Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

The dark energy in the center of the stone formation suddenly erupted, condensing into a giant, bloodshot eye, with countless shadowy tentacles dancing wildly below.

This is the true form of the story invader.

However, although this guy looks very scary now, his aura is unusually weak. Lin Yu estimated that this guy's current strength is probably just barely above the gold level.

It's capable of fighting; it can handle things even without the True Lord's help.

Lin Yu immediately drew a conclusion.

The other players around were no weaklings either; they instantly analyzed the intruder's current strength level based on its aura.

"You talk too much nonsense!"

With a roar, Gangxin unleashed his longsword, imbued with battle aura, transforming it into a streak of light as he charged forward.

Behind him, the king of beasts transformed into a giant bear, roaring to the sky as it charged headlong into the shadowy tentacles.

Merlin slammed his staff into the ground, and icy blue magic spread like a tide, instantly freezing a large number of tentacles.

Shadow waved his hand, and sharp shadow spikes suddenly attacked the enemy.

On the other side, Snow White stood beside Lin Yu, her eyes fixed on the mastermind behind the death of her father and the corruption of her mother.

Her eyes were unusually filled with anger, and ever since the intruders appeared, she had been radiating pure white light, like a lighthouse, dispelling the dense darkness around her.

At this moment, Lin Yu also charged forward, wielding a deep blue rose. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun at high speed, maximizing his dynamic vision and perception.

He weaved through the frenzied dance of tentacles, each roar from the Azure Rose shattering countless tentacles.

He was rapidly closing in on the one-eyed man.

"Annoying bugs!"

The story invader opened its one eye in fury, and a thick, corrosive, and mentally polluting black-purple ray shot out towards Lin Yu.

Merlin was prepared; he pointed his staff forward, and an arcane shield instantly materialized in front of Lin Yu.

laugh--!

The rays collided with the shield, producing a piercing, corrosive sound. The shield trembled violently, and cracks spread.

Lin Yu swiftly dodged the attack and continued to approach.

Just as the intruder interrupted the attack and aimed at Lin Yu again...

Lin Yu's third eye on his forehead suddenly opened.

"Golden Light to Dispel Evil!"

"Buzz—!"

A dazzling divine light, like a sharp sword, tore a passage through the impenetrable tentacle defense network.

Wherever the divine light passed, the tentacles melted away as if they had encountered their nemesis.

At the end of the path, it points directly to that enormous single eye.

Lin Yu moved like lightning, rushing along the passage. He raised the azure rose, poured in his magic power, and the demonic power gathered and compressed at an unprecedented speed.

The intruder sensed a deadly threat and emitted a sharp mental shriek in an attempt to disrupt Lin Yu, while all the tentacles desperately fought back to defend themselves.

On the other side, upon seeing this scene, Steelheart roared and unleashed his full fighting spirit, charging forward and forcefully severing several defensive tentacles.

The brown bear, transformed from the king of beasts, and the shadows also stepped forward to assist, blocking the tentacles from returning to defend.

There is enough time.

Lin Yu pulled the trigger.

"Charged Shot - 3"

boom----!!!

A demonic bullet wreathed in hellfire tore through the air and blasted into the very center of that enormous, bloodshot pupil.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The invader's single eye was instantly filled and enlarged by raging demonic fire and explosive energy.

"No--!!!"

It let out an unprecedentedly mournful howl.

The eyeballs twisted and swelled violently, the blood vessels on the surface broke off one by one, and dark energy burst out from the inside like a dam breaking.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

The final explosion erupted with the one-eyed creature at its core.

The terrifying impact, mixed with demonic fire and dissipating dark energy, formed a destructive ring-shaped shockwave that spread wildly in all directions.

As the shockwave swept past, the ice shattered, the stone pillars collapsed, and the distorted spatial scene peeled away like pieces of a broken mirror.

After a long while, the smoke and energy turbulence gradually subsided.

The group emerged from behind their bunker in a disheveled state and looked toward the epicenter of the explosion.

In the center of the stone formation, the massive body of the intruder had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a pile of black remains rapidly turning to ashes, and a fist-sized, no longer shimmering, dark black crystal lying quietly on the ground.

The dark energy and oppressive feeling in the air completely disappeared, and the shattered fairytale scene around them vanished, revealing the original appearance of Mirror Lake and Forest.

The lake water, which was originally as black as ink, became clear at a speed visible to the naked eye, reflecting the gradually clearing sky.

The gloomy, decaying atmosphere that permeated the forest year-round also vanished.

Side Quest 4: Fairy Tale World (All characters are selectable. Help the Fairy Tale World escape from unknown control and return it to the right path.) (Completed)

[Congratulations to player Lin Yu (The Witcher) for completing all optional side quests!]

