Chapter 141: Try or Die
Chapter 141: Try or Die
Chapter 141 Try It or Perish
"Congratulations on clearing the A+ level dungeon 'Urban Legend Livestream.' Calculating results..."
"Exploration Rate: 125% (100% main storyline + 25% hidden final boss discovery)"
"Mission 1: Explore and collect 7 urban legend incidents. (8/7 · Completed)"
"Mission 2: Your livestream ranked 3rd out of 20 in popularity, receiving a total of 660 points in viewer donations. Popularity criteria met—congratulations on becoming a well-received new streamer! (Completed)"
"Mission 3 (Side Quest): They are dead, but they will return—identify the murderer who killed them.
Correctly identified the murderer as the 'Person in the Mirror.' (Completed)"
"Evaluation: Your exploration skills and remarkable drive are commendable, nearly piercing the veil shrouding this dungeon! However, you might have overlooked something..."
"Congratulations on earning 20,000 points (10,000 × 200%)."
"Additional Title Reward: 'Witness'—When equipped, your presence is reduced by 10%, while the chance of encountering special rumors or hidden events increases by 25%. You may obtain highly valuable intel—or learn too much and invite unexpected trouble..."
"Additional B-grade item obtained: 'Red Dress' (Soulbound, cannot be removed). If you can satisfy its hunger for flesh, it won’t mind being used. Of course, peaceful coexistence hinges on one condition—never let it descend into a starving rage."
In the blink of an eye, Yu Yin was teleported back to the bathroom stall of her company in the real world.
Glancing down at the disturbingly bright red hem of the dress, she tugged at it, knowing full well that she couldn’t get rid of it anytime soon by her own strength.
With a helpless sigh, Yu Yin pushed open the stall door and returned to her office desk.
In just those few steps, two colleagues had already fallen under the dress’s spell, instinctively reaching out to touch its fabric.
Not wanting any mysterious deaths in the workplace, Yu Yin hastily threw on a long coat to conceal the conspicuous red skirt.
When would this nightmare end?
Drooping over her desk in frustration, Yu Yin gathered her courage and decided to seek help from her mentor.
Lately, the Red Tree Apostle had been preoccupied with searching for the mysterious Fate Domain High Lord, so Yu Yin hadn’t received direct guidance from her mentor in a while.
After hesitating between leaving a prayer message or writing a letter, Yu Yin opted for the latter, deeming it more efficient for conveying detailed information. She eagerly opened the Playground System’s mailbox function and began composing her message:
"Dear Mentor,
I hope this letter finds you well.
SOS! Your student has gotten into serious trouble in the dungeon!
It’s this vile, greedy red dress clinging to me relentlessly. Though it can’t drain my flesh and blood, its innate charm and offensive abilities have already caused chaos in my daily life.
If you don’t intervene soon, my company might become news for a horrific incident where someone gets drained of all their blood…
Also, you’d never guess how incredible this dungeon was!
Not only did I encounter Mr. Chu, the Fate Domain High Lord, again, but I was fortunate enough to meet another ancient entity—the Ill Fate Witch, who recently returned after years of disappearance and is now being hunted by the forces of 'Fate.'
After eavesdropping on their talk, I learned that Mr. Chu once reached the verge of godhood—half a step away from godhood! That’s far more impressive than the ordinary divine being I initially assumed him to be.
To think I shared two dungeons with such an existence—how did I get so lucky?
Currently, Mr. Chu’s position seems unclear. He hasn’t submitted to the Lord of Fate, staying unaffiliated with any faction, yet he firmly opposes the Ill Fate Witch.
Meanwhile, the Ill Fate Witch had likely been hiding in this dungeon for a while. She created numerous eerie urban legends, using them to spread misfortune and fear, only to coldly abandon these loyal monsters—truly a devil of a 'mother.'
I believe her mental state is unstable.
Her twisted obsessions and changed divine appearance all point to a terrifying truth—behind her, there’s an even more malevolent force manipulating her thoughts and actions…
At the end of the dungeon, Mr. Chu summoned what appeared to be an apparition of 'Twilight Calamity,' momentarily repelling the Ill Fate Witch. But she swore she'd be back someday.
May that day be long in coming.
If you’d like more details, I can copy the neural patterns storing those memories for direct review when we meet.
In closing, let us praise the great Tree of Life—may spirit and flesh endure forever!
—Your devoted disciple, Yu Yin."
After hitting "Send," Yu Yin switched to her private chat with Chang Shuyue.
