Amidst the roaring waves, thick black clouds rolled across the sky, devouring the last glimr of daylight. Though it was only 5 PM, two hours before dusk, the entire Sea God Island had already been plunged into darkness by the massive storm clouds.
What an imposing sight—
As night fell and alcohol stirred his blood, Chen Qi felt his body growing increasingly feverish with excitent. The lighthouse keeper of Sea God Island violently pushed open the tavern doors with both hands:
"Hunters! Sea God Island requests your aid! Everyone can exchange Shadow Beast cores and Wriggling Shadows for Shell Coins and contribution points!
By the Sea Goddess' oath! Sea God Island will never break its promise! We hope you can protect this damaged town!"
The current lighthouse keeper was a pragmatic man. Unlike others who offered illusory rewards, he presented straightforward exchange rules:
One Shadow Beast core could be exchanged for one contribution point. One Wriggling Shadow could be exchanged for fifty thousand Shell Coins.
Shadow Beast cores were guaranteed drops from slightly stronger Shadow Beasts. However, aside from crafting Shadow Beast puppets, they were practically useless materials worth less than five hundred Shell Coins.
Two hundred contribution points equaled one hundred thousand Shell Coins—enough to exchange for a skill card or rare material. For Transcendents with large-scale destructive abilities, this was an incredibly lucrative mission.
As for Wriggling Shadows... they were severely undervalued treasures. Chen Qi frowned. If he wanted to pursue the monster swarm strategy, he'd need massive quantities of Wriggling Shadows. Other Shadow Beast drops were extrely rare and not worth selling.
"Not bad exchanges—"
Chen Qi drained his glass and stood up, stretching his limbs.
"Everyone! Let's move out!"
At the lighthouse keeper's words, over two hundred excited hunters drew their weapons, adjusted their equipnt, and left the tavern to prepare for the Shadow Tide.
Chen Qi followed the crowd outside, gazing toward the docks and the dark line on the horizon.
The shoreline near the docks had been reinforced with thick wooden stakes driven deep into the seabed, each coated with special fuel made from Ghostfire Oil that burned fiercely. Additionally, a thousand artillery pieces loaded with incendiary shells stood in orderly rows along the docks, forming an impregnable defensive line.
Dozens of Hamr-affinity craftsn urgently reinforced the dock defenses—driving stakes, molding clay walls, securing ropes, and loading incendiary shells to ensure every detail could withstand the Shadow Tide.
Everyone from fishern to guards to ordinary townsfolk wore solemn expressions, their eyes filled with determination. The two hundred hunters also prepared seriously, bringing out their strongest combat states.
The five White Tower hunters beside Chen Qi hung lanterns from their belts, lit them, then drew steam-powered serrated blades and activated them.
lanie, like a magician, pulled out a box of cards and stuffed them into various pockets of her hunter's outfit. As a card master, she needed to be able to produce cards from anywhere.
"Little brother, you seem to misunderstand our strength."
lanie cracked her neck with a crisp sound. In her view, Chen Qi's reluctance stemd from ignorance of how powerful White Tower hunters truly were! These six were all elites—and she, lanie, stood above even them! Ordinary third-tier Transcendents couldn't last three moves against her.
"The gap between a veteran third-tier and a fledgling third-tier is vast."
lanie lightly pinched a card between her fingers.
"Indeed, the difference between two third-tiers can be greater than between first and third tiers."
Chen Qi didn't deny this as he produced his Daylight Lantern. That morning, he'd spent ti repairing so flaws in the lantern and modified it by painting it black to avoid recognition by White Cloak acquaintances.
Suddenly, Chen Qi felt an imnse shadow pressing down on him. Gripping his Black Blade, he said:
"It's coming—"
A tall White Tower Federation hunter laughed:
"Coming? Hunter, the Shadow Tide is still far away—no need to be so tense..."
"No..." Chen Qi said coldly, "Miss lanie, your subordinate lacks knowledge. A B-class rift's Shadow Tide isn't so simple."
"My fault in teaching."
lanie put away her cards, expression turning serious. Chen Qi snapped his fingers, channeling spiritual energy to light his lantern.
Hearing Chen Qi's words, the others sensed sothing and quickened their preparations.
Suddenly, trendous pressure weighed on everyone. Their lanterns and headlamps extinguished abruptly in a fierce gust of wind.
Rift notifications appeared:
[You have encountered a rift. Inspiration check in progress...]
[Inspiration check in progress...]
[Inspiration check—critical success!]
[Rift Na: Night of Shadow Tide
Class: B
Participant limit: None!
Level restriction: None!
Affinity: Shadow
Description: Once, there was a prosperous kingdom with mighty armies and thriving economy—until a greedy prince, seeking underground treasure, dug open a rift, breaching the sewers' gates and summoning terrifying beings from another dinsion—Shadow Demons. Erging from the sewers, they turned the kingdom into their domain. Unquenchable and undying, they regenerate endlessly in darkness, endlessly hungry for spiritual beings. Within seven nights, the kingdom of hundreds of thousands beca wasteland, its great civilization reduced to ruins. Now, these horrors from another world covet this wealthy island and your spiritually rich flesh.]
[They co again from another world, eager to devour you humans completely!]
The exceptionally vivid crimson ssage imprinted in everyone's minds.
This was a B-class rift! Chen Qi trembled with excitent, gripping his blade. This marked his first B-class rift challenge in this world.
Then the clearance conditions appeared:
[Clearance condition: Survive the Night of Shadow Tide!
Additional clearance condition: Defeat the Shadow Tide.]
[Warning: If the Shadow Tide isn't defeated by daylight, the entire human island will beco part of the rift—land that must be excised as corrupted world.]
