L
"Angel?"
Players were amazed, and after their amazement came heartache: how could such a precious gem just explode like that?
Gems containing the power of laws can turn the rotten into the miraculous. If you took this out, it would be at least an A-grade gem, and an S-grade gem wouldn't be out of the question.
But it's too late now that it's already happened. The best course of action is to try and secure the final reward—the Ghost Card!
All eyes turned to the most dazzling presence in the basement: the Scarlet Witch. Could this boss, who had evolved once, be an SSR?
"Snap." The handsome player snapped his fingers, activating a skill that silenced the entire arena. Players gaped, mouths agape, eyes wide, unable to utter a word.
"I identify the ghost as the Scarlet Witch," the handsome player said first, seizing the opportunity. He looked at Ren Yifei with a strong sense of confidence, waiting to obtain the ghost card.
Ren Yifei looked at him and smiled slowly.
Handsome player: ...Something seems a little off.
Three or four seconds later, the card remained motionless.
"You're not..." The handsome player's body shattered into pieces, the flying fragments turning into tiny pixels. His identification had failed; such an almost certain identification was actually wrong?
"It's truly a pity," Ren Yifei said.
A flash of inspiration struck the handsome player. He turned to look at the young lady, then back at Ren Yifei, and finally understood.
"So it was you." The handsome player reached out, trying to grab him, but his fingers shattered just before they touched him.
"Next time, I will definitely catch you." A ball of flame shot up from the handsome player's broken body, and with a bang, he disappeared after the flames subsided.
"This is... a Nirvana Card?!" Ren Yifei was puzzled when a player provided the answer.
Although he still didn't know what a Nirvana Card was, he sensed it was a very precious item.
What's even more surprising than the Nirvana Card is that the Scarlet Witch isn't a ghost. Players are scratching their heads, completely bewildered.
"Who is the ghost?" They were perplexed to the core.
With so much information pointing to the Scarlet Witch, who else could it be but her?
"A black rabbit?" The baby-faced man looked at the Scarlet Witch, then shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Don't be ridiculous. That kind of spectacle just now, could a player really pull it off?"
Moreover, if Scarlet Witch were a player, how could he possibly be willing to destroy the golden gem to give to an NPC?
That's an item of grade A or higher!
"Could it be another experimental subject who has already died?" The players scratched their heads and began to review the game, trying to find new options from the previously ruled-out possibilities.
Samantha leaned against the wall, a smile in his eyes, seemingly finding the scene amusing.
Saman already had a suspect in mind, but he wasn't sure. As a player with only one life left and no powerful artifact like the Nirvana Card, Saman didn't want to gamble on the odds.
He did not give way just because his competitor was a "black rabbit"; he genuinely lacked complete confidence.
I wonder if the 'Black Rabbit' is prepared to take the risk.
Surprisingly, the Scarlet Witch remained silent, but the questionable option in Saman's eyes did react.
The young lady with gray hair walked up to the glowing scarlet witch, a relaxed smile on her face. She lowered her head and leaned forward slightly: "Please call my name."
Ren Yifei smiled and said, "You are the Scarlet Witch, the Obsessive."
The young lady—no, the Scarlet Witch—raised her face and gave a big smile: "Thank you."
Living in a place devoid of light and darkness, they have no past, no present, and perhaps no future. They are beings exiled by the world, belonging neither to monsters nor to humans.
No one celebrated their arrival, and no one knew when they left.
The third sister's prophecy was the meaning they found for their existence. They had nothing; hope was the only thing they could hold onto.
The Scarlet Witch is never alone; she carries the courage of eight 'Forsaken' to defy fate and fight to the death.
He is the hope in the prophecy.
To protect his existence, even when he was tortured to the point of near death, the other test subjects did not reveal his abnormality. The Scarlet Witch was born with the ability to understand the languages of all things; this innate knowledge was her greatest power.
Self-healing and immortality are just superficial claims.
However, he failed.
He collapsed on the eve of hope.
The Scarlet Witch could never forgive herself.
But now, it's all over.
"I will serve you as my Lord and follow you willingly."
After she finished speaking, the young lady's body emitted a faint glow. Her body lengthened, her facial features changed, her gray hair dragged on the ground, and a pair of black wings unfolded behind her. Black butterfly-winged sprites danced, and her whole body exuded an evil aura.
They stood together, one in black and one in white, with the same face and the same body, like twins.
"Holy crap." The players' jaws dropped to the floor.
"What? The ghost willingly allowed itself to be subdued? Ah, no, no, no, the Scarlet Witch is a player?" Overwhelmed by the shock, the players began to stammer incoherently.
Any one piece of information in this passage could be a topic in itself, but now three or four topics are bombarding us at once, it's driving me crazy.
"Impossible." The player with twin ponytails held her face in her hands, looking left and right. They looked the same, except one had white fur and black wings, and the other had black fur and white wings.
