Chapter 576 I Just Want to Cut You Down in Front of You
“What are you all gathered around to see?”
At this moment, outside the instance.
The extraordinary mentors paying attention to this instance had not left; they were still observing the situation within the instance.
However, the instance was ultimately a domain, specifically a partitioned order that isolated the material space, making it nearly impossible to probe internal circumstances through ordinary means.
Of course, the inability to probe meant that it could not be done without being discovered by those players first.
All extraordinary mentors acknowledged that such methods of domain were indeed one of the terrifying levels—some mentors even, upon advancing to extraordinary, had not touched the threshold of domain’s embryonic form because understanding a domain had little to do with mere strength.
But they were confident that their accumulated power as extraordinary beings could still forcefully break the embryonic form of the domain before them.
However, a statement from the Witch Academy, prohibiting the destruction of this instance, caused everyone to halt their actions, as if merely being bystanders, gossiping around the mentors with means to observe the internal situation of the instance.
Moreover, a number of small groups had suddenly gathered at the Witch Academy, drawing the curiosity of many about what the Witch Academy was up to, which subsequently attracted even more witches to come forward and see what they were doing.
“Hey, what are you guys working on? Aren’t you going to issue a notice about the Great Knowledge Seed’s function update?”
“Yeah, why are you keeping it a secret? Show us what it is!”
“Oh, it’s still in testing. We’ve linked the academy’s live streaming platform to the Great Knowledge Seed, but there’s a glitch; we didn’t expect the instance to isolate the academy’s network system’s information transmission.”
“So what are you looking at?”
“Watching the b*llet screen; Xiao Han is chatting with us in real-time.”
“Chatting? Is this how you chat? What do all these moving symbols mean?”
“Just squint your eyes and look closely. I can’t explain it clearly right now. In short, the Great Knowledge Seed still hasn’t completely resolved the information sharing channel connectivity issue; we can only transmit images in the most primitive and straightforward way.”
“Is this… pixel color block imaging?”
“If you look closely, all the images are composed of primary colors and special symbols. Is this Xiao Han’s perspective?”
Quickly, the witches who were not very clear on the situation seemed to gradually understand what was going on.
They rushed to seek assistance in updating new features; they also wanted to see the live broadcast!
……
While the mentors outside were still figuring out how to watch the internal situation of the instance, the students trapped inside had already begun to raise the banner of counterattack.
After going through some twists and turns, the group had finally gathered in the same instance.
After destroying numerous dungeon spaces, the successful feedback had built their confidence immensely.
However, at this moment, Tan Han and Ninglan Qiuyue felt rather uneasy.
“Are you feeling better?”
Tan Han cast the Flesh Regeneration spell, restoring Ninglan Qiuyue’s now withered right hand to its original state.
“Yeah… but I still feel a vague sense of unease.” Ninglan Qiuyue put away the Extraordinary Item, Heart of Ninglan; she did not want more people to discover its existence.
However, without informing others of this ability, they had no reason to stop everyone from continuing the so-called instance strategy.
She controlled the Thread of Fortune to guide their fortune and indicate their path, but after several choices made following the crowd, Tan Han informed her that her guiding Thread of Fortune had snapped.
Including Tan Han, everyone felt a sense of unease; it was already a very evident indication.
“I feel the same way. My instincts tell me that this smooth progress is rather bizarre. Those players have control over the instance; they cannot possibly let us ravage it so freely.”
“Anyway, better to be cautious.”
After their conversation, the group cautiously passed through this passageway, where transparent pixel blocks embedded a silhouette.
Those passing by looked at him with a sigh, but no one stepped forward to rescue him, even though most could sense he still had a life force.
This was the fate of ordinary people who had not mastered extraordinary power and had no extraordinary beings protecting them.
Perhaps specially targeted by players, these ordinary individuals typically suffered from various traps, much like those children of fortune being treated differently.
The reason they did not break these pixels to save them was that once broken, these people’s bodies would shatter along with the pixels!
Even those carefully excavated to save would find it difficult to survive; it was as if their bodies were not embedded but rather… assimilated.
So, they had to find a way to completely shatter this place before these people died; only then might these individuals be saved.
Though unsure if it were true, it was the only path they could attempt.
“This instance area… is huge!”
After passing through this passage, the group arrived in a gigantic space, so vast that it was nearly impossible to see the boundary, even revealing the blue sky and floating clouds.
However, all of this was constructed from those pixels, and this ‘heaven and earth’ was already larger than the entire hotel and surrounding buildings combined.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to a huge square monument in the center, surrounded by pixel blocks that gave an overall impression of a spectacular sight.
