A Brief Respite

Before Eric could respond, Alexander dashed swiftly out of the haunted house, seamlessly blending into the frolicsome crowd of classmates. Only when Eric pursued him did he manage to obtain a satisfactory stamp from Alexander's hand.

"Only one event remains," Eric mustered his resolve. "Frank, which attraction would you like to try?"

Expecting a complicated request, Eric was surprised when Frank simply said, "Teacher, I want to ride the bumper cars!"

"Bumper cars can be found anywhere. What's so exciting about them?"

"I haven't played bumper cars since elementary school—that's for children."

Frank ran his fingers through his hair. "But I like them. Here, the bumper cars are shaped like dinosaurs, and I've long wished to try them."

"Very well, then bumper cars it is," Eric nodded in agreement.

As Frank had described, the bumper cars were fashioned in exquisite dinosaur designs, strikingly lifelike. Frank chose the most imposing model—the Tyrannosaurus rex—and invited Eric to join him.

The amusement park's bumper car arena was far from monotonous. A large area was transformed to resemble a forest, complete with hills, plains, swamps, and lakes.

Frank took the driver's seat while Eric sat beside him.

"Teacher White, are you ready?"

"Yes, ready."

"Then let the grand adventure of Dinosaur Forest commence!"

The bumper cars entered the field. Frank's spirits were high as he collided playfully with his classmates, laughter radiating all around. Eric remained vigilant, yet curiously, no accidents occurred throughout. When their time concluded and staff guided them back to the parking area, Frank stamped her card, leaving Eric feeling as though it were all a dream.

"I've always wanted to ride a dinosaur bumper car," Frank said reluctantly, glancing back and waving, "Goodbye, T-Rex."

Eric studied the seven red fingerprints on the paper and exhaled deeply.

It was finished—she had accomplished it!

Escorting the students from the park, the school bus was still waiting. Many students had already boarded—twenty-one in total—with not a single player among them.

Three players were missing.

Quietly, she found a seat and closed her eyes to rest.

Her body ached unbearably. The bloodied hole in her neck had been crudely wrapped with a bandage and glutinous rice, while the scratches on her back remained untreated for the time being.

Her body was in pain, and her spirit utterly exhausted. This mission had drained her both physically and mentally. No wonder Jessica had said upon entering the dungeon that she needed half a month's rest after completing a supernatural quest. Though Eric had recently resolved to complete one such quest each day, after the first she already knew the next day—and perhaps the day after—would be impossible.

She needed a respite.

Subsequently, the other three players returned, leading groups of elementary school children. Their conditions resembled Eric's—half-dead and debilitated.

The driver, silent as a ghost, started the engine. After traveling some fifty meters, a glowing circle appeared on the road. The moment the bus passed over it, Eric was transported back to the Stone Pillar Forest.

[Player Eric has completed the supernatural quest: Elementary School Graduation Outing, earning 44 points.]

Upon returning, Eric promptly used 22 points to purchase a supernatural healing kit. Upon application, all her wounds vanished completely; her skin renewed as if the cold aura that clung to her flesh and bone like a parasitic worm had dissipated without a trace.

She felt truly alive once more. Touching her neck, she still harbored faint trepidation.

Slowly stepping out of the quest hall, Eric encountered another player who had just completed the same dungeon. They exchanged a nod before departing separately.

Back at the hotel, Eric had no appetite whatsoever. Though her physical injuries had healed, the psychological scars inflicted during the quest were not so easily cured. She hastily took a hot shower, then collapsed into bed.

She slept soundly until after 5 p.m., waking only to have dinner.

Her hunger remained faint; she ate just one bowl of spicy pickled cabbage and beef instant noodles. The pungent, flavorful snack stimulated her taste buds, alleviating any nausea or discomfort she might have felt.

After dinner, she opened the window and gazed out at the crowd below, watching until nightfall at 6 p.m., when darkness cloaked the streets entirely. Yet she did not close the window immediately, remaining lost in contemplation as she stared into the enveloping night.

Every evening as six o'clock approached, the streets invariably became host to uncanny, indefinable presences. Tonight, Eric discerned a blurred silhouette of a bus; after the red tail lights faded into the distance, an eerie laughter echoed around her. Within that laughter, she seemed to glimpse a child crossing the street, wearing a hat adorned with a butterfly bow— 

Startled, Eric straightened abruptly. Just as she prepared to focus on the apparition, the child's figure bounded away, skipping toward the horizon.

Within the Quest Hall, amidst the familiar Stone Pillar Forest dungeon, Kevin began his fourth mission of the day, stepping carefully into the instance.

