Chapter 159: Chapter 149: Hidden Rule Nine ’The fog is spreading this fast...’
Guan Tong stayed inside the small cabin of his shelter, looking out through the window.
He had been outside when the Ninth Rule was announced. He immediately ran back into the stone house and shut the door tight.
Less than a minute later, a thick fog began to spread over the mountain.
Now, when Guan Tong looked outside, visibility was less than five meters.
The fog was also mixed with faint shades of purple and green, giving it a deeply unsettling appearance.
’This time, the rules have already stated that there’s a type of monster in the fog called a "Nightmare Beast" that will hunt humans... I wonder how strong these monsters are? And what are their attack methods?’
’And the reward for this rule includes an Invitation Letter to the second Ascender challenge... Anyone who survives will get one.’
Guan Tong had won both the victor’s reward and the hidden reward in the first challenge, reaping the greatest harvest. Although the format of the second challenge would most likely change, he would definitely participate.
’But based on my experience from the first time,’ he thought, ’the competition usually doesn’t start until several rules after we get the Invitation Letters. It’s too early to think about it now. The most important thing is to get through the current rule.’
Guan Tong glanced at the thick fog outside again, opened his Terminal Panel, and checked this round’s hidden rule.
[Hidden Rule Nine: The Source of the Fog]
[Hidden Rule Content: By following the tracks of the Nightmare Beasts, you may be able to find one of the sources of the great fog. A fragment exists there. If you wish to assemble the puzzle behind the Apocalypse Rules, then go and find this fragment.]
[Note: Venturing deep into the great fog requires ample preparation, extraordinary strength, and dauntless courage. But the most important question is: is it worth risking it all for the unknown?]
’This rule...’
It was the first time Guan Tong had seen a hidden rule like this.
There was no clear reward and no special mechanic, only a "Puzzle Fragment of the puzzle behind the Apocalypse Rules." ’What is that?’
Guan Tong fell into deep thought.
’What does the puzzle refer to? Does it mean the secrets behind the Apocalypse Rules?’
There was too little information; he found it difficult to even speculate.
But he knew that entering the depths of the fog would definitely be dangerous.
So the question was, just as the note said, was it worth risking it all for the unknown?
Guan Tong already had an answer in his heart, but he didn’t act rashly.
This rule would be in effect for a whole month. There was no need to act immediately; he could afford to observe the situation first.
"HISS!"
Guan Tong suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw Coal Ball perched on the headboard, its body arched, hissing at the door.
He was a little surprised. This was the first time he’d seen it hiss since he adopted it.
"SCRAPE... SCRITCH... SCRITCH..."
A noise came from the doorway. Guan Tong slowly rose to his feet, staring at the door.
It sounded like something was scratching at the door from outside.
"SCRATCH... SCRATCH..."
The sound came again. Coal Ball shrank back, seemingly terrified of whatever was outside the door.
Guan Tong just stared at the door without a word.
A moment later, the sound stopped. The thing outside seemed to have left.
Guan Tong knew that when the shelter’s door was closed, it couldn’t be opened from the outside. Not unless someone used brute force to destroy the entire structure. But this was a reinforced shelter summoned with 300 points of Psychic Power. Its defenses were greatly enhanced, no longer the simple wooden cabin that could be easily destroyed.
But even so, Guan Tong’s heart was still pounding.
That sound...
"THUD!"
A sudden loud noise came from the window, making both Guan Tong and Coal Ball jump.
He whipped his head around and saw something seem to extend out from the thick fog covering the window before retracting again.
The window, having taken a blow, was undamaged. Its strength was the same as the rest of the shelter. If the thing hidden in the fog couldn’t destroy the main door, it couldn’t destroy the window either.
’...What was that just now?’
In the instant he turned his head, Guan Tong had vaguely seen something like a jointed limb.
He sat on the edge of the bed and comforted Coal Ball, thinking, ’My shelter should be safe for now, but...’
’Because of the [Biological Signal Detector] that was previously listed in the Sublimation Store, which detects large organisms, there’s definitely going to be some kind of massive monster in this rule.’
’If one of those comes up the mountain, I’m really not sure my shelter can withstand it.’
He picked up his laptop, wanting to go online and check the situation outside.
As soon as he opened the Ascender’s Home website, he saw his private messages steadily increasing.
He opened them and saw they were all asking him for hidden information about the current rule.
Because he had been proven right the last few times, everyone now believed that he, the site administrator, could get his hands on the hidden information after a rule was announced. So now, less than half an hour after the rule’s release, they were all anxious to get information from him.