TSA Chapter 50

The large ghost boss had two massive heads perched atop its body, one black and one white, forming a stark contrast. On closer inspection, the white head was slightly larger than the black one, indicating that their earlier mistakes had given the white-headed boss a slight power boost. However, it wasn’t enough to allow the white head to overpower the black one yet.

Without needing a reminder from Ran Qi, Night Owl promptly instructed the team, “When fighting the boss, make sure not to hit the black head!”

“Understood!”

The ghost boss moved at an incredibly fast pace, zigzagging unpredictably and making it hard to land attacks. Both heads spat out black and white bubbles, respectively. The black bubbles were harmless, but the white bubbles would explode on contact, causing damage and releasing a sticky white goo that adhered to players, immobilizing them.

The team found themselves dodging the white bubbles like they were playing dodgeball, all while avoiding stepping on white tiles. It made for a chaotic and clumsy scene.

The sheer number of white bubbles, combined with the boss’s erratic movements, made things particularly tough for melee players.

“Ahhh! I’m stuck! Ranran, help me!” Gu Le shouted. He had accidentally triggered a white bubble, which exploded, dealing 10% damage and covering him in sticky goo, rendering him immobile.

More white bubbles drifted toward him, and he could only watch helplessly, unable to move.

“Hold on, three more seconds!” Ran Qi was equally anxious. Although his purification skill could remove the sticky effect, its cooldown was quite long. He had just used it on Sword at Fleeting Time and had to wait five seconds before casting it again.

“Ahhh, another one exploded!” During those three seconds, another white bubble hit Gu Le, dealing 20% damage. The damage from the bubbles increased with consecutive hits, making a chain explosion incredibly dangerous.

“Got it!” As soon as the cooldown ended, Ran Qi used purification on Gu Le, finally freeing him from his immobilized state.

Fortunately, most of the team were ranged players. No matter how much the boss darted around, Night Owl and the others relentlessly landed their attacks, quickly reducing its health to below 20%.

At this point, the white-headed boss became visibly agitated. Its eyes turned crimson, and it opened its tooth-filled mouth to viciously bite the black head. 

Not to be outdone, the black head retaliated, and the two heads began attacking and devouring each other, creating a horrifying and grotesque scene.

“Don’t stop! Keep attacking the white head!” Night Owl shouted.

Fireballs and arrows rained down on the white head. Even Sword at Fleeting Time joined in, throwing daggers. Under their combined assault, the white head grew weaker and weaker until the blackhead finally devoured it.

The twin-headed ghost boss transformed into a fully black ghost. It hovered in the air, nodding slightly toward the group before retreating into the black wall and disappearing.

[System] Congratulations! You helped the black ghost defeat the white ghost and received its gratitude, earning 300,000 experience points.

As expected of a level 35 boss, the experience reward was generous. Everyone present leveled up immediately.

Soul Chaser said, “Let’s go again! This time, we’re definitely getting the speedrun achievement!”

On their first attempt, their unfamiliarity with the dungeon mechanics had slowed them down, preventing them from earning the speedrun achievement. But with their newfound experience, they were confident they could achieve it this time.

Armed with the lessons from their previous run, they entered the dungeon and immediately stepped onto black tiles, firmly aligning themselves with the black faction. They killed only white ghosts along the way, and by the time they reached the twin-headed boss, the white-headed boss was noticeably weaker than before. Not only did it produce fewer white bubbles, but it also occasionally froze in place—evidence of the blackhead fighting for control over the shared body.

The team seized every opportunity to launch a fierce assault on the white head.

[System Announcement] Congratulations to players [Night Owl], [Soul Chaser], [Plume Ink], [Sword at Fleeting Time], [Coke], and [Bai Ran] for completing the Black and White World experience dungeon in under 20 minutes, achieving the extreme speedrun achievement and earning the title [Ghost Slayer].

After running the experience dungeon five times in a row, each time aligning with the black faction, something different happened on the final attempt. Once the black ghost reached its complete form, it didn’t just leave after defeating the white ghost. Instead, it presented each of them with a small treasure chest.

[System] Because you consistently and unwaveringly chose to help the black ghost defeat the white ghost, you have received the black ghost’s gratitude and been awarded a [Mystery Chest].

“Huh? Judging by the system prompt, we could have chosen the white faction too?” Sword at Fleeting Time belatedly realized.

“Haha, who cares? We unlocked a hidden reward condition anyway!” Soul Chaser’s eyes lit up as he saw the chest. Night Owl, on the other hand, looked grim at the sight of it.

Ran Qi was also surprised to discover this hidden bonus in the dungeon. It was an unexpected delight.

“Alright, I’ll go first!” Gu Le couldn’t wait to open his chest.

[System] Congratulations! You have obtained the special item [Ghost Mask].

[Ghost Mask]

Grade: A

Description: A special piece of equipment, a treasure of the black ghost. When worn, it hides personal information and lowers the wearer’s presence.

The mask functioned similarly to an invisible cloak. While it didn’t provide attribute bonuses, its design was undeniably impressive.

Gu Le immediately put on the mask. It was pure black and had a faint metallic sheen. Once it covered the upper half of his face, it gave him a mysterious aura. The usually carefree foodie suddenly transformed into an elegant and enigmatic knight of the night.

“That’s actually pretty cool…” Ran Qi’s tone carried a hint of envy. This mask was much more lightweight than his invisible cloak.

“Haha, no way I’m trading it with you!” Gu Le exclaimed triumphantly, clearly satisfied with his loot.

