"What on earth?"
Galen Yu stood there, completely dazed.
He had simply mined an Aurora Block, and that somehow counted as defeating the Snow Queen and getting the first clear?
Admittedly, with sufficient preparation, he was confident he could finish the battle in record time, but it certainly shouldn't have happened like this.
'Could it be...'
A truly shocking thought flashed through Galen's mind.
"Are you actually the Snow Queen, hiding in the shadows and pretending to be an Aurora Block?!"
He pointed at the spot where he had just mined the block. There was no response, only silence.
The scene became incredibly awkward.
Snapping back to reality, Galen felt a bit foolish for even considering the idea.
The Snow Queen was three blocks tall and didn't have shape-shifting abilities. How could she have been an Aurora Block?
If that wasn't the reason, then why did this happen?
He didn't understand it, and the viewers outside the screen understood it even less.
"No way! Brother!"
"What's going on? What exactly is happening!"
"He's really not even trying to hide it anymore, is he? Where's the boss? Where is the boss!"
"We haven't even seen the Snow Queen's face yet. What, does she have a crush on you or something?"
"Even if she liked you, it wouldn't go as far as being defeated before even showing her face, right?"
"If this isn't cheating, then what is? Can someone please ban this guy?"
"This is ridiculous!"
Even the audience from the Nine Provinces was at a loss for words.
In the past, his actions at least had some basis in logic, and you could discern a reason. Now, there was simply no logic to be found.
"I mean... could Great God Galen at least try to cover up the cheats next time?"
"Everyone else was just talking about competing for the first clear, and then he just takes it!"
"Hahaha, this is so wrong... Hahaha, I'm actually feeling a bit embarrassed for them!"
"You upstairs, laughing that loud doesn't make you sound embarrassed at all!"
...
Back at the Research Institute, Headmaster Quill sat with his mouth agape.
"Fries, look! The Snow Queen was literally killed by Galen's handsomeness!"
Fries was about to suggest that the Headmaster was getting a bit senile due to his age, but then he saw the screen and was equally shocked.
"Holy crap, Galen Yu really did kill the Snow Queen with his looks!"
"Is there actually a physical appearance bonus in the block world? I never noticed it before, but looking at it now..."
"That kid Galen's handsomeness is probably even reaching my level!"
The nearby researchers looked at Fries, then back at Galen.
A few of them couldn't hold it in and snorted with laughter.
"What? Are you all being captivated by my dashing looks too?" Fries asked, turning around in confusion.
Interrupting the nonsense, Headmaster Quill laughed helplessly.
"If we're going by that logic, then Galen's handsomeness is definitely far above yours..."
"Alright, jokes aside. Regarding this first clear."
"I believe it was an accident!"
Returning to a serious expression, Headmaster Quill began his analysis.
If one observed closely, they would see that Galen usually acted with absolute confidence, as if everything was within his grasp.
But now, from his subtle facial expressions, it was clear that he was also baffled by what happened to the Snow Queen.
In other words, this event caught everyone by surprise, Galen included!
This made things complicated.
An uncontrolled, unknown accident—if it provided benefits, that was fine. But what if it was something meticulously planned by others?
"In previous civilizations, the Freedom Nation, Indus, and the Samurai have all obtained quite a few good things. What if they made a move?"
As a contestant, Galen could afford not to think about these things and immerse himself fully in the block civilization.
But as the Nine Provinces Research Institute, bearing the weight of the entire nation, Headmaster Quill had to think deeper and consider every possibility.
"Let's check the perspectives of the other players. See if we can find any clues."
"I hope it's a good thing."
Having just recovered a bit of national strength, Headmaster Quill muttered to himself, not wanting any more accidents.
Meanwhile, in the Indus Kingdom.
Kapil poked his head out and watched the Blood Moon recede.
"I've survived another Blood Moon!"
Kapil felt extremely fortunate just to be alive.
He turned his gaze toward the nearby multicolored trees.