「Office Drone, Also a Life Follower: Since you guarded the school entrance instead of exploring the library directly, did you still get the system’s bonus points?」
Chang Shuyue replied almost instantly.
「AAA Always Available for Intel Exchange: Don’t worry, the system counted me as part of the core exploration. Got the bonus points~」
After confirming the trade, Chang Shuyue added:
「By the way, would you be open to an interview about your experience as an eyewitness to the Ill Fate Witch? It’ll be fully documented, with photographic proof required.」
「Office Drone, Also a Life Follower: A shot at the front page? Of course! (covers laugh)」
「AAA Always Available for Intel Exchange: Great, thanks a million! (flowers)」
After some casual chatter, Chang Shuyue mentioned she’d drafted a preliminary article about the Ill Fate Witch, outlining key points for the report.
「Tentative title: 'Is It the Return of Ill Fate, or the Awakening of a Demon? Ancient Forces Suspected!' Hopefully, it’ll help more people recognize her existence and stay vigilant.」
「But I’m debating on the cover image. The only photo I took shows her ablaze at twilight… Would using that be too inflammatory?」
Yu Yin sighed at the question.
In and out of dungeons, Chang Shuyue was typically cautious, steady, and reliable—a natural leader who rallied players for maximum efficiency.
But when it came to journalism, her fearless side emerged. She’d interview anyone and report on anything.
This very trait had propelled her to fame as one of The Great World News’ star reporters in just a few years, with a rapid promotion to editor-in-chief.
Given her history of sensitive exposés, Yu Yin could only credit Chang Shuyue’s survival to sheer luck and skill.
Yu Yin hurriedly advised: 「Don’t push it. What if she curses you out of spite? Do you really want to wake up one night to find her grinning at your bedside, offering you a mirror to pick your death?」
「Why not ask other players? They must have better photos. Just bribe them with points or items if needed.」
「Points matter, but living matters more!」
To steer Chang Shuyue away from this dangerous idea, Yu Yin changed the subject: 「Speaking of which, besides me, who else are you planning to interview?」
As expected, Chang Shuyue’s passion for journalism instantly redirected her focus.
She was filled with the excitement of breaking a major story, her mind flooded with wave-like intensity of focus and passion, leaving her dizzy and euphoric, her whole being gripped by an unnatural obsession.
Chang Shuyue rambled on about her current plans:
「To fully reconstruct and investigate this incident, I plan to approach it from three factions—the Ill Fate Witch, Mr. Chu, and the Lord of Fate pulling strings behind the scenes.」
「For the Ill Fate Witch, our primary subject, aside from you, I’ll also contact another player who had close contact with her. That part should be easy enough.」
「As for Mr. Chu, I can provide the intel myself, but I’ll need to cite some authoritative historical records to verify his identity—thankfully, he generously revealed his real name, which makes verification much easier.」
「The hardest part is the ‘Fate’ faction…」
Wait.
Yu Yin immediately got a sinking feeling: 「You’re not planning to directly interview the Lord of Fate through prayer, are you?!」
Chang Shuyue: 「……」
「Do I really seem like someone who’d tempt fate like that?」
Yu Yin nodded furiously on her end.
When it came to writing reports, this workaholic reporter totally would!
Chang Shuyue added helplessly: 「Relax, I haven't completely lost it. Interviewing a True God? That’s no different from booking a one-way ticket to divine punishment.」
「My idea is—who else is closest to Fate and in the best position to speak for it? There are only a few candidates, right?」
「Fate currently has no formally appointed pope or high priest, and ordinary believers or church clergy can hardly guess its intentions… That leaves only the Fate Apostle and the rumored Divine Son from the forums.」
Yu Yin saw stars.
She pressed a hand to her forehead to steady herself, then typed with trembling fingers: 「So… which one are you planning to interview?」
Chang Shuyue replied quickly, clearly having prepared in advance: 「The Fate Apostle is elusive—unless he appears willingly, there’s no way I can find him.」
「But the location of the Son of Destiny can be easily deduced based on the personal info of the posters in those classic threads…」
「Judging by the rumors, this Divine Son seems relatively approachable. I’ll try reaching out to him.」
「Don’t worry, I know my limits. I’m just dipping a toe in.」
Yu Yin slowly closed her eyes. She was precisely worried that Chang Shuyue’s “dipping a toe in” might turn into “being in over her head”…
For this journalist friend who was equal parts cautious and reckless, Yu Yin couldn’t help but mutter a quick prayer: “May the gods protect her… Please don’t let her get smote by the Divine Son!”