Calamity Messenger-Chapter 54 - 41: The Advent of Demons
No wonder this dungeon lasts for three days.
No wonder this dungeon limits the playtime each day.
No wonder this dungeon is suitable for all players. πππππ¬πππ·ππΏππ‘.ππΈπ
It turns out this is not a trial dungeon at all, but a survival construction dungeon!
"The next wave of monsters will attack in 04:25"
No time to delay. Although the difficulty of gathering resources is unknown, this is a dungeon designed for four people. Yan Qing estimates that the difference between advanced and beginner players is reflected hereβadvanced players collect faster, beginners slower.
And the fastest way to gather resources, without a doubt, is for the four of them to do it together, and each must be assigned what resources to collect, not just pick up garbage randomly. If Yan Qing guessed correctly, in the original game, all four have construction rights, meaning they also have to discuss the construction direction, otherwise if there is one person messing around, everyoneβs dungeon experience would fall into an unpredictable fate stage.
This should be Yan Qingβs least favorite type of dungeon: high interaction, strong communication, no entry threshold, and teammatesβ quality relies on luck. If lucky, the four teammates might become good friends over three days of dungeon interaction; if not, it becomes a three-day PVP experience of hanging teammates on the game forum.
The lucky thing is, he at least has one obedient teammate.
...
"Young lady, do you have the ability to move stones?"
"Huh?" Qian Gongyu was a bit puzzled but still replied, "I can, I have the Cow Bone Finger Chain which grants Nine Oxen Strength to my fingers."
"Time is tight, so Iβll get straight to the point: I hope you can move stones to the cabin as much as possible within a cup of tea time."
The cold and proud Jiang Shi finished speaking and left the cabin, leaving behind a stunned Qian Gongyu and two top-tier ladies she couldnβt afford to offend.
Qian Gongyu opened her mouth, turned trembling to look at Shang Xinlei and Jie Yuan Shao, and showed an extremely awkward smile, "L-Ladies, my guard, she... Iβm sorry, I apologize for her rudeness!"
Not to mention a mere black belt, even if she, a member of the Blue Ribbon Noble Clan, dared to speak to Shang Xinlei and Jie Yuan Shao like that, they could chop her down on the grounds of being humiliated, without facing any repercussions.
Although the Liang Kingdom doesnβt allow Noble Warriors the freedom to kill indiscriminately like in the Zhou Kingdom or Qi Kingdom, it instead grants more βlegitimate killingβ rightsβcommoners must adhere strictly to etiquette and show enough respect to the Scholarly Clans and Noble Warriors, or else the Scholarly Clans and Noble Warriors can freely punish disrespectful commoners.
"A cup of tea time is very short, Xiaoyu, arenβt you taking action?" Shang Xinlei smiled.
Xiaoyu!?
Qian Gongyu was instantly overwhelmed with joy, so dizzy and excited that she couldnβt speak, feeling that this trip was too worth it. Even if Shang Xinlei wouldnβt offer her any assistance, just being called βXiaoyuβ by Shang Xinlei in front of others would be enough for the Qian Family to escape the mire of infamyβjust being able to converse with the Fourth Miss of the Shang Family would make other Noble Clans regard her highly.
Watching Qian Gongyu stagger out of the cabin like she was intoxicated, Shang Xinlei turned to Jie Yuan Shao, "I plan to help a bit, arenβt you going?"
"Of course not, according to the information I have, delusions will strike in a cup of tea time, and staying in the cabin is the safest, thereβs no reason to go out and move stones." Jie Yuan Shao sat cross-legged on the ground, unmoving. "Instead, you are so fond of that guard; even if you want to bring her into your fold, having grace without awe is not the right way to lead people."
"For someone who claims to be skilled in physiognomy, canβt you tell Jiang Shi is someone who would never bow to others?"
With that said, Shang Xinlei also left the cabin, leaving Jie Yuan Shao alone inside, closing her eyes to rest.
"Between all things, there is hierarchy, how can anyone keep themselves intact? Even if unwilling in heart, one will eventually bow to circumstances." Jie Yuan Shao murmured to herself softly: "Everyone will bowβincluding you, Shang Xinlei."
She glanced outside the cabin. Although their entry time was at dawn, the Secret Realm had its own celestial changes, now the Mansu Forest Land was dark as midnight, with only a sliver of moonlight illuminating the woods. With their departure, the once small cabin suddenly felt empty, the darkness engulfing all space.
By rights, participants should bring candles or other lighting tools, but Jie Yuan Shao came here to train her willpower, carrying no tools that could lower the difficulty. She sat silently in the dark for a few seconds, then stood up and went to the door, talking to herself, "Iβm just reminding them to return quickly, itβs not like the trial has even begun, how could I be afraid..."
