Chapter 63 The Final Silence

When the sun pierced through the clouds on the sixth day and shone on this seemingly fairytale-like but actually cruel town, the surviving players could hardly find any ease on their faces.

The pressure of funding hangs like a sword of Damocles overhead, and last night's even fiercer attack made everyone realize that the last two days and one night will not be peaceful.

The noise in the arena seemed never to stop.

Ji Changyu stood on the sidelines, looking at the newly posted Extreme Mission with an astonishingly high reward on the bulletin board, his eyes burning with the resolute determination unique to gamblers.

【Ultimate Trial in the Arena】: Defeat the hidden guardian of the arena, the "Lava Colossus".

The winner will receive a huge prize of 8,000 yuan and a special item, the [Dice of Fate]. (Warning: The Colossus possesses overwhelming strength and defense; the challenger's survival rate is extremely low.)

With 8,000 yuan, plus any special items that might be available, he could easily reach his funding goal and even have a large surplus.

But the words "extremely low survival rate" in bright red extinguished some of his fervor, like ice water.

Ji Changyu roughly estimated that, based on his own strength, his chances of winning in a head-on confrontation were only 40%, or even lower.

He needs allies, he needs someone to share the pressure and create opportunities for him.

Ji Changyu found Elena and Han Chunhua, shared the mission information with them, and exaggerated the generous rewards that would follow if successful.

"Your Excellency, Miss Han, this is our last chance. If we can secure this mission, all our funding problems will be solved. That [Dice of Fate] sounds extraordinary!" Ji Changyu's voice was seductive.

"With the protection of the Holy Light, Miss Han's...unexpected abilities, and my probability correction, we have a chance."

A hint of weighing the options flashed in Elena's turquoise eyes. The team reward of 8,000 yuan was quite considerable even if split among the three of them, not to mention the unknown props.

But there are risks... She looked at Han Chunhua, the girl who had just acquired terrifying power and whose condition was not stable.

Han Chunhua bit her lip, her face still showing traces of the paleness and confusion from last night, but upon hearing "last chance" and "funding issues," she nodded forcefully: "I...I'll give it a try."

Ultimately, the desire for funds outweighed the fear of risk, and the temporary alliance was formed once again.

Deep within the arena, the original arena sank in, replaced by a huge stone platform covered with magma patterns.

A colossal statue, nearly five meters tall and made of dark red rock, slowly rose up. It had no facial features, only a huge, slowly rotating lava core on its chest radiating terrifying high temperatures and energy fluctuations.

The battle immediately turned into hell mode.

The lava colossus didn't even need to move; it simply raised its massive foot and slammed it down!

"boom--!!!"

The entire arena trembled, and shockwaves carrying debris and scorching heat swept outwards.

Elena immediately erected a holy light shield, enveloping the three of them, but the shield flickered violently under the impact, and her face paled instantly.

As the impact approached, Ji Changyu frantically activated his supernatural ability: 'Probability of avoiding core damage increased.'

An invisible thread was pulled, and although the three were shaken and their blood surged, they did manage to avoid the most fatal center of the stampede.

"No! Its defense is too strong; normal attacks are completely ineffective!" Ji Changyu tried to modify the probability of "attacks penetrating defenses," but he felt as if his mental energy had hit an invisible wall, consuming a lot of energy but yielding very little result.

The colossus's "size" and "rule weight" are too high.

The core of the lava colossus's chest shone brightly, and dozens of lava fireballs shot out like meteors, covering the entire stone platform.

"Holy Light, Barrier." Elena slammed her staff on the ground, and holy light condensed into a huge wall of light.

The fireball struck the light wall, producing a series of explosions. The light wall trembled violently, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Elena's mouth, clearly indicating that she was barely holding on.

Han Chunhua tried to summon thorns to entwine the giant's legs, but the tough thorns withered and carbonized quickly when they came into contact with the high temperature of the giant's body, and could not form an effective restraint at all.

Ji Changyu's eyes were bloodshot; he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

"Create an opportunity for me, get close to its core!" he roared at Elena and Han Chunhua. Then, no longer cautiously adjusting the probabilities, he poured all his mental energy into his supernatural ability, aiming for only one goal—

'The probability of my next attack accurately hitting and severely damaging its lava core... has been increased from 40%... to 85%!!'

"puff--!"

The immense mental strain and the backlash from forcibly leveraging high-probability events caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned ashen, his brain felt like it was being stabbed by countless needles, and his vision blurred.

But he succeeded.

In that instant, Ji Changyu felt that a certain “inevitability” had been forcibly distorted and destined.

"Now!" Ji Changyu roared hoarsely, the short blade in his hand gleaming with an unprecedented cold light. His figure was like a ghost, following a trajectory that seemed impossible yet was as if guided by fate, ignoring the attacking lava tentacles and flying sparks, and thrusting straight at the rotating core of the colossus's chest.

At the same time, Elena bit her tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood onto her staff. The Holy Light Barrier shone brightly, managing to withstand another wave of lava fireballs and buying Ji Changyu that crucial second.

Han Chunhua watched Ji Changyu's resolute back and the blood he spat out. She gritted her teeth and concentrated all her strength, not attacking the colossus's hard shell, but aiming at the inside of one of the colossus's lava arms that was about to swing at Ji Changyu.

