Chapter 38: Preparations Before Grinding the Instance

In truth, their relationship when they were alive wasn't particularly close. They were merely ordinary friends who knew each other and could hold a conversation.

Both of them wanted the position of team captain, and at a time like this, there was no need to pretend otherwise.

The two locked eyes.

Ultimately, Qiu Yinong conceded. "Never mind. You died because you were implicated by me. You take the captain's seat."

"Alright. As the captain, I won't interfere in your personal life. However, I expect you to refrain from irrational behavior within the Instance," Chen Ran declared ruthlessly. "Don't develop inexplicable hostilities toward anyone or speak without thinking. Otherwise, it is highly likely I will abandon you in there."

"That's exactly what I wanted to say as well."

They both knew that people like that were ticking time bombs inside an Instance.

The tutorial had already taught the Players that during Infighting within an Instance, one must control their temper, question Common Sense, and suppress their emotions.

If they couldn't even manage that, they would abandon each other without a second thought.

"Next, let's talk about the Instance."

"From what I understand, the Novice Instance tests a Player's deductive reasoning. But starting from a One-Star Instance, actual knowledge becomes critically important. It encompasses everything—astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, literature, mathematics, philosophy, Buddhism, history, film, and more. Any given clue might correspond to knowledge from a specific field."

"To survive an Instance, your knowledge must be not only broad but deep. Because of this, the value of books in Hell has skyrocketed. I heard from the Liar-Slayer Alliance that certain items can be brought out of the Instances, such as books, furniture, special props, food, materials, and so on."

Listening to Qiu Yinong's explanation, Chen Ran felt that by deliberately stalling his exit from his own Instance, he had missed out on quite a lot.

"Books aren't cheap in Hell. With our current Points, we probably can't afford more than a few. We can't rush this; we have to take it slowly."

"Within an Instance, the most important asset is still the Liar-Slayer Skill. There are many Players who possess Id Skills. Some can create Phantom Images, some can conjure illusions, and others can mimic voices, making them impossible to guard against."

"To avoid falling into a trap, we need a secret code to identify each other."

Chen Ran had listened to her list off all these details, but this was the only proposal he outright rejected.

"There's no need. If we encounter a hallucinogenic Liar-Slayer Skill, the illusion acts directly on the brain. Because of that, the phantom in the hallucination would be able to answer the code fluently. The secret code would instead become a sharp blade that shatters our mental defenses."

Chen Ran thought back to The Judge he had encountered in the stairwell. His Skill had likely been hallucinogenic in nature. That was why Chen Ran had seen Qiu Yinong greeting him and mentioning their college days.

The hallucination itself was generated by Chen Ran's own brain; the Liar-Slayer Skill simply induced his mind to create it.

Since his brain knew the code, the hallucinated figures would naturally know it too.

Answering the code correctly would only mean falling for the trap!

Qiu Yinong realized the logic behind this and agreed with Chen Ran's perspective. "You have a point. It seems we'll need to prepare some medicine in advance."

The reason Id Skills were considered the lowest tier was twofold: first, their manipulation of emotions wasn't absolute; second, among the Death Row inmates of the 18th Level, there were many whose Liar-Slayer Skills could produce Sedatives.

And so, the two of them deduced and listed out the items they needed to prepare before grinding through Instances.

First was medicine.

This would ensure they wouldn't be swayed by their emotions.

Second was food.

No one could guarantee how long they would be stuck in an Instance, so packing sustenance was a necessity.

Next was a backpack.

Essential for looting items found within the Instance.

Then came emergency supplies, such as an inflatable lifebuoy, portable oxygen tanks, a first-aid kit, insect repellent, and so on.

Of course, since Chen Ran smoked Cigarettes when thinking and Qiu Yinong chewed Chewing Gum, those two items were absolutely indispensable.

"Do you think we need to wear masks?" Qiu Yinong asked.

"No need. Masks are too conspicuous. We should try to keep as low a profile as possible inside the Instance."

"By the way, how much do you know about the Liar-Slayer Alliance and the Deceiver Alliance?"

Chen Ran had exited his Instance too late and completely missed the fierce recruitment drives of both alliances. He figured that the Players from those factions had likely taken this batch of Newbies back to their headquarters and shared far more useful information.

"I'm not too clear on the Deceiver Alliance. As for the Liar-Slayer Alliance... it's complicated."

"There are probably around a hundred thousand Professional Lie-Slayers, and even more Amateur Lie-Slayers."

"The Liar Slayer Alliance Ancient Tower has a strict hierarchy. For instance, a One-Star Player is forbidden from entering the second floor, and a Two-Star Player is barred from the third. The higher the floor, the fewer people there are. The tenth floor has only one resident—the leader of the Liar-Slayer Alliance. Rumor has it that he has lived in the 18th Level for several hundred years."

"Every floor is overseen by a captain who manages its operations. They rarely assign missions to Professional Lie-Slayers directly; for the most part, they focus on gathering intelligence on Ghost Whisperers."

"Oh, right. There's a Liar-Slayer Skill in the alliance that can create Tracking Talismans. Once a Tracking Talisman is used to place Markings on a Player, both the user and the marked target will spawn in the same Instance."

Qiu Yinong thought for a moment before explaining the team matchmaking mechanics for Instances.

The Instances in Hell were incredibly diverse and virtually endless. They randomly matched Players of the same tier, with the exception of Downward Compatibility, of course.

The Instances in Hell were incredibly diverse and virtually endless. They randomly matched Players of the same tier, with the exception of Downward Compatibility, of course.

A team could have a maximum of five members, and Players in the same team would be matched into the same Instance.

If the five members of a team had a large gap in their star ratings, the principle of Downward Compatibility applied.

"Wait, are you saying that if a team has an eight-star Player and a One-Star Player, the group will be placed in a One-Star Instance?" Chen Ran couldn't believe his ears.

"Not exactly. Once the star rating gap between players in a team exceeds three, the highest-rated member is automatically booted from the group to queue up for a random solo Instance, at least until the lowest-rated Player in the team raises their level."

At this point, Qiu Yinong shot Chen Ran a strange look. "This is Common Sense for a Professional Lie-Slayer."

Chen Ran: "..."

'I knew it. The pamphlets on Common Sense given to Amateur Lie-Slayers and Professional Lie-Slayers are different.'

'No, that's not it.'

'It should be that there are subtle differences in the Common Sense provided to Professional Lie-Slayers and Amateur Lie-Slayers.'

'Qiu Yinong knows so much. It seems the Liar-Slayer Alliance places a lot of importance on her.'

"As for Amateur Lie-Slayer teams, it's highly unlikely that a high-star Player would group up with a low-star Player. That should be included in the Common Sense you received."

"Returning to the Liar-Slayer Alliance, each floor has dozens of Hunter Teams. They are the elite of the elite, the kind whose Liar-Slayer Skills can synergize perfectly with one another."

"A Hunter Team primarily executes missions to hunt down Ghost Whisperers, but they will also hunt down..."

"Potential threats!"

"If the Deceiver Alliance has similar Hunter Teams..." She paused, giving Chen Ran a long, meaningful look. "Exposing your Liar-Slayer Skill might very well invite a Hunter Team from the Deceiver Alliance to come hunting for your life."