Witch Hunter...?
Lu Xiu stood there, falling into a long silence.
Seeing Lu Xiu's speechless yet somewhat exasperated expression, Shen Nian and Jian Li roughly guessed what had happened.
The two tacitly refrained from making a sound to disturb each other.
"Call----"
Much later.
Lu Xiu let out a long breath.
What's there to be afraid of!
This was originally a dungeon she created! She managed to defeat the Witch once during the verification run! Why couldn't she defeat her a second time?
Superior!
Well, there's really no other way.
We can't just stand by and watch the placed instances expand indefinitely; who knows how it will end up?
I had no choice but to grit my teeth and get through.
Lu Xiu rubbed her cheeks, then turned to Jian Li and Shen Nian: "You two wait for me outside for a while. I'm going in to do an offline dungeon run."
"Ah?"
Shen Nian was slightly taken aback. "Didn't you just say you didn't need the permissions?"
"This is a long story, I'll explain later."
Lu Xiu sighed, tied her ponytail again, then turned around and strode towards the dark forest.
"What exactly happened? Should we go scout ahead first?"
But just as Lu Xiu took a step...
Jian Li suddenly reached out and gently pulled at the hem of Lu Xiu's T-shirt.
"No need—you're even less familiar with them, and don't worry, there's no danger."
Lu Xiu shook her head. There shouldn't be any danger, but it would probably be very torturous.
Jian Li looked at Lu Xiu and stared at her for a while before slowly loosening her clothes.
"Be careful, I'll wait for you here."
"Me too."
Shen Nian called out in response.
Lu Xiu nodded, then walked straight ahead into the abandoned residential area, and then stepped into the dark forest that stood out starkly against the backdrop of modern ruins.
The gnarled trees on both sides seemed almost alive, rustling unsettlingly in the cool morning breeze.
The banging on the door had stopped sometime earlier.
Take Their Place, there was a suffocating silence.
soon.
She walked through the forest and arrived at the gloomy Mansion.
Behind the Gothic carved window frames lay a bottomless abyss of darkness.
Lu Xiu stood in front of the wooden door of the Mansion, stretched out her fair hand, gently pressed it on the cold door panel, and pushed it forward with a little force.
The heavy wooden door slowly opened inward, and the deep darkness, like a beast with its jaws wide open, loomed before them.
at the same time.
A pop-up window appears.
[Bite!]
[Entering the instance----]
[Role played: Lu Xiu]
The last line of the message flashed by.
A beam of Bai Guang suddenly shone from the void, completely enveloping Lu Xiu.
Lights intertwined and flowed.
The next second, Lu Xiu's figure turned into specks of Bai Guang and completely disappeared into the pitch-black Mansion.
Then, with a muffled thud, the heavy wooden door slammed shut as if pulled by an invisible force.
The scent of decaying leaves wafted over.
Lu Xiu slowly opened her eyes and then saw a familiar scene.
This is a scene you'll see at the start of the Witch Instance.
She was in a dark and deep forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees that rose from the ground. Their rough and twisted branches looked like withered arms, and their dense, somewhat deformed canopies intertwined overhead, almost completely blocking out the sky, leaving only a few dim spots of light.
A thin mist hung in the air, making the surrounding scenery appear somewhat unreal.
Lu Xiu's gaze swept over the familiar scenery ahead, and she was about to follow the route she remembered when she suddenly realized something was wrong.
She lowered her head and raised her hands.
In my line of sight were a pair of fair, slender, and well-proportioned hands.
There was no reduction in size.
She didn't turn into the twelve or thirteen-year-old girl she was at the beginning of the game.
She glanced down at her clothes again; it was a very familiar outfit, and her height and build hadn't changed at all.
"Didn't turn into a little girl?"
Lu Xiu was slightly taken aback, and the last system notification that popped up when she entered the dungeon flashed through her mind.
[Role played: Lu Xiu]
Could it be that...
With a thought, she suddenly flipped her wrist in mid-air.
Swish!
