Chapter 200: The Misty Garden
After making all the necessary preparations, Jeremy hurried to the entrance of the Botanical Garden in Moonlight City with utmost speed.
At this location, he could see the entrance to the instance situated near the Botanical Garden, which was shrouded in a thick veil of white mist. Moreover, within the depths of the entrance to the instance, he could faintly discern the presence of various plants.
It was precisely due to the unique characteristics of the entrance to the instance that the military of Moonlight City designated it as The Misty Garden.
According to the intelligence gathered by the military, the overall level of the monsters within The Misty Garden hovers around level 50.
Additionally, based on the information provided by soldiers who had entered the instance and managed to survive, it was determined that the level of the instance boss in The Misty Garden should exceed level 55.
Overall, The Misty Garden instance could be classified as one of the more challenging instances surrounding Moonlight City.
Jeremy's choice of this instance was not solely due to the fact that the instance boss possessed the ability for mental attacks, but also because the overall level of the monsters within the instance was highly compatible with the essence of awakening.
In the apocalypse game, the awakening level for awakeners is set at level 50.
Only after awakening can the awakeners in the apocalypse game continue to elevate their own levels.
This implies that in order to obtain the awakening gemstone, one must seemingly first endure the trials presented by level 50 monsters.
Although this is merely Jeremy's own speculation, he firmly believes that his conjecture is likely not too far from the truth.
Moreover, Jeremy feels that this is, in fact, a crucial aspect of the awakening trial.
He does not subscribe to the notion that the class change goddess, Janna, is entirely oblivious to these circumstances.
Since the class change goddess Janna is clearly well-informed about this information, why has she not conveyed it to Jeremy?
The only plausible explanation is that such information must be uncovered by the awakeners themselves. Only by exploring the relevant information can an awakener be deemed to possess the qualifications for awakening.
After a meticulous examination of the surroundings of The Misty Garden instance, Jeremy resolved to prioritize the elimination of the monsters in the vicinity of the instance.
He certainly did not wish to be abruptly slain by a monster that materialized at the exit of The Misty Garden instance after enduring countless hardships to finally conquer it.
Jeremy moved with remarkable speed, and the monsters surrounding The Misty Garden instance were not particularly high in level.
Thus, within a mere quarter of an hour, Jeremy had eradicated all the monsters in the vicinity of The Misty Garden instance.
Near the entrance of The Misty Garden, Jeremy deliberately placed two health restoration potions.
"If I sustain severe injuries after clearing the instance, then I will have to rely on these two health restoration potions to ensure my safety."
Having made all the necessary preparations, Jeremy took a deep breath.
He produced the bluish-purple key, and as soon as it made contact with the entrance of The Misty Garden instance, it transformed into a burst of colorful light and entered the instance.
Meanwhile, The Misty Garden instance was officially transformed into an instance associated with the awakening gemstone.
The formal name of the instance also changed to The Misty Garden Awakening Instance.
As the The Misty Garden instance underwent dramatic alterations, Jeremy could sense that while the monsters within the instance had not increased in level, their strength was noticeably superior to what it had been previously.
"It appears that awakening instances are indeed somewhat more challenging than ordinary ones. However, since I have come this far, I shall not choose to retreat."
Jeremy grasped the Longsword of the Undying and stepped directly into The Misty Garden Awakening Instance.
The moment he entered the instance, he heard the voice of the class change goddess, Janna.
"You truly overestimate yourself, do you really believe you possess the qualifications to pass this trial? You have no chance whatsoever of succeeding! Even with my assistance, you lack the capability to obtain the awakening gemstone.
For your own safety, you should swiftly exit the instance. Do not continue to overreach, persisting in this folly will only lead you to immense suffering."
Upon hearing this voice, Jeremy maintained an expressionless demeanor and replied.
"You have barely just entered the instance, and yet you have the audacity to launch a mental attack against me. Do you genuinely believe that such an assault would prove effective?"
Jeremy was acutely aware that the voice he had just heard, purportedly belonging to the class change goddess Janna, was certainly not hers.
He was almost certain that the voice emanated from the boss of The Misty Garden Awakening Instance.
Under normal circumstances, the boss of The Misty Garden instance would never initiate a mental attack the moment a human intruder stepped into the instance.
However, the transformation of The Misty Garden instance into an awakening instance indicated that the boss had indeed undergone a significant enhancement.
