"Just yesterday, Little Rabbit, another brother, and I coincidentally ended up in the same square. Do you know what happened?"

"That brother saw Little Rabbit was cute and beautiful, so he made a few flirty remarks. The result? He lost his testicles! It was really tragic!"

"Yikes!"

"Little Rabbit is that terrifying?!"

"That brother really had it rough!"

"Hahaha, one Waldo, one Little Rabbit, these two are the most popular recently. It’s said they are friends, but I wonder if it’s true or not?"

"Who knows, don’t take it too seriously, it’s just hearsay..."

Some people were skeptical.

However, everyone’s enthusiasm for chatting on the chat channel didn’t diminish.

A week had passed since the rule change, and everyone was gradually adapting to this new rhythm.

So, they refocused their attention on the chat channel.

After all, it’s hard to find someone to chat with in the Chessboard World.

If you can’t alleviate the loneliness, you might go crazy!

...

A new day dawns.

Waldo woke up from his sleep, stretching lazily.

His bones cracked satisfyingly, feeling utterly relaxed.

His eyes were bright and sparkling.

"One week has ended."

"The rewards should be distributed now!"

Waldo glanced at the three leaderboards, a smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.

Overnight, he remained the unchallenged first in all three rankings.

Of course, what’s more important was the reward for ranking first, which the system was about to distribute.

Waldo highly valued this reward.

Remember, the last time he received the reward, it brought him quite a few surprises.

He was well-off for at least half a month.

Besides, he got a lot of weapons and equipment!

This time, Waldo was topping all three leaderboards simultaneously!

"I suppose my reward shouldn’t be small this time!"

Waldo mused to himself.

Soon enough.

[The system is now processing the last week’s leaderboard rankings.]

[Trialist Waldo, ranking first in the Combat Power Leaderboard, the Progress Leaderboard, and the Wealth Leaderboard, will receive corresponding rewards. Please be prepared to receive them, Trialist Waldo!!]

The system’s voice abruptly echoed in Waldo’s mind.

His eyes brightened.

Then, he saw three beams of light descending from the sky.

Inside the columns of light, three treasure chests with glowing auras slowly appeared.

The first chest contained various kinds of food and supplies.

The second chest had an assortment of weapons and equipment.

The third chest contained various herbs and fruits.

...

"Another five mountain-opening axes. Now, I have nearly twenty of them, boosting my combat power to over two hundred!"

"With an axe in hand, I can split mountains and carve through rocks!"

Waldo was very satisfied.

Then, he turned his attention to the various herbs.

The third chest was filled with a variety of herbs.

In addition, there was an ancient-looking blueprint, something unidentifiable.

But as Waldo closely examined it, he was momentarily stunned.

These items were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

The herbs were all poisonous.

But besides being toxic, they seemed to have no other use. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

What use do I have for these?

This question flickered through Waldo’s mind.

But then, he suddenly remembered the basic alchemy copper furnace he had obtained earlier.

His eyes lit up.

"Although these toxic herbs can’t be used directly, perhaps with the right method, they could be refined into pills... They should make poison pills, and the effects should be quite good!"

"Locust Grass, Heavenly Ring Flower, Threadworm... and here’s a recipe, wow, it’s for a poison pill!"

Waldo took a sharp breath.

Although it was a poison pill.

Its utility was still significant!

He had a feeling that once the poison pill was ready, it might be of great use to him.

It could even serve as a trump card.

After all, in the current Chessboard World, Waldo’s individual combat strength, compared to other trialists, didn’t guarantee absolute victory.

As long as the opponent has more people or possesses slightly more powerful weapons, it becomes challenging for Waldo to overpower them.

Having poison pills could make handling such situations much easier!

"It’s like getting a pillow just as I was about to doze off!"

Waldo laughed heartily.

One must admit, the system was quite considerate.

It seemed to know exactly what he needed, providing him with all sorts of medicinal herbs, and even recipes, as rewards.

"No time to lose, I should refine these pills as soon as possible!"

"If I’m not mistaken, in another half an hour, the system will announce the rules for the new week’s trials!"

Waldo wasted no time.

He took out the basic alchemy furnace and threw various herbs into it.

Although these were all poisonous, they didn’t benefit him directly.

However, that didn’t mean the poison pills were useless.

On the contrary, Waldo could immediately think of many scenarios where poison pills could be useful.

For instance, when facing attacks from numerous enemies.

Even with Waldo’s strength, it’s hard to fight off multiple attackers.

That’s when the poison pills could be immensely effective.

Once released, the poison could quickly incapacitate a large group of opponents.

Given the current strength of most trialists, few have strong resistance to poison.

Almost a sure hit with each poison pill!

For Waldo at this moment, these were essentially strategic weapons of last resort.

He was quite looking forward to their potential.

Waldo’s eyes were fixed intently on the furnace.

Flames burned inside it, leaping like fiery snakes.

Soon, the furnace started to buzz and vibrate.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

It sounded like countless bees flapping their wings or a big pot of water boiling furiously, bubbling and churning inside the container.

Even the space around seemed to vibrate.

But that was just an illusion.

After a while.

Waldo sensed that the moment was right and slapped the furnace forcefully.

Instantly, the lid of the furnace flipped open.

At the same time, ten dark green pills flew out.

Waldo was already prepared.

Holding his breath and covering his mouth and nose with a wet towel, he protected himself thoroughly to ensure absolute safety.

After all, what he was refining was poison.

He was not yet sure about its specific effects, how potent it was, or whether it could be transmitted through its scent.

Therefore, Waldo had to be extra cautious.

It would be quite embarrassing if he accidentally succumbed to the freshly made poison.

He was, after all, a legendary trialist ranked first in three leaderboards, with high notoriety.

It would be a laughingstock if people found out he poisoned himself.

Out of caution, Waldo made thorough preparations.

He also prepared a small, exquisite wooden box in advance, quickly and accurately catching the ten dark green pills.

Snap!

Waldo immediately closed the box.