"Oh~" The expressions on everyone's faces became meaningful.
The sensation of this touch crawling on their bodies sounded a bit unsettling, but when applied to the expressionless Yin Xiu, it inexplicably gave them the feeling of provoking a powerful figure. Not daring to offend him easily, they quickly shook their heads and stopped thinking about it.
"You look much better now than before." Auntie sat by the fire, staring at Yin Xiu. The firelight outlined her pale face, making her look both eerie and gentle.
"What do you mean?" Yin Xiu sat down beside her and took a sip of soup. She was the first kind acquaintance he had met in the dungeon who was very gentle with him. In a dungeon where many monsters would run away at the sight of him, it was not easy to sit down and chat with a monster like this.
"It refers to your state and the changes around you. You don't seem so aloof anymore, you have good friends, and many people are willing to chat with you."
Auntie smiled and squinted her eyes, "Even though it's the same dungeon, because of your changes, what you gained in the dungeon six years ago is different from what you have now."
Yin Xiu gazed calmly into the distance. "I suppose so."
Six years ago, it would have been impossible for him to be in a dilapidated school floating on the sea, chatting with monsters, sitting with the townspeople, and watching his monster friend fight with his sister.
Yin Xiu cannot stay the same as before forever.
After it got completely dark, the atmosphere on the sea became a bit cold, the sky was full of stars, and the sea shimmered.
Some of the town's residents went to sleep, while others stayed behind to keep watch in case of any unforeseen events.
Yin Xiu held Ya Ya and sat by the fire, braiding her hair again. Li Mo sat beside her, staring at Ya Ya without saying a word, regretting that she hadn't grown her hair long.
If it were his true form, perhaps he could make Yin Xiu… but that won't work either, it's too big.
While I was lost in thought, I saw Ya Ya excitedly grabbing her two newly braided braids and running off to ask the people in the town who were still awake if they looked good.
Yin Xiu was sitting a little off to the side. After Ya Ya left, only he and Li Mo were left. Li Mo immediately and naturally got up and sat down next to Yin Xiu.
As soon as he sat down, Yin Xiu tilted his head and leaned closer. "Where's the coffin? I want to rest for a bit."
"In my mouth," Li Mo replied with a smile, glancing at the many people around him out of the corner of his eye. "But it's not convenient to take it out here."
Once its true form is revealed, it might affect many people instantly; after all, everyone in the town is here.
"Never mind then, I'll just lean against this for a while," Yin Xiu replied lazily, closing his eyes.
Those eyes that would still gaze at him even when he was asleep would have given others the creeps and kept them awake, but Yin Xiu found them just right.
In a dangerous environment, having a pair of trustworthy eyes constantly watching you means that nothing has changed around you, and as long as their gaze doesn't disappear, it's a sign of safety.
He was able to fall asleep under such gaze.
The night was passing by, and Yin Xiu took a rare short nap, preparing to wake up to the morning sun. However, he was eventually awakened by the announcement that the dungeon was over.
[Congratulations to the player for clearing the dungeon: Deep Sea Summoning]
[This dungeon clear rating: Four stars.]
[Rating Analysis:]
Seven days of classes completed, one star.
I get along well with my classmates, one star.
No students died. One star.
Remain in human form, one star.
Learn the full background of Deep Sea Academy, one star.
[None of the players who achieved a 5-star first clear.]
[Customs clearance conditions:]
Upon graduation, please leave the instance in a manner befitting a human being.
Don't kill the original you when you leave.
Hidden condition: Understand the background of Deep Sea Academy.
As soon as the dungeon announcement sounded, Yin Xiu opened his eyes and found a bunch of tentacles blocking his sunlight, while other players were muttering in the distance, the veterans lecturing the newcomers.
"Leaving the copy in human form means keeping the body normal."
"When you leave, don't kill the original you. This refers to your mind and cognition. You need to ensure that you still believe you are human. You see, some people go crazy not long after completing the game. That's because they have psychological problems."
"Oh, I get it. In the end, I'll just leave the instance as a complete human."
Yin Xiu pushed aside the tentacles in front of him, squinted at the blinding sunlight, and saw Li Mo sitting on his left and Ya Ya lying on his right leg, a very harmonious scene.
The copy notifications continued to ring.
[Player Yin Xiu, four-star clear of the special dungeon: Deep Sea Summoning.]
[Base reward 0, instance assets +0, current total assets 500031.]
As soon as the reward announcement was released, players erupted in anger, exclaiming, "Why isn't there any reward at all! That's so stingy!!"
"Did a lot of unexpected things happen to this dungeon? Is the dungeon ruined and no rewards will be given?"
"So stingy! So stingy! All you did was ruin the dungeon!"
"Is it possible that the instance was already acting strangely when we entered it halfway through?"
The players were grumbling and cursing, but the exit gate from the dungeon had already appeared. Whether they liked it or not, this was the outcome.
"Brother Xiu, are you awake? Let's go!" A player called out to Yin Xiu from afar. Most of the players were packing up their things to leave the dungeon. If they hadn't been pulled into the dungeon by the dungeon boss, they would still be sleeping in the town.
The players' noise woke Ya Ya. She rubbed her eyes, looked up, and asked sleepily, "Brother, are we leaving?"
Ya Ya and Li Mo cannot appear in the town. Yin Xiu's departure means that they must now separate.
"Mm." Yin Xiu patted Ya Ya's head. "I'll be back in the dungeon soon to see you all."
"Okay!" Ya Ya smiled and obediently got up.
Li Mo leaned in and nuzzled Yin Xiu again before reluctantly separating.
As players continued to leave, only Yin Xiu remained in the dilapidated school.
He stood in front of the door and looked back once.
Ya Ya, Li Mo, Auntie, and the teacher were still standing there watching him.
They were all non-human beings, not a single one of them was human, but Yin Xiu didn't care about that; beneath their strange appearances lay souls.
He waved, turned and stepped into the room, and with a beep, the instance closed.
When the town's eeries heard the announcement that the dungeon had ended, they were shocked to see the players returning to town one after another. How could all of them have returned without missing a single one of them in such a chaotic situation?
Since they stopped streaming the second half, they couldn't see what happened inside the instance, but given how dangerous the situation was, it's hard to believe that most of them would have survived.
In the bustling square, the players happily passed under the statue of the Night Goddess and returned to their homes one by one.
The crowd was dense, just as usual.
The Night Goddess stared intently at them, watching everyone who walked past her, until she finally noticed them.
The players are back, but one of the most important people is missing.