Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 40: Let No One Stand in My Way

In the moment he was propelled through the air, Brandon Scott's entire body jolted, his internal organs trembling with the force. He thought his end was near. Landing face-first, he spat out a mouthful of dirt and turned, glaring furiously at the instigator.

They had successfully escaped from the forest of hanging corpses, with Ethan Walker trailing leisurely behind as the last one out. Brandon, lying prone on the ground, his body having absorbed the impact, spoke with a voice still seething with anger. "That kick of yours almost killed me!"

Ethan, not one to accept grievances quietly, squatted down beside him. "You, young man, should be grateful for being saved. Why be such a nuisance? Huh? Huh?"

He prodded Brandon's back repeatedly with his index finger, eliciting a series of yelps until Brandon ceased all movement and resistance, after which Ethan finally stood up.

Amidst their quarreling, Henrik Jensen and Isabella Martínez had already scouted the path ahead. "We're approaching the heart of the amusement park," Henrik announced, his scepter gesturing towards the rear, "There are several large amusement park rides, and no monsters in sight for now, but we must remain doubly vigilant as we proceed."

Hearing Henrik's preparations to move forward, Brandon sprang to his feet. "Wait for me, Captain!"

Ethan, observing Brandon's agile recovery, gestured to the audience. "Behold, dear viewers, a medical miracle!"

Brandon, replaceing a moment, shot a friendly gesture back at Ethan.

...

Ahead lay the core area of the amusement park. The various amusement facilities were densely packed but in a state of dilapidation, exuding an air of decay and desolation.

"What happened here..." Sophia Carter murmured to herself, puzzled by the desolate scene before her eyes. A newspaper, caught by the wind, fluttered towards her. Standing on tiptoe, she caught it and began to read.

It was an evening city newspaper, detailing a horrific incident at the city's largest amusement park. A man in his thirties, wielding a knife, had caused chaos, injuring several people. Among them, a young girl of just ten years old, who tragically succumbed to her injuries despite attempts to save her.

Following this dreadful incident, the park became plagued with strange occurrences, gradually losing its visitors until it was ultimately abandoned due to lack of revenue.

"So, is the boss the middle-aged man or the victimized young girl?" Maxwell Ford joined Sophia, peering over the newspaper.

Sophia's fingers gently brushed over a blurred photograph in the center of the paper, where only faint shadows were discernible. "Hard to say. Based on past experiences, either of them could have transformed into the boss," she speculated. Whether it was due to venturing deeper into the amusement park or not, everyone began to feel a chill in the air.

"Let's move on," Henrik directed, pointing ahead. "There's a lit control room over there. We should check it out."

Amidst the ashen and white equipment, the small, brightly lit room stood out conspicuously, almost as if signaling them. It was impossible not to take notice.

Maxwell, always cautious, glanced at Ethan before they set off.

Upon reaching the heart of the amusement park, Ethan, like the others, had quieted down, his eyes observant. However, Maxwell noticed something different about him; after a brief glance at the brightly lit control room, Ethan's attention shifted elsewhere.

"Aren't you curious?" Maxwell lingered a few steps behind, approaching Ethan.

"Curious about what?" Ethan's gaze returned from its wandering. "Is there something fishy about that control room?"

Maxwell nodded. "It's not particularly interesting. Right now, the control room is like a gleaming, bright bulb, too conspicuous to miss."

At this point, Ethan lowered his voice. "Do you know what's the most terrifying thing at this moment?"

Maxwell seemed to grasp Ethan's implication. "You mean

...changes in the surroundings?"

It was a simple yet profound logic; in the midst of darkness, a sudden light captures the attention, causing one to let their guard down. It's in these moments that the true threats, lurking in the shadows, become the most dangerous. "Wait and see," Ethan remarked. "The boss won't be pleased with us gathering together. Soon, someone is likely to go missing."

Ethan Walker's reputation as a harbinger of misfortune proved true once again. Barely ten meters from their departure, their group was one member short. It was Sophia Carter who first noticed. "Captain Henrik..." she said, her voice trembling slightly, "Isabella seems to have... disappeared."

