Chapter 0: The Pointless Struggle
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The illustrious Cold Moon Witch, who had retreated to the Chaos Forest and sparked an epic storyline, suddenly appeared as a projection in the Martial Arts Hall’s view, much to everyone’s shock.
Even though everyone knew she wasn’t the real Cold Moon Witch, her appearance instantly ignited a traffic explosion across the internet.
Let’s face it: it’s not like every player can be glued to the screen 24/7, but as soon as they heard the infamous witch, who hadn’t shown up in ages, was making her debut, they dropped everything and hopped back into the game faster than you can say “Witchcraft!”
What’s the reason behind such a frenzy?
Well, obviously, it was an opportunity to witness the enchanting yet innocent-looking, charming yet clumsy, renowned NPC up close.
After all, she was the very first hidden boss to emerge since The Way of Inquiry launched.
Not only did she wipe out over a hundred disciples in Thousand Bird City with one swift strike, but she also strolled out like it was a leisurely afternoon, all while being chased down by the entire city.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she even defeated Gongsun Ding, the top Inner Door disciple, and managed to corrupt a celestial beast in the process.
Her presence had triggered a series of epic events.
Thousand Bird City even specially issued an A-rank mission, signaling a renewed conflict between the Human Race and the Monster Race in the game.
After that, players venturing into the Chaos Forest faced furious reprisals from the Monster Race.
In a bid to corner the Cold Moon Witch, Thousand Bird City used treaties made with the Monster Race to push them into action.
This whirlwind of events made her name resonate throughout the entire player community.
It became nearly impossible to avoid her battle videos, which were practically a permanent fixture on players’ hard drives, even outperforming many top-tier Eastern YouTubers. You could really tell how much the players adored her!
So when the livestream revealed the Cold Moon Witch, the audience numbers skyrocketed by over two million in just a couple of minutes. Breaking the ten million viewer milestone was now a done deal.
Naturally, this unexpected twist left the two guest hosts buzzing with excitement.
Cold Little Rain’s voice shot up an octave involuntarily.
“Oh my gosh, this is unbelievable! I feel just like everyone out there, shocked yet thrilled! It’s as if the game developers just gifted us all with a surprise—bringing out the most popular villainous NPC into the limelight, just in time for our two challengers to face off against her.”
Strong Brother, a frequent game analyst, had managed to carve out his own niche in The Way of Inquiry, thanks in part to an earlier video where he broke down the Cold Moon Witch.
So, when the Cold Moon Witch made her grand entrance, he was all in, welcoming her like a long-lost friend.
“As our dear Rain pointed out, the game developers truly put in a lot of effort for this S-rank test boss configuration! Although, it’s just a possibility. To me, it really shows that the various sects of the human realm have acknowledged the Cold Moon Witch as a worthy opponent.”
“I’ve mentioned before that Heavenly Sword Sect has thoroughly researched this Great Demon, and that’s precisely why we have the Cold Moon Witch’s projection showing up as a boss.”
“For the top experts at Heavenly Sword Sect, the Cold Moon Witch might not be a threat. But right now, our challengers are two genuine novices! Remember, when the Female Demon Leader faced off against the Outer Door disciples of Thousand Bird City, she one-shot them! Knowing her character, she won’t be holding back. The difficulty level is definitely higher than S-rank!”
As Strong Brother concluded his analysis, the players in the livestream were all abuzz.
“There’s no doubt about it; against the Cold Moon Witch, it’s a one-way ticket to Oblivion!”
“An 80-level Great Demon? Even with her strength capped at 80%, she could easily take out two individuals barely scraping 20 levels!”
“Yeah! I was initially rooting for them after watching them struggle through the first five levels, but now? They’re up against the Cold Moon Witch! Sorry, I can’t cheer for a team that’s clearly doomed!”
“Wow, their bad luck is off the charts! Seriously, of all the bosses to face, it had to be the sinister hidden boss with the highest body count!”
“Where’s the Upgrade Maniac? Show yourself, take a few steps, and express the feels of getting killed by her—you know, for our new challengers’ reference, haha!”
Initially, Lin Nan and his buddy Fatty had a decent fan base supporting them from their run through the levels.
But the moment the Cold Moon Witch appeared, nearly every player instantly took a stand alongside the popular NPC.
For players, the game is just a game. Even though the Cold Moon Witch had been labeled a Great Demon against humanity by the likes of Heavenly Sword Sect and Thousand Bird City, that didn’t dent her popularity. In fact, it only fueled players’ desires to conquer and defeat her.
What they hadn’t anticipated was that Lin Nan and Fatty would be the ones thrust into this rare opportunity.
Sure, the outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
But just having the chance to take a swing at the Cold Moon Witch would earn them bragging rights for years to come. Why wouldn’t such good fortune rain down on them?
At this moment, most players seemed to have conveniently forgotten the grueling efforts Lin Nan and Fatty had put in to reach the sixth level.
When Fatty laid eyes on the Cold Moon Witch, his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat, ramming against his ribs.
As a d*e-hard fan of the witch, he had never imagined he would face her one day.
