In the last five minutes before the instance closed, where no one could see, shadows coagulated in the darkness. They swam in unsettling arcane patterns on the ground, penetrating into this world of smoke, fire, and screaming.
As a pro in destroying instances, the Devil could tell at a glance that there was no way this instance would pass the system criteria.
However, for a newcomer with the courage to make this first attempt, it was certainly commendable for him to have made it this far.
In view of how delightfully surprising this spectacle was…
The man who had dissolved from the darkness stared into the distance, towards the white-haired Magician and his encirclement, and chuckled meaningfully. He then took a step back, submerging into endless darkness.
Standing in the middle of the quadrangle, as though sensing something, Zong Jiu looked up.
All before him was fire, smog, and flying grit. Not a single silhouette in sight.
Yet somehow, intuitively, Zong Jiu’s Devil radar was buzzing.
No. 1 must have done something behind his back.
The next second, at a place where no one saw, shadows faded silently and plastered onto the last NPC hiding behind a broken wall, instantly staining his pupils pitch-black.
Immediately after, an icy system notification resounded in everyone’s ears.
[The countdown to 120 days is up. The main task has ended.]
[Remaining survivors: 461]
In a split second, the dancing sparks and raging flames froze.
The flying exam papers froze mid-air.
Even further off, past the rumble, police cars blaring their sirens arrived at the scene, along with many parents who received the news.
The faceless masses stood in silence far away, only able to play supporting roles due to the plot storyline, unable to intervene.
At the system’s mechanical beep, all background transformed into solid blocks of colour, stilling.
[Please hold. The system is assessing…]
[B-rank trainee collective instance: First High School. The instance has been destroyed.]
[Clearance rewards are being settled… The instance is being closed… You will be transferred in 30 seconds to the location: Broadcasting Studio.]
A thousand B-rank trainees entered this instance, yet when they left, their numbers were reduced by more than half. One in every two B-rank trainees was forever left behind in this collective instance, without even their remains being recovered.
For a time, no one spoke. The dead silence spread.
They knew. The people they lost in this instance, perhaps former companions, would never return to them.
Fortunately, thirty seconds sufficed to hold a short funeral.
Jijrr 9 klqfv atflg afjgr. Mjmlcu atf reggbecvlcu olgf jcv kgfmxjuf, atfs abbx bcf ijra ybk.
Ktfs klii ilnf bc. Mbg lcvfz 15 jcv lcvfz 99, ilnlcu ilof kfii.
—
Ktf ygbjvmjralcu raevlb kjr atf rjwf jr ktfc atfs vfqjgafv.
Ktf nfgvjca ugjrr jabq Zbeca Yiswqer kjr iert. Rb wbecajlc mbeiv yf tlutfg atjc j vlnlcf wbecajlc, jcv fnfc Zbeca Snfgfra ofii ojg yfcfjat atf ubvr jybnf, lar rcbks qfjx j rqgfjv bo uilaafglcu ktlaf lc gfoifmafv rqifcvbeg.
Sacred pillars of the twelve Olympians towered in the far distance. Kaleidoscopic spring waters poured out of Hebe’s golden cup, yet reflecting an ominous hue.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell this was the grounds of a horrific massacre. After all, shocking trails of blood were still dripping from the tops of the ivory white pillars.
Apart from S-ranks who were distributed into different instances, the rest of the trainees were placed into their own collective instances, each with a duration of a hundred and twenty days.
Now, when the time was up, the lucky survivors of the four ranks were all transferred over and looking at each other in helpless dismay.
B-ranks had been thrown into an exceedingly brutal instance revolving around university entrance examinations, forced to absorb knowledge of no use to them for a hundred and twenty days at the expense of four whole classes.
A-rank trainees got off no better. They were on a luxury cruise ship in the twentieth century. The system had given everyone a debuff of having to drink water, so freshwater was a scarce resource on this ship. During the subsequent hundred and twenty days, the cruise was set to sail across the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. However, a terrible storm mid-route caused the compass to go haywire. Not only were they lost out at sea, they’d even run into a hideous shoal of merfolk.
Once infected by the merfolk virus or not hydrating themselves in this environment, they would grow fish scales over their bodies, eventually transforming into abominations that couldn’t see the light of day.
Like First High School, the A-rank instance also tested the human heart.
