WTNL Chapter 385

Thank you @battgvrl for the Kofi.

Anchor Hall
Chapter 385: Good fit for the next instance

Wen Jianyan arrived at the location of the secret council right on time, taking the elevator as usual.

Since this wasn’t his first time, he navigated the way to the hall with ease, not encountering a single person along the way.

“Creak—”

The door opened.

Unexpectedly, someone was already waiting inside the hall.

A Mason with forgettable features and an unremarkable figure—someone you’d forget the moment you looked away—sat in one corner of the round table. His expression remained as withdrawn as ever, with eerily pale hair and skin. Despite his plain appearance, his gaze was cold and sticky, like damp cement. He silently laid down cards on the table, one by one.

Even Hugo, who had been late last time, had already arrived.

The tall man leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes closed in rest. Though the exhaustion in his features remained, his presence had changed. Compared to his appearance in the [Xingwang Hotel] pocket dimension, he now seemed much more composed and mature. Despite keeping his eyes shut, that suffocating sense of pressure he exuded hadn’t lessened one bit.

To Wen Jianyan’s surprise, the Gentleman was also present.

However, for some reason, Anise—who had entered the same instance with him—wasn’t here yet.

The Gentleman sat at one of the round table’s seats, his black top hat resting on the table before him. Gloved hands neatly folded, a polite, mask-like smile adorned his face. He looked as though he hadn’t just gone through a brutal confrontation in the last instance. When Wen Jianyan entered, the Gentleman even gave him a small, courteous nod.

If Wen Jianyan hadn’t known exactly how bitter things had gotten between them in the Xingwang Hotel, he might have genuinely believed the other man was offering a heartfelt welcome.

“Hey!”

A familiar childish voice rang out.

Wen Jianyan turned toward it. It was Orange Candy.

She sat in her chair grinning brightly, little legs swinging back and forth. She looked the same as ever.

“Come sit here!”

Orange Candy pointed to the empty seat beside her.

Tap!

The sound of the cards briefly paused.

Bai Xue lifted his pitch-black eyes to glance in Wen Jianyan’s direction. Then he looked at the empty seat next to him before turning his attention back to his cards. One by one, they resumed falling to the table with a steady rustle.

Wen Jianyan walked over and took the seat next to Orange Candy.

“Won, huh?” Orange Candy looked him up and down. “Nice work.”

“I never liked those two assholes anyway. The way you brought them down this time totally made my day.” She made no effort to lower her voice, clearly not caring that the people she was talking about might be at the table too. She pouted and added:

“Shame about Anise, though. I really thought he’d bite it this time. Didn’t expect him to find a loophole.”

Wen Jianyan responded with a smooth, inscrutable smile. “Mr. Anise is very capable. It’s not surprising.”

“Well, once the meeting’s over, you have to tell me every little detail about what happened in that instance,” Orange Candy said with a cheeky grin. “The more detailed, the better.”

Off to the side, the Gentleman maintained his unaffected expression, as if he weren’t one of the “two assholes” she had just casually insulted. His smile didn’t waver in the slightest—his emotional control was impressive, to say the least.

At that moment, the doors opened again.

A anchor Wen Jianyan had never seen before walked in.

She had an incredibly alluring figure, eyes like smoke and mist, and an enigmatic smile playing on her lips. Her long, sharp fingers were painted with crimson polish, and her full, red lips curled with seductive menace. She was beautiful—fatally so, like a venomous snake.

“That’s Dan Zhu,” Orange Candy leaned in and whispered into Wen Jianyan’s ear, “Ranked third overall. Guild master of Eternal Daylight.”

“And,” she added, “the only ‘beauty’ anchor on the council.”

But despite what she said, no one dared to treat Dan Zhu as someone who had climbed the ranks on looks alone. That kind of thinking could get you into serious trouble.

“You’re all quite early,” Dan Zhu said with a soft smile as she sashayed over to the head of the table. She sat in one of the three highest chairs. “Looks like we’re finally getting a newcomer.” Her gaze landed on Wen Jianyan.

