Chapter 568: Custom Instance
As time passed.
The preview entered its final stages during these last few hours.
At this moment, a group of people gathered here due to the player enticement plan listened as the person responsible for reporting the situation shared the latest updates.
“Our people have managed to extract quite a bit of information from those Abyss Academy members. A significant portion of them doesn’t even know what the Heart of Cold Wave represents; they only know that it must be brought back at all costs for this auction. According to them, this order came from their Abyss Demon Mentor behind the scenes.”
“Extraordinary Mentor… Are those guys really that reckless? Will there be an instructor to assist them later?” Upon hearing this outcome, someone frowned and asked.
“No, they are merely following orders. Everyone knows what the predecessor of the Abyss Demon Academy was; their behavioral patterns are well understood, and commands from the mentors must be absolutely obeyed.”
“So they aren’t participating, which is within a controllable range. By the way, why don’t we use a fake Heart of Cold Wave to replace this plan? Isn’t that too risky?”
“I hope you guys from the Holy Angel Academy think before you speak. If you can replicate it, we can hand over the leading position of this plan to you.”
After being lectured by the Witch Academy side, the people from the Holy Angel Academy fell silent.
“Since no one is speaking up, then let’s proceed with the plan. There are only a few hours left before the auction items are withdrawn, and I hope everyone cooperates happily.”
…
Click—
As I stepped into the suite, the door behind me closed abruptly.
I instinctively turned back but found the door already shut, the pixels quickly “eroding” like ink dropping into water, and in an instant, the outline of the door was no longer visible.
I didn’t rush to leave; instead, I looked around the room. However, everything inside no longer resembled a normal suite, and even the internal space seemed inconsistent with the suite’s size.
“This area unexpectedly involves the power of space?” I was somewhat surprised.
Yet it wasn’t particularly shocking; after all, the power of space is indeed relatively weak. A civilization that has developed its [Extraordinary Knowledge] to invade other worlds couldn’t possibly lack mastery over space-related skills.
However, I soon realized that I seemed to be isolated from the outside world, unable to hear external sounds, my mental power could not perceive outside conditions, and spirit vision couldn’t see through external matters; information could not penetrate through these pixels into my perception.
I opened the projection of the Great Knowledge Tree, and although the external academy network and academy phone operating system could display, they indicated that the academy network was not detected.
Even the dates and times that precisely correspond with earth vein information could not be displayed.
This indicated that I had arrived in an independent space that was relatively isolated from even the earth vein information!
I instinctively glanced at the live platform set up by the Great Knowledge Tree, which borrowed some technology from the academy network… I could only see partial information now, as the visuals could not be displayed.
Because only the displayed bullet comments were structured through the Great Knowledge Tree, while the rest were temporarily built on the academy network technology. So now, the only means of communication was through bullet comments.
Of course, there was not only this; I could still sense the summoning ceremony of the Reverse Summoning Spell.
It seemed that… this player’s method could not resist the same framework provided by [Extraordinary Knowledge].
The Great Knowledge Tree and the Reverse Summoning Spell; the former is the Great Spellbook, while the latter is a spell discovered during Teacher Ji’s research on [Extraordinary Knowledge].
At that moment, I realized an issue.
That is, when facing unknown dangers, having a wealth of means is incredibly important. If I didn’t have enough confidence, I would likely be engulfed by fear right now.
Taking my current live broadcast as an example, if I had not utilized the structure of the academy network from the beginning but rather independently derived a systematic channel for the information flow belonging to the Great Knowledge Tree, then I wouldn’t be limited to only seeing bullet comments.
After entering the room, this sudden occurrence caused the bullet comments to surge, most asking what was happening, while many were concerned for my safety.
However, I responded to them one by one through bullet comments, telling them that I was okay for the time being.
It was undoubtedly dangerous to do this when facing the unknown.
So I remained alert to the surrounding situation, fully aware that things were a bit tricky at the moment.
But I understood that panicking was useless, so I attempted to approach the wall and struck it forcefully with the Box of Books.
A tremendous rumble resonated, and the pixels that composed the section of the wall where I struck merely dented symbolically; the original large pixels shattered into smaller ones, which, through this fractured decomposition, directly “absorbed” my attack.