With a crisp hum, the Nameless Blade appeared in my hand, the hilt conveying a familiar and realistic tactile sensation.
Lu Xiu gripped the knife, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.
It's not a forced role-playing mode anymore!
She not only possesses her own appearance and body, but she can also draw weapons and use skills anytime, anywhere!
"Even this changed directly after the instance was placed?----"
Looking at the Nameless Blade in her hand, Lu Xiu's tense nerves instantly relaxed.
If that's the case.
This offline dungeon isn't difficult.
Just as Lu Xiu was thinking this, preparing to take her knife and head straight for the Mansion deep in the forest...
An old, hoarse voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"Little girl, stop right there. You shouldn't be here."
Lu Xiu suddenly turned her head.
She then noticed that not far behind her, at the edge of the forest, sat an old man with a full beard.
The old man sat imposingly on a wooden stake, dressed in a worn-out leather hunting outfit, wiping the sweat from his face with his deerstalker hat.
Lu Xiu looked at the bearded old man and slowly formed a question mark.
Who is this???
As the dungeon's Architect, she can guarantee it!
She absolutely did not let this NPC escape from the forest entrance!
On the other side...
The old man put the deerstalker hat, which he had used to wipe his sweat, back on his head, then looked at Lu Xiu with a stern gaze and continued, "Miss Viola has clearly issued a ban, prohibiting anyone from entering this forest. How did you manage to sneak in?"
"Don't you know that deep within this forest lives a very terrifying Witch?"
"Could you be—"
"----Wait, wait, wait."
Lu Xiu raised her fair hand, quickly stopping the old man from continuing, "I know, but you also know???"
"Who in the village doesn't know? Miss Viola sealed this forest and had us guard its entrance, precisely to prevent outsiders from barging in."
The old man asked directly, "So how did you sneak in just now?"
"Wait, wait, wait----"
Lu Xiu was even more confused. "Viola sealed the forest? What are you talking about? Is the Viola you're talking about a blonde little girl?"
"You don't even recognize Miss Viola?"
The old man looked at Lu Xiu in surprise. "You don't recognize the greatest witcher? Wait, judging from your tone, you seem to have seen Miss Viola before?"
However, I advise you not to address Miss Viola in that tone. She is the village's savior and is now a viscount.
She was also lured deep into the forest. I remember there was a huge fire in the forest that day, but suddenly it went out. From that day on, Miss Viola said there was Witch in the forest.
The old man's eyes were filled with awe as he continued, "From that day on, Miss Viola was like a completely different person. She began to study magic like crazy, collecting demon-hunting manuals everywhere. She not only protected the village but also became the most outstanding demon hunter. She personally set up a seal around the perimeter of this forest and hired us to take turns guarding it—"
Upon hearing this...
Lu Xiu felt a sudden darkness engulf her.
The Witcher?
What is all this nonsense?!
Is this what automatic evolution is all about?
What was originally a puzzle game has been transformed into a Western fantasy work after being placed in reality?!
"Wait a moment----"
Lu Xiu rubbed her throbbing temples, when suddenly she remembered something.
She glanced instinctively at her wrist, where Viola's headband was worn.
She remembered that one of the items in the equipment's description seemed to say it could be used for positioning.
Yes, location!
Lu Xiu reached out and touched the hair ribbon.
"Get out of here, little girl!"
But just then, the old man spoke again, his tone suddenly becoming urgent and tense. He abruptly beckoned to Lu Xiu, "The fog seems to be getting thicker! Even if you don't leave, at least come to my side first!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu looked up and noticed that a faint golden light emanated from the moss-covered wooden stake where the old man was sitting.
No wonder this old man knew there was Witch, yet he dared to sit there so casually.
"OK----"
Lu Xiu responded and was about to walk towards the safe zone, hoping to get more information from the NPC.
However, just as she took half a step...
"You finally—"
"Here it comes----"
A slightly trembling murmur rang in Lu Xiu's ear without warning.
The sound was so close that Lu Xiu could even feel the warm breath.
Lu Xiu's delicate body trembled slightly, and goosebumps instantly rose on her skin.