“My turn! My turn!” Soul Chaser eagerly opened his chest next.

[System] Congratulations! You have obtained the costume [Ghost Tuxedo (7 days)].

The Ghost Tuxedo had no attributes but was a temporary fashion item that allowed the wearer to transform their equipment’s appearance into a sleek tailcoat. It was exceptionally stylish.

“Not bad. A tuxedo works too,” Soul Chaser said, immediately equipping it. In an instant, the burly archer transformed into a dashing gentleman.

Feeling smug, he enabled the panoramic screenshot feature and took several 360-degree photos, planning to post them on the forums later.

“This might even be the first costume in the entire game!”

Next was Plume Ink’s turn. He received a unique item called [Ghost Possession].

[Ghost Possession]

Grade: A

Description: A special item that allows the user to switch to ghost form for 10 minutes, becoming untargetable and immune to attacks.

This one-time-use transformation item was incredibly practical, whether for open-world battles or dungeon fights. Being able to temporarily become invincible for 10 minutes made it the best loot so far.

Then it was Sword at Fleeting Time’s turn. He got another one-time-use item—[Ghost Bubble]—similar to the bubbles they had encountered during the boss fight. These bubbles would explode upon contact and release sticky goo that impaired the target’s movement.

“Looks like everyone’s loot is about the same this time. There’s no way to get something bad now! Boss, go ahead and open yours with confidence!” Soul Chaser said with a grin, feeling that success was guaranteed.

Night Owl glanced at him indifferently before opening his treasure chest with a neutral expression.

[System] Congratulations! You have obtained the special item [Magical Fireworks].

[Magical Fireworks]

Grade: C

Description: A special item that releases beautiful fireworks when used.

Everyone: “……”

That’s it?

What an amazing firework…

Plume Ink forced a dry laugh and looked at Ran Qi. “Brother Ran, it’s your turn!”

Ran Qi sighed and opened his chest as well. To everyone’s surprise, the chest was empty.

“Huh??? This isn’t logical!” Everyone immediately widened their eyes.

Could it be that even the luckiest player sometimes gets unlucky?

[System Announcement] Player [Bai Ran] received a gift from the black-and-white world ghost, and all attributes increased by 2 points.

Everyone: “……”

This works???

The lucky player really is a lucky player… Looks like we lost…

[Guild] Evernight: Wow, Vice Guild Leader, you’re so lucky!

[Guild] No Happiness: We also completed the black-and-white world dungeon. Why didn’t we get a gift?! This isn’t fair!!!

[Guild] Soul Chaser: Oh? You guys are quick, huh? How many times did you complete it?

[Guild] Raphael: Three times, it’s a bit tricky.

[Guild] Sword at Fleeting Time: You need to consistently choose the same faction. The boss gave us each a mysterious treasure chest.

[Guild] Cain: Is this a hidden bonus for the whole team? I’m curious what everyone else got!

[Guild] [Plume Ink]: Ahem, it’s okay. Just some one-time-use items… after all, it’s not a system chest…

[Guild] Unbreakable Mountain and River: Keep it up, everyone! Let’s get the first kill in the black-and-white world!

******

Meanwhile, inside the training hall of the Capital Star’s First Military Academy.

Zhang Shuo walked out of the virtual battle room with a gloomy face. Even though he had defeated his opponent, there was no joy on his face.

“Brother Shuo, congratulations on leveling up!” Zhang Shuo’s underlings greeted him happily.

“Mm.” Zhang Shuo coldly responded.

The underlings immediately sensed something was off. Zhang Shuo was probably still angry about the time he had to apologize to Ran Qi outside.

“Brother Shuo, don’t bother about that kind of small fry. As long as we get through this, we can slap his face hard!” Underling 1 said.

“How are we going to do that? So what if we win? He’s not even competing!” Zhang Shuo gritted his teeth.

“This…” Underling 1 was left speechless.

That useless Ran Qi definitely wasn’t competing. Even if Zhang Shuo won the championship, he wouldn’t be able to teach Ran Qi a lesson. There was simply no way to vent his frustration.

“It’s okay, Boss, there’s still the game!” Underling 2 slapped his forehead excitedly. “Didn’t you agree to have a showdown with him in the game? You can kill him over and over until he can’t log in anymore, and teach him a lesson!”

“You’re right!” Zhang Shuo slightly narrowed his eyes, a ruthless gleam flashing in them. “Did you find out his game ID?”

They had agreed on a one-on-one battle, and even if Ran Qi had help, it wouldn’t matter.

Although the game could reduce pain perception, it could only be reduced by up to 50%. When the time came, he would use control skills to bind Ran Qi, torturing him fiercely and forcing him to beg for mercy. Once he was done having fun, he would give him a quick end!

“Well… it seems like his classmates don’t have much of a good relationship with him. That guy, Gu Le, probably knows, but he probably won’t be willing to tell us…” Underling 2 hesitated.

“Hmph, no worries. He’s a useless player, his base stats must be really bad. He’s probably still struggling at level 20 or so!” Zhang Shuo said with contempt in his tone.

“Hahaha, Brother Shuo is right! Our Brother Shuo is already level 28!” Underling 2 nodded vigorously, proudly adding.

Zhang Shuo nodded smugly. While level 28 wouldn’t make it to the top of the leaderboard, it was still among the top of the second tier. As they progressed, leveling would slow down, but he wasn’t in a hurry—he would eventually catch up to the first-tier players!