[Player has entered Count Leon's castle. Do your best to be the chosen one!]

The time-warp sensation subsided, and Mo Bai found herself inside the Count's castle. Before she had a chance to take in the surroundings, a line of bloody characters floated in front of her. Each character looked as if it had been written in fresh blood, with the strokes turning to liquid and dripping down, slowly vanishing into the air.

A familiar opening. A familiar handwriting.

"Xiao Qi, can your Main System change that font? Everyone is already so familiar with this. Stop scaring people with the same thing," Mo Bai said.

Xiao Qi: "I have submitted the player's request to the main system."

Xiao Qi: "The main system replied: it is not familiar with the player."

Xiao Qi: "The main system replied: the player may use the Smart Assistant to change the system font, color, and effects."

"Switch it to black, bold, Song typeface. Don't change the size. I like it a bit larger and no special effects," Mo Bai instructed.

The line of text reappeared, now in black, bolded Song typeface. Only then did Mo Bai feel a little more comfortable looking at it.

She glanced around and realized that she was in a room straight out of a fairy tale: an old European-style castle chamber.

Everything in the room was wooden: brown hardwood floors, latticed wooden windows, a large solid-wood bed, a wooden desk, and wall decorations crafted from brown wood. Some accents were gilded on the outside, though it was unclear whether they were real gold.

The ceiling was very high, about five meters, but the windows were only two and a half meters tall, which made the lighting poor. Though it should have been eight or nine in the morning, the room was dreary and dim, making Mo Bai feel as if she exuded a faint smell of decay.

The furniture, bed, desk, and wardrobe were all European in style. The chandelier on the ceiling was laden with ornate decoration. The dark red bedsheets were adorned with heavy European floral patterns, giving the room a somewhat oppressive feel.

After scanning the room, Mo Bai looked at herself and realized that she had changed as well.

She wore a long, spring-inspired Rococo dress. The main body of the dress was made of soft white fabric, with a bow tied at the neckline with an aqua-green ribbon. The skirt was embellished with numerous green patterns, and the hem was wrapped in layers of intricate lace, each embellished with pearls. The long, heavy dress reached all the way to her ankles, revealing Mo Bai's slender ankles.

This spring-inspired dress made her the brightest, warmest color in the room.

Mo Bai lifted her skirt and frowned. "This dress is inconvenient for fighting."

She expected Xiao Qi to complain, "Players weren't supposed to roll or leap anyway," and she would reply, "It's inconvenient for other players to fight, which is an advantage for me."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Qi settled into a quiet, almost non-existent state.

"Xiao Qi?" Mo Bai asked.

"I'm here. What does the Player require?" Xiao Qi replied.

Mo Bai felt relieved to hear that Xiao Qi was still there. "You've become a little quiet."

Xiao Qi explained, "Forced dungeons are filled with dangers, and the smart assistant's words could affect the Player's emotions and judgment. Therefore, within the dungeon, smart assistants can only respond when the Player needs help. Otherwise, the smart assistant is not allowed to speak."

So there was such a rule.

Mo Bai looked up at the window. Two tendrils of climbing ivy had grown outside, blocking the little sunlight that should have come in.

The absence of Xiao Qi's sweet and charming voice in this decaying castle made the atmosphere feel even more suffocating.

Thinking of this, Mo Bai suddenly realized that this might be the reason why the Main System had prohibited the assistant from communicating with players.

Players' negative emotions within the dungeon were also a crucial factor in determining the outcome.

Mo Bai and Gu Tiandong received the exact opening time an hour before the instance started. They immediately gathered in Gu Tiandong's room and waited for the system to teleport them.

Gu Tiandong told Mo Bai that players must register 15 days before the mandatory dungeon deadline. Failure to register will result in the system forcibly assigning players to a high-difficulty dungeon beyond their current level, so players usually submit their registrations in advance.

After registration, the system assigns players to mandatory dungeons. Each dungeon has a minimum number of players, and once full, it automatically enters a preparation period.

Because the system doesn't consider emotional ties between players when assigning groups, there's a high chance of encountering your mortal enemies in a dungeon.

However, if you register with a teammate at the same time, there's a 90% chance you'll be assigned to the same dungeon.

The preparation period typically lasts seven days, allowing players to prepare for the dungeon. This includes activities like purchasing intelligence from a clairvoyant or item cards.

After seven days, the dungeon automatically opens. One hour before opening, all players in that dungeon are notified for last-minute preparations.

When time is up, the players will be teleported in.

Forming a team in advance increases the chance of being teleported to the same location, but there's also the possibility of encountering an enemy upon entering the dungeon.

Gu Tiandong recounted a forced dungeon where three players died right at the start. It was said that these were sworn enemies who had been teleported to the same area. Seeing each other, they became enraged and engaged in a bloody fight, resulting in a mutually devastating defeat.

