Under the moonlight, Yan Wei’s first instinct was to observe the expressions of the two individuals.
They stood at different angles, on different paths, but it was only because the blood of the recently deceased player had corroded all the vegetation in this area that they could see each other in the wide-open space.
One of the two was very tall, while the other wore a pure black cap, and their attire differed significantly. They were closer to each other, while Yan Wei stood in the opposite direction. Moreover, the tall player and the one in the cap not only looked at Yan Wei but also frequently glanced at each other, sizing one another up.
He did not recognize either of them, and they did not know each other either.
As they sized each other up, the two seed players approached with caution.
They had both witnessed the earlier events and the withered vegetation, yet neither player made any explicit remarks; they merely inquired about each other’s backgrounds—just as Yan Wei had suspected, they were seed players from two different organizations.
The Arena Instance had various organizations, ranging from large ones like Blackbird and Morning Star to smaller ones that had just been established and were entering the Arena Instance for the first time. The organizations of these two players were both familiar names, and they exchanged glances before simultaneously turning their attention to Yan Wei, who had yet to speak.
In the world inside the building, players possessed Perception, and the aura of those who had ascended many floors, steeped in blood, could be sensed. Although it was impossible to know everyone’s data, each player could roughly gauge the level of the person in front of them.
They could naturally sense that Yan Wei did not resemble a player who had experienced many instances or dungeons at the thirty or forty-floor level.
The male player in the cap asked, “Hey, which organization are you from?”
Originally slightly bowing his head, Yan Wei quickly composed himself and slowly raised his head, his amber eyes flickering with timidity and panic. His lips moved slightly, and in a clear, soft voice, he said, “I… I don’t have an organization…”
In that instant, the expressions of the other two players as they looked at Yan Wei became subtly different.
Yan Wei blinked.
This reaction… Indeed, seed players at the forty-something level mostly did not recognize him.
Before entering, Yan Wei had discussed this situation with Yan Mingguang. They had indeed ascended too quickly, but precisely because they had ascended so fast, players at the thirty or forty-floor level might have heard of Yan and Day, and even some of the things they had done in previous instances or dungeons, yet they would not recognize them.
This was because they had previously only cleared instances or dungeons below the twentieth floor, and higher-level players, even if they learned from experience, would not bother to look at the lower-level gambling instances or dungeons. Moreover, during the nineteenth-floor Dynamic Instance that competed for the Legendary Item, the restrictions on descending players meant that only those below the nineteenth floor could enter. Additionally, the major organizations that followed this instance or dungeon were all high-level players, leaving players at the thirty or forty-floor level, who were still focused on clearing instances or dungeons, with no opportunity to see them.
Just over a month ago, they had still been at the lower levels, and players from other organizations would never have thought that Yan Wei would truly seclude himself for over a month and directly enter the forty-ninth floor.
When the two players first saw Yan Wei and did not react much, Yan Wei guessed that even if these two knew of Yan, they would not know what he looked like, let alone think that Yan would appear on the forty-ninth floor.
In the eyes of these two seed players, Yan Wei was merely an ordinary player dragged in to die.
They looked at Yan Wei, wary of each other, but this wariness had changed—now, they seemed more concerned about the other stealing their prey.
As the “prey,” Yan Wei seized this information gap and trembled as he said, “Can I join you?”
At that moment, a flock of crows circled back and forth over the hill, a dark mass flying in the air, as if merging with the clouds before the starry sky. From the areas blocked by the maze walls, different cries of agony began to emerge.
These cries echoed from all directions, mingling with the cawing of the crows.
Throughout the entire Jungle Maze, similar events were occurring elsewhere. At this moment, Yan Wei clearly understood why, in addition to the seed players participating in the competition, this instance or dungeon had also dragged in some players who had failed in the gambling tower.
These players were brought in to die.
Before long, it was likely that almost all players would know the quickest way to solve this maze.
—The blood of players could pave the way.
As long as they completely disregarded others’ names and left bleeding wounds on other players to attract the crows… they could walk over the blood of innocent players toward the castle.
Yan Wei seemed oblivious to this method; he merely adjusted his coat and lowered his voice, saying, “I’ve only ascended to the teens at most. This time, my friend and I failed in the gambling tower and were forcibly dragged in. I didn’t expect to find myself in a forty-ninth-floor instance/dungeon. The gap is just too big; a player like me is just here to die…”
Although players at the teens level were not as seasoned as those at the thirty or forty levels, they still had some experience. Yan Wei did not overact; his expression had gradually “returned” to calm from the earlier panic. He looked at the tall player and the one in the cap with a somewhat ingratiating gaze and continued, “You both look like players who came in with an invitation letter from the forty-something floor. I know I’m a burden to you, but I can still be of some use, right? We don’t know if there are other dangers in this maze. I can go first, hoping… cough, hoping you two big brothers can take me along?”
As Yan Wei spoke, his gaze seemed to wander, but he was actually paying close attention to the changes in the expressions of the two.
At this moment, the tall player and the one in the cap were not focused on him at all; they were wary of each other, each wanting to monopolize Yan Wei as their “prey” and shake off the other.
However, Yan Wei’s next words suddenly drew their attention back: “Although I’m only at the teens, I’ve ascended three times and have a skill. My skill allows me to locate a few known players within a certain range. This maze restricts Perception, but my skill does not. I can sense the positions of my two friends who were dragged in with me. I can join them and help you two big brothers. What do you think?”
The tall player immediately said, “Alright, let’s find your friends first. The more people we have, the easier it will be to find our way.”
