C12 The Last Gateway

The puppet had been hacked to bits by the Hibernation Awakening Sword, leaving nothing but a torso; its limbs were unrecognizable. Xie Yu could only stand back, arms crossed, intently watching the glint of the sword light.

The sword light was frigid, like snow on a winter's day, leaving Jing Zhe's moon-white garments unstained by even a speck of dirt or blood. The puppet was steadily driven back, quickly losing its ability to stand its ground.

"Keep up!"

Seizing the moment, Xie Yu carved a path with his Ring Blade and charged into the fray.

The two puppets, now nearly defenseless after Jing Zhe's onslaught, were reduced to mere torsos. Any danger that remained, he was confident he could handle.

He had no intention of revealing his presence, but that certainly didn't mean he was helpless!

"To the left, move!" Xie Yu, slightly bent at the waist, surged ahead. Jing Zhe continued to press the last of the puppet dolls' assault, driving them backward.

As they closed in, the puppet strings became more evident. Despite their attempts to evade, Xie Yu and Jing Zhe's pursuit was relentless, leaving no room for the strings to escape their vigilant eyes.

The puppets dodged in desperation. Jing Zhe had considered capturing one to forcibly reveal the mastermind, but fearing the strings might sever as before, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

Cracks marred the puppet faces, and under the relentless chase, the most damaged among them simply burst apart. With the strings severed, only one remained.

"This is our final lead. If we follow them to the last gateway, we can escape this place," Xie Yu stated, his voice steady despite his labored breathing from the chase.

The Instance Dungeon had lost its purpose. The puzzles that required solving, the minor foes and Bosses that demanded a team's effort, had all been effortlessly dispatched by Jing Zhe's slender sword.

Xie Yu even thought that the sole puzzle box, the only challenge seemingly fit for the dungeon, had been cleaved in two by the relentless Hibernation Awakening...

Before venturing into the dungeon, he had envisioned countless strategies for clearing it, yet none had ever involved such a method. It wasn't that the idea hadn't crossed his mind—he had considered relying on a teammate with an exceptionally high force value to simply overpower everything in their path. After all, solving any problem with sheer strength was often the simplest approach.

However, he had analyzed the game's overall power dynamics, knowing that each dungeon would adapt to the collective capabilities of all players within, tailoring its difficulty and content accordingly. This unpredictability was the primary reason he hadn't anticipated such a scenario.

"How's it going?" he asked.

The puppet's speed was steadily increasing, but Hibernation Awakening still managed to keep up with ease. Xie Yu, on the other hand, was starting to struggle.

"I'm just at Level 3, and the system isn't exactly looking out for me! I need an easier dungeon to get some practice in!" Xie Yu, hands propped on his knees, gasped for breath.

"Hey! For the next dungeon, give me something suited for a Level 3 player!" he yelled defiantly at the sky.

Jing Zhe heard him and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Some people were never satisfied, even with a guaranteed win...

"Quit yelling. If I'm not mistaken, that's the door right there. Hand me your key, I'll go open it," Jing Zhe said, slipping her sword onto her back. She sensed no immediate danger, but caution was still the order of the day.

To their surprise, the puppet strings were attached to a massive mirror. The silvery threads stretched from the mirror's surface to the now-defunct puppet. Jing Zhe scoffed and stepped forward.

At the center of the mirror was a small door, seemingly only large enough for one person to pass through at a time. The door, shrouded within the mirror, appeared both tangible and elusive, as if covered by a layer of ripples that rendered it untouchable.

As a veteran player, Jing Zhe was well-versed in dungeon-clearing tactics. Recognizing the door, she knew instantly that it was the dungeon's exit.

The dungeon's difficulty had been significantly lowered due to the presence of the player Xie Yu, known as "Resignation." The Four Hells had failed to exhibit their expected might, rendering the challenge almost non-existent, save for the puppet dolls.

Not to mention the puppet doll, which she could chop up as easily as slicing through vegetables.

"Let's move on. I'm hoping the next dungeon is a bit more standard, with a decent level of challenge," Jing Zhe said, casting a glance at Xie Yu. This player, with a name that screamed artistic youth, hadn't shown any particular flair, and she'd barely seen him lift a finger throughout the dungeon. Still, her intuition told her there was more to him than met the eye.

She was well aware of her own capabilities. Managing to team up with her and the equinox at Level 3 was not the kind of luck an average player stumbled upon.

Luck, without the strength to back it up, wouldn't stick around.

"This mirror must be the core of the Mirror World. Breaking it should free Liyang City from its grasp, but... it seems too easy," Xie Yu remarked.

The core of the Mirror World, an object of such significance, was just standing there in the square, unprotected, not even guarded by an NPC. The only defense—the marionettes that had emerged from the mirror—were now out of commission. They stood before the mirror, yet no new marionettes appeared.

"Why overthink it? I'm about to take action."

Jing Zhe didn't elaborate. With a flourish of his hand, his rapier sliced through the air, emitting a piercing whistle.

"Hold on, your rapier isn't the right tool for breaking mirrors. Let me handle it," Xie Yu interjected, stepping forward. It was laughable—he'd been coasting through the game, riding on the coattails of his teammates. Now, at the final hurdle, it was time to contribute.

"Fine, it's yours. Your blade does seem more appropriate," Jing Zhe conceded after a brief pause, nodding and stepping back to stand behind Xie Yu.

Watching Xie Yu grip the Ring Blade, Jing Zhe couldn't help but think to himself, "The silly pride of men..."

Xie Yu's gaze was stern, showing no sign of distraction. He knew he had to find a way out of the dungeon quickly. Something was off about Jing Zhe's force value, and he couldn't believe the system hadn't taken notice. In a game world that prided itself on absolute balance, the emergence of such a player was an anomaly. His reluctance to display his full strength was a strategic choice, given these circumstances.

Regardless of the circumstances, the system is ultimately a mechanical entity devoid of consciousness and the ability to think. It's incapable of discerning ambiguous situations. As long as one doesn't demonstrate strength far beyond that of their peers, they won't trigger the system's detection.

In the same vein, the system's monitoring of Hibernation Awakening is focused solely on her. It doesn't arbitrarily extend to her teammates. Moreover, there's a particular aspect he's quite concerned about: with Hibernation Awakening present, the system tends to attribute any unconventional strategies or methods of clearing levels to her. For him, this could actually serve as an excellent means of concealment.

After all, data is just data. Until it develops human qualities and consciousness, it remains inert.