Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The Deluxe Edition truly lived up to its name. The one-day experience voucher for the motel not only included breakfast but also a late-night snack at nine.

Ji Xinghai poked at his triangular chocolate cake with a fork, holding a glass of milk in one hand, while listening to the gurgling sound from the water heater.

He had boiled the four sterile eggs he previously obtained inside it. According to his experience, after the water boiled and simmered for nine minutes, the result would be perfectly cooked soft-boiled eggs. The whites were soft and bouncy, while the yolks were tender and flowing.

He bit on the fork as he looked around.

It was called a luxury suite, but it was really just a standard single room, equipped with an independent bathroom, a sofa, a TV, and an 1.8-meter bed. That was all there was.

Ji Xinghai turned on the TV and watched for a while. It was normal programming, making him feel as if he had entered a regular world – which was, of course, impossible.

When he checked in at the front desk downstairs, he had already tested the waters.

Talking about road trips, the conversation was normal. Mentioning the strange weather recently, he heard a bunch of complaints, and the conversation remained normal. When he brought up local horror legends and certain anomalies, the staff member was evasive, but the conversation was still mostly normal.

Until they spoke about anomalous creatures, the staff member stumbled, unable to continue the conversation.

At that moment, Ji Xinghai knew that the monsters in local horror legends were the identities of anomalous beings in this instance. They were all proper NPCs. And dying and turning into dolls was likely not just a setting but also a measure to prevent him.

Tsk, the more they tried to prevent him, the more he wanted to eat them.

It couldn't be helped; he was born with a rebellious streak.

Now, Ji Xinghai mulled over how to find some entertainment for himself, ate his cake, waited for the eggs to cook, and opened the internal channel for students, multitasking.

It was currently a high-risk period for terrifying events, and with many idle people around, the student channel was livelier than during the day.

The Angel's Weeping Graveyard incident had fully mobilized the students' enthusiasm, or perhaps 'the desire to teach' was indeed a human trait. So the channel was bustling with various questions and answers. Anyway, they were idle, and if they encountered someone grateful, they could even earn some rewards. Why not?

And the rest were aimless chatter, wherever the conversation led.

Sooner or later, whether by chance or due to lack of tickets, those who didn't enter the safe shelters basically ran into trouble.

However, most encounters were with individual monsters, and no one had yet stumbled into the 'ghost realm.'

Facing these individual monsters, most students, even if they couldn't kill them, could at least escape.

Those who managed to counterattack or successfully fled were the main participants in the current channel chat. They were shivering from the cold of the night, asking about others' situations, and occasionally offering help.

There was a sound of glass beads rolling on the ceiling above the budget room?

Suggest using the exorcism hexagram graphic.

Hearing suspicious crying sounds on the road / encountering a strange beauty / strange shadows...

Step on the gas and get away.

Abandoned hospitals, amusement parks, mansions...

If you want to die, give it a try.

The monsters appearing tonight came from legends, movies and TV shows, or were hybrid creations. Their types were varied, and even the most seasoned monster enthusiasts couldn't clarify the origins of the particularly obscure ones.

Fortunately, Western exorcism techniques and rituals weren't complex or diverse, and with the assistance of other students, most students who didn't actively seek out monsters could temporarily handle the troubles they encountered. Some even had the opportunity to counterattack.

In the first instance, the official students and random students were clearly divided, but starting from the first instance, there were outstanding random students who grew and rose to prominence. Even if they couldn't immediately reach the heights of the official students, they could hold their own in the instances.

Many countries had already seen the value of their random students and were preparing to contact them once the instance ended.

Defeating bosses could yield rewards, but what exactly they were, previous students were vague and unwilling to provide details. But tonight, so many people fought monsters that a couple couldn't contain their excitement and exposed all the rewards in the channel.

The students were shocked. Chests and Ark tickets, no wonder the official students were so eager to fight monsters. The benefits were too tempting to resist.

The students who showed off their rewards were smug, talking at length about the principle of "the brave shall prevail when the narrow road meets." Among them, the most arrogant was 'Universe's Luckiest.'

He posted just one picture, showing a pair of shoes and a full load of rewards, including a wooden chest, equipment, food, and more. Most eye-catching were the silver-plated pistol and the bullet clip labeled 'Pure Silver Holy Water Bullets.'

"Just got some rewards, nothing special."

"Hiss." Ji Xinghai narrowed his eyes.

This person claimed to be 'Universe's Luckiest,' and while 'Universe's' might have been a stretch, 'Luckiest' was certainly accurate. A monster that provided a wooden chest actually gave him a silver-plated pistol and pure silver holy water bullets, both highly useful in the monster world.

Pure silver bullets!

He had opened two brass chests and hadn't seen any equipment with strong monster-killing power. He even carved his own demon-dispelling bullets, one by one, until his fingertips were red!

Was this guy a Hunger Academy bastard?

Even Ji Xinghai, who was well-supplied, reacted this way, let alone the other students.