David the wild man, who had been foraging for fruit in the forest, was suddenly teleported to the starting point of the glass walkway. The fruit in his hands vanished, leaving him momentarily stunned. Upon seeing Kevin, realization dawned sluggishly: "Heavens! The dungeon has reset! It's restarted! Hahaha!"

Kevin, surprised to encounter a trapped unfortunate soul, inquired, "How long have you been stuck here?"

"Seven months! Seven months and eight days!" David wept tears of joy.

"Well, give it your best shot this time," Kevin encouraged with a smile.

"This time, I will escape for sure!" David wiped away his tears.

Kevin's gaze fell on the kitchen knife secured to David's waist with a vine. "What's the story with that cleaver?"

David paused, glancing at the battered blade at his hip. He recalled the young woman who had given it to him—her features now forgotten save for a vague memory of grotesque deformities upon her face.

That player must have been cheating.

Without that knife, those seven months would have been even more harrowing.

"I found it down below. Maybe an NPC dropped it." He said no more, turning away from Kevin to begin chopping branches from a nearby tree, intending to fashion them into a makeshift pathfinder.

Kevin pondered silently but chose not to pry into the other's plight. Seeing David busily working, he followed suit and joined the seasoned trapped player.

When the other players eventually arrived and NPCs handed out chicken wings, David warned gravely, "Make sure you keep your wings safe. Without them, you won't get a ticket at the end of the walkway." He smiled wryly. "Believe it or not, I got trapped here because I lost mine."

With that, he was the first to stride onto the glass walkway, Kevin quick to follow.

[Player David has completed the ordinary dungeon: Glass Walkway, earning 4 points.]

Back in the Stone Pillar Forest, David broke down in tears—each sob a blend of sorrow and joy.

Night still held sway; the Quest Hall would not open until dawn.

Only two had survived that dungeon run. Kevin beckoned, "Let's rest in the hall."

Together, they dozed until daylight, when the hall reopened. David bade Kevin farewell, his tattered body making its way to the clothing store to purchase the cheapest athletic wear and shoes, then to a restaurant for a bowl of egg-fried rice.

Having been trapped for seven months, returning to the transit station felt surreal for David—though in reality, only two days had passed since his imprisonment.

His monthly room at the inn had not yet expired. After eating, David returned to the inn and brushed past a young woman at the doorstep.

Eric's stride faltered slightly. She recognized David, though he evidently did not recognize her. Touching her face, now fully healed, a faint smile curved her lips before she continued on.

Today, she resolved to undertake an ordinary dungeon.

Entering the Quest Hall, she saw Kevin just re-entering after finishing his meal. Neither recognized the other—the once unkempt Kevin nor the monkey-like Eric. They passed by silently, one entering the ordinary dungeon's gate, the other stepping through the portal to the supernatural realm, each setting forth upon the path of resurrection.

Upon crossing the glowing threshold, Eric found herself in a dim, derelict alley.

The narrow lane reeked of refuse, with the nearest streetlamp over fifty meters away.

She lingered a moment, but no other players appeared, leading Eric to surmise that this instance dispersed participants separately.

Uncertain of the dungeon's nature, she decided to investigate further.

Carefully, she ventured beyond the alley's mouth. Though night had fallen, activity remained livelier nearer the streets. She did not rush out but waited, anticipating the onset of the dungeon's challenge.

Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Nothing transpired.

Such tranquility defied expectation, sharpening Eric's vigilance.

As night deepened, pedestrians thinned and vanished entirely, prompting Eric to leave the shadowed alley. Before stepping out, she pulled up the hood of her tracksuit, hands tucked into pockets, and edged along the wall.

The surroundings were squalid—aged electric poles tangled with looping, knotted wires; three-story buildings flanked the street, their weathered facades revealed beneath the scant streetlight glow.

Shops in the old district were shuttered for the night. Eric avoided the unlit zones, advancing cautiously, alert for any sudden ambush by zombies or other fiends.

But no creatures emerged.

This indicated that the threat to evade in this dungeon was not a monster, virus, or calamity.

What, then, was it?

The more she sought answers, the more bewildered she became.

Everything appeared unnervingly normal—too normal. Simply an ordinary old town.

After wandering deep into the night, Eric realized wandering aimlessly was futile. She resolved to find a temporary refuge.

After some searching, she discovered an abandoned house in the old district. No need for lockpicking—she climbed to the roof and entered via the balcony. A battered wooden door stood ajar; she need only step through a broken panel to enter.

Inside, an oppressive stench of long-uninhabited decay hung heavy. The air was rank and thick with dust. She dampened a towel to cover her nose and mouth, then switched her flashlight to its dimmest setting and inspected the premises.

The house was utterly secure.

Extinguishing the light, Eric ascended a wooden ladder to the attic, seating herself on the floor to rest.

She had to wait and see what dawn would bring.