“Oh my…” Dan Zhu leaned forward with a playful smile, resting her chin on one hand and showing off her slim waist. “Such a handsome face. I like it.” Her gaze was aggressive, invasive. Under her scrutiny, most people would blush and squirm uncomfortably. “Ever consider becoming a beauty anchor under me?”

“Oh dear, you flatter me.”

Wen Jianyan looked at her with a smile of his own. His delicate features carried a pleasant warmth, amber eyes curving like molten honey. He replied sweetly, “In front of someone like you, I pale in comparison.”

“Pfft—” Dan Zhu burst out laughing.

“You’re adorable,” she said, finally calming down. A faint flush tinted her pale face as she lifted a polished finger to tap her red lips. “I really like you. Be sure to give me your contact info after this, okay?”

Though her words sounded friendly, they sent an icy chill down Wen Jianyan’s spine.

In fact, that eerie sensation extended across the entire round table.

On the surface, everything seemed normal. But beneath that facade lurked something uncanny and inhuman—something that made your skin crawl.

“Where’s everyone else?”

Dan Zhu leaned back lazily in her chair. “Why aren’t they here yet?”

The Mason glanced at the clock in the center of the table. “Yelin should be here any moment.”

Sure enough, as the minute hand struck twelve, the doors opened again.

This time, the door was pushed open with such force that the two heavy panels swung wide with a loud “bang,” making the entire room seem to tremble slightly.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Accompanied by a heavy, almost hall-shaking vibration, an enormous shadow steadily approached.

It was a figure that made people instinctively back away.

He was very tall, but what was even more striking than his height was the sheer width of his body. It was hard to say whether he was fat or simply massive—just standing there, he felt like a solid wall of flesh, exuding an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe.

He was bald, his scalp polished and gleaming without a single hair. His expression was one of near-numb indifference. His entire body was tightly wrapped—no skin left exposed.

“That’s Yelin, ranked second overall, Guild Master of Dark Fire,” Orange Candy said with a wrinkle of her nose, her expression filled with disdain. “I hate him.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

With thunderous steps, Yelin strode forward and sat in one of the three high-backed chairs. Only then did Wen Jianyan notice that the chair he sat in was nearly twice as wide as the others.

Even seated, Yelin still towered over everyone else around the table. Not even Hugo, the tallest among them, came close. His presence alone filled what had seemed like a spacious table, his fan-sized, thick-knuckled hands resting on the surface, the backs of which were covered in coarse black hair.

“Yelin,” Dan Zhu said, chin resting on one hand, her slender fingers idly twirling. She glowed with beauty. “You’ve gotten even fatter since the last time we met.”

Yelin slowly turned his head. His grayish-blue eyes settled on Dan Zhu. His face remained expressionless, blank as a wall.

Dan Zhu blinked, then smiled with innocent, seductive charm. “So disgusting.”

Orange Candy leaned in again and whispered, “Don’t you ever learn from her. She’s the only one at this table who dares to call Yelin fat. That’s his reverse scale—touch it, and you won’t even know how you died.”

Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly. “Why can she get away with it?”

Orange Candy shrugged. “Who knows?”

Following Yelin came a short figure wrapped completely in black gauze, their face fully covered, leaving no clue as to whether they were male or female. This was Grey Crow, number 007.

After entering, they bowed to everyone in the room, then silently took their seat and made no further sound.

With that, most members of the secret council were present. Only two seats remained empty: the one for the guild master of Oracle, who ranked first overall—and Anise.

The ever-silent Hugo finally opened his eyes. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, still looking exhausted. “Anise won’t be coming. He’s on leave.”

“Leave?” Orange Candy frowned in irritation. “We’re in an official meeting and he takes leave?” This was a first—the secret council had only eleven attendees.

“Nightmare approved it. I have no right to interfere,” Hugo said flatly.

“What about the Oracle Guild Master?” Wen Jianyan suddenly asked.

