Who invited the witch into the eerie game?

Chapter 155 Breathing Candy

Su Xiaoshuang continued reading.

Regarding how to leave the underwater city of Vashj, the game terminal states the following:

Your initial stay in Vashj is only 72 hours. Before the time runs out, you must choose and achieve one of the following paths:

1. Payment extension.

You can spend a lot of credits to buy a long-term vacation visa.

Each extension increases the required credits exponentially, and the upper limit of the Adaptability Index will permanently decrease, making you increasingly a part of the community.

This is the final destination for most tourists, who exhaust themselves to become Vashj residents forever.

2. Miracle Challenge.

Challenge one of Vashj's three trials:

The Trial of Sejm: Stay awake for more than 30 minutes while a singer is performing and repeat the lyrics in their entirety.

Reward: A dual-scale item that allows you to breathe freely on both land and sea.

The Trial of the Shimmering Scales: Successfully defraud a Shimmering Trader in a transaction without being detected by their chest scales.

Reward: A fraudulent contract that reveals parts of Vashj's truth and weaknesses.

Trial of the Tides: Complete a meditation at the Temple of the Tides, without synchronization.

Reward: Temporarily receive the blessing of the tides, allowing safe passage through most deep water dangers.

Completing any trial will reward you with a magical sea map marked with safe evacuation points, guiding you to a relatively stable temporary portal.

3. Revelation and Destruction.

Please find the truth about Vashj's existence.

Some naturalists have investigated and researched the underwater city of Vashj, suggesting that it may be the cavity of a living behemoth, an ancient prison, or a symbiotic entity that relies on tourists.

Find and destroy its city core; the moment the core is destroyed, all restraints will be released.

The water will violently repel outsiders, spraying you back to your original world.

However, the survival rate in this process is extremely low, and it may unleash something even more terrifying.

Finally, a reminder: "May you enjoy Vashj's gentle embrace on this new day."

"Today's water quality: Mildly hallucinogenic. It is recommended to avoid direct contact with bioluminescent organisms."

"Tide forecast: There will be a brief emotional low around 3 PM, which may amplify your homesickness. Please remain calm."

"Remember: adapting is for staying; struggling may just be for sinking more gracefully."

Have a wonderful holiday, however long it may be.

"Hope is forever."

This rule is very similar to that of some remote tourist attractions, which try every means to keep tourists here.

As for the method of leaving, it seems much more reasonable than the previous bizarre games, but who knows how many hidden traps there are.

For example, paid extensions are like slowly boiling a frog in water, causing those trapped in the mire to struggle more and more, until they are unable to extricate themselves.

Miracle Challenges may seem to offer choices, but in reality, each challenge is designed to keep players engaged as quickly as possible.

Finally, the revelation and the destruction are undoubtedly the most dangerous and the most difficult.

-

Simply put, it's about finding and destroying the core of the underwater city.

The core could be the singer statue in the central square, the resonating crystal of the Temple of Tides, or a heart buried deep in the silt.

Actually?

Many eerie games offer similar choices.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for any player to complete this successfully.

Su Xiaoshuang glanced at the players gathered not far away and silently lit a candle for them in her heart.

However, to be fair, weird games have always been so inhumane.

"Wow, the sea creatures here are so beautiful!"

Among the players, one girl exclaimed in surprise, looking quite excited.

Several female sea creatures, drawn by the sound, looked over and smiled at the girl, seemingly pleased to be praised.

However, new problems have arisen.

These sea creatures are essentially bizarre monsters; would they really like being praised for their beauty?

After all, the true nature of the eerie monster is most fond of the indescribable.

"Alright, everyone, please introduce yourselves."

Wearing a suit and carrying a greatsword as wide as a door, the red-haired man, exuding the air of an anime adventurer, said, "My name is Grayson Thorne, Sequence 4, and my profession is Sword Saint."

Demigod of Sequence 4!

Sword Saint!

The players all showed expressions of shock.

What a winning hand!

With such a high-attack swordsman around, this strange game is somewhat more stable.

The only problem is that Vashj is an underwater city, not on land, so it's unknown how much damage Grayson Thorne would do if they fought underwater.

Don't be fooled by how many people are strong and destructive on land; they might not be so formidable underwater.

For example, firearms have very low effective damage underwater.

