Chapter 357: Killing Mission, Divine Favored’s Mark

Chapter 357: Chapter 357: Killing Mission, Divine Favored’s Mark

And farther away.

From every corner of the city, more roars erupted simultaneously—more frenzied, more terrifying than anything an ordinary zombie could produce.

It was as if the entire Zombie Kingdom had been thoroughly "activated" and "enhanced" in that single moment.

The real nightmare had only just begun.

"A new mission!"

The sudden, drastic change to the system threw Seraphina Sullivan into disarray.

The Yates Ghoul let out an even more savage roar.

It lunged toward the closest person, Sean Chandler!

Although its movements were somewhat stiff, its speed was several times faster than an ordinary zombie’s. Its mangled arm whipped through the air, stirring up a foul stench. Its fingertips were pitch-black, a clear sign they were Highly Poisonous!

"Sean Chandler!" Seraphina Sullivan snapped back to her senses and shouted a warning.

Sean Chandler was already on high alert. Facing this bizarre zombified creature, he didn’t dare let his guard down.

With a low shout, a brilliant crystalline luster surged from beneath his skin. He had activated his [Crystalization] Skill at full power!

In the blink of an eye, his body transformed into a translucent diamond statue, refracting a cold, hard light. His defense was maxed out in an instant!

"ROAR!" The Yates Ghoul’s sharp claws scraped violently against Sean Chandler’s crystalized chest.

The attack produced a harsh, grating "SCREEEECH."

Sparks flew, but the claws only left a few shallow white marks on the diamond surface!

Sean Chandler didn’t dodge or evade. Relying on the immense defense of his Crystalization, he took the blow head-on. At the same time, his crystal-encased fist, already fully charged, whistled through the air and slammed into the wound on The Yates Ghoul’s chest!

"BANG!"

Amid the muffled impact, the immense force sent The Yates Ghoul stumbling backward.

A chunk of the granulated tissue on its chest was pulverized.

But more black tendrils of flesh immediately surged from the edges of the wound, attempting to repair the damage.

And so, the two "monsters," both possessing exceptional defense and recovery, became locked in a tangled struggle.

One was like an indestructible diamond fortress.

The other, an unkillable monster of flesh and blood.

Every collision produced a sound that set one’s teeth on edge.

The shockwaves from their battle sent the surrounding debris rattling and shaking.

Seeing that Sean Chandler was holding off The Yates Ghoul for the moment and his life wasn’t in immediate danger, Seraphina Sullivan forcibly suppressed the storm raging in her heart.

She immediately focused her mind and checked the mission panel, which had been tampered with by the mysterious entity.

The four main missions that were once clearly listed—to survive for a month, kill special zombies, kill a certain number of common zombies, and so on—had all vanished.

The text was gone as if erased, leaving behind only an unsettling blank space.

In its place was a new mission, its text glowing with a faint, dark red light. The words seemed to squirm with a certain malicious energy.

The mission description was simple to the extreme, and cruel to the extreme:

[Mission Objective: Starting from this moment, you have thirty calendar days to successfully kill a cumulative total of five other Players. Upon completion, you may immediately leave this instance and return to the real world.]

[Special Reward Clause: Successfully killing one "Divine Favored" is equivalent to fulfilling the entire kill quota, allowing for immediate return to the real world.]

[Note: There are no restrictions on combat between Players. Those who fail the mission or do not complete it by the deadline will be permanently trapped in this instance until death.]

The mission briefing was simple, crude, and unapologetically laid the naked law of the jungle before all the Players.

’I have to kill five Players or one Divine Favored to return... This is just a blatant battle royale, forcing Players to kill each other!’

A chill went down Seraphina’s spine as she instantly understood the true nature of this game.

This was no longer an instance testing one’s Ability to survive.

Instead, it had thrown everyone into a colosseum for a life-or-death, kill-or-be-killed free-for-all!

’I wonder how many Players will make it back to the real world alive by the time this instance ends...’

A chill crept up her spine.

In previous Disaster Game instances, although they were fraught with danger and conflict or even combat could break out between Players over resources or mission objectives, at least survival was the common primary goal. It wasn’t necessarily a case of kill or be killed.

But now, the rules had been forcibly rewritten.

For the sake of that single path to return, anyone around you, even a temporary teammate, could instantly become an enemy to be wary of, or even one to be eliminated first!

This was a cruel test of humanity, a contest that placed the instinct for survival on one side of the scales and one’s moral compass on the other, all in a desperate situation.

Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but wonder.

’Could this mysterious entity that forcibly intervened and changed the rules be the [God of Slaughter]? This game model—forcing slaughter, reveling in chaos and death—is a carbon copy of the ’Death Arena’ that his Beloved, Maxim, created...’

But she immediately dismissed this single-minded theory.

The previous system notification mentioned "several unknown high-level entities."

And the status displayed for this Yates Ghoul was "Beloved of the God of Viruses"!

’More than one... Just how many pairs of eyes are watching this game in this instance right now?’

Seraphina Sullivan felt a headache coming on.

The situation was a thousand times more complex and dire than she had imagined.

As if in response to her thoughts, that mocking, playful "system voice" once again echoed in the minds of all Players.

Its tone was so "thoughtful" it was bone-chilling:

[My dear Players~ Are some of you a little unfamiliar with the term Divine Favored? Having a little trouble finding your targets?]

[Don’t you worry~! I’ve always been considerate. I’ve gone out of my way to borrow a little Ability from a good friend of mine to help give you all a nice, conspicuous marker! That way, you won’t miss them! Hee hee hee~!]

Hearing the two words "conspicuous marker," Seraphina Sullivan’s heart leaped into her throat.

An incredibly ominous premonition washed over her!

The next second—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three incredibly thick, dazzling pillars of pure golden light descended from the sky without any warning!

The light was so intense it was clearly visible even in broad daylight, like spears of judgment connecting heaven and earth!

The first pillar of light precisely enveloped Seraphina Sullivan as she was checking her mission!

The second pillar of light fell upon Sean Chandler, who was locked in a fierce battle with The Yates Ghoul!

The third pillar of light shone directly down on the head of the ferociously roaring Yates Ghoul!

The brilliant golden light shot into the sky, clearly visible even in broad daylight, like the most conspicuous beacon in the dead of night!

The moment Seraphina was enveloped by the golden light, she understood the meaning of this "marker."

’This isn’t a "reminder"!’

’This is blatant "targeting" and "exposure"!’

It was turning them, the "Divine Favored," into public enemies, exposing them for all to see right under the noses of every Player desperate to return home immediately!

It was driving a pack of hungry wolves to pounce on the marked lambs!

[See these pretty pillars of light? This is the exclusive sigil of a Divine Favored! Super conspicuous and easy to find, right?]

[Hmm... there aren’t that many Divine Favored, and with a Player base from several worlds, it might be a case of too many wolves and not enough sheep~! But don’t you worry!]

[I am very generous, you know! To make the game more balanced and more fun, I’ll let some... hmm... deceased Players be reborn as my Divine Favored!]