In a shallow sea area about two meters deep, Cyan was fully submerged in the seawater, her body and mind completely relaxed.
A school of small fish swam around her as if something about her was drawing them in.
[Survivor No. 11766, please enter the Survival Space within 10 minutes to begin the second round of the survival game.]
The Survival Brand on her chest grew slightly warm. Upon receiving the message, Cyan opened her eyes, and the small fish surrounding her darted away instantly, as if encountering a terrifying predator.
Twenty full days had passed since the last round of the survival game. During this time, Cyan had spent her days either practicing the Mugen-ryu or soaking in the ocean to soothe her soul.
Returning to the mansion Erni provided, Cyan took a quick shower, dried off, and dressed simply in black trousers, a white shirt, and sunglasses. Concentrating on her Survival Brand, she felt that familiar sensation of being struck by a blunt club, but this time it was much better than the last; the dizziness was manageable.
"Master, you're back!"
Nishi, who had been waiting in the private room, hurried over the moment Cyan appeared.
"Yes. It's time for the next round. Nishi, this dagger is for you."
Cyan produced Mack's Dagger (Right)—obtained from the Bloody Chest after killing Zhang Chengfu—and handed it to Nishi. She then equipped her gear laid out on the bed, including that Silver Scale Belt which, as long as one didn't sniff it, had no smell.
"Wow!"
Nishi looked at the dagger Cyan handed her; it was far better than the one she currently used!
"Master, you're too good to me~!"
Nishi lunged excitedly toward Cyan, but the latter dodged effortlessly, leaving her to land flat on the soft carpet.
[Survivor No. 11766's servant: Nishi, Loyalty +5, current Loyalty: 90.]
"Your attributes..."
Cyan realized that given Nishi's current stats, she likely couldn't equip Mack's Dagger yet.
[Survivor No. 11766's servant: Nishi, Loyalty: 90. Strength: 9 Agility: 14 (13+1) Constitution: 7 Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 7 Perception: 7 Charisma: 9]
Nishi had clearly been training hard.
Cyan noted that Nishi's Strength, Agility, and Constitution had each increased by 1 point over the last 20 days, proving her dedication.
"Still one point short in Agility..."
Nishi looked longingly at the dagger before placing it in her inventory. She then recalled Cyan's strange state before she had left.
"Master, are you... okay? You seemed a bit off before you left..."
"I remembered some things from the past. Time is up, we should go."
[Survivor No. 11766, beginning second round of the survival game.]
[Teleporting...]
[Target World: Super Mario Bros., Survival Difficulty: Grade C, Attribute Enhancement: 50%.]
[This round is a Solo Survival Game.]
[A major event has occurred in the Mushroom World. The Mushroom Kingdom has been attacked by the Koopa Kingdom. The King has been turned into an animal, Prince Peach has been abducted by Queen Koopa, and most residents of the Mushroom Kingdom have been transformed into objects. At the request of the Mushroom Chancellor, the Mario Brothers have accepted the mission...]
In a dense forest, the moment Cyan regained consciousness, she sprang up. Her hand gripped the hilt of her Demonic Blade, ready to draw, as she warily scanned the surroundings for any threats to herself or Nishi.
"Master, where are we?"
Nishi woke up and surveyed the environment.
"I don't know."
Cyan shook her head slightly.
[Survivor, please reach the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom within 2 hours to activate the survival mission.]
Cyan relayed the message to Nishi after receiving the information from the Survival Brand.
"Ugh... wandering blindly in a forest like this makes it easy to get lost. And we have to reach the Mushroom Kingdom in two hours... what a weird name for a country..." Nishi grumbled, crossing her arms. She looked at the surrounding trees, picked the tallest one, and walked over.
"Master, I'll climb up and take a look! Maybe I can see the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Nishi scaled the tree with agile movements, reaching the top without pause to scout the horizon.
Over there...
Nishi spotted a cluster of houses shaped like giant mushrooms.
Is that it?
"Master! I see a bunch of mushroom-shaped houses outside the forest over there. That must be where the Mushroom Kingdom is!" Nishi dropped back to the ground and pointed in a specific direction.
As soon as she spoke, the ground began to vibrate. Numerous unblossomed flower buds erupted from the earth. Their stems were covered in sharp thorns, and the tops of the buds were clamped shut like human mouths.
"Whoa! These flowers are huge! They look so pretty!"
Nishi looked delightedly at the vibrant, giant buds growing from the ground. They were covered in white spots and looked beautiful.
Nishi leaned over one, saw the part at the top that looked like lips, and curiously tapped it with her finger.
"This part looks just like lips!"
The moment she touched it, the bud snapped open like a human mouth, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth!
Clang!
The Demonic Blade cleared its scabbard. A flash of blade-light later, the bud lunging at Nishi was sliced in half, collapsing to the ground and leaking purple blood.
"What is this? A man-eating plant?"
Nishi stared in horror at the teeth inside the Piranha Plant's mouth.
The surrounding Piranha Plants began to writhe like supple vines, locking onto Nishi and Cyan with their gaping maws.
"Nishi, lead the way."
Cyan slashed through another lunging Piranha Plant. Faced with a seemingly endless supply, they couldn't kill them all quickly unless they set the forest on fire.
Time was their most precious resource; they had less than two hours to reach the capital.
"Master, this way!"
Nishi sprinted in the direction she had scouted.
"Leave the enemies to me."
Cyan stayed close to her, her blade moving in a blur as she cut down every plant that tried to bite them.
Bam!
A Fire Piranha Plant of a different color burst from the soil, spitting a scorching fireball.
Mugen-ryu: Gale Slash!
Cyan twisted her body, a green, flame-like sword qi erupting from her blade.
The qi severed the vines of the Fire Piranha Plant. Cyan followed up with another Gale Slash, finishing off the creature as it struggled to spit another fireball despite its severed vines.
Upon its death, a Bronze Card dropped. Cyan picked up a discarded vine, and the Ripple flowed from her hand into the plant matter.
Ripple Overdrive!
Under Cyan's control, the vine lashed out and snagged the card, pulling it back into her hand. She stowed it in her inventory to check later once they were out of danger.
[Bronze Card obtained.]
"Master, you even remembered to pick up loot at a time like this..."
Nishi kicked away a lunging plant, looking at Cyan with a speechless expression. With so many enemies around, her master still had the presence of mind to scavenge cards.
"This is an important trophy."
Cyan said seriously, continuing to cut down the gaping maws.
After hacking their way out of the forest, they arrived at the location Nishi had spotted.
The village was eerily quiet. Every house was a Mushroom House, looking as though giant mushrooms the size of buildings had been hollowed out.
After Nishi verified it by almost chipping a tooth trying to take a bite, it became clear these weren't actually made of fungus; they were just built to look like them.
The streets and houses were empty. It was as if the villagers had fled, leaving bricks, stones, and other debris scattered on the ground.
However, even if people were fleeing, they wouldn't leave everything behind.
Inside the homes, everything was tidy. Fresh ingredients were still in the kitchens, proving that people had lived here very recently. It didn't look like an evacuation; it looked as if the villagers had simply vanished into thin air.
"Why isn't there anyone here?"
Nishi walked out of a house, arms crossed and brow furrowed, unable to fathom where everyone went.
"Perhaps they were all turned into something else."
Cyan pointed to the horsetail weeds growing out of the floorboards, and the nearby stones and bricks.
"These are the villagers."
"What?!"