"Dylan Ross, Sequence 5, is a priest."

An old priest, draped in a black cloak and holding a sacred text, spoke.

The old pastor looked to be over 80 years old.

It's quite something that someone so old would participate in such a bizarre game.

However, the fact that this old pastor has survived to this day and reached Sequence 5 indicates that he must have some strength.

"Shen Yining, Sequence 5, Professional Mage."

The girl, wearing a white beret and dressed in an outfit somewhat similar to Megumi Kato's classic look, spoke.

Su Xiaoshuang glanced at the girl and sensed that something was off.

Because she sensed the power of the magical girl.

However, this magical girl's power seems to have significant side effects.

"Gong Che, Sequence 4, professional Tidecaller, race is a fictional sea race."

The young man, who had a distinct and beautiful fin near his ear, said that he looked cold and aloof, giving off a sense of unapproachability.

He would introduce himself by race, most likely because he didn't want anyone to ask him about his physical characteristics.

"Gong Che, may I ask, are you a race of humans from ancient times who did not emerge from the ocean?"

A person next to him asked curiously, "You haven't introduced yourself yet. My name is Lan Yuheng, Sequence 3, a professional naturalist who specializes in studying races from various worlds."

Gong Che felt offended.

Considering Lan Yuheng's Sequence 3 strength, he did not retaliate.

But the next one went even further.

"Gong Che, I think you can change your name."

The girl, with long, straight black hair and a pretty face, but a slightly dazed expression, said, "My name is Zhang Qingyu, Sequence 3, professional swordsman—no, I mean sword master."

Is there a difference between a swordsman and a sword master?

Several players exchanged glances, indicating they couldn't understand the difference between the two.

Perhaps, a swordsman is a level above a swordsman?

However, "swordsman" is a general term for anyone who uses a sword.

It's hard to tell the difference, isn't it?

Regardless of the situation, Gong Che was genuinely a little angry.

In the past, people would laugh when they mentioned his name, and he didn't understand why.

Later, I learned a little about other languages, including their accents, pronunciations, and suggestive meanings.

Gong Che finally understood.

I never expected that I would encounter someone who dared to use his name so soon after entering this place.

Even though Zhang Qingyu's reminder seemed well-intentioned, it was precisely this reminder that made other players who hadn't noticed it before take notice.

What's most infuriating is that Zhang Qingyu is a Sequence 3 and her profession is Swordsman.

We might not be able to win if we fight directly.

However, this is underwater, on the seabed, and he is a sea creature. If a fight really breaks out, the situation is hard to predict.

"Kato Yuji, Sequence 5, Professional Cleaner."

The middle-aged man, who looked somewhat simple and honest, said.

He had thick dark circles under his eyes; it was hard to tell whether it was from the stresses of daily office work or from the pollution on his body.

In this state, participating in a bizarre game probably won't last long.

Unless all of this is a disguise.

"Nana Yano, Sequence 4, Professional Psychic."

The cute girl, dressed in pink and looking like a pink bunny, said.

Yano Nana's eyes shine with light, as if everything she sees is full of hope. Just with that image, she would definitely be a hit if she debuted as an idol.

"Alright, everyone knows each other now."

Grayson said, "You are either demigods or about to become demigods, so I believe there's no need to say more."

.

"This bizarre game, the underwater city of Vashj, is exceptionally difficult."

"In my world, there is no record of this copy."

'

""

"Well, we have records of clearing the game in our world."

Zhang Qingyu looked at him with a clever look in her eyes.

"What? Tell me quickly!"

Grayson was somewhat agitated.

The others also looked at Zhang Qingyu, hoping to get more information.

The difficulty and danger of this eerie game are completely different depending on whether you play with a walkthrough or not.

I haven't seen it.

Zhang Qingyu said, "But the tourists are almost gone. Are you sure you want to stay here and not follow them?"

It was only then that everyone came to their senses and realized that almost all the tourists nearby had left.

Moreover, the NPC in front seems to be doing something.

"Hurry up and keep up."

Grayson didn't dwell on it and quickly said...

If crucial intelligence is missed, leading to everyone dying at the very beginning of this bizarre game, things could get really messed up.

Ahead lies the checkpoint for entering Vashj.

Several marine creatures were on duty at the checkpoint, responsible for issuing documents to inbound tourists.

