Chapter 20: Mysterious Visitor 【Contains Forum Content】

Chapter 20 The Mysterious Visitor (Contains Forum Thread)

Luo Shengle had just washed away the bloodstains and organized the items in her hiking bag before sitting on the sofa and letting out a long breath.

Just then, three knocks rapped at the door.

The rhythm was light and unhurried, the crisp tapping of knuckles against wood as if tapping out some rhythm.

Almost instantly, Luo Shengle’s gaze snapped toward the door—her intuition faintly whispered that this knock was different from any before.

After a moment’s hesitation, she stood and approached the entrance.

Rather than rashly throwing the door open, she held her breath and leaned close to the peephole, trying to glimpse the scene outside.

The familiar, tidy stairwell came into view, but Luo Shengle was startled to find that…

There was no one outside.

For safety reasons, she had carefully inspected the hallway before renting this apartment, confirming that from the peephole’s angle, even if someone lurked in the corner, their shadow would inevitably betray their presence at the edge of her vision.

But now, the space was utterly empty—only slivers of light silently piercing through floating dust, with not a single figure in sight.

Just as Luo Shengle began doubting her hearing, three more leisurely knocks came from the other side of the door, so close she could almost feel the vibrations in the wood. It was as if whoever—or whatever—was outside might burst through at any moment.

Taking a silent breath, Luo Shengle mustered her courage and asked, "Who’s there?"

The presence beyond the door paused before replying in a voice tinged with gentle mirth, "Good afternoon, Miss Luo. There’s no need for alarm. I sincerely apologize for this sudden visit."

It was an unfamiliar male voice, each word enunciated with fluid clarity, carrying the cadence of a poet reciting verse—or perhaps a nightingale singing from a branch—its flowing rhythm melting the tension in Luo Shengle’s chest.

Yet this was far from normal. It felt like an Ability-induced Effect.

Luo Shengle keenly recognized this, yet emotionally, she couldn’t help but relax slightly.

At least, the other party was willing to communicate and seemed polite…

Moreover, this mysterious visitor had knocked and refrained from entering uninvited—quite courteous, all things considered.

"Good afternoon," Luo Shengle reassured herself before continuing, "May I ask who you are?"

"To you, I am indeed a stranger, but you should not find my Lord unfamiliar."

"Lord"?

Could it be…?

As realization dawned, Luo Shengle’s expression shifted to shock. The voice outside chuckled softly:

"Precisely—the great Mr. Narrator, who not long ago bestowed His favor upon you. His Apostle has come at His command to borrow an item from you."

Luo Shengle immediately undid the security lock and opened the door. The Apostle of the divine, who couldn't be seen through the peephole, stood politely behind it and stepped inside after receiving her permission.

"Would you like to…" Change into slippers?

Before she could finish, Luo Shengle glanced down and noticed the Apostle’s feet floating just above the ground, prompting her to swallow the rest of her words.

Well, this was likely the most unusual guest she had ever hosted in her life.

The Apostle stepped inside, his golden hair cascading halfway down his shoulders with a carefree elegance that defied description. He turned toward Luo Shengle. "What were you about to ask?"

"Ah, nothing," Luo Shengle replied awkwardly, gesturing to the sofa. "Please, have a seat? I’ll make you some tea."

As she automatically went through the motions of preparing the tea, her attention kept drifting toward the mysterious visitor, her mind brimming with speculation.

—Though it felt impolite to think so, his attire truly made him resemble a wanderer…

Was this the Apostle’s personal aesthetic?

Or was this how the legendary Ascetics dressed—to embody their wholehearted devotion to Mr. Narrator?

And the design of that gray robe didn’t seem like any modern style; he might as well have stepped straight from ancient myth, a Chosen of the gods… Just how old was he?

Distracted by her thoughts, Luo Shengle nearly burned herself before snapping back to focus. She finished brewing the tea and carried it to the living room.

Whether out of consideration to avoid dirtying the sofa with his robe or mere curiosity toward the contemporary decor, the Apostle remained standing, his gaze leisurely wandering over small decorative items.

"My name is Bryce Feibod—Bryce is fine," he said, noticing Luo Shengle’s cautious scrutiny. With an easy gesture, he revealed the lyre tucked in his arms. "As you can see, I am a wandering bard."

"Beyond praising the glory of Mr. Narrator, I also know many hidden lore of the gods. Should you ever wish to listen, you’re welcome to join."

Luo Shengle was mildly startled by how casually the Apostle spoke of the gods, devoid of any reverence or avoidance…

Then again, it made sense—he was Mr. Narrator’s Apostle, bound only to His will.

She also noted that despite calling himself a wanderer, his speech was refined, his golden hair and fingers immaculate, his bearing starkly at odds with his tattered robe.

If this world had a dispossessed noble straight out of fiction, it would undoubtedly be this Apostle.

With those unique crimson eyes, he could probably double as a storybook vampire lord or the like…

"Ahem." Luo Shengle suddenly realized she had been silent too long and returned to the original topic. "May I ask which item Mr. Narrator requires from me?"

"It is one that holds some danger to you. In accordance with my Lord’s will, I shall only borrow it temporarily. Once certain matters are confirmed, it will be returned."

Pausing, Bryce pressed a fist to his chest as if listening to divine guidance.