[The main storyline and all side quests of the game world 'Dark Fairy Tale: Snow White' are now complete. Players can choose to return to the apartment at any time.]

The system's notification sound rang clearly in the minds of every player.

"Is it... over?"

Steel Heart loosened his grip on the longsword, the tip of which touched the ground. He was panting heavily, his body covered in wounds, but his eyes were bright.

"This time... it should really be over."

Merlin leaned wearily against his staff, took out a mana potion and drank it. Looking at the clear lake and the sunlight, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He was truly miserable. In this world, skill cards couldn't be used, so he could only fight using the magic from his character's own memories and knowledge spells that he wasn't very good at.

Keep in mind that he is not a mage skilled in magic.

The king of beasts transformed back into human form, grimacing as he tended to his deep, bone-revealing wounds, cursing, "That damn thing, its last stand was really something... But, at least it's done."

She looked at Lin Yu, a hint of barely perceptible admiration in her eyes.

A shadow emerged from the shadows, its face pale, and nodded slightly to Lin Yu.

Snow White quickly walked to Lin Yu's side, looked at him, and said with gratitude in her eyes, "Mr. Hunter... thank you."

Lin Yu waved his hand, walked to the black crystal, bent down and picked it up.

[The Core of World Power]

Category: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Effect: unknown

Description: A remnant crystal containing the power of a distorted, broken world. It was once the vessel of an evil consciousness that attempted to alter fairy tales, but that consciousness has now been destroyed.

"What is this thing?"

Lin Yu weighed the icy-cold core in his hand, and after reading its description, he frowned slightly.

This thing doesn't look ordinary.

Then Lin Yu turned around and looked at the King of Beasts and the others behind him.

"You're leading the team this time, so you can keep it."

The King of Beasts didn't pay any attention to what Lin Yu was holding and spoke directly.

"I won't pay for the spring water."

Merlin also spoke up.

Since both of them had spoken, Shadow and Steelheart naturally couldn't have any other opinions. After all, they were able to complete this game thanks to Lin Yu.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Yu naturally didn't stand on ceremony and casually put it into his storage ring.

The group rested for a while on the island in the middle of the lake.

Not long after, perhaps because the commotion caused by the death of the invaders was too great, the queen, accompanied by several guards, also came to the island by boat.

As she gazed at the now clear Mirror Lake and felt the darkness dissipate in the air, tears welled up again, but this time they were tears of joy and relief.

She hugged Snow White tightly as she ran towards her.

"It's over, Mother, it's all over." Snow White gently patted her mother's back.

The Queen wiped away her tears, looked at Lin Yu and his entourage, and bowed deeply: "Darkwood Castle, and indeed the entire kingdom, will forever remember your kindness."

Lin Yu didn't seem to care much. He looked at the other players and asked, "The mission is complete. What are your plans?"

Merlin straightened his robes and said, "Stay a few more days. The mage tower in Blackwood Castle has a complete system of mage knowledge. Although the level is a bit low, it won't hurt to learn more."

Steelheart patted his breastplate: "Me too, I'll stay for a while."

The King of Beasts and Shadow shared the same thought as Merlin: as players, they naturally couldn't waste their precious game time, even if it was only for a few days.

After thinking about it, Lin Yu decided to stay as well.

The Queen and Snow White were probably the happiest about this, as they were now extremely grateful to Lin Yu and his group.

But based on their fragmented conversations, they understood that these saviors were unlikely to stay in Blackwood Castle for long.

Therefore, they were naturally happy to learn that Lin Yu and the others would not be leaving anytime soon, as this gave them time to express their gratitude.

After finalizing their plans, the group quickly returned to Blackwood Castle.

In the following days, Blackwood Castle and its surrounding area recovered at an astonishing rate.

The darkness and gloom that had enveloped the forest completely dissipated, and sunlight filtered through the newly green leaves, casting dappled patterns of light. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, and even the birdsong sounded exceptionally melodious.

Those creatures that had been corrupted by darkness and turned into twisted and violent beings mostly regained their docile nature after losing the influence of the story's intruders, and their twisted bodies gradually returned to their original form.

The Darkwood Forest has finally returned to its original state.

Inside the castle, the Queen quickly rectified domestic affairs and appeased the people.

Although her former advisors remained wary of her, they were somewhat reassured after she promised to pass the throne to Snow White.

At the same time, the Queen publicly announced the truth about the old king's death (omitting some details) and apologized to her subjects for her actions during her captivity.

Thanks to her past prestige and her decisive action in restoring order, the kingdom quickly stabilized.

Lin Yu and his companions remained in the castle, enjoying VIP treatment, but they weren't idle either.

