Chapter 44: A Leap into the Paranormal Instance

Three minutes later, Yenir casually glanced at the Windcarved Feather Wings he had bought for 400 points before tucking them into his bag.

After blatantly ignoring that greedy fellow, someone soon came looking for him again.

He snagged them for 400 points, not spending a penny extra.

After all, though these feathers are rare, they aren’t really valuable. There’ll always be a lucky soul who finds them in the wild. If they can be sold, it’s all about chance.

Glancing at the young man who was pleading in private chat for him to buy the feathers, Yenir shook his head, too lazy to reply.

It wasn’t until the guy asked about prices elsewhere that he realized just how generous Yenir had been from the start.

Greedy people often bite off more than they can chew.

Disregarding this unexpected interruption,

after covering his motorcycle, Yenir headed straight toward the small town.

Having completed three advancement tasks, only the final one remained. Once he succeeded in that, he’d be just one tier away from reaching the third stage of human pinnacle combat power!

Such an outrageous pace of advancement would leave outsiders questioning their own lives if they ever got wind of it.

Just as he stepped into the ghostly, labyrinthine town, Yenir heard the system notification.

“Beep, entering Fanghua Middle School (Paranormal) Instance. Difficulty: C level.”

“Enter?”

Seeing the distinctive red font that set it apart from typical instances, Yenir promptly clicked confirm.

……

The world spun wildly, and an icy chill took over.

After a brain-splitting teleportation, once Yenir opened his eyes, he instantly found six other Awakeners, much like himself, standing before him.

“Ugh… it hurts…”

The group lay in a shabby inn. On the floor, a young girl clutched her head, taking a long time to rise.

As everyone regained consciousness and struggled to adjust to the surroundings, an older middle-aged man—the eldest of the group—coughed lightly, his face pale:

“Everyone, you’re all Willpower Type Awakeners, right?”

“I’m Li Zhiping, a first-tier pinnacle. I’m probably the most experienced among you.”

After his introduction, Li Zhiping casually glanced at Yenir, who appeared utterly unfazed.

The higher your Willpower, the milder the teleportation’s side effects. Once he came to his senses, his eyes immediately landed on Yenir.

“This guy’s stats are off the charts!”

“That’s right, you all are too?”

“How did you know we were Mental Type?”

“Why are there so many people in this instance? I thought I was the only one in the Paranormal Instance!”

After a few moments of stunned silence, the other Awakeners began to rise, clutching their heads as they surveyed their surroundings.

Inside the dim, curtained inn it was pitch dark, while outside, the bustling sounds of the town could be heard.

Noticing that everyone had regained consciousness, Li Zhiping offered a friendly smile:

“I figured you were all Mental Type. After all, only people like us join the Paranormal Instance.”

“Mental Types lack fighting prowess and can’t even defeat ordinary mutants. To level up, isn’t this instance our only shot?”

After his self-deprecating explanation, the group looked on in stunned silence, their faces breaking into rueful smiles.

Exactly.

Those with high combat stats had long gone hunting down mutants. Only those with high Willpower would resort to the Paranormal Instance. After all, this place is more about testing resolve and luck. Out there, even if you begged to team up with other Awakeners, you’d barely get any experience.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I once tried hunting mutants with some Awakeners, but a monster got too close and nearly cost me half my life.”

“When I finish using my skills, the effect still doesn’t compare to a good old slash from someone else’s knife.”

It seemed the middle-aged man’s words had stirred emotions, as everyone began grumbling in complaint.

Willpower Type Awakeners might boast more psychic energy, but their combat prowess was almost laughable compared to other types. Even with 600-point skills, others could outdo them with a single strike; even with 1,000 points, they could only manage one burst attack. Plus, Willpower Types were generally overlooked, never gaining access to high-tier skills.

This vicious cycle meant that hardly any teams were willing to include a Willpower Type Awakener in their fights.

“Alright.”

Clapping his hands, the middle-aged man abruptly cut off the group’s complaints:

“Everyone, although our performance in other battles wasn’t great, I’m confident that in this instance—which tests both our resolve and wits—we can clear it smoothly!”

“Let me introduce myself—I’ve cleared the Paranormal Instance twice. I’ve got some experience. How about I lead the team?”

The group was astonished, many looking at him in surprise.

Unlike Yenir, who was pursuing advancement tasks, they had been forced into the instance out of sheer necessity.

The notorious difficulty and terror of the Paranormal Instance were well-known outside, and seeing the man before them who had cleared it multiple times, everyone felt relieved.

“No problem! Uncle Li, you lead the team!”

“But why hasn’t our task appeared yet?”

For many, it was their first time in the Paranormal Instance, and they instinctively voiced their concerns.

Hearing this, Li Zhiping smiled:

“The Paranormal Instance isn’t like the others; we need to generate a protective shield before the task appears.”

After saying that, he skillfully pushed open the inn’s door and motioned for everyone to follow him.

Glancing at the protective shield outside, Yenir—standing at the end of the line—furrowed his brow but then simply shook his head and followed along.

In his previous life, he’d never taken part in a Paranormal Instance. With full support from the Capital, all he needed to do was level up frantically. There were endless mutants to slaughter—there was no time for this kind of instance.

As they stepped out from the protective shield, the once bustling town suddenly fell silent, and even the sky above seemed to darken instantly.

“Beep, entering Fanghua Town. Task triggered.”

“Current Task: Find the ghost hidden here and seal it away.”

“Task Hint 1: You can search around the school.”

“Task Hint 2: Don’t trust what the ghost says.”

As the cold system message ended, everyone felt an indescribable chill wash over them.

Ghost? So they really were about to face something terrifying.

Regarded as one of the three special events following the apocalypse of the game, the appearance of ghosts was rumored to be the result of the dead transforming under psychic contamination before the end.

“Don’t trust what the ghost says? The hidden ghost? Seal it away?”

Murmuring to herself, a girl in casual sportswear—armed only with a system-issued dagger at her waist—looked around warily.

The logic was obvious; anyone with a sane mind wouldn’t trust a ghost’s words. The real question was, where was the ghost? At the school?

To everyone, their starting point was clearly the street.

Amid the diverse crowd hurrying by, there was no obvious sign of trouble.

“No need to search, everyone.”

Noticing everyone growing tense, Li Zhiping waved his hand gently:

“The Paranormal Instance isn’t dangerous at the start, but we must find the key clues early on!”

“Did you catch the task hint about the school? In my experience, we need to get there quickly to search for clues!”

At his words, everyone grew silent, knowing the middle-aged man was right.

With that, Li Zhiping turned and led the group at a brisk pace down a narrow alley.

Ten minutes later.

After a bit of panting and winding their way through the streets, Li Zhiping quietly gazed at the middle school located at the far end of the town.

He then turned, offering a strained smile:

“Everyone, watch your steps from now on!”

A wail!

The wind suddenly roared.

In everyone’s eyes, the school—usually bustling during break—was now eerily silent, with hardly a soul in sight.