[Player No.3 Live Room・Edward]
Beneath the dark night, beside an ancient dark-colored castle, several beasts lay in ambush within the bushes.
"Squeak—"
The castle’s grand door emitted a piercing noise as it opened. A young man with blond hair and blue eyes, and a handso face, stepped out and walked into the dangerous hues of the night.
"Howl—"
The howling of wolves resounded as a pack erged from the bushes, their pairs of blood-red eyes quickly fixing on the young man dressed in robes.
The blond youth rely glanced at them briefly and continued to walk, as if he hadn’t noticed the threat nearby.
The pack of wolves restrained themselves montarily, confirming that their target was alone they imdiately lunged forward fiercely.
"Swish—"
A splendid azure brilliance suddenly flowed and intertwined in the darkness, swiftly becoming still and consolidating into the form of a clock. A man with hair blue as flowing river appeared around the blond youth, floating in mid-air.
Reflected in the man’s narrow eyes was a star-like brilliance. He extended his hand, and a faint "tick-tock" sound filled the air.
In that instant, floating black particles and flowing distorted sli—all ca to a sudden stillness. The wolves, fiercely advancing, were struck by that brilliance and imdiately retreated as if rewinding, the rustling bushes also completely cald down.
The man with blue hair looked over this scene, his figure standing in the windless and ripple-less night sky, appearing like a deity descending from the heavens.
The blue-haired man lowered his head.
"Adventurer. I am the Guide ranked fourth—Guardian of Ti, Migael. I control the authority known as ’Ti.’" The blue-haired man spoke in a gentle voice, his face serene with his narrow eyes seeming to lock in endless ti, "What is your na?"
"Edward." The blond youth crossed his arms.
Looking at the man floating with a clock behind him, Edward slightly furrowed his brow, "Only the fourth? Well, that’s passable I suppose."
He rubbed his chin, "So, that ans Su Ming’an... must have matched with the first-ranked Guide, right?"
As he spoke, he walked toward the dark forest.
"—Wait, adventurer, don’t leave the boundaries of the castle yet," Migael’s figure floated down, imdiately blocking him, "The world rules of the firmant are simple, only two, but both are closely linked to your life—I hope you rember clearly what I am about to tell you, and not die because you’ve broken the rules."
"Speak," Edward said.
He would rember these rules carefully. Although he appeared extrely arrogant, he wasn’t foolish to dismiss everything. He had his own way of dealing with the world that enabled him to get this far.
"The two rules are—’Do not linger long during the day, and do not look back at night.’ That is, do not stay too long in the sa place during the day, and do not look back when walking in the forest at night," Migael explained.
"What happens if the rules are broken?" Edward asked.
"These are the rules left by the Bai Shen, if violated, a curse will afflict you, and you’ll die a violent death," Migael explained.
"Bai Shen?" Edward seed to catch a keyword.
"Bai Shen—representing the unique and perfect deity." Migael placed his hands over his chest, appearing to make a strange prayer gesture, "Though He has died transforming into the firmant that shelters us, His oracle is still etched in our hearts... Look."
Migael pointed towards the sky.
Edward looked up.
The sky, teeming with what seed like living creatures and looking utterly disgusting, made him feel uncomfortable. Seeing his SAN points dropped by 3, he imdiately averted his gaze, sowhat displeased.
"Did you see the firmant?" Migael asked, looking up, "Beyond the firmant lies an endless black curse... Those things have not descended to invade us because there is a barrier ford by Bai Shen, blocking them..."
"I see," Edward thought and asked a crucial question, "Then, Migael, are there other deities here?"
Migael’s expression, which had always been gentle, fluctuated slightly upon hearing this.
In his narrow eyes marked with the hands of a clock, a hint of disgust flashed.
"No more." He adjusted the robes on his body, held his head high, and spoke in a calm and confident tone:
"—Bai Shen is the only god of this Qiongdi. He died to protect us, and there are now no living gods left in this Qiongdi."
