The monsters outside seemed to understand their plan. The moment they let go, several charred hands poked through the door cracks. Nakano Asaka, already straining against the door, was nearly pushed down by the monsters, almost pinned beneath the door panel!
Fortunately, he acted quickly and stepped back out of the collapsing door's range.
With the front door breached, there was no choice but to run!
They quickly dashed toward the tunnel, which had already been opened in advance. Takagawa Ayaka was the first to enter, followed closely by Miyamoto Satoshi.
As Nakano Asaka entered the tunnel, he saw Gu Zhan moving in the opposite direction!
“Where are you going?” he shouted.
That direction led to the hay and wooden boards used to cover the stone slab. Gu Zhan pulled a lighter from his pocket and moved toward the pile of hay on the ground.
At that moment, the mutated villagers were surging in through the doorway, and Takagawa Ayaka screamed in terror!
Nakano Asaka anxiously shouted, “What are you doing? Come back!”
But Gu Zhan didn’t listen; he bent down to ignite the hay.
The mutated villagers trailing behind clearly feared fire. As soon as the flames flickered to life, they began to retreat.
Amidst the overwhelming encirclement, Gu Zhan slowly made his way back to the tunnel's entrance.
The others were anxiously waiting, their hearts racing. Seeing him, Nakano Asako quickly pushed the stone slab aside and urged, “Hurry up and come in!”
Gu Zhan, however, remained calm and tossed the burning hay onto the nearby pile... Soon, the fire blazed up.
Some of the monsters that couldn’t escape were caught by the flames, letting out shrieks as they rolled around on the ground.
In an instant, chaos ensued.
Finally, Gu Zhan entered the tunnel just as Nakano Asaka hurriedly covered the stone slab... The next second, a flood of monsters rushed in, nearly bursting the entire house.
[In such a short time, he managed to find out that these monsters fear fire; he really is impressive.]
[Once we find their weakness, it should be easier! This instance is still simple.]
[Once you clear it, everything seems easy. But remember, it’s still raining outside. What’s simple for others may not be for them.]
[Is it just me, or do the two instances Gu Zhan has gone through seem unusually difficult?]
[It’s normal for instance difficulty to fluctuate. It was especially tough when I played.]
The monsters seemed highly flammable; once caught in the flames, they didn’t know how to extinguish themselves, rolling around in the room and igniting others.
In the blink of an eye, the house was engulfed in flames.
Beneath the stone slab, everyone was still shaken, and before they could condemn Gu Zhan for his boldness, they heard a loud crash above, as if the house had collapsed!
“What’s happening?” Nakano Asaka exclaimed in horror, unable to believe that the fire could burn the house down in just a few breaths despite the heavy rain!
Meanwhile, those mutated villagers had also played their part.
Gu Zhan quickly explained, “Fire is a weakness for these monsters; they catch fire easily... The noise we heard should have been the house collapsing.”
“Collapsed?” Nakano Asaka was even more shocked. “Is that okay? We’re under the house!”
Gu Zhan reassured him, “It’s fine. It’s raining outside; once it touches the rainwater, the fire will naturally go out. Let’s go; didn’t the client say that the tunnels here are interconnected?”
In the rush, he had even forgotten to grab his phone, only remembering to take the wooden box containing the scales.
Gu Zhan pulled out the wooden box to check; the scales were still there.
As long as the scales were safe, he took the lead and moved forward.
The tunnel was unlit, but Miyamoto Satoshi had bought several flashlights; each of the four carried one as they proceeded down the tunnel.
The underground passage was clearly man-made, with a flat path underfoot and stone bricks lining the walls.
However, the passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through at a time.
As they walked, Miyamoto Satoshi examined the wall seams.
"This is filled with a special material; the waterproofing is very well done."
Once they were far from the monsters, Nakano Asaka calmed down and said, "They must have built this passage to deal with that evil god."
"You're right," Miyamoto Satoshi replied. "I initially thought they were being forced by the village chief, but it seems they had no choice but to stay here, unable to escape this situation."
