"Brother?" Thalia whispered, her eyes still fixed on the furious debate raging nearby.
Vincent met her gaze, his expression calm and knowing. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "We'll talk inside the instance," he said softly, his voice for her ears only. He had decided to hide his identity, and he wouldn't let a public argument force his hand. It would be foolish to risk his life for the sake of pride, especially before he had fully grown into his power.
Thalia nodded in understanding but couldn't help but pout. She was a fiery spirit, and seeing the Centaurs so confidently claiming her and Vincent as their own made her bristle with righteous indignation. Despite her displeasure, she knew the gravity of the situation and kept her silence.
They turned and walked back toward the instance entrance, the crowd's furious energy seeming to buzz around them. A single glance at the glowing gate told them everything. On the side of the entrance, a new panel had appeared: a Speedrun Leaderboard. Vincent tapped his own interface, and a similar leaderboard appeared before his eyes.
[Rabbit Paradise Speedrun Leaderboard]
[Rabbit Paradise · Normal. Speedrun Record Holder: Holy Light Canyon Knights! Members: Bruta, Barto, Sivy, Quest, Lulufu. Completion Time: 5 minutes 17 seconds 31!]
[Rabbit Paradise · Hard. Speedrun Record Holder: Paradise! Members: Boss, Hill. Completion Time: 12 minutes 17 seconds 37!]
[Rabbit Paradise · Hell. Speedrun Record Holder: Holy Light Canyon Knights! Members: Bruta, Barto, Vera, Kust, Lulufu. Completion Time: 1 hour 27 minutes 31 seconds 25!]
[Rabbit Paradise · Abyss. No completion record yet.]
Vincent's gaze lingered on the names. He and Thalia held the Hard Instance record, but the other two were held by the Holy Light Canyon Knights—a Centaur team. It was clear that the Centaurs' previous Hard Instance record had been broken by him and Thalia, which only added a fresh layer of humiliation for them. This wasn't about the rewards, which were a simple matter of gold and experience. This was about something far more valuable: a matter of pride.
He thought about the saying, "It's not about the steamed bun, it's about pride." This was the very core of the conflict. Veridian was humanity's home, and yet, the best records for its dungeons were all held by foreign races. It was no wonder the human Professionals had rallied against a common enemy.
Vincent pondered for a moment, then leaned in close to Thalia, whispering, "Let's go for the Normal Instance first. Then the Hell Instance." They still had a Normal Instance pass.
Thalia's eyes widened, a momentary confusion replaced by a spark of understanding. A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Brother, are you going to..." she began, but Vincent just made a shushing gesture, his own smile hinting at a secret.
Thalia immediately became a whirlwind of silent excitement. She nodded her head so hard her ponytail bounced, her cheeks flushed with a giddy anticipation.
Vincent didn't waste any more words. He held the pass, and a moment later, with a simple thought, the world outside dissolved into a flash of light. They reappeared in the familiar, vibrant forest of the Rabbit Paradise Normal Instance.
"Are we going to break the Normal Instance record?" Thalia finally asked, her voice a low, excited hiss.
Vincent's eyes narrowed into a confident, dangerous smile. "They can't tell if we're human or Centaur, right? Let's show them." A mix of emotions fueled his decision. He had heard the Centaurs' arrogant insults. He wasn't one to fight over a matter of pride, but their taunts had stirred a quiet anger in him. "Am I Centaur Clan?" he thought, the very idea absurd.
But there was a more important reason. He hadn't forgotten the system's prompt: 'When you or your employees perform astonishing feats, or clear instances and secret realms, you will gain Enterprise reputation.' Breaking a speedrun record, especially in a world where humans were constantly suppressed by other races, would be an astonishing feat indeed. It would be a powerful statement and a way to prove his value as a Boss Professional.
"Do you know what to do?" Vincent asked, a flicker of command in his eyes.
"Don't worry," Thalia said, rubbing her hands together with a fierce confidence. "I can break their record by myself!" Even before leveling up, she knew she could have done it. Now, with her attack power over a thousand, it would be a massacre.
"Let's go!" she shouted, and at Vincent's nod, they began their speedrun.
Both of their speeds were now beyond the scope of a normal Professional. Their movements were a blur of motion, their attack power an even more extreme force of nature. When they decided to speedrun, it was truly a speedrun.
