Snow Mountain Village

(Beep. Exam time has arrived. Please get your examinees ready. Test papers are being distributed--)

The familiar mechanical voice sounded, and Bo Shuo was still somewhat dazed.

He had been drilled far too harshly by 007, and right now, terrifying and bloody ghosts still seemed to linger in his field of vision.

He currently stood in a patch of snow. A vast, blinding white surrounded him on all sides, and swirling snowflakes continuously drifted down from the sky, landing on uncovered skin and bringing a chill.

There were quite a few people around him; not only examinees, but NPCs as well.

Examinees were easy to identify. Those with vigilant expressions and cautious movements were basically all examinees, and judging by their appearance, mostly veterans who had participated in games before.

Right at that moment, a strip of light screen appeared in front of every examinee present.

(Full score for this exam is 100. Those who fail the score will be obliterated! Please answer carefully.)

(You are an adventure enthusiast. Today, your team suddenly encountered an avalanche while exploring in the snow mountain. Currently, communication signals are malfunctioning, and contact with the outside world cannot be established, but fortunately, you have found a village hidden deep in the mountains.)

(This exam is a staged breakthrough. The Main Quest Assessment is now issued--Survive for 3 days (20 points).)

"Look quickly! There's a village ahead!"

A delighted female voice came from beside him. Bo Shuo tilted his head and saw a woman with an NPC title floating above her head pointing not far away.

Through the low-visibility flying snow, the outline of a small village could be vaguely seen not far ahead.

Most of them were thatched cottages, and the snow on the roadside was deep and thick, having gone uncleaned by anyone for a long time. Stepping on it left a half-meter-wide footprint.

Someone came up to greet them shortly after they entered.

It was an NPC with the characters for Village Chief above his head. Short and lean, his entire body was densely covered in wrinkles, resembling an orange peel that had been left out for a long time, dried out and lacking moisture.

As the Village Chief walked over with a hunched waist, a hoarse and exhausted voice that sounded as if it had been ground by sandpaper rang out, "Outsiders, follow me if you need to lodge."

It seemed inescapable.

Bo Shuo sighed. Originally, he had deliberately lingered at the entrance just to see if there was any other way to get through this plot.

This village didn't look like anything good.

Still, it was to be expected; the Proctoring System would not let him exploit that loophole.

The Village Chief stood frozen in place for a moment, then ignored them completely, slowly turning around and walking into the village. The walking stick in his hand tapped against the frost and snow, yet he walked as if on flat ground.

Seeing this, no one hesitated any longer, and all followed after him.

On the way, several people who were clearly examinees gathered together in twos and threes, and then began to quietly introduce themselves.

Bo Shuo didn't need to listen intentionally; as his gaze shifted, the identity information of several people appeared before his eyes.

There were thirty examinees in total: five C-class, ten D-class, and the rest E-rank players.

Judging by the situation, many in the middle should have been grouped in teams, and the backbone of each team was very clear, revolving around the b-rank examinees.

Except for Sang Yu, the short-haired woman in the corner who was a C-class lone wolf, the others brought several teammates with them to varying degrees.

The surrounding architecture consisted entirely of thatched cottages.

The village's development was slow and secluded, seemingly still stuck in the sixties and seventies. There were no street lamps or power supply devices on the roads, and even the coal used by every household for heating came from stoves.

The tour group NPC's clamoring came from behind.

"What kind of impoverished backwater is this? Not a single bar of signal, can't even call the police. Damn it, I've really had enough."

"..."

The examinees didn't chime in, merely following closely behind the Village Chief.

In the end, this group of them was led into a small house at the very center of the settlement.

Soft white snow covered the entire eaves, below which hung sharp icicles, swaying precariously as if they might drop the next instant and pierce through a skull.

Upon entering the house, their bodies finally gained some warmth. Bo Shuo moved his slightly frost-nipped neck, noticing that the Village Chief who had led them to the Small House ahead had already halted for a long time. Like a lagging robot, his movements were jerky and stuttering, and it took quite a while before he adjusted.

An eerie smile unexpectedly surfaced on his aged face, and he then spoke to the crowd, "Everyone, welcome to our Snow Mountain Village."

"To ensure your safety, please observe the following lodging rules."

Rule One: The village is located deep in the mountains, and various giant beasts are numerous. Outsiders must not leave their rooms after eight o'clock at night.

Rule Two: Aunt Wang in the next room is a kind and honest person. You can go to her with any matter, and she will provide you with shelter.

Rule Three: Recently, there is a joyous event in the village. During the recent nights, if the sound of gongs and drums is heard coming from outside, a red candle needs to be lit.

Rule Four: Recently is an auspicious day. A bride is getting married, and outsiders may attend, but when attending the wedding, you must bring the red string on the table every morning.

Rule Five: Aunt Wang has a gentle disposition, but do not mention any words related to death in front of her, so as not to agitate her.

As soon as these few rules came out, the expressions of the examinees present changed. This turned out to be a rare Rule-based Instance.

One had to know that the clearance rate for rule-based instances was extremely low, and most of them had demands on both intelligence and martial force.

What kind of ghost luck was this of theirs?