Instantly, all the anchors around the round table turned to look at him. Multiple gazes landed on him, but Wen Jianyan remained calm, blinking innocently. “Don’t tell me he’s on leave too?”

“Hahahahaha—”

Dan Zhu burst out laughing, her eyes curving with amusement. “You really are adorable.”

Orange Candy lazily waved her hand. “Don’t bother thinking about it. That’s a privilege granted by Nightmare. That one has never attended a single meeting. Even I’ve never seen them in person. Probably only the Gentleman and Yelin have met them. Oh, and Dan Zhu too, maybe—she’s been around long enough.”

Dan Zhu kept smiling at them, neither confirming nor denying.

“Anyway,” Hugo cleared his throat and continued, “let’s begin the meeting.”

Although there were people ranked higher than him present—even guild masters of massive organizations—Hugo was still the one presiding over the secret council. And none of the others objected.

“This formal meeting is mainly to welcome a newcomer,” Hugo’s gaze landed on Wen Jianyan. “Our new Number 008—Pinocchio.”

Wen Jianyan flashed a perfect smile, baring eight teeth.

Dan Zhu looked utterly delighted.

“I won’t sugarcoat anything,” Hugo said. “To put it simply, joining the secret council is not a good thing.”

Wen Jianyan blinked.

Although he’d already guessed as much, he hadn’t expected Hugo to be this blunt about it… wasn’t this too straightforward?

“Nightmare anchors have very short lifespans,” Hugo said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His handsome face remained expressionless, but fatigue dripped from his deep voice. “But members of the secret council live even shorter lives.”

“I assume you’ve noticed the steep cost of using your talent,” Hugo asked.

Wen Jianyan nodded.

Whether it was Orange Candy’s time-reversing ability that consumed lifespan, Bai Xue’s prophecy talent that depleted his own color, or Yun Bilan’s intense mood swings likely caused by repeated usage—each of their talents clearly exacted a price.

But maybe because Wen Jianyan hadn’t used his talent enough times, or because his price was more hidden, he still hadn’t fully figured out the downside of his own power.

“For most people, the cost is lifespan. But for a few, it’s something else. I don’t know what yours is, and I won’t ask,” Hugo said evenly. “But one thing you must know: once you enter the secret council, the price of using your talent will double—and it will kill you in a very short time.”

Wen Jianyan stared straight at Hugo, narrowing his eyes slightly. “But you’re all still alive, aren’t you?”

Most of the anchors at this table had already joined the Secret Council long before Wen Jianyan ever entered the Nightmare stream, yet they were all still here, alive and well.

Could it be…?

A thought suddenly leapt into Wen Jianyan’s mind, making him pause.

As if to confirm that very thought, Hugo spoke:

“There is a way to extend your life.”

Wen Jianyan suppressed the answer that was about to slip out and instead asked slowly, “What is it?”

“Missions,” Hugo replied.

He pointed at the clock in the center of the table. “Your hand on the dial is marked as 008. The length of the hand represents your remaining lifespan. If you complete the tasks assigned to you by Nightmare, you’ll live longer.”

“Of course, there will also be generous rewards,” Hugo added.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze fell on the clock. He felt his heart slowly sinking.

In an instant, many lingering questions suddenly made sense.

Including why the cost of using their gifts was so steep, yet once inside a instance, the Secret Council members never seemed to hold back. Even when the signs of mutation were already severe, they still used their abilities far more frequently than others in a single run.

And why it was only the Secret Council members whose levels of mutation were the most extreme…

Because even as they were mutating, they still had a way to prolong their lives. That’s why they could continue to exist in this world in such twisted forms for so long.

At the same time, Wen Jianyan clearly realized once again…

Nightmare was a monstrous entity—massive, terrifyingly meticulous, and full of appalling mechanisms hidden beneath its surface.