When fresh water became scarce, everyone wanted it. At once, they fractured into many different camps, each backstabbing the other, turning the show more and more exciting.
On the other hand, the collective instance for D-rank trainees was set on a deserted island.
Not only was the deserted island home to aliens uncannily humanoid in appearance, there was even a health bar for each trainee, forcing them to embark on a Robinsonade.
Those fearsome aliens could take human form after devouring someone, and thereafter gain their memories and the ability to act flawlessly like the original. It was extremely difficult to guard against, bringing untold hardship to the trainees.
Among them all, C-rank trainees had it worst. Even an S-rank fell to this instance, which was a testament to its danger and difficulty.
They were thrown right into the midst of a Mount Olympus instance. It was evidently a Greek mythology set-up, yet the instance revolved around Ragnarök of Norse mythology. The gods transformed into brutal beings vying for devotion, not inferior to any supernatural entity found in a horror instance. Many were wiped out indiscriminately.
The number of trainees on the C-rank step diminished the most, seeing only a little over a thousand surviving from what was originally several thousand strong.
After such a long and gruelling mental test, fatigue was visible across every trainee’s face, a surreal sense of isolation hanging over them.
Many trainees finally registered their exhaustion only then, crouching on the ground, bawling.
A hundred and twenty days was long enough. Compared to other horrifying yet fast-paced instances, this collective instance wore tortuously on them, leaving survivors physically and mentally drained.
[Panoramic camera has been successfully enabled.]
In the wake of the system’s proclamation, high walls slowly descended from the void, like a gift box being covered back up. Half a minute later, the terrain of Mount Olympus was no longer visible, and the hall was reverted to its luxurious appearance of scarlet carpets and suspended gilt chandeliers.
[All trainees have assembled. We will now commence the third post-match cum fourth round of evaluation.]
[As the format of this round was an elimination-type collective instance, there will be no rank-wide elimination for this evaluation. Only the individual ratings will change.]
This system message immediately lifted the gloom of the trainees, bringing tears of joy to their eyes.
It would be too cruel for them to have survived a collective instance only to be subject to rank elimination again. Fortunately, these collective instances had served the system’s purpose, and thus there was no need for the system to push the trainees too hard. It understands the concept of making cessations to reap better results.
[Ah, finally. At long last, the system is being humane for once.]
[+1. I followed four live broadcasts, watching all four collective instances and almost drove myself into seclusion. Now I’m really glad I hadn’t registered for the Thriller Trainee competition… Although with my rubbish strength, I might not even get selected even if I did, fuck.]
[Actually, getting eliminated here or not makes no difference. Without enough awareness, even if you get away with it this time, you might not be so lucky next time. Sooner or later, death will come.]
The white-haired Magician was still standing on the B-rank step, his posture never changing even once.
Below, Xu Su and Xu Sen who had just escaped from the jaws of death in their instance both waved at him to show that they were fine.
Zong Jiu gave a nonchalant nod, casually raising his eyes to the higher vantage where Zhuge An sat. As usual, the middle throne was empty.
Zong Jiu hadn’t forgotten. He still had a score to settle with Zhuge An.
Of course, whether or not this score existed, he trusted that Zhuge An would proactively seek him out anyway.
More than that, what really irked him was what the Devil was up to at the end of the First High School instance.
The chandeliers hanging from the dome went out one by one.
With no rank-wide elimination this time, the atmosphere between the trainees was much more relaxed, easing significantly from before. Friends had even begun to chat and joke around with each other.
“The collective instance this time was insane, seriously.” An A-rank trainee sighed. “Only half the A-ranks managed to survive, it’s almost on the difficulty level of an S-rank instance.”
Higher-ranking trainees stuck with people from their organisations.
Though of different ranks, they still knew each other, and it was easy to strike up a conversation.
During the conversation, a B-rank smoothly cut in, “Yeah, if it weren’t for the Magician and Van Zhuo bringing us together to destroy the instance, probably only three hundred or so B-ranks would have survived.”
After he said that, everyone around him was silent for a second.
All the A and C-ranks who heard this looked at him incredulously.
“Say that again? You destroyed your collective instance?”
Disbelieving, trainees repeated, “Destroyed? Was it confirmed by the system?”
A stone stirred up a thousand waves; the news spread, and all eyes turned over in unison.
