Chapter 103: The Silenti, Petrification Light

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Silenti, Petrification Light

Seraphina Sullivan ignored the futile arguments and Chester Donovan’s attempts to form an alliance.

Her attention was completely captivated by the deathly silent scene outside the hallway.

She carefully moved to a broken window, pushed aside the hanging, slippery moss, and looked out.

’Petrification Apocalypse... As the name implies, this world suffered some kind of "Petrification" disaster. But what exactly is the cause of the Petrification?’

Questions filled her mind as her gaze swept over the city outside.

What met her eyes was the ruin of a completely dead city.

Skyscrapers crumbled, streets were cracked, and abandoned vehicles were covered in rust, all entangled in the same thick moss and unknown vines.

However, the most chilling part wasn’t the decay, but the "statues" that were everywhere.

They were frozen in the poses they held in life.

A figure running at a street corner, a form peering out a window in terror, even the silhouette of an embrace... All these "statues" had the texture of lifeless, grayish-white stone, their details vivid yet exuding an absolute stillness.

They were clearly the original inhabitants of this world, who had met some terrible fate and were permanently solidified at the exact moment the disaster struck.

"Holy crap! So this is the reason for the apocalypse in this instance? Everyone turned to stone?!" a young man with eye-catching green hair couldn’t help but exclaim, his face a mask of shock and lingering fear.

The moment he finished speaking, a more experienced-looking Player next to him paled, coughed sharply a few times, and hissed in a low voice.

"Are you trying to get us killed?! You can’t just shout a word like ’instance’! What if there are surviving Native People hiding somewhere who hear you? How would you explain that? If you want to die, fine, but don’t drag us down with you!"

The Player had a look of lingering fear, clearly having seen or heard of how misspeaking and leaking information about an instance could increase its difficulty.

His words sent a chill down Seraphina Sullivan’s spine, and she instantly recalled the terrifying consequences that had almost occurred in The Insect Frenzy instance because of an Advanced Player’s misconduct.

But the green-haired youth seemed completely unfazed, even retorting with a smug grin, "Relax, relax! What’s there to panic about? My Talent already scanned the area. Besides us Players who just arrived, there isn’t a single living mouse in this building or the nearby blocks! It’s perfectly safe!"

Hearing this, Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze quietly swept over the green-haired youth.

His name was Howard Dawson, and his Ability was called [Spirit Exploration]. It could release psionic waves to sense the general situation and life auras in the surrounding environment.

It was a detection-type Talent, which explained his fearless attitude.

The green-haired youth, Howard Dawson’s, words were like a stone tossed into a still pond.

After hearing him, the others also began to make their moves.

He glanced around and said casually, "Since we’ve confirmed there are no outsiders and the instance only requires us to survive for seven days, it doesn’t look like there are any mandatory cooperative quests. I don’t think we need to all cram together. Wouldn’t it be easier to just go our separate ways, find a place to hide, and wait out the seven days?"

His words seemed to tear away the last fragile layer of disguise.

The instant he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hallway suddenly tensed.

The wary glances they had been exchanging moments before instantly became sharp and cold.

Everyone subtly shifted their stances, adopting postures better suited for defense or sudden conflict.

The distance between them seemed to widen, as if pulled apart by an invisible force.

Everyone knew that Players were never friends.

In an instance with a single survival objective, other Players... were themselves potential threats and variables.

Splitting up could mean being picked off one by one.

But staying together could mean a knife in the back from someone right beside you.

In this apocalyptic ruin, the foundation of trust had crumbled before it could even be laid.

Besides, Players were treasure troves; who knew what kind of good stuff they might be holding.

However, in the midst of this tense, hair-trigger atmosphere...

Howard Dawson’s expression suddenly changed again.

"Something’s wrong! There’s something... It’s fast, and it’s heading right for us!"

The very instant the words left his mouth!

A sharp, piercing screech suddenly tore through the dead silence of the ruins!

SWOOSH—!

A grayish-white shadow shot through a broken window in the hallway, fast as lightning.

With the frantic sound of flapping wings, a bizarre flying creature abruptly hovered before the group.

It stared down coldly at the humans below with a pair of emotionless, gray eyes.

It was about the size of an adult’s palm, resembling a miniature version of the legendary Imp.

Its grayish-white skin was as rough as stone, a pair of bat-like wings vibrated slightly on its back, two curved horns grew from its head, and its slender limbs ended in sharp claws.

[Name: The Silenti]

[Gender: None]

[Professional Skills: Petrification Light: Can release a strange light from its eyes, rapidly petrifying the surface and internal tissues of any creature it strikes.]

[Weaknesses: High Temperature]

The moment the information from her "Eye of Resume" flooded into Seraphina Sullivan’s mind, her heart nearly skipped a beat—especially when she saw the two words "Petrification Light"!

An intense sense of crisis made the hairs on her arms stand on end!

Without a second thought, she immediately had Sean Chandler warn everyone.

In truth, Seraphina had wanted to warn Dexter Luther.

Sean Chandler reacted in a flash, almost simultaneously shouting to everyone, "This thing is dangerous!!"

The warning was sudden and urgent.

Upon hearing it, Dexter Luther fell back out of sheer reflex, subconsciously raising his hand as if ready to activate his Talent at any moment.

Two or three other quick-thinking Players also paled, scrambling for cover or ducking their heads to avoid eye contact with the bizarre creature.

However, there were always those who were either too cocky or too willing to trust their luck.

Howard Dawson, for example.

His [Spirit Exploration] Talent apparently hadn’t detected a direct, lethal threat.

Plus, the creature’s strange yet "unique" appearance happened to appeal to his peculiar aesthetic tastes.

He had a thing for ugly and strange creatures.

"Tsk, this little thing’s... kinda unique, huh?" Instead of backing away, Howard Dawson took two curious steps closer, even reaching out a finger to touch The Silenti’s grayish-white, statue-like skin.

Just as his fingertip was about to touch The Silenti—

"SKREEE—!!!"

The Silenti threw its mouth open and let out an even sharper, more piercing shriek. This sound wasn’t just meaningless noise; it seemed to carry a clear warning and a summons, notifying its kin!

At the same time, its once-lifeless gray eyes suddenly lit up!

Like two lanterns, lit and glowing with a sinister, eerie green light!