Chapter 438

Chapter 438: Chapter 435: "Boss Rabbit, restrain yourself a bit!Edward came prepared this time.

In the pinnacle of competitive play in the Fourth World, there was no question that he had suffered a terrible defeat. Whether it was the instance storyline or player competition, he was essentially inactive, except for his role as a Hunter taking down Noel with a shot, and even showed emotions that disregarded the bigger picture, which greatly diminished his stature in the eyes of others.

However, considering the uniqueness of his time ability and the irreplaceability of his complete Perfect Passes, the United Group did not give up on him, but continued to supply him with what he needed.

But compared to the early period when the world game first began, his situation had become much more difficult.

Players are not fools; after seeing Edward’s lackluster performance, they also began to resist, as no one is willing to give away their earnings to someone else for nothing. Under several declarations from the United Group, the more adaptive players were even less likely to simply bow down to the authority of the old organization. Only some collectives directly related to interests and players who still couldn’t see the situation clearly were lacking around Edward—those who were wholeheartedly devoted to him.

Points cannot be given in instances; at most, those people would give him some suitable equipment, and his current equipment grade was already approaching saturation. Replacing more equipment wouldn’t significantly increase his Combat Power.

Watching Su Ming’an, who had a lead far ahead in the Sixth World and Seventh World, watching the Combat Power values grow larger and larger on the leaderboard, he became exceedingly restless.

"... Why does this guy always find the most hidden storylines? Why is this guy always at the core of the instance character identities?"

Even though he knew if he could trade those Underworld storylines, he probably would still fail. But that’s how people are; they excel at fantasizing about the achievements they can’t obtain and want to surpass those who have done it. This is called "competitiveness."

Clearly, Edward had plenty of "competitiveness."

He lost incomprehensibly in the Fourth World, unexpectedly ousted by a betrayal, but this Eighth World was a world that simply relied on individual strength, with only one victor, not the need for a united faction. He believed he could fully demonstrate his power.

With only one in a hundred chances, anyone could potentially experience an upset. Just like a battle royale with a hundred people, a top professional player could also be unexpectedly sniped by one of the other ninety-nine average players. And now, these ninety-nine weren’t just average.

And the perennial "Number One Player," the person who should win under any circumstances, the one recognized as— the rightful sole victor of the Eighth World, Su Ming’an, must be under the greatest pressure. The pressure he faced may not be unmatched, but definitely unprecedented.

Almost the expectations of an entire world were weighing on him. It’s hard to imagine if he were truly unable to stand until the end and instead got eliminated along the way, what kind of storm he would face.

"..." Edward’s gaze inadvertently shifted slightly to the left; he wanted to see just how nervous that guy who always seemed to hold a winning hand was now.

From the corner of his eye, he tried to look through the pink glow to the left.

— He saw that black-haired youth who attracted attention from all sides, the trace of a smile on his face.

Under the illumination of the pink light, that smile was nearly eerie.

Edward was somewhat stunned.

He didn’t understand why this guy could still manage to smile up to this point.

— Was Su Ming’an so confident that amidst the targeting and scrutiny of the other ninety-nine players, he would surely win in the end?

Edward’s question went unanswered and was interrupted by a sudden sharp cry.

"Dear players! Your dearest Boss Bunny is here—"

Finally revealing its complete form, Boss Bunny spoke with an incredibly shrill voice. It stretched out its two fluffy white hands, which seemed much more excited than usual.

In response to everyone’s attention, the corners of its mouth lifted up another eight degrees:

"— Before the Eighth World begins, I will convey to you the specific rules of the Eighth World—Ah, right."

It seemed to recall something, its bright red eyes whirled, and swiftly shifted direction:

"Ah, isn’t this our dear Number One Player? Dear Number One Player, long time no see; I’ve missed you so much that my little rabbit ears are about to fall off, missed you so much my eyeballs have gone red—"

Seeing this scene, everyone found it commonplace.

