New player?
Wu Chang frowned, this opening line didn't sound promising.
Before he could think it over, the electronic voice continued:
"After a random selection across the universe, Blue Star has been selected as the lucky star, obtaining the qualification for the Abyssal Game, connecting with the cosmic source, and acquiring a grand opportunity for evolution."
"All intelligent life on Blue Star will be randomly chosen as players in the Abyssal Game, exploring countless plane secrets and achieving the extraordinary along with their respective planes."
"Congratulations on being selected for the Abyssal Game. The mysteries of the universe, the limits of life, the extraordinary and the immortal are right before you. Would you like to enter the game immediately?"
A huge "Join Game" button in web game style appeared in front of Wu Chang.
He frowned and searched for a long time but couldn't find any option to refuse.
"Can I choose to opt-out?"
The electronic voice paused for a moment, as if it hadn't heard Wu Chang's question, continuing its sales pitch:
"The Abyssal Game will match players to corresponding planes based on their abilities, with a smooth difficulty gradient. New players will find it easy to get started, suitable for all ages."
"I asked, can I choose to opt-out?" Wu Chang repeated.
"I'm sorry, the will of Blue Star has already agreed to join the game. Independent individuals cannot choose to withdraw," the electronic voice replied coldly.
Damn, it's not pretending anymore, starting with the hard sell.
Wu Chang sighed, the scammy tone in the electronic voice was so obvious, he could sense it through a plane. Such low-level tactics would earn three beatings in a day in X North.
Didn't anyone install an anti-fraud app for our great Blue Star mother, just watching elder comrades of billions of years get scammed and ambushed?
Since there's no hope of opting out, he could only press the "Join Game" button in front of him.
"Your player identity has been activated."
"Your player number is: 4444444."
"You are currently on the first layer of the Abyss: the Desolate Realm."
"Matching you with a novice trial dungeon, dungeon difficulty: F, currently matching."
"Detected that the player inherits the qualification from another player, dungeon difficulty adjusted. After adjustment, dungeon difficulty: B! Official recommendation for minimum exploration level: 15, please proceed with caution."
"Rematching trial dungeon..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chang's expression changed dramatically.
What the hell?
Where's the smooth difficulty gradient, easy for new players to handle?
And by the sound of it, the increased difficulty was because he inherited the game qualification from that camo dude.
Before he could curse the camo dude for being ungrateful, his vision blurred and he found himself in an unfamiliar single room.
He lay on the bed in the single room, surrounded by a thin mist that acted like a barrier, restricting his movement.
The mist only obstructed his actions, not his vision.
As he examined the room's layout, a player panel-like interface was projected on the opposite wall.
Player Nickname: Wu Chang (To ensure your safety in the real world, it is recommended to change your nickname as soon as possible.)
Player Level: 1 (0/100)
Life: 8 (5)
Power: 9 (5)
Agility: 8 (5)
Endurance: 7 (5)
Energy: 0 (0)
Inspiration: 50 (5)
Will: 30 (5)
(Values in parentheses are the average for adult males aged 20-40.)
Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Use (Proficient).
Talent: Exorcism.
Talent Description: Death is the destination of all things, unavoidable, but in the seamless unity of death and annihilation, unexpectedly, you come in between, causing a slight separation. This is unreasonable, the administrator suspects you're hacking, but there's currently no evidence.
The format of the player panel content was similar to games Wu Chang had experienced before, making it easy to understand.
The abilities he previously possessed became straightforward and understandable through the panel, like the basketball skills he used to take down Bloodthorn.
"Skill Name: Mamba Iron Elbow"
"Skill Level: D"
"Skill Description: Unexpectedly swing an elbow, fiercely striking the target's face, causing temporary blindness, dizziness, bleeding, weakness, poisoning, and other effects; if Will Value exceeds the target, the elbow strike is certain to hit, unavoidable; the damage and duration of the abnormal states are influenced by the Inspiration attribute."
Besides the Mamba Iron Elbow, the attribute panel also materialized his talent.
His ability of grudge was still usable in the Abyssal Game, and judging by the skill description, it had great potential for the future.
As for the suspicion from the game administrator, it's pure slander!
There's no account ban because it's part of the game mechanics, ever seen a client with a built-in Artifact Spirit?
After he picked a vegan-style nickname—"Doesn't Eat Beef," the surrounding mist dissipated, and a notification of successful entry into the dungeon appeared before him.
"Successfully entered 'Desolate—Plane 46957.'"
"Dungeon Name: Moonlight Sanatorium."
"Dungeon Type: Single Player Survival Dungeon."
"Dungeon Difficulty: B."
"Dungeon Status: On the verge of losing control."
"Main Quest 1: Leave Moonlight Sanatorium."
"Main Quest 2: Explore the secrets within Moonlight Sanatorium."
"Upon completing Main Quest 1, players can choose to end the dungeon and leave the current plane."
"After clearing the novice trial dungeon, players will gain access to Crimson Courtyard and become official players."
Meanwhile, inside a certain Red Divine Hall, a gate of light is gradually forming on the central altar.
A dozen people gathered around the altar, staring solemnly at the light gate, as if something terrifying might be hiding behind its soon-to-form structure.
But for those present, if such a light gate only hid monsters, they would not be so tense.
