“This can't go on, more people are going to die!”
Mu Xiao huddled in the corner of her seat, covering her ears as she yelled at Zhao Weilai:
“There's something wrong with them! Normal fear wouldn't drive people this crazy! Something must be influencing them!”
Zhao Weilai's gaze swept over the frenzied players, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary.
Just then, Weng Yang suddenly pointed at Kim Myung, whom Zhao Weilai had knocked unconscious.
“Weilai! Look at his ear! There's something on his ear!”
Zhao Weilai immediately looked over.
Clinging to Kim Myung's right ear was a tiny creature.
It was only the size of a child's palm, dressed in vibrant red clothes, wearing a pointed red hat, and sporting a long yellow beard.
It looked like a miniature gnome.
The creature was clinging to the rim of Kim Myung's ear, its mouth pressed close as its lips moved constantly, as if whispering secrets:
[If they die, you can live.]
[Wake up quickly, they want to kill you.]
[Did you hear that? The Banshee is weeping.]
As if sensing Zhao Weilai's gaze, the little monster turned its head, revealing a tiny, wrinkled face.
Baring a mouthful of tiny, sharp teeth, it let out a high-pitched "giggle" at Zhao Weilai, sounding like a prankster who had just succeeded in a trick.
The sound was thin and shrill, dripping with pure malice.
Zhao Weilai immediately locked onto the culprit.
It was these tiny things, clinging to people's ears, using those vicious, bewitching words to slowly amplify the fear and malice in their hearts.
“Weng Yang! Father! Everyone, watch out! There are gnomes on everyone's ears! They're the ones behind this!”
Zhao Weilai shouted at the top of her lungs. At the same time, she lunged forward, reaching out to grab the gnome on Kim Myung's ear.
The gnome reacted incredibly fast. With a sharp squeak, it tried to leap away and escape.
But Zhao Weilai was faster. Bringing her hands together, she snatched it directly into her palm.
[Zzzzzzt! Zzzzzzt!]
The gnome struggled frantically, its tiny fists pounding against her fingers. It even opened its mouth, baring its sharp teeth, and bit down hard on the pad of her finger.
Blood dripped down, but Zhao Weilai tightened her grip without letting go. Instead, she turned to observe the other crazed players—
Sure enough, a similar gnome was clinging to the ear of every single person.
They wore colorful clothes and pointed hats.
Each one was huddled close to a player's ear, whispering incessantly.
No wonder there was always a faint, rustling murmur in their ears.
These tiny creatures were the anomaly of tonight.
...
“It's the gnomes! These gnomes are behind this! Pull them off their ears, and they'll snap out of it!”
Zhao Weilai shouted to warn the players. Clutching the struggling gnome in her hand, she rushed toward the crazed player closest to her.
It was a middle-aged woman straddling a young girl, her hands wrapped tightly around the girl's neck, her eyes blood-red.
Clinging to her left ear was a gnome wearing green clothes and a green hat.
Zhao Weilai snatched the creature off in one swift motion.
The moment the gnome was pulled away, the middle-aged woman froze.
The crimson in her eyes slowly receded, and her vacant, crazed gaze gradually regained its clarity.
She looked down at her hands choking the young girl, then at the girl's face, which had turned purple from lack of air. Covering her face, she took a long, ragged breath:
“Oh God! Forgive me!!”
No one answered her.
Zhao Weilai, already clutching two gnomes, was already charging toward her next target.
Weng Yang also snapped into action.
She immediately looked at a crazed player beside her, and sure enough, spotted a blue-clothed gnome on his ear.
Grabbing the man's shoulder, her other hand shot out toward his ear, ripping away the whispering gnome.
That player also snapped out of it instantly, looking around at the utterly trashed carriage with a look of complete bewilderment.
The priest also heard Zhao Weilai's shouts.
Using his tall and imposing build to his advantage, he ripped the gnomes off one by one—his movements were rather rough, even tearing out clumps of hair in his haste.
More and more people began to realize what was happening.
The conscious players quickly set to work, pulling the gnomes off the ears of those around them.
Those gnomes were incredibly agile. Some, upon being discovered, immediately jumped down and scurried along people's clothes to the floor.
Others would bare their sharp teeth and bite when grabbed, shrieking curses in their tiny, high-pitched voices.
Zhao Weilai was fast and strong. Before long, she was clutching several squeaking, kicking gnomes in her hands.
“Lady, I have one here too!”
