Chapter 1: The 100th Dungeon

Chapter 1: The 100th Dungeon

【Cleaner Xie Yunzhu, welcome to the game "Chaos Heavenly Path." The dungeon "Ruins of Eternal Night" is loading. Please wait patiently.】

Accompanied by the system announcement, Xie Yunzhu slowly opened his eyes.

Before him lay an endless expanse of ruined villages, filled with dilapidated buildings that appeared to have been abandoned for many years. Everything was scorching bright under the sun, while the desolate land was shrouded in a sweltering summer heat.

A hot wind tousled his black hair, causing the silver earrings on both sides to sway gently.

It had been three years since he entered the game, and this was his 100th instance.

One hundred was a milestone number, one that made people expect something extraordinary to happen. Yet, everything before him was still so tedious it made him drowsy.

【Main Quest: Collect ritual materials to summon the Sun God. Number of Cleaners dispatched this round: 12.】

【Quest Description: As devout believers of the Sun God, you and your companions have arrived at Yinhua Town. This is a town abandoned by the Sun God, where evil deities and heretics have freely taken over. You have decided to summon the Sun God, allowing the Divine Light to expel the evil spirits and restore light to this land.】

Followers of the Sun God? Restore light to the land?

Xie Yunzhu looked up at the sky, then down at his phone. Leaving aside whether the Sun God had abandoned His people, it was currently 12 AM. By all logic, the sun shouldn't be so prominently hanging in the sky.

But then again, dungeons were worlds twisted by chaos, and irrationality was the norm. Even if what hung in the sky now was a tire, a donut, or a severed head, there was nothing to be surprised about.

【The dungeon has finished loading. The game officially begins. Cleaners, please do everything in your power to advance toward humanity's eternal future!】

A few minutes later, the other Cleaners finished loading one after another, all nervously scanning their surroundings. They stood in the center of the ruined village, on a circular platform over a meter high. The platform's stone surface was carved with ancient, mysterious patterns, giving it an antique feel.

In the center of the platform burned a massive bonfire, and on the other side sat a large-built woman. She wore intricate black robes and a rusted bronze mask, hunched over with her legs crossed, resembling a terrifying old crow.

In her hands, she held two strange black staffs—one shaped like an "L," the other resembling elongated fire tongs. For some reason, Xie Yunzhu felt the two staffs in her hands looked familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Followers of the Sun God, I have been waiting for you for a long time..." The old crow, clearly the mission-assigning NPC, spoke slowly in a hoarse voice. "Please collect all the ritual items for me. Once the ritual is completed in seven days, the Sun God will return to the world, illuminating this dark and ignorant land and dispelling all evil spirits."

"What are the ritual items?" someone immediately asked. "Where can we find them?"

"All materials can be found here," the old crow said, pointing to the surrounding ruins. "But now, evil runs rampant, and even the townsfolk have been corrupted by evil deities, becoming heretics. When you go out to search, you must remain steadfast and not be swayed by the evil deity..."

"Wait a minute! What evil deity? What heretics? I don't understand a word of this. This game is so confusing—there's not even a tutorial..." A newcomer who looked like a punk couldn't hold back his questions, raising his voice. "Who is the Sun God? And who are you?"

Before he finished speaking, the old crow suddenly stood up. Even hunched over, she was at least two meters tall, her gray hair trailing to the ground, exuding an indescribable pressure.

She raised the strange staff, pressing it against the man's throat, and demanded sharply, "As a follower of the Sun God, how dare you not know who I am?! What is your purpose here?!"

"Uh..." The six-foot-tall man was frozen in fear, his throat trembling. "S-should I know?"

Panicked, he turned to the others. "Hey, does anyone know? Help!"

Everyone immediately averted their eyes, avoiding his gaze, cursing inwardly—both the fool who had triggered a trap and the dungeon itself. Who would have thought the mission-assigning NPC was a crazy NPC, giving them no time to investigate and attacking them right at the start of the game!

Xie Yunzhu didn't look away. Instead, he thoughtfully stared at the strange staff. It seemed to be made of two adjustable metal rods connected together, looking somewhat like... a large drafting compass?