"Does that mean what they said about the villagers willingly signing a contract with the evil god isn't true?" Takagawa Ayaka asked.
Gu Zhan replied, "Not necessarily. The earlier story might still hold; after willingly signing the contract, the evil god may not allow them to break it. Once they realized they couldn't defy the evil god, they began constructing underground facilities in the village to try to stop it."
But in the end, they failed.
As they spoke, they had passed through the narrow passage and arrived at a sealed basement.
Inside were a bed and some daily necessities.
However, over the years, the dampness from the seaside had caused mold to grow on the bedding, making it uninhabitable.
The entrance had another turn leading to an unknown location.
"This must have been built for their escape; it shouldn't be too winding. Let’s head toward the village chief's house," Miyamoto Satoshi said.
Following the passage toward the village chief's house, they indeed found an exit leading upward.
Nakano Asaka walking in the front, opened the stone slab overhead, excitedly turned back to the others and said, "It's the village chief's house! I see the instant noodle wrappers we left behind on the floor!"
He lifted the stone slab and stepped out, followed closely by the others.
"Be careful, don’t run too far," Miyamoto Satoshi cautioned.
From the next room, Nakano Asaka's voice called out, "It's fine, I'm familiar with this place."
Since they arrived in this instance, they had been staying at the village chief's house, just like in the past when they were in Haizhu Village.
They felt almost at home.
Gu Zhan understood Nakano Asaka’s ease, but the moment they emerged on the surface, he sensed a subtle change in the room's atmosphere.
"Nakano, come back," Gu Zhan whispered.
Without hesitation, Nakano Asaka turned around and returned.
Miyamoto Satoshi raised an eyebrow, wondering why Nakano only listened to Gu Zhan and not him.
Nakano Asaka quickly came back and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Before he could finish speaking, a cold glimmer flashed behind Gu Zhan. Nakano Asaka exclaimed, and Gu Zhan executed a swift sideways kick. The sneaky figure behind him was instantly sent flying.
Miyamoto Satoshi stood nearby, stunned by how quickly it all happened. Only after the cloaked figure flew out did he raise an eyebrow and comment, "Nice skills."
Items in the instance could be exchanged for points, but one's skills and intellect were their own.
Many preferred to use items rather than hone their abilities.
After all, developing skills required enduring a lot of hardship.
Gu Zhan appeared delicate, as if a gust of wind could blow him away, yet his movements were surprisingly agile.
Not only was he quick to react, but his techniques were also practiced, and his mind was decisive—he knew what he wanted the moment he struck.
However, he seemed unfamiliar with some things in the instance, spending most of his time observing. Miyamoto Satoshi concluded that he must be a newcomer.
Such a newcomer could be somewhat frightening.
Meanwhile, Nakano Asaka had also regained his composure. While his skills were average, he had brute strength and quickly charged at the cloaked figure, pinning him down. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?!"
He raised his fist, ready to strike, but the cloaked figure, who looked weak and had been kicked by Gu Zhan, shouted in a panic, "Don't hit me! I'm your client!"
"Client?" Nakano Asaka paused.
Knowing that the only living people here were Gu Zhan and the others, the client had initially intended to ambush them to seize the scales. Who would have guessed they would react so quickly, leaving him at a loss?
Nakano Asaka then exclaimed, "So just because you’re the client, you can ambush us? You think we won't hit you because you're the client?"
He raised his hand again, but Gu Zhan stopped him. "Alright, let him go."
Nakano Asaka obediently released the figure.
The client wore a black cloak that concealed his body completely.
Yet his voice was familiar—it was indeed Masaki Taro's voice.
Gu Zhan asked, "Do you remember us?"
Masaki Taro was silent.
"Interesting," Miyamoto Satoshi said, crossing his arms with a half-smile. "We kindly helped you leave Haizhu Village, and you repay us with such tactics?"
"Wait," Nakano Asaka interjected. "What do you mean? What do you mean we helped him leave Haizhu Village?"
