Chapter 93: “Be Careful of Yi Fengchu…”

Chapter 93 "Watch out for Yi Fengchu..."

After a short rest, the group continued their journey through the snow-capped mountains.

Throughout the trek, the scholar frequently took roll calls to ensure no unaccounted members joined their party, as had happened with the mountaineering team.

But the result was—

Everything was normal.

This did not put the players at ease; instead, it made them even more vigilant. In an A-level dungeon, too much normalcy was anything but normal.

Moreover, if the mountain refused to reveal its anomalies to them, how could they uncover the truth behind it and complete their mission?

As they climbed, two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for the second group dice throw.

Lena stared at the phantom dice in the corner of her vision, pondered for a moment, then deliberately slowed her pace to walk beside the scholar. In a hushed voice, she suggested, "I have a theory..."

"Could it be that because we rolled too well, the probability of encountering anomalies has drastically decreased, which actually hinders our investigation?"

The scholar quickly caught on. "You mean, perhaps we shouldn’t blindly pursue the safety of high rolls but instead push our limits to see what effects lower rolls might have on the mountain environment?"

"But that’s too risky..."

Eurus, who had overheard their conversation, cut in, "Exactly. What if lower rolls don’t bring the clues we want but instead trigger blizzards or avalanches? How would we handle that?"

Lena gave her a sidelong glance. "Aren’t you a wind-aligned Ability user? Why would you fear a blizzard?"

Damn, that was careless—she’d slipped up.

And Lena had deliberately raised this question in front of the scholar, clearly out of spite! What a petty little—

Suppressing her irritation, Eurus kept smiling. "Heh, well, even using my Ability requires a dice roll, doesn’t it? I’m just worried my luck might run out and I won’t be able to protect all of you, including those two important NPCs..."

She dreaded the scholar probing further into her Ability, but fortunately, the system’s time stop arrived right on cue, diverting everyone’s attention to the dice rolls.

The scholar explained Lena’s theory to the players—primarily to Chen Hui, who was still completely lost.

Instantly, a difficult choice lay before them:

Take the safe route and wait for developments, or take risks and seek change?

The system demanded all rolls be completed within a three-minute countdown, leaving them little time to deliberate.

For a moment, silence fell among the four.

"Ah," Lena sighed, breaking the silence. "Since we can’t reach a consensus, let’s compromise for now."

"We’ll aim for a total slightly below the median, on the lower side, and see if anything changes."

"Of course, exactly what number we’ll roll is beyond my control—it’s up to the will of this 'Sacred Mountain.'"

The Sacred Mountain’s will might be inscrutable, but Yi Fengchu, listening silently nearby, believed his own will was quite easy to discern.

Standing at a distance, Yi Fengchu quietly observed the expressions and words of all the players, thinking to himself: He always respected others’ choices.

If the players wanted lower rolls, he’d rig the outcome behind the scenes to grant their wish.

He only hoped their future discoveries wouldn’t disappoint him.

Thus, when the four players took turns rolling the dice, they were dumbfounded when they saw—

Lena was one thing, but how had every single one of them rolled a "2"?

"Th-this..."

Eurus, usually quick-witted, paused before forcing out a laugh. "Well, it seems our 'Sacred Mountain' is quite merciful, eager to grant our wishes."

"Still, for what’s likely the biggest mystery in an A-level dungeon to be this accommodating... it only makes me more suspicious."

As she spoke, Eurus lowered her gaze, though the shadows of her lashes couldn’t conceal the wariness in her eyes.

Clearly, she didn’t trust that any entity in a dungeon would treat players kindly.

Lena shot her a glance. "Actually, it’s not that strange. This is, after all, a legendary miracle-bestowing shrine where 'sincerity begets miracles.' It might not be truly malevolent."

"Fate has always been merciful," the true believer in fate emphasized.

Eurus snorted. "If this mountain were as merciful as you claim, Zhang Ming’s father wouldn’t have mysteriously disappeared."

"But how do you know he didn’t violate some taboo himself, leading to his disappearance?" Lena retorted, unwilling to continue arguing with a non-believer. "Mercy and solemnity aren’t mutually exclusive..."

As the two debated, the system announced:

「Total roll: 8, just one-third of the maximum possible.」

「As luck fades, the order shielding you from danger also recedes. In the next two hours, this mountain’s hidden dangers and chaos may unfold before your eyes.」

「Good luck.」

The system’s voice faded, and time resumed its flow. Gale-force winds screamed, driving snow and ice particles through the air, cutting visibility and making it next to impossible to see the path ahead.