Countless pixel blocks converged into a fluid, flowing like ribbons into the sky, with roots appearing to dig into the ground beneath them; it resembled the most magnificent core of the instance, supporting its operation.
“The sense of unease is intensifying…”
Tan Han and Ninglan Qiuyue both felt this anomaly, creating a stark contrast with the joy of those around them.
They cheered as they had finally found the core of the instance; without anyone informing them, it felt as if they foresaw that destroying it would end everything.
Some had already eagerly unleashed their power toward that central core monument.
“Beware of ambushes!”
The intense feeling of unease drove Tan Han to loudly remind them, but unfortunately, her voice seemed insignificant compared to the joyous shouts of the crowd; only those near her noticed and slowed their steps.
In that moment, Tan Han felt her individual power was small amidst the group; even though she was a child of fortune, and even though her name was known to all, that would not give others a reason to listen to her.
Tan Han had to admit that after numerous battles, their depletion was indeed substantial, as if everything were woven into a trap.
Constantly consuming everyone’s power, guiding those who had been completely exhausted through one victory after another toward this place—it was a well-laid trap, yet she lacked the ability to stop it.
Thinking of this, Tan Han had to take out a business card.
Having explored the instance to this extent, she had encountered almost everyone participating in this auction and with some strength, except for Xiao Han.
This matter had been discussed by many, after all, such a strong combat force had yet to be found; if encountered, they wouldn’t have to struggle so much.
But now…
Tan Han had to hold it in her hand in advance; if danger arose… she would have no choice but to use it, even if she didn’t know if Xiao Han could respond to her summon at this moment.
Just as Tan Han hesitated, a wave of people, intoxicated by the impending victory before them, had surged towards the enormous monument.
But what awaited them was the ambush of monsters!
The pixels surrounding the instance seemed to sense an enemy and began reforming in mid-air into a monstrous form, with a whip-like body coiling and contracting before exerting force, and that sharp tail struck through a person’s chest at an incredibly fast speed.
The sudden change did not frighten everyone; many had prepared for a monster ambush, and the fools charging ahead genuinely believed there was no danger.
But soon, everyone was unable to laugh, as individual floating pixels at that moment turned into monsters.
Even the floating pixel clouds in the sky transformed into monsters plummeting down from above, while everything around them morphed into lethal attacks on those who had not yet noticed!
The central monument surged with massive extraordinary pixels, coalescing into enormous monsters that rushed into the crowd, delivering fatal blows to those who could not escape.
Even viewing the monsters from below, it was as if they could not see their whole form, and even a mere swipe could injure those unprepared to dodge.
“d*mn it… how can they have such terrifying methods? Clearly, before…”
At this moment, many began to complain, yet they had to admit they had indeed been careless.
Faced with such an urgent situation, they quickly brought forth their strongest means of combat: Holy Angel’s divine skills, Wizard’s combination spell array, and the Elves’ elven magic.
Even from the Witch Academy, some witch students consumed their last recovery potions, erupting with terrifying might, unleashing the power of the Excessive Consumption Spellbook!
In an instant, the entire instance was plunged into chaos, with terrifying explosions and spell outbursts rendering the scene grand and tragic, fierce clashes and roars overwhelming the senses.
Everyone appeared ready to give their all for this.
However, everyone seemed to subconsciously overlook one thing: no matter how fervently they fought those monsters, they had not killed a single player.
What they killed were merely endlessly reshaped pixels, creations molded by the instance’s reformed order; yet they were using precious extraordinary energy to duel against these worthless things.
When the battlefield was covered in shattered pixels, and the remnants of the monsters scattered in every corner,
those remains and fragments appeared as their spoils, the fruits of their all-out struggle and honor.
Once all the monsters had been exterminated at a painful cost, the square monument, now having no pixels to guard it, lay exposed before everyone, appearing like a lamb to the slaughter in their eyes.
Some instinctively paused, while others confidently stepped forward, considering themselves the prominent contributors in front of others, ready to pluck the fruit symbolizing the end of all this chaos, as was only right.
The next second.
The monument shattered with a tremendous crash from the combined efforts of several people.
However, the instance did not break as they had imagined, nor did they escape from it; everything they had done seemed to merely turn on a switch.
In an instant, a gory dark filter obscured the sky, and the tones of bl**d and black saturated everyone present.
A chilling yet rhythmic resonance echoed throughout the instance space, with the sound reverberating in everyone’s hearts, allowing fear to flourish within.