Those appearing here are all veteran players of the Abyssal Game, what monsters in the Desolate Realm have they not seen?
Their tension arises because beyond the gate of light lies a B-level instance, one that is nearing the verge of losing control.
Instances in the Abyssal Game are not just repeatable programs; they are, in essence, connected to certain real-world plane regions.
Each instance's core is unique, and before completely clearing the instance, players can repeatedly tackle and thoroughly explore it.
However, dead players also become nourishment, absorbed by the instance.
External energy polluting the instance's plane will cause the instance's difficulty to escalate until it evades control by the Abyssal Game.
A B-level instance on the brink of losing control has difficulty comparable to an A-level instance in normal status!
If the instance completely loses control, it will reverse-erode the real world along the player's entry path, causing immense disaster.
A while back, there was an earthquake on Sakura Island, with over 30,000 people dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands injured, all because a B-level instance lost control and eroded reality.
To prevent such occurrences, player factions with management authority will monitor advanced instances in their management areas.
When an instance reaches a warning level, they will send in a "Breaker" to tackle the instance.
But a Breaker cannot always achieve a breakthrough.
Some instances are extraordinarily difficult, ones even Breakers must bypass.
In the Abyssal Game, an instance completion rate over 40% is considered cleared.
An instance completion rate under 40% is a failure, and there will be penalties, but as long as the completion rate is over 5%, one can find a way to survive the instance.
Yet for this instance, let alone a completion rate over 40%, even the number of players surviving from the instance is zero.
The official difficulty rating for this instance is: Extinction Level.
With no survivors, by the time the monitors noticed the instance anomaly, the instance was on the verge of uncontrollability.
No surviving players means the intelligence inside cannot be relayed out, lacking information and strategy, the Breaker becomes no different from any other first-time player entering the instance.
Thus, five Breakers consecutively fell within the instance beyond the light gate, with the only information relayed being the instance's name: "Moonlight Sanatorium."
According to calculations, this time the point of reality erosion from the instance losing control will be in Wanghai City, Xia Country.
Now the instance beyond the light gate has reached a critical state and could lose control at any moment, the final opportunity to achieve a breakthrough entrusted to Xia Country's strongest Breaker.
A middle-aged man stood before the light gate, wrapped in a thick down jacket, his complexion pale, as if recuperating from a serious illness, occasionally muffling soft coughs.
The scholarly man is Xia Country's strongest Breaker in the Desolate Realm, Cold Mountain.
Cold Mountain, Level 30, one of the top players in the Desolate Realm, had previously led the strategy of two S-level instances, renowned among Desolate Realm players as the most reliable Breaker.
Whenever he wishes, he can leave the Desolate Realm and enter the next layer of the Abyss.
Cold Mountain asked a nearby person, "What's the status of the instance?"
A bald and sturdy man replied, "It's stable, we have exerted authority to block the entrance to 'Moonlight Sanatorium,' even if someone has bad intentions, they can't make a move."
"Very good."
Cold Mountain had prepared for a month for this breakthrough.
To resolve the crisis of instance loss of control, a Breaker must not only complete the instance's quests but also find and thoroughly resolve the root of the instance's anomalies.
Converting this into instance completion rate, it needs to reach at least 70% for an A- grade evaluation.
Facing an entirely unknown solo survival instance with A-level difficulty officially rated as Extinction Level, aiming for an A- grade evaluation in one go even puts pressure on him.
Over this month, he not only made several plans but also adjusted to the optimal state——"Absolute Calm."
Under the "Absolute Calm" state, his will and judgment would greatly enhance, and even when facing life-and-death crises, his emotions would not waver.
As the light gate took shape, the bald and sturdy man said, "Mr. Leng, the fate of Wanghai City is in your hands now."
"Rest assured, even if I were to die, I'll die after clearing the instance," Cold Mountain spoke lightly, but the determination in his words was heavier than a mountain.
After Cold Mountain finished speaking, he expressionlessly stepped into the light gate, the next moment, he seemed to hit an invisible wall, his forehead colliding against the gate.
Previously calm as still water, Cold Mountain suddenly turned frantic.
"Damn, someone's already entered the instance ahead of us!"
The bald and sturdy man glanced into the distance and immediately denied:
"Impossible! The blockade on 'Moonlight Sanatorium' and the instance hall hasn't loosened; other players couldn't have selected it, not even with instance-specific items! Unless..."
Cold Mountain smiled wryly, "Unless a non-official player entered through the Trial Passage."
The crucial final opportunity fell into the hands of a novice who just entered the Abyssal Game.
What a hellish joke.
In any other instance, this joke might amuse Cold Mountain, but in "Moonlight Sanatorium," no one present could smile.
The bald man opened the records on "Moonlight Sanatorium," where the time flow differs from reality, and the average instance failure time recorded is:
12 hours!
The players who left this data were all veterans, yet the player who has now entered the instance is just a novice who hasn't even passed a trial instance.
How long can this novice last?
The bald man shouted in despair, "Notify Wanghai City to enter the highest alert state!"
"Everyone evacuate immediately if possible, if not, take shelter nearby! Neighboring cities prepare for disaster relief, in the worst case, we only have dozens of minutes!"