After Jeremy uttered these words, the voice of the class change goddess Janna promptly vanished, just as he had anticipated.
However, before long, another voice, filled with malice and capable of inducing intense headaches in Jeremy, pierced through his ears.
"Do not become too arrogant! You understand nothing at all, how dare you transform my instance into an awakening gemstone instance?
You foolish and haughty human, I will ensure that you pay a heavy price for this! I will plunge you into a fate far more wretched than my own."
The boss of The Misty Garden instance pronounced these words with a voice steeped in extreme fury.
After enduring a bout of excruciating headache, Jeremy finally managed to shake off the effects of the boss's voice.
"Why does he claim that I will end up in a state more tragic than his own? Is it possible that when an instance is converted into an awakening gemstone instance, the corresponding boss must pay an extraordinarily heavy price?"
Since this was Jeremy's first time entering an awakening gemstone instance, he hoped to gather as much information as possible.
After all, Jeremy's friends would undoubtedly need to undergo their own awakenings shortly thereafter.
Jeremy could share the information he gathered with his friends, enabling them to navigate their awakening process with greater ease.
He was not affected by the attacks from The Misty Garden instance boss.
Instead, Jeremy proceeded cautiously and swiftly deeper into The Misty Garden instance.
During his journey, he encountered several monsters around level 50, all of which were transformed from plants.
However, these creatures posed no threat to Jeremy, as the weapon he wielded was of a higher level than that of these monsters.
Moreover, the Longsword of the Undying possessed formidable skills in its own right.
As Jeremy advanced within the instance, he finally reached level 50. However, at the very moment he attained this level, he did not immediately find himself in the realm of the class change goddess Janna.
"The blue-purple key provided to me by the class change goddess Janna should only be obtainable after reaching level 50. However, since she granted it to me prematurely, I no longer need to seek her out upon reaching that level."
Jeremy speculated slightly.
Although his conjecture might not be entirely accurate, he found no more reasonable explanation.
Jeremy spent half an hour finally traversing the first layer of The Misty Garden instance, and he paused before the grand gate that separated the first layer from the second.
He halted because he encountered a design that left him utterly astonished.
Above the grand gate between the two layers of The Misty Garden, the pattern depicted a sun hanging high in the sky.
"How is this even possible? All the monsters in The Misty Garden are associated with plants. Why would plant-related monsters adopt the sun as their totem?
Could it be that these creatures have a direct connection to the organizer of the apocalypse game, the 'Sun'? If that is the case, I must exercise even greater caution."
Jeremy had an unsettling feeling that the 'Sun' had not been completely eradicated.
After all, the 'Sun' was one of the masterminds behind the apocalypse game. Although his power might not be as formidable as that possessed by the 'Fool,'
He nonetheless remained a force that mere mortals could not easily defeat.
Thus, Jeremy remained deeply troubled by the possibility that the 'Sun' might have infiltrated the real world through a feigned death. If Jeremy's suspicions were indeed correct, then the 'Sun' would represent the greatest threat to humanity among the organizers of the apocalypse game.
After pondering this matter more thoroughly for a while, Jeremy ultimately decided to set this piece of information aside for the time being.
After all, what he needed to do now was to clear the instance for the awakening gemstone as quickly as possible.
Only after completing his awakening could he dedicate more time to tracking down clues related to the 'Sun.'
Jeremy shook his head and approached the grand gate between the two layers.
As he reached the entrance, the gate emitted a creaking sound and gradually swung open.
The second layer of The Misty Garden instance unfolded before Jeremy's eyes, and the sight left him utterly astonished.
Before him lay Nocturne City in all its glory.
Above Nocturne City, a massive sun illuminated everything beneath its rays.
"How can this be?! Why does an identical city to Nocturne City exist within The Misty Garden instance? Could it be that there are also followers of the sun here?!"
Jeremy recalled everything he had encountered in Nocturne City.
He was deeply concerned that once he stepped into the second layer of The Misty Garden, he would likely face attacks from the Sun Knights and the Light Chasers.
In Nocturne City, all the Sun Knights and Light Chasers were devoted followers of the 'Sun.' If he were responsible for the 'Sun's' downfall, the Sun Knights and Light Chasers would undoubtedly seek his demise.
While Jeremy hesitated, a grotesque monster composed entirely of shadows slowly approached from behind him.