Instances appeared before Noah.
There was only one Advancement Instance, but its interface was grayed out and unselectable.
As for Trial Instances, there was a total of ten zero level options. After briefly reviewing them, Noah chose one.
A notification rang out.
[You have selected the trial Instance : Blood Battle Miller Family Fortress]
[Required Players : Five]
[Proceed with matchmaking?]
Zero level instances were all five player instances. On could either enter as a pre-formed team or match randomly.
"Match."
[Matching... Match successful. Entering instance shortly.]
[Ten... Nine...]
The matchmaking process was extremely fast, completing in less than a minute,clear proof that countless people around the world were entering instances at the same time.
When the countdown ended, a beam of light descended and enveloped Noah. As the light faded, his figure vanished.
[Trial Instance : Blood Battle Miller Family Fortress]
[Level : Zero]
[Difficulty : Ordinary]
[Mission Objective : Survive unit dawn]
[Background : As a first rate power in the southern martial arts world, Miller Family Fortress stands in awe. Its master, Leo Miller, has lived an upright life, hating evil as if it were fire. Countless villains and criminals have fallen by his blade.
However, as righteousness declines and the demonic path rises, an enemy who once escaped Leo's sword twenty years ago had returned. Having mastered demonic arts, he now seeks revenge, vowing to slaughter the entire Miller Family Fortress.]
A flood of information poured into Noah's mind, allowing him to quickly grasp the instance's background.
Including Noah, there were five people in total.
They appeared inside a living room, surrounded by a translucent light barrier. Beyond it, the scenery was frozen in place.
On the barrier, a large number continuously ticked down, 59,58,57...
Clearly, this was their preparation time upon entering the instance. One full minute.
Noah's gaze swept across the room, and his expression immediately turned serious.
The living room was in disarray, littered with traces of battle. About five meters away, a corpse lay sprawled on the floor, blood steadily seeping from its chest.
Danger.
Noah's alertness shot to its peak.
Combined with the background information, its was obvious, the demonic cultivator had likely already begun his massacre. Their only task was to survive until dawn.
Noah glanced outside.
Dawn was still far away.
"Wow, this feels so real! Did we enter the instance with out actual bodies?" a discordant voice suddenly broke the heavy atmosphere.
"Are you treating this like a game?" someone replied casually. "Of course you enter with your real body."
Noah turned his head to examine his teammates.
The four other, three men and one woman, were all young. At this moment, they looked like tourists visiting a scenic attraction for the first time, gazing around with excitement and curiosity, showing not the slightest trace of tension.
Noah could understand their reaction.
Instances had only just appeared, and everything was still new to everyone. moreover, dying in an instance didn't mean true death, it only meant failing the instance and being forcibly ejected.
That was also why matchmaking could succeed in less than a minute.
Of Course, there was price.
The price was loss of a revival attempt.
Each person has a total of ten Instance revivals. Once all were used up, dying again would mean true death.
Since there was no immediate life or death threat, everyone's mindset was naturally relaxed. Coupled with this being their first time entering an instance, many people treated it more like sightseeing than survival.
"Alright, alright," a spectacled young man who looked sharp and capable adjusted his glasses and spoke up. "Since there's no strategy guide, we should be careful. Let's discuss out plan first."
"Who are you?" a yellow haired youth, about sixteen or seventeen, replied with a rebellious expression. "Why should we listen to you?"
"I said we should discuss," the spectacled youth replied calmly. "If you don't agree, you're free not to participate."
"Let me explain my reasoning first."
"This mission of this instance is to survive until dawn. That alone tells us the villain's strength is far beyond ours. Directly fighting him head on would normally be suicide."
"At first glance, the safest choice would be to hid."
"But that's a trap."
"If we scatter and hide individually, it's just slow suicide. Once anyone is found, death is guaranteed."
"So we need to think deeper and figure out what the instance is really pushing us toward."
He gestured around the ruined living room.
"Judging from this scene, the villain has already begun the massacre. Miller Family Fortress is a first rate power, wiping them out wouldn't be easy, even for someone extremely strong."
"That means the villain must have suffered injuries and consumed a massive amount of stamina and internal energy."
"In other words, right now is his weakest moment."
"If we miss this chance, we'll have no way to survive later."
"I believe this is correct way to clear the instance."
"That make sense!" One of the remaining two, a male university student who had clearly teamed up with the girl beside him, nodded enthusiastically. "The name Blood Battle Miller Family Fortress is clearly telling us to fight, not run."
"Big Brother, we'll listen to you. Just tell us what to do."
The spectacled youth didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked toward the yellow haired youth and Noah.
Noah gave him a slight nod.
He had to admit, the analysis was solid.
The yellow haired youth scoffed, his face full of disdain, but he didn't leave either.
Seeing this, the spectacled youth nodded in satisfaction.
"Then we'll stick together. We'll head straight for the villain."
"If we can find any surviving members of Miller Family Fortress, our chance will improve even further."
"Even if we can't kill him, we must seriously injure him. As long as we weaken him enough, surviving until dawn won't be impossible."
He took a breath.
"I have a B-Grade defensive Talent. I'll take the lead and block the villain's attacks. You guys look for openings and strike when you can."