Mental Attack

“Gu Xiaobei, tell me more about what happens right before you vomit.”

Lan Qingyou stopped and turned around to look at Gu Xiaobei, who was being supported from behind.

What was the difference between Gu Xiaobei and the rest of them?

She had been pondering this question for a while now.

If it were a matter of race, there was a Wind Elf in the group. If it were gender, the majority of the team was female.

From these major points of analysis, it seemed that external factors were not the cause of her nausea.

After ruling out most of her guesses, Lan Qingyou finally arrived at a possibility.

This led to her question.

“Before I vomit? I don’t feel anything special,” Gu Xiaobei said weakly.

“No, I mean, are there any specific symptoms?”

“Oh, that. I just feel dizzy and nauseous, and then I throw up.”

Although they were discussing something that wasn't exactly appetizing, neither of them felt the need to be discreet or embarrassed.

One was an alchemist who treated insects as medicinal ingredients, and the other was a chef who treated them as food.

Neither seemed like the type of person who would shy away from such topics.

As for how the people around them felt, they didn't particularly care.

Gu Xiaobei’s answer, however, made Lan Qingyou nod in agreement.

“Then it seems my guess was correct.”

“Hmm? What guess?”

Hearing that there might be a lead, Vivian immediately perked up.

Even though they were all good friends, supporting someone constantly was exhausting.

Even though everyone's stats had increased significantly, if everyone gets a boost, it’s as if no one did. It was still exhausting.

The posture required to support someone made it even more draining.

As for why she didn't let her subordinates help, Vivian insisted that since Gu Xiaobei was her friend, there was no need for them to step in. She preferred to do it herself.

“I was wondering what the difference was between Gu Xiaobei and us.”

“And?”

“Having Gu Xiaobei’s symptoms as evidence has confirmed my theory.”

“What is it?”

“A mental attack.”

“Huh?”

Vivian was taken aback.

“Generally speaking, whether it’s our Witch race or you vampires, we have significant bonuses to our mental attributes. But elves, especially forest elves, don't have much of a boost in that area. That's why she’s suffering the most from the attack.”

Lan Qingyou voiced her suspicion.

“Wait, then what about Li Huai? Why doesn't he have any symptoms?”

Feeling that she was being treated unfairly, Gu Xiaobei glared at the perfectly composed Li Huai.

If there was suffering to be had, everyone should share it.

Him being fine made her look like a fool.

“Look at the gear Li Huai is wearing. It’s all spirit-boosting items. There is a fundamental difference between a pay-to-win whale and grinders like us who rely on sheer effort.”

Using her Analytic Magic Eye, Lan Qingyou could easily see if others were wearing magic items and what attribute bonuses those items provided.

While Lan Qingyou didn't think she would lose in terms of spending, and she certainly had plenty of magic items herself.

However, those were items she and the other witches had crafted themselves. Sometimes, Lan Qingyou truly envied Li Huai’s status as a solo player.

“Is there any way to end this?” Vivian asked.

She hadn't considered these factors, but if Lan Qingyou said so, it was likely correct.

“There are ways. One is for Gu Xiaobei to wait outside, and the other is to increase her spirit attribute until she can resist it.”

Lan Qingyou nodded.

“The first option is out of the question, and we can't expect the second one to happen in a short amount of time. So that leaves stacking magic items on her?”

“That’s the only way. Otherwise, who’s going to handle our daily meals?”

Vivian pouted as she spoke a truth that everyone wholeheartedly agreed with.

Turning back now was impossible, so they had to press on.

Fortunately, they had found many magic items in the dungeon this time. With a little effort, they could put together a full set for Gu Xiaobei.

Although these magic items were technically common property at this stage.

No one had any objections to Gu Xiaobei, their resident artisan, using them ahead of time.

As Vivian said, after ten months of hard work, while their initial food supplies weren't completely gone, there wasn't much left.

After all, Lan Qingyou and the others hadn't expected to stay in a single map for so long.

Nor had they expected the difficulty of clearing a single map to be so high.

Of course, the main reason was the monsters that could constantly 'multiply,' which had wasted a massive amount of time. Otherwise, they would have reached the hill long ago.

Those things were truly disgusting.

So disgusting that even Lan Qingyou dropping stones from the air couldn't destroy them all at once.

One could imagine how difficult it had been to clear the middle section of the path during that time.

But now, whether it was wild vegetables or monster meat.

Gu Xiaobei was the one finding ways to handle their daily meals.

They couldn't afford to let such a chef suffer any mishaps. Otherwise, the daily food consumption for over a hundred people would be enough to give Lan Qingyou and Vivian a massive headache.

“How do you feel?”

“I have to say, I feel much better after putting these on.”

After donning the selected magic items, Gu Xiaobei felt as if a weight had been lifted. The previous dizziness and heavy-headedness vanished instantly.

“It seems I really was under a mental attack just now.”

“Hmm... since that’s the case, let’s find more spirit-boosting magic items for everyone to wear. Any extra spirit attribute is better than trying to find gear only after something happens.”

Thinking ahead, Lan Qingyou decided to boost everyone’s mental strength in advance.

She focused especially on races like Li Huai and Gu Xiaobei, who had lower natural spirit growth.

In her view, since it was an attack—and a mental attack that was active at all times.

It was hard to say whether the attack would grow stronger the further they went in.

So, it never hurt to be prepared.

“Look, there’s light up ahead,” Li Huai, who was walking at the very front with Lan Qingyou, said softly.

His words caused Lan Qingyou and Vivian to freeze in unison.

There had been no light ahead when they stopped just a moment ago.

The sudden appearance of light was eerie, no matter how they looked at it.

Of course, there was a chance Li Huai had misseen it, though that possibility was less than one percent.

Turning their heads, they indeed saw a pale green light flashing intermittently around the corner ahead.

The Big Four exchanged looks.

Then, Lan Qingyou charged forward on her magic broom.

Compared to the others, Lan Qingyou and Li Huai could utilize their speed advantages more effectively in such narrow tunnels.

And compared to Li Huai’s noisy wind elements, Lan Qingyou’s magic broom was more suitable for stealth.

“Oh!”

After Lan Qingyou executed a beautiful drift around the corner in mid-air, she froze in place.