Whenever Boss Rabbit showed up, it was routine to "greet" Su Ming’an, who was present. If it ignored Su Ming’an this time, that would have been strange.

As for why, they had speculated as well. They weren’t as superficial as the ordinary viewers, who might think this was an expression of Su Ming’an being a lapdog for the organizers. After all, which employer would deliberately push their own employee into the spotlight?

They preferred to believe it was a privilege of some special identity, or targeted attention from the organizers towards the Number One Player.

"It seems to really like you," said the black-robed Player ranked one hundredth to the left of Su Ming’an.

Facing Boss Rabbit’s distorted and ludicrous smile, Su Ming’an averted his gaze.

"Shadow," he said softly, "tone it down a bit."

"Cough, cough, cough cough—!"

Boss Rabbit’s red eyes twinkled, and it coughed vigorously a few times. It pulled back its big white hand that seemed to want to hug, still brimming with a smile.

"So—Let me explain to everyone the specific rules of the Eighth World—" It withdrew its gaze that had been fixed on Su Ming’an and turned towards the other Players who were ready for battle.

Su Ming’an, watching Shadow’s exaggerated performance, was somewhat speechless.

He had chosen Shadow to play the role, rather than Ming, because Shadow’s state was more suited for tasks like "patrolling." Shadow had higher Mentality Points, better observation skills and sensitivity than Ming, and was suitable for helping him find clues in other places.

Moreover, Shadow had enough Mana Points for Spatial Displacement, allowing a quick getaway if entrapped in some special event. If entangled with an NPC, using Spatial Vibration was much swifter than wielding a sword. As long as he silenced anyone quickly, without letting other Players notice the traces of Spatial Vibration, Shadow’s true identity wouldn’t be exposed.

However, the downside was that Shadow’s personality was much worse than Ming’s knight-like demeanor.

Ming would strictly do whatever Su Ming’an said and would ask for Su Ming’an’s opinion before doing anything. Shadow was much more carefree, though he would still generally follow orders, he was more casual with the details.

...Just like now.

If it were Ming, he wouldn’t mess around like this, and would simply report the rules honestly. Yet Shadow had to go and tease him, bringing Su Ming’an into the focus of everyone’s attention once again.

"Everyone perk up your ears and listen well, I’ll only say it once, and I won’t repeat if you miss the details!" Shadow was playing it up, almost as if truly Boss Rabbit personified:

"The specific rules of the Eighth World are as follows—"

The surrounding Players immediately perked up their ears, afraid of missing any information.

Su Ming’an looked at Shadow, pondering slightly.

—First of all, from the perspective of game mechanics, he had definitely made the best choice.

After giving the answer "impersonate Boss Rabbit," the shock in Boss Rabbit’s eyes didn’t seem feigned.

Su Ming’an had thought it would be a response not permitted, yet it was directly approved.

Thus, Cloning had become the players’ "Boss Rabbit" and took on the role of the Rules Presenter in the Eighth World.

Even the audience outside the live stream screen were unaware of this.

As an outsider acting as the Rules Presenter, Cloning did not need to deliberately handle other NPCs’ interpersonal relationships. Even other players would not actively attack Boss Rabbit, as nobody wanted to provoke the authority of the organizers.

There had been players who attempted to kill Boss Rabbit in the past, only to be erased and die horribly. Therefore, typically, playing as Boss Rabbit could be considered absolutely safe.

Although a Boss Rabbit wandering around the field would inevitably seem somewhat out of place, it was still much better than randomly selecting an NPC of unknown identity to take its place.

After all, as the organizer roaming around a game instance, it might look strange, but it was passable, and it would be difficult for anyone to guess that this was a task for a Ruler.

Of course, as part of its duty, Shadow, which had taken over the responsibilities of Boss Rabbit, needed to report the rules of the Eighth World accurately, without concealment, fabrication, or any direct meddling in the competition, just like now.

