Entered the instance again...
And this time, there was no prompt...
Habitually reaching out to scratch his ear, Gu Mo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. So far, he really hasn’t figured out the mechanism and pattern of the "instance," but it seems that every time he enters or exits, there is always a "prompt" involved... Yes, it’s that electrifying sensation that runs through the nerves of the brain, along with what was previously thought to be meaningless broken noise, perhaps a hallucination.
He couldn’t figure it out before, but now he naturally understands that it’s probably the system’s prompt when entering or exiting an "instance."
Just like the display code on the Attribute Panel that still exists, the unselectable options, and all kinds of bugs, likely this part of the system prompt also has a display disorder issue, unable to convert into information that he can normally receive, which is why it always feels so tormenting.
Of course, torment aside, whether he understands it or not, the presence or absence of it is actually the biggest difference.
If there was this prompt, even if he couldn’t comprehend the broken noise or distinguish the content, as long as the piercing electric sound rang, it would serve as a pre-warning. That’s the reasoning.
But now, even that is gone. Before, he simply couldn’t understand it, but now, well, he can’t even hear it... Even though it’s still the height of summer, Gu Mo feels shaky all over in the scorching heat, drenched in cold sweat, his hands and feet icy cold. Can this stupid system ever get better? It’s filled with harassment against me, when can I finally stand up for real!
He thought things improved a bit today, that some issues were fixed, at least allowing for a certain degree of normal use. But turns out it fixed loneliness; one issue gets fixed while another crops up.
Thinking of this makes his teeth ache, Gu Mo surveyed the desolate mountainous surroundings, instinctively glancing back. Behind him was similarly a remote desolate path, the iconic buildings like the community entrance gate and the security booth had disappeared, and naturally, there was no road or the snack street across the way.
He was all alone, standing on the solitary path of the desolate mountain range, under an ink-black silent night sky due to the leaden clouds covering the stars and moon. On one side was a low embankment and dense mountain forest, on the other a rapid winding river...
In the wooing evening breeze, the trees on the embankment rustled...
And in the lightless night, the river surface nearby seemed like a thick inkstone, so deep it’s almost unfathomable...
In this juxtaposed stillness, nature was void of a tranquil serenity and lacked primitive beauty, instead filled with a primordial eerie atmosphere. Both the dim forests and inky river surface induced unease.
Gu Mo too felt a slight anxiety, especially knowing now that this wasn’t his own disordered illusion, but rather an unknown instance, no longer bound by physical laws and orderly reality.
Who knows what demons or devils might appear.
"Seems there’s no road back..." Looking at the forest path seemingly indistinguishable in front and behind, Gu Mo muttered to himself, evidently caught in a dilemma. To think there’s no setting to immediately end the task or exit the current scene instance is just too inhumane.
"Let me think..."
Calming himself down, reflecting on his two current instance experiences, Gu Mo summarized that to exit an instance, there should be two methods, one conventional, one unconventional. The former follows the theme rules of the scene, going through the process—
Hmm, like Souhei Restaurant?
But frankly, he didn’t even know how he got through it. He could only speculate that it was probably because that instance was a peaceful story-oriented one. And with the theme being about food, there weren’t any hard requirements for defeating monsters or enemies, so he just happened to bumble in and order something...
And so that instance was completed?
Of course, this is just speculation based on limited clues, not necessarily the truth. Gu Mo can only consider it this way for now, as some idea is needed to try resolving the issue... As for the unconventional method of exiting the instance, he won’t consider it for now.
Recalling the previous sudden "black screen," then waking in the real world, Gu Mo decisively discarded the second possibility.
Turning to the pitch-black night sky, then looking at the winding dark path ahead, he sighed, no longer hesitating but stepped forward. Continuing to linger here wasn’t an option, given there was no simple way to return the way he came.
—Might as well see what this instance is like this time.
And undeniably, aside from the unavoidable anxiety and doubt, there was a hint of expectation and excitement that Gu Mo himself noticed, which completely overshadowed the lingering fatigue since waking tonight...
After all, who truly resigns themselves to the drudgery of life, content with unchanging daily routines.
Humans desire safety, but they also crave adventure. If free from real-world pressures, possessing the courage to face risks, anyone would be willing to embark on an unknown adventure — it may not be grand, it might even be quite embarrassing, but it would certainly be an extraordinary experience.