"The monster seemed to take a few steps back just now."
As soon as he woke up, Colin heard Servant One speak.
It took a few steps back?
Colin seemed to realize something, but his two subordinates didn't appear to have noticed anything unusual about him.
That meant the experience he'd just gone through, though it had felt long to him, might have lasted less than a few seconds in reality.
"So this is what it means to have a strong will?"
His heart pounded like a surging river. Even though that bizarre scene had vanished, Colin was still shaken.
If he'd failed the Willpower Check, he probably wouldn't even have had the courage to send the message. No wonder so many people would rather die than face it.
After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Colin looked at the Chat Channel.
Colin hesitated for a moment, then sent out the message.
There's still an hour. Whether you survive is up to you now.
The Chat Channel was still bustling.
But as soon as a message appeared, the World Channel's scrolling visibly slowed to a halt.
"How to light a Hurricane Lamp: drip one drop of blood onto the wick. It can be your own blood or someone else's."
"One drop of blood will keep a Hurricane Lamp burning for an hour. It'll be dark in an hour, so whether you survive is up to you."
"Also, if you're willing, please forward this message to everyone. Don't worry about Sanction; I'll bear all the punishment myself."
"Besides, there's no need to criticize anyone else or thank me. I'm no saint, and I'm not trying to be one."
"Finally, I hope all Survivors can overcome their difficulties, bravely face their fears, and strive for a dawn and a future."
The long message filled everyone's field of vision.
Almost instantly, everyone who saw it believed what it said.
The words were fixed on everyone's Parchment, taking up nearly half the page so that nobody could miss them.
Most importantly, the text wasn't the usual yellow of the World Channel. It was blood red, striking and chilling!
Aside from those who were exploring and couldn't check their Parchment, almost everyone saw the message.
Those who'd once tried to send out information, only to back down under the pressure, were especially shaken.
They knew better than anyone how much mental strain it took to face that thing.
Someone had actually succeeded!
Who was it?
The question rose in everyone's mind.
Just then, after the message had remained fixed for nearly ten seconds, new text appeared on the Parchment.
[Major Announcement: The Safety System has detected a Survivor making a prohibited statement. The statement is extremely dangerous and has undermined the stability of the game environment. The system will impose iron-blooded sanctions in seven days.]
[The system will also reveal his personal information, mark him as a wanted criminal, and issue a seven-day assassination bounty.]
[As he is the first rule-breaker worldwide and the impact is extremely severe, he must receive an increased punishment. The bounty will be extended to one year!]
[Name: Colin.]
[Survivor Number: 654321.]
[Bounty: 1,000 Mist Points.]
[Bounty Duration: One year (the mission will disappear if he dies before then).]
[Note: The system's authority must not be challenged. All Survivors are urged to take this as a warning, treasure their lives, and follow the rules of the game.]
A few seconds later, all the messages disappeared. The Chat Channel erupted the moment it came back.
"Holy shit, someone really posted the way to light the lamp! Incredible. Just looking at those red letters scares me."
"Who's this Colin guy? Which region is he in? How did he withstand that kind of pressure?!"
"Waaah, I'm so moved. Someone really stood up for people like us!"
"Come on, don't tell me you're actually moved. He just gave you a way to light a lamp. You really think this Colin guy is some kind of good person?"
"Heh, exactly. What the hell are you getting emotional about? You actually think he's a good person? Maybe he's got an ulterior motive and wants us to go get ourselves killed. Just a Holy Mother, that's all. You really think everyone's an idiot?"
"Use your fucking rotten heart, you piece of shit! Let me find out who you are, and I'll scatter your whole family's ashes!"
"I'm saying this right now: if anyone dares go after Colin, as long as I survive, I'll do nothing else for the rest of my life but hunt you down!"
"Count me in! I even bought a Megaphone just to call this asshole out. The big shot is about to be sanctioned for our sake. We can't let him down!"
"Everyone, get moving! Don't waste the big shot's kindness. Whether you want to repay him or not, you have to survive first!"
"Be careful not to wander too far. It's easy to get lost. Make sure to leave markers. Aberrations are usually nearby."
"Forwarding: How to light a Hurricane Lamp."
"So I'm the one they're making an example of."
Colin could see the same worldwide announcement as everyone else, and it was far beyond what he'd expected.
If he'd known that almost everyone in the region would see his message, he wouldn't have added a third sentence asking people to forward it.
As for the Safety System's "Major Announcement," all Colin could say was: Well done!
That would spread the message faster than he'd expected, giving them more time to prepare.
"The bounty is a bit of a problem, though. For at least a year, I can't let anyone see my Personal Panel. Otherwise, someone will definitely stab me in the back. Heh, I never thought I'd be worth a thousand Mist Points."
Colin laughed at himself.
He knew how important Mist Points were. They were practically an all-purpose currency and an extremely valuable resource, whether for improving himself or his subordinates.
Some people might say all sorts of things, but when a big "piece of the pie" was right in front of them, even a saint would hesitate.
Human nature couldn't stand up to a test.
At that moment, the [Private Channel] option on Colin's Parchment was flashing even more rapidly than the [World Channel].
But he wasn't in the mood to read the private messages just then.
Then he opened the [Regional Channel] and checked. Once he'd confirmed that the people in his own region—the ones who mattered most—had received the message, he closed the Parchment.
Colin looked up at the bloody red name hanging over his head. With the help of the prompt, he
turned it off.
The game let players choose whether to make their names public.
In other words, if Colin didn't show his Personal Panel to anyone, nobody would know he was marked as a wanted criminal.
"Mm, that's reasonable. It respects people's privacy."
Colin felt like he had something to complain about. Then he looked at his two Servants and said:
"Wait. If the monster hasn't left by the last thirty minutes, we'll go underground."
"Yes, Lord!"
Time until nightfall: 57 minutes.
Before you continue