Chapter 173: Great Brawl

Wu Chang, based on his own experience clearing the dungeon, found that accelerating the main storyline did not increase the dungeon's difficulty; instead, it made the dungeon easier.

The logic was simple: the default time limit set within the dungeon was intimately tied to the dungeon boss's plan.

Accelerating the main storyline might deprive players of preparation time, but if players couldn't prepare, neither could the dungeon boss.

Yet players spent very little time entering the dimension, so the difference in preparation mattered little; the dungeon boss, however, was different—pushing events forward by even a few days or hours could cause the boss's years of preparation to collapse in an instant.

This rush tactic had succeeded many times in past dungeon runs.

Such a simple principle was easy to understand if one just thought about it.

As for why other players didn't do this, it was probably because they weren't as hardworking as he was.

After all, Wu Chang had reached today solely through his talent and effort.

When he saw Cui Chengze had a plan—and one tied to his transformation quest—he felt urgent inside, yet still maintained his aloof demeanor and asked:

"What is the method to leave the Wreck Belt early?"

Cui Chengze had none of Wu Chang's theatrics; he exclaimed excitedly:

"All things in the world conform to the world's primordial force. The Wreck Belt traps ships not because, as people speculate about the Bermuda Triangle, it lies in a layer between parallel worlds or some other dimension—but because the entire Wreck Belt sea is a massive natural occult ritual!"

"It merely sustains an internal cycle without leaking energy, making it nearly impossible for ordinary occultists to sense or interact with its energy."

Here, Cui Chengze gripped the Secret Method Trial Seal tightly and continued:

"But you are different—you can directly touch the occult primordial force and are not among ordinary occultists. Your method of absorbing occult energy is sufficient to influence, even disrupt, the balance within the Wreck Belt's occult cycle."

"All I need to do is arrange a larger, more powerful occult ritual based on the pattern on this seal; when we activate the array, we can temporarily drain all occult primordial force around the Star Voyager, creating a gap within the Wreck Belt."

"Once the gap forms, the Star Voyager will automatically exit through it!"

Wu Chang nodded without expression; logically and fundamentally, Cui Chengze's method was viable.

Even if it failed, there would be no consequence—it was worth trying.

"How long will it take to arrange the occult ritual?"

Cui Chengze stared at the Secret Method Trial Seal and estimated: "To fully comprehend the ritual within the seal, I need at least three days; to modify the ritual, one day; if the arrangement proceeds smoothly, only one day."

Wu Chang frowned and asked: "What if it doesn't go smoothly?"

Cui Chengze gave a grave expression: "If it doesn't go smoothly, we must prepare for direct confrontation with the Xinyuzhou Sect. Arranging a large ritual requires entering many critical areas of the ship; right now, the Star Voyager is under their control, and my actions will be hard to hide from them."

Wu Chang thought for a moment and said: "I'll find a way to gain control of the Star Voyager—you don't need to worry about that. Focus entirely on deciphering the occult ritual on the seal."

Cui Chengze nodded: "I'll do my best."

Leaving Wu Chang's study with the Secret Method Trial Seal, Cui Chengze walked halfway and suddenly scratched his head.

Wait a minute—wasn't my original intent to teach Wu Chang basic occult knowledge? How did I end up teaching him nothing, yet bringing home homework I need to study?

Whatever. The goal was achieved anyway; I prefer learning over teaching.

The first night the Star Voyager entered the Wreck Belt was destined to be anything but peaceful.

After a full day of ghost loops, followed by encountering the ghost ship Song of the Sea—missing for two years—the crew's nerves were exceptionally taut.

Many had nightmares, hearing indistinct whispers as if they'd seen something terrifying in their dreams.

Yet upon waking, they remembered nothing of the dreams, only feeling unusually low and achy, as if they'd run a full marathon around the deck all night.

This lethargy and fatigue appeared not only among ordinary passengers but also among the Xinyuzhou Sect's elite believers, each waking with dark circles under their eyes.

Their morning prayers on the fourth deck became listless and weak.

Wu Chang observed all this—he knew what had happened to everyone. Last night, the whispers from the deep sea had grown louder, forcing him to concentrate harder to block them out.

Even he, with an Insight value over a hundred and Willpower of 87, had been affected; it was no surprise ordinary passengers suffered too.

Yet whether this effect was part of the Xinyuzhou Sect's plan, he still needed to observe further.

As a dungeon native—and especially a cold, aloof conglomerate tycoon—he couldn't act too aggressively before the situation was clear.

So he sent everyone except Cui Chengze out: some to surveil, others to gather intel; himself, he went to the fifth-deck bar of the Star Voyager, sipping wine like a hidden NPC, waiting for someone to approach.

It was now the second day since entering the Wreck Belt; people still hadn't realized that entering the Wreck Belt meant moving from one small ghost loop into a much larger one.

They thought they'd escaped danger, unaware they'd be trapped in this sea for a long time—so the Star Voyager had imposed no restrictions on food or alcohol.

Wu Chang took advantage of this to stockpile extra food and alcohol into his personal space.

