Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 55: A Peculiar Request

As soon as Ethan Walker spoke, the other three turned their attention towards him, eager to see his new discovery. Oliver Wright leaned in closer, curious.

However, Ethan's focus wasn't on the illuminated screen in front of them; instead, he turned to look behind. The texture here felt unlike a wall. With a flick of his wrist, his flashlight came to life, casting a sharp, white beam onto the "wall" behind them.

All eyes followed the beam of the flashlight, and to their astonishment, they realized that the so-called wall was actually another white screen!

Ethan exclaimed, "Wow, can they show movies here too?"

Oliver Wright mused, "No wonder many say entering this cinema is like entering a labyrinth. Who wouldn't be bewildered?"

Grace Evans pondered, "Could it be that all the walls around us are screens? Ah, that would explain the online debates about whether there were two or three scenes."

Max Turner added thoughtfully, "It seems too simplistic to be just that. One screen alone is disorienting enough. If all four lit up, wouldn't that be utterly confounding?" Emily Johnson chimed in, "But how come nobody noticed before that all the walls are screens?"

Sophia Carter reflected, "I guess it's because as soon as the replica starts, a shadow identical to oneself appears on the screen, which is more shocking than anything else."

While the online community was abuzz with discussion, the trio inside the replica felt a chill in their hearts. They were concerned about the changes that might occur once the screens lit up.

Ethan, standing at the forefront of the team, wasn't as surprised as the others. In his view, this replica was filled with deceptive elements, nothing as thrilling as the S-ranked replicas he had previously conquered.

There were two main elements in a replica: puzzles and bosses. These were universally accepted facts, even on the most argumentative forums where people could quarrel over anything.

The only differences between replicas were the strength of the bosses, the difficulty of the puzzles, and whether the emphasis was on solving puzzles or defeating bosses.

If asked about his preference, Ethan would admit he favored boss-centric replicas. After all, bosses could be directly confronted, while getting stuck on a puzzle was truly frustrating.

It was hard not to recall the tedious experiences of grinding through hidden side quests.

Ethan turned his flashlight around, its beam dancing and adjusting. The screen was tall, almost reaching the ceiling and extending down to the floor. He half-turned his body to inspect the other two walls. As expected, they were also made of white projection material.

Regarding this cinema-themed replica, Ethan had checked the top-rated guides on the forums and simulated it four or five times the night before. Surprisingly, he succeeded on his first try.

The speed of his success was astonishing. He hadn't expected much from his first attempt, thinking it was just an exploratory run to get the lay of the land.

Once inside the replica, he had simply held his hammer, and his shadow appeared on the screen, mimicking him. At first, it was surprising, but he quickly adapted.

As Ethan walked forward, so did his shadow. He pushed open the door marked "Emergency Exit," and his shadow did the same. Then, he discovered that the space outside the door had transformed back into the cinema. However, the situation on the shadow's side was different.

In the shadow's world, the audience seats had turned into a labyrinth of circular areas enclosed by screens, with only one exit.

From outside the screen, Ethan could easily trace a path to the exit. The shadow, mirroring his movements, navigated through the seats in the audience. It was like a motion-sensing game, an intriguing sensation.

There were no bosses or obstacles in the way. Ethan walked to the sixth row's rightmost seat, and at that moment, his shadow reached the exit door. He mimed turning the doorknob, and the shadow followed suit. He stepped forward, and the shadow crossed the threshold.

Then, in the next second, he was back to the starting point of the simulation, having completed it without even realizing it.

The ease of his success left him bewildered. After finishing, Ethan looked at his hand, pondering why he had succeeded so easily. The completion notification sounded, different from the mysterious teleportations reported online.

If it was this straightforward, why was there such heated debate online? There had to be secrets yet undiscovered.

In his subsequent attempts, Ethan sought the hidden secrets of the replica. Slowing down his pace, he soon unveiled the mysteries of the cinema-themed replica.

However, he hadn't paid attention to the fact that all four walls were screens. It seemed that in his rush to reduce simulation times, he had overlooked many details. Ethan felt this new discovery was not particularly significant, but the other three did not share his view.

"Even this is a screen..." Felix Rayburn cautiously reached out to touch it, wondering, "Does this mean that this wall will also display a film later?"

As Felix Rayburn spoke, his fans in the livestream chat began flooding the room with messages of admiration: "Felix is so amazing," "Our Felix is truly great," and "Oh my Felix, it's such a shame to see him paired with Ethan, who's just sick." Felix Rayburn had always cultivated the image of a pure, strong, positive, boy-next-door, enhanced by his team's effective makeup artistry. Even with average looks, he managed to create an atmospheric charm that attracted a substantial following of older female fans.

The only aspect where Ethan couldn't outshine Felix was in having a powerful team. Ethan naturally disdained such things. If he had joined any other guild, he would have been compelled to cooperate with such promotional strategies, willing or not. But his guild was his own creation, modest though it was, and he called the shots.

Ethan was clueless about managing fans and other matters outside of the replicas, but Natalie Clark was quite knowledgeable. She saw right through Felix's and his team's little tricks as a blatant attempt to piggyback on Ethan's fame. What other similarities could they possibly have, being newcomers?

Natalie had heard from teammates that Felix even claimed Ethan was suppressing him as a fellow newcomer, which was laughable. Having been through her share of unpleasant experiences due to her exceptional talent at the start of her career, Natalie could empathize. Some people seemed to wear masks, but in reality, they had taken them off.

Wrapped in her vividly colored darkness, Natalie spoke bluntly, "Anyone with a brain can see what this little mechanism is for. If a cinema's projection screen isn't for showing movies, what else is it for? To cover you?"

Felix, unexpectedly rebuffed, couldn't fathom why this mysterious figure in black held such a strong opinion against him. "My friend..." he began cautiously, trying to discern her intentions, "You wouldn't happen to be a fan of Ethan's, would you?"

Natalie was on the verge of a breakdown. Why did everyone think she was a fan of Ethan's?

Oliver Wright, standing nearby, struggled to contain his laughter. Being a newcomer in the Eternal Dynasty, he had to show some respect to Natalie, a much senior player in the guild.

The ad-hoc team was anything but cohesive. Ten minutes in, and only Ethan, the least interested in solving puzzles, was actually engaged in the task. The only lit screen continued to display their every move in a silent, black and white format, creating a rather eerie atmosphere.

Yet, what Ethan said next was even more bizarre. "In a moment, we'll all have to walk holding hands."