There are many facilities resembling coral reefs near the checkpoint. Tourists often walk over, grab a tentacle-like tube from one of them, and put it in their mouths to take a deep breath.

A few steps further on, there are some seafood vendors, who simply watch the tourists pass by.

Occasionally, when someone walks by, the seafood vendors will hand them some candy.

Tourists will eat one immediately after purchasing it.

"Honored guest, please proceed."

Upon seeing the ship ticket handed over by Su Xiaoshuang, the sea creature in charge of the inspection visibly trembled.

He thought of something and took a box out of the drawer.

"The city lord said this is yours, and that you can use anything inside for any purchases you make."

"Um?

Su Xiaoshuang took the box and opened it.

Inside is a very beautiful pearl.

She understood; this pearl was like a bank card on land.

"it is good."

Su Xiaoshuang accepted the pearls and walked forward.

Since she was already there, she went over and bought a few breathing candies from the vendors.

Upon receiving the breathing candies, Su Xiaoshuang looked on with curiosity, as these breathing candies were completely free of contamination.

Peel off the sugar coating, eat one, and Su Xiaoshuang's eyes lit up; the breath candy actually tasted quite good.

Sweet and sour.

"Excuse me, why does everyone buy these candies? Is it because they taste good?"

Yano Nana ran over and asked.

"This is a breathing candy, it tastes pretty good."

Su Xiaoshuang said, "The water in Vashj contains special dissolved oxygen, and everyone who comes here can breathe through their skin, but the efficiency is low. If this continues, the human body's adaptability index will drop rapidly."

"In this situation, people living here must regularly go to oxygen stations, which are public facilities that resemble coral reefs, to breathe, or they can directly buy breathing candies to supplement their oxygenation. Breathing candies provide oxygenated gel balls; otherwise, their adaptability index will drop rapidly."

What?

Yano Nana's eyes widened.

If you don't ask, you'll never know, and you might never know even until you die.

"Thank you so much."

Nana Yano quickly asked, "May I ask how I should address you?"

"Celia Xavier is a psychiatrist."

Su Xiaoshuang said, then turned and left.

There are a total of 8 players who came to Vashj, including two Sequence 3s, three Sequence 4s, and three Sequence 5s, making for an extremely strong lineup.

To prevent players from attacking NPCs first, Su Xiaoshuang felt it was safer to leave early.

Yano Nana immediately turned around and told her teammates what had happened.

"What? Such a thing actually happened?"

Grayson exclaimed in shock, "Does this mean we have to constantly be on guard to replenish our oxygen levels?"

"You definitely need to breathe underwater."

Zhang Qingyu said with a blank expression.

She couldn't understand how anyone could be so ignorant about something so simple, let alone want to discuss it.

"I asked around, and they said you need special currency to buy Breathing Candy. What should we do if we don't have any?"

Lan Yuheng looked a little anxious.

"You can use the oxygen station. I checked, the first three uses are free."

Zhang Qingyu walked to an oxygen station, pulled out a tube, put it in her mouth, and took a deep breath.

Instantly, Zhang Qingyu felt her mind clear up considerably and her energy surge.

Not only that, her skin even seemed to have become smoother.

"Wow, that's amazing."

Zhang Qingyu said, "I just took one breath, and even my skin looks better."

?

Grayson, Dylan, and the others looked at Zhang Qingyu.

Zhang Qingyu's skin has indeed improved, but something still feels off.

When did eerie games become so kind?

Freebies at the start?

"Don't overthink it, just breathe."

Grayson immediately stepped forward, pulled a tube from the coral reef, and took a deep breath of oxygen.

Suddenly, he felt as light as a feather, and many things he couldn't understand became clear at that moment.

Seeing that the two of them had done so, the others followed suit and completed the basic breathing exercises underwater.

"Yano Nana, do you know who the NPC who just told you all this is?"

Lan Yuheng asked, "Whether we can conquer the underwater city of Vashj in the future, our hope may lie with her."

"I remember, her name is Celia Xavier, and she's a psychiatrist," Nana Yano said. "She shouldn't have gone too far; we can follow her."

"Okay, catch up quickly."

Oh, this.

Su Xiaoshuang walked in front, intending to avoid the players.

To my utter surprise, after I kindly answered a player's question, all of them followed suit.