It operated by burning the lives of its anchors as fuel. At the same time, it selected from that fuel the most capable, the most talented, and the most desperate to survive—drawing them in from mere “temporary employees” fighting for an exit ticket, and formally absorbing them into its structure, making them a part of the massive beast itself.

This also prevented anchors, once they reached a certain rank, from refusing to enter instances and just staying in the lobby to freeload their way through the system.

Even the most ruthless capitalist would tip their hat at this bone-deep exploitation and relentless pursuit of value.

But even so, Wen Jianyan realized:

Joining the Secret Council was absolutely the right decision. Only by doing so could he truly approach the reality behind Nightmare.

Until now, he had already pieced together fragments through various instances. But there were still far too many unsolved mysteries surrounding Nightmare itself.

And now, the path laid before him—the Secret Council—was clearly the only road toward those hidden truths.

A chill ran down Wen Jianyan’s spine.

Half of it was fear from glimpsing the edge of the abyss, and the other half, an electrifying thrill from the scent of impending success.

“All right,” Hugo said. “Do you have any other questions?”

Wen Jianyan thought for a moment. “When can I receive my first mission?”

No one had expected that after hearing about the life-threatening dangers and the fact that he was now forced into long-term servitude under Nightmare, Wen Jianyan’s first question would be this.

Even Hugo glanced down at the clock, checking if Wen Jianyan was already teetering on the brink of death.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

The hand marked 008 wasn’t especially short. This clearly meant that as long as he didn’t use his gift, Wen Jianyan wasn’t at immediate risk of dying without a mission.

“It depends,” Hugo replied, lifting his head. Ever the responsible guide, he continued, “After attending this Secret Council meeting, there should be a new app on your phone. You can use it to find missions you want to accept.”

“Missions of different difficulty levels come with different rewards. But not every level of task will always be available.”

Wen Jianyan thought again and asked, “What about the positional confrontation matches? Are those counted as missions too?”

Hugo fixed him with a steady gaze. “Yes.”

That explained it.

Wen Jianyan had been wondering about this for a while now.

Everyone in the Secret Council seemed to have distinct personalities and had clearly survived in Nightmare for a long time. None of them looked like the type to help others out of the goodness of their hearts.

And yet… for some reason, everyone seemed eager to be chosen by him as external support.

Not to mention the gentleman and Mason who volunteered themselves, Orange Candy, who already had a good relationship with him, and even the usually reserved Bai Xue had proactively warned him, and Hugo—who was unfathomably powerful—had even said, “You can choose me too.”

Wen Jianyan was aware that he was good-looking, and that he’d performed exceptionally in Nightmare so far—he was a promising newcomer. But he didn’t think any of that would matter to the top-ranking lunatics in this room. He wasn’t that narcissistic.

So why did they all want to enter the instance with him?

Now, his question finally had an answer.

“Got it,” Wen Jianyan nodded.

Hugo gave him a deep look. “Then let’s continue the meeting.”

While Wen Jianyan was resting and attending the meeting, discussion threads on the forums once again exploded in activity. The clash between a newly-rising rookie and a resource-rich veteran had spread far and wide without anyone realizing it.

[Did you guys hear? Pinocchio, who just ranked up, entered the same instance as the previous 008! And they’re on opposing sides!]

[Damn, talk about a battlefield!]

[And it’s not just those two—Vice President of Oracle Guild, Gentleman, and top-ten-ranked Bai Xue are in that instance too!]

[??? Made-up, right? How could that even be possible?]

[Exactly, and how does the guy above know so much detail?]

In front of the screen, Chen Mo thought for a moment and added while typing: [According to an informed source.]

As a participant in that instance, he was indeed very “informed.”

In the “Integrity First” guild, all anchors who had finished resting or hadn’t yet entered a instance received the same task: stir up discussion.

[So who won?]

[Not sure. I checked the rankings, and both of them are still alive. Their point rankings haven’t really changed either…]

[I’m betting on Anise to win, alright? A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. Anise managed to stay in that position for so long—it’s impossible for him to be surpassed by a rookie, no matter how glorious the newcomer’s record is.]

