Chapter 44: Expansion of Scope

 Chapter 44: Expansion of Scope

Recently, a post mentioned that there have been massive changes in the realm of Night Wanderer Spirits. Many of the previously recorded spirit realm instances have undergone transformations, with their difficulty levels raised to new, unexplored levels, reaching A and even S-class difficulty. Unfortunately, many Night Wanderers who were about to enter the spirit realm were assigned to these instances and lost their lives. The poster is one of the forum administrators, so to some extent, this can be considered an official announcement.

"Many S-class and A-class exclusive spirit realms for Night Wanderers?" Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback. The spirit realms have a balancing and matching mechanism, with level 1 instances for level 1 practitioners, level 2 instances for level 2 practitioners, and so on. Occasionally, a level 1 practitioner may enter a level 2 instance, but the assigned tasks would be relatively simple. In any case, the tasks given in the spirit realms might be very difficult, with a high mortality rate, but it would not have level 1 practitioners receiving tasks meant for level 3 practitioners.

Moreover, within the corresponding level instances, the difficulty is graded from S to D. S-class difficulty is currently the highest, with terrifyingly high mortality rates but the most generous rewards. Zhang Yuanqing later recalled that even without the Red Dancing Shoes, the probability of a newcomer successfully passing the trial at the She Ling Tunnel was less than ten percent. Now, with so many unexplored A-class and S-class instances appearing, how many people would die?

His first thought was, "What the heck, I'm about to enter the spirit realm! Can I still change my profession in time?!"

His second thought was, "Oh, my next entry will probably be a Multiplayer Spirit Realm, so it should be fine."

He felt a slight relief and then scrolled down the post to read the opinions of the official spirit realm practitioners regarding this matter.

Once the post was published, it caused a huge stir within the official organization. Spirit realm practitioners from various branches across the country paid close attention to this matter, and the comments below reached thousands.

[The future is long: "No wonder! That's why I couldn't reach my Night Wanderer contact today..."]

[Yesterday's sorrows: "What? You have a Night Wanderer contact? You sly dog, you hid it well."]

[Lawless: "Something's not right. Although the spirit realm instances are not fixed and always changing, this sudden and unreasonable change in Night Wanderer's exclusive spirit realms is too much."]

[The Sick Monarch: "Could this be because of the death of the Demon Lord? I heard from someone in the Taiyi Sect that the Demon Lord perished not long ago."]

[Qingteng: "Who told you about the Demon Lord's death? Was it Yuan Ting?"]

The Five Elements Alliance mainly responded with gossip and discussions, as this problem with the Night Wanderer's exclusive spirit realms didn't directly concern them.

However, some people were worried about the situation.

[Call Me Queen: "We can't do without the Night Wanderers when it comes to handling cases. Moreover, the Mysterious Eye Judge has just died, and all regions are on guard against the Fallen going mad. Songhai is particularly burdened with the responsibility of capturing Black Obsidian. At this critical moment, if there's a problem with the Night Wanderer's instances, will it lead to a shortage of manpower?"]

[Qingteng: "Indeed, such a situation might occur, but not every Night Wanderer will enter an instance in the near future."]

The frequency of spirit realm tasks appearing isn't too high, so there's no need to worry about a large-scale death of Night Wanderers.

[Call Me Queen: "But they will eventually enter the spirit realm. With so many unexplored instances suddenly appearing, the number of Night Wanderers might sharply decrease in the coming time."]

In the process of conquering the spirit realms, sacrifices were unavoidable. The words of the queen were quite reasonable. Zhang Yuanqing was eventually going to enter a solo instance, and the S-class and A-class instances were daunting, especially since he had the role of the Demon Lord character card. As he thought about this, his mood became heavier.

He left the forum, opened his messaging app, and sent a message to Yuan Ting:

"Captain Yuan, I saw the pinned post on the forum. What's the deal with the difficulty change in Night Wanderer's spirit realm instances? I can pay for consultation."

It was a professional question, so he wanted to ask an expert.

Yuan Ting quickly replied, "I don't know. The Night Wanderer official group is in chaos. Colleagues who are about to enter the spirit realm or will do so in the near future are all anxious. After all, S-class instances are not something anyone can conquer, and even A-class ones rely on luck."

"I'm not too sure about what happened exactly. The Elder Council is collecting data, and they should release an announcement at the latest tonight."

Yuan Ting wasn't in a good mood because a colleague he had a good relationship with entered the spirit realm this morning and still hadn't returned. Their life and death were unknown. In half a month, he would also face a solo instance, but the deviation wouldn't exceed one week.

"Alright," Zhang Yuanqing replied without asking further questions.

For the next half day, Zhang Yuanqing intermittently checked the official forum, keeping an eye on the latest news and losing interest in going shopping.

At sunset, his aunt linked her arm with his, and Zhang Yuanqing carried multiple shopping bags in his hands. "Hey, did your strength increase?" Jiang Yuyu pinched her nephew's biceps. "It feels hard..."

If you were Ganyu, I would say, "My hardness exceeds your imagination" or "I have something even harder." Zhang Yuanqing replied casually, "A healthy body is the foundation. I've been exercising recently."

After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room, locked the door, and waited for the announcement from Taiyi Sect. It could be imagined that at this moment, Night Wanderers all over the country were like him, holding their phones or sitting in front of their computers, waiting for the organization's announcement.

