H-how was that possible?!
An instance with a theoretical clear rate of just 0.79% and an actual clear rate of 0%, where survival was so brutally difficult-and the entire team had cleared it alive?
Who would believe that if word got out?!
It wasn't just the live chat viewers watching [Haunting] who were stunned. Even viewers watching streams of other instances couldn't resist rushing over after hearing the explosive news on the official instance forums.
For a time, this batch of players in [Haunting] attracted countless eyes.
Che Quan's stream, in particular, was practically overflowing.
At first, everyone had bet that Che Quan was a useless little beauty who would probably die as soon as he entered the instance.
After all, the prettier someone was, the stupider they were; the better their looks, the worse their abilities.
That was practically an ironclad law in the world of prejudice.
Yet no one had imagined that Che Quan's abilities would be as extraordinary as his impossibly perfect looks.
Granted, he had spent 99.99% of the time passively idling...
But whenever he spoke, Che Quan determined the team's next direction of exploration.
He was the undisputed master of quietly steering the whole situation.
Almost no one could bring themselves to believe the result, so they all flocked to Che Quan's stream to see just who he was.
When they got a good look at Che Quan, those who hadn't believed a word of the fantastical rumors froze for a second, then fell for him en masse.
They instantly went from trying to expose a fraud to tumbling headfirst into his fandom, settling comfortably at the bottom and refusing to leave his stream even under pain of death.
Meanwhile, Che Quan was still inside [Haunting]-
The path they had taken, previously concealed by dark, dense fog, had now cleared.
A winding trail lined with flowers appeared before them, leading to a small, silver-glowing doorway a short distance away.
That was probably the instance exit.
Chang Jianfeng and the other four followed Che Quan in a daze, unable to believe they had cleared it just like that.
Che Quan, meanwhile, noticed that Jiang Cong had disappeared again at some point.
He really did... come and go like a ghost.
His gaze icy, Che Quan dismissed the thought.
They followed the trail and stepped through the glowing doorway.
The instant white light engulfed his vision, Che Quan heard a notification from the Instance System:
[Congratulations to Player 002, Che Quan, on successfully clearing the [Haunting] instance. Your rewards are now being delivered to your Inventory. Please check!]
Che Quan frowned slightly, momentarily unsure what that meant.
Inventory?
Chen Yuxiang, who had stumbled through the clear in a daze, voiced the same question. "Where's this Inventory?"
Ning Dantong was reading the live chat intently. After murmuring, "There are so many people," she answered Chen Yuxiang:
"It's like a storage space. Open it in your mind, and you can see the transaction history."
By the time she finished speaking, Che Quan had already opened the virtual panel that had inexplicably appeared in his mind.
He didn't much like this thing.
But it hardly mattered.
Che Quan turned his attention to the Inventory.
A small square grid immediately appeared before his eyes.
It measured three by three, with nine slots in total. Nine slots made up a page, and Che Quan currently had only one page.
Looking closer, he saw that four of the nine slots were marked as occupied, though he couldn't tell what was inside them.
He could only identify their contents through the transaction history beside the grid.
Che Quan had no choice but to look over impatiently.
[Points +1,500 (Spend them at the Points Shop. A vast selection of wonderful goods awaits!) Items: Boss's Diary ×1 (Can block one fatal skill; unbound, transferable) Bloodstained Silver Dagger ×1 (Can be used as a weapon and upgraded; current quality: white; bound; nontransferable) "Best Newcomer" badge ×1 (Equippable; grants immunity to 20% of instance buffs while equipped; sellable for 2 points)]
Since the points also occupied a slot, those were the contents of the four occupied slots.
After scanning the list, Che Quan gave only the badge a second glance.
There was no other reason-just the description saying it granted immunity to a portion of instance buffs.
That alone showed how deeply Che Quan loathed skin hunger syndrome, to the point that it had left him with a slight psychological scar.
After checking the rewards in his Inventory, Che Quan couldn't be bothered with the glowing doorway's theatrics and simply continued forward.
He had barely taken two steps when the irritating Instance System notification sounded in his mind for a second time:
[In recognition of player Che Quan's outstanding performance in the [Haunting] instance, you have been awarded 99.99 points out of a possible 100! You placed second in this round's player rankings~ Your future looks bright!]
Che Quan stopped dead. His previously indifferent expression took on a chilling, terrifying edge.
He coldly asked the Instance System who had come first and why he had lost points.
Intimidated, the Instance System trembled and dared not refuse to answer. It replied quietly:
[First place went to Player 001, Jiang Cong, with a perfect score of 100. Y-your points were deducted because...]
Before the Instance System could finish, Che Quan said icily, "Don't tell me it was for having a passive attitude. I was exploring properly the entire time."
Che Quan put particular emphasis on the word "properly."
The Instance System shuddered silently and hurried to deny it:
[No, no! The deduction was because of the fire at the end.]
Che Quan frowned in confusion, his gaze glacial.
Then the Instance System cautiously offered a detailed explanation:
[The survival challenge in [Haunting] lies in fulfilling the boss Qiao Qiao's wish. However, this wish has no standard answer. The solutions players provide can only come infinitely close; they can never fulfill it completely. Therefore, whoever comes closest to Qiao Qiao's wishes receives the highest score. Player Jiang Cong set fire to the entire school at the end, burning the place that had caused the boss so much suffering to the ground. This came closer to Qiao Qiao's wish, s-so he received full marks.]
By the end, the corner of Che Quan's mouth had twitched almost imperceptibly.
His gaze remained dark on his stunningly perfect face.
He said nothing more.
The Instance System hastily hitched up its pants and fled without another word.
Silence returned to Che Quan's mind.
He raised a hand and pressed his forehead.
Then he took a few more steps forward.
The white light disappeared.
A new scene began to emerge before Che Quan.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and stopped.
Chang Jianfeng and the others, who had been walking behind him, had vanished-everyone would be transported somewhere different.
Occasionally, a few lucky people would end up together.
Chen Yuxiang and Ning Dantong, for example, found themselves transported to the same place. Their eyes widened with overwhelming delight, and they couldn't help throwing their arms around each other.
As for most people, there was no telling. They usually ended up alone, preparing to fend for themselves...
Che Quan surveyed his surroundings expressionlessly.
The boundless expanse held brilliantly lit glass towers alongside dilapidated, low-rise buildings on the verge of collapse, broad, bright avenues alongside dark alleyways.
An enormous dark shape occasionally swept across the sky, which seemed enclosed by a translucent, curved barrier. Like clouds blotting out the sun, it plunged everything before his eyes into darkness.
Che Quan narrowed his crimson eyes further and looked up carefully.
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