Ji Guan typed like lightning, sparks flying from the keyboard.

[Quit bragging! I just checked the Hall of Fame— the instance they entered together got rated platinum, and the achiever was Pinocchio! Anise wasn’t even listed!]

[?!]

[???!!!]

[He’s only been in the top ten for how long? This is insane, such an unstoppable streak of victories!]

Wen Ya calmly posted her praise.

[Damn, that’s incredible. So did any of your applications to his guild get accepted? I kinda wanna give it a shot now…]

[Not a single one moved, all still stuck in the unread queue.]

[If anyone gets in, post about it here immediately…]

[I’m camping.]

[Same, camping!]

“Something moved! They’re starting to process them!” Blond typed furiously.

“Damn!”

As the posts snowballed, the entire forum was stirred up. Now every anchor knew that the new council member who had just defeated a veteran was recruiting. Whatever their reasons, the crowd was already flooding in one direction.

Clearly, the main agenda of this formal council meeting was to welcome Wen Jianyan’s arrival and help the members get familiar with one another. So, after that, there wasn’t much else to do.

When the meeting ended, the group gradually dispersed.

The Mason and the Gentleman left first, followed by Yelin and Gray Crow. After blowing a flirtatious kiss, Dan Zhu also sashayed out.

Wen Jianyan stood up, not intending to do anything in particular yet, when a chill swept over him. He turned his head toward the source of the coldness.

It was Bai Xue.

He was sitting properly in his seat, a deck of cards in his hand, watching Wen Jianyan with his pitch-black eyes.

……

Goosebumps rippled across Wen Jianyan’s back.

“Care for a game?” The boy’s raspy voice rang out.

Wen Jianyan: “…”

He didn’t even have a second deck prepared this time!

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “Next time, next time for sure.”

“Next time?” Bai Xue stared at him.

“Before the next instance, I’ll treat you to a meal, and I’ll definitely play with you,” Wen Jianyan promised solemnly. “I swear.”

Bai Xue lowered his head and resumed stacking the cards one by one on the table.

Wen Jianyan quickened his pace and fled the meeting hall.

“You two seem pretty close.” Orange Candy was waiting at the door, looking at him with curious eyes. “I’ve never seen Bai Xue talk to anyone so proactively.”

“Haha, is that so?” Wen Jianyan let out an awkward laugh.

That little gambling addict had a serious addiction, and on top of that, he was the one cheating—playing cards with him was just too stressful.

“Of course.”

Orange Candy shrugged, straightened up, and said, “Let’s go.”

Wen Jianyan: “…Go where?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? You’re going to tell me about your last instance,” Orange Candy said, excitement bubbling in her tone. “Especially how that idiot lost and how you made them cough up blood and brain matter!”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

That’s not how you use ‘cough up blood and brain matter’…

“I mean, I can, but I’ve got some other things to take care of—”

Whether it was the stuff going on in the guild, or the new app on his phone, he had a lot to dig into. Not to mention Nightmare itself… and that heretical god trapped in the ring he had been ignoring this whole time…

Orange Candy: “You still have to come with me.”

Wen Jianyan caught something unusual in her expression and paused. “Why?”

“Remember the promise you made me back in the Changsheng Building instance?”

Orange Candy fiddled with the end of her braid and said seriously, “I’m ready to cash it in.”

“!”

Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.

At that moment, a tall, familiar figure emerged from the end of the corridor. It was Hugo.

The dark red lighting illuminated his sharply defined face. His brows were furrowed slightly, exuding a faint aura of blood and danger.

“What are you waiting for?”

He asked.

Orange Candy skipped over cheerfully. “Recruiting, of course.”

Hugo looked up and scanned Wen Jianyan from head to toe. “You sure?”

“Of course.”

Orange Candy still had that carefree, devil-may-care look on her face, swaying her braid. “Of course.”

She glanced back at Wen Jianyan and said with a grin:

“For the next instance, I think he’s the perfect fit.”

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