Chapter 26: Dawn

Chapter 26: Dawn

Lift, retrieve.

Such a simple action completed within two seconds left everyone staring in awe.

The protagonist was equally perplexed. Expecting a trick, Zhou Qian prudently recalled the white silk, ready to fight to the death at any moment.

His muscles tensed, his thin lips tightly sealed, not daring to let his guard down for an instant.

Yet, as he pulled out the harpoon, nothing happened.

"…Is this real?"

Amidst expressions of disbelief, Zhou Qian began to doubt the authenticity of the divine artifact.

The familiar mechanical voice arrived just in time:

"Congratulations on obtaining a Five-Star+ item."

"You have become the first player to acquire a Holy-Class weapon."

·

In the outside world, due to Zhou Qian's casual pull, a server-wide announcement began to echo simultaneously.

On the Azure game forum, the only place where players could openly discuss game-related content, there were countless online discussions daily, facilitating transactions and team formations.

"#Barter trade, urgently need speed-enhancing items, must not be lower than ninety-second acceleration."

"Idiotic post author, why don't you ask for a V-class rocket instead?"

…

"#Seeking team members, specific requirements inside the thread#"

…

Every few minutes, new posts would replace old ones.

"#Breaking! A player has unlocked a healing skill#"

When this post appeared, it attracted over a hundred replies in just one minute.

"Really? Is the information reliable! Please provide contact details."

"I'll provide team items, including an acceleration item, seeking team members, please contact me privately for details."

"Holy shit, a healing skill, I've never heard of it before, which evolutionary path is it from!"

"It's a newbie player, foolishly revealing it, but it doesn't matter that the healing skill is exposed. To the poster above, it's from the Ice Sea Angel."

"There are such creatures in the ocean?!"

Just as countless people flocked to the heated discussion, the top of the forum turned red:

"Congratulations to a player in Yanzhou District, China, for becoming the first Holy Artifact holder!"

"!!"

For half a minute, shock rendered their fingers unable to type, so no one immediately posted to verify such explosive news.

The forum automatically pinned a featured thread:

"The Holy Artifact has emerged, with an estimated three hundred and twenty related series dungeons now open."

"Dungeon entrances updated"

"New World Dungeon entrances: Rice Wildman Mountain - Tunnel; Nippon Mermaid Forest - Dry Well; Zinan New Village Library - Elevator Lobby…"

"Weapons ranking list updated."

"Please click ↓ for the rankings below"

In different countries and regions, the air seemed to have stopped.

The featured thread used a large amount of text, over ten thousand words, to introduce the update content. However, the minds of players browsing the forum were only repeating one term: Holy Artifact, China, Yanzhou District.

So the divine artifacts weren't the pinnacle after all?

But who the hell was the lucky bastard who obtained the Holy Artifact?!

Some of the top players in the game, however, looked in a certain fixed direction.

Yanzhou District… Knowing the general area made things much easier.

·

At this moment, no one understood the attributes of the Holy Artifact better than Zhou Qian.

"Name: Golden Harpoon

Quality: Five-Star+

Equipment Description: Currently the only Holy Artifact in the entire server, this isn't just any ordinary harpoon, it's a badass harpoon. Its steel-like prongs are designed to deal with all forms of defiance, with a 14% chance of causing secondary damage. It shines brightly, with its own illuminating effect.

User Manual: Fishing requires a single, quiet ambush, but the harpoon is different. It always makes a dazzling entrance because true power doesn't need to hide.

Comes with enhanced rapid-fire speed, enabling swift hunting.

Note: It will make your heart, your blood, everything as cold as if you had been filleting fish at RT-Mart for thirty years."

Holy Artifact?

Despite holding it for some time, the icy touch on the handle remained unchanged.

The heavily injured player finally regained consciousness, casting an incredulous look at the Xun tycoon. What did the NPC say? Only the purest and most benevolent could touch and use it?

Han Tiansheng didn't hold back, cursing: "Bullshit!"

Unless the concept of purity in the dungeon differed from what was understood outside.

On the other side, Han Li looked at her still bleeding wrist, the severed hand reminding her of her inadequacy.

At least it proved that the literal meaning of 'pure' hadn't been misinterpreted.

So what was the reason then?

A player who chose to sacrifice his wife at the start, then used fishing law enforcement to kill his companions, followed by setting fire to the mountain, and finally encouraged everyone to feed the fish, was deemed pure and benevolent?

Where was the purity?

Was the game blind and senile, like the Xun tycoon, dead?

"The NPCs said only good people could hold it?" The murmurings of the college student reached Zhou Qian's ears. Initially stunned, he soon thought of something, and a hollow smile appeared on his pale face. "Good people?"

So that's how it is.

Among his initial traits, his trait was a 100% affinity with family.

When Zhou Qian first saw the trait, he found it ironic, but gradually he came to understand.

Three years ago, after a great fog, some people in reality also changed. Unlike the evolution of players in the game, these people were more akin to the death mutation of the Xun tycoon, becoming bloodthirsty and savage.

The change in hair and eye color indicated that he too had been affected by the great fog, yet he never felt the desire to kill.

