"Hahahaha, keep going! What do you have to say now?" The words from the human Professionals were a floodgate, releasing all the pent-up frustration and humiliation of the past hour. Their faces were flushed with triumph as they shouted, their voices a joyous cacophony.
The Centaur Clan was utterly silenced. They stood dumbfounded, their gazes fixed on the words above the gate. The two small words (Human) felt like a burning slap across their faces. They couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone a response. It was clear that the record-breakers had been here, had heard their arrogant taunts, and had chosen to answer them with a single, undeniable action.
The most vocal of the Centaurs, those who had been the most mocking just moments ago, stood frozen, their mouths agape. But the humans had no intention of letting them off the hook.
"Who's shameless now? Huh?" a young man yelled, his voice cracking with satisfaction. "Just because you broke a record, it must be you? Tsk tsk, are all Centaurs this shameless?"
A woman with fiery red hair grinned maliciously. "Oh, be careful where you step! So many horse faces on the ground! Don't trip!"
"I'm reluctant to call you clowns, but you put on the clown masks yourselves," another added, and the crowd erupted in a fresh wave of laughter.
The human Professionals felt as refreshed as if they had just downed a glass of ice-cold "happy water" on a scorching summer day. The Centaurs' expressions cycled through rage, embarrassment, and defiance. Some of them tried to grit their teeth and change the subject. "What are you so proud of? It's just a speed run for a Normal and Hard Instance! If you're really capable, go break the Hell Instance record!"
"The Hell Instance record is still ours!" a Centaur leader shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "Not to mention the Abyss Instances nearby! Most of those were cleared by our clan!"
But the humans were too smart to fall for it. "What's the point of talking about that?" a human Professional shot back, seizing the advantage. "The key is, didn't you say Rabbit Paradise was your clan's? Now I'm just asking you this one question: Is the Paradise team a Centaur Clan team? Just answer yes or no."
The Centaurs fell silent once more. The more the humans pressed, the more their humiliation grew. They couldn't stand the mockery any longer. One by one, their shoulders slumped, and they gave up, turning and leaving the dungeon entrance in a shameful, furious rout. The human Professionals let out a wave of mocking boos and thunderous cheers, as if they had just won a decisive battle.
"Awesome! So satisfying! I haven't felt this good in a long time!" one man shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "I've been putting up with those Centaur idiots for too long!"
The humiliated Centaurs had left, but the human Professionals were now a buzzing, excited mob. Someone, their voice loud with pride, asked, "By the way, who exactly are Boss and Hill? Come out and let us thank you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" The chorus of agreement was deafening. "We owe you!"
The human Professionals began to search, their eyes darting left and right, hoping to find the benefactors who had restored their pride. Vincent and Thalia joined in, looking around the crowd, pretending to be searching for the same thing.
Thalia's eyes were exceptionally bright, her face flushed red with a childlike glee. It was her first time feeling this sense of being "in the spotlight." No one knew her true identity, and that anonymity gave her a different kind of pleasure—a delicious secret, a personal triumph. The little girl was trembling with excitement, her hands clasped tightly together.
Vincent let a subtle smile touch his lips. He watched the Centaurs' dejected retreat, a feeling of deep satisfaction washing over him. The look on their faces was worth more than a few gold coins. Seeing the crowd's search intensify, he leaned in and said softly, "Alright, Thalia, let's go. We've enjoyed the show enough."
She snapped out of her trance, took a few deep, excited breaths, and nodded. She was ready. They were going to the Hell Instance.
Vincent opened his panel, and a new prompt appeared, its tone almost a stern warning: "Do you wish to enter 'Rabbit Paradise · Hell'?"
"Friendly reminder: This Instance is extremely difficult. Your team is not full, and your average level has not reached 10. Do you wish to start the challenge?"
The prompt seemed designed to intimidate, but it only served to strengthen Vincent's resolve. He directly chose "yes." Amidst the excited clamor of the human Professionals, Vincent and Thalia, with a single flash of light, vanished from the instance entrance.
The flash of light subsided, and the air around them immediately changed. The playful, sunlit atmosphere of Rabbit Paradise was gone, replaced by a suffocating, oppressive gloom. The sky was no longer blue with white clouds but a heavy, swirling expanse of charcoal gray that pressed down upon them, blocking out the sun. The gentle breeze was replaced by a cold, unsettling wind that rustled through the dark trees.
Thalia, her excitement from outside still humming, froze. She looked up at the ominous sky, a shiver running down her spine. "Brother..."
"Look at your panel," Vincent said, his voice calm.
Thalia's eyes flickered down, and she gasped. "My attack power has nearly doubled!" she exclaimed, a fresh wave of excitement replacing her apprehension.
Vincent looked at his own panel and found the same impossible stat increase. He glanced at the gloomy sky and immediately knew the reason. "It should be the passive skill taking effect," he said, and with a thought, he brought up the skill description for Thalia to see.
[Night Walker (Passive): A creature close to the shadow world, walking in the night, all attributes +50%, Agility additionally increased by 100%. Automatically restores 1% of health per second after being injured. (Effective after ten minutes out of combat)]
Thalia's eyes widened as she read the skill, and she immediately began rubbing her hands together with glee. The attribute boost was staggering, and the Agility multiplier alone was a complete game-changer. "Brother," she said, her voice a low, eager whisper. "I feel like we can break the Hell Instance record now too..."
Vincent had already reached the same conclusion. "Good," he said with a laugh. "Then let's break it." The Centaur Clan's Holy Light Knights had taken over an hour to clear this dungeon. Vincent knew that the Hell Instance would be exponentially more difficult than the Hard Instance, but with the Night Walker passive, their abilities were now on a different level entirely. Even if every monster in this dungeon had the strength of a Hard Instance boss, they were still confident they could clear it in record time.
Their Night Walker passive had come online again, nearly doubling their stats and providing them with an unseen advantage. What else was there to say?
"Let's go," Vincent commanded.
The two moved forward, ready to test the true limits of this Hell Instance and put the Centaurs' last remaining record to shame.