Chapter 2: The B-Rank Dungeon on the Brink of Chaos

New Player?

Wu Chang frowned; this opening line did not bode well.

Before he could ponder further, the electronic voice continued:

“Through a random selection across the entire universe, Earth has been chosen as the lucky planet, successfully granted eligibility for the Abyss Game, connected to the cosmic source, and bestowed with a grand opportunity for evolution.”

“All intelligent beings on Earth will be randomly selected as Abyss Game players to explore the hidden secrets of countless dimensions and achieve transcendence alongside their native planes.”

“Congratulations on being selected for the Abyss Game. The mysteries of the universe, the limits of life, transcendence, and immortality lie just ahead. Would you like to enter the game immediately?”

A massive “Join Game” button in the style of a browser game appeared before Wu Chang’s eyes.

He frowned, searching for a refusal option but found none.

“Can I opt out?” he asked.

The electronic voice paused briefly, seemingly ignoring his question, then resumed its sales pitch:

“The Abyss Game will match players with appropriate planes based on their strength. The difficulty gradient is smooth, making it easy for new players to get started, suitable for all ages.”

“I asked, can I opt out?” Wu Chang repeated.

“Apologies, the will of Earth has already agreed to join the game. Individual entities cannot choose to withdraw,” the electronic voice responded coldly.

So no more pretense—now it’s forced sales.

Wu Chang sighed. The voice sounded like a scammer’s pitch; even across dimensions, he could detect the low-level trickery. Such tactics would earn someone three beatings in just two days back in Xbei.

Is there no one to install an anti-fraud app for the great Mother Earth, to watch billions of years of loyal comrades fall prey to scams and surprise attacks?

Now that withdrawal was impossible, he had no choice but to press the “Join Game” button before him.

“Your player identity has been activated.”

“Your player number is: 4444444.”

“Currently located in Abyss Layer One: Wilderness Realm.”

“Matching you with a novice trial dungeon. Dungeon difficulty: F. Matching in progress.”

“Detected player inherited another player’s qualification. Adjusting dungeon difficulty. Adjusted dungeon difficulty: B! Official recommended minimum exploration level: 15. Players are advised to proceed with caution.”

“Rematching trial dungeon…”

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang’s face changed drastically.

What on earth?

Where was the “smooth difficulty gradient” and “easy for newcomers” promise?

And from the voice’s implication, the dungeon’s difficulty increased because he inherited the camouflage man’s game qualification.

Before he could curse the camouflage man for biting the hand that fed him, his vision blurred, and he found himself inside an unfamiliar single room.

He lay on the bed, shrouded by a thin mist that formed a barrier, restricting his movements.

The mist blocked his movements but did not obscure his sight.

As he surveyed the room’s layout, a player panel-like interface was projected onto the opposite wall.

Player Nickname: Wu Chang (To ensure player safety in the real world, it is recommended to change your nickname promptly.)

Player Level: 1 (0/100)

Health: 8 (5)

Strength: 9 (5)

Agility: 8 (5)

Endurance: 7 (5)

Energy: 0 (0)

Inspiration: 50 (5)

Willpower: 30 (5)

(The numbers in parentheses represent average attributes for a 20–40-year-old adult male.)

Skills: Mamba Iron Elbow, Proficient in Firearms.

Talent: Transcendence.

Talent Description: Death is the destiny of all things, unstoppable. Yet, between death and oblivion, which are essentially one, an anomaly exists—you—creating a slight separation. This is illogical. The administrator suspects you are cheating but currently lacks evidence.

The format of the player panel was similar to games Wu Chang had encountered before, so it was easy to understand.

His previous abilities, now concretized by the panel, became straightforward and clear—for example, the basketball technique he used to take down Blood Thorn.

“Skill Name: Mamba Iron Elbow”

“Skill Level: D”

“Skill Description: A surprise elbow strike aimed at the target’s face, causing temporary blindness, dizziness, bleeding, weakness, poisoning, and other effects. If the user’s willpower exceeds the target’s, the elbow strike is guaranteed to hit and cannot be blocked. Damage and duration of abnormal states are influenced by the Inspiration attribute.”

Besides Mamba Iron Elbow, the attribute panel also concretized his talent.

He realized that his grudging ability was still usable within the Abyss Game and, judging by the skill description, had great potential—promising indeed.

As for the game administrator’s suspicion and slander, it was pure defamation!

No ban means it’s part of the game mechanics. He had never seen a client with a built-in artifact spirit before.

After choosing a vegan-style nickname—“No Beef”—the surrounding mist dissipated, and a successful dungeon entry prompt appeared before his eyes.

“Successfully entered ‘Wilderness—46957 Plane.’”

“Dungeon Name: Moonlight Sanatorium.”

“Dungeon Type: Single-player survival dungeon.”

“Dungeon Difficulty: B.”

“Dungeon Status: On the verge of losing control.”

“Main Quest 1: Escape the Moonlight Sanatorium.”

“Main Quest 2: Explore the secrets within the Moonlight Sanatorium.”

“Upon completing Main Quest 1, players may choose whether to end the dungeon and leave the current plane.”

“Completing the novice trial dungeon grants access to Scarlet Courtyard and formal player status.”

