Why Are You Cursing People First Thing in the Morning?

In fact, not long after the S-rank unofficial dungeon [Resident Evil] appeared, people on the forums had already begun discussing what it was based on and asking whether anyone had cleared it.

Top players like Zhao Heng were a tiny minority to begin with.

Most people normally had no chance to come into contact with S-rank dungeons at all.

First of all, the offline entrance was one hurdle.

Second, the ticket price was another.

Asking someone who was not particularly well-off in survival points to fork out more than five hundred survival points for a ticket, then head to an offline entrance and compete with guild elites and top players for a spot, all for the sake of some vague, uncertain future—

Honestly, not many people would do that.

But [Resident Evil] was different. Not only could it be entered online, but the ticket price was only two hundred points.

No fighting for spots, no waiting in line. Just one click and you could enter.

That made even the mid- and low-level players, who were the loudest group on the forums, start entertaining the idea.

It was only two hundred points, anyway.

Why not give it a try?

What if?

What if they really managed to get something good inside?

Many people on the forums thought that way.

That was why, in less than half a day, posts discussing the [Resident Evil] dungeon had already flooded the entire forum.

Because most mid- and low-level players wanted to try it out.

Of course.

They were actually rather slow to act.

The truly bold ones had already gone in long ago.

Driven by a mentality that was almost like gambling.

And just as everyone's attention was fixed on the [Resident Evil] dungeon, a post appeared—[That builder named Lu Xiu! You're really a piece of work!! Is the dungeon you made even meant for people to play!?]

Naturally, it drew enormous attention.

Everyone who saw it clicked in immediately.

Then... they found a deranged rant.

[What kind of joke is this! What kind of joke is this! How can there be such a perverted builder! Is that even a dungeon you made? That's torture! Are you insane?! What kind of dungeon throws players into a haunted house right at the start! No hints! No quests! It's dark everywhere! There are sounds everywhere! Take two steps and you start wondering if something's behind you!! You torture players for half an hour right from the beginning, making them wander around that shitty house! That shitty basement! Going in circles for half an hour! Finally, after all that, you see a living person! And then you still get tortured like crazy! That bitch named Mia! Why didn't you just make her revive infinitely!? What the hell were you thinking when you made this dungeon!! And after making it, how the hell did you clear it yourself?! Lu Xiu!!! Say something!!!]

"???"

"What's going on? Did this guy just come out of the dungeon?"

"OP, calm down. What exactly happened?"

"How was it torturous? I don't get it."

"Surely it's not that bad..."

"I was just about to go in... Why does this sound so insane? Wasn't this supposed to be an imitation dungeon? Didn't Brother Heng say it'd be a piece of cake?"

"When Brother Heng said it'd be a piece of cake, he meant for himself, not for us. Still, it looks like even an imitation dungeon isn't easy. It practically drove the OP mad."

"Imitation my ass! It's an original dungeon! Completely original! A piece of cake? My ass! Go in and try it yourselves if you don't believe me!"

"..."

Everyone was completely baffled and began asking questions nonstop.

Just as the number of people joining the discussion kept growing, the OP finally replied again.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

An original unofficial dungeon!

A completely original dungeon! And it seemed... to be extremely difficult!

Everyone was stunned.

And while everyone was still trying to process the news, similar posts began popping up one after another.

Their titles were each more unhinged than the last, almost all accusations born of emotional breakdowns.

Clearly, quite a few people had died in the dungeon at the same time.

[Fuck! Who made this instance? Is this even meant for people to play?!]

[Who designed this instance? Come out! I promise I won't beat you to death!]

[Is the architect insane?! What kind of instance is made like this?!]

[I wanted to quit ten minutes after entering. What the hell was that place?!]

[I seriously suspect this architect has psychological problems!]

[Pay up! Dying deducted a full thousand Survival Points from me!! Pay up!!]

[Hahahaha, so this is an S-rank instance. Hahahaha, so this is an S-rank instance. Hahahaha.]

"..."

A lot of the post titles already looked rather abnormal, and many people looked like they were about to be driven insane.

As time passed, more and more people began making posts.

In an instant.