Without exception, shock was splashed across everyone’s face.
Many A-ranks looked suspicious, obviously not believing that B-rank’s words.
“Impossible… It’s been ages and I haven’t heard of anyone being able to perfectly destroy an instance aside from him.”
“Yeah, didn’t an elite party from a major organisation get wiped out in the Terror Menagerie instance before? If it doesn’t meet the system criteria, as long as there is one misstep, you’ll be obliterated for harming NPCs. Otherwise, more would have tried to have a go at it. Besides, this is even a high-ranked instance.”
Their mutterings upset the B-ranks who had escaped from death.
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask anyone else.”
“Yeah, if it was only one saying so then it could be a dud, but check out how many B-ranks there are. Just try asking any one of us.”
With so many B-ranks stepping up to corroborate this news, the A-ranks exchanged glances with each other, only then swallowing down the shocking fact, and they shouted in surprise.
“Holy fuck, incredible. How did you guys do it?”
“We never expected it to… The main reason was that the instance happened to have the perfect environment, so in summary, a lot of things happened in between, it’s hard to explain, but the result is that—we blew up the school.”
“Although it was terrifying to think about at that time, look at it now. Hoho, I seem to have fulfilled the lifelong dream I had as a student!”
“Totally. One World, One Dream. I used to dream of burning down the school every day back when I was studying.”
“Uh-huh, it’s too cool for words. The Magician is truly something. Man, people were out partying and having fun while we crammed for the finals. Who would have thought the plan would go so smoothly too? Why couldn’t I have been assigned to Class 9 back then.”
“Hear, hear.”
Another B-rank sighed ruefully. “I really couldn’t understand why the trainees in that class were so protective of their members back then, but now I finally do.”
A group of people stood there. After getting over their ruefulness, they each savoured the aftertaste of revenge, pumping their fists, in such a good mood that they broke out in song.
“The sun is shining in the sky, and the flowers are smiling at me. The teacher said, Morning! Morning! Morning! Why am I carrying this dynamite bag~”
“The teachers had zero clue. Once the cord was pulled, I ran, and then boom! The school is gone!”
Everyone else: ???
In the last five minutes before the instance closed, where no one could see, shadows coagulated in the darkness. They swam in unsettling arcane patterns on the ground, penetrating into this world of smoke, fire, and screaming.
As a pro in destroying instances, the Devil could tell at a glance that there was no way this instance would pass the system criteria.
However, for a newcomer with the courage to make this first attempt, it was certainly commendable for him to have made it this far.
In view of how delightfully surprising this spectacle was…
The man who had dissolved from the darkness stared into the distance, towards the white-haired Magician and his encirclement, and chuckled meaningfully. He then took a step back, submerging into endless darkness.
Standing in the middle of the quadrangle, as though sensing something, Zong Jiu looked up.
All before him was fire, smog, and flying grit. Not a single silhouette in sight.
Yet somehow, intuitively, Zong Jiu’s Devil radar was buzzing.
No. 1 must have done something behind his back.
The next second, at a place where no one saw, shadows faded silently and plastered onto the last NPC hiding behind a broken wall, instantly staining his pupils pitch-black.
Immediately after, an icy system notification resounded in everyone’s ears.
[The countdown to 120 days is up. The main task has ended.]
[Remaining survivors: 461]
In a split second, the dancing sparks and raging flames froze.
The flying exam papers froze mid-air.
Even further off, past the rumble, police cars blaring their sirens arrived at the scene, along with many parents who received the news.
The faceless masses stood in silence far away, only able to play supporting roles due to the plot storyline, unable to intervene.
At the system’s mechanical beep, all background transformed into solid blocks of colour, stilling.
[Please hold. The system is assessing…]
[B-rank trainee collective instance: First High School. The instance has been destroyed.]
[Clearance rewards are being settled… The instance is being closed… You will be transferred in 30 seconds to the location: Broadcasting Studio.]
A thousand B-rank trainees entered this instance, yet when they left, their numbers were reduced by more than half. One in every two B-rank trainees was forever left behind in this collective instance, without even their remains being recovered.
For a time, no one spoke. The dead silence spread.
They knew. The people they lost in this instance, perhaps former companions, would never return to them.
Fortunately, thirty seconds sufficed to hold a short funeral.
