Chapter 39: Contaminating Nightmare-Grade Dungeon! Are You Crazy, or Am I?

“Why is Brother Wang so curious about Nightmare-level dungeon difficulty?”

Baili Dao had been pondering this question.

Ever since he parted ways with the Widow late that night, the other party had been asking him very basic questions in the friend chat box from time to time.

It was clear that he was indeed a newcomer.

Yet, he had never asked a single question regarding any dungeon difficulty below Nightmare level, as if he had absolutely no interest in other tiers.

“Could it be that his next dungeon notification has already arrived, and it’s a Nightmare level!?”

Baili Dao was startled by this absurd speculation.

Matching a newcomer with a Nightmare-level dungeon?

The [Spirit Calamity Game] couldn't be that insane, could it?

“Wait... it seems like there actually was one instance recently where a newcomer experienced a Nightmare-level dungeon.”

Baili Dao suddenly remembered.

The last newcomer dungeon livestream that had ended not long ago.

Even today, a large number of technicians at the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs were still attempting to analyze what that Nightmare-level newcomer dungeon actually signified.

The current judgment was—

The probability of a newcomer clearing a Nightmare-level dungeon remained at 0%; it was most likely a bug in the game system.

Even though the livestreamed dungeon appeared to have been cleared, the moment the final survivor was liquidated by the game had still been detected by the technicians.

This meant the person hadn't truly cleared it; by now, the grass on their grave was probably two meters high.

If that weren't the case...

Baili Dao had initially thought the Widow was that heaven-defying newcomer who had obtained the final beta access.

Unfortunately, that person was already dead.

“Sigh, the higher-ups have recently been asking us to cooperate with an investigation into dungeon pollution. They say it's become serious enough that the Director has personally stepped in, so they have no time to deal with my applications for new recruit enrollment,” Baili Dao sighed, feeling indignant.

A colleague at the adjacent workstation heard this and couldn't help but tease, “Brother Dao, is that newcomer really that divine? Or is it just that you didn't reap any benefits from that targeted reality dungeon and are making up excuses to brag because you're afraid we'll laugh at you?”

Ever since Baili Dao returned from the dungeon that night, he had been boasting to them about a certain newcomer with immense potential.

But his claims were so hyperbolic that basically no one believed him.

A Level 1 newcomer making four veteran players equipped with full items, plus a dungeon boss comparable to a Nightmare level, run in circles?

Even Director Qinglong wasn't this powerful when he was at Level 1! He was exaggerating too much!

However, it seemed that upon his return that day, Baili Dao had indeed formally applied to the higher-ups for special recruitment resources.

Unfortunately, it was rejected.

Because currently, the Bureau's resources were being diverted toward combating dungeon pollution.

When a dungeon is polluted, its difficulty skyrockets, and participating players are prone to permanent mental damage—the so-called total loss of Sanity.

A simple dungeon, if polluted, would be damaged and decommissioned immediately; a medium dungeon, once polluted, would instantly rival a Hard dungeon; and a Hard dungeon, once polluted, would directly become a Nightmare level.

This had also caused a sharp spike in casualties among the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs personnel recently.

“If the newcomer you're talking about really entered a Nightmare-level dungeon, then there's no need to keep monitoring him. Just watch the news; if someone dies of sudden death in Mingyang City, it's most likely that newcomer.”

A voice abruptly came from behind.

Baili Dao snapped his head around.

He found it was his direct supervisor, also the highest official in the Mingyang City branch of the Bureau.

Such a comment caused the light in his eyes to dim significantly.

Indeed, if Brother Wang really had entered a Nightmare-level dungeon, then they should just prepare to collect his corpse.

“Focus your attention on the mission regarding polluted dungeons first,” the supervisor said.

Ever since attending the meeting at headquarters and seeing Director Qinglong three days ago, he had become exceptionally concerned about polluted dungeons.

At that moment, another strange thought surfaced in Baili Dao's mind.