I mutated + but I have no desire for slaughter (rounding off) = I'm an unparalleled good person

Zhou Qian brainwashed himself: "Yes, I'm an unparalleled good person…"

To those around him, hearing these words was no less powerful than eating frozen fish, causing extreme physiological discomfort.

Mr. S even dug into his rabbit ears, as if something dirty had entered.

Before they could ridicule, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently.

Their first reaction was that someone's 'purity' had been too excessive, invoking divine retribution.

Until a large amount of black mist poured in from the golden entrance above their heads, the players realized it had nothing to do with the heavens, but rather something had happened outside.

The increasingly thick black mist was filled with various sounds and languages, the hissing of snakes, the rustling of spiders, the curses of humans… Each species was screaming in desperation, mixed with extreme terror.

Suddenly, Zhou Qian asked sharply, "What time is it?"

As the entire dark room space approached the brink of collapse, Han Li suppressed her jealousy and checked the time item. "Ten minutes to midnight."

Then she heard Zhou Qian's low curse, "Damn it, the statue woke up early."

Under normal circumstances, the statue's dormant period wouldn't end until midnight. Perhaps it was because he pulled out the golden harpoon, causing the statue to feel a massive sense of crisis.

"Xun Er…"

After Xun Er's wish was consumed by the statue, further strengthening the evil god's power, that should also be a reason.

The joy of obtaining the treasure was instantly dampened.

Based on previous clues, finding the Holy Artifact allowed them to shatter the statue during its dormant period.

Dormant period.

Those three words weighed heavily like three mountains upon them.

Now that the statue had awakened, even if he obtained the Holy Artifact, the possibility of shattering the statue would decrease.

"If we join forces to kill the Xun tycoon and then stay hidden here, guarding against all attacks, perhaps we can…"

Before the thought fully developed, the icy mechanical voice arrived swiftly and harshly:

"All players, please pay attention"

"The Holy Artifact has been taken"

"The hidden map will be closing soon"

"Players will be teleported back to the surface, teleportation will begin in ten seconds, 10s, 9s—"

Before Zhou Qian could react, his body was forcefully pushed upward by a suction force, the forced teleportation disorienting him.

A damp scent wafted from ahead. The statue's cheeks bulged with a grin, its eyes, like those of a laughing Buddha, opened wide. It was the source of all the black mist, staring intently at the sacrificial offering presented before it.

Game, I curse your ancestors!

Zhou Qian wanted to howl to the heavens. Among all the players, only he was teleported right in front of the statue. It couldn't be anything but deliberate targeting.

And when he raised his head, he met the statue's gaze head-on.

Tick, tock.

He clumsily tried to block it with his arm.

The water droplets condensed from the black mist were more corrosive than the chunks of flesh that fell from the ceiling, expanding the bloody wounds.

The original injuries suffered secondary damage, and Zhou Qian sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, with only his hair remaining unscathed on his entire body.

The evolved hair strands were indeed highly resistant to corrosion; they didn't bald in such strong acid.

The sea snake that had previously blocked the idol had already been swallowed, and the dripping water sound eventually turned into a gushing flow. If it continued for less than half a minute, he might not have any intact flesh left on him.

Zhou Qian gritted his teeth and surveyed his surroundings. Xun Er was gone, seemingly truly devoured.

The college student's cries of pain came from behind, along with some sounds of combat. Although the players didn't have to face the idol directly, Mr. Xun's wealth was enough to give them trouble.

Zhou Qian couldn't spare a thought for what was happening behind him, saying without turning back,

"Take care of my back."

Attacked by Mr. Xun's wealth right off the bat, Chen Jian now felt that dying at the hands of an NPC was better than being infuriated to death by Zhou Qian.

He aimed for the narrow path between Mr. Xun's wealth and the wall. There was nowhere left to hide now, but the level of mutation downstairs was less severe, so there might be a way to temporarily leave the third floor.

But even if they managed to escape successfully, no one had the confidence to say they could survive the remaining duration of the survival period.

The idol was the beginning of all disasters, and there was a complex relationship between Mr. Xun's wealth and the idol.

Smashing it would surely bring about a turning point.

Chen Jian said something to Zhou Qian, mainly obscenities, but the latter heard nothing.

The idol's eyes hadn't fully opened yet, and the black mist seeped into the wound, causing countless voices to explode simultaneously in Zhou Qian's mind.

"I am willing to offer my youth."

"God, I am willing to trade my lifespan."

"Hehehe, I want to take revenge on those who betrayed me..."

The countless creatures that had once worshiped the evil god, their words filled with obsession echoed incessantly in his mind, each time causing excruciating headaches.

The brain had the most wondrous center. Zhou Qian not only heard these voices but could also sense their emotions.

With millions of emotions bursting forth simultaneously, he felt as if his head was about to explode.

"Get out..."

Get out of his head.

The idol remained squarely in front of him, the black aura making its eyes murky as it looked down at its prey.

Zhou Qian struggled to raise his wrist, ceaselessly pondering how to escape this predicament.

