Chapter 573: The Situation Inside the Dungeon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 573: The Situation Inside the Dungeon
After seizing a brief window of opportunity to escape the Player’s grasp, Tan Han found herself "lost" within this dungeon composed entirely of pixel blocks.
She traversed the area, picking various points to cross through different spaces, only to find that the entire place was like a scrambled maze.
Up until now, she had been alone. Aside from the monsters that occasionally manifested from the pixel blocks, she hadn't seen another living soul.
Her only companion was her Knowledge Shadow.
At this moment, the Knowledge Shadow proved to be immensely useful.
Originally, Tan Han had only summoned it to keep her company and stave off boredom. In such an unknown place, traveling alone would only lead to a mounting sense of dread. She needed a companion, even if it was just another version of her subconscious self.
However, after summoning the Knowledge Shadow, she discovered several unexpected benefits.
By coordinating with the information provided by her Ley Line Identification Art, the shadow could act as an anchor, allowing her to share the descriptions of her current surroundings directly from the source—the Tree of Great Knowledge!
Along the way, she gathered a wealth of useful information from the Knowledge Shadow, almost as if someone had meticulously organized it for her.
For instance, there was more than one Player. They seemed to have begun laying their traps across the entire hotel a long time ago. Her current location was a dungeon created by those Players—an independent space.
She even learned that the purpose of this entire scheme was to harvest the "Luck" possessed by the Children of Destiny!
Once she understood this, Tan Han realized why she had been so unlucky lately. It turned out that everything was part of a plan specifically targeting her by those Players.
In truth, she had suspected their motives weren't pure ever since the last attack.
But she hadn't expected those Players to want more than just so-called [Transcendent Knowledge]; they wanted to harvest her Luck as well!
"Who’s there!"
Suddenly, Tan Han sensed something.
She was quite confident in her perception abilities. The sensation the newcomer gave off didn't feel like one of the Players, which was why she was the first to call out.
"Is that... Tan Han?"
A voice drifted back from the other side shortly after. Hearing it, Tan Han finally breathed a sigh of relief. Had the other party shown any hostility, she would have fled through a nearby rift immediately.
"Yes."
Tan Han stepped out from behind a pixelated obstruction. Judging by the voice, the other person seemed to be Ninglan Qiuyue. Coincidentally... she was also a Child of Destiny.
Based on this chance encounter, Tan Han could already guess that Ninglan Qiuyue had likely received the same "special treatment" from the Players as she had.
In that moment, both girls felt a sense of commiseration. Meeting in such an environment felt like a stroke of fate.
After a few brief greetings, they quickly agreed to join forces. In the face of the unknown, one couldn't afford to discard any help, let alone a companion.
Furthermore, Tan Han didn't feel there was any conflict between them. She doubted the other girl would backstab her at a critical juncture like this.
As they began traveling together, they quickly built a decent level of trust and began sharing their intelligence.
After all, in this unknown place, even a small piece of information could significantly improve their situation.
As they walked, they exchanged accounts of what they had seen and heard. After communicating, they gained a general understanding of their current predicament.
Both were left sighing in lament—not just for themselves, but for each other's experiences.
The treatment Ninglan Qiuyue had suffered was even more ruthless than Tan Han's. If not for a certain accident, she might have fallen into total despair.
The conversation between the two girls soon shifted from intelligence to lighter topics. This was a subconscious reaction to the grim environment, an attempt to ease the tension in their hearts.
However, the topic soon returned to how they were going to leave.
They continued to press forward despite the danger, all to find a way out. Yet, despite their constant attempts, it seemed that all their efforts proved that conventional methods—including what they were doing now—were of little help in escaping.
"Are we just going to wander aimlessly through these cracks forever?"
"No... the dungeon space isn't infinite. It can't be," Tan Han said, shaking her head. Her mindset was currently much more stable than Ninglan Qiuyue's.
With the help of the Knowledge Shadow, she manifested a projection of the Tree of Knowledge. It displayed a series of data and images. She showed it openly to Ninglan Qiuyue without reservation. Ninglan Qiuyue also possessed a Great Knowledge Seed, but she was clearly not as proficient in utilizing it.
"This is..."