"Ah, I see, they're twins!" she affirmed.
Natural Curly couldn't help but glance at her sideways. The situation was so obvious; what was the point of deceiving herself?
Feather Clipper's gaze was intense: "Amazing."
"I have a question." Under the spotlight, Ren Yifei spoke up, asking the Scarlet Witch, "Although you've resolved your past regrets in the dungeon, what has already happened in reality cannot be reversed. Are you really determined to let go?"
The Scarlet Witch smiled and shook her head: "Once the dungeon is cracked, everything that happens here will be received by the people of the original world in the form of a dream projection."
He turned his head to look at the gate, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick walls and seeing his past: "The seeds have been sown, perhaps in a hundred years, perhaps in a thousand years, I hope they will blossom and bear fruit once again."
But that's another story, another story without the Scarlet Witch involved.
Regardless of whether it was just a dream, they still left a faint trace in that world.
"I want them to remember that we were here!"
He finally let go, and his heart became calm.
"I see." Although the possibility of replication is extremely slim, as long as there is hope, everything is still possible.
"Speaking of which," Ren Yifei looked around, "I thought the hunting team leader and the base chief would be here. But I didn't see them."
The Scarlet Witch was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh, clutching her stomach.
"So you didn't know who that was at all?" The thing that had been weighing on her heart for so long melted away, and the Scarlet Witch felt a rare sense of relief after more than a decade.
"They dream of living for eternity, but after death they don't even have a name. How pitiful and hateful."
Ren Yifei saw him laughing happily, as if the heavy dark clouds had dispersed to reveal an orange-red sun. He couldn't help but laugh himself: That monster just now was the base leader, Scarlet Witch's biological father, right? I knew that back then, and now I'm just confirming it.
But whatever, let's just assume he really doesn't know.
While the other players were still struggling to accept the reality, Ren Yifei glanced at them and then turned away. Then he saw Saman leaning against the door.
His eyes were smiling; he looked both strange and familiar.
Making him wear a Lolita dress and feeding him blood was such a novel experience. Ren Yifei couldn't help but wonder what was going on in this man's mind.
Just then, Saman also looked up and their eyes met in mid-air. Suddenly, all their thoughts vanished, leaving only a natural smile on their faces.
The fifteen-minute stay was over, and the players were kicked out of the instance before they even had a chance to build rapport.
Ren Yifei got out of bed: "System, take stock of the profits."
The guiding spirit was stunned: Had the sun risen in the west? The host actually wanted to see the returns?
Great news! Fantastic news! The guide sprite hurriedly pulled out the reward list, which started with the family's signature rooster crow: "Oh! Oh oh oh oh oh! SSR! An SSR with 100% affinity!"
Ever since the host obtained an SSR in the mid-level game, the guide spirit has felt that it has been elevated and that it should not be frightened by trivial matters in the future.
Unexpectedly, its host's first high-level dungeon run shattered its composure.
An SSR with 100% affinity!
"Aaaaaah—" My divine host, I can post this on social media again! The host it stole is mine!
The guide spirit was so moved that it almost caused the power to go out and the screen to go black. Even if it loses everything in the end, this trip will still be worth it!
"Pah, pah, pah, what a joke! How could there be nothing? It must be a bumper harvest." With that, the guide sprite pulled down the harvest list.
The player received 40 points, 10,000 white shells, 10 silver shells, 5 gold shells, and a gold treasure chest. These are the standard rewards for a grand slam in high-level games. The guide spirit remained calm and showed no excitement whatsoever.
Next up are the non-standard skill and item rewards, which really energizes the guide spirit.
SSR Ghost Card: Fallen Angel (Evolution of Scarlet Witch), 100% Affection.
The guide spirit's gaze lingered on the ghost card, and it finally managed to shift its focus to the next one, only to be startled again: "Holy crap!"
"You're using foul language," Ren Yifei reminded the system.
"No, player, look, has the official system gone mad?"
Skill: Archangel's Breath
Skill Activation: The skill is activated upon direct physical contact, instantly healing the selected target. It cannot be used on oneself. Limited to one use per instance.
Limitations: Applicable to any copy.
Rating: S (Love can bring miracles.)
Skill: King of Monsters
Skill Activation: Passive skill, automatically activated upon entering a dungeon. Having gained monster intimidation power, the attack power of all non-human NPCs is reduced by 30%.
Limitations: Applicable to any type of copy.
Rating: A (I submit to you, my king.)
"Two high-level skills dropped from a single dungeon, one of which is a passive skill and the other is a legendary skill! What did you do, player?! Did you save the world or something?" The guide spirit barely managed to restrain itself from turning into a screaming chicken.
Are advanced skills as common as cabbage these days? Do S-rank skills even exist?
