Chapter 127: Midnight Graveyard

To avoid arousing the Administration's suspicion, Wu Chang did not enter a matching instance in the Crimson Wave Space, but instead stepped into the Crimson Courtyard.

Entering the Crimson Courtyard again, this time upon arriving in the public zone, he paid extra attention to the countdown on the lighthouse at its center.

The time displayed above was 72 days.

Only 72 days remained until the World Instance opened.

Although numerous players came and went within the public zone, few bothered to look up at the countdown overhead.

After all, it offered no explanation, no warning, and information related to it was difficult to find even on the forums.

Over time, everyone grew accustomed to the countdown's presence, assuming that when it ended, answers would naturally follow.

Although major organizations had joined forces to suppress news of the World Instance, some keen individuals had already sensed something amiss.

The closer the countdown drew to its end, the more frequent the movements of major organizations and cultists of the Evil Gods became; in high-level instances of the Wasteland Realm, clashes between these two factions were often seen, as if a silent arms race were underway.

In recent days, many players who had caught wind of the situation began spreading rumors on the forums about "version updates," "gameplay overhauls," and "player tournaments."

Influenced by these rumors, prices across the entire Wasteland Realm began to surge dramatically, with consumables and skill scrolls seeing the steepest increases.

The two skill scrolls Wu Chang had purchased previously had risen in price by at least 20%, while various recovery potions had increased by 30% to 50%.

Especially low-tier skill scrolls and potions, originally merely practical items, had suddenly transformed into financial instruments; scattered investors who had previously stockpiled items or raw materials made a killing riding this wave.

With prices only rising and never falling, nearly every player became involved in this massive inflation; faced with Rotting Silver Coins, many could not resist the temptation and even sold their life-saving recovery items to recyclers.

The entire trading market of the Wasteland Realm had plunged into madness.

Had he not known in advance that the World Instance following the countdown's end was the main event, Wu Chang might have been tempted to join the fray himself.

Passing through the bustling trading district on the square, he entered the instance waiting area and began matching for an instance.

"Matching instance for player... Player Level 15. Instance difficulty matching probabilities: F-Rank: 1%; E-Rank: 5%; D-Rank: 25%; C-Rank: 60%; B-Rank: 9%; A-Rank: 0.1%."

Looking at the matching probabilities floating before his eyes, especially that extra 0.1% chance for an A-Rank instance, he knew the Game Administrator had not yet forgiven him.

The matched instance difficulty flickered continuously, trending toward A-Rank, but just before finalization, under the influence of a colorful power, it reluctantly dropped to B-Rank.

"Matching complete!"

Wu Chang's vision blurred, and he appeared in a desolate small square.

"Successfully entered 'Wasteland—Plane 51503'."

"Instance Name: Midnight Graveyard."

"Instance Type: Multi-player Survival Instance."

"Instance Mode: Competitive Mode; damage dealt between players reduced by 50%."

"Instance Difficulty: B."

"Official Recommendation: Minimum exploration level 15; players should proceed with caution."

"Instance Status: On the Verge of Losing Control!"

"Main Quest One: As a Gravekeeper, survive for thirty days within the Kingdom's Great Cemetery. Abandoning the Gravekeeper identity, or failing to perform Gravekeeper duties for a cumulative total of three days, will result in failure of Main Quest One."

"Main Quest Two: Witness the birth of at least one miracle."

"Side Competitive Quest: Upon instance conclusion, the top three players in instance completion percentage will receive additional completion bonuses of 5%, 10%, and 20% respectively, based on ranking. Additional instance completion can raise total completion to a maximum of 90%; any excess will be converted into basic instance rewards."

Reading the prompts floating before him, Wu Chang's first reaction was that the Miracle Stone was quite capable after all, actually managing to lower what should have been a random A-Rank instance back to B-Rank, an effect comparable to the Privilege of Reward Instances.

But upon seeing the official recommended minimum exploration level, he quickly realized the truth: Damn it, I've been PUA'd by the Game Administrator; how could I encounter a B-Rank instance on the verge of losing control and still think I was using the Privilege of Reward Instances?

Gazing at the "On the Verge of Losing Control" status, he activated the Title: Game-Breaking Master.

"Current Instance Pollution Value: 100."

"Game-Breaking Master Attribute Boost: 50%."

With the Game-Breaking Master bonus applied, Wu Chang's current attribute panel read:

Player Nickname: No Beef Eaten.

Player Level: 15 (4460/4700)

Titles: Perfectionist, Game-Breaking Master.

Health: 54 (36); Strength: 45 (30)

Agility: 30 (20)

Stamina: 30 (20)

Energy: 45 (30)

Inspiration: 96

Willpower: 75

(Note: Values in parentheses are attributes before the Game-Breaking Master boost.)

Free Attribute Points: 0

Rotting Silver Coins: 24000.

Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Proficiency (Skilled), Social Anxiety, Advanced Stealth, Combat Basics (E).

Cultivation Methods: Fragmented Thunder Art (C), Intermediate Spatial Magic (D).

Items: Silver Dawn, Blessing of the Goddess of Luck, Echo of the Whisperer x1, Poison of the Mortal, Secret Method Knight Corps Rookie Rules, Soul-Cleansing Banner, Four-Corner Age-Fire Lamp, Sage's Remnant Mask, Proof of Arrogance, Healing Type-I x3, Small Recovery Potion x2, Energy Activation Potion x2.

Talents: Supercession, Calamity Spirit, Ocean Kin Transformation.

Before entering the instance, he had allocated all the free attribute points saved from the Quiet Town and Wish Fulfillment instances.

!

After allocating attributes according to the requirements for the Secret Method Knight class change, he assigned all remaining points to Health.

After all, carrying a powerful healer like Erin meant he needed a sufficiently tough body to fully utilize her support; even the strongest healer cannot keep a glass cannon alive if they die in one hit.

After allocating the points and combining them with the Game-Breaking Master bonus, looking at the powerful, well-rounded numbers on his attribute panel, a full sense of security rose within him.

With everything prepared, figures of other players soon materialized on the square.

Including Wu Chang, there were nine people in total.

The Abyss Game's matchmaking mechanism pairs dungeon difficulty with player capability; being matched into a B-rank dungeon on the verge of losing control undoubtedly meant everyone present was a veteran who had cleared dozens of dungeons.

They quickly finished reading the dungeon requirements, assumed defensive stances, and began observing the other players in the square.

Although the competition mode essentially still encouraged cooperation among players, everyone wanted to fight for one of the top three spots; even if they weren't enemies, they were rivals, and caution was mandatory.

Taking advantage of the safe period before the dungeon began, a man dressed as a monk stepped forward and spoke first:

"Although this is currently a competition dungeon, please do not forget that it is also a B-rank dungeon on the verge of losing control. If I remember correctly, Midnight Graveyard ranks third on the B-rank dungeon difficulty list, an ultra-high difficulty dungeon where many players set their goal solely on survival from the very start, rather than completion."

"Everyone should prioritize harmony, assist each other first to survive the dungeon's most difficult moments, and only then think about fighting for the top three."

The monk's words won the approval of the players present; he was right—under such ultra-high dungeon difficulty, staying alive was the top priority.

If you couldn't even save your own life, what meaning did ranking hold? Conversely, if you survived until the end and outlasted all other players, even without competing, you would still be first.

The group temporarily lowered their guard in their eyes and began briefly introducing themselves.

The monk who spoke first was named Guangzhi; he wore the kind and compassionate expression of a high monk, specialized in Strength and Agility attributes, but unfortunately, his weapon was not a long blade, but a golden Buddhist staff.

The order of self-introduction largely depended on one's confidence in their own strength.

The second to introduce himself was a player fully equipped with high-tech weaponry; he wore a tactical helmet that obscured his features, and all they knew was that his name was Artillery.

The third and fourth were a pair of partners, one man and one woman, likely matched together as a team.

The woman was petite but wielded a two-handed greatsword and wore light leather armor; she was a vanguard specializing in Vitality and Strength.

The man wore a priest's robe and held a slender wooden staff; he was a support mage specializing in Energy.

The fifth to step forward could be considered an acquaintance of Wu Chang; he was lean, wore his hair in a topknot, and had two Wu Shidao hanging at his waist—he was none other than Zhan Gui, the deputy leader of the Iron Armor Guild's C-rank dungeon clearance team, whom Wu Chang had met in the Quiet Town.

Of the original three brothers of the Iron Armor Guild, only he remained alive; barely a few days after leaving, he re-entered a dungeon, only to be matched into a B-rank dungeon on the verge of losing control.

According to Jian Xing, after Zhan Gui left, he lodged a protest with the Administration, his words seemingly filled with great dissatisfaction.

It was unknown whether Zhan Gui being continuously matched into high-difficulty dungeons was because, like Wu Chang, he had offended the Game Administrators, or whether the Wish of the Stone of Miracles regarded Zhan Gui as a potential threat and matched them both into the same dungeon.

However, Zhan Gui had also entered the dungeon with a companion; he walked to the center of the crowd alongside a tall, burly man with a bare chest.

The once arrogant Zhan Gui was now extremely low-key, no longer acting like a leader; he glanced at Wu Chang and whispered something to the burly man.

After listening, the burly man nodded, turned to face the crowd, and said:

"Introducing ourselves one by one and then discussing how to cooperate will take too much time. I am Lei Hu of the Iron Armor Guild. I have a proposal: everyone in this dungeon follows my command and takes my orders as standard. This will improve efficiency and eliminate meaningless discussions."

"My suggestion has been stated; who agrees, and who objects?"

(End of Chapter)