Chapter 297 - 195: War Qualification, Box in the House

Storyteller: "But who could be the mastermind behind this Mysterious High Platform... the Firewood Thief? Or the Shadow of Deceit?"

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: "Looks like you can milk another video out of this."

Hearing this, Storyteller flew into a rage. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on my professional standards?"

"This topic deserves a two-parter, at the very least."

"..." Seeing his smug expression, Forgotten Dao was left speechless.

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "I’m going to post what you just said on the forums later."

Storyteller: "Bro, don’t. I was just kidding."

Just as they were discussing the plot, Brother Mangzi, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, suddenly piped up.

Battle Bliss: "Hahaha, I passed! I fucking passed!"

Battle Bliss: "Finally beat that bastard."

Battle Bliss: "By the way, that stupid cliff is a real bitch to jump. I died so many times I’m all out of Wax Oil."

Battle Bliss: "And when does this regional war behind the fissure start?"

It seemed he’d learned his lesson this time and read some of the chat history, but not much.

Otherwise, he probably still wouldn’t know how to trigger the two bosses, Exile’s Lament and Fission Scream...

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Oh great, it’s Brother Mangzi. We’re doomed!"

Battle Bliss: "?"

Poems and the Faraway Place: "Are there only three of you? Where’s everyone else?"

Battle Bliss: "I don’t know. Bu Long is still getting hammered, anyway. I don’t think he has much hope of clearing it tonight."

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "@Storyteller, why aren’t you going into the dungeon?"

Storyteller: "Dude, I’m a non-combat class."

Seeing his reply, Li Miao couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

’It feels like this guy isn’t even here to play the game. He just runs around in Spirit Candle all day looking for video material. What a damn freeloader.’

’Tipping him? That "little broken station" should add an option for viewers to deduct coins, so he ends up in debt.’

Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam: "Has that kid Shore not come out? What’s the situation on their end?"

Li Miao remembered that Shore and the others had entered the [Box in the House] dungeon.

Storyteller: "Of course he’s come out. You can see it if you just scroll up a bit."

Storyteller: "Speaking of which, the dungeon they went to is actually pretty interesting. It makes me want to team up with some others and give it a try."

...

Meanwhile, inside that "interesting" dungeon, [Box in the House], the five-person team had just experienced a team wipe...

[The Kingdom Giant has failed. Enraged, it has removed all abnormal Chess Pieces.]

[DEATH]

The large text appeared in the five players’ vision, along with the shifting scenery before them.

"Looks like a team wipe in this dungeon sends you right back to the start," Shore spoke glumly from within a small, crude wooden hut shrouded in darkness.

The vast scene within the house gradually distorted, was ultimately swallowed by darkness, and then began to twist and reform...

This [Box in the House] dungeon was, it had to be said, completely different from any regional dungeon they had encountered before.

The five-person team started out in a small, dilapidated hut in a corner.

In front of them were two massive trays, one for the [Kingdom] and one for the [Demon] faction. On each tray were numerous dolls.

When they stepped onto a tray, they would become one of these dolls and gradually become immobilized.

This lasted until a blurry, indistinct Giant arrived, carrying a pure white box, and placed the dolls from the tray inside it.

After entering the box, the main event began.

They were no longer in their doll-like state and could move freely.

This dungeon also had no fixed exploration area or obvious "monsters."

The tray they were placed on determined their faction. Even though they were all Candle Spirits, choosing different sides would pit them against each other.

And controlling the two factions were two Giants, their forms indistinct, within this massive stone house.

They used the box as a chessboard, and the players were the Chess Pieces.

"Damn it, so you can’t hedge your bets..." Niuniu scratched his head. "Why wasn’t there a warning against splitting up?"

Before the team wipe, the five-person team didn’t really understand how the Box in the House worked, so they naturally chose to hedge their bets by splitting up.

And the result was that one side won, but the Giant on the other side was a sore loser and simply eliminated them all.

BOOM—

After a loud bang, the two trays reappeared in front of the wooden hut. The team had also more or less recovered and were ready to go.

"Ah... so how do we choose this time? Which side should we go to?" Guagua asked, glancing at the massive trays before turning to look at Niuniu.

The previous outcome had made it very clear: betting on both sides would only lead to a team wipe.

So now they could only choose one faction.

"Why don’t we go with the Demons? I feel like the Chess Pieces on this side have stronger Abilities, and the Giant playing them is smarter," Crafty Frog suggested.

Following his gaze, they saw that on the [Demon] faction’s board were all sorts of bizarre and ferocious-looking dolls, though they were currently frozen in place.

"Makes sense," Guagua said with a nod, agreeing.

But Niuniu shook his head. "My advice is to choose the Kingdom Faction."

"Why do you say that?" Wa Zai asked curiously.

Niuniu grinned while looking at the Kingdom Giant in the massive stone house. "The Giant on the Kingdom’s side is obviously a sore loser. I bet it’ll help us cheat. Remember that thunderstorm from before?"

Now that Niuniu mentioned it, the others also recalled their previous experience.

After hearing this, Guagua nodded again. "Makes sense."

Gray Sky thought for a moment, then nodded. "I agree, let’s go with the Kingdom Giant."

Shore was indifferent. "Either way is fine. As long as I can open some Treasure Chests."

He had seen plenty of Treasure Chests on the board before but just hadn’t had time to open them.

Wa Zai nodded as well. "I have no objections."

"Alright then, let’s go."

Niuniu nodded, took a deep breath, and led the charge. With a running start, he took a great leap and landed on the white board.

A mysterious Power wrapped around him for a moment, and then his body turned a waxy white, completely motionless.

Seeing this, the other four immediately followed suit and jumped on as well.

Their actions seemed to have an effect on the area, as the two blurry figures in the massive stone house began to move.

Soon after, two giant hands picked up the board.

The board was moved and the pure white box was opened, revealing two opposing zones inside.

One was the [Kingdom], in hues of white and gold; the other was the [Demon] zone, in shades of black and purple. Both were fully detailed with castles, walls, and fortified houses.

The five-person team’s Candle Spirit Bodies were immobile, so they could only communicate with each other through the party channel.

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Man, you gotta admit, this CG cutscene is fucking awesome. The Howl of the wind, the sense of scale from these giant things... It’s breathtaking."

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "Yeah, yeah! This dungeon feels amazing!"

Crafty Frog: "I feel like this is probably a for-fun dungeon."

I do Bull’s Push-ups: "For real. Sometimes you die for absolutely no reason."

Gray Sky: "The first round of the scenario is starting."

As Gray Sky gave the warning, the others refocused their attention, all looking toward the two blurry, colossal figures.

[The number of Chess Pieces is unequal. The two Giants are arguing over it.]

[Five Chess Pieces from the Kingdom Faction have been set aside, awaiting the Giants’ decision. But achieving equality seems highly unlikely...]

[Unless a Chess Piece is broken in half.]

Seeing this scenario message, Shore, who just so happened to be one of the five designated Chess Pieces, felt his heart drop.

Then, he could only watch helplessly as a giant hand laid him flat and gripped one side, looking like it was really about to break him in two.

Shore cried out in despair, "FUCK ME, IT’S OVER!"

The others couldn’t help but gloat at his misfortune.

Although Shore would only die this once, he would be forced to wait until the board was reset for the next game.

I do Bull’s Push-ups: "Rest in peace, my good brother. I’ll reluctantly help you open those Treasure Chests of yours."