"Very rare?" Ren Yifei examined it for a long time. It was indeed much better than a bandage, but it couldn't be just a legendary item.
"Player, the skill description is instant healing, and it's equally effective on bodily decay caused by failed identification. If it weren't for the restriction of 'cannot be used on oneself,' this skill shouldn't exist at all," the guiding spirit said meaningfully.
That's equivalent to a life!
Each player only has three lives, but teaming up with Ren Yifei is equivalent to having an extra life in every dungeon. The guide spirit dares to say that once this news gets out, the line of people wanting to team up with its host will stretch from the wasteland all the way to the floating realm.
One life for every instance! Even one-time Nirvana Cards can fetch astronomical prices and are hard to come by, but these can be used repeatedly!
"Oh, I understand. Okay, next." Ren Yifei was very calm, not like someone who had obtained a top-tier skill.
The guide spirit had no choice but to suppress its excitement and continue looking at the rewards below.
The props that came out later weren't too exaggerated, probably for the sake of balance.
Red Cloak: Increases defense by 30% when worn, becomes useless when damaged, and is suitable for any dungeon.
Skill Upgrade Card: Can upgrade one D-level skill.
There are also two items 'gifted by a friend': the Black Hawk Crossbow and the comic book generator.
Ren Yifei has three D-level skills: Resume, Human Body Outlining Master, and Summoning Mystic Cat.
He thought it over carefully and decided to upgrade his resume, staying true to his original aspirations and prioritizing performance. He'd been tricked by his resume so many times he'd lost count.
The resume was upgraded very quickly.
Skills: Resume
Skill Activation: Designate a specific human to obtain their detailed information, including their career, relationships, and life experiences. Limited to one use per instance.
Limitations: Applicable to any copy.
Rating: C (You're researching this in such detail, are you on a blind date?!)
The target user has changed from 'a player' to 'human,' meaning it can be used on NPCs. Furthermore, the life experience section will be further divided into three parts: career, relationships, and life experiences, providing greater detail.
This comment is both laughable and pathetic.
Is this what you call detailed? Nowadays, when investigating kinship, don't they check the medical history of the other person's parents and family as well? This is just the beginning.
"Ding, player, you have received a message from a friend." The guide spirit suddenly spoke up while the rewards were being calculated.
Ren Yifei initially wanted to ask if it was Boss A Jin, but after thinking about it carefully, he thought it shouldn't be: "Is it Saman?"
He then opened his messaging app, and sure enough, it was him. He sent two words: "Ah Fei".
What does this mean? Ren Yifei stroked his chin and pondered for a while, feeling that this was someone showing off that he had recognized him again, and couldn't help but reply, "When did you recognize me?"
What exactly is the flaw? How come I get recognized every time I enter the game? Is it a hard counter?
"You showed mercy when we first met. But it wasn't certain then, because it might have been a personal habit of the Scarlet Witch. After all, she grew up in a laboratory, which makes her different from ordinary monsters, but..."
Ren Yifei slapped his forehead in frustration: "I shouldn't have shown any mercy. They've gotten too big for their britches." He then asked, "But what?"
"However, the Scarlet Witch later killed two hunting parties, which shows that she had no aversion to killing."
"Given that he is not a combat-type monster, theoretically, when hunting, his first priority should be to ensure that the prey has no ability to escape or resist. Therefore, the optimal solution would be to sever the tendons in his hands and feet, but you chose to dislocate them."
Samantha laughed for a while, then couldn't help but type: "At that time, I thought, the one who cares about me so much must be Ah Fei."
Ren Yifei: ...
Pah, shameless.
"Of course, the real confirmation is still in the lab, when you look up at me."
"Is something wrong?" Ren Yifei asked, seizing the opportunity.
"The brilliance is too dazzling."
Before Ren Yifei could understand, Saman sent him a message: "No matter which character you play, there are actually no flaws in the details of life. But the light of the soul cannot be hidden. I seem to be able to see a person who lives a very serious and cherished life through those different roles."
Finally, there's a concluding remark: "Ordinary people don't feel there's anything special about their lives to show off, nor do they particularly cherish them. You're different. Even the characters themselves would be amazed if they saw you, thinking, 'Wow, my life can be like this!'"
The entire piece contains not a single word of praise, yet it is filled with compliments about people. Ren Yifei couldn't tell whether it was a sincere statement or an attempt to show loyalty.
"What a load of nonsense!" Ren Yifei reached out to turn off the communication, but then another message came in.
"I know a restaurant owned by a player. It's said that his family has been in charge of state banquets for four or five generations. There's no ingredient he can't cook, whether it's abalone, sea cucumber, chicken, duck, or fish. When is Afei free? I'd like to make a reservation."
The finger that was resting on the cross retracted.
"I happen to have some free time recently."
Author's Note: Saman used a gourmet trapping technique on Afei.
biu~~