Miyamoto Satoshi explained, "You forgot? We went to past Haizhu Village, which wasn't a mere illusion; it was the real past. We encountered Masaki Taro and Akiko and helped them escape… but along the way, something unexpected happened, and Masaki Taro left Akiko behind."
As he spoke, Miyamoto Satoshi smirked slightly. "Akiko must still be in this village. I wonder what will happen when she finds out you’re back."
The client suddenly shrank back, as if deflated, curling up in the corner and remaining motionless.
Gu Zhan glanced at him and asked, "Why are you wearing a cloak?"
"This... what does it have to do with you?" When he was speaking through the screen, Masaki Taro had been full of the aura of a client, but upon meeting them, his confidence instantly diminished.
As soon as he started to be stubborn again, Nakano Asaka mmediately clenched his fists. "Speak nicely, or I'll have to hit you."
Masaki Taro still refused to comply.
But Gu Zhan said, "It's because you, like those villagers, have begun to undergo a transformation, right?"
"......"
Masaki Taro remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.
Nakano Asaka reached out and pulled back a corner of the black cloak, revealing that Masaki Taro's skin beneath had turned dark and charred, completely unlike a normal person's.
Gu Zhan asked, "How many years has it been since we sent you out of Haizhu Village?"
Masaki Taro replied, "Over two hundred years."
Nakano Asaka gasped; it turned out that this Masaki Taro really was immortal!
Gu Zhan continued, "Tell us what happened."
Masaki Taro remained silent, prompting Nakano Asaka to kick him again. "We're all in the same boat now; there are monsters everywhere outside, and if they get in, we'll all die. Why are you still trying to play mind games with us?"
Masaki Taro froze, and after a long pause, he let out a helpless sigh and finally gave in.
"Fine, let's find a place to sit."
As soon as he spoke, the others moved slightly, exchanging glances and visibly relaxing at the news.
Masaki Taro was undoubtedly a key NPC. He had come from Haizhu Village over two hundred years ago and knew the background of the appearance of the evil god. He likely also had information on how to deal with the evil god.
Once seated, Masaki Taro began to recount a story that was largely similar to what they already knew.
The evil god came drifting in from the sea. At first, no one realized it was an evil god. Under the village chief's leadership, everyone began to offer blood to the evil god and formed a contract. Soon, they discovered that while the contract was fulfilled, there was always a price to pay—usually not by themselves but at the expense of others.
As time went on, the demands for offerings grew heavier, becoming an unbearable burden for the villagers. At this point, some in the village suggested they should liberate the evil god.
However, the village chief, having tasted power, refused to allow it. He created a box to imprison the scales of the evil god. Eventually, the evil god became enraged and stopped trying to break the contract, instead wanting everyone in the village to die.
"When it got to the point where sacrifices required human lives, we argued with the village chief… and then it was a no-turning-back situation."
Masaki Taro spoke quietly, "The rain here isn’t rain; it's seawater poured down by the evil god. Anyone who comes into contact with it will turn into those monstrous beings. The evil god sealed off the entire village; no one could escape."
Gu Zhan frowned. "So how did you manage to leave the village?"
"I..." Masaki Taro hesitated to speak, and Nakano Asaka couldn't wait any longer to act.
Masaki Taro realized he had no chance against them and ultimately cried out in surrender, "I'll tell you! We’re in the same boat now; you mentioned earlier that without me, you can’t get out of here!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a wooden box from behind him, identical to the one in front of the shrine.
Masaki Taro said, "Actually, there’s not just one scale; it’s a fragment of the evil god's power. As long as we possess the scales, we can leave this place. The evil god has been lurking here for so many years just to retrieve all the scales."
As soon as Masaki Taro finished speaking, they all heard the system's voice prompt at the same time.
