A challenge in hard mode?
Tang Hao could not help but narrow his eyes. Although Amethyst was somewhat teasing him, it was not unreasonable when he thought about it carefully. Since the chat room was upgraded, everyone had been either training themselves in the training level or familiarizing themselves with the new version 2.0 in the past half a month. Other than that, they were also busy with their own things. The recruitment mission, which was most related to the development of the chat room, had not been carried out even once.
Indeed, Tang Hao was a little itchy.
It was like playing a card game. The officials kept replicating things all day long. Not to mention a new main storyline, there was not even a new character that could be shot. How could they be in the mood to save people? No wonder the Masters ran to a mule island to raise a mule … Brother Jie was the best in the world!
Of course, with the current revision of the chat room, the recruitment mission had also changed dramatically. Not to mention the hero mode, even what the normal mode and hard mode were like, no one could know.
In other words, someone had to go and explore.
As an administrator, Tang Hao could not avoid the responsibility of exploring while enjoying the privileges. At least he still had this self-awareness. Compared to the normal mode, the exploration in hard mode was obviously more important.
After all, in the normal mode, there was a chance of recruiting group members, which depended on one's face. Even if the mission was completed, a bad face might not be able to recruit new people. In general, this was more suitable for newcomers or inexperienced group members to accumulate experience.
So in fact, if the chat room wanted to develop, the safest way was always the hard mode.
It just so happened that he had mastered a new power, and he could test it through actual combat. As Amethyst said, he was indeed relatively idle.
As for Elosa and Zoro, the reinforcements had already been sent out, and the chat room could be monitored at all times. Even if something really happened, it would not be too late to send more reinforcements, and they did not lack him.
Da Bendan: "So, who is willing to go with me?"
Her Royal Highness Princess: "Didn't you just shout that you wanted to show off alone? Why do you want someone to go with you now?"
Da Bendan: "That's different. Previously, it was the known world. I know I was showing off in the past, so of course, it was enough for me to go alone. But now it's an unknown adventure, and it's an exploration. Of course, the more stable the better."
Princess Royal Highness: Whatever you say makes sense.
Da Bendan: Anyway, I'm going to choose one or two lucky people to go with me. Who will be the lucky one?
"Guild Leader, I'll go with you," Asuna volunteered as soon as Tang Hao sent the message.
"You … I don't think you deserve it." Tang Hao looked at her for a while, then shook his head.
"Why not?" Asuna's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you suspecting that my strength will be a hindrance to you?"
"It's not a problem of strength, but your cultivation of the second soul isn't going well, is it? Although there is a chance to make a breakthrough in actual combat, I feel that with your current situation, you should empty your mind now. Don't think about anything and relax. If you participate in this Wasteland Reclamation mission, it will drag down your cultivation progress. "
"This …"
"Listen to me. Your most important task now is to master the second soul. Let someone else take over the task of pioneering."
"… Okay."
Asuna pursed her lips. She still looked a little unwilling, but in the end, she still listened to Tang Hao's opinion.
At the same time, the people in the chatroom were also discussing.
Shengren Hui: Ordinary people like us can't go with Da Bendan, right?
Under the Snow: Don't even think about it. You'll probably be killed by his unexpected behavior.
Kazumi: Actually, Elosa and Olmet are quite suitable, but it's a pity.
Miaomori: What about Yue Bushen and Kirito?
Yue Bushen: Sorry, I may not have time for the time being.
Celia: Mr. Kirito is online, but he hasn't spoken yet.
Dr. Roman: He probably hasn't finished the mission yet.
Phoenix Court: Hahahaha! It seems that at this critical moment, only a mad scientist like me can do it!
Assistant: Forget it, you idiot.
Phoenix Court: Assistant, you … I'm not an idiot!
Patchouli: Actually, if I look at the list of members, there are not many people suitable for this pioneering mission … Illya Alarm Clock … Forget about elementary school students. Besides, I just experienced that battle not long ago.
Illya Alarm Clock: I'm sorry I'm an elementary school student.
Xiaowu: Howling Mula is not good enough either. She needs more time to grow.
Howling Mula: Sorry, I can't help …
Xiaowu: Don't worry about it.
Princess Royal Highness: Then the only people left are … I'm Not Happy and Quack the Most.
Quack the Most: Looks like I'm the only one left. I'm fine with it.
I'm Not Happy: I'm fine with it too.
Da Bendan: So you've decided?
