Chapter 299 - 64: Duan Fei’s Counterattack

In the end, a massive player petition only elicited a noncommittal statement from the game’s management team.

"Dear valued players, we are sorry to see you’ve encountered issues in the game that are difficult to resolve, and for that, we sincerely apologize. However, a game isn’t fun just because everything goes smoothly. Twists and challenges are an integral part of the experience. While we could implement methods to resolve this, we would rather see you overcome these problems through your own efforts. After all, we don’t want *Abyss* to become a game that anyone with hands can play."

"Then at least give us hands!" the players roared in anger.

Staring at the official announcement, Eight Desolates asked in confusion, "Weird. What is this announcement even saying?"

"It’s telling us to get lost," Duan Fei said, glaring at the notice.

"Duan Someone, how can you be so vulgar?" Eight Desolates whined.

"I mean, that’s the company’s attitude. They don’t want to deal with it, so they’re telling the players to figure it out themselves."

"Well then, Duan Someone, put that shameless, despicable, and degenerate brain of yours to work. What should we do? I get antsy if I go even one second without running a Ben."

Duan Fei shot Eight Desolates a sidelong glance. ’This guy really runs his mouth.’

Still, he did have an idea.

Duan Fei opened his messenger app and sent Jinghong a message: "You there?"

A few minutes later, Jinghong’s slow reply came in: "I was starting to think you’d forgotten who I am."

"Forget you? I could forget anyone else, but never you. After all, we grew up together. We’re close. You’re the first person I turn to when I need help."

"Sigh... I feel like I’m stuck with you for life. Go on, what is it?"

"I want to see you. Is now a good time?"

"...Wait for me."

「Two hours later」 Jinghong, having gotten Duan Fei’s coordinates, took a carriage over from another Dungeon entrance and stood before him.

The moment they met, Duan Fei pulled her into a tight hug.

’Has this blockhead finally learned to bloom?’

She happily nestled into the embrace, but before Jinghong could fully enjoy it, Duan Fei let her go.

Sighing in disappointment, she looked at Duan Fei, who was staring up in thought, and asked, "So, what’s up?"

"Oh, right. I crafted a few pairs of Dragon Skin Gloves earlier. Here’s one for you."

Jinghong took the gloves, her eyes narrowing as she studied Duan Fei. She had a feeling he had ulterior motives.

After setting her respawn point in the plaza, Jinghong tested out the Dragon Skin Gloves and found that they worked surprisingly well.

Meanwhile, Eight Desolates was staring at Jinghong. He turned to Duan Fei in confusion. "Duan Someone, who in the world is this friend of yours?"

"That’s Jinghong. Why?"

"No, it’s just... I’ve never seen such a beautiful Slime before. It makes me wonder if there’s something wrong with me."

Duan Fei glanced over and realized Eight Desolates had a point.

Jinghong possessed a unique charm. Even as a simple, unremarkable sphere, she stood out from the crowd of other spheres, making it impossible to look away.

Her presence was exceptionally strong. Even just standing there, she gave off the impression of a peerless beauty standing tranquilly, tugging at the heartstrings of all who saw her.

"Stop gawking. I’m going to go run a test."

With the Profession effect from Jinghong, he hopped under a table and his body began to slowly squirm.

Jinghong’s Profession was Actor, and its special effect was the ability to imitate other Professions.

The Actor effect that Duan Fei had copied, however, took this imitation to the extreme. Before long, he was using the Profession effect to mold himself into a human form.

The initial attempts at imitation were horrifying to watch.

The slightest lapse in concentration caused his body to collapse. His head would pop up in places it shouldn’t be. Having one arm longer than the other was a common occurrence, and a single mistake could even sprout a few extra limbs.

Watching Duan Fei’s constant shapeshifting, the nearby Slimes gaped, feeling their Spirit plummeting.

Finally, after an entire afternoon, Duan Fei managed to get his body under control. What appeared before everyone was someone who looked relatively normal at first glance, but was completely abnormal upon closer inspection.

At a glance, he looked like a rather handsome young man. But a closer look revealed that his body seemed to lack any Bone, and his joints were subtly misshapen, giving the impression of a Pseudo-man rather than a normal human.

Covering the misshapen parts with his clothes, Duan Fei said to the other players, "I’m going to go scout things out. Wait for my signal. And make sure the other players are ready to provide support."

Eight Desolates stared blankly at Duan Fei’s departing figure, then turned to the person next to him. "Do you guys ever get the feeling that we’re not playing the same game as Duan Someone?"

"I get that feeling too," Darts Guest replied with a nod. "How does he manage to turn a Monster-grinding game into a stealth-horror experience? From the Monster’s perspective, no less."

Jinghong watched Duan Fei leave, feeling resigned. She knew now why he had come looking for her.

’He probably found a way to copy other people’s Skills, called me over to copy mine, and now he’s sneaking off to enjoy some hidden game feature by himself.’

’Seriously...’

’When will you ever put something before the game?’

The robed Duan Fei made his way toward the tavern.

The tavern was in the center of the village, an establishment run by one of the local Lord’s men.

These Lords were hostile toward Slimes. There was even a sign hanging at the tavern’s entrance: "No Slimes or Dogs Allowed."

Ignoring the sign, Duan Fei walked in, ordered a mug of ale from the Bartender, and took a sip.

’Disgusting.’

The players had built their own taverns, too. The ale they served—brewed from Monster drops—was high-quality, cheap, and refreshing. It sold well even in the regional city.

In contrast, the ale brewed by the local NPCs was sour and astringent, barely palatable. And yet, it was priced at ten times what the players charged.

Bad taste, uncompetitive price—it was no wonder the tavern was nearly empty.

The few customers inside sat by the windows, looking wistfully toward the players’ distant tavern. In the end, all they could do was turn their grumbling into sighs, drinking their subpar ale and eating their unappetizing sausages.

These few weren’t locals, but outsiders.

With tens of thousands of players gathered here, every single local NPC was being watched. Players recorded their movements, analyzed their patterns, and dug deep to uncover the secrets of each one.

So, when these three new NPCs arrived, their presence was immediately noted.

Furthermore, it was right after they showed up that the Dungeon entrance had been sealed.

Similar incidents were happening all over the country. Some players, using the strangers’ attire as a clue, gathered intelligence from various sources. They eventually figured out the identities of these cloaked figures who looked like Vampire Hunters.

They were Royal Spies, secret agents who answered directly to the King.

This meant one thing: the players had drawn the attention of the entire kingdom.