The one in the cap’s expression shifted, but he seemed more composed. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Fine, you go ahead.” He clearly understood that facing off against the tall player now was not as beneficial as quickly using Yan Wei to find more low-level players who had been thrown in to die, paving the way with their lives.
Yan Wei had long anticipated that the two would choose this.
The start of the instance/dungeon was indeed very targeted at him, completely amplifying his greatest weakness. As soon as he exposed himself in front of a seed player, he became a defenseless prey.
This was an instance/dungeon that tested human nature.
But precisely because of this, such a start targeted at Yan Wei also allowed Yan Wei to target it back.
It was merely amplifying human nature.
For these two, there was only one prey in front of them; at most, it was a matter of who was better and who would get the prey. If they failed, it was no big deal; they would just lose one prey. But when this prey could potentially lead to more prey, the stakes suddenly increased, and these two would certainly not act against him right now but would want to use him to find his friends.
With the potential for more prey, the wariness between the tall player and the one in the cap suddenly intensified.
One prey might willingly give up leaving, but multiple prey, they all wanted to devour alone.
Yan Wei did not actually have the skill to locate his friends; all of this was merely a fabrication to buy time and intensify the conflict between these two players from different organizations.
The two had taken the bait.
The tall player was clearly someone with a bad temper. He raised his hand and forcefully pushed Yan Wei, saying, “Hurry up, there’s not much time.”
Yan Wei chuckled awkwardly and obediently walked to the front, casually pointing in a direction: “I can sense that one of my friends is in this direction. Just head this way. They know I have this skill and won’t move around.”
But just as he completely turned around, facing away from the two players behind him, Yan Wei’s expression suddenly changed. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his light brown eyes sparkled with cunning.
He had not turned off the intercom, and the other three, unaware of where they were in the maze, had heard Yan Wei’s deception the entire time. His earlier statement, “They know I have this skill and won’t move around,” was deliberately said for Yan Mingguang and the others to hear, hinting to them to protect themselves first and not to worry too much about his safety while he figured out the way to solve this maze.
Lin Zhen’s astonished voice came through the intercom: “Am I catching a live broadcast? I don’t even want to find the way anymore; I’ll just sit and listen to you tricking people live.”
“…” Yu Feizhou replied helplessly, “You can stay put; you won’t get into trouble.”
Yan Mingguang, on the other hand, did not speak this time.
Yan Wei certainly could not communicate with them; he just listened to Lin Zhen’s incessant chatter.
The Jungle Maze was intricate, but there were many players thrown in, and the cries of agony from those being devoured by the crows echoed increasingly frequently from all directions—clearly, some players could no longer resist the shortcut of using blood to clear the way and had begun to take action.
As Yan Wei and the others passed through a clearing that someone had carved out with a player’s life, they arrived at a fork in the road.
There were two paths at the fork pointed out by Yan Wei.
The tall player pointed to the left one and, after kicking Yan Wei’s leg from behind, said, “Go.”
Yan Wei stumbled slightly, and before he could react, the one in the cap said, “Let’s take the right one; I have a gut feeling that the left might have more detours.”
Yan Wei blinked and, without hesitation, walked down the right path.
The maze’s walls obstructed the players’ line of sight, and it was hard to discern anything from the two paths. The tall player also chose based on instinct; since he had picked the right one, he said nothing further, remaining wary of the one in the cap as he followed behind Yan Wei.
After just a few steps, they encountered several more forks in the road.
The one in the cap said, “Let’s take the second one.”
The tall player replied, “The farthest right one looks closer to the castle.”
Yan Wei unhesitatingly walked down the second path.
The Jungle Maze had many twists and turns, and after just a few minutes, they encountered numerous forks. Even with Yan Wei pointing the way, there were still several choices to make.
Each time, regardless of whether the one in the cap and the tall player agreed or disagreed, Yan Wei followed the one in the cap’s choice without a moment’s hesitation, taking the path he selected. The tall player initially followed without hesitation, but his expression grew increasingly grim.
From time to time, Yan Wei glanced at the castle standing atop the hill. Unlike the dimness of the maze, every window of the castle glowed with warm yellow light, and no crows flew above it, only the moonlight lingered there.
Meanwhile, the maze was corroding in patches—compared to the entire hill, the area of corrosion was still quite insignificant.
In the air, black crows circled, and the thin crescent moon floated in the night, under the tranquil starry sky, were the cries and wails that rose and fell.
In such a dark and eerie atmosphere, Yan Wei and the others passed through another fork in the road.
Yan Wei slightly turned his head to glance at the tall player’s already very gloomy face, subtly slowing his pace, and said in an excited tone, “I can feel it; my friend is just ahead—”
“That’s not right,” the tall player suddenly interjected, his voice tinged with anger, “There’s no sound or movement ahead at all, just a flock of crows flying. You say your friend is here? Are you really looking for someone, or are you deliberately leading me into danger?”
He sneered, and in an instant, he actually drew a long knife, saying, “I can’t believe I fell for your tricks. You two are in cahoots, right? What are you pretending not to know? Every path we’ve taken has been chosen by both of you, and now we’ve ended up on this crow-infested path…”
Yan Wei turned back, panic in his expression, his voice trembling as he stammered, “W-what are you talking about? My friend is indeed ahead; there are so many crows, he must be hiding and too scared to move, which is why there’s no sound, right?”
The one in the cap frowned.
He glanced at the tall player, who was eagerly brandishing his weapon, and coldly said, “If you want to tear the mask off, just say so. What’s with the excuses?”
A glint of cunning flashed in Yan Wei’s eyes as he subtly stepped aside.
On the intercom, Lin Zhen cracked a sunflower seed and said, “Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”