[Congratulations, players have triggered the second phase main quest: <Finding the Scales - Escape from Haizhu Village>]
[Quest Description: He’s not lying; as long as you obtain the scales, you’ll have the temporary power to resist the evil god. Will you choose to leave Haizhu Village? Abandon your companions and suffer the evil god's curse for the rest of your life.]
They all paused simultaneously and looked at each other.
Masaki Taro was still unaware of the shift in the situation and continued rambling, "But I soon discovered that just one scale isn’t enough. I don’t know if the other scales are still around, but the ones in the shrine definitely remain. So I found a group of university students to help me come back..."
"I didn’t expect to run into you guys; perhaps this is fate..."
While he continued muttering, the other players had already realized what they needed to do next.
Find the scales and leave Haizhu Village.
But were there really that many scales?
Gu Zhan felt the wooden box in his hand growing hot.
"Alright," Miyamoto Satoshi interrupted Masaki Taro's ramblings. "We didn't expect it to be you... Now that we’re all in the same situation, what’s next? Do you have any leads on where to find the scales?"
Masaki Taro replied, "The rainwater is also a manifestation of the evil god's power. On rainy days, there’s a chance to find scales outside... but that was before we completely fell out with the evil god. Now..."
Even Masaki Taro himself, or Gu Zhan and the others going outside to be drenched by the rain, would be in danger of losing their lives.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, "It’s useless to talk about that now. We need to discuss our strategy; you should rest for a while. Don’t think about causing trouble; there are mutated villagers outside, and the rain is getting heavier. Given how dire the situation is, causing us trouble would only backfire on you."
Masaki Taro nodded. "I understand."
After settling Masaki Taro, they moved to another room to talk.
This time, the atmosphere among the players was a bit tense.
"What should we do now? Should we risk going out in the heavy rain to collect the scales?"
Not to mention whether the rainwater would harm them, this vast Haizhu Village made it impossible to know where the scales might be located.
Even if they tried to avoid it, their gazes inevitably drifted to the wooden box in Gu Zhan's hands.
Previously, the scales symbolized the evil god and seemed unlucky, so no one contended with Gu Zhan, and it was accepted that he carried the box.
But now, the meaning of the scales had completely changed.
They had become their bargaining chip for clearing the game.
The scales were discovered together, but now they were in Gu Zhan's possession.
Miyamoto Satoshi felt a bit annoyed, wondering why he had let Gu Zhan take the scales back then... But since they belonged to Gu Zhan now, and after everything they had been through, he couldn't bring himself to say anything that would make Gu Zhan give them up.
He simply asked, “Are you planning to clear the level directly, or will you stay and help us look for the scales?”
Gu Zhan replied, “I’m afraid I can’t clear the level.”
He continued, “Didn’t you see the main quest hint? Leaving with the scales will incur the curse of the evil god, just like Masaki Taro.”
This was the first time Miyamoto Satoshi had heard such a statement. He couldn't help but turn to exchange a surprised glance with Nakano Akasa, who also looked astonished.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, “We’re players. Masaki Taro can’t leave this dungeon, but we’re different... Any injuries or negative status effects we sustain in the dungeon will be cleared the moment we leave.”
Gu Zhan shook his head, feeling that things were not so simple.
For Miyamoto Satoshi, however, Gu Zhan's willingness to stay, regardless of the reason, was a relief.
He no longer cared about the scale already in Gu Zhan's possession and instead asked, “If you’re staying, will you join us in our actions?”
Gu Zhan said, “I’ll join you as long as nothing unexpected happens.”
Miyamoto Satoshi let out a sigh of relief and said, “Alright, let’s discuss how we should proceed. We can’t be sure whether Masaki Taro can be trusted.”
Gu Zhan replied, “You don’t have to worry about collecting the scales; he wants the scales too and won’t lie to us.”
“That makes sense,” Miyamoto Satoshi nodded, “but what happens after we find the scales is another matter.”
In fact, it wasn’t just the NPCs; even among themselves, if a second scale were to appear, their alliances might not be as solid.
Miyamoto Satoshi wasn’t worried about that. He looked at the others and asked, “What about you?”