"Understood," said Edward, "Then, let’s speed up the pace and head to the nearest small instance. Having been delayed so long, there’s no ti to waste now."
The adventurer he had possessed this ti seed to have an ordinary identity, previously dressed in simple cloth.
From waking up, searching in the ancient castle, to eting Migael and talking, he had already spent quite a considerable amount of ti.
He glanced at the System Ti, and it was almost one o’clock now; the most precious first hour of entering the instance had already passed.
Compared to others, he might already be behind.
...If it were Su Ming’an, that guy probably would have almost completed the first small instance by now, as Su Ming’an always clears instances efficiently and never strays from the storyline.
Edward thought that he needed to hurry.
This Migael in front of him seed difficult to deal with. Migael had not shown any intention of teaching him ti abilities, indicating that he still needed to expend effort to communicate and increase favorability to earn true recognition from the other side.
Whereas that guy Su Ming’an probably wouldn’t have such issues; Ming’an always had good relations with NPCs and probably wouldn’t take long to join forces with the number one Guide and push through various small instances.
Edward felt a sense of urgency.
If it were Su Ming’an, he would undoubtedly have a great relationship with the Guide by now...
...
"—You can’t run away."
The bright red robe fluttered slightly in the night breeze, and beneath that hood, a pair of eyes glead wild and ferocious.
The hands of the red-robed figure, like wolf claws, firmly gripped the youth in front, and the fingers dug in as if to embed into the flesh.
The shadow that had covered her face was now gone, revealing an exceptionally young and exceedingly pale face, looking like she might die from blood loss at any mont. Those eyes faintly showing veins of blood displayed a beast-like brutality.
Under the quietly shadowy night, the two maintained a precarious standoff.
Although their posture might seem particularly comical to an outsider, with Xiber’s hands on his shoulders and Su Ming’an’s on hers, their fingers tugging at the fabric like a tug of war.
But Su Ming’an did not let go; he felt an extrely intense sense of crisis.
He had a premonition that he could not let go.
... At this mont, it seed he absolutely could not retreat, absolutely could not let go, absolutely could not give up on this wolf-like girl, nor could he turn away.
If he turned away now, left her, abandoned her, sothing utterly terrifying seed likely to happen.
Gazing into Xiber’s eyes, he squinted slightly and suddenly smiled.
Xiber montarily stiffened; she hadn’t expected the self-proclaid "strongest" adventurer in front of her to remain so optimistic, even knowing he was being sched against.
"Xiber, you said, ’Under the witness of Jiu Shen, the vow that you and I walk together till the end shall stand.’ So, the Jiu Shen you ntioned is...?" Holding his stiff pose, Su Ming’an relentlessly asked with a smile.
He realized he had thought wrong.
In the few minutes he had seen Xiber, he had quickly labeled her as "timid and fearful, afraid of combat" and thus adjusted his attitude accordingly, uttering phrases that suggested she craved companionship.
If Xiber really were such a frail and timid person, his words could comfort her, offering the self-doubting her a reason to continue fighting. For her, lacking combat significance, being "desired and needed" was an indispensable ntality.
But...as it turned out, she was not such a character.
Being the 100th Guide, her actions were quite cunning; she had initially pretended to be weak and then, upon assessing his personality, imdiately revealed her true self.
...No wonder.
He had said that soone with such presence, who could stand calmly under the night sky, couldn’t possibly have such a fearful disposition.
"Bai Shen and Jiu Shen are two deities in this ’firmant’ world..." Xiber looked at him, her tone slightly rising: "Jiu Shen represents imperfection and reincarnation—and I am His only believer. That ans, among these hundred people, I am the only ’heretic’."
It was as if an invisible deity had waved a hand at that mont; the night breeze picked up, lifting her bright red hood.
She let go of her hands.
The slightly deford fabric made a faint friction sound, her folded hands growing paler, like frost clinging to rocks on a winter day.
Her gaze remained calm, her body no longer trembling.
