End of Days Game: I'm the Only One Who Can See the Hidden Cues

After Jeremy expressed his thoughts, Bonnie and Ritchie stopped arguing. Everyone understood that they needed to follow Jeremy's lead. Only he could make precise judgments in their current situation.

Seeing that no one intended to object, Jeremy pulled out a map. This map was given to him by General Howard, and it showed the approximate locations of all known instances surrounding Moonlight City. The nearest instance to where they were was named Dark Swamp.

According to the intel on the map, Dark Swamp was not particularly high in difficulty—it was only rated at level 50. Jeremy himself was already approaching level 60, and with his newly acquired weapon, the Surpassing Bow, he felt that clearing the Dark Swamp instance would be a relatively easy task.

"Dark Swamp is only about six kilometers from here. So tonight, let's stay at my place. Tomorrow morning, we'll head directly to the area around the instance. Based on General Howard's information, there's been no unusual activity around Dark Swamp. The monsters within it haven't crossed into the real world, meaning the instance itself shouldn't be too challenging."

"You all can use this opportunity to level up in the Dark Swamp instance," Jeremy continued. "I'll make sure you get that chance. When facing weaker monsters, I won't step in myself."

Jeremy's words caused a shift in everyone's expressions. Ritchie hesitated slightly before speaking. "Won't this approach slow us down? Even though Dark Swamp isn't that high in level, shouldn't we aim to clear it within a day?"

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "You're right. Throughout our actions, I'll monitor the instance's overall situation. If our progress gets too slow, I'll definitely step in to help."

Reassured by Jeremy's response, Ritchie felt satisfied and had no further concerns. Claire and Emma, for their part, had decided to follow Jeremy's instructions completely, so they, too, had no questions to ask.

After a brief moment of thought, Bonnie turned to Jeremy and asked directly, "Do the monsters in the Dark Swamp instance have any unique traits? Judging by the name, I assume the monsters there are likely related to dark powers. Which planner in the Apocalypse Game oversees these dark powers?"

Bonnie had a deeper understanding of the Apocalypse Game. She knew very well that each kind of power in the game belonged to a specific planner. Though she hadn't faced multiple planners like Jeremy, she once encountered the remnants of the [Sun], who was fallen and seeking revival. Bonnie understood that if a planner were still alive, the power they wielded would be relatively strong. For this reason, she hoped that the planner managing the dark powers was already deceased.

After hearing Bonnie's question, Jeremy answered straightforwardly. "The dark powers belong to [The Hanged Man]. You probably haven't encountered him; I have. Although he opposes us, he doesn't seem intent on eliminating us quickly."

As Jeremy spoke, Ritchie recalled their previous encounters in the Tower of Exile. In that tower, both Jeremy and Ritchie had crossed paths with [The Hanged Man]. Back then, [The Hanged Man] hadn't attacked them but had instead offered help.

"So you're saying that the monsters in the Dark Swamp instance might not attack us?" Ritchie interrupted the conversation with a slightly brash tone, directing his question to Jeremy.

Jeremy shook his head. "That's certainly not the case! However, I'm fairly certain that [The Hanged Man] won't align with the remaining forces of [The White Tower] or [The Sun]. We likely won't encounter extremely powerful monsters in the Dark Swamp instance."

Jeremy's reasoning was quite sound. Hearing his explanation, both Ritchie and Bonnie felt reassured.

"I have no further questions. Let's proceed with Jeremy's plan!" Bonnie said, ready to leave. She hoped to use the remaining time to get familiar with her newly acquired golden-tier skill.

"If no one else has questions, then you should all get some rest. Keeping your energy up is the best way to ensure you perform well during tomorrow's mission," Jeremy advised.

After saying this, Jeremy directed everyone to their guest rooms for the night, while he returned to his own bedroom to rest.

The next morning, before dawn had broken, Bonnie was already awake. She glanced at the time and muttered to herself, "It's only 5:00 a.m.? Am I feeling too much pressure? Is that why I woke up this early?"

Though Bonnie didn't consider the Dark Swamp instance particularly dangerous, a subtle sense of nervousness lingered within her. After adjusting her focus for a moment, she headed to Jeremy's backyard to practice her frost cage skill.

As she practiced, she was suddenly interrupted by Jeremy's voice behind her. "We're about to tackle the Dark Swamp instance today. Do you really think it's wise to expend your energy right before heading out?"

Jeremy didn't agree with Bonnie's approach. In his view, they would soon be entering the Dark Swamp instance. While it wasn't expected to be highly challenging, maintaining full strength was essential to handle any unexpected events that could arise.

Bonnie smiled in response to Jeremy's concern. "I feel I've still got plenty of energy. I actually rested a lot yesterday, so I just need to warm up to ensure I'm at my best in the Dark Swamp instance."

Even though Bonnie tried to make her smile look as natural as possible, Jeremy could sense that something seemed slightly off about her demeanor. He walked closer to her and asked in a gentle, caring tone, "Is there something weighing on your mind? If there's anything you're worried about, you can talk to me. I'm here to help, you know."

Hearing his words, Bonnie's expression grew a bit more complex. She indeed felt quite tense, but even she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason behind her anxiety. After a brief moment of hesitation, she finally sighed and replied, "Honestly, I don't have anything specific I'm worried about, and I don't need any help. I think I'm in decent shape."

Since Bonnie insisted that she was fine, Jeremy realized there was no need to press the matter further.

Jeremy nodded slightly and said to Bonnie,

"That's great! If you've got everything ready, head to the living room as soon as you can! Everyone else is already up and sorting out their gear and equipment."

With that, Jeremy turned and walked back to the living room.

Bonnie took a moment to collect herself and then followed Jeremy to join the others. Inside the living room, the three of them had already finished organizing their gear and equipment.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Bonnie lowered her head slightly and said to the others, "I'm really sorry. I should have organized my stuff earlier."

Claire and Emma remained silent, while Ritchie was absorbed in examining a ring on his finger.

The ring Ritchie wore was the weapon Jeremy had entrusted to him—a tool designed to seal shadows. However, during their battle in The Lost Realm instance, the ring had experienced some issues. Ritchie couldn't be certain if it could still serve its purpose as effectively as before.

He realized he needed to study it carefully before they entered the Dark Swamp instance to ensure it would function as needed.

Without anyone acknowledging Bonnie's apology, she quickly finished organizing her gear and equipment.

"Now that everyone's ready, let's head out! We need to complete the Dark Swamp instance by sundown today!"

With that command, Jeremy led the group as they set off.

They reached the area surrounding the Dark Swamp instance entrance in less than half an hour. Upon arrival, they noticed numerous unusual occurrences.

It seemed that a powerful force had enveloped the entire area around the instance's entrance.

Jeremy was deeply puzzled, as he hadn't detected this anomaly before. After all, Jeremy possessed the King of Time and Space talent, and he lived fairly close to this location.

"What should we do next? The current situation is completely different from the intel we gathered. Are we really going to enter the instance without knowing what's going on?" Ritchie asked, sounding a bit hesitant.

Jeremy thought for a moment before responding,

"Although things seem a bit off, I think we should still go ahead and enter the instance."