"Regular monsters dropping powerful equipment specifically targeting demonic monsters?" Official students who had fought monsters questioned their existence. Why did they only receive equipment biased towards daily life, and when they did get weapons, they were mostly melee weapons?

They also wanted enchanted hot weapons in their hands, combining mysticism and science, raining fire to teach monsters a lesson.

"This is the right way to obtain chests? No wonder I couldn't find any chests, I thought my luck was bad, turns out I need to learn how to fight monsters before finding chests?" There were students who noticed the chest first. They were the official students who had yet to start their monster-hunting careers.

These people entered with a mission: to protect themselves and acquire as many resources as possible, including but not limited to chests.

"To board the Ark, do we need tickets?" This was the majority left, who simply wanted to pass through but found it so difficult.

This was a trap set by the Hunger Academy, telling them to board the Ark without mentioning the need for tickets, waiting to see the students work hard for nothing.

And the reason those who previously obtained tickets didn't say anything was mainly due to three mindsets:

One, wanting to seize the initiative to obtain the complete ticket and bonus points.

I. Feeling that the trainees' strength is insufficient, confronting monsters too early would be tantamount to seeking death.

III. It doesn't matter whether he tells them or not; he feels like an outsider in this situation.

"Addresses are usually on the tickets, so finding a ticket should lead us to the Ark's location, right?"

"That's true, but can you get your hands on a ticket?" What good is an address without a ticket?

The previously excited trainees fell silent. Indeed, obtaining a ticket would require defeating four monsters—could they do it?

Forget it. If they were capable, they wouldn't be talking about it; they'd be out there fighting monsters with their gear.

In fact, they could take a darker approach by lying in wait near the Ark, ready to snatch tickets from trainees who have already obtained complete ones.

However, if someone could defeat four monsters, they likely wouldn't have meager supplies and equipment. Facing such well-equipped trainees, who hadn't developed at all, would they stand a chance to rob them?

More likely, they'd be the ones robbed.

So, while it seemed the trainees had options, the game world never provided another choice—they must obtain a ticket.

Without a ticket, they couldn't enter the Ark; without entering the Ark, they were likely to die.

Tickets, oh tickets, to acquire one meant battling monsters. Even with a mastermind providing strategies behind the scenes, the actual fighting had to be done by the individual. The thought of facing these creatures alone made most ordinary trainees' spines tingle and knees tremble. Forget fighting—their ability to stand upright would be commendable.

Active death, passive death—it was death either way.

"I... I can't do it..." A random trainee broke down in tears over the channel. "In reality, I'm just an ordinary person, barely scraping by even when I give it my all! Why am I subjected to this?"

"If you can't, you die," said Universe's Luckiest bluntly.

"What do you mean? Ordinary people don't deserve to live?"

"No, they don't." Universe's Luckiest poured salt into the wound. "To be precise, not in this world."

As analyzed by countries outside the game, the first instance was too smooth, leaving the unexpectedly chosen trainees unprepared for the harsh reality.

Yet, the exam never paused or waited for anyone. Universe's Luckiest may have been harsh, but he spoke the truth. If they couldn't handle it, they would die; they had no choice but to push through.

They entered to fight for their lives, not for a leisurely stroll.

Feeling so belittled, yet genuinely terrified, the cowardly couldn't help but want to escape, thinking that dying inside might be less painful.

But their own deaths were one thing; their families, friends, colleagues, fellow villagers, and even enemies watched them from the live streams.

Not everyone was willing to sacrifice themselves for their country; they weren't government-sponsored trainees indebted to the state. Facing monsters alone required more than just a little faith to muster the courage.

However, most people had a sense of honor, especially before those they cared about.

"What would they think, what would they say, if I chose to run away now?"

The thought of countless eyes upon him, waiting for his decision, left no room for the luxury of retreat or ignorance.

Unable to resolve whether to confront the monsters or flee from everything, the students, bound by morality and propriety, found themselves in a maddening quandary, unable to simply give up.

In this somber atmosphere, 'Universe's First Lucky' emerged once again, his presence particularly pronounced over these past two days, as he spent his time boasting and bickering from dawn till dusk.

Universe's First Lucky: Survival of the fittest, the strong survive while the weak perish. Those who dare not face the monsters deserve their doomed fate. In truth, ordinary people who haven't undergone training are merely burdens. Your struggles are futile.

"This guy!"

It was undeniable that official students were indeed superior to random ones, but that was because they were specifically trained for this environment. In a different setting with different demands, it was uncertain which group would prove more adaptable.

However, the topic was too abrupt, leaving the targeted students momentarily speechless, unable to think of a counterargument.

Universe's First Lucky: Truth is often harsh. Unlike Ji Xinghai, I don't indulge in false kindness. Since the weak are destined to be weeded out, rather than shattering your illusions and leaving you to suffer in your powerlessness, it's kinder to let you be naturally eliminated in blissful ignorance. That person is merely posturing; what difference does it make in the end? This is, after all, a world of the strong.

Ji Xinghai, inexplicably called out: ...Meow?!