Chapter 86: The Origin of the Name

"This S-level instance is our first time—back in that E-level instance, we almost died in there."

"If you can't control your temper, sooner or later we'll die because of it."

Of course Yu Wan understood this. But Chen Lixin was her cousin, and the two of them had always been close. Watching her bleed so much, almost at death's door, while the group around them remained so cold—even though they had medicine, no one offered it to save her. Yu Wan couldn't swallow this indignation.

Just then—

Yu Lei, who had been focused on treating Chen Lixin, stopped trying to staunch her bleeding.

Instead, he set her blood-soaked body aside and stood up coldly.

"What are you doing?" Yu Wan asked in disbelief. "She's our cousin. If she dies here, how will we explain it to Aunt when we get out?"

"Explain what? People die in the instance world every day."

Yu Lei's voice was like cold jade, each word chilling Yu Wan to the core. "Rather than worrying about that, think about whether we ourselves can get out alive. When we chose to enter this S-level instance, we had no other options."

"Over the past days, you must have noticed it too—the instance world is expanding slowly, in ways nearly imperceptible."

"If we don't actively explore the instances, we'll eventually be swallowed by the instance world anyway."

"Instead of sitting here waiting for death, I'd rather take the challenge head-on!"

Yu Lei was different from Yu Wan. He had been disciplined and clear-headed since childhood.

He felt nothing about the others' indifference to saving lives. Chen Lixin was clearly beyond saving; he had tried because they were family. If she weren't his cousin, his actions would have matched those of the others.

"Uncle Zhiye, I know you regret coming with us into this instance, but it's too late for regrets now."

"Put away those useless emotions—complaints won't solve anything."

"If you want to see your son again, even live on with him in the future, you must pull yourself together."

"Second Sister, I know you’ve always struggled to accept the cruelty of the instance world, but now is the time to wake up. You and Sister Jingyi will dig a grave; when Xinxin is gone, bury her here. Otherwise her body will attract other dangerous creatures."

"Brother Rui, Brother Wei—you two, check the surroundings with me."

"The sky’s getting dark; we have to find a relatively safe shelter before nightfall."

As for safety, Yu Lei didn't dare hope.

A tiny E-level instance had nearly cost him and Second Sister their lives. And this was an S-level instance, five levels higher. Yu Lei hadn't forgotten the warning in the instance description—three exclamation marks.

Instance levels run from F to 3S, F is weakest, and 3S is strongest.

S-level was just below double-S and triple-S.

That pack of Split-Tooth Tigers—they were likely just the appetizer.

What awaited them next would be monsters stronger and fiercer than those tigers, coming one after another.

Even though Yu Lei had prepared himself mentally before entering the instance, the thought of Chen Lixin about to be buried sent a flicker of fear across his resolute features. He rubbed his aching forehead, pushing the fear away.

As the leader of the group, he had no right to be afraid.

If even he faltered, the team would truly be finished.

Father, mother, and everyone in the village were waiting for them to return, waiting for them to bring hope for survival. At times like this, even the slightest weakness would make him hesitate, and cause him to miss what might be their only hope of survival.

For reasons unknown, at that moment Yu Lei suddenly thought of his eldest sister.

Thirteen years ago, at his age, she’d dared to face their parents’ thunderous anger and go alone to another city to give birth to her niece.

Her little body barely reached his chin, yet she had endless courage.

All these years, no matter how hard life got, she never asked their parents for help. Instead, it was his mother who would often go to his sister to "borrow" money—sometimes to pay his and Second Sister’s tuition and living expenses.

Sometimes...for no reason at all.

Just for a better meal, or to buy a beautiful dress she fancied.

He wondered how his eldest sister was now. Bringing Yunduo into this terrifying instance world, she must be living a hard life. Unfortunately, he was powerless—he didn’t know how many more days he could keep himself alive, let alone help her.

"Creak!"

Yu Yan, as if sensing something, stepped on a branch and broke it.

She had been wandering for over an hour in this ghostly forest, where, except for herself, there was not a trace of life. The sun was slanting westward, dusk deepening. During this time, Yu Yan had tried to chop down several lower-tier Ghost Orchids as a test.

But those Ghost Orchids were cunning. Though they couldn’t see through her illusion disguise, whenever Yu Yan felt murderous intent, they sensed it keenly, shrinking back and hiding inside the trunks of the trees.

Sometimes they’d release clouds of mist, similar to that from the previous Ghost Orchid, though the color varied—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... Each mist looked ominous, and Yu Yan wasn’t foolish enough to test their power herself.

The Ghost Orchids hidden in the tree trunks would leave a section of root exposed, nearly identical in color to the trunk itself.

If she looked carefully, she could find their location, but Yu Yan dared not act rashly.

She had a feeling that these Ghost Orchids shared some special way of transmitting information, a single move would stir the whole forest. If she insisted on digging out the Ghost Orchids hidden in the trees, she would surely alarm all the Ghost Orchids in the forest.

Even the dormant Soul-Eating Grass on the ground would be awakened!

If that happened, no matter how powerful her illusion skill, faced with an attack that covered every direction, her fate would almost certainly be death.

After all, her illusion only kept Xuan-tier monsters from spotting her—it didn’t make her immune to attacks.

And among these Ghost Orchids and the Soul-Eating Grass below, who knew if there were monsters above Earth-tier? Yu Yan was just a fourth-grade novice; facing monsters of seventh grade or higher, her illusion skill would be useless.

Careful, careful, and more careful!

That was Yu Yan’s guiding principle as she moved through the strange forest of trees.

As for seeking a lone fifth-grade monster to escape the instance—that possibility wasn’t even something she dared to consider until she got out of this forest. Another half hour passed, and darkness deepened.

Tiny fireflies began to rise amid the trees. In the dim light, the Ghost Orchids unfurled their graceful forms.

Snow-white or crimson petals trembled, shimmering with dreamlike light.

On the broad leaves of countless trees, the swollen part in the center of the veins opened. Amid the quiet sound, insect-like creatures spread their wide wings, flapped them gently, then flew into the air. Soon they were busy, weaving through the Ghost Orchids’ petals like a dream.

Soul-Eating Firefly Sea!

Yu Yan finally understood the origin of this S-level instance’s name.

At that moment, as far as she could see, beneath was a boundless sea of Soul-Eating Grass. Above, countless butterfly-shaped creatures, their wings dotted with glowing fireflies, forming ribbons of yellow light that flickered with every beat...