17 Heading to the Instance, A Special Way to Clear?

As the scenery before Sterl gradually became clear, he found himself standing in a desolate wasteland.

Around him, a hundred new players from various bases had all gathered together.

"Neither more or less than, About 8 people?" Sterl was momentarily stunned, sensing something significant.

With limited slots for the instance, if the number of participants from his base exceeded eight, some might be forcibly eliminated...

Indeed, though the death rate for this mission might be extremely high, it's not an opportunity easily come by for ordinary people!

For any base, slots to participate in the instance were incredibly precious!

To Sterl's surprise, the eight people from his base stood aside with little interaction or conversation among them.

However, the rest of the players had subtly formed several small groups.

"Judy, this time the lives of our brothers are all tied to you."

"I have an item that can temporarily increase wind damage by 20%. I wonder if I could follow you?"

"Bro, no more words. Give me a hand, and I'll give you 500,000 credit points after we get out of the instance."

About 10 players gathered around a red haired man named Judy, constantly praising him. As they all known that this exploration task was extremely difficult. Naturally they all wanted to ride on his coattails.

Besides Judy, there were several other small groups—

"Hale, let's work together and each get a pet. How about it?"

"Ken, you should know that only by combining forces do we stand a chance to survive this mission..."

Previously, players would chase after those with superior talents. But now the stronger players were actively forming groups to seek a way to survive.

Those who had joined these groups appeared much more relaxed, while those who hadn't managed to join were despondent, as if they were already waiting for death.

As for Sterl, he was somewhat left out in the cold.

Although he had impressive results in the preliminary tests. No one else from test room 3 had passed the assessment, and Sterl had not been well-known within the base before this.

No one knew of Sterl's combat capabilities, so naturally, none of the players paid him any extra attention.

Meanwhile, a clear eagle's cry echoed through the sky.

A black giant eagle flew down from high in the air, and above its back, players with powerful digital aura took turns landing on the ground.

After reaching the ground, this group of people immediately bowed slightly

Then, a young man wearing a white robe and military boots leaped down from the giant eagle.

The many players present showed a solemn respect, recognizing his authority.

"That's Commander Miste!"

"No wonder he's involved, considering this instance might produce pets."

"Whether we can turn our fortunes depends on this exploration mission!"

Everyone looked towards the figure in the white robe standing at the forefront of the crowd, showing admiration and respect.

The new players, fresh on the scene, might not know the specifics of Miste's strength. But they had heard that he was at least level 60, a big shot who had completed the second class change mission!

Such a presence, appearing for a mission to evaluate new players, essentially confirmed the rumors about pets being produced in the instance!

"That person is looking over here!"

"It must be me! Does it mean my potential is good? That I'm being noticed!"

"Stop dreaming! It's definitely Judy, Hale, and those other high-talented players he's looking at."

...

Every move of a superior could cause astonishment among those below...

However, what no one knew was that Commander Miste's attention was entirely focused on Sterl alone.

The other so-called "genius players"?

Ha! They were worthless!

Just a bunch of them every year!

Yet, the commander's mood was far from as calm as he appeared, "The higher-ups insist that we can only judge whether Sterl qualifies for the Spark Project after he goes through the instance?"

"What a joke! Does a genius like him even need an opportunity to obtain a pet?"

A flicker of unease passed through Miste's eyes. As he felt more and more that something was amiss in the Val district and even in the entire Mountain Empire's high-level bases...

It used to be that a genius player like Sterl would be highly valued by those above. The base will never send a player who hasn't even undergone class change to enter an instance and gamble his life!

But Miste was powerless in this situation. Since the big shots from the high-level bases had spoken, wanting to test Sterl, then a test it must be.

As a second-class player, he might be incredibly powerful. But in front of those true powerhouses, he was still nothing but an ant!

Miste dared not defy the commands of the high-level bases.

He could only sigh softly in his heart, praying that Sterl would return safely: "Such a genius should have a not so small chance of coming back alive!"

Miste comforted himself and, seeing that the players had assembled, took the opportunity to speak up.

"Cough."

He coughed lightly, and instantly, the aura of a second-class player enveloped the entire area. The lively novice players who were just discussing were all silent, afraid to speak anymore.

Miste slowly began to explain the key points of this mission, "You should know what you're about to do."

He pointed behind him. A faint purple crack that is somewhat hidden but can still be detected through careful observation is slowly surging.

"Touching this crack will allow you to enter the instance."

"You should know that this exploration mission is about risking your life for a chance to obtain a pet. Those who succeed can leave the instance and have a smooth path ahead... but if you fail, you'll die inside."

"However, there's good news. This instance is of a special type. According to the limited intelligence we've received, once certain conditions are met, a batch of pet eggs will be hatched."

"Players who obtain the pet eggs don't need to defeat the instance boss. You just need to survive for a period to automatically exit the instance."

Miste's tone was steady and unhurried.

And among the players, who had been a mix of nervousness and excitement, eyes lit up one by one!

Those daring to take part in this mission naturally had a bit of a gambling spirit. But who would complain about having a greater chance of surviving?

Not having to fight the BOSS? That was great news!

Following that, Miste made a deeply meaningful statement, "Instances with level restrictions tend to produce valuable items. If you manage to find opportunities beyond pet eggs within the instance, it could be another chance for you to grow stronger."

Unfortunately, for the players present, this statement was almost meaningless.

More opportunities?

Oh…Thank heavens!

"Earn it with life, but might not live to spend it."

Sterl, blending in with the crowd, seemed to go with the flow, seemingly grateful for the opportunity to risk his life this time. After all, being able to leave the instance without facing a boss - could there be anything better?

However, Miste, who had been quietly observing Sterl, frowned slightly...

He couldn't help feeling that this genius was a bit too ordinary. He completely lacks the temperament of the top players Miste used to meet.

Those individuals, even before their class change, possessed immense confidence, convinced they were the chosen ones.

Though disappointed, Miste thought Sterl's reaction at least made sense. Before the class change, killing a boss was a rare occurrence in the history of the game "Transcendence." This genius was just being realistic, not delusional.

After all—

The lowest-level bosses were at least level 20, requiring a combined effort from multiple professionals to have a chance of killing them.

And even if a field boss could be taken down by sheer numbers, how many would have to die if they were all unclassed players? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

According to legends, the only time a boss was overwhelmed without a loss was achieved by one of the earliest groups to enter "Transcendence," known as the Three-Eyed Clan.

Using unclassed players, they defeated a level 20 field boss, earning one of the rarest rewards in "Transcendence" — a [Feat]

[Feat: First boss kill by unclassed players.]

It's said that the Three-Eyed Clan received a reward that greatly satisfied them.

But, that was probably thousands of years ago.

As for instance bosses, since they're inherently stronger than field bosses and the number of players in an instance is limited, there's no chance of overwhelming them with sheer numbers!

In short, if killing the boss was the only way to clear an instance, the major bases wouldn't send new players to their deaths!

Then, Miste turned his head to look at the space crack behind him. And by doing so, he missed a slight change in Sterl's expression—

"An instance boss? If I could take it down... wouldn't that be a huge leap forward?!"

Sterl felt a surge of excitement in his heart.