Chapter 253: Chapter 28: There Are Players Here Too?

However, that fleeting sense of danger made Anvis internally vigilant.

This was the worst outcome; with his current strength nearing the Seventh Rank, feeling a premonition of danger indicated a threat level that was hard to imagine.

The butterfly effect caused by the prophecy coming to pass early had resulted in unknown changes that deviated from expectations.

“Casu, where is the next slab located?”

“Let me check… It’s to our northeast.”

Upon hearing Anvis’s inquiry, Casu called forth the White Bone Compass for a look. The silver-white bone needle spun several circles before steadily pointing northeastward.

But as everyone aboard their respective flying magical artifacts began to ascend, intending to depart, Anvis suddenly froze in his tracks.

Mid-flight, with his view now unobstructed, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a large rock at the base of a rocky hillock, situated at the side of the giant ape’s territory.

At first glance, that rock looked no different from the others nearby.

But next to the rock floated a game panel.

Are there players here as well?

Anvis blinked, finding players truly were ubiquitous.

However, this was good; having an extra player present for the upcoming trial could result in a perfect solution.

“Hold on a moment, everyone, it seems we have another guest nearby.”

Signaling for the others to wait, Anvis turned towards the rock with a smile on his face.

“Esteemed guest over there, please come out. I have already seen you.”

.….….

Inside the rock, in a flurry of panic, a figure in pristine white garments fluttered.

He was currently relying on a special Mysterious Artifact to conceal himself, a reward he had fortuitously received from a hidden task.

The Mysterious Object was a rock, and using it allowed its holder to appear as an ordinary stone.

According to the game panel’s description, once transformed, the player’s character couldn’t move but would be undetectable to the Perception of any Professional below High Rank.

But now, he had still been discovered.

Could it be that he is a High Rank? Or is he bluffing?

After a moment of thought, he decided to silently stick to his role as a rock, determined to hold his ground to the end.

“Do not harbor any false hope, foreigner. Do I need to invite you out myself?”

In midair, Anvis looked at the game panel still floating beside the rock and casually waved his Magic Wand, conjuring a fireball.

Under the threat of the fireball, the figure in white clothes reluctantly dispelled the Mysterious Object’s transformation effect and appeared before the four onlookers.

His transformation had been nothing more than a regular stone; had the stone shattered, he would have died instantly, so there was no point in stubborn resistance.

“There really is an outsider! But how did he come to be here?”

Alisa’s eyes, as resplendent as the morning sun, widened with surprise as she looked at the Half-Elf player who had appeared out of nowhere. The other two were equally astonished.

“I’m not sure either.”

Anvis shook his head, his gaze again landing on the player below, wearing a polite smile.

“So, foreigner, would you care to share your story with us, to satisfy our curiosity?”

“Of course! I suppose there’s no problem…”

Looking at the still-menacing fireball near Anvis, the figure in white chuckled nervously.

He had hidden and not come out immediately for fear of this kind of situation.

When encountering random NPCs or Bosses fighting in the wild, one must always be cautious, as these NPCs are often neutral with a yellow name and can turn hostile red at any moment.

Initially inexperienced, he gleefully approached, hoping to trigger a task and loot the bodies, only to be sliced into another corpse by the NPC.

A Planned Horse then lost one.

At this moment, looking at the four ‘predatory’ individuals in midair, the Half-Elf player grimly began narrating the way he had made his way in.

“There was a mist of many colors, and I was chasing a crystal spider in a cave within the Dream World when it escaped into a crevice in the back of the cave. As I pursued, I didn’t see it but found myself amidst a multi-colored mist.

I ventured into the mist in search of the spider, only to have everything around me suddenly twist and the vapor dissipate, with the environment changing into this very forest.”

“After that, I heard the sounds of your battle with the giant ape and disguised myself to come and see what was happening.”

After listening to the stranger’s narrative from below, the group exchanged glances with each other.

“Do you think his words are credible?”

Casu asked through the mental network.

“Can’t capture his spiritual fluctuations to confirm, but it’s indeed possible.”

Saphia manipulated the Magic Cube, and after a moment, she shook her head, indicating she couldn’t verify the accuracy of his words.

“I think that whether it’s true or false isn’t actually important.”

At this juncture, Anvis spoke up, offering a different perspective for everyone’s consideration.

“He’s been hiding on the side this whole time, and didn’t come forward even as we were about to leave, signifying that he isn’t confident in confronting us.”

“And as you’ve seen, although this stranger’s strength is relatively low, he possesses that particular kind of hidden ability. It might be worth bringing him along; he might prove useful during the trials ahead.”

“I think Anvis makes sense, but could this also be a part of the assessment?”

Alisa glanced at the player below and voiced her doubt.

“It likely isn’t. These strangers only started to appear in the last half a year, it wouldn’t make sense to add such a test at the last minute.”

Saphia shook her head.

“Therefore, I too agree with Anvis’s suggestion.”

“It’s just a weakling; let’s take him along.”

Casu shrugged his shoulders, indicating he didn’t care much about it.

After discussing and reaching a conclusion, Anvis still took the initiative to negotiate with the stranger below.

“Stranger, your plight has elicited our sympathy. After discussion, we have decided to help you find your lost crystal spider.”

With the tone of an NPC, Anvis revealed a professional smile and his voice rose in the ears of the player below.

“So, would you be willing to join us?”

[System Prompt: You have triggered a D-level Task ‘Follow’.]

[Task Introduction: Your presence has drawn the attention of a group of unknown natives. They find you interesting and have invited you to accompany them.]

[Note: Refusing this task will cause the native squad to become hostile, please choose carefully.]

[Task Goal: Follow the group, maintaining a distance no greater than one hundred meters.]

[Task Reward: 100 Experience Value]

“Sure, I’d be happy to.”

At the moment the task was triggered, the player dressed in robes whiter than snow felt a chill in his heart.

But seeing the consequences of refusal, the half-elf player quickly caved in.

He swore that for the game’s damn smart NPC system, he would definitely leave a bad review on the official website once he logged off!

Oh wait, seems like that feature doesn’t exist.

Recalling this, he dejectedly stepped onto the Floating Disc, following behind the group.

When “Mysterious Era” was first promoted, the game officials claimed: this will be a game that leaves every experimenter satisfied!

But as soon as he entered the game, the player in the robes whiter than snow was highly dissatisfied and was prepared to leave a negative review.

This game actually doesn’t let you take off a pair of pants!? A cutting-edge holographic virtual game, and it has such a malignant bug? Definitely deserving of a one-star review! When the officials release a patch, that’s when he’ll delete the bad review!

But after seeing the rating form on the official website, the player in the robes whiter than snow suddenly had an epiphany.

Satisfied.

Very satisfied.

Extremely satisfied.

Couldn’t be more satisfied.

Unbelievably satisfied.

?

Dear planner, are you there? Lean in here, let me give you a buff.