She looked at him, her eyes profoundly serene: "So, to walk with , be prepared to be almost against the world. Once I ascertain that you lack the ability and resolve to accompany , I will not hesitate to leave—and in these re fifteen days, what I must face is far more cruel and painful than you could imagine. And I will not accept soone who might abandon at any ti—I think, rather than being abandoned by you when my identity as a ’heretic’ is revealed, it’s better not to walk the sa path at all from the start."
Su Ming’an, hearing this, just laughed.
"An ’heretic’ unwelcod by all?" he said, "Good, I’m increasingly satisfied."
"Hmm?" Xiber blinked slightly, puzzled.
"At first, I wondered why I was matched with soone of your character. But obviously, your true character has given the answer. I always said, a weakling who fears everything, doesn’t match at all. But now, talking to you has beco much easier." Su Ming’an extended his hand:
"Then, congratulations to us for becoming the only pair of ’accomplices’ in this world, Xiber. I’m not clear on distinctions between deities—since you believe in ’Jiu Shen,’ then I shall believe in ’Jiu Shen’ with you."
Although Su Ming’an said this, it was still the sa as before, adjusting his manner of speaking based on the character Xiber revealed.
Only this ti, he was tailoring his approach to a Guide characterized by "stoic cunning" rather than one characterized by "timid fearfulness."
It’s just nesting dolls, who can’t do it?
"...Hmph."
Xiber slightly turned her body, blinked her eyes, seemingly quite taken with his words.
Her bright red robes flowed slowly like waves, she slightly tilted her head, gazing into his eyes.
In the mont their gazes t, her ordinarily placid eyes suddenly took on a dreamy expression, as if through his eyes, she saw sothing else.
"You are very eloquent, adventurer." she said, "Perhaps, together with you, we really can reach a ’perfect’ ending..."
Her hand reached out and clasped his.
Xiber’s grip was tight, very tight, as the sowhat rough joints of her fingers rubbed against Su Ming’an’s hand, seemingly confirming sothing.
Her skin was not delicate and felt nothing like hands that had never touched spring water. Her hands bore frostbitten cracks, thick calluses, and scars that hadn’t faded, making them feel exceptionally rough.
Just from the marks on her hands, it was apparent that she had endured much suffering.
In front of those powerful Guides who wield various authorities, what had she, utterly devoid of Combat Power and struggling to survive, experienced?
If it had not been Su Ming’an who matched with her, what fate would she have t?
Death seed incredibly close to her; her future outco appeared plainly visible... Who would believe that such an unpopular, weakest ranked hundredth individual could expect a bright future?
For players, this was just an exhilarating world adventure, a peak competition filled with thrill and no cost of death, where one’s strength was not depleted.
But for these Guides, who staked their Destiny on this, what was gambled was almost equivalent to their Divine Wisdom and Soul, their affection and Faith towards the World.
The cost and pain of failure were fundantally unequal.
They were innately not on a level that could be asured.
When she clasped his hand, Xiber’s gaze seed much gentler.
She, always vigilant and fearful of betrayal, appeared at that mont to truly wish for an outco that would put her heart at ease.
"I have entrusted my trust to you," she said.
"Ah, of course," Su Ming’an released her hand.
"I will not abandon you."
He said.
At that mont,
he heard the prompt tone of Favorability.
[NPC (Cici), Favorability: 30 (Initial Favorability) 5]
...
"Ding Dong!"
[You have prematurely entered the Perfect Pass route, the ’Jiu Shen’ line]
["—My dear fantasizer, you are both ’monster’ and ’deity.’"]
[Route prompt: Protect "Xiber," fulfill her hidden lifelong wish.]
[Route prompt: This world contains three Perfect Pass routes—’Bai Shen’ line/’Jiu Shen’ line/’Reincarnation’ line.
If you choose to abandon "Xiber," you can enter the ’Bai Shen’ line at any ti. (The difficulty of the ’Bai Shen’ line is lower than that of the ’Jiu Shen’ line.)]
...
[Perfect Completion Progress: 5%]
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