Chapter 126: Loved by the Ability Once Again

However, Zhuo was not worried. Instead, she offered words of comfort: "There is no need for you to worry. My shield is absolutely reliable."

Zhuo’s voice was melodic, possessing a soothing quality that brought a sense of calm to those who heard it.

"Are you certain? If it fails, I have cards I can use," Lin Ye said, still skeptical, already preparing to produce his own cards.

Zhuo smiled and replied, "Master Lin, there is no need to worry. Having seen so many treasures in your time, you surely know that some things are not as fragile as they appear."

Zhuo’s words successfully silenced Lin Ye, who merely looked at her with a smile.

Seeing that Xilin was not worried, Xi Yan felt reassured; he trusted those his sister trusted.

"Brother, Master Lin, you don't need to worry. This River of Blood is always like this; it surges periodically. Xilin and I are used to it." Xilin’s words put Xi Yan further at ease.

"Sister, why did you come here?"

"This instance has a Core Crystal as a reward. Once I obtain it, I can return to the Ninth Survival Zone to find you, brother." Xilin’s tone was filled with undisguised anticipation and excitement.

At that moment, a thought struck Xi Yan: if this was an instance, why had he received no prompts upon entering?

Normally, entering an instance would trigger a system notification, followed by descriptions of tasks and rewards. How was it possible that this instance had remained silent until now?

Noticing Xi Yan’s puzzled expression, Xilin asked, "Brother, what’s wrong?"

"I was just wondering why this instance didn’t display any system prompts. I don’t even know what the clearance objective is..."

As Xi Yan spoke, the scene suddenly fell silent. The three of them looked at him in unison, their eyes filled with confusion and surprise.

It was Xilin who spoke first: "Brother... you... you didn't get any system prompts?"

Meeting Xilin’s bewildered gaze, a dark premonition surfaced in Xi Yan’s mind.

Xi Yan nodded. Xilin swallowed hard and replied, "Brother... we... we all received system prompts..."

Xi Yan turned to look at Lin Ye. Lin Ye met his gaze and nodded silently. Xi Yan then looked at Zhuo, who also nodded in agreement.

"I..." A thousand expletives raced through Xi Yan’s mind. If there were no system prompts, how was he supposed to complete the tasks? How was he supposed to leave?

"Can you tell me what your tasks are? Are the tasks in this instance the same for everyone?" Xi Yan was terrified that they might say no.

If their tasks were different, it meant that if he wanted to leave, his own clearance objective might also be unique.

"My task is to withstand six waves of the River of Blood’s attacks," Xilin said.

"My task is to withstand eight waves," Zhuo replied.

Hearing their answers, Xi Yan felt a sliver of relief. If everyone’s task was simply to withstand a different number of attacks, he might still have a chance if he just endured enough waves here.

Xi Yan looked at Lin Ye, who offered an awkward smile and replied evasively, "Mine is... to obtain the fruit from the River of Blood."

Xi Yan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He felt betrayed by his own abilities once again. If everyone had different tasks and he had no idea what his was, was he destined to be trapped in this instance forever?

"Brother, do you really not know your task?" Xilin asked.

Xi Yan nodded dejectedly.

Just then, the River of Blood’s attack subsided, and Zhuo retracted her shield.

Though the shield had looked on the verge of shattering, it possessed an elastic quality; whenever the river’s attacks struck, it would use a fluid, soft force to neutralize the impact.

...

"How can that be? Brother, shouldn't we get corresponding system prompts the moment we step into an instance?" Xilin tilted her head, looking at Xi Yan in confusion.

Watching Xilin reveal such an adorable side, Zhuo couldn't help but let her gaze linger on her for a moment.

She had known Xilin for quite some time and was well-acquainted with her personality. She knew Xilin would never act this way in such a setting. Or rather, she rarely acted this way in any setting. It seemed that in the presence of her brother, she had completely let her guard down and released her true nature.

"That’s a long story. But I must find a way; otherwise, I might be trapped here forever."

Although Xi Yan knew his own abilities were likely the culprit, he had to endure them, no matter how troublesome they were.

"Don't worry, we will help you think of a solution," Lin Ye comforted him.

He had originally brought Xi Yan to find Xilin to discuss a business deal, but he hadn't expected things to go so awry. Now that the deal was complicated, he hesitated—when would be the right time to bring it up?

"How about this? Let’s try to withstand the River of Blood’s attacks first, since that is the most common trigger," Zhuo suggested tentatively.

Xi Yan nodded. "There is no other way for now. Thank you, Miss."

The group began to test it. Before long, both Zhuo and Xilin had completed their tasks.

The system notified both of them that they were free to leave, but there was still no reaction for Xi Yan.

Xi Yan sighed and crouched on the ground. "You two should leave first. I... I'm not in a hurry."

"Brother! We just reunited; how could I leave you behind? Besides, this instance isn't dangerous. With more people, we can help you try different things," Xilin immediately rejected his suggestion.

Zhuo had no objections, as she had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do; she had always stayed by Xilin’s side. Where Xilin went, she went.

Xilin crouched down as well and comforted him: "Don't worry, brother. We will definitely find a way out. You wouldn't want us to separate again right after meeting, would you?"

Xi Yan looked at Xilin, sighed again, and stood up to face Lin Ye. "Mr. Lin, since their method didn’t work, let me try your task."

Lin Ye nodded and carefully explained the details to Xi Yan.

Lin Ye’s task was slightly more difficult than theirs. He had to retrieve a fruit from the River of Blood, which only appeared after ten consecutive attacks.

Furthermore, the fruit had a very short shelf life—only three minutes. If he failed to retrieve it within those three minutes, he would have to wait for another ten waves of attacks to try again.