After knocking out the Beachcomber with one blow, Loli Monkey jogged over to Soulshadow Tianyou. She helped her up and asked, "Master, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Soulshadow Tianyou said, standing up slightly. She gripped the Fangblade Shortsword and cracked her neck.

"Master, your HP..." Loli Monkey said with a hint of panic.

"Huh?" Soulshadow Tianyou checked her HP. Her pupils widened slightly. Her heart skipped a beat. She was startled.

Her HP had mysteriously dropped by a third. She'd only clashed head-on with that Beachcomber fishman moments ago. Logically, the system should've judged it a blocked attack. Blocking still cost a tiny bit of HP, but this...

This missing third must be from the block. It was just a level 15 monster's normal attack. What if she'd been fully hit?

"Little Monkey, we can't even take a single hit," Soulshadow Tianyou sighed.

"Master, it's my fault. If I'd been more careful, this wouldn't have happened," Loli Monkey said regretfully.

"Not your fault. It's designed this way," Soulshadow Tianyou comforted, patting Loli Monkey's head. She glanced at the hole in the ground with disgust. Without prior knowledge, no one could escape an ambush from a monster bursting out of there.

Monster positions in the Hidden Map were pre-set, unlike random spawns in open zones. It functioned like a solo quest in an MMO—cleared once and gone forever. Fail, and it vanished too. Hidden Maps were one-time only. Dead monsters didn't respawn, but every spawn point was meticulously placed by designers.

This Beachcomber erupting from the earth perfectly captured the devs' twisted humor.

...

White glows shimmered where the Beachcomber died, dropping items. Soulshadow Tianyou walked over and collected them.

"Some coins and two low-grade HP potions. But the EXP is decent," she told Loli Monkey. She chugged a potion. Her EXP bar was nearly level 13.

The map design was fair—it dropped potions. Otherwise, Soulshadow Tianyou might've just killed herself to quit early.

"Leveling here seems like a solid choice," she smiled.

"Master, let's hurry. I don't want to stay here," Loli Monkey said.

"Alright. To the village."

Soulshadow Tianyou gripped her sword one-handed. She stepped forward silently. Her presence vanished. Her form turned ethereal, transparent.

Loli Monkey froze. Her own body flickered semi-transparent. Simple: her master had activated Stealth. Pets inherited the state too.

Loli Monkey's pink face lost its playfulness. It hardened. Her master's moves—the lightning reactions, that flawless backflip, precise skill use, mastering Stealth on the first try... This was a true gaming expert.

Mystic Box dominated global play not through pay-to-win mechanics or cheap fanservice like transparent lingerie on moe girls. It was a legit competitive game.

Gear mattered, but skill reigned supreme in Mystic Box. Overpowered gear stats got nerfed in dueling arenas anyway. Like Tianyou's gender-swap ring—its effect dropped by one-third inside.

Modern "skill" wasn't just hand speed or game sense anymore. In full-dive VR, reaction time, awareness, and intel were vital. Then came mastering hundreds of skills, calculating gear stats, and HP management.

Online clips showed naked-gear pros humiliating rich noobs in god-tier gear.

Gaming had outgrown reality. Schools now trained pro players with dedicated game theory courses.

Loli Monkey was an AI pet forged from condensed game data. Her master's talent was undeniable.

"Ah~ Master, wait!" Loli Monkey snapped out of her daze. Soulshadow Tianyou was already far ahead. She sprinted after her—and instantly turned solid.

In-game, pets stayed stealthed with their masters unless they made big movements. Loli Monkey's running broke cover immediately.

"Little Monkey, be careful," Soulshadow Tianyou called.

"Got it~" Loli Monkey tiptoed forward. Her form blurred back into Stealth.