Actually, not long after the S-rank custom instance [Resident Evil] was released, people on the forum had already started discussing its prototype and asking if anyone had cleared it.
Top-tier players like Zhao Heng were inherently a very small minority.
The vast majority of people normally had absolutely no chance to come into contact with S-rank instances.
First, the offline entrance was a hurdle in itself.
Second, the ticket cost was another barrier.
Asking someone who wasn’t exactly rich in Survival Points to fork over five hundred or more points for a ticket, then travel to an offline entrance to fight for a spot against guild elites and top-tier players, all for the sake of gambling on an illusory future…
To be honest, not many people would do that.
But [Resident Evil] was different.
Not only could it be entered online, but the ticket price was only two hundred points.
There was no need to fight for a spot or wait in line; a single click was all it took to enter.
This made the most vocal group on the forum—the low-to-mid-tier players—unable to resist the temptation.
It was only two hundred points, after all.
Why not give it a try?
What if?
What if they could actually get some good loot out of it?
Many people on the forum shared this exact thought.
This was why, in less than half a day, threads discussing the [Resident Evil] instance had flooded the entire board.
Because the vast majority of low-to-mid-tier players wanted to give it a shot.
Of course.
They were considered slow to act.
The truly bold ones had actually gone in long ago, harboring a mindset akin to gambling.
And right when all eyes were fixed on the [Resident Evil] instance, a certain thread appeared: [To the creator named Wren Lux!
You are absolute scum!!
Is the instance you made even meant for humans to play!?] Naturally, it drew a lot of attention.
Everyone who saw it clicked on it immediately.
And then…
they were greeted by a completely unhinged rant.
[Are you kidding me!
Are you kidding me!
How can there be such a sick creator!
Is that even an instance?
That’s just pure torture!
You psycho!
Who throws players into a haunted house right at the start!
No hints!
No quests!
It’s pitch black everywhere!
There are noises everywhere!
Every two steps you take, you suspect something is right behind you!!
You torture players for half an hour at the start, in that broken-down house!
That broken-down basement!
Wandering in circles for half an hour!
Finally, you see a living person!
And then you get tortured like crazy!
That bitch named Mia!
Why didn’t you just give her infinite revives!?
What the hell were you thinking when you made this instance!!
And after you made it, how exactly did you clear it yourself?!
Wren Lux!!!
Answer me!!!] “???” “What’s going on?
Did this bro just get out of the instance?” “Calm down, OP.
What exactly happened?” “How exactly is it torturing people?
I don’t get it.” “It can’t be that bad…” “I was just about to go in…
Why is he acting like a madman?
Isn’t this supposed to be an imitation instance?
Didn’t Bro Heng say it would be a piece of cake?” “When Bro Heng said it was a piece of cake, he meant for himself, not for us.
But it looks like even if it’s an imitation instance, the difficulty isn’t low.
It practically drove the OP insane.” “Imitation instance my ass!
It’s an original instance!
A completely original instance!
A piece of cake?
Piece of shit, more like!
Just go in and play it yourselves, then you’ll know!” “…” Everyone was completely bewildered and began asking questions incessantly.
And just as the number of people discussing it continued to grow, the thread’s original poster finally replied again.
It sent shockwaves through the forum.
An original custom instance!
A completely original instance!
And it seemed…
the difficulty was incredibly high!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
And while everyone was still digesting this news.
Similar threads began popping up one after another.
Moreover, the titles were increasingly unhinged, almost all of them emotionally out-of-control accusations.
Clearly.
The number of people who had died in the instance at the same time was truly substantial.
[Fuck!
Who made this instance!
Is this meant for humans to play!!!] [Who designed this instance?
Come out!
I promise I won’t beat you to death!] [Is the creator sick in the head?!
Who makes an instance like this?!] [I wanted to quit just ten minutes after entering the instance.
What the hell is that place?!] [I seriously suspect this creator has psychological issues!] [Compensate me!
Dying deducted a whole thousand Survival Points from me!!
Pay up!!] [Hahahaha, so this is an S-rank instance, hahahaha, so this is an S-rank instance, hahahaha.] “…” Many of the thread titles looked far from normal; a lot of these poor kids looked like they had been driven to the brink of madness.
As time passed, more and more people started posting.
In an instant.