Tang Hao looked through the chat history. Misaka Mikoto and Kuriyama's future strength was guaranteed. However, such a combination always felt like it was missing something.
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Wait, I'm fine with it, but I'm Not Happy.
I'm Not Happy: Can't I do it?
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Didn't you notice that this lineup is all offensive? It lacks flexibility. Since it's a pioneering mission, it's better to pursue stability. In order to be able to adapt to more changes, it's best to change to an all-rounder.
Patchouli: All-rounder? Do we have such a person in our group? Are you planning to go on stage yourself?
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Of course not me. Fairy Witch.
Fairy Witch:?
Tang Hao's eyes lit up … Youzhu?
Ever since Youzhu Jiuji joined the chatroom, although she was online most of the time, she had not spoken a single word. Gradually, she became like a ghost member. Sometimes, even Tang Hao would ignore her. He did not expect Amethyst to specifically mention her.
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Are you interested in participating in this pioneering mission?
Fairy Witch: Why me?
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Misaka Mikoto is a scientist, and you're a mystical one. As long as the two of you are a team, it doesn't matter if it's a modern world or a fantasy world. With your magic skills, you'll have no problem in scouting and tracking. At least, in my opinion, you're a better candidate than Kuriyama in the future.
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Most importantly, you're one of the five starters in the heroic mode. Omar and Eluza are already fighting side by side. The three of you can also take this opportunity to train together. Whether this pioneering mission is a success or a failure, it can be used as a pre-rehearsal for the heroic mode.
Seventeen Year Old Girl: What do you think? Is there a problem?
Fairy Witch: … Sure.
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Alright, it's decided then. Da Bendan, it's your turn.
Da Bendan: What's my turn? Since you've said everything, let's enter the group.
Tang Hao took the opportunity to send a request to Misaka Mikoto and Yuzu Kumodera. Once both of them had entered her group, Tang Hao typed four words with great vigor.
Da Bendan: I'm in!
…
This was a Hard Mode raid, so the three players weren't the only ones involved. It could be said to be an important reference material for everyone in the group. Therefore, the video was naturally played at the first moment.
In the video, the originally pitch-black background gradually lit up after Tang Hao and the other two had completely entered the world. It was a modernized city in front of them. Tang Hao and the other two stood in the middle of the crowd on the crowded streets.
The sun was setting, and it was evening.
Princess Royal Highness: It's a modern world, but those people aren't moving, are they?
Seventeen Year Old Girl: Yup, the people around them are all frozen, but they don't look like dummies. It's probably because the mission hasn't officially started yet. Although they've entered the world, they're still outside of the timeline … It's probably the chatroom's interference.
Patchouli: Then there'll probably be some sort of notification.
Sure enough, as soon as this sentence was sent, a line of dark red words appeared on the chat room's public channel.
"Recruitment on Hard Mode: When the mission starts, the chatroom's interference will be reduced to zero until the mission is completed."
Princess Royal Highness: This …
'Interference will be reduced to zero?'
Tang Hao furrowed his brows when he saw the line of words.
The so-called chatroom's interference … Using Kaguya's little black room as an example, staying there for a year would only be equivalent to an hour in the outside world. This was because the little black room had the concept of time distorted by Kaguya's ability. However, as long as one brought the chatroom into the little black room, the distorted time flow could be reversed. This was the chatroom's interference.
It was also because of this interference that Kirito and Asuna, who were almost one with the chatroom, could not enter Kaguya's little black room to train.
In addition, the mobile phone with the chatroom also had a strong resistance on the physical level. For example, Tang Hao once used the mobile phone to block Kuchulin's noble phantasm, which was also the chatroom's interference.
Now, this interference had been reduced to zero. In other words, whether it was on the physical level or the conceptual level, the chatroom would no longer provide assistance to the group members in the mission. It could only play a role as a communication tool and a teleportation tool.
Of course, before this, the group members who went to the unknown world to carry out the recruitment mission rarely used this power. The only time was when Tang Hao blocked Kuchulin's noble phantasm. Therefore, the existence of this interference seemed to be very weak, but in fact, it was not like that.
Due to the chatroom's interference had been all-encompassing from the physical level to the conceptual level, it could make the group members immune to many abilities during the mission. For example, if the enemy's ability was time based, as long as they brought the mobile phone with them, they could completely nullify the enemy's ability and turn Shizaki Kuzo into Melancholy Three.