Mo Bai, for example, was considered lucky to be teleported to a single room.

The mortality rate in mandatory dungeons is fixed and notified to players from the moment the dungeon is released.

Completing a forced dungeon isn't a requirement. Simply surviving the specified time limit is sufficient. The Count's Castle dungeon has a seven-day time limit, and players simply need to survive.

However, if all players survive past the seventh day, dungeons with a mortality rate won't let everyone leave. The dungeon boss will engage in an indiscriminate slaughter until the number of players drops below the death rate.

Some players try to clear the dungeon by preemptively hunting down other players, reducing their numbers to below the death rate, and then finding a safe place to hide until the instance ends.

Therefore, Mo Bai and Gu Tiandong must be wary not only of the monsters in the dungeon but also of the players themselves.

There is only one way to break the dungeon's mortality rate, and that is to complete the dungeon according to the dungeon's requirements, or to kill all the monsters in the dungeon.

If this can be done, then even if everyone completes the dungeon, no one will die.

But that was nearly impossible.

The dungeon boss's level is always higher than the Player's. Suppose an A-level monster is assigned to a beginner player. In that case, an S-level monster will be assigned to intermediate players. As for what it's like for advanced players facing a forced dungeon, Gu Tiandong wasn't sure.

In addition to being high-level, instance bosses also possess an extremely terrifying ability that the system calls Domain Sealing.

The boss can seal one card from each Player within its own domain, which is essentially the entire area of the dungeon.

Sometimes players worked so hard to obtain a high-level card with extremely powerful effects, but before they could even use it, the dungeon boss would seal it. In the end, the trump card is destroyed, yet they still couldn't escape death.

Because dungeon bosses are so powerful, and players are randomly assigned, each Player acts independently, which makes cooperation difficult. Therefore, in forced dungeons, players rarely think about clearing the dungeon or killing the boss. Most are just focused on surviving.

Of course, those who survive by hiding only receive the 10,000 points basic B-tier reward for the dungeon and nothing else.

Only by completing the system-assigned tasks and achieving a flawless finish can one obtain the vast rewards and cards unique to forced dungeons.

Upon learning all these rules, Mo Bai's first reaction was: The Main System wants me dead.

Encountering a B-level monster in the beginner level might have been a fluke, but the second instance, being a high-difficulty mandatory dungeon, made Mo Bai feel the Main System's deep malice.

Xiao Qi initially tried to argue for the Main System, but after calculating Mo Bai's survival rate in this dungeon, it fell silent.

The Main System simply wanted Mo Bai dead, regardless of whether she was in the Observation Group or whether she had successfully completed the beginner level.

From the very beginning, Mo Bai sensed the Main System's unwavering hostility.

"I'm just an ordinary player. Why is it treating me so harshly?" Mo Bai asked, puzzled.

But no one could give her an answer.

Mo Bai had a feeling that others could pass the dungeon by surviving, but she couldn't.

She had to take the initiative to explore the rules of the forced dungeon and discover the monsters' weaknesses. Otherwise, if she delayed until the final hour, the boss's indiscriminate slaughter would certainly target her.

So the moment she was teleported, she carefully and thoroughly inspected everything around her to find any useful clues.

After checking her clothes, Mo Bai realized that she was a little shorter.

Mo Bai was familiar with her wheelchair. She knew exactly where to place her hands and feet, but this time, no matter how she sat, the wheelchair felt too big.

Mo Bai looked around and confirmed that it wasn't that the wheelchair had grown, but it was herself who had become smaller.

She quickly searched the room and found a mirror on the door of the closet. The woman in the mirror didn't look like she was in her early twenties, but only thirteen or fourteen at most.

Her age had been shortened by this dungeon.

Mo Bai recalled the dungeon's description: Count Leon favored young boys and girls, which meant adolescents. This may be the reason why players were limited to that age after entering the instance.

Mo Bai pinched her arm to test her strength. Reassured, she discovered that while her stature had dwindled, her physical attributes remained unchanged, and her strength remained immense.

She continued exploring and found several rules posted on the door.

[Welcome to Count Leon's castle. The Count will warmly welcome every distinguished guest, but please adhere to the castle's rules.

Rule One: The Count likes a lively atmosphere. All guests must dine together for three meals at 7:00, 12:00, and 18:00. No matter what happens, do not be late.

Rule Two: Free activity time is from 14:00 to 17:00 daily. You may explore the castle during this time. If you venture out at other times, you will encounter the stern butlers and maids.

Rule Three: Guests will showcase their talents after every dinner. This will determine whether you will be the chosen one. Please show off your talents to the fullest.

Rule Four: The Count dislikes waste. Please cherish the clothes he gives you. If they are damaged, the Count will be angry.]

After reading the four rules, Mo Bai tugged at her elaborate skirt and once again confirmed that the Main System definitely wanted her to die.