Jijrr 9 klqfv atflg afjgr. Mjmlcu atf reggbecvlcu olgf jcv kgfmxjuf, atfs abbx bcf ijra ybk.
Ktfs klii ilnf bc. Mbg lcvfz 15 jcv lcvfz 99, ilnlcu ilof kfii.
—
Ktf ygbjvmjralcu raevlb kjr atf rjwf jr ktfc atfs vfqjgafv.
Ktf nfgvjca ugjrr jabq Zbeca Yiswqer kjr iert. Rb wbecajlc mbeiv yf tlutfg atjc j vlnlcf wbecajlc, jcv fnfc Zbeca Snfgfra ofii ojg yfcfjat atf ubvr jybnf, lar rcbks qfjx j rqgfjv bo uilaafglcu ktlaf lc gfoifmafv rqifcvbeg.
Sacred pillars of the twelve Olympians towered in the far distance. Kaleidoscopic spring waters poured out of Hebe’s golden cup, yet reflecting an ominous hue.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell this was the grounds of a horrific massacre. After all, shocking trails of blood were still dripping from the tops of the ivory white pillars.
Apart from S-ranks who were distributed into different instances, the rest of the trainees were placed into their own collective instances, each with a duration of a hundred and twenty days.
Now, when the time was up, the lucky survivors of the four ranks were all transferred over and looking at each other in helpless dismay.
B-ranks had been thrown into an exceedingly brutal instance revolving around university entrance examinations, forced to absorb knowledge of no use to them for a hundred and twenty days at the expense of four whole classes.
A-rank trainees got off no better. They were on a luxury cruise ship in the twentieth century. The system had given everyone a debuff of having to drink water, so freshwater was a scarce resource on this ship. During the subsequent hundred and twenty days, the cruise was set to sail across the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. However, a terrible storm mid-route caused the compass to go haywire. Not only were they lost out at sea, they’d even run into a hideous shoal of merfolk.
Once infected by the merfolk virus or not hydrating themselves in this environment, they would grow fish scales over their bodies, eventually transforming into abominations that couldn’t see the light of day.
Like First High School, the A-rank instance also tested the human heart.
When fresh water became scarce, everyone wanted it. At once, they fractured into many different camps, each backstabbing the other, turning the show more and more exciting.
On the other hand, the collective instance for D-rank trainees was set on a deserted island.
Not only was the deserted island home to aliens uncannily humanoid in appearance, there was even a health bar for each trainee, forcing them to embark on a Robinsonade.
Those fearsome aliens could take human form after devouring someone, and thereafter gain their memories and the ability to act flawlessly like the original. It was extremely difficult to guard against, bringing untold hardship to the trainees.
Among them all, C-rank trainees had it worst. Even an S-rank fell to this instance, which was a testament to its danger and difficulty.
They were thrown right into the midst of a Mount Olympus instance. It was evidently a Greek mythology set-up, yet the instance revolved around Ragnarök of Norse mythology. The gods transformed into brutal beings vying for devotion, not inferior to any supernatural entity found in a horror instance. Many were wiped out indiscriminately.
The number of trainees on the C-rank step diminished the most, seeing only a little over a thousand surviving from what was originally several thousand strong.
After such a long and gruelling mental test, fatigue was visible across every trainee’s face, a surreal sense of isolation hanging over them.
Many trainees finally registered their exhaustion only then, crouching on the ground, bawling.
A hundred and twenty days was long enough. Compared to other horrifying yet fast-paced instances, this collective instance wore tortuously on them, leaving survivors physically and mentally drained.
[Panoramic camera has been successfully enabled.]
In the wake of the system’s proclamation, high walls slowly descended from the void, like a gift box being covered back up. Half a minute later, the terrain of Mount Olympus was no longer visible, and the hall was reverted to its luxurious appearance of scarlet carpets and suspended gilt chandeliers.
[All trainees have assembled. We will now commence the third post-match cum fourth round of evaluation.]
[As the format of this round was an elimination-type collective instance, there will be no rank-wide elimination for this evaluation. Only the individual ratings will change.]
This system message immediately lifted the gloom of the trainees, bringing tears of joy to their eyes.
It would be too cruel for them to have survived a collective instance only to be subject to rank elimination again. Fortunately, these collective instances had served the system’s purpose, and thus there was no need for the system to push the trainees too hard. It understands the concept of making cessations to reap better results.