Eight out of every ten posts in the entire spam section were about the [Resident Evil] instance.

Amid the chaos.

Everyone gradually pieced together a rough picture of what had happened.

This privately made S-rank instance that had caused such a stir not long ago was actually a completely original instance... and it seemed to be supernatural horror-themed. Its overall progression was extremely grim, and the combat was agonizingly punishing. Most players had died at Mia.

They could not clearly explain the instance as a whole.

They could only say that it was disgusting, terrifying, horrifying, and utterly deranged.

Nearly every player who had experienced it described it in much the same way.

Only the adjectives varied slightly.

In short, a thousand words could be summed up in one sentence—dogs wouldn't even play this!

And the question these players who had tried it asked most often in their posts was—how the fuck had the architect of this instance cleared it himself?!

Posts like that were everywhere on the forum.

Those players who had not entered yet but had originally planned to try their luck grew more and more despairing as they read.

Because not a single person said they had cleared it.

There was not one piece of good news.

...There were only accusations, wails of grief, and complete meltdowns.

This drove many hopeful players to the post that had first revealed the [Resident Evil] instance, where they found Zhao Heng's earlier reply: "Easy as pie."

Then they flooded the comments beneath it, asking about his experience and whether he had actually cleared it.

All their comments boiled down to one meaning—

Brother Zhao! Brother Zhao! Say something!!

For most people on the forum, Zhao Heng was the only top-tier player they knew.

That was hardly surprising.

And as time passed, not only did the players who had not entered the instance come to ask him—even many who had entered, died, and decided the instance was insane came over as well.

They wanted to know too! Was this instance difficult for a top player?! Most importantly, could this instance even be cleared?

And just as the replies beneath Zhao Heng's post claiming it was easy as pie were about to hit two thousand.

Zhao Heng finally appeared.

His reply was extremely simple.

[Don't go. There's only blood and death in there!]

[What comes later is even less human!]

[This isn't an instance meant for humans to play!]

"..."

Everyone looked at that reply, then looked at Zhao Heng's "easy as pie" comment from a few hours earlier.

They were completely dumbfounded.

Early the next morning.

Lu Xiu was awakened by a continuous barrage of system notification sounds.

Ding ding ding ding ding—

The irritating sounds barely stopped, as though someone were frantically sending her messages.

On the soft bed.

Lu Xiu sat up groggily. She wore a very plain set of pajamas, the collar hanging loosely open. Perhaps because she slept restlessly, or perhaps because of her full, ample chest, several buttons at the top had already come undone. Her fair shoulder showed through the neckline, while her smooth long hair was slightly messy from sleep, several strands clinging to her cheeks.

She was bleary-eyed, not fully awake yet, and clearly grumpy from being woken up.

"...What do you want?"

As she spoke, another notification chimed.

Unable to stand it any longer, Lu Xiu irritably reached out and opened the system panel. Squinting at it, she froze.

She had received over a thousand emails... and the number was still climbing.

Lu Xiu blinked her pretty eyes, her brain clearly not working yet.

She was a little dazed.

Rubbing her eyes, she casually opened one email.

[Are you a freaking psychopath?!]

Lu Xiu: "..."

Why was someone cursing at her first thing in the morning?!

She opened another one.

[Who taught you to build dungeons like this?!]

"..."

Lu Xiu finally woke up. She remembered that the dungeon had gone live. She had spent a long time practicing [Visual Mindscape] last night... and really hadn't paid attention to what was happening with the [Resident Evil] dungeon.

These emails seemed to be related to [Resident Evil]?

Lu Xiu opened a few more emails and finally understood what had happened.

Simply put... the players who had been tortured by the dungeon had come to email insults at her, the dungeon builder.

Lu Xiu stared in stunned disbelief. After a moment of silence, she said, "...Are they insane?!"

And Lu Xiu was not the only one left stunned.

At the Coordination Bureau, on the floor occupied by the Combat Strategy Division, commonly known as the Strategy Group.

Director Yan Fushou sat behind his desk, looking at the two people before him. "...What do you mean? An original dungeon? And neither of you cleared it? You couldn't even clear an S-rank civilian dungeon???"