The idol couldn't move, and he just happened to have a holy artifact in his possession that could subdue it. The problem was... Zhou Qian was grinding his teeth to the point of almost breaking them. Although the holy artifact was powerful, the cost of using it was too high. After barely advancing a small inch, he nearly passed out.

"Holy Artifact in use—"

"Your blood volume has depleted 400cc."

When using the holy artifact, the game even gave him a respectful title, but Zhou Qian's experience was negative.

400cc was equivalent to the maximum amount of blood a normal person could donate at once. Coupled with his existing injuries, his lips instantly turned pale.

Zhou Qian took a deep breath, gripped the metal rod, and in the next second, he threw himself and the golden trident together.

"Holy Artifact in continuous use—"

"Your blood volume has depleted 400cc."

Breathing became difficult, Zhou Qian's limbs were weak, and his pale forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The only thing that brought joy was the faint sound of cracking, with the trident tip lodged in the eye, allowing more black mist to slither into the wound like eels.

"Xun Er."

Zhou Qian was on the brink of collapse, trying his best to keep his consciousness from fading, calling out Xun Er's name in his mind.

Each voice in his mind corresponded to a face, and among countless faces, Zhou Qian kept repeating Xun Er's name. The loss of blood triggered intense palpitations, and his expression was somewhat dazed, but his brain worked faster than ever.

Xun Er had only been devoured recently, and his consciousness hadn't completely faded.

And after the idol was attacked by the trident and developed cracks, wasn't it also an opportunity for Xun Er to counterattack?

A method he could think of when he was young to feed the fish and escape, now that the opportunity was right in front of him, Zhou Qian didn't believe the other party wouldn't seize it.

"Inhabit the will of the evil god, become it, replace it..."

This is why I didn't expose you in the living room.

It's also your final value.

The idol's eyes suddenly became sharp, and Zhou Qian forced the trident closer by an inch, unabashedly continuing to incite.

The moment the crack widened, the idol's eyes began to bleed.

It had two faces!

Zhou Qian was sure it wasn't an illusion; the other half of the face had traces of Xun Er.

Zhou Qian smiled.

The second guideline in the survival panel, "Make the sky bright again," seemed to be the most aimless task, but it was actually the easiest loophole to exploit.

—Pray to the god.

What humans can't do, let the gods do.

Even evil gods can.

"Omnipotent god..."

Zhou Qian began to pray, maintaining a devout tone despite holding a powerful weapon: "Please bless the sky to light up again. For this, I am willing to offer..."

He suddenly paused, revealing a rather wicked smile.

The idol relied on human faith and risks to survive.

At this moment, facing the risk of being devoured by Xun Er, it urgently needed someone to make a wish to draw strength from it.

Wasn't it the same for Xun Er?

In this tug-of-war, relying on the opportunity created by Zhou Qian, Xun Er intermittently dominated the idol's consciousness, making him half an evil god as well.

"Dual souls in one body," Zhou Qian whispered, "Who should I worship? Should I respectfully address the great old evil god or continue calling out Xun Er's name?"

If he worshipped Xun Er, his faith and offerings would naturally belong to Xun Er. If he worshipped the evil god, they would naturally belong to the evil god.

The holy artifact was still embedded in the idol, and the evil god was injured, severely so.

The moment the black aura dissipated, Xun Er seized the opportunity, further invading the evil god's consciousness.

Damn! Damn!!

Being bitten back by a believer, the idol's seemingly compassionate drooping eyelids twitched fiercely.

Faith and offerings would quickly help it recover from its injuries.

...As long as someone prayed now.

Relying on the power of wishes, it could temporarily seal the wound. Then, it could free its hands to suppress this audacious young monster that wanted to replace it.

"Humans..."

A hollow voice never heard before echoed in Zhou Qian's mind:

"Wealth, beauties, youth...I can grant you everything."

The ancient evil god constantly tempted.

Behind him, Chen Jian and the others, struggling against Mr. Xun's wealth, swallowed hard. If they went up to make a wish now, with the condition that the evil god spared them, wouldn't it be a chance to survive?

The reason they didn't act immediately was the fear that once many people made wishes, the evil god would gain the upper hand, and the price they would have to pay would be very high.

There would definitely be some fools who would get caught up in it.

Should they kill their competitors?

Instincts of monsters after mutation made the players glance around, wanting to eliminate competitors to prevent getting caught up in the chaos.

Just then, a weak yet playful voice sounded from the front—

"Bid." Zhou Qian quietly looked at the overlapping faces of the idol, baring his teeth and saying, "I'll worship whoever offers a lower price."

Worshipping required a fair exchange, and he certainly wouldn't easily trade offspring and wealth like Mr. Xun did.

Oh, he didn't have wealth.

Did Mr. Si's car count?

Zhou Qian coughed lightly, temporarily suppressing this dangerous thought.

Holding the trident, he sincerely and passionately continued to look at the idol. Let's get competitive; it's a buyer's market now!

Author's Note:

Zhou Qian: Say goodbye to all the evil gods, and say goodbye to all poverty. (Tilts head) Bye~Bye~