Chapter 2752: Night Eater

(To be edited) "If it’s Mr. Wen who did the killing, he should be the greatest threat in this instance. But why does it seem like the players’ tasks are completely unrelated to him?" the Gourmet wondered, "From what I’ve seen of the players’ behavior, their main focus appears to be on the other players."

If the players are targeting Mr. Wen, then Xu Huo and their task is likely to protect Mr. Wen. But if the key to completing the instance doesn’t lie with Mr. Wen, then the nature of their side task changes. This is a Rank-B instance’s side task; it couldn’t possibly be about securing the manor’s property, right?

"Apparently, the dignity of a hero is different from what we understood," the Scholar said.

"Let’s find someone to ask," Xu Huo suggested.

The guests from yesterday’s banquet remained in the manor and would surely be exploring during the day. They were also in the pavilion in the garden when they caught sight of someone passing by in the distance, and Xu Huo waved them over.

Two people who had sneaked back to their rooms in defeat the night before approached with stiff expressions, "What is it?"

"We want to ask about the instance’s situation." Xu Huo gestured for them to sit down, speaking very calmly, "None of us are players of this instance, but we can’t leave the manor at the moment. If your instance has no conflict with us, we won’t interfere with your completion."

"And if there is a conflict?" the other person asked, having almost been killed last night, now looking at Xu Huo with more anger than fear.

Xu Huo smiled slightly, "Then it depends on your luck."

The two dared not speak their minds and could only explain the basic situation of the instance.

Although it was unclear whether they hid more specific details, they made the general outline clear.

This is an assassination instance where every player could become the assassin. The conditions for the transformation of the assassin’s identity are currently unclear, but there will always be an assassin throughout the instance. Killing this assassin is the requirement to clear the instance.

Besides, this instance is time-limited.

"Since there is only one assassin at a time, and it is a time-limited instance, the challenge of the instance is not only identifying the true assassin," the Gourmet astutely noted, "No wonder the players started killing last night."

After all, if there is only one assassin, rather than having it rotate to themselves, it’s better to seize the initiative to kill other competitors. The fewer people there are, the easier it will be to identify the assassin, since ultimately, only one person can clear the game.

"The assassin’s task is pretty simple." the Scholar remarked.

"Simple?" the first person retorted, "The target of the assassin’s mission is the manor’s owner. Do you think killing him is easier than killing other players?"

Not to mention Mrs. Ti Hui and the Butler, even the sickly-looking Mr. Wen, who can guarantee he is as he seems? Moreover, he is highly likely the holder of this instance.

In short, unless absolutely necessary, the players trying to clear the instance would definitely avoid challenging Mr. Wen.

After the two players left, the Botanist relaxed a bit, "It seems our side task is quite simple, to protect Mr. Wen from the assassin."

"As long as no player attempts to assassinate Mr. Wen, this instance has nothing to do with us."

The others remained silent.

This instance seems overly biased toward the holder, setting up just one assassin. Under such conditions, who would still try to kill Mr. Wen? Anyway, the assassin’s identity can transfer at any time, so why not wait until it shifts to someone else before adjusting to clear the game?

"Are they not telling the full truth?" the Photographer asked.

"Not necessarily," the Gourmet replied, "One of the challenges of a Rank-B instance is the concealment of information. It’s possible they themselves aren’t aware, just eliminating opponents quickly to compete for clearing. After all, randomly choosing opponents might accidentally hit the mark, so why not do it."

Another critical point is the unexplained disappearance of four players last night. If they were indeed killed by Mr. Wen, with such a high frequency, the remaining players are in danger, and clearing the game as soon as possible is the best strategy.

"We also remain in the manor; could we not become targets of Mr. Wen’s attacks?" the Photographer added.

"It might not be Mr. Wen," Xu Huo said, "Mrs. Ti Hui and the Butler are also possibilities."

This instance is somewhat similar to the original Rose Castle instance, with the only difference being power. If the holder of the instance can also control the dungeon venue, hunting down players would be too easy.

"I dare not come out at night anymore," the Photographer said with a peculiar tone.

"It’s best if you don’t come out," Xu Huo glanced at him.

The Photographer frowned but said nothing, pushing back the teacup on the table and leaving.

The rest each harbored their own thoughts, rising one after another to leave the garden.

Xu Huo knew what they were thinking, no more than trying to seize the opportunity to obtain their needed souvenirs while the manor’s other residents were distracted by the dungeon players. Although risky, it was also a chance.

Having gone through so many instances, players have gained some understanding of game mechanics. Although every instance ostensibly favors the righteous side, the traps along the player’s path to completion are never few, and some even deliberately use such methods to wear down players.

However, this doesn’t mean the instance is entirely biased toward the holder. In many instances, conditions exist for the instance boss to kill players. But the situation in the manor instance is rather unusual; setting up an assassin seems like helping the holder kill the clearing players.

*

Xu Huo smiled slightly, "Then it depends on your luck."

The two dared not speak their minds and could only explain the basic situation of the instance.

Although it was unclear whether they hid more specific details, they made the general outline clear.

This is an assassination instance where every player could become the assassin. The conditions for the transformation of the assassin’s identity are currently unclear, but there will always be an assassin throughout the instance. Killing this assassin is the requirement to clear the instance.

Besides, this instance is time-limited.

"Since there is only one assassin at a time, and it is a time-limited instance, the challenge of the instance is not only identifying the true assassin," the Gourmet astutely noted, "No wonder the players started killing last night."

After all, if there is only one assassin, rather than having it rotate to themselves, it’s better to seize the initiative to kill other competitors. The fewer people there are, the easier it will be to identify the assassin, since ultimately, only one person can clear the game.

"The assassin’s task is pretty simple." the Scholar remarked.

"Simple?" the first person retorted, "The target of the assassin’s mission is the manor’s owner. Do you think killing him is easier than killing other players?"

Not to mention Mrs. Ti Hui and the Butler, even the sickly-looking Mr. Wen, who can guarantee he is as he seems? Moreover, he is highly likely the holder of this instance.

In short, unless absolutely necessary, the players trying to clear the instance would definitely avoid challenging Mr. Wen.

After the two players left, the Botanist relaxed a bit, "It seems our side task is quite simple, to protect Mr. Wen from the assassin."

"As long as no player attempts to assassinate Mr. Wen, this instance has nothing to do with us."