Chapter 610: Shadow

    While Jin Jiuchi, Shen Nianzu and Noir’s situation had become somewhat clear, Gu Luoxin was still stuck in the garuda territory, struggling to endure a sleepless night.

    The servants quarter was located in the back of the courtyard, a small and modest building compared to the grandeur of the mansion. Each room had two bunk beds which could accommodate four servants, reminding Gu Luoxin of the dormitory in boarding schools. Nonetheless, all the basic necessities had been provided and it could be considered a luxury compared to sleeping in a haunted forest or camping in the middle of the desert. Even the bedding was soft and fragrant, but... Gu Luoxin simply could not fall asleep no matter what!

    Surrounded by the servants’ soft snores, he laid wide awake, counting down each second and minute that went by.

    There was still more than an hour until the novice tutorial was supposed to expire. Could he really waste it by sleeping... just like that?

    Gu Luoxin scratched his cuticle anxiously until it bled. Most of his restlessness stemmed from the fact that he had not encountered a single player around, rendering him unable to draw a comparison to his current situation. Was such a peaceful night normal in a high-level Cycle? He couldn’t help but recall how he had never had a good night’s sleep inside the Cycles before, as you’d never know when the ghosts or nightmare creatures would come knocking on your door!

    Who knows, if you slept, you might not be able to open your eyes again—forever!

    This was why the lack of danger and highlights at night only made him grow all the more uneasy and doubtful. How could it be possible for a high-level Cycle to be so... normal and uneventful? It betrayed the very reason why the novice protection tutorial existed.

    Therefore, something was bound to happen in the last hour for sure—he was certain of it!

    With this kind of mindset, Gu Luoxin remained still on the upper bunk, regulating his breathing rhythm to mimic a person who was deep in slumber. And sure enough, roughly ten minutes later, someone on the adjacent lower bunk stirred awake.

    Amidst the hazy darkness, they stealthily moved to the door and slipped out of the room, not expecting an alert Gu Luoxin to witness everything with wide eyes and bated breath.

    Sneaking around at night... if that wasn’t suspicious, he would spell his name backwards!

    Now the main question was— was that servant an NPC or a player?

    Gu Luoxin racked his brain but failed to remember anything notable about the other person. This was because he had spent quite a lot of time waiting until Young Master Ares finished his ’treatment’ and didn’t return until he made sure that the young master was peacefully asleep. By then, the other servants had also been preparing to rest.

    They did not display any particular interest toward Gu Luoxin, this new servant who had been brought in by the young master himself. Instead, they simply pointed out the empty bed which was supposed to belong to him. Their demeanor was so impassive and indifferent that Gu Luoxin had no choice but timidly curb his urge to interact further, fearing that it would make him stand out as the odd one. In the end, he only murmured his thanks and awkwardly climbed onto his upper bunk to sleep.

    Now that one of his so-called colleagues was behaving unusually, did it still need to be asked? Of course, Gu Luoxin had to investigate and find out what was going on, or else he would have really wasted such a godly and invincible novice protection!

    Just as he was about to get up, however, the floating screen popped up in front of his eyes, catching him off guard.

    [Leave the room and investigate.]

    [Stay still for five more minutes.]

    [Novice tutorial: choose option 2.]

    Stay still...?

    What was that for? Gu Luoxin was baffled by the odd suggestion, but since he had never doubted the tutorial’s legitimacy, he selected the second option like the obedient and rule-abiding player he was, lying down while vigilantly keeping his ears open to any movements around. Yet aside from the servants’ continuous snores, he could hear nothing.

    Just as Gu Luoxin began to question the tutorial’s advice, all of a sudden, through the corner of his eye, he saw the dark shadow on the corner of the room shift!

    Holy fu—!

    Were it not for the tutorial’s invisible force taking control of his body, Gu Luoxin would have jumped in shock and screamed out loud enough to overturn the roof.

    W-What a jumpscare! His heart nearly burst in fright ah!

    Over these past few hours, Gu Luoxin had convinced himself that the theme of this Cycle leaned more toward psychological thriller and ghosts did not exist here—but this sudden development made him question everything all over again.

    Doesn’t this look like something straight out of a horror movie?!

    The shadow took on the form of a human. It quietly detached itself from the wall, looking almost like a charred figure that had been burned into charcoal, missing any facial features. Yet for some inexplicable reason, Gu Luoxin could tell its ominous gaze was sweeping over the room, taking in the sight of the sleeping servants, before settling on the empty bed.

    After that, it slipped out through the crack of the door.

    And at the same time, the invisible restraint around Gu Luoxin’s body was loosened, causing him to flop onto the bed like a dying fish, silently gasping in huge gulps of air. With a trembling hand, he clutched his chest where his heart was pounding in a violent rhythm, cold sweat damping his terror-stricken face.

    W-What... what was that?!

    Had it always been here all along—watching them?!

    When Gu Luoxin thought of how he had laid with his eyes wide awake all this time with the shadowy figure less than ten feet away from him, a chilling shudder raced down his spine.

    Fortunately, he had not moved much... or else... or else he would have—!

    Shaking the terrifying thought out of his mind, Gu Luoxin sat up on the bed and took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves. Though the presence of the shadow unnerved him, it only proved that there was still so much he had to learn about this place, so much he had to be careful of. And like a wise man once said, know yourself and your enemy, and you shall not fear the result of a hundred battles! Gu Luoxin was ready to make the most of the time he had left!

    Clenching his fists, Gu Luoxin stood up and quietly tiptoed out of the room, his eyes blazing with determination.