CHAPTER 131: LEVEL RUSH

"Are we moving? I can’t feel it..."

"Look outside, the scenery’s slipping by so fast!"

"W-We won’t fall off, will we?"

As soon as the Diamond Bus began moving, voices of awe and admiration filled the air. Almost everyone was pressed against the windows, watching as the bus sped forward, accelerating past 120 km/h.

At that speed, the bus should’ve been bouncing wildly from the uneven terrain.

With the dips and large stones scattered about, the passengers should’ve been rocking back and forth, tossed left and right—but through some mysterious means, the inside remained completely stable. Not a hint of shaking could be felt!

"...We’re still getting faster?"

Xu Tao whispered, realizing the bus was still mid-acceleration.

"Yes, we are," Nadi nodded, affirming his observation. "Our Diamond Bus experience requires the vehicle to travel at the speed of sound, while ensuring a comfortable ride for everyone onboard!"

"I see..."

Their speed gradually increased, just as Nadi said—going from the 100s to 300s, steadily rising until—

BOOM!

—the bus reached sonic speeds, breaking the sound barrier as it surged forward.

Shockwaves burst from the front of the bus, rippling outward in violent waves. Where they struck the sand, the pressure differences caused the grains to erupt and scatter—kicked up as if a blast had gone off!

But that wasn’t all.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look ahead of us," Nadi said, raising a hand to present the view through the windshield. "As you can see, we’ll be hitting our first monster wave. Please observe closely."

"M-Monsters...?"

"Oh no! We’re going to crash into them!"

"What are you doing?! Steer this vehicle away from them!"

Almost instantly, panicked voices filled the bus. However, none of the passengers could rise from their seats. For safety’s sake, Nadi was using her powers to keep everyone firmly in place.

Thankfully, no one needed to reprimand them.

The next moment, the bus plowed into the monsters—scattering them into green blots across the windshield.

"..."

Silence.

No one could believe what they just saw.

While they were still processing the sight, the windshield wipers activated, spraying water to clean the green blood splatter from the reinforced, tempered glass. Within seconds, not a trace of the monsters remained...

"Oh, a few of them leveled up from that."

Xu Tao commented as he observed everyone’s level growth.

Within the group, the minimum level was 130.

"Yes, Elder Tao," Nadi replied, catering to his remark.

"As you can see, the experience gained from monsters the bus hits—and kills—is distributed equally among everyone. Those with lower levels will naturally gain more, compared to those already high-leveled."

Of course, this "gap" stemmed from the increasing EXP requirements at higher levels.

Then, with a wave of her hand, Nadi summoned a floating interface. A window resembling a game inventory or shop menu appeared in front of her, displaying item thumbnails.

"And the item drops from the monsters are collected automatically," she explained. "Please don’t forget to retrieve everything from the Diamond Bus’s storage before the time runs out~!"

"That’s convenient," Xu Tao smiled.

Normally, he had to collect loot boxes manually after defeating monsters. But now, this bus gathered the spoils without him needing to lift a finger!

"Can you transfer it directly to my Storage Ring?" he asked.

Nadi nodded. "If it’s an empty SSR-tier or higher Storage Ring, it’s possible. Otherwise, there’s a risk the original contents may be erased during the transfer."

"I see. That’s fine. I’ve got a few empty SSR Storage Rings from earlier. I’ll give you one later for the transfer, when the time comes."

"Yes, Elder Tao."

As they continued along a nearly straight path, heading ever further from the mountain, everyone’s levels rose gradually. Nadi did her job as the guide, announcing their location, the types of monsters they struck, or the ones currently chasing them from behind.

It was chaotic at first, but over time, everyone relaxed and began to enjoy the ride. Reassured of their safety, they no longer feared the nearby monsters.

One hour later, Xu Tao came to a realization—about stat distribution.

For those with access to the Lost System, they could manually assign stat points however they wished. That included himself, Jehanne, and Yifa.

As for the others who lacked the system, stat points were distributed automatically based on a weighted ratio. It functioned like a probability curve—the more points a stat already had, the more likely it was to receive another.

Since even stats with zero initial values could increase, there was clearly a baseline probability for all attributes—not just a simple bell-curve model. Still, Xu Tao couldn’t be bothered to calculate the whole thing.

Just as they were plowing through a swarm of ant-like monsters...

"This bus," Xu Tao muttered, a troubling thought dawning on him, "It returns to our starting point after the time runs out... right?" Xu Tao muttered, rubbing his temple.

He had just realized the potential issue—an hour into their journey. The ticket hadn’t mentioned anything specific, but logically, a "tour" should start and end at the same location.

"That..."

But Nadi’s response was unsettling.

Her smile turned stiff as she answered apologetically.

"It’s difficult to say this, but the ticket Elder Tao used is for a one-way experience. The bus will stop only when the time limit is reached, without returning to our original location."

"...You’re kidding, right?" Xu Tao sighed, scratching his head.

Since the bus was heading straight to where the closest monster swarms were automatically, that means by the end, they’d be facing off against an extremely powerful monster wave!

"Fuck! You’re telling me this glorified XP farm is going to be a one-way death ride after the time’s up?!"

"I’m afraid so."

Nadi hadn’t clarified it earlier, assuming Xu Tao understood the terms. After all, the ticket never claimed it was a "round trip." Whether or not they returned was their responsibility, not hers.

Xu Tao checked his level, which had now risen to 500.

Ever since Yifa suggested it, Xu Tao had been distributing points into all his previously barely-touched stats, balancing them evenly.

For him, a well-rounded stat spread was optimal. Of course, he still hadn’t reached the point where he could add to the Cultivation stat—that was the main constraint.

Save his stat points for later? Not a chance.

They were already falling behind in strength relative to the upcoming waves. There was no way he would let his stat points pile up unused.

Now, with danger looming after the bus dropped them off...

If he wanted everyone to make it back alive...

He wouldn’t have the luxury of holding back.