【26L: Oh, look, a Siren fan has arrived.】
【27L: I'm not his fan. I just think it's pretty hilarious that a bunch of you are sitting here typing away on the forum, judging someone who has survived since the very first day the horror descended.】
【28L: Well, if he's so capable, let him prove himself.】
【29L: He's always been extremely capable, okay? Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean he's incompetent.】
The forum was in an absolute uproar.
Some mocked, while others defended.
Some even dug up Pei Tinglan's past dungeon recordings, trying to refute the claim that he had been carried this time.
But no matter how the outside world gossiped, Pei Tinglan himself hadn't seen it yet.
Even if he did see it, he would probably only say one thing coldly:
“If you have nothing better to do, go drain the water from your brain.”
Those who were truly sharp, however, did not focus on these arguments.
Their attention was mostly drawn to the special dungeon upgrade and the final sentence of the system announcement.
The future direction of the game might no longer be limited to solo survival.
This meant that teaming up would become an increasingly vital resource.
And the Permanent Team Card was the first time the System had ever placed such an item into a dungeon's reward pool.
On top of that, it was the first-place reward for a special dungeon.
Special dungeons were called special dungeons not only because their rewards were rare, but also because they often heralded some kind of future shift in the game.
Once, a special dungeon had unlocked the player trading area.
Once, a player who cleared a special dungeon had obtained the very first guild territory token.
There had also been a special dungeon that changed the redemption rules for dungeon items.
Every single time, it meant a reshuffling of the game's landscape.
And this time, the Permanent Team Card practically told everyone outright: future dungeons would likely no longer be places where a person could survive by struggling alone.
How could the major guilds and factions not be tempted?
Pei Tinglan was a notorious lone wolf.
He was powerful, had a terrible personality, and possessed a tongue so sharp it felt like he would bite at any moment.
What was more, he carried too much baggage from his past, making it almost impossible for him to join any faction.
Zhu Lingxi, on the other hand, came from a real-world family of Nuo opera successors.
Even if she herself seemed quiet and dazed, she had her own heritage and backing behind her.
Only Cen Yao was different.
She seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
She had no known background, no fixed team, and no guild affiliation.
Yet, her Talent was unfathomable, her abilities were ever-changing, and she held a Permanent Team Card that could influence the future landscape of dungeons.
Who wouldn't want to recruit her into their faction?
At the exit of the game space.
There were dozens of times more people today than usual.
A massive portal stood at the end of the plaza like an upright silver mirror, with players teleporting out of different dungeons every few minutes.
Yet, most of them were in no hurry to leave.
They gathered nearby—some pretending to pass by, others sitting on benches at the edge of the plaza.
Some simply stood not far from the portal, their eyes occasionally drifting toward the exit.
The air was thick with a tense, restless anticipation.
“Holy crap, what's going on today?”
A young man who had just emerged from a dungeon froze in his tracks.
His hair was a mess, and there was still wet blood on his face, indicating he had just survived a grueling dungeon.
“Why are there so many people at the exit?”
Someone nearby lowered their voice.
“You just got out?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Then you're in luck. There's a huge spectacle today.”
The young man grew even more confused.
“What spectacle?”
“Didn't you hear the server-wide announcement?”
“I did. Didn't the Cat Cafe just go into lockdown and upgrade? The signal in my dungeon was spotty, so I haven't had a chance to check the forum yet.”
The person next to him wore a look that said, “How can you not know anything?”
“The Cat Cafe upgrade was triggered by that rising star.”
“Who?”
“The mysterious Witch, Bling Bling.”
The young man was stunned.
“The Witch?”
“Is she really that amazing? No matter how strong she is, can she compare to the likes of Night King, Wallbreaker, or the Architect?”
The other person scoffed.
“You really are living under a rock.”
“When have you ever heard of a dungeon going into lockdown and upgrading before?”
The young man fell silent.
“So, they really caused the dungeon upgrade?”
“What do you think?”
Just then, the silver mirror-like surface at the exit suddenly rippled.
The chatter in the plaza died down instantly.
Countless gazes shot toward it in unison.
Within the silver light, three figures slowly emerged.
The first to step out was a young girl wearing a black witch's robe.
Her pointed hat was slightly tilted, black hair spilling from beneath the brim. Her face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes shone with startling brilliance.
Beside her stood a black-haired young girl dressed in retro attire.
A Nuo mask hung from her waist, and a faint scent of incense clung to her.
On the other side was Pei Tinglan, sitting in his wheelchair.
The moment the three stepped out of the teleportation exit, the crowd that had been watching from a distance moved in unison, as if finally receiving a signal.
Cen Yao didn't even have time to react before five or six people suddenly blocked her path.
Standing at the very front, their auras were far more powerful than those of the surrounding players, causing the ordinary players who had wanted to approach to stop in their tracks instinctively.
A woman in red stood at the very center.
Her red clothes were not a vibrant, bright red, but a dark crimson close to burning embers.
Her long hair was tied high, her brows sharp, and a short blade hung at her waist.
Just standing there, she resembled a ball of fire that could explode at any moment.
“Holy shit.”
Someone nearby gasped.
“Is... is that the Fourth Leader of the Ashen Feather Court?”
“It really is her!”
Another person lowered their voice.
“And the Third Leader of the Silent Pivot, the Second and Third Leaders of the Hanging Mirror Directorate, and the Third and Fourth Leaders of the Eclipse Corridor!”
“Damn, what wind blew all these big shots here?”
“The last time I saw a lineup like this was when the four major guilds were competing for someone.”
“It must be the same this time, right?”
“They're probably all here to intercept that rising star.”
Cen Yao stood in place, a string of question marks slowly drifting through her mind.
?
“...”
Was she really that famous?
Most importantly—
“What is the Ashen Feather Court?”
Pei Tinglan had originally planned to leave immediately.
But seeing her blank expression, and noticing Zhu Lingxi quietly perking up her ears to listen as well, he ultimately didn't move.
For once, he patiently remained where he was.
“One of the four major guilds in the game space.”
Hearing his voice, Cen Yao realized she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud again.
She rubbed her nose in slight embarrassment.
“Oh.”
Pei Tinglan didn't mock her.
He merely looked at the group of people ahead and explained in a calm, steady tone.
“The Ashen Feather Court doesn't have many members.”
“But every single one of them is extremely strong.”
“They act crazily, without regard for consequences, and prefer brute-forcing their way through dungeons. Most of the dungeons they enter end up destroyed. Virtually none of the dungeons they've run can ever be reused.”
Rate on N.U.