A cup of tea time passed quickly, Qian Gongyu only managed to move two big stones over. Shang Xinlei didnβt move stones; she shaped three stones into ovals, then pushed them, making them roll to the cabin.
Jiang Shi, who had instructed them to move the stones, returned empty-handed.
Seeing this scene, Jie Yuan Shao immediately showed a look of disgust. But before she could say anything, she saw Jiang Shi stretch out his hand towards the empty space next to the wooden house, and a large pile of wood appeared out of nowhere, falling onto the ground.
Upon witnessing this, everyoneβs pupils constricted, and Qian Gongyu couldnβt help but exclaim, "Jiang Shi, you actually have a storage relic? And such a large space, how many turns must this relic have..."
"I donβt have a storage relic," Jiang Shi said.
Such a reply was undoubtedly unsatisfactory, and even Qian Gongyu felt Jiang Shi was being a bit disrespectful, akin to tricking them as if they were fools. However, they soon lost interest in the small matter of the storage relic.
Because the ground was shaking.
Rumble, rumble, rumbleβ
With the fierce tremor, the wood and stones around the wooden house seemed to be manipulated by an invisible earthen craftsman, transforming into construction materials at an incredible speed. First, the wooden house was instantly dismantled, then reassembled with the new wood and stone into a larger, more spacious, sturdy stone house.
Some of the stones turned into neat blocks, stacked outside to form a wall, and some of the wood crackled as it assembled into giant wooden ballistae. Since Jiang Shi had brought back so much wood, a total of six ballistae were built, all installed in the courtyard.
When everything settled, Shang Xinlei and the two others were speechless. They were like unsophisticated village girls, touching the stone house here, the wall there, and the wooden ballista, their faces full of astonishment.
Of course, they werenβt shocked by these mere things. If the script allowed them to bring in servant resources, even Qian Gongyu could have armed the place into a fortress. Unfortunately, this was a randomly teamed Secret Realm, and the illusion trials came quickly. Even if they had the idea to modify the outpost, there wasnβt time to put it into practice.
Since ancient times, everyone believed that the Mansu Forest Land Secret Realm was a place to hone willpower. Messengers could only hide in wooden houses and endure the pressure from the external demon illusions. No one had ever thought of modifying the wooden house, and no one had ever tried.
All three realized that the history of the Mansu Forest Land was about to turn a new page here.
"Buzzβ"
A piercing, unpleasant scream came from the wind, and Jie Yuan Shaoβs face changed dramatically. She hurriedly called everyone inside and quickly closed the door, speaking rapidly: "Donβt dream of defeating the appearing demons. These demons are illusions, immortal creatures. Even if a Third-Turn Messenger kills them hundreds of times, they will instantly revive. The only thing we can do is stay here until the demon wave ends."
As soon as she finished speaking, a dense fog suddenly rose in the forest, and huge monsters emerged from it. Some resembled lizards, others like monstrous birds, bats with tails like scythes, and winged lions. Regardless of type, their sizes were unusually large, and their scales and fur very thick.
In their presence, even this upgraded stone house seemed feeble.
However, most monsters just passed by, quickly disappearing into the fog. Only one lizard monster stayed behind.
"Fierce Lizard Demon!" Jie Yuan Shao said gravely. "This is a demon only found in the Second-Turn Secret Realm!"
With the roars of the Fierce Lizard Demon, a large group of small Fierce Lizards appeared in the fog, reaching tens or hundreds in an instant. They roared at the stone house, their howls forming a chorus of rusty butcher knives, mercilessly flaying their ears and souls!
Everywhere they looked, there were demons!
"Donβt panic, donβt get excited, donβt go outside!" Jie Yuan Shao held them, though she herself was shaking. "They canβt breach the Shelter, but the closer they are, the greater the pressure we endure, eventually causing mental collapse... So if you feel you canβt hold on, you must quickly run into the fog during the gap between demon waves. Thatβs the only way to leave the Mansu Forest Land."
"Do not get killed by the demons! Though you will directly exit the Mansu Forest Land, your soul will suffer a great trauma, and your strength will hardly improve."
"Most people canβt last half an hour, but our house is larger and has walls, so perhaps itβll be a bit easier." At this point, Jie Yuan Shao couldnβt help but look at Jiang Shi, blaming him, "You should have put the ballistae inside the house, so we could operate them. Building them outside is utterly pointlessβ"
Swoosh!
When the small Fierce Lizards entered within fifty meters of the Shelter, the courtyard ballistae immediately aimed and fired automatically! With the sound of a bowstring slicing through the air, an arrow pierced over the wall, over fifty meters of grass, and through the head of a small Fierce Lizard!
Blood splattered, a shrill wail; the small Fierce Lizard dropped like a rag onto the ground, never to rise again.