But before she could react...
Immediately afterwards.
The next second.
Suddenly everything went black.
Before Lu Xiu could even raise her knife, an overwhelming, purplish-black magical power suddenly rose from beneath her feet, instantly engulfing her completely.
On the other side.
The old man watched helplessly as Lu Xiu, who had been talking to him just a second ago, was instantly swallowed up by the purplish-black magic and vanished into thin air without making a sound.
The color drained from his face instantly, his eyes widened in shock, and he froze on the spot.
A full two seconds passed.
The old man seemed to wake from a dream, and scrambled around, stumbling and running wildly toward the village outside the forest.
"Something terrible has happened!!"
"Witch — Witch has appeared!! Quickly, go and inform Miss Viola!!"
At the same time.
The interior of the Mansion.
Lu Xiu felt a sudden dizziness.
When the darkness before my eyes faded.
She then realized that she was no longer in that forest.
Instead, a more familiar environment Take Their Place.
She was forcibly teleported directly into the Witch's House.
and----
Lu Xiu looked around and quickly figured out her exact location.
She was located at the back of the front hall on the first floor of the Witch's House, the very place where she severed the Effect and Cause link between Ellen and Viola's souls with a single strike when she verified her success, and where she ultimately threw down the candlestick and set the entire Mansion ablaze.
But at this moment, there was not a trace of the place being destroyed by fire.
Okay, okay.
They started bringing up old grievances right away.
Lu Xiu gripped the Nameless Blade tightly in her hand.
"Ah----"
Just as Lu Xiu was on guard, a cute voice rang out.
Lu Xiu looked in the direction of the sound.
Not far away, around the corner, a dense mass of darkness was slowly creeping around.
Immediately afterwards, a completely black cat materialized and walked out with elegant steps. It came to Lu Xiu, leaped up, grabbed Lu Xiu's clothes, and then leaped again, perching on Lu Xiu's shoulder, wagging its tail and raising its head: "Long time no see----"
Lu Xiu turned her head, about to speak.
But at that moment...
Ta-da.
Ta-da.
Light footsteps suddenly came from the dimly lit corridor deep in the front hall.
The sound was amplified infinitely in the deathly silent Mansion, as if someone was walking barefoot on the old wooden floor.
As the footsteps clattered, the wall lamps on the surrounding walls seemed to sense some twisted emotion; their flames instantly turned an eerie, dark purple and began to flicker uneasily.
"----friend."
A murmur arose.
By the dim purple light of the fire.
A purple-haired girl slowly emerged from the darkness.
She had a slender and graceful figure, wearing an exquisite retro European-style dress. Her face was beautiful and her features were delicate, but her fair skin had a sickly look, as if she had never seen the sun.
With her bare, fair feet, Ellen walked step by step toward Lu Xiu, staring intently at her.
A pair of deep purple eyes reflected Lu Xiu's figure.
Lu Xiu gripped the Nameless Blade and was about to take a Dodge Step forward.
However.
She was just about to move.
The next second.
Ellen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant!
Lu Xiu was stunned. Before she could react, a pair of slender, soft arms wrapped tightly around her waist from the front.
Lu Xiu froze instantly.
Immediately afterwards.
Suddenly, Ellen buried her face in Lu Xiu's fair neck, rubbing against it vigorously, and even letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Found you----"
"Got you----"
"You really do consider me a friend—you actually came to see me—"
"This time, we'll never be apart again, right?"
"My best friend."
Lu Xiu.
At the same time.
Outside the instance, in an abandoned residential area.
After Lu Xiu entered the instance, Shen Nian and Jian Li, for safety's sake, went to the highest point again, warily looking down at the eerie forest and Mansion below.
At first, everything was calm and peaceful.
That Lin Yi silent.
But in those brief few seconds...
Shen Nian keenly sensed that something was amiss.
"Jian Li —that forest is expanding again!"
Shen Nian suddenly pointed downwards.
Jian Li looked over and immediately frowned.
The forest surrounding the Mansion was slowly creeping outwards.