Chapter 68 · Volume 1

【Wuxia World】Extremely Foolish

Jinyang said, “Some time ago, my Imperial Father arranged for an experienced tutor to give us lessons. The tutor said that a dungeon with only one main quest is the simplest One-Star dungeon.”
“The specters in dungeons of this difficulty are the most rigid and extremely foolish. They only act strictly according to the rules, without any schemes or plots, making them the easiest to deal with.”
“Therefore, once the conditions for killing are met, the specter will definitely take action. This also makes it easier for us to identify the rules the specter possesses.”
Zuo Lin'an paused his eating.
Most rigid, extremely foolish?
He glanced at the potato chips in his hand, then took another one and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Putting it that way isn't entirely wrong, I suppose.”
Most specters in One-Star difficulty dungeons were indeed just as Jinyang described.
But now, the players from the wuxia world clearly had not realized the severity of the situation yet.
After all, there was an exception to everything.
And that exception was the Human-Specter Symbiont dungeon boss.
“It seems... the existence of Human-Specter Symbiont dungeon bosses hasn't spread in the wuxia world yet, or perhaps no one has cleared this type of dungeon.”
This was what they called survivorship bias.
As long as no one cleared such dungeons, they practically did not exist to the surviving players.
Moreover, Zuo Lin'an had browsed the forum before. There were posts from Human-Specter Symbiont dungeon bosses, and they generally hid themselves very well.
Some even taught their tips and tricks to other novice bosses.
Once players noticed anything unusual, they would only assume the NPC was an accomplice helping the specter harm players, or simply take them for a Specter Master.
They wouldn't even think about Human-Specter Symbionts, or rather, they had no idea the term even existed.
The players probably already knew about the existence of Specter Masters, right?
After all, two or three years had already passed.
There should also be talented individuals among the players from the wuxia world who had become Specter Masters.
According to what he had seen on the forum earlier, as long as a player obtained any two permanent specter items, they could suppress a specter within their own body and become a Specter Master.
However, the players' situation was different from the Specter Masters of this world.
For the Specter Masters of the supernatural world, the specters willingly fused with them. Thus, Specter Masters could control specters to leave their bodies at will, or even kill from a distance.
They could even achieve a perfect fusion lasting about ten minutes, completely transforming themselves into specters.
But the players could not.
Because their specters were forcibly suppressed using the power of specter items, they could not leave their bodies at will, nor could they achieve a perfect fusion.
As for how specters came to be in the wuxia world?
Zuo Lin'an's gaze fell on his work phone. He had just opened a post.
[As long as a player dies in a dungeon, a specter will appear in their hometown.]
[If it's a Regional Dungeon... Since the wuxia world is divided by national borders this time, this Regional Dungeon has been designated as a National War Dungeon.]
[If all players participating in the National War Dungeon die, the number of specters appearing in their country will instantly double.]
[When the ratio of living humans to specters in a country reaches a certain level, the entire nation will fall. Once all nations fall, the world will be successfully assimilated!]
[Guys! For our world to continue existing, for a better tomorrow, and for our own lives, please do not slack off!]
[Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran, you can find all kinds of guides—both expected and unexpected—on the forum. Come browse whenever you're free! If you can't find what you're looking for, don't worry, just ask openly and boldly! Someone will definitely answer you!]
[As long as you can wipe out the players!]
Seeing this, Zuo Lin'an let out a soft sigh.
It seemed many dungeon bosses were aware of the crisis the supernatural world was currently facing, and they were all very anxious.
Then again, with the world on the brink of destruction, how could they not be anxious?
Zuo Lin'an casually put his phone aside and continued to observe the players.
Lin Deyou said, “Princess Jinyang is right. Although we didn't have a tutor to teach us, we still know a thing or two. Let us all gather here and not wander around. We will wait for one shichen.”
Speaking of which, he suddenly thought of something.
“Wait, those three ran off earlier. There are fewer people over there, so the specter will definitely target them first. To confirm my previous deduction, we need to bring them back.”
Otherwise, if those three ordinary commoners died in some remote corner, they wouldn't even know how they died.
Jinyang also recalled the three commoners at this moment.
“Indeed. Leaving those three out of our sight makes me truly uneasy.”
She turned to the other three martial artists.
“My brave sirs, would you mind helping us?”
Zhuang He replied, “This one is naturally willing to help.”
Although Bai Liu was displeased with Lin Deyou, he wouldn't act foolishly at such a critical moment. Any grudges could wait until they returned.
Of course, if there was an opportunity to screw him over, Bai Liu wouldn't refuse either.
“Fine.”
Zhou Yunshan, who was sitting to the side, spoke up. “Should I join you as well?”
Lin Deyou stood up.
“Brother Bai Liu and I are the strongest here, so the two of us should go. It'll be faster to find them. Brother Zhou, you and Brother Zhuang He stay here to look after the Princess and Zi Yao. What do you think?”
Zhuang He immediately nodded. “No problem.”
Zhou Yunshan cupped his fists. “Of course.”
Bai Liu glanced at Lin Deyou. Without offering any opinion, he turned and walked away, heading in the exact direction the three commoners had fled.
The two set off together and didn't have to search long before they found the trio.
After all, they were on a mountain—a barren mountain at that. There were no paths to speak of, and a single misstep could easily lead to a fatal fall.
The three commoners had not run far before they realized they were lost. Or rather, there was simply no way out. They were surrounded by withered trees that resembled the claws of evil spirits.
They were scared to death and did not dare to run around blindly anymore. Having chanced upon a narrow hollow in a tree, they squeezed inside and huddled quietly, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
When Lin Deyou and Bai Liu found them, they saw the three of them shivering and shrinking inside the tree hollow, as jumpy as startled birds.
“You three, staying here alone is very dangerous. The specter in this place might target you first since there are so few of you. Stand up quickly and follow us.”
Earlier, he had been thinking of using these three to draw the specter's attention and buy them some time.
But now he had to bring them back. After all, testing the specter's Death Rules required sacrificing human lives. He certainly couldn't use his own.
The three commoners were completely illiterate. The most prominent person they usually saw was the local county magistrate. Yet, the young master standing before them was from the legendary Duke's Manor!
And now, this young master stood right before them, saying he wanted to protect them!
Of course, Lin Deyou had no such intention.

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