Chapter 48: S-Rank Difficulty

 Chapter 48: S-Rank Difficulty 

No one responded to Xishi's question, except for a girl named Xie Lingxi, who seemed hesitant to speak.

"There's still not enough trust, huh? Is it that they don't want to reveal their official identity, or is it that among the travelers present, other than me, there's no one with an official background?" Zhang Yuanqing pondered whether he should give a hint. Then, the person in the black guard uniform, Héběi, spoke in a cold tone:

"We've been in the Spirit Realm for a few minutes now, and it hasn't given us any hints. This means that to pass through, we'll have to rely on ourselves. If any of you have some information, it's best not to hide it. We are all in the same boat." Xie Lingxi slightly raised her hand and whispered:

"I know some information from the old version of this copy. The content of the Spirit Realm's introduction has changed."

Is she a member of the official organization? Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the young girl. Upon hearing this, Héběi furrowed his brow:

"The introduction to the Spirit Realm has changed... I probably understand now why the difficulty level of the Jinshui Amusement Park has been altered. Does anyone remember the content of the introduction?"

"I forgot..." the redhead Fire Mage scratched his head.

Xishi glanced at him and discreetly distanced herself, then softly smiled and said:

"A certain indescribable existence has come here. She changed the difficulty level of the Jinshui Amusement Park and instructed the spirits within the park to help her find someone. The name of that person consists of four characters. Who could it be?"

Another person among them couldn't help but interject:

"I think the identity of that person is not important. They are probably just part of the background story. What's more important are the 'spirits' within the amusement park. Is it possible that the reason why the Jinshui Amusement Park's difficulty level has been elevated to S-Rank is that the 'spirits' received the blessing of that existence, making them exceptionally powerful?"

The person speaking was a middle-aged man dressed as the Monkey King, and his eyes brightened:

"I think it makes sense. Uncle, you are really clever."

Héběi nodded slightly, acknowledging the middle-aged man's words, and said:

"In that case, we just need to avoid the projects with terrifying elements and choose some simple facilities to experience. This should lower the risks." He then turned to Xie Lingxi and asked, "Do you know the detailed strategy from the old version?"

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was planning to seize the opportunity to bring up information from the old version before the young girl, he heard a "ding" sound in his mind—the sound of the Spirit Realm's prompt.

[Due to your outstanding performance just now, you have triggered a hidden mission. You have been appointed as the team leader. Please note that there is an evil person hidden among the team members. Make sure that the number of team members remains three or more; otherwise, you will be punished, and your current level experience will be reset].

"Note: Hide your role identity carefully." Zhang Yuanqing couldn't believe that there was another hidden mission?! While maintaining his composure, he felt his heart sink. The dangers within the instance were already challenging enough, and now there was a werewolf disguised among the team members, making the difficulty skyrocket.

"My hidden mission is to ensure that the number of team members remains no less than 3. Therefore, it can be deduced that the evil person's mission is to reduce the team members to fewer than 3 or even wipe them out."

"If we want to ensure a high completion rate, it would be best to identify the traitor and eliminate them in advance. However, I can't prove my identity, and the trust among the team members is insufficient. We might end up being framed as the werewolf instead of catching the real culprit."

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing found it hard to trust anyone, even the sweet girl named Xie Lingxi seemed like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Wait! Jinshui Amusement Park is a multiplayer Spirit Realm open to all professions. Could there be evil professions among the team members? Given the opposing factions, the evil profession must be the traitor... Zhang Yuanqing's mind was filled with a ruthless idea of using the Red Dance Shoes to force the team members to reveal their roles, making it clear who the evil profession was.

"No, this is too reckless. It will leave no room for maneuver, and what if I guess wrong?" He sighed silently, abandoning the idea of summoning the Red Dance Shoes.

If there were no evil professions among the team, his actions would only turn the team members against him, and the game would be over.

"This means I have to lead the team through the projects while searching for the evil traitor. This S-Rank multiplayer Spirit Realm is indeed as difficult as the Mountain God's Temple, but in a different sense."

Even before the instance began, Zhang Yuanqing felt the weight on his shoulders.

"I know the old version strategy, but I don't remember all of it..." Xie Lingxi said.

"Oh, little sister, you're amazing. Are you a member of the official organization? Mind accompanying your sister?" Xishi said.

One overly innocent, and the other with hidden motives... Zhang Yuanqing calmly observed the two women.

The person in the black guard uniform, Héběi, at this moment, coldly glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Based on initial judgment, the difficulty increase is related to facilities with supernatural elements. Therefore, other projects might not have changed significantly. We can choose a low-difficulty project based on the old version strategy."

A hint of approval appeared in Héběi's gloomy expression as he nodded. "That's what I meant. You truly are a skilled player with experience in multiple Spirit Realms." He then looked at the others and asked, "Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, seemingly lacking any individual opinions.

Héběi asked, "Young girl, which facility do you think we should experience?"

Xie Lingxi pursed her lips, her black eyes scanning the surroundings, and she pointed to the towering steel roller coaster, saying, "That one is the simplest."

Seeing the roller coaster, everyone's eyes twitched. Xishi forced a smile and asked, "Why?"

"The completion method in the old version is straightforward. Get on the ride, close your eyes throughout the entire three rounds of the roller coaster on the tracks, and it's done."

"This..." The young man dressed as the Monkey King looked at the tall steel roller coaster with some trepidation. Then he pointed to the nearby carousel and asked, "What about this one? I think it's quite safe."

Xie Lingxi shook her head seriously and said, "The carousel is only suitable for children. If adults ride it, they will never get off. Although there won't be any substantial danger... it will keep spinning forever."

