Church Shelter

“Searching, searching, for a friend~”

“Found a very good friend~”

“Give a bow and shake a hand~”

“You are my very good friend~”

An innocent children's song echoed through the town's alleys, followed by the sound of cheerful, hopping footsteps.

Tap, tap, tap...

The soft, light hops clearly belonged to a child.

However, Yun Ze, hiding in a wooden crate, swallowed hard and held his breath. He didn't dare make a sound.

The tapping grew closer.

A red shadow flitted past the front of the crate.

Through the single crack in the wood, Yun Ze watched the figure recede into the distance. Only then did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The one hopping was indeed a small child, her steps light and cute.

But any sense of cuteness vanished when he saw what she was carrying. The little girl was holding two severed hands, dripping blood onto the cobblestones as she danced.

Those hands belonged to other Rogue Players.

Yun Ze had watched her tear them off with his own eyes.

The little girl wanted to dance with any player she found. Those who refused had their legs broken. Those who couldn't keep up with her rhythm had their arms torn off.

Her pace would gradually accelerate to a level far beyond that of a professional dancer. Yun Ze knew without a doubt that he couldn't keep up. It wasn't a matter of stamina. For someone with poor coordination or no dance experience, physical strength was useless.

“Damn it! What was the point of getting our abilities back if this is what we have to face?”

Yun Ze grumbled helplessly.

After exiting the Hidden Map, the players had found themselves back in Aiguyi Town. They had all reappeared randomly inside different houses, but what awaited them this time were eerie Fierce Ghosts.

When they first entered the Instance, they had all noticed the countless ghosts in the town. But back then, most of them were inert, much like the ones Wu Wang and the others first encountered. As long as you offered some 【Suffering】, they would let you pass.

Others, like the family nailed to the ceiling, were so preoccupied with their own 【Suffering】 that they paid the players no mind.

But it was different now.

The Fierce Ghosts had become inexplicably agitated. They roamed the streets aimlessly. The moment they spotted a player, they would launch into a frenzied torment, determined to make their victim feel true 【Suffering】.

It wasn't that the players couldn't fight back. Yun Ze himself was confident he could take out that little girl.

But in the face of absolute numbers, such resistance was laughable.

The most terrifying thing about the town's ghosts wasn't their methods of torture.

It was their sheer numbers.

Once a player was entangled with one Fierce Ghost, the ensuing battle would inevitably create a commotion. Nearby ghosts would sense the disturbance and swarm over. Their group movement would, in turn, alert even more distant ghosts, creating a ripple effect.

A single person could only do so much. Before long, any player who fought back would be swallowed by a tide-like swarm and die a tragic death.

“Found a good friend!”

Just as Yun Ze was wondering where to hide next, a pair of blood-red pupils appeared in the crack of the wooden crate.

What followed was the little girl's laughter, trembling with excitement. Her giggles rippled outwards, making Yun Ze's heart clench in fear.

I'm screwed! Gotta run, now!

He remembered the player whose arms she had torn off. The girl had used some sort of Mental Contamination to forcibly twist the poor soul's body. He had two items that could resist such an attack, at least for a short time.

Though the protection wouldn't last long, it would be enough for him to escape her line of sight.

I can't dance with her! I have to run!

Gritting his teeth, Yun Ze violently threw open the crate lid, shoving it toward the little girl.

But her body was like a transparent projection. The wooden lid passed right through her, revealing her lack of a physical form. This was what made her so difficult to deal with.

Without a way to harm spiritual bodies, physical strength was useless, even if your fists could shake mountains. It was the same reason An City's Director, 【Hungry Fist】, had immediately sought Xiezhi's help when facing the Yin Fate Great God.

When faced with such a troublesome enemy, the only logical response was to run.

Crack!

While sprinting, Yun Ze's breath hitched. An unnatural cracking sound echoed from his leg joints, as if his bones were twisting on their own.

Fortunately, a plain-looking jade pendant at his waist began to emit a faint glow. His body froze for only a moment before he continued his desperate escape.

When he recovered, he noticed a conspicuous crack had appeared on the jade pendant.

“I estimate it can take three more hits. Anything touched by a Venerable's power is just too OP, holy shit!”

Yun Ze cursed.

This jade pendant had dropped from the final boss of a Hard-difficulty Instance and had seen him through many challenges. Even in other Hard-difficulty Instances, he'd rarely faced a being that could damage it. The pendant could nullify most Mental Contamination attacks.

Yet this little ghost girl had managed to crack it with a single glare.

Dammit, so this is where the Main Quest was waiting for us?

The players blasted out by Wu Wang's 【Holy Hand Grenade】 had all discovered the same thing upon returning to the town. The main quest timer, 【Survive for 72 hours】, had finally begun.

To clear the Instance, they only needed to survive in this ghost-infested town for three days.

But those three days were not going to be easy.

“Goo…ood… frie…end!”

A distorted wail echoed from behind him.

Yun Ze risked a glance over his shoulder and was horrified by what he saw. The little girl's ghostly body was pressed flat against the ground. Her four limbs, bent at odd angles like a spider's, scrambled forward with frightening speed.

Her bizarre scuttling was far faster than his desperate sprint.

No! I can't outrun her! I have to push harder!

Yun Ze smoothly took out a stealth item from his pocket. As a Rogue Player, he had plenty of life-saving items in his backpack. He wouldn't miss one or two.

But when he tried to use the item, two lines of red warning text popped up on his panel.

【This item has been Twisted】

【Will return to normal after leaving the current environment】

“Fuck! I need to use it to leave this environment!”

Yun Ze cursed loudly.

Previously, their abilities had been suppressed by a seed born from the combined powers of three Venerables. Those powers were 【The Twisted】, 【Suffering】, and 【Hope】.

Although the seed was gone, an influence that had lasted for over a hundred years couldn't be dissipated in a moment. As a result, any item used within the town had a chance of being temporarily disabled by the lingering 【Twisted】 influence.

It all came down to luck.

Clearly, Yun Ze's luck was terrible. He pulled out three different escape items in a row, and all of them were marked as 【Twisted】.

“Good friend… caught you!”

The spider-girl was already close enough to touch him.

A pained look crossed Yun Ze's face. A single touch at this range would likely shatter his jade pendant, and he would still have to find a way to escape after that.

Dammit! I never should have come!

At this moment of extreme crisis, a sword light descended from the sky.

Pfft!

It plunged directly into the spider-girl's head.

As the creature let out a pained shriek, Yun Ze finally got a clear look at his rescuer. Even though the person wore a large hood, their identity was clear at this close range.

“Care to learn about the Church Shelter?”

Wu Wang pulled his sword, 【Xiaochuan】, from the spider-girl's head.

“Not for 998, not for 888! Just sign a contract! You can't lose, you can't be cheated. Take safety home with you today!”

He smiled at Yun Ze and pointed a finger toward the distant church.

He had been over there doing business, or rather, scamming players, and had just stepped out to solicit new customers.