Snowfall Thousand Chills was already planted in the ground. Lin Zhong stretched lazily. He gazed at the pile of defeated fishmen—lying like salted fish—and nodded with satisfaction.
The fishmen were fragile, easy to harvest. But their numbers were overwhelming. Slaying them felt like activating Musou mode in a game, mowing down crowds. It was so exhilarating he could barely breathe.
Aester and Charlotte, however, felt differently. This Lin Zhong clashed utterly with their expectations.
In the Fool’s descriptions, Lin Zhong was an ugly, weak coward. A trashy guy who leeching off women for credits. Someone universally despised.
Now? His looks were near-perfect, unreal for this world. His strength let him solo S-rank team Dungeon Instances. His fighting style was dazzlingly flashy.
And wasn’t he a man of few words? Normally slow-spoken, rarely uttering over ten words. But now? This chatterbox seemed like a different person.
Was this really the same guy? Why hadn’t he rebutted all those taunts and doubts? They asked themselves these questions.
Most shocking was his insane power and ultra-flashy combat style.
Dungeon Instances came in types: Plot Instances, team instances, multiplayer instances, solo instances.
Plot Instances were hardest. Solo instances easiest. Even in the Fool, few could solo S-rank multiplayer instances. Aester was one such person.
Yet she couldn’t harvest troublesome monsters as effortlessly as Lin Zhong.
It was almost monstrous.
Aester pressed her lips together. She hid near the wall along Lin Zhong’s exit path, peering at him.
“Next up, the BOSS! Cthulhu, old buddy, come hand out loot!”
Lin Zhong raised his War Spear, pointing at the sea. But the waters stayed calm, undisturbed.
“No show? Thousand Miles of Frozen Ice!”
A mist of frost gathered in his hand. He swung it fiercely toward the sea. Thin ice spread across the area.
The ice darkened. Lin Zhong drove his War Spear into it. The sharp tip pierced easily. He gripped the spear and heaved upward.
A massive ice slab tore free.
At the dock, Charlotte’s eyes nearly popped out. What was that?
“Hey! Cthulhu! Where are you? Let me pick on you a bit!”
Lin Zhong grinned, jabbing the ice repeatedly. As slabs broke free, they melted instantly. Fish of all kinds tumbled into the fissure.
Unlucky fish smashed onto other ice patches, reduced to bloody pulp.
The dungeon system had seen enough. On Lin Zhong’s fifth stab, a prompt appeared.
【Dungeon Instance ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ completed. Calculating rewards.】
“Huh?”
Lin Zhong’s smile froze at the message. Far off, Aester tightened her black robe and slipped away.
“Saw some interesting things.”
Charlotte exhaled in relief, then felt excitement surge. S-rank rewards made him swallow hard. Rewards beyond his wildest dreams.
But Lin Zhong’s expression soured.
“What joke is this? Where’s Cthulhu? Dagon or Hydra would do! No BOSS in a dungeon?!”
His protests couldn’t sway the system’s verdict.
【The Shadow over Innsmouth, multiplayer instance, Difficulty S】
【Personal Rating: S. Credits earned: 200,000. Total credits: 200,000】
【Item obtained: Deep Diver’s Hunting Spear (Rare)】
【Item obtained: Call of Cthulhu (S)】
【Bounty: 0 credits – 300,000 credits】
【Title generated: White Reaper】
【Student ID: Lin Zhong. Anonymous system failed.】
Lin Zhong tried to speak, but the system silenced him. Anonymous failure had two causes:
1. Too many players in the instance.
2. An inactive account returning after long absence.
Sadly, Lin Zhong met both. His poor campus reputation meant no one warned him. He wouldn’t have entered otherwise.
“200,000 credits!”
The huge sum made Charlotte gasp. He’d imagined S-rank rewards.
But 200k credits plus a rare dungeon weapon? This was insane…
Unlike Lin Zhong, Charlotte—who’d been dragged along as an audience—got an F rating. Credits were split, but loot wasn’t.
Lin Zhong received the Hunting Spear. Charlotte got the Deep Diver’s Hook.
His credits jumped from 50,000 to 100,000. He’d risen from low-mid tier to mid-tier.
“Oh right, he…”
Charlotte noticed Lin Zhong’s grim face. He fumbled out his phone, checking the bounty board for Lin Zhong’s name.
White Reaper Lin Zhong. Bounty: 300,000 credits.
The listing showed a side profile. White hair obscured most of his face. Only fiery crimson eyes glared this way.
That 300,000 bounty…
Charlotte gasped again. 300k meant high-tier status, especially with a title. Bounties encouraged student PK.
But Lin Zhong’s unpopularity would draw hunters.
White Reaper.
Charlotte silently repeated the title. It fit Lin Zhong perfectly.
Beautiful white hair. A reaper harvesting enemies on the field.
“Crap. Su Han and Mom will be furious.”
Lin Zhong clutched his head in distress. He’d planned to vent anonymously in a dungeon. Who knew the system would fail?
Su Han was fiercely protective. Even low-tier runs worried her. If she learned about this high-tier raid…
Remembering her delicate face and bright smile, Lin Zhong shuddered.
Loss. Massive loss!
The dungeon was fun, but missing the BOSS halved its value.
Lin Zhong sought catharsis, not rewards. Tearing paper was satisfying, but nothing beat pounding a giant sandbag. Plus, he’d face Su Han’s wrath.
Total rip-off. No BOSS? What did that even mean?
【Confirmation complete. Returning to town.】