He asked involuntarily, “Sir, what would happen if a Nightmare-level dungeon were to be polluted?”

Supervisor: “...”

The entire office fell into a long silence.

Finally, the sound of the supervisor's sigh drifted through the air: “The consequence is that you can only kneel on the ground, light some incense, and pray that your death isn't too unsightly.”

A polluted Nightmare-level dungeon.

Do you even hear what you're saying!

Are you crazy, or am I?

A Nightmare-level dungeon already has a clearance rate of less than 1%.

Add pollution to that, and the clearance rate is basically 0%!

Whoever encounters it dies!

————

“Hehehe, Grandpa Village Chief, am I going to die?”

Wu Wang grinned foolishly at the old village chief.

Right now, the eyes of the entire plaza were focused on him.

To be precise, they were focused on that wooden plaque, which was missing a portion of its graffiti.

Returning to the time before the feast began.

Just like the annual Yin-Yuan Grand Sacrifice, the old village chief had invited the entire village to come forward and sense the aura of the wooden plaque.

As each villager sequentially underwent a "cleansing" by staring directly into the eye graffiti on the plaque, everyone felt as though their souls were being purified.

Bathing in that great aura, they yearned for the Yin-Yuan Great God to grant them favorable weather and bountiful harvests.

Until a certain little madman stepped up.

As Wu Wang looked over, the red vertical pupil on his wrist opened and blinked in synchronization.

In just three seconds, one-fifth of the exquisite vertical pupils on the wooden plaque vanished.

Terrified, the old village chief hurriedly pulled Wu Wang aside and ordered someone to bring a black cloth to cover the plaque.

Whose unlucky child is this?

What did he do?

“You are... from which family?”

Auntie Li hurried forward to interject: “Chief, that's just Zhang Sanfeng. He's to be used to worship the Yin-Yuan Great God the day after tomorrow.”

A sharp glint flashed in the old village chief's eyes.

He nodded silently and said, “So it's him... take a step forward and let Grandpa have a look.”

Wu Wang lowered his head and walked forward slowly.

He could almost smell the stench of decay emanating from the old village chief.

Hidden beneath that thick cotton jacket was a nauseating skeleton ghost.

He didn't know how the entity had stitched the human skin together, but from the outside, there truly appeared to be no issues.

“Come, let Grandpa Village Chief see your eyes.” The old village chief's voice was like the whisper of a demon from hell; when it reached Wu Wang's ears, it actually caused him to daze for a moment.

He instinctively walked toward the man.

Who would have thought this skeleton ghost could also bewitch the human heart!

Unfortunately, the trance lasted only an instant.

That bewitching curse was swallowed by the red vertical pupil.

The Abyss God Mark acted like a king of parasites.

Whenever Wu Wang suffered from other similar curses or pollutions, it would jump out and devour them, as if declaring its sovereignty.

*This guy! Only I am allowed to pollute him!*

*Puchi—*

The moment he reached the old village chief, a bone spike violently pierced through the man's cotton jacket.

It stabbed straight through from the heart to the back.

Under the man's incredulous gaze, Wu Wang leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Old Village Chief, you dropped something. Now, I'm returning it to its rightful owner.”

“Shh~ don't make a sound. You wouldn't want the villagers to know you're a ghost, would you?”

*During the day, I am submissive and timid.*

*At night, I am the center of attention!*

*If you have the guts, expose your ghostly form right in front of everyone!*

*Let's see if this Yin-Yuan Grand Sacrifice can even continue!*

With a smile, Wu Wang gripped the bone spike with his hand, using his body to block the view between the spike and the villagers.

He twisted and twisted, turned and turned.

The old village chief's face had already become a hideous, distorted mess.

For some reason, he truly could not expose himself.

He could only endure the other man's humiliation in frustration!

“Don't worry, I never hold grudges overnight.”

“If I have a grudge, I settle it the same day!”