God Said, All Are Equal!

【Multi-person Competitive Instance has been matched】

【Welcome to Bloodthirsty Wharf】

【Instance Name: Old Days' Battlefield】

【Instance Introduction: This is the site of a small seaside town. A hundred years ago, a mysterious power tore open the sky in an attempt to descend here. Twisted creatures ravaged the land, and bizarre phenomena emerged one after another. The brave townsfolk rose up to fight back, all to defend their homeland.】

【They did not hesitate to use numerous forbidden powers, ultimately sealing the rift and driving away the mysterious invaders. But the town was also destroyed in the process.】

【You, as the descendants of the townsfolk, have returned to your homeland a hundred years later, attempting to find the relics of your ancestors. Unexpectedly, in addition to the relics, remnants of that mysterious power also linger here…】

【Main Quest: Survive for 72 hours】

【Side Quest 1: Drive out the mysterious power】

【Side Quest 2: Obtain the ancestors' Relics】

【Side Quest 3: Find the traitor among the townsfolk from back then, as well as their modern-day descendants】

【Clearance Reward: None】

【Hidden Reward: Conditions unknown】

As the instance information echoed in their ears, every player holding a Bronze Token felt their vision go black.

Even the powerful members of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau felt their hearts race. The other high-level players grew tense as well.

【Survive for 72 hours】

The main quest was terrifyingly simple.

That in itself was proof of its immense difficulty. It implied the system expected them to struggle just to stay alive.

The lack of a clearance reward was also understandable. After all, the entire place was littered with rewards. The number of 【Relics】 you managed to obtain and bring out would determine the size of your prize.

But before their vision could return, the system's hoarse, Sadako-like voice rang out again.

【Due to a resurgence of the residual mysterious power, most of the forbidden powers in the town are temporarily unusable.】

【Player levels are temporarily restricted to Level 1.】

【Items, equipment, and skills are sealed.】

“What!?”

This time, the players who had only been slightly nervous before instantly panicked. The Rogue Players, in particular, turned pale, some even feeling their legs go weak.

They hadn't expected an opening restriction in this 【Instance Scramble】.

It was a temporary seal, but it meant that until they found a way to undo it, even a Level 30 super expert could be killed by the weakest monster, or even by another player.

Now, everyone was equal.

The players from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau looked calmer. They had known about this from the start.

Otherwise, why would players as low as Level 5 be able to apply for a slot?

Because once inside, everyone started on the same footing. That was why they needed the best of the best from each level. Only those who truly stood out from their peers had earned a spot.

【May you find the death that belongs to you】

As the system's final, ominous words rang out, the instance officially began.

Whoosh!

Wu Wang's eyes snapped open. He scanned his surroundings, his body instantly shifting into an optimal defensive posture.

Dim light filled his vision, revealing old, worn-out tables and chairs. A single radio sat on one of the tables.

The room was empty, without a single window. It looked like some kind of sealed-off basement.

Oh, and there was a male corpse lying in the corner.

He was handsome, the very picture of an innocent, six-foot-tall university student with wheat-colored skin and black hair. The corpse also looked remarkably fresh.

Wu Wang reached out and touched it. The skin showed no signs of decay; it was still springy and resilient.

He pried open its eyes and saw the pupils staring fixedly at him. No matter how he shook the body, he felt its gaze follow him. He could also feel the steady, even rise and fall of the corpse's chest. Just to be sure, he leaned in, about to listen for a heartbeat.

The corpse's breathing was getting a little ragged now, and its mood seemed to be shifting toward anger.

“You're the damn corpse! I'm breathing, aren't I? And what's with the live commentary? Are you insane!?”

The man shoved Wu Wang away and roared.

The moment he entered the instance, he'd found someone touching him all over. He'd even opened his eyes and stared at the guy, but the fellow hadn't reacted at all. He even wanted to lean on his chest to listen for a heartbeat?

Had he run into a pervert?

"Oh, so you're not a corpse. What a shame."

Wu Wang's eyes revealed clear disappointment.

The man heard the disappointment in his tone and trembled all over, unclear if it was from anger or fear.

Damn it, he thought. Is this kid a necrophiliac?

“Forget it,” the man finally said with a sigh. “It's just the two of us here. We should cooperate and figure out how to get out first. I'm a Rogue Player. This is my ID.”

With that, the name 【Yun Ze】 lit up above his head. No level was displayed. Since everyone was restricted to Level 1, nothing else would be shown.

Wu Wang shrugged and revealed his own ID.

【Pending Death】.

“Bro, why are you trembling?”

He glanced quizzically at Yun Ze, who couldn't stop shaking the moment he saw his name.

The other man forced a smile.

“My… my rheumatism is acting up. Shaking my leg helps with the pain.”

Fuck! Yun Ze screamed internally. That ID, combined with his earlier actions…

This guy was definitely a necrophiliac! No doubt about it.

I have to get out of this basement and away from this pervert, now!

Driven by the urgent need to escape, Yun Ze began to explore the basement. He found a ladder in another corner leading up to a locked door. It seemed to be the only exit.

No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't budge the door an inch. It looked like he needed to find a way to open the heavy iron lock hanging on it. He needed a key.

He ran a hand over the floor. Judging by the thick layer of dust, the place hadn't been entered, let alone cleaned, in years.

But strangely, the area around the table was exceptionally clean. There wasn't even any dust on the tabletop, as if someone had just been using it a second ago.

This was very strange.

The basement was large, at least fifty square meters. When the rest of the place was covered in dust, how could the table in the very center be so clean?

Who could have cleaned it?

Unless it was some kind of entity that could move without touching the ground.

“Damn it! Is this basement haunted?” Yun Ze gritted his teeth.

The clue to the key was clearly related to the table, or more precisely, to the radio sitting on it. The logical next step was to turn on the radio and listen for a message.

But who would dare do that under these circumstances?

With their levels, items, and equipment all sealed, what if it didn't play a clue but released a ghost instead? How could they survive? There was nowhere to run in a basement.

Click.

While Yun Ze was still contemplating how to get more clues, Wu Wang unexpectedly strode forward and fiddled with the radio.

“No! Are you crazy?”

Yun Ze was so scared he backed up to the ladder, cursing.

“If you want to die, don't drag me down with you! If a ghost comes out and kills you, I won't be able to escape either!”

Wu Wang turned around, looking confused.

“You're the strange one. I didn't play anything. How could a ghost come out?”

It was only then that Yun Ze realized what had happened.

The other guy had indeed opened the radio, but he hadn't pressed the "play" button.

He was taking it apart.