people like Yue, so I wasn’t surprised that they were flocking to me. Afterall, Wei, Yang, Yue, and I had already established ourselves.
A small girl caught my eye on the side of the freeway. No one was near her, and she was weeping into the body of a small puppy in her arms, her shoulders shaking with each racking sob. The puppy was clearly deformed, with some of its limbs and features bulging out more than others from the previous chapter’s monsterization.
I quickly shook my head. No. I couldn’t let it get to me. I made it clear—the party was solidified. What kind of party leader would I be if I broke my own rules?
I immediately pulled the van up beside the little girl. Her blonde hair waved in front of her face, and she had stunning and crystal-like blue eyes that peered back up at me with tears spilling out. The dew of youth seemed to have kissed her skin and gave it a lively appearance. I had a warm smile on my face, my hand outstretched toward her.
Her hair and eye color told me she was a foreigner. I peeked into the destroyed car behind her and winced at the sight of her two dead parents who obviously had been gored by goblins. She must have been forced to kill her puppy to survive the chapter.
“Do you have a party yet?”
[Time left: 2 minutes 03 seconds]
I turned around and saw the crowd of people storming toward me again, and I desperately turned back to the girl with an almost impatient look that was disguised under my hopefully sympathetic expression.
She responded with a language I couldn’t understand, tears streaming down her face. She held her puppy tighter and pressed her back into her family’s car out of fear.
I gave a little sigh and shut my eyes, slightly frustrated. Would I really have to buy this skill? The Azure Dragon store opened before me as I swiped, looking for the ‘Translator’ skill.
Before I could purchase the skill, the little girl slapped my hand, and the puppy’s corpse was now carefully laid down on the car seat.
“Amelia.” She murmured the words under her breath with hesitation, her large blue eyes still full of tears that clung onto her blonde lashes.
This was the world I had created and thrown her into. Even if this was just a story, I felt an odd pang in my heart at the pathetic sight.
“Amelia,” I awkwardly repeated, unfamiliar with the string of consonants and vowels. I grabbed her forearm and threw her over my back in one movement, running back into the van. As soon as I locked the doors, the crowd of people reached the van
“Stop banging on the door!” I shouted angrily at the people outside the locked truck while I gingerly passed Amelia over to Yang. “This isn’t an orphanage! Just team up with the people next to you!”
I drove off once more while Yang held Amelia tightly in his lap, both swaying with my atrocious driving; Yang let out a surprised shout as Yue rolled onto the floor of the van, banging against his seat. Wei hesitantly lifted her back onto the back seat.
For some odd reason, Yang seemed unnecessarily tense around Yue, even though he was in the front of the van. His brow sweated more when he saw her, and he would nervously bite his lower lip, but he hadn’t made any complaints.
Yang spoke to Amelia in English, and she gave a little nod of her head, receptive. He guided her through the Azure Dragon store and transferred enough stars to her to purchase the ‘Translator’ skill.
This man spent money like water. Good thing I was the richest disciple so far.
Richest disciple in this party. Stupid ‘Editor’s Pen’ skill.
[Time left: 1 minute 38 seconds]
“We need to come up with a group name. It’s temporary for the next few rounds, but does anyone have any ideas?”
“You should pick, Peijin!” Wei said enthusiastically, leaning into the gap between the driver and passenger seat. “You should be the party leader for sure. You’re the one who saved all of us.”
“Of course I’d be party leader,” I replied with a satisfied expression on my face, my chin held high.
“I love your confidence, too!”
That sounded passive aggressive. Wei’s childish character was predominately based on the type of character I idolized since I was a child. Funny, brave, and handsome. He was cute like a puppy and as loyal as a dog. I garnered the inspiration for his character based on my weirdly idealized version of my first crush, and Wei was the complete opposite to Feiyu.
I was deep in thought for a moment before replying. “What about ‘Peijin’s Pest Control Corporation?’”
Yang let out a boisterous laugh before going dead silent when I shot him a glare. He replied, seeming perfectly serious. “Why not ‘Yang’s Pest Control Corporation?’ People might be driven away if they see your name in the title.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, blowing a raspberry. “Not a single entity in this world would want to watch a group with that stupid of a name.”
[Party Leader: Liu Peijin
Party Name: Peijin’s World Dominion]
I winked in the rearview mirror and laughed before leaning over to cover Amelia’s eyes as the scenario ended, and anyone who failed to complete the scenario exploded, their heads seeming to swell as their eyes popped up before they turned into a puddle of red sludge.
I could see Ting far in the background, her gaze staring straight into the van even though she was too far to see inside, before she exploded and collapsed onto the ground.
Yue was beginning to wake up in the back of the car, groaning as she sat up before punching Wei straight in the face, startled. Amelia let out a horrified shriek, and Yue became even more panicked at the sight of an unknown child.
This was going to be a fun party. If things worked out how I planned, we’d be in the top three strongest parties in China by the second arc.
[Chapter #2 - Party Time has concluded]
[Stars received: 100]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the chapter.]