If Cui Chengze's plan failed and they had to stay in the Wreck Belt for thirty days, he didn't want to be reduced to eating those strange fish meats.

He sat in the bar all day until evening approached and darkness fell—then suddenly, a person appeared before him.

"Mr. Li, I've observed you all day. You seem unconcerned about the current problems."

Wu Chang looked up—the man was thin, wearing a black tight-fitting suit wrapped like bandages, making his already gaunt frame resemble a human clothes rack, his clothes swaying as he walked.

Yet his thinness made him unnaturally light—he moved as if his feet never touched the ground; Wu Chang noticed the carpet fibers beneath his steps remained unchanged in direction and shape.

Swift movement, light frame, concealed aura—he was perfect for sneaking and stealing.

Talent.

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Shadow."

Wu Chang shook his head indifferently: "Never heard of you. What do you want?"

Shadow smiled: "I've come to tell you something—you—or rather, the entire Star Voyager—are about to face disaster!"

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow. A fear-mongering opener—interesting.

He gestured to the chair across from him. "Explain."

Shadow said: "The sea where the Star Voyager now rests is called the Wreck Belt. Once a ship enters, escaping becomes as impossible as climbing to heaven. Unless we unite to save ourselves, we'll be trapped here until we die."

"To unite the people, we need a leader. I believe you, Mr. Li, are the most suitable candidate—and I am willing to be your first and most loyal follower."

Wu Chang swirled his wine glass. Damn—he was trying to get him to take charge. Even Xiang Jianxing and the Negotiation Master hadn't moved this fast.

"What are you good at?"

Shadow's form vanished instantly—then a black shadow flashed, appearing behind Wu Chang.

"Stealth, infiltration, surveillance, tracking, assassination — all of these are exactly what you need most."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue inwardly — weren't these all the jobs he was best at? You've already played the sixth man to the hilt, so what's left for me?

Still, Shadow's strength was undeniably real, especially in the agility he specialized in — far surpassing anyone Wu Chang currently had on hand.

If faced with Shadow's assassination, apart from Wu Chang relying on his Inspiration, and Sword Star relying on his job-change talent, Sword Heart, the others would find it very hard to react in time.

"You said you're good at tracking, right?"

Shadow nodded.

Wu Chang described in detail the appearances of the ritualist and the werewolf he had seen in the cargo hold the night before. "Find one of them, and you pass the test. How about it?"

A line of prompt popped up before Shadow:

"Li Zaishi has issued you a Faction Trial Quest. Of the two targets, investigate and uncover at least one person's true identity on the ship. Complete the trial quest to join Li Zaishi's faction."

Joy flashed across Shadow's face — he'd gambled right. This legendary hidden NPC really did come with a faction attached!

If there were two words in the Abyss Game that were worth the most money, they had to be "hidden"! Anything tied to hidden — quests, items, job changes, or characters — stood for rarity and power.

Hidden factions were no exception. Good thing he'd moved fast and snatched it up!

"No problem, I'll track them down as soon as I can."

Once Shadow finished speaking, he vanished from sight.

Wu Chang wasn't the only sharp-eyed one to take notice of Wu Chang. That lap he'd taken around the port back then was now paying dividends.

Over the next two hours, one after another, five more people sat down across from him, expressing their desire to join his faction.

Two of them were far too weak — not even a match for Wu Chang, barely level twenty, and the Negotiator — having purely ridden dog luck and dungeon runs, blundering their way up to level thirty in one round.

He cut those two, and issued the remaining three their corresponding quests.

As the last one was leaving, Wu Chang, acting as a hidden NPC, offered a very humane reminder.

"When I look for people to do work, I value quality over quantity. Four people came to me tonight, and I'll only take the first three who complete their quests."

With that, he left the bar, returned to his bedroom, and did not appear again.

Players who were still on the fence, watching and waiting, couldn't help but slap their thighs in regret.

!

Sure enough, hesitation spells defeat — the chance to join a hidden faction was gone.

Back in his room, Wu Chang was reviewing everything that had happened at the bar that day.

The players who had approached him, plus the ones his Inspiration had detected, added up to more than twelve.

Judging by the emotions conveyed through their eyes, at least ten of them wanted to join the faction he was building.

By that count, the number of players who had entered the Silent Shipping Route dungeon was greater than he'd imagined — at least over thirty.

If each faction's recruitment cap was the same as his — 5 people — then there were at least 5 or 6 factions on board.

A free-for-all dungeon, then.

The second night after entering the Shipwreck Belt, after a full day of prayer, the passengers' mental state had not improved — on the contrary, it had grown worse.

That night, the calling in the passengers' dreams grew clearer still.

Passengers with artistic talent, or whose Inspiration intuition far surpassed that of ordinary people, sat up in bed at the sound of the calling, walked out of their cabins, and between sleep and waking, headed for the deck.

A student from Anjin High School, in his sleep, climbed over the railing and plunged into the sea, chasing the calling from his dream.

It was only when the icy seawater hit them in the face that they jolted awake from the dream. They thrashed wildly, trying to steady themselves in the waves, to surface and call for help.

