By the third morning on Broken Cloud Mountain, no one talked about speed anymore.
Fatigue had crushed that idea completely.
People woke slowly, stiff and sore. Some stretched and immediately stopped. Others sat still, waiting for the dull ache in their bodies to fade into something tolerable.
The mountain looked the same.
They didn't.
Someone rubbed his calf and muttered, "We can't keep doing this like yesterday."
Another replied without lifting his head, "Yeah. We're gonna burn out before we hit fifty at this rate."
A third voice added, half joking but not really, "If this was a real game, poison would already be meta."
The comment lingered longer than expected.
STRWH4T looked up. "They eat. They breathe."
Ironroot nodded once. "Which means they process things."
That was enough to change the mood.
GACHAGAMI sat quietly near the back. That alone was strange.
Normally, ideas spilled out of him before his brain caught up. This time, he hesitated, scratching the back of his head, eyes moving from face to face.
"I… might have something," he said.
Immediate reactions followed.
"Oh no."
"Say it carefully."
"Please don't make this another clip."
GACHAGAMI raised his hands quickly. "Not fighting. Not solo. Just… testing."
Warbound turned toward him. "Testing what?"
"If we can't hit harder," GACHAGAMI said slowly, "maybe we make them worse at fighting."
Silence.
STRWH4T frowned. "You mean poison."
"Yeah," GACHAGAMI admitted. "Not killing them. Just slowing them down."
Ironroot didn't dismiss it. "Possible. Plants. Minerals. This mountain has both."
Someone muttered, "This is definitely illegal somewhere."
Warbound crossed his arms. "Who does the test?"
No one spoke.
GACHAGAMI exhaled. "I will."
Immediate protests.
"No."
"You literally just came back."
"We are not doing another death experiment."
GACHAGAMI shook his head. "I won't fight. I won't get close. Just placement and watching."
Warbound considered it. Then nodded slowly.
Observers required.
Immediate retreat if noticed.
No direct engagement.
Lin Yuan was elsewhere, surveying the mountain paths. He didn't see the discussion. He didn't hear the decision.
GACHAGAMI moved carefully.
He gathered bitter mountain plants that numbed his fingertips when crushed. He scraped pale mineral residue from stones near Warhog paths. Nothing refined. Nothing enhanced.
The mixture looked awful.
Someone said, "That looks like a crime."
GACHAGAMI nodded. "I wouldn't touch it."
They chose a spot Warhogs frequented—salt-stained stone, chewed roots, deep hoof marks. The mixture was smeared thinly and left alone.
Then they waited.
And waited.
"This is boring," someone whispered.
"I hate that it makes sense," another replied.
Hours passed.
Then a scout whispered, "That one."
A Warhog emerged from the trees.
At first, it looked normal.
Then it slowed.
Its breathing grew heavy. Its steps became uneven. When it turned its head, the movement lagged slightly, like delayed input.
"It's not dying," STRWH4T said quietly. "Just… off."
"That's enough," Warbound said.
The engagement was controlled.
The Warhog still charged. It still fought.
But its reactions were late.
The kill was clean.
No injuries.
Silence followed.
Then someone exhaled. "That actually worked."
Another said, "Okay, that's huge."
A third added quickly, "But we don't abuse this. This feels risky."
GACHAGAMI sat down heavily, relief obvious.
"I didn't die," he said softly.
No one laughed.
They cleaned up quickly and moved on, careful not to leave obvious traces.
the count had risen again.
Not fast.
But steady.
Lin Yuan checked the numbers later and frowned slightly.
Progress was higher than expected.
He didn't ask why.