area51novel Page 156
Page 156
"So this thing really exists? Damn, it really does look like it..."
Although Jennifer's challenges every night are incredibly exhilarating, you can't help but laugh and cry at her serious approach to preparing for the final battle. After her initial failure using the strategy guide in her notebook, she started approaching it with the same caution as tackling the illusion game. But all you can say is, the most important thing is actually the thrill of the battle itself...
After spending more than a week happily like this, the weather started to get noticeably cooler. You put on a fleece jacket, and the dwarf Gan Gan wrapped himself in a scarf, while Jennifer, bathed in the warm glow of her body, chuckled and teased you, calling you a frail greyhound.
How could you tolerate such humiliation? That very night, you showed her what a boss rush was like. After leaving Jennifer with marks of defeat all over her body, she turned her pale face through her notebook, muttering in disbelief:
"How...how could this be? The boss has dynamic difficulty?...If I fight the boss, will I still win? Ugh, I'm not reconciled..."
However, amidst this peaceful life, you inexplicably sensed a hint of danger. You frowned and carefully reviewed everything that had happened so far. After confirming that you hadn't overlooked anything, you couldn't help but think gravely:
"Could something unexpected still happen?..."
As expected, something unexpected was about to happen.
On this autumn day, as you gaze upon the countless monstrous tornadoes that blanket the sky, leaving almost no gaps, you finally understand what you've forgotten.
The ancient tree of dawn absorbs the power of light in spring and summer, and releases it in autumn and winter; this only applies if it remains alive.
Now, the Dawn Tree has just been reborn and urgently needs to absorb a large amount of light energy to promote its growth. Therefore, in this autumn and winter season, when it should be exuding its light energy, it has almost absorbed all the remaining light energy in the desolate mountain territory.
So on this day, when the monsters woke up, they discovered that someone had turned off the heat, and their Kunkun had all shrunk from the cold...
You shook your head, banishing the nonsensical images of monsters examining themselves from your mind. You took a deep breath, your face serious as you stared at the protective shield rapidly wearing down under the pressure of the seasonal tornado, and murmured:
"This is probably the most powerful seasonal tornado ever..."
After a full day and night of defense, the protective shield shattered decisively. Standing before the mine, as you urgently helped the miners replenish their "non-attribute mixed silver," you coldly watched the city walls reduced to rubble by the tide of monsters, and said to the miners pushing their minecarts at breakneck speed:
"No need to go. You all should go back down into the mine and hide."
"Every household has a basement, and the mayor organized civilians to take refuge under Listening Peak in advance, so there shouldn't be too many casualties..." You clenched your sweaty hands, silently pondering within Jennifer's magical shield:
"It seems the annual mission has failed, but I can't just walk away like this. I need to find a suitable solution beyond the simulation..."
You look at the rubble and cockroaches being tossed about by the frenzied monsters, and suddenly notice that the abandoned mine shaft is no longer inhabited by monsters.
"It feels unrealistic to pin our hopes on an ancient ruin... but we have to try..." you muttered as you straightened up, nimbly covering the mine behind you with stones to prevent monsters from entering, then turned to your teammates and said:
"Jennifer, Gan Gan, Dog, even though there's no guarantee of success, do you want to go for it with me? Let's forget all that empty talk about doing it for humanity, it's purely for our own desires!"
"Woof!" the dog barked first, wagging its tail and grinning sheepishly.
"Travelers never fear the hardships of the journey!" Gan Gan shouted.
"A knight should, of course, charge into battle for his master." Jennifer smiled, stroking her longsword. After a moment's thought, she added softly:
"Maybe this will be easier than challenging the final boss..."
"..." You were silent for a moment, feeling the surge of ambition and passionate desire to speak that had just welled up inside you vanish completely. You sighed helplessly, rubbed Jennifer's head, and said:
"I'll lower the difficulty for you. Anyway, let's go all out and pull off a great heist!"
Chapter 167 Shadow Dash? Brother Niu Charges!
[An accessible exploration path has been detected. Should we activate the "Integration Strategy" assistance system?]
"I wonder what I'll encounter..."
Latis let out a long breath and said;
"Start it up, max it out!"
The "Integration Strategy" has been launched.
[You consumed 50 Goddess Water, gaining +2 to Scholar Strength, +1 to Virtual Streamer Strength, +1 to Miner Strength, and +1 to Pervert Strength]
"?"
Latis gave a look like an old man using a cell phone on the subway, remained silent for a moment, but couldn't hold back any longer. He couldn't help but loudly complain:
"No way, is this a legitimate job? A learned scholar? A virtual streamer? A pervert? What the hell is this?! Restart it for me!!!"
The simulated text ignored the collapsing Latis and began to beat relentlessly.
[Initial spacetime balance: 50. Note that event progression will affect the balance; when the balance falls below 0 or exceeds 100, the exploration will be forcibly interrupted.]
[The three of you and your dog struggled forward within Jennifer's magical shield. The surging magical energy in the environment temporarily prevented you from connecting to the magic network, but you still had your grimoire, so even though a battle was about to begin, you remained completely calm.]