I struck several more times, and other than breaking into even smaller pixels, there seemed to be no further changes.
As I tried to break through the wall, a pixel plane resembling a screen rose up behind me on the ground, flickering with chaotic primary colors.
And as these chaotic large pixel blocks gradually refined, a pitch-black, featureless pixel figure appeared on this “screen.”
“Hehe… So you are the Catastrophe Witch? You seem to be lacking in brains; I thought that idiot had failed, but here you are jumping in yourself!”
“Oh? You’re also a player?” I turned to look at the pixel figure on the screen and asked.
“Playing dumb, Catastrophe Witch; that name sure is intimidating, isn’t it? You must have given it to yourself since not many in your world have heard of the title ‘Catastrophe Witch.’ What a way to inflate your own importance.”
“Tch~ Even so, didn’t it scare you all earlier? You think you’ve got me cornered?” I stepped forward to the screen, looking at the pixel figure.
“Of course, I’ve got you cornered! Not just you; we’ve got everyone in this hotel cornered!”
“Quite the bravado.”
“Of course, we have that confidence.” This player spoke arrogantly, even beginning to berate me, “Honestly, you should have had a chance, but because of your foolishness! Because of your arrogance! You didn’t share the information you discovered with those hotel guys, and you recklessly walked into this place that’s tailor-made for you…”
“Foolishness… arrogance… seems fitting.” I chuckled softly, realizing that this description also suits these players well.
But are the players truly foolish?
Not necessarily; foolishness and arrogance stem from one’s own cognitive and informational disparities.
“Give it up; in here, any communication device is just a useless brick.”
“You mean this?”
I took out a phone I hadn’t used in a while. Since its function was linked to the Great Knowledge Tree, my need for a phone was minimal.
Calling, watching videos, browsing posts, or visiting the academy network; I could do it directly through the Great Knowledge Tree’s projection while preventing screen peeping.
“Of course, if you can’t give up, you can give it a try.”
“Then let’s forget it; it’s a waste of time. Actually, I do trust your words a bit, but I’m more curious about what you mean by ‘here.’ What exactly is this place? It’s as if space is isolated here, and not even teleportation can help.” I asked curiously.
However, my mention of being unable to teleport referred specifically to spatial teleportation, not to the Reverse Summoning Spell.
“Curious? Hahaha… Then I’ll generously tell you! No, I should phrase it like this…” He laughed several times, his tone filled with pride, “Catastrophe Witch, welcome to the custom instance we specially prepared for you!”
“Custom… instance?”
Hearing such a cringeworthy statement from the other side, I could only chuckle, but I was more concerned about the keyword he mentioned.
“Instance… oh, so a game instance? Custom means that you have developer permissions for this instance?”
“You understand quite well. Do you enjoy playing games?”
“I used to love playing games, but now I’ve realized that reality is far more fun, so please call me a ‘filled life’.” I replied with a smile.
The me who enjoyed playing games belonged to my past life; in this life, I hadn’t engaged much with any games because I didn’t have the right to play in my former family. Once I truly took control of my life, I discovered that the extraordinary world was far more enjoyable than those illusory games!
“‘Filled life’? What’s that?” the player scoffed.
“‘Filled life’ means living a fulfilling reality, organizing one’s life well, being full of hope for life, not excessively indulging in games to enjoy an illusory happiness, and relying on that to get by. Got it? Player?”
“Are you mocking me? Hehe!” After hearing my explanation, the player naturally understood what I meant, and the suggestion of not indulging in games… Hehe… They, as players, were all about playing games!
Most people in the world enjoy playing games! Some even play for months without logging off.
They may comfort themselves that this is their means of survival, and those pioneer excavators more fortunate recognize that this so-called game world is, in fact, a real world.
They take pride in their work, which is honorable and meaningful, forging new extraterrestrial colonies for their civilization.
He won’t be easily shaken by such words, even though he truly can’t face the bleak reality of his life.
“Just speaking the truth; you really can’t let my words affect you too much, right? No matter how much you suppress it, emotions don’t lie.”
“Shut up; right now, you’re just a plaything I have locked up! Your ultimate fate is only one… to be toyed with until death!”
