Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 255 cleared again
Next to the claustrophobic venue were the experimental subjects' dormitories, or at least that's what Lin Bo saw on the door signs, but once inside, he found that they were actually rows of prison cells.

The dormitory has a corridor structure. After entering, you can walk on either the left or right, and you can return to the starting point by walking around it.

The iron gates of the prison cells on both sides of the corridor were wide open. As they approached the cells, many white skulls would suddenly float out and hang in mid-air, biting anyone they saw, like vampire bats.

These skulls are the heads of dead people possessed by living spirits. They have the ability to temporarily become spirits and can greatly resist purely physical damage. They can also bite and spit out bone powder and phosphorescent fire stored in their skulls to injure people.

The teammates used temporary enchantment items to add elemental and radiant damage to the weapons, and then unleashed their martial arts skills, causing the Flying Skull to shatter after only two or three hits.

A fleeting, faint sob escaped from the skull that had fallen to the ground. Most of the sobs were fragmented and unintelligible, while the few clear, short phrases were mostly calls for "Mommy" or murmurs of "I'm so scared."

These kinds of living beings are all failed experiments; they do not retain a complete mental structure, but only a few fragments of thought are infused with magical energy.

They linger and haunt the Great Archives, clinging to the skeletons in the cells, residing within the skulls. They are weaker than living armor, and lacking a power source, their lifespan is even shorter.

Players continue forward, rounding two corners, until they reach the deepest part of the dormitory, which is the canteen. Simple wooden tables and chairs are arranged in rows, accommodating about five hundred people at the same time.

As soon as everyone stepped into the cafeteria area, a widespread swarming phenomenon was activated, the air became murky, and hot steam sprayed out from under the floor.

Lin Bo sniffed the mist and heard the magic whisper in his ear.

Throughout the long research process of the Great Archives, tens of thousands of test subjects have been imprisoned here. Even if only a portion of the magical energy that was imbued with their minds flowed here following their memories of their previous lives, the total amount is still quite considerable.

These magical energies did not all find a suitable skeleton to reside in, but they did not dissipate either. Instead, they gradually merged into a living aggregate, which is the elite monster in the dormitory area, the "Hungry Terror Phantom".

When players enter the combat area, elite monsters will activate illusions.

The teammates held their breath and formed a battle formation.

A clattering sound of bones rang out as numerous floating skulls flew through the walls from the prison cells to this place. Bathed in water mist, they grew skeletons, flesh, skin, and clothing, transforming into clear human figures.

In the hazy light, a dense crowd of diners appeared in the empty space. They were all bald, dressed in striped hospital gowns, and queuing for food with trays in hand. In the corner stood several fully armed guards, their faces obscured.

"I'm so hungry..." the test subjects complained.

The queue for food didn't shorten at all, because the food buckets were empty, and the burly chef with no facial features stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of preparing food for the diners.

The elf reminded Lin Bo, who was entering the dungeon for the first time, "These are all illusions now, so attacking them won't help."

The halfling sighed and whispered, "My God, I feel so sad every time I see people going hungry. If they came to my hometown, they would be treated to a very good meal."

The ranger warned, "They're not really hungry; they're just eyeing our flesh and bones. Just watch, they'll turn on you soon."

The diners grew increasingly impatient, constantly looking around, their complaints growing louder and louder. The white mist in the air slowly condensed into frost, and the temperature gradually became unbearably cold.

After a moment's thought, Lin Bo walked to the food counter and pointed to the empty food bucket, "(True Words) Mixed vegetable soup."

This is the first true name that the sorcerer deduced through alchemy.

A pot of steaming, fragrant soup appeared in the food bucket. The rising steam from the food seemed to dispel the biting chill created by the magic, and the diners fell silent.

Lin Bo picked up an iron spoon and served food to the experimental subjects queuing in front of him, saying softly, "Enjoy your meal."

“…Thank you.” Huo Ling paused for a moment, then carried her plate to the table, sat down, and slowly scooped up food with a spoon.

The teammates looked at each other, and seeing that these spirits didn't seem to want to turn against them, they gathered around the mage and helped distribute the food.

Before long, there was no noise around the table, only the sound of spoons clattering against plates and the tapping of lips and teeth, and the muffled sounds of people chewing and swallowing.

After they finished eating the mixed vegetable soup and were full, the fog dissipated without a trace, and the bustling canteen was once again empty, quiet and deathly still.

However, the dust piled up on the bench left clear buttock imprints, and on the dining table were rows of smooth skulls, some large and some small, some smooth and some rough.

[Network notification: Enemy (Hungry Terror Phantom) has been converted to a neutral unit]

"Let's go," Lin Bo called to his companions to continue exploring the map.

"Oh, oh, coming right away." The teammates responded in surprise and quickly caught up with the mage.

Next to the dormitory is the film room, which occupies the smallest area and contains hundreds of folding chairs with backrests, and a film projector placed in the middle of the aisle.