[Where is the road ahead: After approaching the location you explored last time, you stopped. A gust of wind carried a strange sucking sound to your ears. You looked at the rock wall from which the sucking sound came and realized that there might be a cavity there that made the sound.]
At the same time, the direction in which the tree roots bend on the ground also attracts your attention. A section of the exposed tree root abruptly forms a right angle, and you realize that this may be because the tree root is resisting some hard object, which changes its growth direction. This hard object is likely an underground structure.
Subsequently, your coloring ability allowed you to discover something amiss on the surface of the adjacent hill. A portion of the sand and gravel surface exhibited a certain color difference due to slight depressions. After shining Jennifer's light on it, you became even more certain that there was an arch-shaped cavity within the hill.
Jennifer's divine shield is flickering, it seems the sweeping away of light power by the ancient tree has also affected her. If her divine shield breaks, you will all face the threat of the raging winds. The situation is urgent, what do you choose?
[A. Go with the wind, but watch your back; follow the wind to the hidden cave behind the rock wall. B. Dig through the soil beneath the tree roots; if you're a man, go down a hundred levels! C. Unstoppable! Smash your hard iron head through the archway beneath the hillside! D. Saying, "The wind is so noisy today," he pulls out the wind-stabilizing bead and spins around in place.]
"Damn it, how could it be this pervert..."
Latis scratched his head hard, staring at the options in the simulated text, and muttered:
"These options are still so abstract... but I can't really figure out the difference between the different options before entering the ruins, so I'll just pick one randomly..."
He hesitated for a moment, then, feeling guilty, pressed his ear against the wall to make sure the half-elf next door was asleep before whispering:
"Hmm, Arte has small breasts, so let's choose A!"
You strode confidently, moving with the wind, until you reached a rock wall. Feeling the subtle whirlwinds swept up by the strong wind as it passed through the rock, you pressed your head against a crack. From the sensation of being sucked in by the storm, you confirmed that a huge cave truly existed inside.
"Going to dig again? I'm pretty good at this now..." you muttered to yourself, inserting your hand into the crack and using your mining skills to pinpoint the thin rock face. Then, with a sly grin, you dug in with a vicious snarl, and a series of cracking sounds echoed. You withdrew your hand, patted the dust off your chest with a smug grin, and said:
"nailed it."】
[To the astonishment of your teammates, you gently patted the rock face. The next second, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the rock face, and then it collapsed with a deafening roar.]
A sudden, violent gust of air swept in from behind, rushing wildly into the cave as the rock wall collapsed. Before you could even assess the situation inside, it shoved all three of you and the dog inside.
After a dizzying series of rolling motions, you finally came to a still corner. You rubbed your knees, which were chilled by the wind, silently prayed that you wouldn't get rheumatism when you got old, then stood up and checked yourself.
[This is a bend in the passageway. You peek out and see the main passageway still swept by strong winds. You can guess that you fell through a gap in the main passageway and were blown here by the wind...]
Oh no, only you. You spun around in place, then froze. Where are your teammates?
You glanced into the dark depths of the main tunnel, scratched your head, and guessed that your teammates had probably been blown much further away, while you, being tall and strong, were likely the closest to being blown away.
"Since we're already here, let's explore first..." you muttered, heading deeper into the branch of the passageway where you were. "They're all highly skilled; there shouldn't be any problems."
After casting a darkvision spell on yourself, you steadily walked deeper into the passageway. A short while later, a fork in the road suddenly appeared before you, with a strange stone statue placed in a niche in the wall at this intersection. You glanced at it and, in a daze, felt that the statue somewhat resembled a demon lord you had met once before; although the face was different, the body shape was similar.
[On the verge of exploding: Could the dwarves have had some kind of cooperation with the evil spirit realm in the past? This thought pops into your mind. Just as you're about to approach the statue for a closer look, its eyes suddenly flash red and it begins to vibrate. Your expression changes, and you make a decision.]
[A. Kneel down and beg it to spare you, or you'll hang yourself at the gate of the dwarf tower tomorrow; B. You also widen your eyes and flash your green light at it; C. Charge at it and slam it down hard; D. Deliberately don't dodge, showing leniency.]
"I always feel like I'm being manipulated by the simulator every time I make a choice... Are these options really necessary?"
Latis took a deep breath, chuckled, and said:
"Then I'll choose C."
[Truly worthy of being called the king of kings, you even surpass a rock! You rushed to the statue, and the profound wisdom within you immediately explained its origins.]
[This is actually one of the traditional skills of the dwarves, the "watchdog" statue. The dwarves use their racial abilities to carve statues of those recorded in the "Book of Hatred." The deeper the hatred for the subject during the carving process, the more of the hated subject's abilities the finished statue will possess.]
At the same time, the Confucian scholar's abilities also accurately discerned that the sculptor of this statue probably didn't hate the Demon Lord much, or rather, the sculptor had a playful attitude when sculpting it. As for why he said that...
You watch as the statue slowly opens its mouth, drooling with a very Tang-like expression, and for a moment you are speechless.
