"He already cleared all the instances, didn't he? Why is he still here after six years?"
"Which instance did he enter this time?"
"Monster Town."
"Phew, at least it's not my instance."
"But what do we do this time? He slaughtered his way through every previous instance and even carried all the other players from Monster Town, letting them breeze through and escape. We can't let him do that again, can we?"
"We have no choice but to increase the difficulty! First, apply to change the rules—make it so he can't harm the Monstrosities."
"What about the Monstrosities already in this instance...?"
"Replace them! Bring in new ones that don't know Yin Xiu!"
"Fine. That's our only option."
After the hushed discussion, the instance officially began.
The player information displayed on the large screen slowly faded away as the darkness receded, revealing the scene.
In the town square, a dense crowd of shadowy figures gathered beneath the massive projection screen. Even the Night Goddess crouched among them, watching with displeasure. Inside the houses of Monster Town, countless Players abandoned sleep to huddle in front of their TVs, tuning in to the live broadcast of the instance.
The instance had barely started, yet the chat was already flooded with messages.
"Am I seeing this right? Is that Yin Xiu in the instance??"
"It's him. I live in the same alley as him. There was a huge commotion earlier—something must've happened tonight."
"This feels like a dream... I never thought I'd see Yin Xiu inside an instance..."
"People say he's insanely strong, but I always thought they were exaggerating. Now that he's finally in an instance, I'll see for myself just how good he really is."
"I also think most of it's just hype, but there's no denying the guy's not normal."
"The other Players from Monster Town in this instance have woken up too. Let's see how this plays out."
"I've cleared this instance before. It's a beginner survival one—not too hard."
"Yin Xiu is starting with a beginner instance... So he really never entered one before?"
"Did you miss the player info earlier? Yin Xiu's already cleared everything."
"Seriously???"
Amid the chaotic flood of messages, Yin Xiu slowly opened his eyes.
"Back again..." he muttered under his breath, sitting up on the bed. He rubbed his temples wearily before finally lifting his gaze to survey his surroundings.
This appeared to be a woman's room, though he had no clear memory of it. Then, the instance's introductory prompt echoed in his mind:
"Instance Theme: The Monsters of the Town."
"A happy little girl moves with her mother into Monster Town, where her grandmother lives. The girl's mother must leave home for three days. In this town teeming with Monsters, you must help the poor little girl survive alone for three days until her mother returns."
"Her room may hold some dangers. You must follow the instructions left by her mother to ensure her survival—and always be wary of the Monsters around you."
Once the voice faded, Yin Xiu tried to recall details about this instance, but it had been too long. His memories were hazy and unhelpful.
"Guess I'll look around first." With a sigh, he got up and opened the bedroom door.
The room was sparsely furnished, with belongings suggesting only an adult woman and a child lived here—matching the background info. Since the mother was away, there had to be a little girl somewhere in the house.
Yin Xiu wasn't in a hurry to search. He wandered around the living room and noticed two notes on the table.
One was written in the familiar black standard font, while the other was handwritten.
The black standard font contained survival rules familiar to all Players.
[Instance Survival Rule 1: Do not let the Little Girl see the rules inside the Instance.]
Just as Yin Xiu read this information, another door in the living room opened.
A Little Girl in a red dress, clutching a rabbit plushie, peeked out from the room. She looked at Yin Xiu with innocent confusion on her youthful face. "Are you the person Mommy found to take care of me?"
"Mm." Yin Xiu responded lazily, ignoring the Little Girl as he continued reading.
[Instance Survival Rule 2: Do not refuse any request spoken by the Little Girl.]
"Big brother." The Little Girl in the red dress had somehow appeared beside Yin Xiu. She tugged at his clothes, smiling sweetly. "What are you reading? Is it the note Mommy left for me? Can I see what Mommy wrote?"
The moment she spoke, a piercing, blood-curdling scream erupted from the neighboring room, sending chills down everyone's spine.
Yin Xiu stared expressionlessly at the Little Girl while glancing at the two notes in his hand-one was the Instance rules, and the other was indeed Mommy's note, but it also contained rules—rules for surviving at home.
Not letting her see the rules inside the Instance meant she couldn't see any rules at all, including Mommy's note.
But he also couldn't refuse the Little Girl's spoken request...
Yin Xiu seemed to understand now where the screams from the neighboring room had come from.
"Big brother, just let me see~" The Little Girl curved into an eerie smile, her innocent face pleading for the rules in his hands.
To give or not to give—both seemed like choices leading to death.
Now, not only was Yin Xiu silent, but even the Players outside the screen fell into stunned silence.
"Did you see what just happened in the neighboring room?"
"Yeah... the Little Girl's head instantly turned into a Monster and bit off that guy's limbs."
"Holy shit, my hands and feet are ice-cold. How is this Instance different from the ones I've been in before? It's deadly right from the start?!"
"I thought this was a beginner Instance? It wasn't this hard before! What's going on?"
"You call this a beginner Instance? If I'd gotten this when I was new, I'd be dead like that Player in the room next to Yin Xiu!"
"Stuck between a rock and a hard place right from the start. The Players in other rooms are frozen—now it's up to Yin Xiu to get through this. I think even he's doomed, right?"
All eyes were fixed on Yin Xiu inside the Instance.
His face remained cold. After a few seconds of silence, he reached out and patted the Little Girl's head. Though he tried to appear gentle, his indifferent expression betrayed no warmth as he said flatly, "Don't rush. I'll let you see after I finish reading."
"Hmm..." The Little Girl's face twisted in conflict.
After a few seconds of thought, she reluctantly nodded. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed to see—just that she'd have to wait a little longer. That didn't count as a refusal.
"Good." Yin Xiu placated her half-heartedly before lifting her onto the sofa. "Sit here and play for a while."
He leaned back on the living room sofa, reviewing the rules, while the Little Girl sat obediently beside him, fiddling with her doll. The scene looked harmonious, with no trace of the earlier sense of danger.
Live comments expressed surprise: "Is this even allowed?"
"Well, it's not impossible, but he's so calm... How is he not scared at all?"
"Right? Returning to the Instance feels like coming home for him..."
"Maybe he just doesn't realize the Little Girl is also a vicious Monster."
The live comments buzzed with confusion.
Watching Yin Xiu and then glancing at the bloody scene in the neighboring room made it hard to believe this was the same Instance.
After comforting the Little Girl, Yin Xiu continued reading the note.
[Instance Survival Rules:
3. Assist the Little Girl in following her mother's instructions on the note.
4. Do not give the Little Girl any weapons.
5. Do not open the door for anyone outside, and conceal the Little Girl's presence.
6. Stay in your own room at night. Do not go to the living room, and do not let it find you.
7. If you sense something has entered your room, immediately call out loudly for your roommate to come to you. Stay together until dawn.]
Yin Xiu tilted his head slightly. Regardless of what "it" referred to in Rule 6, Rule 7 mentioned a roommate—meaning he must have one, right?
Rules were absolute. If the town's rules included an offering to the Night Goddess, then the Night Goddess had to exist. If the Instance rules stated he had a roommate, then he definitely had one.
As if answering his thoughts, the other door in the living room suddenly clicked open, and someone Yin Xiu never expected stepped out.