As the Nightmare slowly transformed into a black stone, Yang Xiangdi and the others were utterly astonished.
Zhao Ziyue's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
Although Ma Fei was a sword cultivator, he had only completed a novice quest and was just at level 3.
A level 3 sword cultivator, even with extraordinary attack power, would only have about 20 points, right?
How did he manage to deal 25 points of damage? Was it some kind of life-draining sword technique?
"Ma Fei, how did you do it? That Nightmare still had half its health, and you just instantly killed it?" Zhao Ziyue couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing special, just skilled hands," Ma Fei replied nonchalantly as he sheathed his sword.
In reality, Ma Fei himself was bewildered, and thinking back, he felt a tinge of fear.
He had simply acted out of wounded pride, charging in impulsively.
He never expected to actually kill the Nightmare with one strike. How did he even do that?
Qiao Yu wasn't surprised. If he, a mage, could have skills that added extra attack power, wasn't it even more reasonable for Ma Fei, a sword cultivator, to have attack-boosting abilities?
"Don't worry, with me, Sword God Ma Fei, around, there's no need to fear any number of Nightmares."
Ma Fei slung his longsword over his back, slightly turning his head to let the breeze tousle his bangs, giving him a somewhat Sword Saint-like appearance under the moonlit night.
"Uh, Ma Fei, maybe you should check behind you first?" Qiao Yu suggested.
"Hmph! What's there to see? If there's an enemy, I'll just cut it down with one strike!"
Despite his dismissive words, Ma Fei obediently glanced back.
"Holy crap!"
Ma Fei jumped in fright, seeing five or six Nightmares glaring at them menacingly.
He had barely managed to defeat one Nightmare; facing five or six would surely tear him apart.
"Let's get inside, no need to fight these Nightmares. I think I know how to clear this stage."
Qiao Yu picked up the black stone from the ground, wearing a confident smile.
"Alright! You guys go in first, I'll hold them off!"
The petite Zuo You, barely over five feet tall, pulled out a massive two-meter-high shield to block in front of everyone.
"Got it!"
The group retreated into the house in an orderly fashion, with Yang Xiangdi throwing out a sand binding spell to restrain the Nightmares, allowing Zuo You to successfully return inside.
Once the door was shut, the Nightmares outside seemed afraid of something and dared not enter.
"Qiao Yu, what's your plan to clear the stage?" Zuo You asked curiously.
"You'll find out tomorrow."
Qiao Yu smiled mysteriously.
"Is there anything we can help with?"
"There shouldn't be... Wait! Come here."
Qiao Yu gathered Ma Fei and the others and began discussing quietly.
......
Early the next morning, Village Chief Wo Gan once again led a large group of villagers charging over.
They were aggressive, insisting on killing Qiao Yu and the other outsiders.
The 44 students of Class 4-4 and the 50 villagers of Nightmare Village were on the verge of clashing, tensions high.
Village Chief Wo Gan was the most furious.
"You despicable outsiders! I gave you a chance to atone yesterday, but you went even further and killed another Guardian Spirit!"
"You all deserve to go to hell, to hell!"
Hearing the words "go to hell," Yang Xiangdi's eyes lit up, and he shouted loudly.
"Press 1 to go to hell and have ten black-skinned, tiger-toothed, well-endowed succubi!!"
"1"
"1!"
"1111111111! I want a hundred!"
Talking about succubi, no one felt sleepy anymore. Going to hell was fine, but there had to be succubi!
"Ugh! A bunch of perverts!"
Zhao Ziyue spat quietly.
"Yeah, what's the use of a good figure!" Zuo You nodded in agreement.
"Hmph! No matter what you say today, you must die! Despicable outsiders! Protect what's ours, Nightmare Village!"
Wo Gan raised his machete, ready to charge, but Qiao Yu quickly stepped in front of everyone.
"Hold on!"