Who in their right mind would use a compass as a weapon? To draw circles and curse enemies in a fight? But in the hands of the old crow, no one doubted its ability to puncture flesh with a single stab.

Time passed second by second. The sun scorched the silent land, and the old crow's chilling gaze swept over everyone, weighing them down until they couldn't lift their heads.

"Truly, no one knows?" The old crow raised her wrist, using the staff to lift the newcomer by his collar, lifting him off the ground. "It seems heretics have infiltrated our ranks, and there is more than one."

This is bad! A sense of dread washed over everyone. After this newcomer was dealt with, the old crow wouldn't spare them either!

—Unless someone could actually guess the NPC's identity in such a short time, with such limited information!

They wanted to run, but an inexplicable pressure pinned them in place, leaving them unable to move. They could only watch as the old crow flicked her wrist, preparing to throw the newcomer into the bonfire.

"Enough. You shall be the first sacrifice—"

"Ah, wait a moment. I think I remember something..."

A voice came from the back of the crowd—somewhat lazy but unexpectedly pleasant, carrying a tone of calm certainty. As soon as he spoke, everyone instinctively turned to look at him.

It was a tall man with black hair, delicate features, and cold, distant eyes. His pale complexion gave him a somewhat sickly appearance. His eye color was unusual—a deep twilight-blue, like the night sky.

His attire was quite casual, consisting of a basic outfit from the system shop. The only accessories he wore were a pair of silver earrings.

He walked unhurriedly to the old crow and, without asking permission, reached out his hand. "May I take a look at your staff?"

Behind the bronze mask, the old crow fixed him with a gloomy stare, unmoving. The newcomer's feet were nearly in the fire, and he was screaming and crying.

Fortunately, the distance was close enough for Xie Yunzhu to see the full shape of the two staffs, confirming his suspicion.

He recalled a stone carving he had seen two years ago in a primordial dungeon—the "Fu Xi Nv Wa Diagram." In it, the two ancient deities, with their serpent tails entwined, held very similar objects.

"The staff in your hand is called a carpenter's square, used to draw circles and squares," he said, picking up a twig and using charcoal dust to draw a circle on the ground, then a square inside it. "As the saying goes, the sky is round, and the earth is square. In ancient times, the square and ruler were tools to communicate with heaven and earth."

"Placing the square and ruler together," Xie Yunzhu drew a symbol resembling a swastika next to it, "forms the oracle bone script character for 'Wu'—you are the high priest responsible for the Sun God's rituals."

The high priest coldly stared at him without speaking.

"This brother is green and inexperienced. Please do not take offense," Xie Yunzhu said calmly. "We are all followers of the Sun God, gathered here for the same faith. If we lose a few people and delay the summoning ritual, it would be a shame. High priest, don't you agree?"

The fire crackled. Everyone held their breath as the high priest slowly lowered her hand, dropping the sobbing newcomer to the ground.

She nodded slightly. "Good. It seems not all of you are fools. I can assign the next mission to you with confidence."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The answer "Wu" wasn't particularly difficult—even without knowing the symbolism of the staffs, they could have pooled their knowledge and guessed it. But how many would have died in the process was another matter.

With gratitude and admiration, they looked at the black-haired man. Yet, even after answering correctly, he showed no sign of joy. His expression was as matter-of-fact as if he had solved the first major problem on a math exam.

"Right, it's 'Wu'!" A beautiful woman with chestnut-colored curls slapped her thigh. "The term 'Wu' refers to someone who can communicate with heaven and earth and summon deities through dance. Even this platform we're on resembles an ancient altar. I should have thought of it earlier!"

"My name is A Xi. I'm a natural historian," she said generously, extending her hand to Xie Yunzhu. "Thank you so much. We're in your debt this time!"

Xie Yunzhu was blunt. "Mm, you're welcome. Just remember you owe me a favor."

I'll collect when it's due.

A Xi: "?"

Everyone: "?"

At that moment, the high priest's staff reached into the bonfire, lifting a tongue of flame. "As a reward, I shall bestow upon you the Sun God's blessing—the Divine Light. It will protect you from harm and shield you from the heretics' disturbances."

Instantly, the flames scattered into 12 sparks in the air, settling into everyone's foreheads, leaving a faint flame mark.