“Oh, I see… getting anxious.” I calmly stated my perspective, “Only using violence to cover up inner…”
“Die!”
Before I could finish speaking, the player manipulated the surrounding pixels to fly swiftly at me.
And I merely sidestepped; such a speed attack was still too slow for me.
But this wasn’t just an attack; all the pixels on the walls of this so-called custom instance began to move, rising and falling, as if poised to strike at any moment!
The pixels I dodged directly smashed into the opposite wall, shattering into tiny pixel blocks, scattering like splashes of water, simplistic yet possessing a touch of beauty.
Then, various pixel combinations rapidly flew toward me.
I did not sit idly by; instead, I directly attempted to use spells to strike the pixel blocks.
These pixel blocks were quite sturdy; a regular Fireball Spell could only redirect their direction but wouldn’t shatter them.
In this space, the Great Weakening Spell’s effect from the main world still enveloped everything.
However, I also gradually attempted various derived basic spells. After continuous derivation, even the derived spells based on basic spells were sufficient to directly destroy these pixels.
While the pixels themselves could not be completely annihilated, the constructs made of pixels could be; as long as the “concept of the constructed pixels” was “destroyed,” the extraordinary pixels themselves lacked any offensive capability.
I learned this feature through continuous testing. I didn’t know if this was their limit in controlling the extraordinary pixels or if… this was merely the limit of the control permissions in this custom instance space.
If I were to guess, I would naturally lean towards the latter; I never underestimate any power constructed by [Extraordinary Knowledge]; each of those powers can develop further.
What he couldn’t do at this moment was surely due to insufficient permissions granted to this player, not because the extraordinary power itself was incapable.
“Witch! Keep dragging this out! No, calling you a witch is an insult to the term; you don’t even know what the concept of a witch represents.”
“Yes, yes, yes~ You all understand best…” During intervals defending against these pixel attacks, I took the opportunity to mock this guy.
His tone reminded me of the earlier gossip from the Witch Sisters; surely they couldn’t have guessed something so absurd?
“I’ll see how long you can last… Your magic will eventually exhaust you; I don’t believe you can maintain this for long!”
“Is that so? Then, just go ahead.” I pulled out books from the Box of Books, releasing spells; at this moment, the efficacy of the magical tools also became apparent, allowing me to cast spells more efficiently.
Moreover, my magic source had reached over ten thousand; even without counting the recovery speed and considering my current consumption, after many derivations and spell iterations, the forms of the derived basic spells had become more varied and terrifying, with the conversion rate of magical elements improving, reducing my consumption to below one point of magic power.
This consumption was nearly on par with that of a small spellbook!
That’s why I said that the classification of spellbook levels based on spell consumption in the Witch Academy was foolish because from my perspective, such statements were untenable.
However, apart from my exception, the establishment of consumption-based intensity classification by the senior students in the academy did have its merits.
As time consumed, I showed no signs of insufficient energy, even feeling at ease, which made this player somewhat annoyed! He couldn’t continue dragging this out with me; he had more important matters to attend to.
If he knew that I could interact and describe the current situation to the Witch sisters through bullet comments during breaks, he would probably be infuriated; unfortunately, he was unaware.
“I’ll give you more heat and see how casually you can handle this!”
As the player’s words fell, another change occurred within this custom instance.
The pixel blocks on the ground fluctuated and stacked, ultimately forming an image of a creature that was difficult to describe.
And such a creature was not singular; it was continuously generating!
“You want to increase the difficulty? Very well, consider it a warm-up; I have indeed not had a good fight for some time.” I said with a smile.
Speaking of a good battle… even the Liliana who fought with me a few days ago was not on par; she could not compare to these “immortal” pixel monsters.
Perhaps, this would serve as a great testing ground for updating my spell iterations!
The basic spells derived from the Grand Wisdom Enlightenment Spell, and even some creative spells, required actual testing to understand their true power and effects.
Virtual simulations ultimately remain theoretical.
However, as these monsters generated, I slightly narrowed my eyes, and my expression changed slightly.
Because I discovered… these pixel-constructed monsters… actually possessed soul material!