[Ah, finally. At long last, the system is being humane for once.]
[+1. I followed four live broadcasts, watching all four collective instances and almost drove myself into seclusion. Now I’m really glad I hadn’t registered for the Thriller Trainee competition… Although with my rubbish strength, I might not even get selected even if I did, fuck.]
[Actually, getting eliminated here or not makes no difference. Without enough awareness, even if you get away with it this time, you might not be so lucky next time. Sooner or later, death will come.]
The white-haired Magician was still standing on the B-rank step, his posture never changing even once.
Below, Xu Su and Xu Sen who had just escaped from the jaws of death in their instance both waved at him to show that they were fine.
Zong Jiu gave a nonchalant nod, casually raising his eyes to the higher vantage where Zhuge An sat. As usual, the middle throne was empty.
Zong Jiu hadn’t forgotten. He still had a score to settle with Zhuge An.
Of course, whether or not this score existed, he trusted that Zhuge An would proactively seek him out anyway.
More than that, what really irked him was what the Devil was up to at the end of the First High School instance.
The chandeliers hanging from the dome went out one by one.
With no rank-wide elimination this time, the atmosphere between the trainees was much more relaxed, easing significantly from before. Friends had even begun to chat and joke around with each other.
“The collective instance this time was insane, seriously.” An A-rank trainee sighed. “Only half the A-ranks managed to survive, it’s almost on the difficulty level of an S-rank instance.”
Higher-ranking trainees stuck with people from their organisations.
Though of different ranks, they still knew each other, and it was easy to strike up a conversation.
During the conversation, a B-rank smoothly cut in, “Yeah, if it weren’t for the Magician and Van Zhuo bringing us together to destroy the instance, probably only three hundred or so B-ranks would have survived.”
After he said that, everyone around him was silent for a second.
All the A and C-ranks who heard this looked at him incredulously.
“Say that again? You destroyed your collective instance?”
Disbelieving, trainees repeated, “Destroyed? Was it confirmed by the system?”
A stone stirred up a thousand waves; the news spread, and all eyes turned over in unison.
Without exception, shock was splashed across everyone’s face.
Many A-ranks looked suspicious, obviously not believing that B-rank’s words.
“Impossible… It’s been ages and I haven’t heard of anyone being able to perfectly destroy an instance aside from him.”
“Yeah, didn’t an elite party from a major organisation get wiped out in the Terror Menagerie instance before? If it doesn’t meet the system criteria, as long as there is one misstep, you’ll be obliterated for harming NPCs. Otherwise, more would have tried to have a go at it. Besides, this is even a high-ranked instance.”
Their mutterings upset the B-ranks who had escaped from death.
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask anyone else.”
“Yeah, if it was only one saying so then it could be a dud, but check out how many B-ranks there are. Just try asking any one of us.”
With so many B-ranks stepping up to corroborate this news, the A-ranks exchanged glances with each other, only then swallowing down the shocking fact, and they shouted in surprise.
“Holy fuck, incredible. How did you guys do it?”
“We never expected it to… The main reason was that the instance happened to have the perfect environment, so in summary, a lot of things happened in between, it’s hard to explain, but the result is that—we blew up the school.”
“Although it was terrifying to think about at that time, look at it now. Hoho, I seem to have fulfilled the lifelong dream I had as a student!”
“Totally. One World, One Dream. I used to dream of burning down the school every day back when I was studying.”
“Uh-huh, it’s too cool for words. The Magician is truly something. Man, people were out partying and having fun while we crammed for the finals. Who would have thought the plan would go so smoothly too? Why couldn’t I have been assigned to Class 9 back then.”
“Hear, hear.”
Another B-rank sighed ruefully. “I really couldn’t understand why the trainees in that class were so protective of their members back then, but now I finally do.”
A group of people stood there. After getting over their ruefulness, they each savoured the aftertaste of revenge, pumping their fists, in such a good mood that they broke out in song.
“The sun is shining in the sky, and the flowers are smiling at me. The teacher said, Morning! Morning! Morning! Why am I carrying this dynamite bag~”
“The teachers had zero clue. Once the cord was pulled, I ran, and then boom! The school is gone!”
Everyone else: ???
