Chapter 29: The Dark Forest (End)

Turning back was turning back, but Ye Luo’s footsteps never paused for a moment.

Now understanding the price of using the flashlight, Ye Luo gritted her teeth, running as she pulled out the flashlight and marked the dark creatures clinging to her shoulders and back.

The dark creatures scattered in panic.

Before long, they were devoured by other creatures lurking in the shadows.

Then, those just-marked creatures began to respawn in the darkness.

Ye Luo raised the flashlight again, marking the newly resurrected creatures, but they were unaffected, still charging toward her without the least hesitation.

Having finally rid herself of the dark creatures, Ye Luo felt lighter than ever, her speed increasing noticeably.

Though this meant more creatures would pursue her, only ten minutes remained.

If she could reach the square, she would be safe.

At this moment, speed was everything.

Ye Luo raced forward, chaos erupting all around her.

She was not alone; many others were also running toward the square.

One person lagged just a bit behind.

In an instant, a monster caught up from behind.

A scream tore through the air.

Blood sprayed.

Ye Luo was close enough that the blood splattered her white clothes, leaving blotches that were shocking to behold.

But she had no time to worry about any of this.

Right now.

Her thoughts were the same as everyone else’s.

Run!

Get to the square!

As long as she survived to reach the square, she would clear the level!

Despite everyone giving their all, Ye Luo still heard anguished screams from time to time.

Each scream marked a life lost.

Even Ye Luo, whose emotions were usually faint, felt a touch of sorrow for the fallen.

But soon, she could spare no sympathy for others.

The first wave of resurrected dark creatures had caught up to her.

These revived monsters no longer feared the light, nor did they abide by the rule that only allowed attacks when players broke the rules.

They pounced on Ye Luo.

Her face, arms, shoulders, neck—every exposed patch of skin was swarmed by the dark creatures.

Sharp teeth gnawed at her flesh, slowly and relentlessly.

The pain was beyond words.

Ye Luo clenched her teeth, barely able to lift her arm, desperately beating off the creatures.

Luckily, though numerous, these monsters were not very strong.

A few frantic blows knocked many of them off.

But her skin was left riddled with bloody holes.

The others fared no better; each person’s plight was more miserable than the last.

The air in the dungeon was thick with the smell of blood.

Her struggle with the dark creatures cost precious time, and three enormous monkey monsters closed in from behind.

One monkey monster raised a hand and brought it down heavily toward Ye Luo.

Ye Luo forced herself to endure the pain, barely dodging the blow.

But she couldn’t escape the second attack.

As one of her arms was seized by a monkey monster, Ye Luo didn’t hesitate; she yanked hard, and under the opposing forces, her arm tore off completely.

The pain of losing her arm was searing.

Ye Luo’s face turned ghostly pale, but her pace never faltered.

“Only three minutes left,” came the dungeon’s prompt again.

The monsters continued their wild chase.

“Only two minutes left.”

The square!

Ye Luo’s vision blurred, but finally, she saw the light of the square.

Summoning her last ounce of courage, she accelerated in the final stretch.

The giant monkey’s palm landed on her back.

Without looking back, Ye Luo dashed straight into the square.

The monkey’s attack fell into empty air.

“Only one minute left.”

Ye Luo didn’t pause, rushing straight toward the giant frog.

The giant frog eyed Ye Luo’s battered appearance with a hint of gloating. “Human, you look quite pathetic.”

Ye Luo said nothing. With her remaining good hand, she grabbed the giant frog’s axe.

The giant frog was startled. “What are you doing?”

Ye Luo, teeth clenched, swung the axe fiercely onto the stage.

A small crack appeared.

The giant frog immediately cried out in distress. “What are you doing!”

This was its favorite stage.

Ye Luo glared coldly at the frog, her voice sharp. “Quick, you chop!”

“I…” The frog was dissatisfied.

“Chop!” Ye Luo shouted sternly.

The giant frog hesitated, but was intimidated by her forcefulness. Instinctively, it raised the axe and brought it down hard.

The stage split in two.

From beneath the stage came a chorus of croaking.

Countless little frogs, exposed to the light, screamed in agony.

The giant frog froze.

It suddenly realized—

The little frogs’ base wasn’t in the dark region at all, but had always been beneath its stage!

For years, it had been tricked by these little frogs.

A cold smile appeared on the giant frog’s face. It opened its mouth wide and began to devour them madly.

At the moment the giant frog broke open the stage, Ye Luo’s figure vanished completely.

The next instant—

Ye Luo found herself in a space of pure white.

She instinctively looked at her arm.

The one she had lost was now completely restored.

All her wounds had disappeared.

The thick scent of blood, the terrifying dungeon—it all felt like nothing more than a nightmare.

“Congratulations on completing the dungeon: Dark Forest. Calculating player clearance level…”

Ye Luo waited a while.

A mechanical voice sounded.

“Player light contamination level: 40%.
Player has joined the Frog Prince faction.
Player has completed the Frog Prince faction’s ultimate quest: Eliminate all little frogs.
Final calculation: Player clearance level is S. Congratulations.”

S rank.

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes.

She had won her gamble.

During her earlier conversation with the giant frog, she realized that the little frogs were naturally afraid of light, leading the giant frog to assume their base must be in the dark region.

But after years of searching, it had never found the little frogs’ base in the darkness.

Ye Luo wondered: Was the base really in the dark region?

Could it be in the light?

Was there a place in the light region, shielded from light’s penetration?

Apart from the square, the only other place was the bright game arena.

Ye Luo had observed the game arena; there was no perfectly concealed spot.

So it had to be the square.

But the square was open—how had the little frogs remained hidden for so many years? The place they hid must have been somewhere the giant frog would never suspect.

Ye Luo remembered the beginning of the dungeon.

Back then, the giant frog had raised its axe to intimidate the players, smashing the ground.

A huge crack had split the ground, but the stage was left untouched.

This proved—

The giant frog cherished the stage, unwilling to damage it.

Thus,

Ye Luo easily deduced the little frogs’ hiding place.

Her eyes gleamed as she asked, “How is the light contamination level calculated? What are the dungeon’s clearance conditions?”

Her method of clearing the dungeon was unusual.

She wanted to know: for others, what counted as qualifying to clear the dungeon?

This light contamination level might be the key.