But in the freezing water, their limbs quickly cramped, their bodies grew heavy, and along with the bubbles gurgling from their mouths, they sank toward the calling from the seabed.

Just as the high schooler was about to lose consciousness entirely, he felt a beam of light pierce down from the surface into the water. The light spun a circle around him, and a rope coiled around his waist.

"Haul!"

With the shout from the man on the deck, the high schooler's hundred-and-forty-plus-jin frame was yanked straight out of the water and flung back onto the deck.

Sword Star retracted the flying sword with the rope coiled around its hilt, tossed the high schooler to the ship's doctor, and turned back to ask the Negotiator:

"That's the seventh one tonight. How did the boss know something would happen tonight and arrange for us to stand guard here in advance?"

The Negotiator pursed his lips and said, "That's probably the value of a hidden character, I guess. Although I've never seen the boss take action, I'm sure he's no worse than the ritualist — at the very least, the ritualist isn't immune to the judgment I trigger with my title."

Sword Star glanced left and right, then said quietly, "You think the boss might actually be the final boss? That's how they always write it in novels."

The Negotiator said dismissively, "As long as they're not in cahoots with that bunch of cultists, does it matter to us whether he's a boss or not? I've cleared so many dungeons and I've never once played the villain."

Sword Star was about to say more when he suddenly spotted a PE student who could run in his sleep burst out of the cabin and charge straight for the railing.

"We'll talk later — that's the eighth one!"

That night, Sword Star and the Negotiator had no easy time of it.

By the time they reported at dawn, the sleepwalking passengers with the intent to jump into the sea alone numbered forty or fifty that they'd rescued.

And this was only the second night since the Star Leap had entered the Shipwreck Belt.

Seven of them had been pulled out of the sea after going overboard. According to Sword Star, passengers guided by an unknown calling to jump into the sea had an extremely faint presence while sleepwalking — the moment your attention wandered even slightly, you'd overlook them.

Most of the time, they only realized someone else was about to throw themselves into the sea when they heard the sound of someone climbing the railing, or of a body hitting the water.

The ship's medical bay could no longer hold all the passengers pulled from the water. The ship's doctor had to commandeer part of the cargo hold on the fly, converting it into a temporary infirmary, before they could fit all the patients.

Wu Chang went to the cargo hold to take a look at those pulled from the water and found that none of them were believers of the Xinyuzhou Sect — there were no ritual marks on their bodies.

No wonder Park Changmin and the others hadn't made a move — they weren't worried about too many people jumping into the sea and not having enough sacrificial offerings in thirty days.

They'd probably be only too happy to see more people jump, using it to show that believing in the Xinyuzhou Sect granted immunity to this terrifying sleepwalking — and thereby recruit more believers.

When Wu Chang left the cargo hold, he ran into Li Yubin in the corridor, who was heading toward the cargo hold as well.

The number of players following behind Li Yubin had grown from two to three.

Wu Chang had never overestimated the moral standards of Abyss Game players. The fact that Li Yubin could gather this many followers certainly wasn't because of personal charisma, or some wish to expose the dark side of society, resonating with the players.

It was obvious — Li Yubin had also built a faction of her own.

Wu Chang glanced at the three behind her, and a smile crept across his face unbidden.

The quality of these three was not great; even the strongest was only at Sword Star level—a bunch of weaklings huddling together for warmth.

Li Yubin's faction ranking should be below his.

The two brushed past each other; Li Yubin called out to Wu Chang and said, "Li Zaishi."

Wu Chang said, "What is it?"

Li Yubin said, "I heard all these passengers were rescued by people you arranged."

Wu Chang said expressionlessly, "And then?"

Li Yubin narrowed his eyes, looking at Wu Chang in confusion, and said, "How did you know something would happen last night?"

Wu Chang shrugged and said, "Intuition."

Li Yubin was silent for a moment, then said, "I have something to find you about in a while. Stay in your room and wait for me."

Wu Chang: "Do I need to take a shower first?"

"If that's what you're thinking, you might want to focus on washing your neck clean." Li Yubin shook his head and led his people into the temporary medical room.

Wu Chang left the cargo hold and first dropped by the Xinyuzhou Sect's side for a visit.

Although he was carrying two of their leader's eyeballs and had ruined their plans last night, as long as he pretended not to know, Park Changmin could only hold it in and force a smile, letting him experience the believers' prayers.

Wu Chang openly investigated the enemy's situation; after confirming the degree of maturity of the mysticism seeds, he patted his rear with satisfaction and left.

This was the benefit of being an NPC. If he were a player of unknown origin, could he openly peek at secrets like this?

Probably the moment he entered the fourth level of the Star Leap and hadn't even gotten close to the half-level where the Xinyuzhou Sect was, he'd be stopped by the believers and noted down in their little book.

After eating breakfast with priority on the fifth level of the Star Leap, he prepared to return to his room to wait for Li Yubin's visit, only to see two people standing at his door.

The two before him were both players who had come looking for him yesterday; one of them was Shadow.

In just one night, the tasks he had assigned the two were already completed?

What efficient work.

(End of this chapter)