Lin Yu spends most of his time holed up in his guest room or the library of the Mage Tower.

The primary goal is naturally to collect knowledge about the magic of this world.

However, as Merlin (the Demon's Touch) said, the knowledge level of this world is relatively low. Even after integrating magical knowledge, it is only at the [Gold Level], which is better than nothing. Lin Yu didn't pay much attention to it after recording it.

After all, he has so much to learn right now that he simply doesn't have time to focus on anything else.

He then spent most of his time carefully studying the [World Power Core], but no matter how he observed it with his Heavenly Eye, tried to inject magic power, or even used a trace of True Monarch divine power, the black crystal did not react at all, as if it were just an ordinary crystal containing a little residual energy.

Lin Yu was not discouraged. He carefully put it away, planning to study it slowly after his return.

Occasionally, Snow White would come to him, curiously asking him about stories beyond his identity as a "hunter," her eyes filled with curiosity about the vast world.

At the same time, it seems that because of all that she had been through, Snow White had developed a yearning for strength, so she asked Lin Yu to teach her.

At first, Lin Yu would just give a few perfunctory replies, or say things like "Don't ask so many questions, kid," or "Go find Merlin to learn magic" to get rid of him.

However, because she was so persistent, after careful consideration and with a sudden burst of inspiration, Lin Yu taught her the [Divine Fire Heart Sutra].

……

Inside the castle's training room.

"You really are a genius."

Looking at Snow White in front of him, dressed in training clothes, sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a strong aura of inner fire emanating from her body, Lin Yu was quite shocked.

He taught Snow White the Divine Fire Heart Sutra just to see if players could leave any trace in a game world.

But to his utter surprise, Bai Xue was a genius, one in ten thousand... no, one in a million, one in ten million. She only spent three hours to successfully learn the Divine Fire Heart Sutra and condense her own heart fire.

Moreover, that inner fire was actually being continuously strengthened by the feedback from the magical power within Bai Xue's body.

This allows Bai Xue's current strength to improve even faster than Lin Yu's in the Daoist study.

"Teacher, you teach well."

Bai Xue smiled sweetly and began to flatter Lin Yu.

"Don't call me teacher."

Lin Yu shook his head; he would never admit to being Snow White's teacher.

"I've taught you the skills; now it's up to you to work hard on your own."

Lin Yu spoke up.

"I understand, teacher. I won't let you down. I will definitely repay you in the future."

Snow White nodded very seriously.

Lin Yu was too lazy to change how he addressed the guy anymore, and just said earnestly, "Don't talk about repaying a debt of gratitude. Just don't tell anyone if you cause trouble in the future."

Afterwards, Lin Yu left behind a spell matching the Divine Fire Heart Sutra, [Refining Fire to Burn the Entire Chapter], as well as equipment he no longer needed, [Sun's Blessing - Rising Sun Bow].

"Alright, then we'll part ways here." Lin Yu glanced at Snow White and the Queen, then without further hesitation, he communicated with the system.

It's almost time for him to leave.

"return."

The familiar feeling of weightlessness instantly enveloped him, and his figure quickly became blurry and transparent in front of Bai Xue, eventually turning into specks of light and disappearing completely from the room.

Bai Xue held the equipment and books left behind by Lin Yu, looking at the area where Lin Yu had disappeared, her eyes gleaming.

……

The apartment, the familiar living room.

A flash of white light appeared, and Lin Yu's figure appeared on the soft sofa.

Almost the instant he returned, he felt the suppressed power within him surge back like a tide, and a powerful sense of strength filled his entire body once more.

The grayed-out icons on the skill list lit up one by one, and the sealed equipment in the storage ring was reconnected.

"It's still more comfortable to use my own strength." Lin Yu stretched his muscles and bones, making a cracking sound.

He first checked the harvest. System settlement information flooded his mind:

[Game World: Dark Fairy Tale - Snow White]

[Main Quest: Unravel the Mystery - Completed]

[Side Quest 1: Snow White - Completed]

[Side Quest ②: The Queen - Completed]

[Side Quest 3: The Dwarf - Completed]

[Side Quest 4: Fairy Tale World - Completed]

[Rewards: 10000 in-game currency, Platinum-level equipment upgrade card, title "Fairy Tale Savior"]

【Fairy Tale Saviors】

Category: Title

Effect: When you equip this title, you will gain five Legendary Points when entering a fairy tale world. The favorability of positive fairy tale characters towards you will increase, while the favorability of negative fairy tale characters will decrease.

Description: You single-handedly turned around a tragic fairy tale, bringing light back to the land of fantasy. Your name has resounded throughout the fairy tale world.