"A visualized imaging of the spatial structure of this dungeon that I’ve constructed. The dungeon spaces connected by the rifts are numerous, but they aren't infinite. When I said I would lead the way earlier, I had my own reasons. Now, at least one thing has been proven."
"Proven what?" A glint flashed in Ninglan Qiuyue's eyes.
Her thoughts had been sluggish due to the sudden upheaval, but after walking for so long, she hadn't realized that Tan Han wasn't just wandering blindly.
It seemed this teammate had developed this line of thinking right from the start.
She had to admit, having a teammate who quietly got things done provided a great sense of security.
"Proven... this!" Tan Han walked to a certain spot and kicked a pixel block aside. These shifting blocks rose and fell, sometimes stacking on top of one another.
Tan Han reached down and brushed her hand over the pixel block revealed beneath. A spell marker emerged.
This was a minor spell Tan Han had mastered. Its function was to leave a detectable spell marker, and different markers could be distinguished from one another.
"We’ve been here before."
"We're going in circles?"
"Yes. I was circling on purpose, but we never hit a loop until now. This is the first space we've returned to," Tan Han said, adjusting the image on the Tree of Knowledge and finally marking a spatial node.
"Now we’ve confirmed the overall anchor position of the dungeon. In other words, we are right here."
"You... the Great Knowledge Seed can actually do this?" Ninglan Qiuyue was shocked, as if a door to a new world had just opened before her.
"The Great Knowledge Seed can do many things. As I told you before, much of the information I shared was obtained through the Identification Art on the Great Knowledge Seed. In our current situation, we must utilize every means available to us."
Now that they had confirmed the continuity of the space, they were no longer like headless flies wandering aimlessly. They had transformed into explorers of an unknown region with a clear path of retreat.
So many people were trapped in the dungeon, yet Tan Han had only encountered Ninglan Qiuyue so far. This was clearly illogical.
Their best bet was to find the main group—the place where they had originally been. In short, they needed to get out of this area first.
Of course... Tan Han had an even simpler method to add another teammate to their ranks.
That was the Summoning Business Card—to directly summon Xiao Han...
Tan Han knew Xiao Han had come to the auction and had caused quite a stir. It was truly hard not to notice her.
Perhaps Xiao Han was also trapped somewhere right now... or perhaps she had already escaped this so-called dungeon space.
In such a crisis, rationally speaking, she should use the card without hesitation. One more person meant one more layer of security.
As they traversed the various dungeon spaces, not all of them were empty. Many were filled with pixelated monsters that posed a significant threat.
However, her emotions subconsciously held her back. She didn't know why she felt this way, but it was as if using the card would mean she had lost.
At some point, Xiao Han had become omnipotent in her mind. It felt as if once she arrived, all problems would be solved, as if nothing could challenge her. Even now, Tan Han vaguely felt the same.
"Is something wrong?" Ninglan Qiuyue noticed Tan Han was dazed and spoke up.
"Oh, it's nothing..." Tan Han responded instinctively, then caught herself. "Tell me... how do you think Xiao Han is doing?"
"Xiao Han? Yang Yuehan? Why ask about her all of a sudden?"
"Just a random thought. I'm curious. Do you think she's trapped here too?"
"I don't know. To be honest, I don't really understand the extent of Xiao Han's strength, even after hearing about her exploits at this auction. But I know she's strong—really strong. Maybe... she's out there somewhere, tearing through everything in her path."
"Tearing through everything... maybe she really is." Tan Han sighed, then asked, "If I told you I had something that could summon Xiao Han here, would you use it?"
"Summon Xiao Han?" Ninglan Qiuyue looked at Tan Han, then realized what she meant. "If you're joking, then naturally I'd want you to use it. But if you really have such a thing... I think it's better to save it for a critical moment."
"Why? Why do you also think we shouldn't use it immediately?"
"So it's not a 'what if.' You really have it, don't you?"
"..."
"Well, maybe you're like me and don't want to rely on others. And... in your heart, you've already excluded Xiao Han from your peers. You can cooperate with me to face the unknown without hesitation, but you hesitate when it comes to Xiao Han. Deep down, you don't view her as being on the same level as yourself. Perhaps... it's also because of a sliver of competitiveness. Just a guess..."
