[Ding-dong-this instance will last seven days. Number of players: twenty.] [Instance background: Experimental Middle School is the best high school in the city, but lately, students have been suffering accidents one after another...] [Main quest: collect and verify four campus ghost stories (0/4).] [Have fun!] [We look forward to your successful completion!] [Friendly reminder: most NPCs in this instance are underage students. Please don't resort to violence to clear it-]
Ji Xun was speechless for a moment. Was that last line aimed at him specifically?
He was unhappy, so the man standing before him with a gentle smile took the brunt of it. "Who exactly are you? What are you doing sneaking into our school?"
The man showed no sign of panic at having his identity exposed. Instead, he advanced step by step, like a predator eyeing prey within reach. "Hello, sir. I'm Yuan Ci."
Yuan Ci?
The player Yuan Ci, number one on the Top 100 rankings?
Ji Xun's eyes flickered. He made a show of pulling the walkie-talkie from his trouser pocket to call for help. "Security-"
Yuan Ci chuckled, then raised both hands. "My mistake."
Ji Xun lowered the walkie-talkie and gave Yuan Ci a smug smile.
Yuan Ci retreated to the corner, then suddenly stopped and said meaningfully, "Sir, did you know veteran players can sense the presence of other players?"
Ji Xun: ...
I didn't know! Nobody told me!
With that, Yuan Ci waved at Ji Xun. "See you in a bit."
Ji Xun felt provoked. He had originally planned to lie low and avoid angering his new boss again.
He pressed his lips together, made up his mind, and headed for the faculty office on the first floor.
Looking at the smile that still lingered on Yuan Ci's lips, Su Rang asked in confusion, "Who is he? I don't think there's anyone like him on the Top 100."
Someone with such striking looks couldn't possibly be unknown in the infinite survival world, so how could he have no recollection of him whatsoever?
"He's probably a newcomer." Yuan Ci replayed Ji Xun's expression in his mind, feeling inexplicably excited. "He doesn't even know about veteran players' innate abilities. Most importantly... he doesn't know me."
"A newcomer?" Su Rang was shocked. "This is an A-rank instance! I just saw the captain of the Deep Abyss Seventh Squad. Why would the system send a newcomer in here?"
Yuan Ci glanced at him and said mildly, "Didn't I go straight into an A-rank instance after my beginner instance?"
Su Rang offered no comment. Yuan Ci had skipped ranks because of his exceptional abilities, but aside from being good-looking, what did this newcomer have that could compare to Yuan Ci?
"Let's watch him a little longer. But he feels extremely dangerous to me."
Yuan Ci couldn't quite describe the feeling. He had been in the infinite survival world for almost five years and had encountered plenty of bosses, great and small, including the most vicious imaginable. Yet only when he saw Ji Xun did he feel every cell in his body tremble.
Yuan Ci felt that Ji Xun had awakened a competitive streak he hadn't felt in a long time.
Ji Xun: Is this what it feels like when the interest is mutual?
The bell for break-time exercises rang, and students emerged from their classrooms in groups. The sports field filled with laughing, chattering students, while the classroom building fell quiet.
A dozen or so people, all wearing school uniforms, stood in the first-floor lobby. They had split into several groups, each discussing something in hushed voices.
A stern man with a buzz cut cleared his throat and spoke first. "Hello, everyone. I'm Wei Lin, captain of the Deep Abyss Seventh Squad. I'm sure you're all experienced players who've been through plenty of instances. I hope we can cooperate and clear this one as soon as possible."
Three members of the Deep Abyss Guild stood behind him.
Aside from the two Dawn Guild members Yuan Ci had brought in, the other players' eyes lit up at the name "Deep Abyss," and their tense expressions relaxed.
Wei Lin ranked in the top fifty. With him leading them, they would definitely survive this time!
"Wei Lin! We'll absolutely cooperate. Sorry for the trouble, but please look out for us when the time comes!" one player said with a fawning smile.
A Deep Abyss member sneered. "Who has time to look after anyone else once we're in the game? You'd be better off buying more items to protect yourself, so you don't drag everyone down."
The player snapped angrily, "You! Don't you need someone to carry you too?"
The Deep Abyss player replied, "So what if I do? Join a guild yourself if you're so capable!"
Wei Lin frowned and rebuked them. "Enough. Are we going to start fighting among ourselves when the instance has barely begun?"
The Deep Abyss player sheepishly shut up.
Wei Lin looked around, pausing when he spotted the two Dawn players. "Are you two from the Dawn Guild?"
Hao Wei, the female Dawn Guild player, answered somewhat coldly, "Yes."
Wei Lin nodded slightly. "The system said twenty players are participating in this instance. There are seventeen here right now. Has anyone seen the remaining three?"
The players all shook their heads.
Hao Wei exchanged a glance with the other Dawn member, Si Qi, then said hesitantly, "Our guild leader and Su Rang are here too."
At those words, the players erupted into an uproar, and even Wei Lin's expression stiffened for a moment.
The player who had been flattering Wei Lin earlier didn't try to ingratiate himself with Hao Wei. Instead, he looked as though he were facing a mortal enemy. "What?! The Living King of Hell is here too?!"
"Someone save me! I just wanted to run an instance! Why did I have to run into Yuan Ci?!"
Wei Lin pressed a hand to his forehead. "It's only an A-rank instance. What warranted the great Yuan Ci gracing us with his presence?"
Hao Wei spread her hands. "You'll have to ask our guild leader."
As everyone knew, Yuan Ci was hailed among infinite survival players as "humanity's strongest fighter," but he had another equally well-known title-the Living King of Hell.
Because his intelligence and combat prowess were both among the very best, the system would automatically raise any instance he entered by one rank.
For example, Experimental Middle School had originally been set at A-rank, but with Yuan Ci here, it might already have risen to S-rank.
That might not make much difference to veteran players like them, but for the others, the gap between A-rank and S-rank was the difference between life and death.
Wei Lin had suffered greatly because of this. Back when he was young and reckless, he had entered several instances with Yuan Ci. Every one had ended with him recuperating at the Headquarters Base for around half a month.
"What about the last player, then?"
Hao Wei said, "That, I don't know."
Wei Lin nodded to show he understood.
"In any case, this is a multiplayer cooperative supernatural instance. You can start by preparing some items for self-defense. Share any information you find immediately. If I discover anyone withholding information..." His icy gaze swept across the players' faces like a blade. "You'd better not try my patience."
"Don't worry, Wei Lin. None of us are newcomers."
"Exactly. We'll share anything we learn right away."
Hao Wei nudged Si Qi, who was frowning distractedly beside her. "What's wrong?"
Si Qi pointed behind the players. "Don't you think there's something strange about that mirror?"
A huge mirror hung on the lobby wall behind them.
It was enormous, covering almost the entire wall.
Their figures were reflected in the mirror. Along its edge, three large, blood-red characters read-Straighten your attire.
Before you continue