Meanwhile, inside a certain red temple, a portal was gradually forming atop the central altar.

Around the altar, a dozen or so people stood solemnly, watching the portal as if something terrifying lurked beyond it.

But to those present, if only monsters hid behind the portal, they would not be so tense.

All present were veteran Abyss Game players; they had seen all kinds of monsters in the Wilderness Realm.

Their anxiety stemmed from the fact that beyond the portal lay a B-level dungeon—a B-level dungeon on the brink of losing control.

Dungeons in the Abyss Game were not repeatable programs; they were essentially connections to parts of real planes.

Each dungeon’s core was unique, and before being fully cleared, players could repeatedly explore and conquer it.

However, fallen players became nourishment absorbed by the dungeon.

External energy pollution would increase the dungeon’s difficulty until it escaped Abyss Game control.

A B-level dungeon on the verge of losing control was as dangerous as a normal A-level dungeon!

If the dungeon completely lost control, it would invade the real world along the player’s entry path, causing massive disasters.

Recently, an earthquake in Sakurajima claimed over thirty thousand dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands injured—caused by a B-level dungeon losing control and invading reality.

To prevent such incidents, player factions with management rights monitor high-level dungeons within their domains.

When a dungeon reaches warning levels, they dispatch “Breakers” to tackle the dungeon.

But Breakers do not always succeed.

Some dungeons are so extraordinarily difficult that even Breakers must avoid them.

In the Abyss Game, dungeon completion above 40% counts as a clear.

Completion below 40% counts as failure, resulting in penalties. But as long as completion exceeds 5%, players can find ways to survive through the dungeon.

However, this dungeon had no players who had even survived to leave, let alone achieve a completion rate over 40%.

The official difficulty rating was: Extinction Level.

With no survivors, when monitors detected abnormalities, the dungeon was already nearly out of control.

No survivors meant no information could escape, leaving Breakers and first-time players equally clueless.

Thus, five Breakers had fallen one after another inside the dungeon beyond the portal, with only the dungeon name “Moonlight Sanatorium” transmitted back.

According to calculations, the point where this dungeon’s loss of control would invade reality was Wanghai City in the Summer Nation.

Now that the dungeon beyond the portal had reached a critical state, ready to lose control at any moment, the final chance to break the dungeon was entrusted to the Summer Nation’s strongest Breaker.

A middle-aged man stood before the portal, wrapped in a heavy down jacket, pale-faced, as if recovering from a severe illness, occasionally covering his mouth to cough quietly.

This frail-looking man was Leng Shan, the strongest Breaker in the Wilderness Realm of the Summer Nation.

Leng Shan, Level 30, one of the top players in the Wilderness Realm, had led the clearing of two S-level dungeons and was known among Wilderness players as the most reliable Breaker.

He could leave the Wilderness Realm at will and enter the next Abyss layer.

Leng Shan asked his companion, “How’s the dungeon situation?”

A bald, burly man replied, “Stable. We’ve used our authority to seal the entrance to the ‘Moonlight Sanatorium.’ Even if someone has ill intentions, they won’t be able to act.”

“Good.”

Leng Shan had prepared for this Break for a month.

To resolve a dungeon’s loss of control, Breakers must not only complete the dungeon’s tasks but also find and eliminate the root cause of the anomaly.

Translated into dungeon completion, that meant at least 70%, earning an A- rating.

Facing a completely unknown, A-level difficulty, extinction-rated single-player survival dungeon, achieving an A- rating on the first try was stressful even for him.

During the past month, he had devised several plans and adjusted his mindset to the optimum state—“Absolute Calm.”

In this state, his willpower and judgment would significantly improve, and even facing mortal danger, his emotions would remain perfectly steady.

As the portal solidified, the bald man said, “Mr. Leng, the fate of Wanghai City is in your hands.”

“Don’t worry. Even if I die, it will be after clearing the dungeon,” Leng Shan said lightly, but his resolve was as heavy as a mountain.

After speaking, he stepped through the portal but immediately struck his forehead on an invisible barrier.

The previously calm Leng Shan instantly panicked.

“Damn, someone has entered the dungeon ahead of schedule!”

The bald man glanced into the distance and immediately denied, “Impossible! The ‘Moonlight Sanatorium’ and the dungeon hall have been sealed tight. No other player could have selected it, not even with dungeon-assigned items! Unless…”

Leng Shan wore a bitter smile. “Unless it’s an unofficial player, entering through the trial passage.”

The crucial final chance had been handed to a rookie who had just entered the Abyss Game.

What a hellish joke.

In any other dungeon, this joke might have amused Leng Shan, but here in the “Moonlight Sanatorium,” no one could laugh.

The bald man opened the records for “Moonlight Sanatorium.” Since dungeon time flows differently from reality, the average survival time for failed attempts recorded was:

12 hours!

Those who left this data were all veterans, and now the player entering was just a rookie who hadn’t even passed the trial dungeon.

How long could this rookie last?

The bald man shouted in despair, “Alert Wanghai City to enter the highest state of emergency!”

“Everyone capable of evacuation, evacuate immediately! Those who cannot evacuate should take shelter nearby! Surrounding cities prepare disaster relief! In the worst case, we have only minutes!”