"Village Chief Wo Gan, are you sure you're truly villagers of Nightmare Village?" Qiao Yu asked, staring into Wo Gan's eyes.
"Nonsense! Our ancestors have lived in Nightmare Village for generations! Don't try to stall; you're doomed!" Wo Gan replied.
"I'm not stalling. It's time to reveal the truth about Nightmare Village!"
"What do you mean by that?" Wo Gan demanded angrily.
Qiao Yu pushed up his nonexistent glasses and extended his hand.
"The Frog of Schemes has been rubbing your belly all along!"
"The truth is only one! You! You! You! And you!"
Qiao Yu pointed at several villagers of Nightmare Village.
"All of you in this village are not the original inhabitants of Nightmare Village! You fifty people are the class that perished in the Nightmare Village dungeon before!"
"Everything here is fake! Everything we see now is fake!"
"This also explains why we can't exit the Inner World! Because we're in a massive illusion!"
Qiao Yu was confident in his deduction! Whether it was the inability to exit the Inner World or the fact that killing Nightmares didn't grant him free attribute points, it all indicated he was right!
As soon as he finished speaking, a long silence followed.
Whether it was the villagers led by Wo Gan or all the students of Class 4-4, they were momentarily unable to accept this truth.
"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"
Wo Gan suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"I must admit, your storytelling skills are impressive; I almost believed you!"
"In the end, you're just afraid of dying! Trying to deceive us with lies! Everything you said is just your story! There's no evidence!"
"Heh, of course, I have evidence."
Qiao Yu said, pulling a black stone out of his pocket.
Village Chief Wo Gan's face changed drastically upon seeing the black stone, trembling as he spoke.
"The Guardian Stone! You actually took the Guardian Stone, you deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
"Not just him!"
Ma Fei, Zuo You, Yang Xiangdi, and Zhao Ziyue each pulled out a pitch-black Guardian Stone.
Wo Gan was too frightened to speak. In his memory, the Guardian Stone was the supreme sacred object that protected them from night attacks.
If someone tampered with the Guardian Stone, that great being would surely bring divine punishment!
"This is not a Guardian Stone at all; the entire illusion is constructed from these black stones and the mysterious symbols on them! As long as we break the black stones, this illusion will show its flaws! Brothers, let's do it!"
With that, Qiao Yu punched the black stone, and Ma Fei and the others followed suit, smashing the black stones in their hands.
The five black stones were instantly pulverized, and Qiao Yu confidently looked at Wo Gan and the others, believing his deduction was correct.
Sure enough, as the black stones were shattered, the entire space of Nightmare Village began to shake violently.
The village, once picturesque like a utopia, slowly vanished, transforming into a dilapidated, ruin-strewn old mountain village.
A flood of familiar yet unfamiliar memories surged into the minds of Wo Gan and the others.
They remembered! They all remembered! They were not villagers of Nightmare Village; they were students! They were the students who first entered the Nightmare Village dungeon!
[Ding! A player has discovered the core secret of Nightmare Village, successfully awakening the villagers of Nightmare Village. The quest is successful, and rewards will be calculated based on each person's quest rating.]
After the quest was completed, a flash of light transported Wo Gan and the fifty villagers, along with the thirty-nine students of Class 4-4, away.
Listening to the Inner World's notification, Qiao Yu smiled with satisfaction.
Indeed, to clear such a high-difficulty dungeon, brute force alone was not enough; one also needed to rely on endless wisdom!
However, after a while, Qiao Yu realized he hadn't been transported away, nor had Ma Fei and the other four who had crushed the black stones.
"Inner World, I didn't get on the bus! I haven't gotten on the bus yet!" Yang Xiangdi shouted anxiously.
At this moment, the Inner World's notification sounded again.
[Congratulations to the five players for destroying the Nightmare Black Stones, triggering the hidden quest: Steal the Heart of Nightmare! Quest difficulty: Grade E.]
Qiao Yu: ???