He said, "My Lord names this item—'Pandora’s Heart.'"

......

[Forum] Meanwhile, in a hidden section of a certain forum, a post quietly surfaced.

>> The Gods' Playground >> Restricted Zone >> Casual Chat

Clearance Level: Players Restricted

"Casual Talk" About That Permanently Locked Instance...

#0 (OP - Original Poster):

Let me introduce myself—I’m just a run-of-the-mill working Recorder. But recently, I logged a dungeon instance that crashed unexpectedly due to unknown glitches and was locked down permanently… It’s seriously eerie!

#1:

Big deal. With so many servers and planes, a few dungeons wipe every day.

#2:

Young people, still too inexperienced.

№3:

...No, I might know which instance the OP is talking about. lol

№4:

Let’s just say, that instance is special. The fact that it was permabanned is kinda creepy when you think about it.

№5:

Oh? Now I’m a little interested after what the anon above said.

№6:

Where’s the OP? Hurry up and explain! Cut the cryptic crap (angry)

№7 (OP):

Sorry, was typing, gimme a sec.

As we all know, instances are usually permabanned for two reasons: either the instance environment has been beyond repair, or the final boss keeping the instance running has disappeared.

Based on the data I scanned, the world stats of the instance were normal, so it can only be the second case.

№8:

So the endboss got wrecked—that’s not too strange, right?

№9 (OP):

The problem is, the final boss running this instance was a god-tier entity with the bloodline of a True God... What kinda force could have intervened to kill Him?

№10:

Huh?? A "golden child" from the gods’ family actually fell?

№11:

Holy shit, this is rare... OP, hang tight, I’ll call a few colleagues over to come gawk!

...

№33:

Before reading: What haven't I seen?

After reading: Okay, I really haven’t seen this one.

№34:

Perks of being high-level (puffs cig)

On this forum, you can even discuss the death of god-tier entities (shocked)

№35:

...That really is a bit eerie. I wonder what kind of madlad dared to raise a blade against a "golden child"?

№36:

Maybe some heavy hitter entered the instance?

№37:

TBH, everyone on this forum has been through hell and back. A High-level Ability user with strong reality-warping power might not necessarily be unable to kill a god-tier entity...

№38:

True, even though both have "god" in their names, the difference between a True God and a god-tier entity is night and day.

№39:

+1, even among god-tier entities, the gap between the strong and weak is like that between a human and a rabbit.

№40:

The anon above sounds brave, but would you really dare to strike a killing blow against a demigod?

№41:

Yeah, that’s the key point! You all say they’re basically the "golden children" of the game world—even if you had the Ability to kill them, who would dare risk a True God coming after you?

№42:

All talk here, but if you actually met a True God’s descendant... smh

You’d probably take the hit and ask for another.

№43 (OP):

Let’s not argue, keep it friendly (heart)

№44:

So, OP, did you record who cleared the instance? They must have balls of steel.

№45 (OP):

No records. The logs from that instance are completely borked. All we know is that the standard run time was three days, but it was interrupted on the second night (sigh~)

№46 (OP):

My Ability is related to the Time Domain, so I can attempt to pull up records through "time-tracing."

But in this instance, my Ability completely fizzled. It felt like...

№47 (OP):

Like that period of time was straight-up deleted, stopping the time-trail right at the glitch point—completely blind to what happened before.

№48:

That does sound next-level weird...

№49:

The best tea always comes when procrastinating at work. Now I feel spine-tingling (brrr).

#50:

OP, have you considered that your Ability not working might not just be due to rank suppression?

#51:

Care to explain?

#52:

Just speculating here, but based on the description, could the unknown force that ended the instance be a superior being in OP's power specialty?

#53:

Whoa! I was just about to say that! It does sound very similar!

#54:

I once encountered a higher-level existence in the same domain, and it felt exactly like OP described—as if my Ability started glitching out, like it was being hijacked...

#55 (OP):

Wait, what?! Now that you mention it, it does seem similar.

#56 (OP):

But I've never encountered a higher-level existence in my domain, so I can't be sure.

#57:

...That makes it even creepier. Currently, there are no known deities who have mastered the time domain, and even high-level ability users in this field are rare. OP is pretty much unique.

#58:

Hmm, actually there is that one case... Remember that being discussed in the forum before? Didn't they show supposed time-manipulation abilities?

#59:

Whoa! Now that you mention it...

#60:

Ugh, oh, that guy again... you know, the one who loves trading urban legends for survival opportunities...

#61:

If it really is Him, making moves this big without restraint, does that mean He might actually be a True God?

#62:

I used to think His status, while high, probably didn't reach that level—but now I'm not so sure... After all, only actual gods enjoy such special privileges in the Game.

#63:

Seriously, who exactly are you talking about?! I hate it when people talk in riddles like this, like come on!

#64:

Can't be helped. In the playground, you don't wanna get smited—everyone unconsciously turns into damn riddlers (puffs cigarette)

#65:

If the poster above can't even decode that reference, they should just stay in the noob zone (laughing emoji)

#66:

+1, please seat poster #63 at the kids' table with the juice boxes (no offense to actual kids).

#67 (OP):

After much hesitation, I think this thread might involve forces beyond what I originally imagined. I'll be requesting to delete this post soon. See you all another time~