Surviving equals clearing—what simple conditions... Chen Qi checked his inspiration insights:
[You gain inspiration insights: Special knowledge of Shadow Tide Night, Shadowy Hand, Pitch Black Night, Fear Propagation.]
[Shadowy Hand: In dark places, Shadow Beasts continuously erge. Additionally, weak shadow hands exist—frail and barely noticeable, they silently extinguish nearby light sources.]
[Pitch Black Night: This night, darkness has extre vision-blocking and inspiration-blocking effects. Light also dims significantly.]
[Fear Propagation: At night, Shadow Beasts absorb fear to evolve and grow stronger. Once fear takes hold, they drain your power.]
[Your Lamp affinity triggers! Gained extra special insight!]
[Shadow Weaver: Amidst the swarming tide, you glimpse a massive horned monster sitting quietly at a long table, slowly entering town.]
Four insights... Chen Qi pondered.
The tall White Tower youth startled, sharing his three insights—Shadowy Hand, Pitch Black Night, and Fear Propagation:
"Brothers! Listen! I'm a White Tower hunter! We're already inside the rift! Special monsters will extinguish our lights!"
"And never feel fear! Your fear empowers Shadow Beasts, making them stronger!"
Normally, inspiration insights were closely guarded secrets. But the B-class rift's overwhelming pressure made them set aside selfishness to fight united.
These three insights were crucial intelligence. Chen Qi listened quietly, then checked his own insights again.
White Tower Transcendents were inspiration specialists, yet the youth hadn't ntioned the Shadow Weaver.
This must be my unique insight... Chen Qi realized. Followers of the Lamp creed with sufficient inspiration had minuscule chances to gain extraordinary rift insights beyond danger prediction.
The Shadow Weaver left a deep impression. Ga forums described it as a rare neutral Shadow Beast entity appearing only in pure shadow rifts. Completing its quest allowed forging exceptional shadow equipnt—it could imbue any gear with powerful shadow modifications! It even sold pure shadow affinity class cards, including legendary fourth-tier ones.
An incredibly rare NPC! Chen Qi thrilled—this Shadow Tide, he'd hit the jackpot.
But according to his insight, the Shadow Weaver appeared in town? With most defenses concentrated at the docks, were the monsters flanking?
Chen Qi turned toward Sea God Island's streets. The island comprised two sections: the town district and the Sea God Pirates' research zone. The latter housed pirates conducting experints and contained secret passages to their true base.
The town district covered one-third of the island—ho to thousands of ordinary residents and hunters, simple folk striving to live while worshipping the Sea Goddess. Against Shadow Beasts, they were natural fear fuel.
Town defenses paled compared to the docks and research zone.
I should patrol town... Chen Qi set a simple goal.
Overhead, dense clouds ford a massive shadowy hand. The rift's final ssage appeared:
[Night has fallen.]
With a soft click, Sea God Island's "lightbulb"—the pale sky—seed pinched out by a black hand, plunging everything into shadow. Even high-efficiency lanterns that normally illuminated a hundred ters dimd to barely ten ters.
"Where's my sunlight!?"
"Why's my lantern only lighting three ters!?"
"Hands! There are hands snuffing my light! And groping my ass!"
"How long until the Shadow Tide arrives!?"
Despite lanterns, the world drowned in darkness. Chen Qi examined his surroundings with the Daylight Lantern. It felt like being in a ga—beyond the lantern's five-ter radius, only other light sources were visible, and even those were faint.
The knowledgeable lanie explained:
"Don't panic. The pale sky's extinguishing only affects Sea God Island—this defines B-class rifts as self-contained worlds where even light-fearing Shadow Beasts grow exceptionally powerful here."
lanie's high status cald many.
"By the way, hunter, still refusing to join sister's team?" lanie approached Chen Qi, hoping to admire his frightened expression while comforting him.
Her psychology knowledge suggested high-stress environnts could make people misinterpret tension as attraction toward nearby individuals. Using this suspension bridge effect plus her intellect and beauty, she could recruit him as a White Tower spy... lanie confidently studied Chen Qi.
Contrary to expectations, she saw no fear—only excitent tinged with madness.
Chen Qi said quietly:
"Beyond the Tide, Shadow Beasts keep spawning in darkness. I'll patrol town and handle those."
"Huh? Town?" lanie blinked. Undoubtedly, the incoming Tide was the main threat! Before she could question further, Chen Qi stepped outside her lantern's glow.
......
Streets.
"Lighting Technique."
Chen Qi snapped his fingers, brightening his Daylight Lantern. Simultaneously, 'Night Monster's' effects activated:
[You triggered Night Monster effect: ntal resistance decreased. All attributes increased.]
Chen Qi felt his muscles strengthen, spiritual energy surge, and mind grow restless.
"Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker."
"Ember's Touch."
Chen Qi murmured as watery energy enveloped him, forming Hunter's Garb while tentacles sprouted from his back. Having reached third-tier plus Night Monster's attribute boost, his twisting tentacles grew unprecedentedly thick and distorted!
Pitch Black Night's vision impairnt let him freely use Ember's Touch and Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker without fear of exposure.
Chen Qi exhaled a red breath:
"Hunt begins."
......
"Grooowl—"
In the blackened streets, a savage bear-deer hybrid lurked in a doorway's shadows, awaiting prey to absorb their fear before devouring their spiritual energy.
After an eternity, footsteps finally ca. Baring fangs, it erged—only to lock eyes with chilling, unnatural pupils.
In those cold eyes' gaze, it beheld the full figure—an incomprehensible monster with inky tentacles, carrying a lantern like a terrifying black hole.
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