Chapter 427: Tunnel Showdown
Chapter 427: Tunnel Showdown
At 2:00 AM on May 17th, the results of the first round of the Cocoon War and the list of players for the playoff matches were announced.
Because participants remained in sleep mode, the system allocated a full ten hours between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM for battles—plenty of time for even the longest 1V1 matches to conclude. The final hour before the deadline was reserved for system calculations and staff verification of results.
When Xiao Tan completed his scenario and returned to the Login Space, he received a system prompt notifying him of his advancement. It seemed Bei Ling’s Investigation analysis had been accurate after all. Even among the winners’ group, a record of 42 victories was solid enough to avoid elimination.
Over the next two days, Xiao Tan—who had ample free time—dedicated himself to improving his spirit arts proficiency under Bei Ling’s company.
At last, he purchased a worthwhile skill from the Scare Box, a spirit arts system skill that suited him well:
Name: Mark with Cross Curse
Skill Card Attribute: Active Skill, Permanently Mastered
Skill Category: Spirit Arts
Effect: Curses a target, causing your next attack to deal 10% additional damage to them. (Can only be cast on non-friendly targets within sight and 50 meters; target can sense the curse; may be recast on the same target, but effects do not stack.)
Consumption: Spirit Energy Value 2 (Cooldown 5 minutes, duration infinite until activated)
Learning Condition: Spirit Arts Proficiency F
Background: A foundational Daoist technique recorded in the Guigu Seven Chapters' "Chapter of Selflessness", this spell was invented by the 250th-generation direct-lineage heir of the Ghost Valley sect. Designed to inflict psychological torment on adversaries, it created the illusion of being cursed, prompting victims to seek "coercive consultations" at his Paranormal Detective Agency—where he exacted both punishment and extortion in equal measure.
This skill proved highly effective for leveling up spirit arts proficiency. At level 30, a top-tier player had 350 Spirit Energy Points—a mere 2 points was negligible.
Xiao Tan’s spirit arts proficiency was E-rank, granting a 40% activation success rate. Even if the skill succeeded only once every three attempts, the average cost was just six Spirit Energy Points per successful cast. Since unsuccessful attempts did not trigger cooldown, Xiao Tan’s routine became: every five minutes, spend 2–6 Spirit Energy Points to cast the skill. At this rate, he’d expend 72 points per hour, depleting his reserves in five hours—during which time the skill would activate at least fifty times.
Testing in scenarios showed even better results. In long-term scenarios, Xiao Tan maintained a five-minute casting interval for the first eight hours.
The skill’s target restrictions were minimal—any non-friendly entity sufficed. Crows in trees, turtles by the riverbank—all were fair game.
In team scenarios, players encountering Xiao Tan and Bei Ling often witnessed this spectacle: the teammate named [Wang Tan Zhi] would glance at nearby creatures—a single ant, a monster, or a passing Npc—and silently draw a cross on his palm while chanting, "Curse you…"
Thanks to this relentless strategy, Xiao Tan elevated his spirit arts proficiency to D-rank by the afternoon of May 18th. However, progress halted there—he failed to reach C-rank before the Cocoon War’s second round began.
By May 19th, Xiao Tan had reached level 36 and acquired a new martial arts skill through scenarios:
Name: Binding Fangs
Skill Card Attribute: Active Skill, Disappears After Two Uses
Skill Category: Martial Arts
Effect: Releases a palm strike shaped like enlarged fangs, binding the target to the nearest flat surface. (Cooldown 30 seconds, target must have physical form.)
Consumption: Stamina Value 300
Learning Condition: Martial Arts Proficiency C (Skill card becomes non-tradable after pickup.)
Background: A technique derived from common beast spirit summoning arts, invented by Half-Bear Clan Lord Roy Seker. A spellcraft genius, Seker mastered his clan’s druidic magic and made significant contributions to necromancy. He was an unparalleled master of both natural and death energies.
Feng Bu Jue deliberately paired Xiao Tan and Bei Ling for scenarios during these two days. Their similar levels and capabilities made them an efficient party duo. Adding himself to the mix would complicate scenario outcomes…
The results proved this strategy effective.
………
Finally, at 1:00 AM on May 20th, the second round of the Cocoon War commenced as scheduled.
"The second round of the Cocoon War is about to begin. Your data will be loaded in 30 seconds. Do not leave the Login Space."
"Ten-second countdown until loading: 9, 8, 7… 2, 1."
Unlike last time, Xiao Tan was directly teleported this round.
"Dark Forest’s Threefold Silken Cocoon, Softness Through Ten Thousand Forges." As the opening line echoed, blinding white light forced Xiao Tan to shut his eyes.
[Loading completed. You are now entering the Summit Confrontation - Cocoon War.]
[This mode has no scenario overview, side quests/hidden tasks, or special world views.]
[Scenario Victory Reward: Advance to Top 10 (Rank 720)]
[Main Quest Triggered]
[Kill opponent]
A rapid series of voice prompts and pop-up windows flashed across his vision before vanishing.
Xiao Tan immediately regained operational control.
Opening his eyes, he found the surroundings dim but faintly illuminated by light sources.
He stood inside a tunnel. On the left wall, dim yellow light bulbs hung every ten meters, three meters above the ground. Their feeble glow revealed the tunnel’s interior.
After a quick survey, Xiao Tan deduced this was likely a train tunnel: Railway tracks lay beneath his feet, clearly non-electrified, surrounded by gravel. The tunnel’s arched structure was just wide and tall enough for a single train to pass.
Problem: What if a train arrived?
Given the game’s malice-laden design philosophy, placing players in a tunnel meant one thing—dramatic, unexpected train arrivals were inevitable…
"Hmm… Let me check my randomly assigned opponent first." Xiao Tan glanced ahead and behind, seeing no one. He approached the wall with the light bulbs, pressed his back to it, and advanced cautiously while opening the game menu.
"Eh? Long Ge?" Xiao Tan’s eyes landed on the ID [Long Ao Min].
Long Ao Min was the first friend Xiao Tan and Feng Bu Jue had made after entering Terrifying Paradise. The three often teamed up for scenarios. Just five days ago, they’d completed a scenario together. Long Ao Min had joked about facing each other in the playoffs, a remark that now came true.
"This isn’t good…" Xiao Tan thought.
He knew Long Ao Min’s skills, title abilities, and combat style inside out—but only as a teammate. Facing him in battle was a different story.
Adding to his concern, Long Ao Min had defeated Meng Jing Chan two days prior—a shocking upset. Though Meng Jing Chan had later re-entered the winners’ group through playoffs, Long Ao Min’s reputation soared.
This opponent was both familiar and unfamiliar, heightening Xiao Tan’s anxiety.
Knowing Long Ao Min’s capabilities made strategizing harder. He understood exactly why Meng Jing Chan had lost. As another agile, nimble close-range fighter, Xiao Tan struggled to devise countermeasures against Long Ao Min’s defenses.
"Long Ge must be on the same level as Seven Kill… Guess I’ll have to gamble on a risky win." Xiao Tan mentally prepared his tactics.
Suddenly, a familiar shout echoed from the tunnel’s depths.
Long Ao Min’s voice rang out, straightforward and bold, "I’m here! Come get me!"
(End of Chapter)
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