At this moment, even the most dull-minded person realized that matters had far exceeded their expectations.
The pixel fragments at their feet turned ethereal under an unseen force, finally merging into a terrifying shadow at the point where the monument had broken.
“So… I said you extraordinary beings are really… too naïve!”
The voice belonging to a player echoed in everyone’s ears at that moment, casting a huge shadow in the sky, as if a titan standing tall.
Beneath it was a massive figure that gathered all the pixel modules; it reshaped itself in this shattered land, becoming the ultimate harvesting machine!
Everyone instinctively looked up, their gazes attracted by the player’s figure illuminated in the sky.
The hidden hand behind all this, who caused it all, finally revealed himself, appearing at a moment no one wished to see!
“I’ve realized that you are a bunch of players who are even more competent than us; you don’t think things through carefully… You approach the instance as if it were a simple game, truly thinking we exerted so much effort just to play along with you!”
At this moment, the player’s words were deafening, slapping all the self-righteous individuals in the face.
“Did you think you could escape just by destroying something that seemed somewhat important? How naïve is that…”
When individual consciousness cannot control the whole, collective behavior becomes foolishly apparent!
At this moment, all of them demonstrated this vivid statement through their actions.
And at this point, they also had to pay the price for their carelessness.
……
“Is this the strongest method of you players?”
I looked at the figure coalescing in the “final instance” with a slightly grave gaze; this was an embodiment collective wielding the domain.
If it was a method of the domain, numbers would truly become meaningless; it would resemble the final scene of my battle with Liliana—only crushing blows. Moreover, among those, how many could match Liliana’s combat power?
However… I bet players would not immediately slaughter everyone ruthlessly.
Before that, I had to say that the way players orchestrated this was indeed quite ruthless, negating all the efforts they had invested at the last critical moment.
During this period, constantly hinting through the instance’s layout, creating an accumulation of confidence, and manufacturing common sense misleading perceptions, they led everyone to fail to recognize the true enemy and rationalized everything.
These strategies might not seem stunning, but they were unexpected, and all of this was accomplished after intervention by the academy head, resulting in an urgent response plan.
By employing specific psychological guidance, players forced everyone onto the wrong path.
Ultimately, after they risked everything, they stepped back out to deny all their efforts, mock their incompetence, trample their will, and use undeniable facts to silence them completely.
It forced them to self-doubt; even if they could not, it would leave them dizzy with emotion.
And all of this was certainly not merely for fun, but to plunder their fortunes.
Let’s not forget, fortune is not possessed solely by the children of fortune; under the grand trend of plot nodes, unclaimed fortune can still be plundered, and I am the most experienced in this—just like that dream exchange competition back then.
In other words, players might not have sufficient awareness of these fortunes, even their definition of fortune differs from that in the main world.
However, they had far too much practical experience; they understood what kinds of behaviors could acquire more resources of fortune, and the presence of children of fortune was merely the most convenient medium, not the only path.
“Yes, what about it? If it weren’t for the fact that this method can’t be used frequently, I’d genuinely want to k*ll you like this… to eliminate future troubles!”
“Then you can send me into the battlefield.” I suggested, glancing intentionally at a specific angle of the multitude of screens.
That screen was focused on Tan Han; players seemed to give special attention to the children of fortune, setting up a dedicated perspective just for Tan Han and others, while my focus was on the business card Tan Han was holding tightly.
I certainly could leave the instance space where I was, but I could not guarantee that I could reach their instance space at the fastest speed after leaving here.
So if it was possible, I naturally preferred a more convenient method, such as the item Tan Han was holding.
I just wanted to deliver a fatal blow to these players at the most critical moment.
“I suddenly feel that letting you watch them all d*e might be a good decision…”
“If you can’t send me, just say so—what good decision? All excuses, hmph!” I coldly snorted, unceremoniously exposing their thoughts; if possible, they definitely wanted to eliminate me, as I was the biggest stumbling block they had encountered in this world.
So after testing, I realized one thing.
That is, once players are authorized, their control over the instance domain… is alarmingly weak.
But that’s okay; things are developing in the direction I expected.
At this moment, a grin began to uncontrollably rise from the corners of my mouth.
Without excessive flourishes, I simply couldn’t help but place my right hand on the kn*fe hilt…
“What’s wrong? Are you unwilling to witness the brutal scene to come and planning to cut off the screen?”
“No… I want to cut down your most proud means in front of you.”
After I calmly said this, a reverse summoning ceremony suddenly erupted beneath my feet.
White light burst forth, and in the next moment, my figure vanished completely from the players’ monitoring.