"The system’s message was different this time!"

Chen Hui pumped his fist, as if already seeing the light of victory. "Our theory was right!"

The scholar, however, was less optimistic. He calmly reminded them, "We haven’t beat the dungeon yet. Don’t celebrate too soon."

"From here on out, everyone needs to stay cautious. Danger and opportunity often go hand in hand."

...

As it turned out, the effects of the low rolls arrived much faster than the players had anticipated.

Before long, the once clear blue sky was shrouded in dark clouds. Under the failing light, the wind howled, and snow whirled madly, drastically reducing visibility. It became nearly impossible to see the path ahead.

Every step forward was a struggle against the knife-edged wind and stinging snow, not to mention the knee-deep drifts that swallowed their boots, draining their energy with each soft, energy-sapping step.

The players, seasoned Ability wielders, and Yi Fengchu—something beyond human—adapted relatively well to the harsh conditions.

Only Zhang Ming was left wheezing heavily, his portly frame trembling as if he might collapse into the snow at any moment.

But he didn’t ask to rest again.

Time was against them—it was already 14:36. Considering winter’s short days, they had no choice but to push forward, digging deep to reach the campsite before nightfall and get ready for night's dangers.

Zhang Ming understood perfectly that if they lagged behind now, the ordeals he'd face after nightfall would only get much worse.

Gasping for air, exhaustion slowed Zhang Ming's reactions.

It wasn’t until he heard a startled cry beside him that he suddenly realized—

Not far ahead, behind the swirling snow and wind, faint outlines of several blurry figures were trudging heavily toward them.

Could it be another climbing team?

But why did these figures look so familiar?

Zhang Ming felt uneasy as he stared fixedly ahead.

As the distance closed, the outlines of the figures gradually became clearer, revealing their general builds and equipment.

From their shapes, it seemed to be two men and a woman, accompanied by a shorter child-like figure…

“This looks like… us.”

The scholar licked his chapped lips and added hoarsely, “Phantoms of myself, Chen Hui, Eurus, and Lena.”

Once Zhang Ming clearly saw the appearances of the figures ahead, he froze in terror, his eyes wide with fright.

He could only watch as the companions who had been traveling with him all along emerged from behind the snowstorm.

The four figures’ faces, clothing, and backpack styles were identical to those of the scholar’s group, as if a massive mirror stood between them, reflecting their exact images.

Zhang Ming held his breath, not daring to move for a moment.

Fortunately, the four figures opposite showed no reaction—they likely couldn’t see Zhang Ming and the others.

They looked exhausted, their gazes seemingly piercing right through Zhang Ming’s group as they looked toward the path ahead, plodding onward.

In the silence, no one spoke, leaving only the howling wind.

The two groups faced each other, their identical features seemingly staring at one another through the storm, coming so close they were nearly face to face.

Then, at the closest moment, they passed right through each other.

Only then did the scholar and the others see clearly—the four figures opposite were somewhat translucent, as if not fully overlapping with their current time and space, mere intangible illusions that couldn't interact.

Ever-bold Chen Hui reached out without hesitation toward his other self, his hand passing right through “Chen Hui’s” shoulder without any effect.

“Ourselves from another timeline, then,” Eurus mused. “So that’s what they meant by time distortion on this mountain…”

“Fascinating. So, which point in time do they belong to?”

Yi Fengchu said nothing. To his vision, the four phantoms not only had dice floating above their heads but also a timestamp—2024.1.12, 13:58.

Tomorrow afternoon.

In just a day, these versions of us already looked exhausted, hurrying forward and separated from Zhang Ming and Yi Fengchu. Who knew what they’d been through.

At the moment they passed each other, the scholar stiffened, his expression puzzled.

He heard in his ear the whisper of his other self:

“*Beware of Zhang*—”

Perhaps to stay hidden, the voice was hushed, and the rest of the words were drowned out by the roaring wind, leaving the scholar unable to hear clearly.

Instinctively, he turned to look back, only to see “his” back disappearing into the flurry of snow, vanished.

“*Beware of Zhang*”… Zhang who?

Zhang Ming, the only one present with the surname Zhang, or…

The missing person they were searching for—Zhang’s father?

This question nagged at him, but the scholar pushed on with the group, finally reaching the campsite before nightfall.

But before he could solve this puzzle, Zhang Ming sidled up to him furtively and whispered:

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I’ve decided to warn you—watch out for Yi Fengchu…”

The scholar’s face went rigid: ?!

So apparently all you NPCs need to be watched, huh?