The sudden turn of events left the air heavy.
Everyone fell silent, waiting for the outcome.
But ten minutes passed, then twenty, and no one was eliminated.
By then, everyone present understood that things inside the Instance might have become complicated...
Their earlier suspicion was all but confirmed: the Challengers who had hitched a ride on the Cloud Whale Bus had probably been discovered by a higher-order being.
They had been discovered, yet they had not been eliminated like Bonida. Something was clearly wrong.
Yifuda went pale. "They couldn't have been captured, could they? Will they interrogate my teachers under torture...?"
The mere thought sent a chill down Yifuda's spine.
The Giant City Spirit gently patted Yifuda's shoulder. "Don't imagine the worst when we don't know what happened. They'll be fine. At worst... at worst, they'll lose half their soul power."
Angel spoke up at the right moment. "The Giant City Spirit is right. The situation isn't clear, and it's quite possible they've all been targeted."
"But please trust the mission information Wonderland provided."
"Since the mission information explicitly says dying in Evening Dream Cloud Harbor only costs half one's soul power, you needn't worry about their lives."
Yota knew they could not let the mood grow any heavier, so he followed Angel's lead. "Exactly. As long as their lives aren't in danger, being captured for a while isn't the end of the world."
"Even so..." Worry still clouded Yifuda's face. "They have to stay in Evening Dream Cloud Harbor for thirty days. If they're tortured, can they really hold out that long?"
"Even if they're forcibly pulled out after thirty days, the torture might have broken their minds by then."
Yifuda's concern was hardly unfounded. The Giant City Spirit and Yota fell into thought.
Angel spoke again. "Even if