"It's alright." After looking at the reward, Lin Yu nodded. The reward wasn't particularly bad, considering that the game was actually only about Platinum level in difficulty.

After reviewing the rewards, Lin Yu took out the [World Power Core].

This thing is probably the most interesting one.

Just as he was about to examine the thing more closely, the apartment doorbell suddenly rang.

Ding-dong-

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

He doesn't know many people in the 9527 community, so who could be looking for him?

Could it be a phantom? Or Xuancheng?

He got up, walked to the door, and looked out through the peephole.

Standing outside the door was not any of the players he had expected, but a strange man wearing an odd suit, a single-lensed pair of glasses, and a professional smile on his face.

The man was also holding a gleaming silver metal briefcase.

"Hello, Mr. Lin Yu." The stranger seemed to sense Lin Yu's gaze, bowed slightly towards the peephole, and said in a clear and polite voice, "Excuse me for bothering you, but I represent the 'Apartment Game Special Item Containment Center' and would like to discuss with you... a transaction regarding that 'little gadget' you just acquired."

Apartment Game Special Item Containment Facility? Lin Yu's gaze sharpened; he had never heard of this organization before.

Moreover, judging from his words, he was clearly after the [World Power Core] that he had just obtained.

The news leaked so quickly? Or... does this apartment game's special item containment facility have some kind of special intelligence channel?

After all, the name this guy was calling out wasn't even his title, but his real name.

Lin Yu's internal alarm bells rang, but his face remained calm. After careful consideration, he didn't open the door immediately. Instead, he asked calmly through the door, "'Containment Facility'? I've never heard of this organization. How did you know I just obtained something?"

The man outside the door seemed to have anticipated this question, and his smile remained unchanged: "Mr. Lin, there's no need to be nervous. Our shelter is a special agency under the system, specializing in handling those 'special items' that have been stranded outside and may bring instability."

As for the source of the intelligence... please forgive me for not being able to provide details, but this falls within our area of ​​expertise.

We can assure you that we have absolutely no ill intentions towards you; we simply want to conduct a fair transaction.

His words were polite, but the amount of information conveyed in them made Lin Yu secretly alarmed.

A special organization belonging to the system?

That's quite a prestigious title.

Furthermore, this guy's words reminded him of the corrupted Heavenly Dao aggregate that he had subdued in the world of Seeking Immortality.

After he was captured, someone came to exchange him for it.

However, it was the community manager who came to see him, not this so-called organization.

Why is this happening? Is it because the ingredients are different?

Lin Yu secretly speculated.

He pondered for a moment, then said through the door, "Since it's a transaction, I need to know what price you're willing to offer, and... what exactly you intend to do with this."

"Of course." The man outside the door nodded slightly, gently placed the silver briefcase on the ground, and then took a step back to show no harm. "We are willing to offer you three things in exchange: one is 100,000 game coins, the second is a [Diamond-level Equipment Draw Ticket], and the third is a one-time special item [World Compass]."

After hearing his conditions, Lin Yu immediately understood that the items he received this time were not as good as the Heavenly Dao Aggregate he had obtained last time. After all, the items offered for exchange this time were not as good as what he had received last time.

However, the value of the [World Power Core] is likely not low, otherwise no one would have taken the initiative to come to it.

"What is your relationship with the community management?"

After careful consideration, Lin Yu decided to test the waters and see if he could get any information.

Since this organization claims to be a system institution, they must know quite a lot.

"We and the community managers belong to different functional departments, but ultimately we all serve the overall balance and stability of the 'system'." The special envoy outside the door answered flawlessly, his professional smile unchanged: "The community managers are mainly responsible for the order of the player community and certain basic services. Occasionally, they may interfere with the players' game situation, but this is rare."

Our "Containment Facility," on the other hand, focuses on dealing with "special items" that may cross world boundaries, cause rule disruptions, or pose uncontrollable risks.

Lin Yu understood; it seemed that there was a clear division of labor within the system.

Lin Yu's tone remained unchanged as he continued to probe, "But how can I be sure you're not some player faction impersonating an official organization?"

The special envoy seemed unsurprised by the question. He gently adjusted his monocle, a glint of light flashing across the lens: "I understand your concerns, Mr. Lin. We can provide a one-time system authentication code, which you can verify through your apartment system interface. The code is: [Containment Sequence-Alpha-739]."

Lin Yu's mind raced, and sure enough, he found a rarely used sub-option, "Official Communication and Authentication," in the corner of the apartment system's information bar.

He entered the code, and a moment later, the system responded: [Code verification passed. Visitor's identity confirmed as Level 3 Special Agent of "Apartment Game Special Item Containment Center", ID 739.]

Its official status has been confirmed.