Ravi popped out of nowhere, eagerly presenting it like a prize. “It climbed onto my shoulder just now and almost crawled into my ear!”
Zhao Weilai spared him a glance but didn't say a word, continuing to hunt down the remaining ones.
After about ten minutes, the sounds of fighting in the carriage finally began to die down.
The last gnome, which had been hiding under a seat, was flushed out by Weng Yang using her gun stock, and Zhao Weilai reached out and snatched it.
Silence finally returned to the carriage.
It was an absolute mess.
Blood was splattered all over the floor, interspersed with discarded glasses, shattered glass, and torn clothing.
Several people lay sprawled on the floor—some groaning in pain, others completely still, their breath gone.
Everyone bore injuries of varying degrees. Their faces and clothes were stained with blood, and their eyes were filled with confusion and lingering dread.
It was as if they couldn't remember what they had just done.
“Oh God... me... that wasn't me. The damn devil tempted me... I didn't... oh my God...”
Someone began to weep loudly.
Both for their actions just now, and for this never-ending terror.
【Player... has died.】
【Player... has died.】
【Player... has died.】
The death announcements didn't stop, popping up every few minutes. Everyone tried their best to distance themselves from those around them, their eyes filled with deep suspicion—
Who knew if the other person would lunge at them again next time?
Zhao Weilai looked down at the gnomes in her hands and counted them. There were eight in total.
Each was only the size of a palm, and they all looked different:
Some wore pointed red hats and had long yellow beards; some wore little blue jackets with a red maple leaf draped over their shoulders; some had miniature, round honey jars hanging from their waists; and others wore tiny leather boots on their feet.
Clutched tightly in Zhao Weilai's grasp, they shrieked in unison:
[The Banshee is watching you.]
[Death is always by your side.]
[You will die, all of you will die.]
The muffled, rustling voices leaked from her palms, shrill and sharp, their venomous words sending shivers down everyone's spines.
These little things looked like cute gnomes from a fairy tale, but they were evil to the core.
“These things must be the anomaly of tonight.”
Weng Yang walked over and let out a heavy breath. “So they're the ones whispering in people's ears, amplifying their negative emotions?”
“Yes.” Zhao Weilai nodded. “Everyone who had them removed snapped out of it. It's definitely their doing.”
“What on earth are these things?” Mu Xiao leaned in. Nearby, Margaret spoke up softly:
“These are spirits sent by God to test us. I believe we should set them free.”
The survivors were somewhat speechless, but no one had the energy to waste arguing with this devout believer.
Father Koleva walked over. He stared at the gnomes for a long time before slowly speaking:
“If I remember correctly, these should be gnomes from Celtic legend.
You can also call them 'leprechauns' or 'brownies.' This is a type of fairy originating from British folklore.
Legend has it that they love playing pranks and tricking humans.
I don't know much, I've only seen similar accounts in relevant ancient texts.”
“Fairies?”
Ravi, the Indian man, clutched his head and shuffled over. “Can we kill them? Since we're players, will we get a reward for killing them?”
He had found a reptile terrarium from somewhere that was surprisingly intact. It was square and perfect for holding the gnomes.
“...”
Zhao Weilai quietly tightened her grip on the gnomes and looked at Weng Yang.
Their team had discussed earlier that they should strive to get the first kill reward for the next Instance.
The first kill reward of an Instance could unlock the personal inventory.
Currently, in the Jiangcheng University team, only Zhao Weilai had a personal inventory to store supplies. This meant that if anything happened to her, the team could easily face total annihilation.
Thus, everyone in the team had agreed to try and secure the first kill.
Since Zhao Weilai had already secured a first kill and unlocked her system inventory, she decided to let Weng Yang have this first kill.
...
Weng Yang also saw through Zhao Weilai's intention. Without hesitation, she pinched one of the gnomes and slammed her gun stock heavily down on it!
[Zzzzt!]
With a faint squelch, the gnome's head and body were instantly severed, blue blood spilling out—
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, this evil fairy slowly transformed into a messy pile of horse manure mixed with dirt and weeds.
The remaining seven gnomes in the box instantly let out a unified shriek.
【Player Weng Yang has achieved the first kill of the Instance. Rewards: Storage Inventory (5 slots) × 1, Gold Ingots × 10】
【Warning: You have received the negative status: [Gnomes' Hostility]. All gnome-type creatures in the Instance will prioritize attacking you.】
Weng Yang let out a soft breath.
...
...
Rate on N.U.
