Players were having a communal meal at Delicious Goose’s house.
It wasn’t just because his house was the most spacious. Another reason was that whenever the other players had ideas or personal matters, they would habitually come over to consult with this big brother.
Over time, their feet just naturally made the journey.
Delicious Goose’s house had become a landmark building like a temporary command center.
Just this morning, the last player used the strategy summarized by Jiu’er and Delicious Goose to successfully clear "Nightmare: Gallery."
It was undoubtedly a day worth celebrating!
Because it meant that players could finally establish a foothold in this world!
Even though it was just the beginner-level novice instance...
"This game’s instances are way too hard!"
That was what the players wanted to complain about at first.
But after thinking about it more carefully, it didn’t seem all that hard.
Even with MMO raiding, it’s not that easy to clear in just two days...
Having thought about this, they felt embarrassed to say that the instance was too tough.
After all, this was an instance they cleared in less than two days—if they said it was hard, wouldn’t they be admitting they were utter garbage?
"But don’t get too cocky. We just managed to get through the process, the true ending hasn’t been cleared yet.
"After the cooldowns refresh, everyone can first try out the new route’s playstyle. After dying twice, go and clear it using the correct route to get the reward once. The goal is to get some practice."
Delicious Goose summarized, "I believe, the main reason we failed so miserably on the first day was that we weren’t mentally prepared and couldn’t adapt to the instance style of this world, getting flustered.
"Looking at it now, the Nightmare instances in this world test one’s adaptability more than they do skill and intellect."
"—And acting ability."
As the player who had role-played Miss Elle added, "Acting is very important too."
Lin Yiyi said softly, "Actually, I think it’s a bit like a live-action role-playing game..."
She had a rich experience with tabletop games, so she was more familiar with this situation.
"Yeah, you even get Sanity Checks..."
Jiu’er nodded in agreement, feeling somewhat scared in retrospect, "When I saw those paintings before, my Erosion Points increased by so much... Next time I’ll just directly clear it without dying.
"But increasing Erosion Points, that’s the same as losing Sanity, right?"
"...The problem is, how do we reduce these Erosion Points once they’ve increased?"
Andersen asked anxiously, "Won’t we just drop dead and be unable to revive if this gauge fills up?"
Hearing his terrifying hypothesis, the players fell silent for a moment.
Indeed, the Erosion Points seemed to increase quite slowly.
But it was precisely because of this slow increase that the players felt anxious.
Because the slower it increased, the more it implied that this was not an injury that was easily received or healed... and most likely wouldn’t reset even after death.
What might happen if Erosion Points were maxed out?
Just then, the players heard someone knocking at the door.
They shuddered inexplicably, as if caught in an illegal gathering... but they quickly realized, it seemed like they were just crowded together for a meal, and there was nothing secretive about it, right?
But when Fang Jiuchai, who was closest to the door, came to his senses and ran to open it, the players discovered that the person knocking was their lord—Tan Juan Geraint.
"...What are you all doing here?"
Annan was also surprised.
Were they having a gathering?
Was it someone’s birthday?
In that small room, forty people were packed together snugly.
There were eight people aligned on the bed, encircling the table. A few sat on the floor, and by the wall stood a guy looking as cool as a forest lizard, leisurely chewing on a twig—a silly big brother...
Annan couldn’t help but take an extra look at him, memorizing this player’s name.
—Purple Embroidery Ball.
Sure, next time there’s any dangerous work, I’ll send you straight in...
"Gourmet Goose, I need to see you. Come out for a moment."
Annan called out one by one, "And One-One, Jiu’er, Wandering Child. You all come out as well."
The four named players instantly panicked in their hearts.
It was like being transported back to their adolescence, when the homeroom teacher suddenly burst in and called them out.
It probably wasn’t for a scolding.
More likely, they were going to be dragged away for some temporary heavy labor...
The four of them brightened up at this thought.
—May I ask for a good feeling rating, Boss?!
"Lord, you can actually just call me Old Goose..."
They followed Annan out, and Gourmet Goose quietly said, "That’s what my friends call me."
He had been called "Old Goose", "Uncle Goose", "Baldy!" for so long that,
being repeatedly addressed by his full name actually made him somewhat uncomfortable...
And even a little ashamed.
It was like when netizens meet up and shout each other’s nicknames across the street.
Wandering Child quickly added from the side, "And me! Just call me Kid or Little Child..."
That prefix in front sounded rather embarrassing after all.
Annan acquiesced easily.
The main reason was that he didn’t really want to keep acting.
The names Jiu’er and One-One were actually fine.
Aside from that dash-infused name that was easy to misread at a glance, it rolled off the tongue quite smoothly when spoken aloud.
They followed Annan all the way to the city lord’s mansion before he allowed them to sit down.
"I’ve called you out today because you’ve made rapid progress lately."
Annan said seriously, "In five days, Salvatore and I will conduct a secret plan. We need some helpers... But this plan is very important, I can only take a few elites."
The players, upon hearing this, were suddenly stunned.
Isn’t this... the legendary hidden task?
Before they could think further, Annan quickly said, "You will purify a nightmare in three days, as quickly as possible. Then follow me to Roth Fort. I’ve already made an arrangement with Bishop Daryl of Roth Fort, who is willing to open up a simple nightmare for us... It is specifically designed for advancement, a simple nightmare."
"According to my estimate, once you purify ’Nightmare: Gallery’ one more time, your power should be able to reach the top level of an ordinary person. Then you can use this nightmare to advance... If you can successfully advance, I will assign you an important task at that time."
Annan said earnestly.
The players were secretly alarmed.
Indeed, they were the only players who had reached level nine...
They would indeed advance to level ten in three days—that is, to the peak level of mortal men. Then it would be time for advancement...
—As expected of Lord Tan Juan, his judgment is really accurate!
But soon, Lin Yiyi realized a problem.
She asked cautiously.
Annan nodded earnestly.
His ice-blue beautiful pupils shone brightly, like fine gems, or the eyes of a young ragdoll kitten.
"Yes," he answered seriously, "I have inquired about the nightmare’s content from Bishop Daryl. This nightmare is very simple... It allows no more than five people to enter at the same time, to cooperate with each other. To be precise, in this nightmare, we need to play the roles of a wizard and four guardians..."
After Annan had heard the specific content of that instance from the old baker at Darry Garden, he knew he needed to make some minor adjustments to his previous plan.
He had to let the players clear ’Nightmare: Gallery’ one more time before taking them to Roth Fort.
Because this nightmare.
It was just too suitable for advancement!