"open!"

Pale golden thorn flowers bloomed once again, from the inside out, at the joint of the lava arm.

Although it cannot completely stop the arm's movement, it causes a fatal delay and deviation in its swing.

It's this tiny deviation.

"laugh--!"

Ji Changyu's short blade, carrying all his strength and the "inevitability" that had been forcibly increased to 85%, pierced the lava core with unparalleled precision.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The massive body of the lava colossus suddenly stiffened, and the lava core in its chest emitted a cracking sound as it could no longer bear the weight, with blinding red light shooting out from the cracks.

"Boom—!!!"

A tremendous explosion rang out, and the lava giant completely disintegrated, turning into countless scorching fragments and overflowing streams of energy.

Ji Changyu was thrown away by the shockwave of the explosion and crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood, his consciousness almost blurred.

Elena and Han Chunhua were also affected and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

But they are all alive.

The arena fell into dead silence, followed by a system notification:

Challenge successful! The team has received an 8000 RMB reward and a special item, the [Dice of Fate].

A small, unassuming die, yet subtly emanating an eerie aura, landed beside Ji Changyu.

[Fate Dice (One-Time Use)]: After rolling, it can greatly change the probability of the outcome of an event. The effect is amazing, but the side effects are unknown. Please use with caution.

Ji Changyu struggled to pick up the dice and the money he had been dealt. Looking at the "unknown side effects" message, his face showed a complex mix of gambler's elation and exhaustion after winning a life-or-death game.

He won the gamble, but at a price... Ji Changyu felt a chill run down his spine as he experienced his nearly depleted mental energy and internal injuries.

Ji Changyu's live stream room cheered for this crazy gambler:

"Holy crap! We won! We really won!"

"85% probability, Ji Changyu is really crazy."

"He vomited blood; the backlash seems quite severe."

"【The Dice of Fate】, that sounds pretty awesome."

"The side effects are unknown... It feels like a double-edged sword."

Compared to the thrilling events on Ji Changyu's side, the sixth day of Gu Yunqing's alliance was orderly, and could even be described as leisurely.

With Gu Yunqing's precise planning, Jun Xiangbei's strong execution, Wu Jueji's stable front-line capabilities, and the occasional crucial assistance from the Silent Monk, they successively won several highly difficult tasks that had been selected.

Clear out the mutated water ghosts lurking deep in the sewers (reward 1500 yuan), wipe out the bloodthirsty wolf king and his pack in the mountains east of the town (reward 1800 yuan), and there's even a hidden mission to explore ancient ruins and repair the broken formation (reward 2200 yuan + a rare formation material).

Their funds grew rapidly, like a snowball rolling downhill.

As the sun began to set on the sixth day, Gu Yunqing glanced at her personal panel.

[Funds: 11,350/7,000] (Over-fulfilled)

Jun Xiangbei's funds also far exceeded the target.

They even had the extra money to buy some practical supplies from the town's general store.

The pressure seems to have shifted away from them.

But Gu Yunqing did not let his guard down. He stood in front of the sturdy house, looking in the direction of the town center.

The town mayor NPC appeared again this afternoon, still with that kind and smiling demeanor, going from house to house asking "Are you settling in well?" and "Are you having any difficulties?"

But as they passed Gu Yunqing's thatched hut, the town mayor's cloudy yet shrewd eyes lingered on Gu Yunqing and Jun Xiangbei for a moment, and he said meaningfully:

"Young man, you're quite capable... you've saved up enough 'settlement allowance' so quickly. However, our town values ​​'stability' and 'aesthetics' the most. On this last 'celebration day,' I hope everyone will follow the rules so that everyone can have a happy ending."

"Carnival Day?" Gu Yunqing caught the key word and showed just the right amount of confusion on her face.

The town mayor chuckled, offered no explanation, and slowly walked away, leaning on his cane, leaving behind a cryptic silhouette.

"The final test..." Jun Xiangbei walked to Gu Yunqing's side, his voice low, "It seems that saving up enough money only gets you an admission ticket."

Gu Yunqing nodded, her gaze sharp: "'Carnival Day,' 'follow the rules'... it doesn't sound like we're supposed to spend our last night peacefully."

On the evening of the sixth day, the atmosphere in the entire town reached an eerie tipping point.

The players, whose financial pressure had eased, did not feel relaxed. Instead, they became more vigilant due to the mayor's vague hints and speculation about the unknown "Carnival Day."

An invisible tension permeated the air of the small town.

Everyone understands that the calm is just an illusion.

The seventh day, the so-called "Carnival Day," is when this fairytale town instance truly reveals its fangs.

Gu Yunqing returned to the room and looked at Wu Jueji, who was still "sleeping" in the corner, then at Jun Xiangbei, whose face was calm but whose eyes were focused, and the silent monk who was silently wiping his Buddhist beads.

His mind raced, calculating all the possibilities.

The final storm is approaching. The cards he holds, and... the temporarily reliable "allies" around him, will determine whether he can emerge as the ultimate winner in this storm.

No, it's not just about the winners.

He also wanted to use this to completely stir up Jun Xiangbei's frozen heart, to make him see and feel more in this "carnival," until... he could never return to his original tranquility.

Night fell once more.

This is the calm before the storm.