The Rainbow Trees and the Questing Ram's grove—he had encountered the same place as Ronan Mountwell.
The strength of the zombies meant they couldn't breach the Enchanted Forest for now. He had originally planned to stay inside to hide from the Blood Moon.
But as soon as he reached the entrance, he was blocked by an invisible wall.
[SYSTEM: EFFECT "NAGA'S CURSE", THE QUESTING RAM REFUSES TO LET YOU ENTER THE ENCHANTED FOREST.]
There would be no villages, no chunk welcomes, and you would find it much easier to draw hostility from neutral creatures.
It was clear that the retribution for backstabbing the Naga had arrived.
Left with no choice, he had to find a hole to crawl into and hide until the Blood Moon ended.
He picked up the Proud Soul of a Master Katana again, which was flickering with faint glimmers of light.
This was the key that granted him the qualification to obtain a SlashBlade, but it had to be charged to be gradually activated.
Charging it was simple: just kill mobs. He could vaguely see a green figure with a human head and a serpent's body wandering inside it.
The familiar appearance made it immediately recognizable—a Naga!
It wasn't the specific Naga that Kapil had backstabbed, but a new one.
He remembered that when he hadn't even officially entered the courtyard, the Naga had sensed the power of the curse and rushed out impatiently, trying to tear him apart.
Equipped with the Naga Scale Mail and a weapon he had looted from a chest, and thanks to his familiarity with the boss's mechanics, he had quickly slain it.
After crafting a pair of Naga Scale Leggings, he could see that the Proud Soul was now one-quarter charged.
"If I kill three more Nagas, or two Liches, I can finally claim the SlashBlade!"
"It won't be long. In just a dozen days or so, how far could the others have possibly progressed?"
"The Hydra? Or maybe a bit faster, the Phantom Knight?"
Once he had the SlashBlade, he was confident he could take down all the bosses within ten days and claim the first clear!
As if he could hear the people of the Indus Kingdom cheering for him in admiration outside the screen, Kapil spread his arms as if to embrace the world.
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS TO GALEN YU FROM THE NINE PROVINCES FOR BECOMING THE FIRST PLAYER TO CLEAR THE TWILIGHT FOREST!]
Not paying attention to his feet, he stumbled and fell off a block, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.
The announcement felt like a slap to the face. The mental pain Kapil felt was far more intense than any physical injury.
"Huh? How is that possible?"
Over in the Samurai Nation.
The two contestants were busy with their own tasks.
Ronan Mountwell had spent the entire time avoiding combat, gathering wool and various colored dyes.
In his heart, he was certain that the Questing Ram was the strongest boss. If he served it well, he would receive the strongest equipment as a reward.
Noble magic—once he learned it, what could the zombies possibly do to him?
Giving up on accumulating resources and reinforcing his chunk defenses, Ronan devoted his entire being to finding wool.
Kira Oakmoor, on the other hand, revered the way of the warrior and was constantly in battle.
Relying on sharp sword techniques and better luck than Mark.
She didn't get lost in the labyrinth; shortly after entering, she found the Minoshroom and completed her third boss kill.
Even with the Hydra, the fourth powerful and towering boss.
Hiding near the lair, she held her breath and observed the battle between the Hydra and the zombies for an entire night.
She could now clearly recognize the Hydra's attack patterns and had a strategy formed in her mind.
Taking advantage of the fact that its wounds hadn't healed, she decisively drank a Potion of Fire Resistance and rushed out with her sword drawn.
"Hydra, die!"
Meat and searing hot blood rained down. Standing beneath the massive corpse, Kira's progress momentarily surpassed Mark's.
"Living the way of the warrior, Kira, you are the true hero!"
"With the SlashBlade's combat power vastly increased after evolution, even Mark can't keep up with our progress!"
"It's a pity. If only those damn Indus people would return our Proud Soul!"
"If we got the complete SlashBlade, even the Freedom Nation wouldn't be our match. The first clear..."
Mid-sentence, the familiar announcement appeared once again.
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