Sophia, ever attentive, had been keeping an eye on the team's formation. Moments ago, Isabella Martínez had been conversing with Brandon Scott, but she only got halfway through her sentence.

Sophia found it odd and glanced back to see Brandon staring ahead, continuing his conversation with Isabella. "Isabella's right, I also think there's something off about that control room. Hm? Sophia, what's wrong?"

He had been so focused on the path ahead that he hadn't noticed Isabella's absence. When Sophia mentioned that Isabella was missing, he turned abruptly, only to replace that the person who had just been by his side had indeed vanished! The chat erupted in the Emerald Tempest Guild's live broadcast room:

"Damn, where did Isabella go?"

"Who knows? This place is foggy, and visibility is poor. I didn't notice anything!"

"Does the General Association have Ethan's point of view? Can we switch to Isabella's view?"

The viewers were in disarray:

"Damn, how can someone as big as the vice-captain just vanish?"

"Anyone watching from the vice-captain's point of view, please speak up!"

"I was watching Isabella's view. There was a glitch, and I heard some faint electrical noise, like interference."

"And now?!"

"Speak up, the guy in front! Did something happen to you too?!"

"It's still me. The view from Isabella's camera is now completely black, no sound either. The raven camera might have lost track, and her wristband might be damaged."

"This is frightening."

"Hopefully, she's alright."

Back in the heart of the amusement park, with a person gone without a trace, the team faced a difficult decision.

"What do we do, Captain Henrik?" Sophia asked. "Should we look for Isabella?" It was a common protocol during missions not to seek out missing team members hastily, as it could scatter and weaken the team's overall strength. It was a cruel necessity for the sake of preserving more lives.

Despite this, asking the captain to make such a decision was exceedingly tough.

Henrik's brows were knitted tightly, the weight of the decision evident on his face.

The General Association's live chat room was filled with speculation:

"Do we really abandon Isabella?"

"What else can we do? The amusement park is vast, and she vanished into thin air. With no map or direction, how do we search?"

"The comment above is right. This is a top team; each member is precious. We can't waste resources like this."

"But asking the captain to forsake a team member's life is too cruel..."

"Didn't you see the look of worry on Henrik's face? No one wants to be in this position."

"Do you think being a captain is just about throwing your weight around? He has to bear the blame at critical moments."

"Poor Henrik, a responsible captain faced with an impossible choice. No matter the reason, if Isabella is lost, the guild's upper echelons will hold him accountable. He might even lose his position as captain."

The chat accurately analyzed the predicament. Henrik's decision, whether to search or not, would inevitably bring consequences. Should other team members be harmed during the search, he would be criticized and penalized. If Isabella were harmed and they didn't search, he

would face the same criticism and penalties. It was a dilemma with no easy resolution.

Sophia and Brandon, being the younger members of the team, might not have fully grasped all aspects of this tough situation. But Maxwell understood.

"Captain Henrik," he addressed, not by first name but by title, signaling his resolve. "I'll go look for her. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility. I can sign a declaration right now."

In the instances, signing a paper declaration stating one's life and death decisions are independent of others is a commonly accepted method to absolve others of responsibility. Maxwell's proposal was as foolproof as it could get under the circumstances.

However, Henrik was reluctant to risk another life. He shook his head, about to refuse, when suddenly, a loud noise interrupted them.

Everyone, including those following the live chat, turned towards the source of the sound.

"What are you looking at?"

Ethan Walker stood up briskly, dusting the dirt off his hands. In front of him lay a door, flush with the ground.

"The Portable Door," one of the rewards he had received from the previous instance.

The door creaked open, leading down into the earth. A few steps were visible, but the extent of the descent was unknown. Ethan then pulled another item from his cloud space - a teacher's pointer. With a flick of his wrist, it extended to over a meter in length, serving as a makeshift walking stick to test the steps and prevent a fall.

Only after these preparations did Ethan turn to address the others.

"I'm off to do an exclusive interview with Vice-Captain Isabella. Don't try to stop me," he declared, stepping confidently towards the mysterious doorway.