Chapter 2: Instance—The Dark Forest

Page 1

The moment Ye Luo realized it, her clothes had changed. The thick garments she’d worn before had vanished, replaced by a simple white T-shirt with a huge smiley face printed on the front. The temperature in the instance was like summer, and Ye Luo felt a rare warmth. Her pants pocket bulged slightly—inside, she suspected, was the item she had chosen: a flashlight.

Ye Luo didn’t immediately take out the flashlight to examine it; instead, she looked around. The others had entered the instance as well—one thousand people in total, now all crowded onto the empty plaza.

Some people instinctively took out their items to check them. Although they quickly realized and put their items away again, attentive eyes still caught the action.

Yet, no matter what, not a single sound was made.

Ye Luo was certain: had it not been for those ten days, many people would have entered here and their first reaction would have been to scream.

However, in the real world, they had grown accustomed to not interacting with others. Now, there was no screaming or panic.

The plaza was brightly lit. For many who hadn’t seen light in a long time, they squinted instinctively against the glare.

In the midst of silence—

Suddenly, a strange, hoarse voice rang out.

“Welcome to the happiest place in the world.”

The crowd turned as one toward the source of the voice.

On the plaza stage appeared a gigantic frog. It resembled a frog, but it stood as tall as an adult, wearing a crown atop its head. Its eyes bulged wide, and its mouth stretched into an enormous, unnatural grin—most eerie of all, it held a green microphone in one hand, its frog face wearing an expression of delight.

The crowd stared at the frog, struggling to conceal the shock in their eyes.

“Am I beautiful?” The frog opened its mouth, stretching its grin even wider, nearly joining the corners of its eyes.

No one answered.

The frog visibly grew angry.

Its microphone instantly transformed into a massive axe. “Do you dare question my beauty?”

It swung the axe and leaped off the stage, cleaving the ground with ferocity. A huge crack split the plaza floor.

The frog looked back at the crowd. “Tell me, am I beautiful?”

Ye Luo frowned slightly.

If they didn’t answer this time, the frog would likely act violently.

In the real world, after all, there was the third rule forbidding communication.

But this was the instance world.

Here, the lights blazed; she had stood beneath them for several minutes, and nothing had changed.

Page 2

Clearly, the rules of the instance were entirely different from those of reality.

The instance wouldn’t open by slaughtering everyone.

Therefore—

Inside the instance, there was no need to obey the rules of the real world?

The frog was now thoroughly impatient. It jumped down and grabbed a young woman, its enormous eyes growing even larger, nearly covering its whole face. “Tell me, am I beautiful?”

The woman trembled, glanced at the massive axe in the frog’s hand, and answered fearfully, “Beautiful—very beautiful.”

“Smart girl.” The frog beamed at her. “And the rest of you, you all agree, don’t you?”

The woman had answered, and nothing happened to her.

Relieved, the crowd no longer hesitated, and they all hastily declared the frog was truly beautiful.

The frog's smile grew ever more radiant, ever more radiant.

It hopped back onto the shattered stage, grinning broadly. “You all have excellent taste. To reward your superior aesthetic judgement, I’ve decided to grant you two instance rules.”

The frog's voice suddenly became mechanical.

“This instance is called the Dark Forest. There are five main rules in total.”

After the announcement, the frog’s voice turned normal again, and it continued with a cheerful tone: “First rule: Brilliant light is what we long for most. Where there is light, no monsters will appear. So, stay where it’s bright.”

“Second rule.” The frog grew serious. “Of all the frogs in the amusement park, only I am kind, cute, and beautiful. If you meet any other frog, stay away immediately. If you cannot, do not believe anything it says. If you can, kill it.”

“Third rule…” The frog paused.

Everyone listened intently, hurrying to catch every word.

But the frog suddenly grinned. “Are you still hoping? The remaining three rules—explore them yourselves. I, Frog-Frog, am already very generous.”

Ye Luo’s eyes flickered.

Two rules were announced, three were hidden.

If someone had picked the third option at the start, they might already know one of the hidden rules.

Among a thousand people, had someone chosen the third?

Ye Luo glanced around at the others.

There must be.

But—

The instance stipulated that these rules could not be spoken.

Even if they could, no one would be foolish enough to reveal their trump card so easily.

“Frog-Frog Amusement Park is now open to you.” The frog snapped its fingers.

Page 3

All areas lit up.

Only now did Ye Luo realize that the plaza where they stood was at the center of a vast amusement park. Previously shrouded in darkness, the park was now brightly illuminated, cheerful children’s songs playing overhead. Everything seemed normal—yet not quite normal.

“Frog-Frog Amusement Park has ten attractions. Complete any three, and you clear the instance. Remember, after finishing each attraction, you must return to the plaza. Also, half the park is always in darkness. It’s recommended you avoid dark areas; if you must enter…” The frog grinned, “you bear the consequences.”

Then it closed its eyes and fell silent.

In the next instant—

Half the previously bright amusement park suddenly plunged into darkness.

Was this the official start?

A slight stir ran through the crowd.

“The frog said light is safe. We just need to complete three attractions to succeed, and there are five bright ones. We can just pick from those.” A middle-aged man spoke up.

“Right,” someone shivered. “I don’t like the dark—let’s stay where it’s bright.”

After ten days of darkness in the real world, the yearning for light was instinctive.

“Strength in numbers. How about we form a team and tackle the attractions together?” the middle-aged man suggested.

People have a herd instinct; many immediately agreed.

“However, the path to the bright attractions passes through darkness. Did anyone choose the flashlight? The frog said light is safe—if we use flashlights to illuminate our way, our safety will be much improved,” the man continued.

This time, no one responded immediately.

The middle-aged man smiled wryly and took out a doll. “My item is a doll that can block one fatal attack. If you’re willing to light the way, I’ll go first to try an attraction, so the others can observe.”

“Yes, bring out the flashlight. With so many of us, cooperation increases our chances. Besides, you'll need it in the dark areas anyway—why hide it?” urged those who hadn’t chosen the flashlight.

“You took out your flashlight earlier, didn’t you? I saw it.” Someone suddenly pointed at a woman nearby.

Her expression soured, but under the gaze of the crowd, she took out her flashlight.

Then, amid the urging and pressure from the others,

Several people gradually revealed their flashlights.

Of the three options, the flashlight was chosen by few, but in the end, more than a dozen people stepped forward.