NOVPUBChapter 1272: Congratulations Congratulations_2
His face was covered in sweat, his complexion deathly pale as he mustered a breath and pleaded with a mournful cry,
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell everything! I’m a player! I’m playing a virtual reality game called ‘Starry Sea’! Stop torturing me! I’m just a player! I don’t know what you mean by taking over bodies! I just created a character after entering the game! How would I know what’s going on!”
The pain on his body suddenly vanished.
Mason Gray shivered and abruptly regained consciousness, staring blankly at the two figures in black robes not far away.
He glanced down at his body.
There were no “Torture Chains” on him, nor was anyone slapping his face.
...
The torment and slaps he had just suffered seemed like hallucinations, mere illusions, as if they had never really happened.
“What… what’s going on here?”
Facing such an exceedingly bizarre scene, Mason Gray could not stop his body from trembling uncontrollably.
[Game Helmet has detected an error.]
[Error code unknown.]
[Sending error report to the game server.]
[…Sending failed!]
[Please contact the game officials to replace your Game Helmet!]
[…]
[Correction.]
[There is no error.]
[There is no error.]
[Game Helmet functioning normally.]
[Deleting error record.]
A few seconds later.
The error messages on the game interface were wiped clean, vanishing without a trace.
One of the figures in black robes standing in front of Mason Gray stepped forward and pried open Mason Gray’s mouth with forceful strength, stuffing a black bug with mosaic patterns into it.
The slimy black bug moved down Mason Gray’s esophagus, then burrowed up into his head.
Mason Gray’s body convulsed as he watched in horror as the same shape of a black bug appeared on the game interface.
The bug was gradually merging with the game interface, eventually becoming an inconspicuous little black dot on the screen.
[Congratulations!]
[You have passed the secret scrutiny of the Dark Divine Cult!]
[You have taken up the hidden profession ‘Junior Dark Priest’!]
[You have triggered the Dark Divine Cult’s storyline, “Eliminate the Visitors from the Black Hole”!]
[You have triggered the first task in this storyline: “Demonstrate your loyalty, prove your worth”.]
[Task details:]
[Under the arrangement of the Dark Divine Cult, you will head near Lisom-13 Planet as a newbie player from a High-level Birthplace and approach the boss-level NPC “????”.]
[You must gain their trust, or the task will fail.]
[Task Reward: A secret potion needed for the cultivation of a Junior Dark Priest.]
[Task Punishment: A high probability of being eradicated.]
Eradicated??!!
Mason Gray was too shocked to speak.
How could there be such a penalty for failure??
But before he could ask, the figure in a black robe in front of him suddenly snapped his fingers.
An overwhelming drowsiness struck, Mason Gray closed his eyes instinctively.
After just three to five seconds, a bright light pierced his eyelids, awakening him.
“Gua gua gua—”
“Huala huala—”
Seagulls flew over the azure sea surface, and wave after wave of foam-topped waves crashed.
The sky was clear, the beach serene, there were no robed figures in sight.
Mason Gray was completely dumbfounded.
He hurriedly opened the game interface, rubbed his eyes, and stared intently at the profession information on the screen.
The title of Junior Dark Priest was strikingly present in the profession slot.
On closer search, that little black dot transformed from the black bug was tucked away in the corner of the game interface.
“Damn! Really, damn! Is this game storyline so realistic?”
Mason Gray was just about to open the game forum to check out information on this hidden profession when a line of text popped up on the game interface.
[You cannot reveal your hidden profession, or else…]
[Eradication.]
As the word “eradication” refreshed on the screen, an inexplicable chill came over him, and Mason Gray felt his throat tightening, nearly unable to catch his breath.
It felt as though a pair of hands were strangling his neck in reality!
Mason Gray’s face turned crimson, and he hurriedly switched the touch sensation to “Reality Mode,” ripping off the game helmet.
“Panting heavily…”
Mason Gray’s eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing heavy.
He reached for his phone, turned on the front-facing camera, and looked at his neck.