Another example was the mind control ability. Bee-Eater Cao Qi had suffered from this before. Her mind waves were completely blocked by the chatroom, and her LV5 mind control was useless in front of Tang Hao.
Other than that, there were many other things. Even if the group members did not need this kind of protection most of the time, as long as the chatroom's influence was still there, it could at least make them feel at ease.
"As expected, the difficulty has increased. I wonder if this interference's reduction to zero is only applicable in this dungeon world or in all hard mode."
Tang Hao lowered his head and mumbled to himself. Logically speaking, such a change made sense. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Since there was a mission system, of course, there was a difference in difficulty. As the chatroom developed, the overall quality of the group members increased as well. The protection provided by the chatroom was getting less and less. Relatively speaking, it was better to explore the group members' own potential.
At the end of the day, the chatroom was just a platform and a channel. It was not a plug-in that could clear the screen with one click.
"There's a new notification."
Misaka Mikoto's voice entered his ears. Tang Hao looked at it.
"Recruitment mission in hard mode has been activated. In this mode, fixed missions have been removed and changed into open choices. According to the group members' choices and actions in the mission world, their faction will be biased. During this process, they will cross paths with the people in the faction. The karma points generated will determine who the new group members will belong to. "
"During the mission process, the group members and the people in the faction can be seen in the mission interface. At most, the five people with the highest karma points will be displayed. When the karma points with one of them reach one hundred, the recruitment mission will be completed."
"After the mission is completed, the group members who carry out the mission will receive non-fixed rewards such as Prestige. Those who have more than one hundred karma points with the group members will have the right to join the chatroom."
"Everything depends on your own choice."
"Mission begins."
When they saw these few subtitles, the same sentence appeared in everyone's mind: A completely free, open world!
That's right. Although it was a recruitment mission, it was not a mission. It did not force them to do anything, nor did it give them a fixed goal. Everything depended on how they did it. Complete freedom.
It was like an open world game. In the game, you could choose to become a demon king that destroyed the world, or you could choose to be a savior. In the game, you could feel the emotions of the NPCs and think for them. You could also pick up a Gatling gun and kill everyone. There was no good or bad ending, and there was no such thing as the right way to play. Everything depended on … how you wanted to play!
In the hard mode, it was a completely blank paper.
How they would fill in the answers depended on their own choices.
"How should I put it …" Tang Hao pondered for a while and finally said, "A truly free world."
That's right. The new mission mode in the chatroom was like reality.
Of course, the previous mission mode was also reality, but it was not freedom.
The previous mode was like when you were born, your parents would help you plan your future and goals. They would tell you which university to get into and which industry to enter. You didn't need to think too much, and you just needed to work hard to achieve your goals. But now … you can live however you want, as long as you're happy.
Asuna and Yukina were the ones who felt the most, because they were children whose future was planned by their parents. Although they did not have to worry about food and clothing, and lived a happy life, they did not have the freedom they wanted.
"This is the hard mode …" Yukina held the phone tightly, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at the subtitles on the screen. Now she was sure that this was what she wanted!
At this moment, she felt that she had found her goal.
Perhaps the meaning of life lies in the word "freedom."
In the video, when the subtitles gradually disappeared, the world seemed to come back to life. The people on the street began to move, and they passed by Tang Hao and the other two.
The mission began!
"Phew —" Tang Hao exhaled softly and said with a smile, "Although it seems that there are no more missions, we will still follow the old rules. First, look for any landmark buildings and people to determine which world this is … There are pearls?"
Tang Hao noticed that Youzhu seemed to be in a daze.
Mikoto couldn't help but look at her curiously.
Youzhu came back to her senses, and immediately put away the phone. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, don't mind me."
Youzhu said lightly, but her heart was filled with a myriad of thoughts. She could be said to be the freest person, but also the person who was the furthest from freedom. This was because the fate of a witch was unchangeable. As a witch, her future was already determined, but … the fate of a witch only determined how she would die, but not how she would live.
She could live more freely than anyone else, but she just had to bind herself to that small mansion.
When she walked out of the mansion and saw the subtitles just now, she instinctively had mixed feelings.
Tang Hao didn't know what she was thinking about, at least on the surface, she didn't seem any different from usual, so he didn't ask any more questions. He greeted the two of them and walked forward.
The air was filled with the aura of a modern city. Other than that, there was nothing unusual. It was the peak hour of the day after school, and the pedestrians on the streets were rushing in and out. Trying to find a familiar face was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
The only thing he was sure of was that this was Japan, Misaki City.
