Wen Renxi was a bit dazed. She hadn’t expected the tears to come so easily. She quickly wiped them away. Meanwhile, the man next to her, who clearly wasn’t to be trifled with, shifted his attention. He looked anxious and subtly frightened, clearly thinking hard.

For players entering the Nightmare Realm, getting their mission and knowing which dungeon they were in—and that the oxcart’s destination was it—put everything else on the back burner.

The missing player wasn’t their priority.

Their focus was survival and clearing the dreaded “Snow Wedding Gown.”

Snow Wedding Gown.

Infamous for wiping teams.

No one had ever achieved a perfect clear. While many survived other tough dungeons, “Snow Wedding Gown” was different.

Since its appearance, only a handful had escaped alive, and always just one person. Never more.

Total party wipe, or one survivor, everyone else dead. No exceptions.

Wen Renxi knew none of this. She had no original memories, just the bare bones of her current identity: a regular college student.

She looked pitiful and flustered wiping her tears, which distracted the other players. Wen Renxi used this chance to observe them closely, their shifting expressions, and decided to retrieve the butcher knife.

These guys are trouble, every single one of them. Something’s definitely going to happen. Better keep this knife handy.

Besides, the knife felt… familiar.

She tucked the knife back into her waistband, pretending to stare at her hands, while keeping an eye on the others.

Six men, three women.

Minus Professor Huang and the two guides, the remaining nine were suspicious.

Two were middle-aged, two in their twenties—one bespectacled and seemingly bookish, but with a sharp gaze.

Two were younger, one with his face hidden under a hood.

The three women looked less threatening. Wen Renxi glanced at them quickly, withdrawing her gaze before attracting attention.

One looked like a pampered miss, another like a corporate type, and the last was a seemingly harmless, gentle older sister. But Wen Renxi sensed the “harmless” one was the most dangerous.

She had noticed Wen Renxi’s brief glance and immediately looked back. Wen Renxi, hidden behind the burly man, went unnoticed; the woman assumed the man had been the one looking.

Silence.

The oxcarts were eerily quiet. Fourteen people, and no one spoke except for those first few words. Only the creaking of the oxcarts broke the silence.

Wen Renxi turned her attention to her own situation.

She had a colorful past.

Starting as an orphan, she ended up in a demon-infested world, the weakest of demons, mere food. To avoid being eaten, she clawed her way to the top, becoming the Demon King.

Bored with demon life, she hijacked a passing system and started her transmigration adventures as a human again.

Despite her youthful appearance, she had lived countless lives. Now, stranded here, her system was gone.

But she hadn’t relied on the system to survive this long. It was just a tool.

Wen Renxi sensed the strange tension among the six men and three women—mutual familiarity mixed with wary suspicion. They knew each other, but why the distrust?

Hopefully, this trip won’t turn into a disaster.

Her gut feeling was right. They were all on edge.

Only one could leave alive, so they were rivals for survival.

As for working together? Unthinkable.

Experienced players had tried and failed, organized attempts to clear this dungeon, twice. Both times, they had been completely eliminated.

These were top-ranked players!

While the current group was considered high-level, they preferred their chances as individuals, vying for the sole escape route.

“Alright, alright, almost there. Once we arrive, you all behave,” Professor Huang said, sounding like he’d just woken up. “Shangyang Village is deep in the mountains. Their customs are different. If you make trouble, I can’t help you. You’ll have to follow their rules.”

“Don’t bring your city ways here. This village preserves its traditions. Respect their age-old customs.”

Huang’s words sounded like a veiled warning. Wen Renxi kept her expression innocent.

“We understand, Professor. We won’t cause trouble.”

The others took Huang’s warning as a caution from the natives. Knowing the danger, they’d be even more careful.

Even at the village entrance, Shangyang Village felt like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce and devour them. The wind carried a chilling dread.

Han Jiao, the pampered miss in her short sleeves, cursed under her breath and pulled on a long-sleeved jacket.

She looked at her mission details, anxiety spiking.

Han Jiao

Level: 60

Mental Strength: 53/100

Physical Strength: 10/100

Current Dungeon: Snow Wedding Gown

Mission: Accept the commission from Hu, a wealthy man in Shangyang Village, to find his missing daughter-in-law within three days and ensure the wedding proceeds. Survive for three days.

Reminder:
1. Shangyang Village is a tight-knit community. Do not antagonize them, or you’ll be ostracized, hindering your mission.
2. Do not attack the mission giver. He’s the one who’ll accept your mission completion.
3. Fail within three days, and Hu will deem you incompetent, canceling the mission. You’ll be trapped.

Rewards:
1. Safe exit.
2. Hu’s reward.

Seeing her mission, Han Jiao’s fear grew.

Wen Renxi, ever vigilant, noticed Han Jiao’s gaze and narrowed her eyes, looking into the empty space.

Nothing there.

What was the young woman looking at?

What could Han Jiao see that she couldn’t?

And what did their reactions mean?