Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 39: Vulnerable and Helpless

A charred scent permeated the air as everyone reopened their eyes, greeted by the sight of an abandoned gate, its surface adorned with patterns resembling the tentacles of marine creatures. Looking higher, a colossal cartoon octopus stood atop the gate. Its colorful paint, weathered by years of wind and rain, had blurred into streaks, and its eyes had been hollowed out, creating two eerie, empty sockets.

This was a desolate, silent amusement park, a shadow of its former glory.

The countenances of the Emerald Tempest Guild's five members appeared uneasy. Given the oppressive atmosphere of the instance, it was likely to be a formidable challenge.

All were tense and apprehensive, except for one who seemed blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, exclaiming in wonder, "Wow! What a massive octopus!"Ethan Walker clucked his tongue in amusement. The chat erupted with laughter:

"Hahaha, there goes the mood!"

"Is Ethan craving some octopus now?"

"Such a big fish, not even a pot could hold it."

"Focus, people! We're still in the instance."

After Ethan's comment, noticing that all five members had turned to look at him, he said, "Oh, focusing on the players' condition, I see. What do you think about this octopus, Brandon?"

Brandon Scott was too exasperated to respond.

"And what about you, Maxwell?" Ethan asked, noticing that Maxwell Ford was the only one playing along, and handed him an imaginary "microphone."

"I think it would be great blanched," Maxwell replied, playing his part well.

Ethan's antics, albeit disruptive, undeniably lightened the mood of the others.

Henrik Jensen surveyed his team, as if assessing everyone's state. "Let's draw lots, then head inside." Normally, Henrik would be the one to draw, as only the captain could shoulder the responsibility of drawing a 3S. However, this time, Isabella Martínez stepped forward first. "I'll do it."

Henrik nodded in agreement, saying nothing more.

Isabella approached the long table where the lottery machine was placed, casting a wary glance back at Ethan, who was keeping his mouth tightly shut. Maxwell approached Ethan. "Why aren't you reporting? Weren't you the accompanying journalist?"

Ethan dropped his solemn facade and began to speak animatedly. "You think I'm stupid? If the draw goes wrong and it's blamed on me, then what?" Having already shouldered the blame once, he was not eager to do so again. Maxwell chuckled, hands in his pockets, waiting for the lottery result. The sound of a bell signaled the end of the draw, and an orange ball fell out.

...

Then another one emerged.

SS-rank!

The chat was ablaze:

"2S, really?"

"Again?"

"Aren't S-rank instances becoming too common? We've never seen this many before!"

"Maybe it's a matter of probability. Emerald Tempest Guild's instances are always high-level."

"I'm more inclined to believe it's something to do with Ethan's constitution."

"That guy Ethan, always brings an S with him!"

"Seems like all the S-ranks I've ever seen are with Ethan."

The SS-rank instance was undoubtedly challenging, and Isabella's face turned grim.

Henrik shook his head, implying no explanation was needed. "Everyone, weapons at the ready, prepared for combat. Sophia, you'll handle the puzzle-solving." "Got it," Sophia replied.

"Brandon, you're with Sophia. Protect her during the puzzles."

"Okay."

"Isabella and Maxwell, be ready to adapt on the fly. If we encounter a boss, we three will take the lead

"

"No problem."

Henrik finally turned to Ethan, momentarily mistaking him as one of his own team members. "You-"

Ethan stood up straight. "Captain, command me! I'll help depending on my mood!"

"...Never mind."

True to their reputation as a top-tier team, the Emerald Tempest Guild members quickly adjusted their mindset, ready to face the SS-rank instance. They prepared to enter the amusement park through the grand gate.

Creak...

Without a gust of wind or any discernible force, the gate opened automatically, sending a chill down the spines of the five adventurers.

Ethan pulled the camera towards him, ensuring the live audience could witness this moment. "Look at this," he said, "a true SS-rank instance with an automatic sensing gate. Impressive."

Learning from their previous encounter, this time no one paid much attention to Ethan Walker, whose antics disrupted the suspenseful atmosphere. They thought that once they entered the gate, Ethan would become serious. They were mistaken.

As they passed through a corridor, a mannequin hanging on one side suddenly moved its arms and emitted a creaking laugh, nearly causing Sophia Carter to scream in fright. Ethan remarked casually, "Thermally activated automatons, quite impressive."

Soon, they passed by a hand-painted wall. When Brandon Scott turned his head, the faces on the wall began to weep blood, transforming from smiles to cries, sending shivers down his spine. Glancing to the side, he saw Ethan up close to the wall. "Postmodern art, hard to understand, but impressive," Ethan commented.

