Chapter 109: Quest Triggered: Reclaim the Silenti

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Quest Triggered: Reclaim the Silenti

She brought out the RV.

"Finally... I can relax a little. A place to shelter from the wind and rain."

Seraphina Sullivan let out a long sigh, opened the RV door, and climbed inside.

The RV’s interior was perfectly preserved. Although it wasn’t spacious, it was fully equipped with a bed and a simple kitchenette, giving her a great sense of security.

"This instance is so damn strange,"

Seraphina Sullivan said as she took out still-steaming buns and some cooked food she had prepared earlier from her Space.

Handing them to Sean Chandler, she couldn’t help but complain, "Besides us Players, we haven’t seen a single living Native Person. It’s like the whole world is just stone statues and those murderous little Imps."

Sean Chandler took the food and ate in silence, his gaze sweeping vigilantly through the gaps in the vines hanging outside the window, watching the world that had sunk completely into darkness.

’He was also pondering the meaning of this instance’s existence.’

’Was it merely to make them survive for seven days under the threat of petrifying monsters?’

’Or was there a deeper, hidden secret that needed to be uncovered?’

Seraphina Sullivan arranged the night watch.

She summoned [Flora] and had it hide in the shadows around the RV, serving as the first line of defense.

Meanwhile, Sean Chandler was responsible for staying alert inside the vehicle, as his senses were sharper.

Only after all this was done did Seraphina Sullivan truly relax and lie down on the simple bed.

Just as Seraphina Sullivan was sinking into sleep in the RV, enjoying a moment of peace, another group of Players was active on the other side of the city. They were about to trigger a drastic change that would affect all survivors.

A small team of five Players was lurking in the shadows of an abandoned shopping mall.

One of them seemed to have noticed something and said to his companions in a low voice, "Have you guys noticed? The little petrifying monsters in this instance seem to only target us humans. I’ve been watching all day, and they’re not interested in rats, bugs, or even those mutated plants."

"Yeah, why only us? Oh, right!" Another man’s eyes lit up as he looked at a girl in the team who appeared to be the youngest and was somewhat quiet and reserved.

"Isn’t Sevie’s Talent [Beast Taming]? Can she try to tame one of these petrifying monsters? If she succeeds, won’t our team’s strength just skyrocket?"

"Holy shit! Great idea!" a burly man next to him exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"If we can really get a pet with a Petrifying Light, we’ll be able to do whatever we want! We can just stare down anyone who pisses us off and turn them to stone!"

"Hehe, our boss is the man. He actually managed to use that special Team Formation Card to pull us all into the same instance. Otherwise, when would we get a chance to do something like this?"

Jefferson Lynn, the man they called "boss," was currently holding a special pair of night-vision binoculars.

He was carefully observing a dark stone cave in the distance, from which small, grayish-white figures were constantly entering and exiting—a suspected nest of The Silenti.

Hearing his teammates’ excited and naive discussion behind him, he lowered the binoculars and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Can you stop chattering like a bunch of newbies?"

He turned his head, his tone serious as he lowered his voice.

"This is an apocalyptic instance where you can die at any moment, not some MMORPG you’re trying to clear for the first time! All of you, pay full attention!"

"Oh, oh, got it, boss!" Seeing his displeased expression, the four of them quickly wiped the smiles off their faces and nodded obediently.

’Jefferson Lynn looked at the team he had assembled with a special item and felt a wave of helplessness.’

’If it weren’t for the fact that his core Talent, [Assist], required fixed teammates to use their Talents, he really wouldn’t want to be dragging along these "dead weights" who were lacking in both experience and mentality.’

’Sometimes they acted like they were on a picnic, completely lacking the proper reverence for a doomsday apocalypse game.’

He took a deep breath, suppressed his irritation, and his gaze fell back on the dangerous nest. He had made his decision.

He looked at the girl in the team who had a low presence. "Sevie, get ready. In a moment, Lowe and I will find a way to lure out a lone petrifying monster. Seize the opportunity and try to tame it with your Talent. Remember, safety first. If you feel you can’t control it or risk alerting the swarm, abandon the attempt immediately!"

Sevie nodded seriously, her hands clenching slightly. "Okay, boss!"

"Lowe, move out," Jefferson Lynn signaled to a thin teammate beside him.

The Player known as Lowe nodded. His figure blurred as if melting into the night, then vanished completely from everyone’s sight.

This was his stealth Talent.

Jefferson Lynn also took a deep breath, his own figure beginning to fade and turn transparent until he, too, disappeared from the spot.

The two of them moved toward the stone cave like invisible ghosts, silent and unseen.

Before long, a faint, deliberately made tapping sound echoed from near the nest.

Soon, a startled member of The Silenti shrieked and flew out of the cave, chasing after the source of the sound.

It was successfully lured to the spot where Sevie and the others were lying in ambush.

Now! Sevie focused all her spiritual power and activated her Talent—[Beast Taming]!

A gentle yet irresistible spiritual power attempted to envelop, soothe, and connect with the simple consciousness of The Silenti.

The process was surprisingly smooth. Perhaps because the intelligence of The Silenti was low, Sevie’s Beast Taming Talent happened to have a countering Effect.

In just over ten seconds, the green light in the eyes of the once-hostile Silenti gradually subsided. It became docile and even landed gently on Sevie’s outstretched arm.

"I did it! Boss! I succeeded!" A joyful smile instantly blossomed on Sevie’s face as she reported in a hushed voice to Jefferson Lynn, who had just reappeared.

However, before the smile could fully spread across her face, the unexpected happened.

At the same time, a system notification sounded in the minds of all Players.

[Ding! A Player has been detected successfully taming this world’s special monster, ’The Silenti,’ triggering hidden lore! A special mission is now being issued to all Players!]

[Special Mission: Reclaim The Silenti!]

[Details: Kill ’The Silenti’ and allow the system to reclaim them.]

[Reward: Treasure Chests. Upon a Player’s return, they will be rewarded with Treasure Chests of corresponding Quality based on the number of reclamations.]

The cold, emotionless system notification exploded without warning in the minds of all Players surviving in the [Petrification Apocalypse] instance!

On the other side of the city, Seraphina Sullivan, who had been sound asleep in the RV, was jolted awake by the notification. She sat bolt upright in bed, all traces of sleep gone.

"What the hell! What’s going on?! Why did a new mission suddenly pop up?!"

She clutched her still-buzzing head, completely baffled. She had no idea what this sudden "reclamation" mission was all about.

And on the other side of the city, the smiles on the faces of Jefferson Lynn’s team, who had just been reveling in their success, instantly froze.

They stared at the tamed Silenti before them, at a complete loss for what to think.