"This is your gatekeeper statue! Even if it's to prevent people from breaking in, you should at least be a little more serious!" you couldn't help but complain. "And Demon Lord, can't you maintain any dignity at all? Your image has completely collapsed!"
"So 'wise scholar' really does mean exactly what it says..." You sighed regretfully, glanced again at the demon lord whose body was soaked with saliva, shook your head, and continued walking deeper into the road.
[Hesitant: After struggling along the low road for five minutes, you arrive at the door of a rather eerie-looking room. Looking at the dwarf sign above the door, you don't understand it, so you scratch your head and decide...]
[A. Shouting "Johnny's here!" while rushing in with a creepy laugh; B. In horror movies, opening doors never ends well, so...; C. Charge in and smash it; D. Attack the door directly, smash it!]
“…” Latis was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:
"Alright, from now on, if you can become a learned scholar, don't hesitate, just go for it. Choose C!"
[You activated your Scholar's ability on the room and discovered that the dwarven inscription on the door clearly stated "Extremely Dangerous." Just as you were about to leave, you realized that the room's design, according to dwarven culture, indicated a "private space," rather than a "heavy storage room" for dangerous objects. In other words, contrary to the sign, this was a room frequently visited by dwarves.]
After thinking for a moment, you used your "knock technique" on the door to unlock it. You cautiously pushed the door open and were surprised to find a small room filled with bookshelves. A soft sofa stood against the wall, and in the center of the room, some patterns were etched into the floor, now barely visible due to the erosion of time.
"What's so dangerous about this? Does studying make you want to die...?" You chuckled and retorted, casually picking up a book called "Grass Girl" and opening it. The next second, your eyes widened as you stared at the naked female dwarf drawn on the page.
"Holy crap! This is fucking dangerous!" you couldn't help but yell, slamming the book shut. You took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, then opened it again for another look.
"I must say, some dwarves are actually quite good-looking..." You flipped through the pages, then subconsciously sat down on the soft sofa, half-reclining back.
The dwarves in this world are mostly brown-skinned. The men resemble the stereotypical bearded dwarves you had in your previous life, while the women are distinctly different, with virtually no body hair and body proportions similar to human girls, except for their racial characteristics: round faces, short eyebrows, and short, pointed ears.
"However, comparatively speaking, dwarves' figures are much more mature than human girls... Well, after all, dwarves are always this size no matter how old they are..." You flipped through the pages, shaking your head and muttering to yourself.
"How can a little girl have such big teeth!"
[A minute later, you reluctantly put down the book, glanced at the messy bookshelf, and muttered, "Damn, that was really dangerous..."]
After rereading two more volumes of "Grass Girl," you slapped your thigh, stood up, and said with a face full of regret, "La, La, how could you be so decadent! Have you forgotten the exploration plan we made before! We can't go on like this!"
Five minutes later, you put the ten copies of "Grass Girl" back on the bookshelf, leaving only two to stuff into the interdimensional gap, and said with satisfaction, "Even resource collection requires careful selection; I can't waste my storage space!"
Just as you were about to leave, you noticed an open book on the ground. You looked down and saw that it read "Succubus Summoning Circle."
You glanced around the room again and couldn't help but mutter to yourself, "The dwarves back then were really advanced. Even SeSe had to get her own room..."
You picked up the book and wrote down the magic runes and casting materials for the "Succubus Summoning Circle." "Strange Sparrow, Pleasure-Seeking Sable, Seductive Frog... Why do these names sound familiar... Sulfur, Dendrobium Flower Honey, Liquid Silver Ore, this is troublesome... Hmm? And there's another main ingredient, Brother Niu's Fresh Milk?"
[“…” You were silent for a moment, then loudly complained, “Now I know why no one can summon you succubi! Your casting materials have practically turned everyone into sages! You deserve to have declined!”]
After calming down, you left the dangerous place, planning to try inscribing the "Succubus Summoning Circle" on your magic book when you have time in the future.
You continued walking along the passageway, and after an unknown amount of time, you suddenly noticed that your surroundings seemed to brighten. You deactivated your "darksight" ability and confirmed that it wasn't your imagination.
"Light Spear!" A familiar voice echoed from afar, reverberating through the corridor. You paused, startled. Although the magic network radar was no longer available, the light within you instantly guided you, and you began to run wildly, arms outstretched.
[Soon, you found yourself before a dilapidated room, where you felt that familiar, pure light. A beam of light, like a gun salvo, shot out from within, shattering the already crumbling door. Looking through the door at the blazing light inside, you shouted, "Hey! Little Knight!"]
Upon hearing your voice, Jennifer's face lit up with joy. She swung her sword to deflect the attack of the nearby metal golem and shouted, "I'm here!"
However, when she turned around and saw you stride casually into the room, her expression changed instantly, and she cried out in alarm, "Watch out!"
[With Jennifer's warning, your hair stands on end. In a fraction of a second, you see arrows launched from four directions—up, down, left, and right—in your peripheral vision. Without thinking, you whip your cloak around and shout:]
"Shadow Dash!"