Ninglan Qiuyue realized she might have said too much and stopped there.
In truth, she also felt a slight reluctance to use it. As for why... perhaps it was her confidence in the Witch Academy.
She had seen too many "impossibilities" within the Witch Academy.
Even the dead could be brought back to life. Even if one felt a deep-seated resistance toward death and resurrection, that underlying reality constantly influenced everyone's choices.
Just like now—having escaped a certain-death scenario, even though the path ahead was still murky, they had regained their confidence and the courage to overcome difficulties on their own.
Besides, it wasn't as if they wouldn't use it at all; they just wouldn't use it until it was a true emergency. This feeling of having a safety net gave people like them—who were constantly thrust into the spotlight—the desire to prove their own worth.
No one wanted to constantly rely on others or live in someone else's shadow, did they?
Though she had enrolled late, she had heard of the "grudge" between Tan Han and Xiao Han.
"Just a guess..."
"You could have made this decision using a better option. Just a moment ago, you told me to make good use of the Great Knowledge Seed. When faced with a difficult choice... why not ask the Knowledge Shadow formed from your subconscious? Perhaps she will give you the answer you most desire."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the upper layers of the dungeon space.
A large number of people were trapped here, forced to face the onslaught of the dungeon's most numerous inhabitants: the monsters.
They not only had to deal with constant attacks from these creatures but also had to be wary of the traps scattered everywhere.
Those who lacked transcendent power and ran around in a panic were, before everyone's eyes, swallowed by sudden surges of pixels, merging forever into that blocky substance.
There wasn't even time to save them.
They swore that this was the auction they regretted attending the most! If there were ever a next time, they wouldn't come even if they were begged!
But... it was clear many of them wouldn't have a next time.
Such was the tragedy of those without power; in the face of a grand catastrophe, their lives were not their own to command.
"There was a massive tremor just now, and the space here has become fragmented..."
"What about the Players?"
"Players? What Players?"
"I'm not entirely sure either. I only just learned that the group responsible for this disaster is called 'Players'... I heard it from a Senior Sister older than me. They seem to know something..."
"Why wasn't such important news shared earlier? Did they know about this disaster in advance?"
"How should I know?"
Amidst the arguments, not everyone was as disorganized as the masses, nor did everyone have the leisure to bicker.
Those with a plan were methodically clearing monsters, exploring the area, searching for a way out, and actively hunting for the Players.
The number of Players wasn't actually that high. Compared to the total number of students here, they were vastly outnumbered. The only true threat was the monsters those individuals had created.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the strength of these monsters seemed to be growing more terrifying by the minute.
But they had to find the Players. If they wanted to leave, the Players were the only breakthrough in the current situation.
"These holes formed by the damage... should we go in and check them out?"
"Isn't that too dangerous? We have no idea what's on the other side. What if it's instant death?"
"That... shouldn't be likely, right?" At that moment, a student from the Witch Academy reached out to touch a deep, swirling vortex. Her hand remained unharmed, not torn apart by energy.
The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief.
She had already prepared a healing spell; it looked like they could pass through.
"Hey! What are you doing? You just reached into something that dangerous with your bare hand?"
"It's fine. I have a Flesh and Blood Regeneration Spell... even if... AHHH!"
The girl had been acting nonchalant, waving her hand around the rift. Possessing such a rare spell, even if she hadn't touched the level of Immortality, she felt she had nothing to fear.
But before she could finish her sentence, she let out a piercing scream. She felt something suddenly grab her wrist!
Terrified, she collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to pull her hand back, but the strength of the grip was immense!
Seeing this anomaly, those nearby rushed to help.
The attention of many was drawn to the disturbance.
It wasn't until the hand was finally pulled up that everyone realized the girl's wrist was being held by another hand!
At first glance, it was a delicate, snow-white hand—clearly belonging to a girl.
Then, a figure poked her head out from the rift. When everyone saw her, their eyes filled with shock.
"Tan... Tan Han? How is it you?"
"I finally found the main group..." Seeing so many people, Tan Han finally let out a complete sigh of relief. "Senior Sisters, Senior Brothers, give me a hand... there's another one below me..."