"Misaki City, do you remember?" Mikoto asked.
"No. And it's impossible to tell from the name of a city, okay? It's not like it's a school city, which is almost unique. " Tang Hao shook his head. After all, in the anime industry, disasters happened all day in Japan, especially Tokyo, which had suffered countless disasters. Knowing the name of the city was of no help in determining which anime and which world it was.
"Ugh … then there's nothing I can do." Mikoto sighed. In fact, in order to cope with the current situation, she had deliberately read a lot of manga that she usually wasn't interested in, especially fighting superpowers. Speaking of Misaki City, she had some impression of it, but she couldn't remember the specifics.
"There's another clue. I just heard that the cherry blossoms in Misaki City this year are blooming later than in previous years," Youzhu said.
It had to be said that Amethyst's recommendation was very reliable. Not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of meticulousness, Youzhu was far better than Tang Hao and Mikoto. Hearing this information, both of them were stunned.
But —
There was no use in that.
"Basically, there are cherry blossoms in Japanese anime, this kind of information …"
Tang Hao smiled bitterly and shook his head. Before he finished speaking, his thigh was hit by a bang. He turned around and saw a naughty child holding a drink.
"Sorry … Sorry …"
The child's mother immediately ran forward and apologized to Tang Hao.
"It's fine, it's fine. Be careful." Tang Hao smiled and waved his hand, unconcerned. Then, when the mother took the child's hand and walked forward, he picked up his phone and opened the mission interface.
"It's blank."
There was no name related to the cause and effect on the mission interface. Obviously, he was not so lucky to meet an important person right away. That was just a naughty child passing by.
"Rather than paying attention to passersby, I think this sky is more special. Don't you guys notice that it seems to be a little redder?" Mikoto raised her head and said thoughtfully.
"Really?" Tang Hao also raised his head, and indeed, he saw a sky that was dyed red by the rays of the sun. "But that's only because it's evening, the red sky … Speaking of this, I think of a song."
"What song?"
"Scarlet Sky."
Tang Hao smiled. Then, a light breeze blew, blowing the scattered cherry blossoms on the ground into the air, as if to confuse people's eyes.
"Danger!"
Just then, an anxious voice came from ahead.
Tang Hao hurriedly looked over. The person who spoke was a youth with ordinary looks. He was the kind of person that would not be found in a crowd, just like him. What was different was that this youth was wearing a black school uniform. He was probably a high school student.
And in front of the youth was a child who was running despite his mother's cries. His body was leaning forward, and he was about to fall to the ground.
Tang Hao almost laughed out loud. It was that naughty child again!
Obviously, this high school student was more compassionate than Tang Hao. Seeing that the child was about to fall, he instinctively rushed forward and bent down.
Could such a compassionate high school student be the main character?
Just as Tang Hao was thinking this, a strange light seemed to rise from the ground. It flashed for an instant, and then everything stopped.
The child who had fallen to the ground, the mother who was chasing after him, the lovers who were holding hands, the colleagues who were chatting as they walked, the passersby, and even the cherry blossoms floating in the air. Everything seemed to have been frozen.
Tang Hao looked at this scene, but that was all he could do. Because … even he was affected by this strange phenomenon. He could not even move a finger.
Time Freeze?!
Tang Hao never expected that this kind of ability would appear in this world. Without the protection of the chatroom, he could not break free from this restraint. Fortunately, he could still see, and it was not absolute stillness. Then … what about Youzhu? What about Meiqin? Could they still move?
Tang Hao did not know, because he could not turn back. But the next moment, he saw someone move.
That high school student!
At this moment, when everything was still, he was the only one who was not affected. But the strange situation in front of him seemed to have scared him quite a bit. He dropped his bag and ran in a panic.
"This can't be real, right? What … what the hell is going on? "
In this still space, sound was not isolated. The high school student's panicked voice reached Tang Hao's ears.
Then, it was also at this moment that a huge doll appeared silently. With a bang, it stepped on the ground and cracked it. Beside it, there was a ball made of countless doll masks floating.
"Okay, the preparations are complete."
"Although the number is not much, it is enough. Then … let's start."
The huge doll and doll spoke the human language. The next moment, the doll opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "Eat, eat, eat …"
Then, the motionless people turned into blue and white flames and flew towards the huge doll's mouth.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