Finally, at around 9:30 PM, as he kept refreshing the forum, he came across a prominently marked red post:

"#Declaration of Recent Spirit Realm Mutation and Reward Notice#

Recently, an unexpected incident occurred in the Night Wanderer's spirit realm. After an investigation by the Elder Council, it was confirmed that an abnormality was caused by the revival of a high-level BOSS within the realm. Up to now, according to the collected information, a total of eight spirit realm instances have undergone level changes, namely:

Minghu Town, No. 0128, difficulty level S (Night Wanderer exclusive instance).

Ming Dynasty Burial Mound, No. 1180, difficulty level S (Night Wanderer exclusive instance).

Xinfeng Reservoir, No. 1910, difficulty level A (Night Wanderer exclusive instance).

Yingshan Ghost School, No. 0046, difficulty level A (Night Wanderer exclusive instance).

Fengwang Tomb, No. 0277, difficulty level A (Night Wanderer exclusive instance)..

Jinshui Amusement Park, No. 6203, difficulty level S (Multiplayer instance, death type)."

Screaming Secret Room, No. 2097, difficulty level A (Multiplayer instance, non-death type).

Apartment 13, No. 1404, difficulty level B (Multiplayer instance, non-death type).

"Up to this day, Yingshan Ghost School and Xinfeng Reservoir have been conquered, but the remaining six major spirit realm instances have yet to be cleared by anyone. The Elder Council is offering rewards: Conquer an S-class spirit realm, and you will be credited with a B-class achievement. Conquer an A-class spirit realm, and you will be credited with a C-class achievement. Conquer a B-class spirit realm, and you will receive a reward of five hundred thousand."

The post was reposted from the official forum of the Taiyi Sect.

It's worth mentioning that in the official organization's merit system, A-class merits are usually only awarded to those who sacrificed their lives, benefiting their families. The recipients of B-class merits are mostly those who suffered irreparable injuries, and C-class merits are the maximum achievements that normal spirit realm practitioners can obtain, but the difficulty is still high, usually requiring teamwork to achieve. The highest level S-class merits have only been obtained by five alliance leaders, and a few outstanding elders have received A-class merits at most. Therefore, the value of B-class merits is self-evident.

After Zhang Yuanqing finished reading the post, there were already thousands of comments below it, causing more impact than the post from noon.

The members of the Five Elements Alliance realized that this matter seemed to be more than just gossip because, among the listed changed instances, two were of the multiplayer type. Multiplayer instances meant that practitioners of other professions could also have a chance to enter.

[The future is long: Those two 'multiplayer instances' probably contain spiritual elements. Oh my, even multiplayer instances have been affected?! Fortunately, there's only one S-class instance, the Jinshui Amusement Park.]

[Call Me Queen: First of all, no one knows how long this chaotic mutation will last. What we see now is only the current change. If more multiplayer instances with spiritual elements are affected, then we are in danger. Secondly, even in non-death type instances, failing once deducts a significant amount of experience points, causing our strength to regress, and the cost is substantial.]

[Yesterday's sorrows: Ah, I was just eating popcorn at noon, and suddenly it's like this. What do I do? I'm about to enter a multiplayer instance. It shouldn't be this unlucky, right?]

[Pig George: If these instances aren't conquered soon, the number of official Night Wanderers in the country will sharply decrease within half a year, and other professions may also be affected. Which boss is so fierce that it forced Taiyi Sect to offer rewards?]

[Qingteng: Everyone, pay attention. This reward is announced to all Night Wanderers nationwide. If you have contacts with Night Wanderers or know any wild Night Wanderers, remember to pass on the information.]

[White Dragon: Are you guys fools? Conquering spirit realm instances is the business of Night Wanderers themselves. What we should truly focus on is conquering multiplayer instances; this is related to our lives and fortunes.]

[Yesterday's sorrows: That's right, that's right. We're willing to pay a high price for the conquest of the "Jinshui Amusement Park," "Screaming Secret Room," and "Apartment 13" instances.]

Multi, multiplayer instances are also affected?! Zhang Yuanqing's gaze became somewhat dazed.

At that moment, his piercing phone ringtone sounded.

It was Li Dongze calling.

Zhang Yuanqing answered the call and called out, "Captain."

Li Dongze's tone was serious, "Have you been on the forum today?"

"If you're talking about the Night Wanderer spirit realm mutation, then I already know," Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

"Don't worry too much. Even if the sky falls, there will be taller people to hold it up. Maybe by the time your solo instance comes, the Taiyi Sect has already conquered these high-difficulty instances. You have to trust the official organization," Li Dongze comforted.

He then jokingly said in a lively tone, "Of course, if you have confidence in yourself, you can be one of those who conquer the instances."

But it was just too difficult.

"Are you calling to comfort me, Captain?" Zhang Yuanqing probed.

"There are two things. You mentioned that you'll be entering an instance soon, and based on past experience, it should be a multiplayer instance. You know about the level matching mechanism. Captain Fu Bai found out that the 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is an extraordinary realm instance. Just to be cautious, he used his authority to retrieve an old version of the strategy for you to refer to," Li Dongze said in a solemn tone.

"Remember, it's just for reference because the spirit realms have changed. Relying too much on the old version of the strategy could lead to fatalities."

Fu Bai, the Captain, is always busy with countless tasks, yet he still cares about me, a small member? Zhang Yuanqing was touched by this.

Li Dongze comforted him again, "We're just being cautious. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The number of extraordinary realm multiplayer spirit realms is very low, so the chances of matching with the 'Jinshui Amusement Park' are very, very slim."

"I hope so. But, Captain, you know my character card is that of the Demon Lord...," Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What's the second thing?"

"The second thing is about Lei Yibing."