"First, Rule 01—" Shadow’s voice echoed across the field with unusual excitement.

Having listened to the full set of rules, Su Ming’an summarized them as follows.

"The rules aren’t hard," Noel’s voice emerged next to him. He had already sidled up to Su Ming’an, seemingly chewing bubble gum.

Su Ming’an nodded. In general, the rules were about players braving through various small instances in the field, aiming to collect 12 Silver Stars, then gathering every three days to vote out the "Malevolent Ones".

"Indeed, they are independent small instances."

With a "pop", the bubble gum on Noel’s mouth burst, and he licked his lips, his eyes shining with excitement, "Independent small instances, a new model never seen before, interesting, very interesting..."

Seeing the new field rules, as an Adventurer, his nature craving for new experiences was stirred, and he appeared especially excited at this moment.

"I suspect that the ’Guide’ mentioned in the rules is a crucial part," Noel said. "Based on previous keywords like ’rebirth’ and ’cultivation’, it’s a significant element in the Eighth World. The ’Guide’ should become an important battle support for us. Aside from collecting the Silver Stars needed for passing, we should also strive to enhance their abilities..." he said, then suddenly lifted his head.

"Speaking of which," he said, "have you noticed that today’s Boss Rabbit seems much cuter?"

"..." Su Ming’an had already anticipated that Noel was a player of intuition, but he did not expect him to be this perceptive.

However, Noel’s acuteness was limited to Boss Rabbit’s "cuteness" and did not extend much further.

"Not cute," said Su Ming’an, expression unchanged.

"Alright," Noel shrugged, "never mind then, you probably dislike it quite a bit."

He quickly changed the subject:

"After the instance starts, we will likely be dispersed by teleportation, giving us enough buffer time to cultivate our ’Guides.’ If we can’t use the team channel for communication, how should I reunite with you?"

"No need to meet up for now," Su Ming’an replied. "Take care of yourself first. I suspect that the competition outside the small instances won’t be too intense."

Noel heard this, nodded, and did not inquire how Su Ming’an had come to that conclusion.

Around them, other players had quickly found their pre-selected allies after hearing the rules and began whispering their strategies.

The soft hum of conversations floated above the platform, their expressions varied, showing excitement and caution.

At the center, Shadow, having reported the rules, was planning to leave.

"—Question!"

At that moment, a hand rose high.

The one raising the hand was Cyrus, ranked fifty-third, a tall mercenary with thick eyebrows.

"I would like to inquire about the specific rules concerning the Guide—" he was cut off mid-sentence.

"Aww, no questions allowed at the moment!" Shadow interrupted ruthlessly: "All rules have been announced. For more details, players are to explore on their own!"

As Shadow spoke, his hand was raised.

A white teleportation light began to appear.

The crowd, still pondering, became enveloped in the white light, wrapped and intertwined—

Su Ming’an turned his head.

In the moment of teleportation, he saw several acquaintances not far away, Edward, Mizushima Kawa Sora, Adolf, Lv Shu, Yamada Machiichi...

"I’ll come to find you," said Mizushima Kawa Sora.

Today, she wasn’t wearing a kimono but was clad in a black combat outfit, cloaked in darkness.

With a high collar, black gloves, and a black hat, she was wrapped up tight, presumably to guard against potential outdoor environments.

Her gaze was cold, like a frozen lake in the North Country. Since Mizushima Haru went missing, her face hadn’t seen a smile.

Su Ming’an didn’t respond to her but withdrew his gaze instead.

"Tap." A faint footstep sounded on his left.

A hand gently rested on his left shoulder.

As he turned, he saw a pair of calm, amber eyes beneath the hood of the player ranked one hundredth.

"I will also come to find you," the player stated. "Don’t forget the agreed cooperation, ’Number One Player’."

"Then make sure to tuck in your shirt this time," Su Ming’an responded.