Sure, it was only a projection, but it looked almost identical to the real deal—like someone had perfectly copied her image!
His body trembled with excitement as it suddenly dawned on him: his shot at glory had arrived!
“Dude, can we… can we beat her?”
In this battle frenzy, Fatty had unconsciously started treating Lin Nan as his anchor.
Now facing a powerful opponent, especially one who was his idol.
If he could actually defeat her, he’d become an up-and-coming star in the player community, basking in the limelight!
Maybe even launch a streaming career off the back of this encounter with the Cold Moon Witch!
Lin Nan chuckled weakly, “I can’t say I’m confident.”
If there was anyone who knew the Cold Moon Witch, it was herself.
As her high-level doppelgänger, Lin Nan was acutely aware of all her skills.
But he couldn’t predict what unexpected surprises might occur once she was projected by the Martial Arts Hall.
But regardless, since they had made it to the sixth level, giving up wasn’t an option—even if their opponent was the King of Hell himself!
Unbeknownst to them, snowflakes began to drift around the arena.
But these snowflakes were anything but ordinary. With their bizarre black-and-white designs, they quickly piled up into a brown mass on the ground, making Lin Nan and Fatty feel like they had stumbled into a strange new world.
Oh no.
Lin Nan thought to himself.
There were players all around the arena. It would be a piece of cake for the Cold Moon Witch to rack up her Cold Value.
Once those snowflakes turned completely black, they’d be facing countless projectiles as hard as diamonds.
And an endless supply, at that!
Fatty had watched the videos, but he didn’t possess the same sensitivity to the snowflakes as the original players did.
With a sudden burst of resolve, Lin Nan drew his sword and dashed toward the projection. If they didn’t defeat her before the black snow formed, victory would be completely out of reach.
But to his surprise, the Cold Moon Witch’s agility remained unaffected.
Her light figure glided through the air like a snowflake. With just a gentle tap of her toes, that dark, flowing form materialized right behind him.
At that moment, he finally understood the players’ frustrations from earlier encounters with the Cold Moon Witch.
It was suffocating—and utterly helpless.
Never did he expect that the game system would pit him against another version of herself, forcing him to experience this sensation firsthand.
Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. What now? What on earth was he supposed to do?
While he understood her skills inside and out, there was almost no chance he could touch her with his current strength.
The snow continued to fall.
And the trend of turning black grew more intense.
To the watching crowd, Lin Nan and Fatty were practically dead men walking.
“It’s well-known that this is the Cold Moon Witch’s signature move, ‘Black Snow.’ Anyone who has seen her face off against Gongsun Ding knows that once those snowflakes turn completely black, the nightmare begins.”
Strong Brother’s commentary hit the mark.
“Moreover, this is just the appetizer! She hasn’t even unleashed her full arsenal yet! Judging by her personality, it’s likely she sees these two as insignificant as dust, hardly needing to pull out her big guns. Just this ‘Black Snow’ is enough!”
“Indeed! When dealing with two ants, one need only step on them. Why bother with heavy artillery?”
“Poor guys! Why’d you have to cross paths with the Cold Moon Witch? When you resurrect, you should really get a fortune teller to look into why your heads are so hard that you crashed into Luo Ying’s hidden quest!”
“LOL, this is a riot! But hey, at least they’re giving us another Cold Moon Witch video!”
“Totally, they’re giving us some serious content!”
At this point, while the Cold Moon Witch didn’t hover like a second boss above the arena, she would touch the ground just long enough to leap again, as if her body had no weight at all, moving with utmost freedom.
This performance undoubtedly skyrocketed her Cold Value.
The Cold Value provided by the players surrounding the platform was already enough for her to unleash all her skills.
Lin Nan was painfully aware of this.
But at that moment, he felt utterly powerless.
Meanwhile, Fatty had been turned into a lovesick fool since the Cold Moon Witch appeared, his eyes glued to that dark figure.
He seemed to have completely forgotten about winning or losing.
In Fatty’s eyes, isn’t losing to the Cold Moon Witch completely normal?
“Fatty, do you trust me?” Lin Nan suddenly asked.
“Of course!”
Fatty didn’t hesitate one bit; after all, Lin Nan had already proven himself in their previous battles.
“Before the Black Snow forms, you charge in and strike her! Just like you did against the boss on the second level!”
Fatty froze.
“What’s in it for me? You’re not planning to use me as cannon fodder, are you?”
Lin Nan replied, “You’ll get a perfect ending. After all, being personally defeated by the Cold Moon Witch will surely be an honor in your eyes.”
The Black Snow floated down, a desolate expanse.
Rather than d*e pitifully, wouldn’t it be more valiant to have a spectacular face-off with the Cold Moon Witch?
Fatty decided without hesitation, mustering the last of his courage, and hurled his longsword at the figure shrouded in the blizzard.
His strength was undeniable.
The sword flew, barely missing her cheek by mere inches.
In the next second, a frosty-faced Cold Moon Witch suddenly materialized behind Fatty.
The audience was left gaping in shock.