Eight out of every ten threads in the general discussion area were about the [Resident Evil] instance.
Amidst the chaos.
Everyone gradually pieced together the general situation.
This custom S-rank instance that had caused a sensation not long ago was actually a completely original instance…
And it seemed to be a supernatural horror theme.
The overall progression was extremely grim, and the combat was incredibly torturous, as most players had died at Mia’s hands.
They couldn’t clearly explain the situation of the entire instance either.
They only said it was disgusting, terrifying, horrifying, and sick.
Almost all the players who had experienced it gave similar descriptions.
Just with slightly different adjectives.
In short, a thousand words could be boiled down to one sentence: Not even a dog would play this!
And the most frequently asked question in the threads by these players who had experienced it was: How the fuck did the creator of this instance clear it themselves?!
The forum was littered with threads like this.
Meanwhile, the players who hadn’t gone in yet but were originally planning to try their luck grew increasingly despairing the more they read.
Because not a single person claimed to have cleared it.
There wasn’t a single piece of good news.
…It was all accusations, wailing, and unhinged rants.
This caused many hopeful players to flock to the thread that had previously exposed the [Resident Evil] instance, finding the comment where Zhao Heng had claimed it would be a ‘piece of cake.’ They then left frantic comments underneath, asking about his playthrough and whether he had actually cleared it.
It all boiled down to one sentiment— Bro Zhao!
Bro Zhao!
Say something!!
For the vast majority of people on the forum, Zhao Heng was the only top-tier player they knew.
This wasn’t surprising.
As time went on, it wasn’t just the players who hadn’t entered the instance; many who had gone in, died, and found the instance sickeningly twisted also came to ask.
They wanted to know too!
Was this instance difficult for a top-tier player?!
Most importantly!
Could this instance actually be cleared?
And just as the replies under Zhao Heng’s ‘piece of cake’ comment were about to break two thousand.
Zhao Heng finally appeared.
His reply was very simple.
[Don’t go, there is only bloodshed and death there!] [What comes after is even more inhumane!] [This is not an instance meant for humans to play!] “…” Everyone looked at this reply, then looked back at Zhao Heng’s ‘piece of cake’ comment from a few hours ago.
They were utterly dumbfounded.
…
Early the next morning.
Wren Lux was awakened by a continuous barrage of system notification sounds.
Ding ding ding ding ding— That annoying noise practically never stopped, as if someone were frantically spamming her with messages.
On the soft bed.
Wren groggily sat up.
She was wearing a very plain pajama set with a loose collar.
Perhaps because she was a restless sleeper, or perhaps due to her proud, full figure, a few buttons on the pajamas had popped open.
Her fair, tender shoulder was exposed from the collar, and her smooth, long hair was a bit messy from sleep, with a few strands clinging to her cheek.
Her eyes were heavy with sleep, and she wasn’t fully awake yet, carrying a bit of morning grumpiness.
“…What is it.” As she spoke, another notification chimed.
Unable to take it anymore, Wren irritably reached out and opened the system panel.
She glanced at it with half-closed eyes, then froze.
She had received over a thousand emails…
and the number was still climbing.
Wren blinked her beautiful eyes, her brain clearly not yet up to speed.
She was a bit dazed.
She rubbed her eyes and casually opened an email.
[Are you a sick psychopath?!] Wren Lux: “…” ‘Why curse at people first thing in the morning?!’ She clicked on another one.
[Who taught you to create an instance like this?!] “…” Wren finally woke up completely, remembering that her instance had gone online.
She had practiced [Visual Imagery] for a long time last night…
and truly hadn’t paid any attention to the situation with the [Resident Evil] instance.
Were these emails related to [Resident Evil]?
Wren read a few more emails and finally figured out the cause and effect.
Simply put…
the players who had been tortured by the instance had come to send emails cursing her, the creator.
Wren’s face was full of astonishment.
After a moment of silence, she muttered, “…Psychos!” …
But Wren wasn’t the only one feeling astonished.
At the Coordination Bureau, Combat Strategy Department—commonly known as the floor where the Strategy Group was located.
Department Director Silas Vane sat behind his desk, looking at the two people in front of him.
“…What do you mean?
An original instance?
And neither of you cleared it?
You couldn’t even clear an S-rank custom instance???” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Otaku_Senpaii Want more chapters?