Getting on the carousel means death? The Monkey King stepped back silently and fell silent.

"In that case, if no one objects, let's choose the roller coaster," Héběi said calmly. Suddenly, he added, "It's hard to guarantee if we can match into the Jinshui Amusement Park, but I dare say that no one here is a fool."

Héběi seemed to intentionally or unintentionally challenge Zhang Yuanqing for control of the conversation. Xie Lingxi appeared innocent at first glance, but could someone who could enter an S-Rank Spirit Realm really be so innocent? Xishi had been probing everyone's identity from beginning to end, and her flirtatious appearance might not be genuine.

Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit naïve on the surface with a simple and honest appearance. However, the key danger was precisely that he could analyze the "supernatural elements" so incisively, revealing that his inner thoughts were not as simple as his appearance.

As for the Monkey King, he seemed a bit cowardly and lecherous, not particularly remarkable, but not a troublemaker either... Among this group of people, Zhang Yuanqing felt that the Fire Mage was the safest, assuming he was indeed a fire specialist. Otherwise, this person would be the most dangerous.

Analyzing the characteristics of his companions, Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and echoed, "I have no objections. Let's go for the roller coaster."

Unknowingly, he had slightly relinquished some of his initiative, no longer taking the lead in everything, but still maintaining a certain level of activity.

He had read the strategy guide and knew that Xie Lingxi was not lying; the roller coaster seemed thrilling but was actually the simplest to play.

Of course, whether the gameplay of the roller coaster remained the same was unknown, but what about the other facilities? Would they undergo changes?

"I have no objections."

"I don't have any objections either."

"Alright, anyway, we're just here to have fun."

After making the decision, the group headed for the roller coaster. Following the guidance of the signboards, they entered a small hall beneath the tracks.

This small hall had lockers on the left side and a ticket counter on the right. As they walked into the hall, they heard the prompt from the Spirit Realm:

"Ding, you have received a roller coaster experience ticket. Please arrive at the upper level within five minutes."

"Ding, all your extra items have been sealed. Please return to the lockers to retrieve them after the project is over."

Extra items... Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously reached into his pocket and found that the blue pill was still there. He was about to heave a sigh of relief when he heard the Fire Mage exclaim:

"The inventory can't be opened!"

Everyone was shocked and immediately tried to summon their inventories, but they found that this function seemed to no longer exist.

The Monkey King's voice trembled, "My, my skills can't be used either. How about you guys?"

!!! Zhang Yuanqing's heart suddenly sank, and he instinctively tried to activate his Night Wandering skill, but the power of Taiyin was firmly sealed within him.

The others each made an attempt and indeed lost their skills. This phenomenon weighed heavily on the minds of the Spirit Realm travelers. Without their skills, what set them apart from ordinary people?

At this moment, "愧为人父" (Father Ashamed) spoke up, "Active skills can't be used, but our passive abilities are still there, and our physical capabilities haven't changed."

Since they had come this far, Zhang Yuanqing took the lead and stepped onto the platform. The others followed, their hearts heavy as they ascended the steps and arrived on the rooftop of the building. The rooftop had two tracks laid out, displaying a two-seat roller coaster.

Everyone gazed at the roller coaster and fell silent; no one expressed their preference.

Now is the time for me, the Chinese team leader, to set an example as I initially demonstrated... Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said, "The last time I rode a roller coaster was during my student days, and I always liked sitting in the front row."

Under the gazes of everyone, he boarded the front row and fastened his seatbelt. Others let out a sigh of relief and also got on the ride.

"I'm afraid of heights..." Xishi pretended to look pitiful, hesitating between Zhang Yuanqing and Héběi.

In that moment of hesitation, the long-haired Xie Lingxi took the spot next to Zhang Yuanqing, leaving Xishi with no choice but to sit next to Héběi.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her, and she responded with a sweet smile.

After everyone buckled their seatbelts, Héběi, sitting in the second row, spoke calmly, "Remember to close your eyes. No matter what happens, don't open them. Of course, if any of you want to test the rules with your life, I'm very welcoming."

"You speak so harshly." The Fire Mage pursed his lips.

Zhang Yuanqing turned his head and looked at the team members behind him. In the second row sat Héběi and Xie Lingxi, followed by "愧为人父" and the Fire Mage in the third row. The somewhat cowardly Monkey King seemed to have been excluded and sat alone in the fourth row.

At this moment, the track was electrified, and the roller coaster made a soft "thud" as it slowly began to move.

Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and noticed that everyone had closed their eyes. He closed his eyes as well, feeling the coaster climbing the tracks. At first, it was slow, as if ascending a steep slope. When the roller coaster reached the top, it stopped.

The next moment, a strong sense of weightlessness hit, along with the sound of rushing wind and Xie Lingxi's small exclamation.

Zhang Yuanqing tensed his whole body, listening to the sounds around his ears, silently counting the time.

After about two minutes, the speeding roller coaster began to slow down and eventually came to a stop.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and saw that the roller coaster had returned to the platform on the rooftop without any incidents.

Phew... He let out a silent breath, but suddenly heard screams from behind.

His heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head to see a shocking sight.

Héběi, who was sitting in the second row, had an empty neck, and his head was missing.

The Fire Mage in the third row had blood all over his face, trembling as he held his decapitated head in his arms, his voice quivering, "It, it didn't work..."

"Closing our eyes didn't work..." he said.

Héběi kept his eyes tightly shut, his expression peaceful, as if he hadn't felt any pain.

A chill ran through everyone's hearts.