Xie Yunzhu touched his burning forehead. So far, the hints were relatively clear: the "Divine Light" mentioned by the old crow was likely something that would protect them in the dungeon. As for the "heretics" she mentioned, they were probably the monsters that would appear in this dungeon.

After distributing the Divine Light, the old crow waved her sleeves and issued the first task: "Go. Before midnight tonight, each of you must bring me something that can produce fire."

Midnight, or 11 PM, gave them nearly a full day to complete the task. Items that could produce fire, like lighters or matches, shouldn't be hard to find... Xie Yunzhu reached into his pocket but froze the next moment—the lighter he had placed there was gone.

At that moment, the other cleaners also searched through their backpacks and discovered that all items capable of producing fire had been confiscated by the system, leaving them visibly displeased. When they went to ask the High Priest, she had already returned to her original spot and was ignoring any further questions.

"It seems we have no choice but to enter the ruins," a man with a natural leader vibe clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Come on, let's take this chance to get to know each other for better communication and cooperation. I'll start—my name is Song Ziming, a businessman, and this is my eighth instance."

Song Ziming was a robust man in his thirties, fully equipped and exuding confidence and leadership. Given the number of instances he had experienced, he could be considered a seasoned veteran.

"Hello everyone, my name is Fu You. As for my profession..." The man sitting next to Song Ziming, dressed in a full suit, carried himself with handsome elegance, "I'm a trophy husband."

"Wow, this game really has all kinds of niche careers," someone immediately remarked with sarcasm.

"Haha, earning a living by playing to my strengths is nothing to be ashamed of," Fu You flashed a bright smile at him.

"Hello, my name is..."

While everyone was getting acquainted, Xie Yunzhu alone stepped down from the altar and began wandering around on his own. He had heard these meaningless self-introductions countless times—sooner or later, these lively people would end up forgotten, like dust and weeds, if not in this instance, then in the next.

Three years ago, the game *Chaos Heavenly Path* came out of nowhere, and no one knew how it operated. Players who entered the game were called "cleaners." By clearing instances corrupted by chaos, they could earn rewards and exchange them for anything they desired: wealth, power, beauty, wisdom, health, even resurrection... Of course, injuries or deaths in the game would also be reflected in reality.

The game was banned by almost every country, yet people still rushed to enter it. Among their group of twelve, Xie Yunzhu noticed six newcomers. Some even grinned foolishly and said, "It doesn’t seem as scary as I’ve heard. The veterans are quite friendly too."

Unlike him, they had a choice, yet they still threw themselves into this brutal world beyond imagination for the sake of those maddening desires.

After the self-introductions, the group quickly bonded. Led by Song Ziming, they discussed entering the ruins together to search for the quest items. They tried to call Xie Yunzhu to join them, but he pretended not to hear, gazing off into the sky instead.

Ever since entering the instance, he had sensed something seriously off and unnatural about the sky.

"What a loner," Song Ziming frowned and cursed. "Forget it, let's go without him."

It was A Xi, the self-proclaimed amateur naturalist, who kindly came over to check on him. "Hey, good-looking, what are you looking at so intently? Aren’t you really going with the others?"

"Looking at the sun," Xie Yunzhu replied. "Haven’t you noticed? The sun’s moving."

A Xi looked up as well, and the more she stared, the more oppressive and low the sky seemed, like a rough sketch with a sun pinned to it. Under its glaring light, everything on the ground took on an overexposed, almost surreal look.

Recalling the sun she had glimpsed unintentionally upon entering the instance, she vaguely realized something, and goosebumps prickled her skin. "Oh my god... no way! The sun’s position hasn’t moved at all, but it seems... bigger..."

No, perhaps not just a little. The sun had gotten way bigger in a short time, exceeding any reasonable limit.

It was as if, while they endured the stinging pain of observing the sun, the sun itself had leaned in closer, curiously observing them in return.

"You’re right on the money," Xie Yunzhu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the huge thing in the sky. "The sun is moving closer to us."

Author's Note:

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New story is here! Welcome, everyone, to join the fun =3=

Daily updates at 9 PM. Red envelopes will be scattered in the comments these two days~