The two set off simultaneously, their figures like twin bolts of lightning streaking through the verdant forest. They arrived in front of the three White Rabbits in an instant. The rabbits, startled, had no time to react. Three brilliant slashes flashed past, leaving only a shimmering trail in their wake.
1357!
2471!
2019!
The three rabbits' health bars appeared and instantly vanished. Before their bodies even hit the ground, Vincent and Thalia were already gone, a gust of wind the only sign of their passage. They completely ignored the glowing light orb, a luxury they could afford in their quest for speed.
Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5…
It was a relentless slaughter. One little rabbit per slash. The sprawling area of Rabbit Paradise could not hold back its furious pace, which moved like a violent storm. After just over a minute, they had already seen the boss leader in the distance, a massive rabbit with a menacing carrot club.
Upon seeing them, the boss was visibly startled. It raised its carrot club, ready to use its abilities, and let out a long, defiant howl to the sky. But its dramatic 'cutscene' hadn't even finished playing when a flurry of slashes descended upon it.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
2417!
1349!
2024!
1037!
The boss's health plummeted wildly. In the blink of an eye, it was down to a mere one-fifth of its original health. The rabbit leader's howl died in its throat, its eyes widening in a cartoonish expression of bewilderment. When it finally came to its senses, it tried to use its powerful crowd-control skills.
Puff!
But it was too late. A brilliant blade of light flashed past. It was a critical hit!
5039!
A jaw-dropping damage number appeared. The boss fell with a silent thud, its powerful body already lifeless.
[Congratulations, your team has broken the speedrun record for the 'Rabbit Paradise - Normal' instance, rewarding 500 experience points and 500 gold coins. Your speedrun record will also be recorded for future admiration.]
[Please decide your team name. And whether to disclose your name, profession, level, and other information?]
A prompt appeared on the interface. Vincent and Thalia both smiled, a quiet sense of triumph passing between them.
"Success!" Thalia whispered, her eyes dancing with excitement. The completion time was a monumental achievement: 2 minutes, 18 seconds! The Normal Instance's previous record was just over four minutes. This was a brutal, near-impossible time; it was almost purely the time it took to run the distance and finish the boss. "Brother?" she asked, her eyes full of expectation.
Vincent smiled and gave a single, firm nod. He squinted at his interface, his fingers moving with practiced ease.
…
At the same time, outside the instance, the argument had devolved into full-blown racial insults.
"Tsk, it's just a name, what can't it be called? You say they're human, but where are they?" a Centaur scoffed, his voice filled with scorn. "It's been so long, they should be out of the instance by now. Why is no one responding? I've seen it now—humans are a shameless race, a bunch of trash Professionals who can't even awaken a decent profession. Just accept the fact that your race is garbage."
"You're full of crap! We haven't shown our faces, but what about you?" a human Professional spat back, his face red with fury. "You say your Centaur Clan cleared it, but why hasn't anyone from your clan come out to confirm it?"
"Our people are not like you," the Centaur said, waving a hand dismissively. "Breaking a speedrun record is just a trivial matter; why would we show off everywhere like you humans? No one came out because they couldn't be bothered. It's just disdain."
The argument grew more intense, with many human Professionals looking as if they were seconds away from physical violence.
And just at that moment, a sudden flash of white light exploded from the instance gate. "Someone broke the record again!" someone screamed.
The argument instantly paused. All eyes, both human and Centaur, instinctively looked up. Sure enough, another line of text emerged.
[Normal · Rabbit Paradise Speedrun Record Refreshed: New Record, 2 minutes 18 seconds!]
A collective gasp ran through the crowd. "It's the Normal Instance!" someone exclaimed. The previous record was over four minutes. No one had even thought it could be broken. "A team got under three minutes?!"
They quickly looked at the text below, a fresh wave of anticipation and fear rippling through the air. For a few heart-stopping seconds, the line remained blank, with only the words "Team is being recorded." But after ten seconds, the text appeared.
[Team: Paradise. Members: Boss (Human), Hill (Human)]
The scene fell into a deafening silence. The Centaurs' smug grins froze on their faces, their eyes wide with disbelief. The humans' ashen faces slowly, gradually, lit up with a joyous, triumphant understanding. Then, a single, explosive roar of cheers erupted from the crowd, a sound of immense, collective vindication.