Brandon resisted the urge to punch him.

The situation escalated when they reached a small forest, where bodies hung from the trees, swaying in the wind. Ethan stroked his chin and commented, "Performance art, impressive, but not recommended."

The live audience in the General Association's broadcast room couldn't stop laughing.

"Hahaha, Ethan seems to have missed the memo; is he here to play or to sightsee?"

"Ethan, wake up! This isn't a stroll in the park!"

"A horror story turning into a comedy."

"He seems genuinely concerned about us imitating performance art."

"Ethan's worried for you.jpg"

"It's strange, no monsters yet, I'm starting to get scared."

"What are those looks for? Aren't those the monsters?"

"Where, where?"

"The bodies hanging in the forest."

The chat was right; the first challenge for Emerald Tempest Guild was the forest of hanging corpses.

"Is there another way?" Henrik Jensen asked Maxwell Ford and Isabella Martínez, who had just scouted the area around the forest.

Both shook their heads. "We have to go through," said Maxwell.

Henrik made a swift decision. "Then let's go."

Everyone instinctively gripped their weapons tighter. Henrik wielded a scepter with a gemstone at the end, which was actually a button to switch modes. With a light press, half of the scepter's body would transform into a blade. The other three members were similarly equipped: Isabella with a fishbone sword, Brandon with a curved knife. Sophia always carried a brown leather case, likely dual-purpose for weapons and storage.

Lastly, Maxwell, like Ethan, had no visible weapon.

"What about your weapon?" Ethan asked.

"And yours?" Maxwell countered.

"1

"My weapon isn't convenient to show," Maxwell said with a smile. "It will appear when the time is right."

Ethan, sensing Maxwell's confidence, didn't press further, knowing he would replace out soon enough.

Before entering the forest, Ethan interacted with the live audience. "Ahem, dear viewers, as you can see, we are about to cross this 'wax forest.""

The chat wondered what a "wax forest" was.

"The upcoming part is going to be tense and thrilling, so don't blink," Ethan said, stepping aside as the camera captured Henrik leading the way. "Look, Captain Henrik bravely takes the lead, followed by Maxwell, Isabella, and Sophia. Hm? Brandon, why aren't you going in yet?"

Brandon was waiting for Sophia to enter first. "Because I'm covering the rear!"

"Alright, hurry up then. Alright, dear viewers, I'm going in now."

The forest was more daunting than they had anticipated. As the first person entered, the entire forest seemed to awaken, with all the hanging corpses launching a fierce assault!

Henrik led his team in a hard-fought battle, but amidst them, Ethan moved freely, as if in a realm devoid of danger, even managing to commentate with ease.

"You can see, the monsters have begun their attack, and

the team members are valiantly fighting back."

"Sophia takes down one with her briefcase."

"Isabella impales two in one swift motion."

"Maxwell, like an agile mudskipper, dodges the onslaught of the creatures."

"Captain Henrik... one kill, two kills, three kills! Truly an ace player."

"Ah, our Brandon is daydreaming! Brandon, a quick interview, why the long face?"

Brandon, kicking a monster away, yells back at Ethan, "If you've got the energy, come and help!"

"That's not possible," Ethan replied, hugging himself and deftly avoiding a lunging corpse. "I'm just a frail and helpless accompanying journalist; I can only protect myself."

"Everyone!" Henrik suddenly called from the front, "Ten o'clock direction, move fast-"

Henrik had found a shortcut and promptly informed everyone. Trained and ready, the team swiftly followed their captain's lead.

Two minutes later, the exit was in sight.

Henrik slowed down a bit to cover Sophia, Isabella, and Maxwell. When he turned back to replace Brandon, he saw Ethan also lagging at the rear.

Ethan shot him a look, and Henrik, understanding somehow, turned and continued on.

Ethan then took out a paper megaphone from his cloud space, it was unclear what all he kept in there.

He cheered on Brandon. "Hurry up, Brandon! If you're any later, you'll miss dinner in the canteen!"

Brandon, annoyed to the extreme, not only had to fend off the erratic corpses but also had to dodge Ethan's noise assault.

Just as he was about to retort, out of nowhere, a corpse monster lunged from the left with its gaping, tooth-filled maw threatening to decapitate him!

The raven camera captured the monster's mouth just in time, eliciting screams and gasps from the viewers, who thought Brandon was done for, including himself. "Brandon, what are you spacing out for? Move it, don't slow me down."

With that, Ethan kicked Brandon three meters forward.