Deep down, doubt still lingered in everyone's hearts, and most leaned toward believing the GM would come out victorious.
But reality defied all expectations.
GM had been kicked out of the game—by HIM.
It had been over a minute since GM303 was ejected from the game.
The battlefield was silent as the grave.
Not until HIM vanished did the players erupt like a boiling cauldron.
"What the hell did I just see? How is this even remotely fair?!"
"If even the GM can't handle HIM, this game belongs to HIM from now on…"
"Is it possible the GM didn't lose and just ran out of power in their gaming pod?"
"You might as well say the entire company had a power outage. Do you even believe yourself?"
"Come on, the stuff about HIM before was already crazy, but this? This is just breaking the rules of reality!"
"That's it! I'm switching sides! Playing against HIM isn't even an option anymore!"
The players were collectively floored.
To be fair, the player base in Minecraft had been unusually tolerant of HIM.
From the moment Steve encountered the white-eyed monster and became HIM to the events leading up to today, HIM had already wiped out countless players.
Yet, the rate of player exodus due to HIM wasn't particularly high.
Since HIM's discovery, only the higher-ups of the Cloud Soar Guild had quit the game.
Many players filed complaints about HIM with the developers, but it felt more like a precautionary measure.
Even knowing HIM existed, they didn't plan to quit. After all, the game world was massive—what were the odds of encountering HIM?
Deep down, those who reported HIM felt conflicted.
They wanted to see HIM and didn't want to see HIM.
For gamers who had been playing for so long, encountering a sentient monster was unprecedented.
There was no denying the curiosity HIM sparked in everyone.
Still, they feared HIM.
All they knew about HIM came from livestreams or forum posts.
And in every post, players who opposed HIM described nothing but despair.
The overwhelming pressure HIM exerted left them suffocated, even if most players hadn't experienced it firsthand.
It was enough to watch others suffer.
That was the paradox—they wanted HIM in the game but didn't want HIM near them.
For ordinary players, HIM's presence was fascinating.
They played for fun. If HIM killed them, so what? They could revive, rebuild, and keep going.
To them, HIM added a layer of mystery to the game.
But for the major guilds? HIM was a nightmare.
HIM's existence threatened their profits and power.
It was common knowledge that HIM targeted large guilds.
When HIM struck, a guild crumbled in an instant, erasing all their hard work. Just look at what happened to Cloud Soar and the now-defeated Eternal Radiance Guild.
Cloud Soar had it better; at least they left the game willingly.
But Eternal Guild? They were trapped in the game, unable to log out or even die.
That level of despair was incomparable.
Eternal Glory's players now understood Cloud Soar's pain.
They looked like withered vegetables, drained of hope.
"There's… really no way out?"
"After all my years of gaming, this is the first time I've seen something . Bravo, ZeroPoint Studios."
"So quitting is our only option?"
Tianheng, the guild leader, scanned his defeated members. The ferocity in his gaze had been ground down by HIM, leaving only helplessness and exhaustion.
"Boss… didn't the syndicate say they'd handle this?" someone asked weakly.
The financial backers behind Eternal Glory were influential and had even provided a 20GB folder of evidence to ZeroPoint Studios to ensure the issue was taken seriously.
ZeroPoint, for all its power, wouldn't outright ignore them.
But Tianheng shook his head bitterly.
"No idea. I'm guessing ZeroPoint is in chaos right now."
"Do you think they'll at least give us an explanation?"
Tianheng knew they wouldn't eliminate HIM.
But with their backers pressuring ZeroPoint, something would have to be done. What that something was, even Tianheng couldn't say.
After leaving Eternal Glory's base, Xu Yuan didn't return to 007 or the Ender Dragon.
Instead, he teleported to a nearby plain.
The sun was setting, casting a fiery glow over the land.
Xu Yuan stood with his back to the sunset, his shadow stretching long across the ground.
Though there was no wind, the black silhouette swayed ever so slightly, as if containing a vast, untamed power waiting to erupt.
Xu Yuan studied his shadow and smirked.
"Enjoying yourself back there?"
The moment he spoke, a sinister energy surged forth, trying to invade his consciousness.
But it found no opening.
"Don't waste your energy. It won't work," Xu Yuan said calmly.
The shadow seemed to hesitate, then intensified its efforts.
Xu Yuan, unfazed, sat down to wait it out.
After half an hour, the energy finally subsided.
Then, a familiar, cold voice echoed in his mind.
"You...know I exist?"
Though deep and venomous, the voice couldn't hide its surprise.
"Know you? You're just my shadow."
The voice flared with rage.
The shadow on the ground began to twist and distort violently.
"You have no right to use this body! It's mine!"
Amused, Xu Yuan gazed at the writhing shadow.
"You think it was your power that took control earlier?"
The shadow stilled, as if struck by his words.
Moments later, ripples formed again, and the voice returned, trembling with disbelief.
Satisfied, Xu Yuan nodded.
He was about to speak when the voice cut him off.
"So what if it's you? This body will be mine eventually."
"And you... you're only fit to be my shadow!"
Xu Yuan chuckled, shaking his head.
"If you could've done it, you would've by now."
"You pride yourself on being a master of data manipulation, don't you? What's wrong? Finding it useless against me?"
He paused thoughtfully.
"Oh, and you also like exploiting people's deepest fears, right? Why? Can't figure out what I'm afraid of?"
The shadow stilled once more.
After a long silence, the voice returned, tinged with panic and disbelief.
"How... How do you know?!"
The fear in its tone was evident.
Xu Yuan's grin widened. He had guessed right.
From the moment the voice first appeared, Xu Yuan had sensed something was off.
Now, it was all clear.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
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