Everyone had been together since entering the dungeon. Although there had been twists and turns along the way, Gu Zhan and Miyamoto Satoshi were like the backbone of the team.
Of course, Nakano Akasa and Takagawa Ayaka didn’t want to break away from the backbone, so they expressed their willingness to act together.
Miyamoto Satoshi nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go back and communicate with Masaki Taro.”
That said, their earlier actions had already exhausted most of their energy, and after speaking, Takagawa Ayaka couldn’t help but start yawning.
Masaki Taro refused to explain how to find the scales, only saying that as long as there was enough rain, the evil god’s power would condense into crystals on the ground, resembling scales.
He instructed everyone to prepare more torches before setting off to search for the scales.
It was best to have ones that could be ignited in damp conditions, as the monsters outside feared fire.
After hearing this, Takagawa Ayaka couldn’t help but say, “You should have mentioned that earlier! We’re in the industrial age now; we could just bring in some gasoline or something!”
But it was obvious that the dungeon wouldn’t grant them such conveniences.
That was just talk.
So, they started rummaging through their belongings, taking out everything flammable.
After a quick check, they found that all three boys had lighters with them.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, “That’s barely enough, I guess.”
Then they began organizing those flammable items into a more portable form.
After that, everyone fell silent, each focusing on their tasks.
Gu Zhan was sitting in a corner, sorting plastic bags. As he sorted, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him.
He yawned, felt his head droop, and fell asleep.
As expected, he had another dream.
In the dream, the vast blue sea was present again, but today the surface was particularly calm. The bright sunlight shone on the water, creating a shimmering effect that, at first glance, resembled many scales… No, that’s not right; they were scales.
A hand formed from the seawater held many scales and presented them to Gu Zhan.
The scales sparkled with bluish or purplish light, hidden within the water and glowing brilliantly under the sunlight.
The seawater seemed to be offering these scales to Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan couldn’t understand what it meant. Last time he came, it had tried to deceive him into signing a contract, making him a sacrifice.
Seeing that Gu Zhan didn’t accept, a distant voice came from the depths of the sea.
“Take it... human…”
“Gift to you…”
The voice fluctuated, majestic yet breathy, making it impossible to discern gender or emotion.
The phrases were even broken and intermittent.
“…”
Gu Zhan couldn’t understand what this “evil god” wanted and remained motionless.
After a while, the evil god seemed to grow angry, and the waves beneath Gu Zhan surged, splashing against his feet.
In the distance, the voice came again, “Hu hu,” as it seemed the evil god struggled to express itself using human language, resorting to incoherent tones.
“Why do you want to give this to me? Do you want to use it in exchange for the scales I hold?”
Finally, Gu Zhan spoke.
He questioned the evil god, and its anger seemed to subside… No, it wasn’t that it was no longer angry; it was just redirecting its energy toward thinking.
After a while, it told Gu Zhan, “Different… you want… to leave… let you leave…”
Gu Zhan understood; the two scales were not the same. To leave Haizu Village, only a regular scale was needed.
It seemed the evil god didn’t truly want to perish alongside humanity. Something important to it had been taken hostage by humans, forcing it to make such choices.
Unfortunately, in the end, all the people of Haizu Village died, and it couldn’t retrieve its belongings.
His previous feeling had indeed been correct.
Gu Zhan said, “Are you a god of the sea? In our human world, transactions must be fair. I can leave Haizu Village with the original scale, so why should I trade with you?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the evil god was once again furious, and the waves roiled once more.
The color of the sea gradually changed from azure to deep blue.
Suddenly, something surged up from the depths of the ocean amidst the waves... Soon, Gu Zhan saw a fish tail, so large it was suffocating, rolling up from the deep sea.
The deep blue scales reflected a cold light, each one sharp as a dagger.
No, that wasn’t a fish tail; its length far exceeded that of a fish tail.
If one had to insist that it matched something, it could only be... a dragon from the mythological stories Gu Zhan had heard since childhood.
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