As soon as he and his group of five entered the venue, the projector immediately started running, projecting a film onto the screen. The film promoted the benefits of spreading propaganda, claiming that one could live forever, no longer suffer from hunger, and could survive indefinitely simply by fulfilling certain obligations to the Sky Kingdom.

The experimenters were often shown these promotional videos to help them overcome their resistance to surgery. They believed that if they could firmly believe and cooperate with the experiment, the success rate could be significantly improved.

The film's deep narration echoed in the dimly lit room. The air was slightly cool, with a faint, lingering odor of urine.

"Be careful, the abyssal demons here are very good at hiding." The elf raised a glowing pendant to illuminate the surroundings. "They can hide in the images, so everyone be careful to spot them."

The video archive contains only one hostile unit, a demon summoned from the abyss.

"The source of the curse on [Crack Gate] should be hidden here, right?" the ranger asked Lin Bo. "Brother Mage, did you see him run out from here?"

"Indeed. He broke down the door from the inside."

"His consciousness might be trapped in a video disc. We need to find the disc and play it." The ranger [Treehawk], who was quite skilled in resisting dark magic, mentioned in casual conversation that he often dealt with evil spirits and monsters.

All the DVDs were placed in the display case, and while everyone was on guard against a sudden attack from the evil spirits in the shadows, they carefully searched for the DVDs.

"Found it." Lin Bo pulled out a film reel.

A teammate peered over and noticed a label on the disc. The elf, having carefully studied the local language, translated it as: "The Painful Ritual of the Half-Giant [Rending Gate - Azgan]".

"Oh no!" the orc shouted. "His name doesn't sound like anything good. Quick, let's get him out of here!"

The crowd hurriedly inserted the disc into the projector, and the image was projected onto the screen, showing an empty cell with a half-giant paladin bound by chains and hanging in mid-air, his armor still intact.

"Azgan, buddy, are you alright?" the orc waved and called out.

The paladin's voice drifted from the speakers: "Friends, thank you for your help. I am trapped here, and a living spirit has taken over my body. I hope it hasn't caused you any trouble. I can't hear you, but please bring my body here as soon as possible."

In the scene, a tall figure gracefully enters, with skin as red as blood, wearing several black leather belts, holding a short-handled multi-headed flail, and the ram's horns on his forehead and the tail trailing behind his waist confirming his identity.

The "Wandering Torment Demon," an evil creature from the abyss of the dungeon world's native depths, is an elite monster in the Image Gallery.

The Bitter Demon's back view was quite captivating, but when it turned its head, it revealed a ferocious face with red fangs. It sneered at the people outside the frame: "Coming to save this poor little paladin? He is indeed a tough nut to crack, but that's alright, I have plenty of time. Let him fall into depravity in agony!"

The elite monster waved its hand, and the armor on the half-giant fell off, leaving him vulnerable like an open can of luncheon meat, his bare chest covered with old and new scars.

He kept a straight face and said in a deep voice, "Thank you all for your help. I will be waiting for you."

Lin Bo turned and returned to the corridor. He pointed at the half-giant's body near the stairwell, and an iron ball flew out, dragging the heavily wounded paladin's body to the mage.

In the film, the demon of agony has begun to swing his flail, wildly whipping the paladin, who remains expressionless, his eyelids lowered, and softly reciting a prayer.

"Here it comes!" The paladin suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through the screen to see his own battered body. His expression was slightly confused, but he still shouted with all his might, "I swear, I will be resolute and courageous! I will forge ahead!"

As everyone watched, the mangled body on the ground also opened and closed its lips. The oath of the paladin was engraved in his body and soul. Even though his consciousness was separated from his body, he still responded to the call. His holy power burst forth and expelled the possessing spirit.

Lin Bo wiped away the binding spells on his armor, and the half-giant's body suddenly flipped over and stood up, walking step by step towards the projector. He smashed the film reel with a punch, and his trapped mind suddenly broke free, turning into a pure white light that entered his seven orifices. The Bitter Demon on the projection screen let out a shriek and fell out from the screen.

Before it could react, the mage unleashed a streak of blood-red light, flashing like lightning and slicing it into countless pieces. After a bloodcurdling scream, the Bitter Demon's corpse vanished without a trace, its soul returning to the abyss.

[The conditions for clearing the dungeon have been met...]

[Frozen rewards have been unlocked]

[Rewards for increased difficulty have been added]

The rewards you receive from this dungeon run are: 6000 Disaster Coins (+9000), 100,000 Universal Experience (+180,000), Skypiea Guardian Shield (White), Haste Scroll (Blue), and Blizzard Scroll (Purple)

[Number of players detected in the current instance: 6]

[The instance's time and space are fluctuating abnormally. Please leave before the countdown ends. If you exceed the time limit, the (extremely difficult) difficulty challenge will be activated, and all instance rewards you have obtained will be frozen until you meet the completion requirements again, at which point they will be recalculated based on the difficulty.]

[Countdown to the closing of the time-space portal: 10, 9...]

(End of this chapter)