A sinister black strangulation mark was slowly vanishing.
Mason Gray was stunned for a moment.
It took him half a minute before he shakily unlocked his phone, wanting to call the game officials to request a replacement for his game helmet and to complain fiercely about the incident.
The black strangulation mark reappeared, lifting him off the chair like a noose and pulling him towards the ceiling.
“Hiss!”
Out of breath, Mason Gray could only kick wildly in midair.
As his last breath was about to escape him, game characters appeared in front of his eyes.
[This is your final warning. Another occurrence, and you will be erased.]
“Bang!” The black mark vanished again, and Mason Gray fell heavily back into the chair.
“Drip, drip, drip…”
A yellow-green liquid slid down from the chair, and Mason Gray’s mental defenses were completely shattered by this horrifying scene.
…
…
Elsewhere.
The small satellite near Lisom-14 Planet.
Noland Lee’s figure appeared silently on this desolate gray moon under the protection of the “Veil of Different Worlds.”
Every natural satellite of a planet blocks numerous meteorites for that planet.
The satellite beneath his feet was no exception.
After landing, Noland Lee floated into midair and saw the cratered satellite surface, marked by countless meteorite impacts.
Looking up, he saw the pitch-black Lisom-14 above him.
To be precise, this satellite was currently located above the dark side of Lisom-14.
All Noland Lee had to do was fly continuously towards the Dark Zone, and he would officially set foot in the Magic Snake’s nest.
But this journey was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Without needing any detection spells, Noland Lee could already spot the Magic Snakes roaming between the satellite and Lisom-14.
These cosmic monsters, capable of wandering in space, moved in groups as if frolicking through a pond.
Thankfully, sound couldn’t carry through the vacuum of space, or else the vicinity of Lisom-14 would be filled with ghostly howls and shrieks.
“If the people from the Dark Divine Cult are really behind the Magic Snake nest, then how do I draw them out?” Noland Lee pondered.
From what he could directly observe, he hadn’t noticed any traces of the Dark Divine Cult.
Perhaps, only by venturing deep into the pitch-black Magic Snake nest could he find some answers.
As he pondered, Noland Lee targeted a nearby Magic Snake and cast several spell marks protected by the “Veil of Different Worlds.”
He planned to first discover the movement patterns of these Magic Snakes before making any deductions.
About half an hour later, a squad of Magic Snakes with peculiar behavior patterns caught Noland Lee’s attention.
This group of Magic Snakes had already made two round trips between Lisom-14 and the satellite, and they were now on their third journey from Lisom-14 to the satellite.
No other Magic Snakes were as frequent and persistent as this one, which definitely hinted at something fishy.
Noland Lee’s heart stirred, and he followed them quietly.
The speed of the Magic Snake squad was swift.
Upon reaching the satellite, they circled it for a short stretch, then dove straight into the soil below.
Noland Lee raised an eyebrow, theorizing what lay beneath.
Two minutes later, the Magic Snake squad emerged from the soil.
Instead of taking a straight path back to Lisom-14, they flew in reverse, circling the satellite for another half rotation before taking off from their initial landing point, ascending, and heading towards Lisom-14.
Clearly, this squad of Magic Snakes had been artificially assigned this trajectory.
They were on a special mission, not just aimless, mischievous common Magic Snakes.
Noland Lee squinted as he surveyed the ground for a moment.
An idea that would ensure his safety and allow him to uncover what was beneath the soil came to mind.
Gazing into the starry sky, he noticed some smaller meteorites approaching the satellite.
Noland Lee immediately sped up to meet the meteorites.
Halfway there, he harnessed Rock and Soil Energy with the “Veil of Different Worlds” and released a tan-colored light column, aiming at a meteorite about the size of a box truck.
After infusing it with a massive amount of Rock and Soil Energy, Noland Lee gained partial control over the meteorite.
Guided by his will, the meteorite slightly adjusted its course, hurtling towards the soil where the Magic Snakes had just burrowed.
