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

Jeremy barely managed to escape from the Dark Swamp Instance just as it was about to collapse completely. Standing by the entrance, he looked back at the instance as it finally shattered into oblivion. Around the entrance, several pieces of loot slowly materialized, remnants of their efforts.

Since the Dark Swamp Instance wasn't a high-difficulty instance, the rewards were modest at best. Most of the loot consisted of silver-grade skill books, with only two weapons in the mix. Even those weapons were below level 35, making them relatively weak by Jeremy's standards. Upon seeing the rewards, Jeremy shook his head in mild disappointment.

"It seems that instances at this level don't offer much value for me beyond helping my teammates level up and hone their combat skills," he murmured to himself.

With a sigh, Jeremy took out Mortal Combat and released his teammates from its special spatial confinement. As Ritchie and Bonnie stepped out, both wore slightly disgruntled expressions.

Without hesitation, Ritchie voiced his complaint, "Can you please avoid locking me up in Mortal Combat's special space next time? Even though you didn't activate its combat skill, we were still forced to keep fighting in that confined space. We survived, but the process was excruciatingly painful!"

Ritchie's tone was laced with frustration. However, he wasn't the one who had suffered the most. That title belonged to Bonnie. Inside Mortal Combat's space, there was an additional rule: when more than two people are present, the artifact automatically pairs individuals with similar strength levels into groups of two, pitting them against each other.

Since Ritchie and Bonnie had similar power levels, they had been forced to battle one another in that confined space. Emma and Claire, likewise matched by their relatively close skill levels, also ended up fighting each other. Emma and Claire, however, didn't appear as upset. Their fight hadn't been nearly as intense, as neither was particularly combat-focused in the Apocalypse Game. Both of them possessed mainly support talents and abilities.

Bonnie, on the other hand, had endured a far more grueling experience. Fighting Ritchie in that enclosed, hostile space had been a test of both her skill and resilience. While Ritchie's words were filled with irritation, Bonnie's silence spoke volumes about her own struggle in the special space.

Seeing their reactions, Jeremy nodded understandingly. "I know it wasn't pleasant, and I didn't make that decision lightly. But given the situation, it was the only way I could get everyone out of the instance safely. This experience should serve as a lesson: even seemingly low-level instances can turn out to be unexpectedly perilous. We'll need to focus on building your strength so that you won't be caught off guard again in such situations."

Though Jeremy's words were pragmatic, they carried an undeniable sincerity. He was committed to ensuring that his teammates would be better prepared for the dangers ahead, knowing well that each of them would need to continue growing if they wanted to survive in the Apocalypse Game.

Only Bonnie and Ritchie possessed offensive skills, and because Ritchie was the stronger of the two, Bonnie had taken a much heavier toll in the fight, sustaining more serious injuries.

Jeremy ignored Ritchie's complaints and quickly moved to Bonnie's side. "Are you alright? You look like you're in pretty rough shape! Let me take you home. You should really rest for at least a week."

It was evident that Jeremy was particularly concerned about Bonnie. This was partly because he felt he shared a special bond with her, and partly because she was the only one who had sustained significant injuries. Bonnie shook her head, her face pale.

"The injuries aren't as bad as they look. I only need two or three days of rest, a whole week would be excessive for me."

Bonnie was reluctant to take that much time off. She feared that if she rested too long, the gap between her and Ritchie would only widen. Jeremy, seeing through her intentions, decided not to push the matter further.

"Alright," he replied, his tone calm, "it's up to you how long you need to recover. But I'll remind you—there's no need to rush your level progression."

After saying this, Jeremy turned his gaze toward the other three.

"That goes for all of you as well. Instead of rushing to raise your levels, you should focus on learning from the lessons of our recent battle and gradually building your strength. All of you already have higher levels than most other Apocalypse Game players. While you're not on my level, I am, after all, one of the most gifted players in the game."

Jeremy's words were full of wisdom and made sense to Claire and Emma, who accepted his advice. However, Ritchie and Bonnie were less inclined to agree.

Although Ritchie acknowledged Jeremy's strength, he believed the difference between them wasn't so great that he couldn't keep up in terms of leveling. To him, it felt only natural that he should be able to stay right behind Jeremy's level.

Bonnie's primary concern was that she didn't want to fall behind Ritchie in terms of level progression. Jeremy looked at his teammates, noting the mix of emotions on their faces. Sighing, he continued, "Let's call it a day. We've already cleared the Dark Swamp Instance, and Bonnie's neighborhood is quite safe. Take a day or two to think over what went well in the instance and what didn't. Then, let's regroup the day after tomorrow to discuss which instance we'll tackle next to boost our levels."

With that, Jeremy pulled out all the loot they had gathered. "These items are of no real use to me. The silver-grade skill books won't improve my abilities and would just take up skill slots. And the weapons below level 35 aren't useful for me either. So go ahead and divide these items among yourselves. Once you're done, you can all head home."

Under Jeremy's prompting, everyone divided the loot. Claire and Emma took the two weapons under level 35. For them, these weapons offered a modest but meaningful upgrade, giving them a bit more offensive capability in future instances. Bonnie and Ritchie claimed the remaining skill books, though this didn't mean they would necessarily use them all; both would need to select skills that best suited their strengths.

Once the loot was divided, everyone went their separate ways. Still, Jeremy felt uneasy about Bonnie's condition and decided to escort her home. When they arrived at Bonnie's house, they unexpectedly ran into her father, Benjamin. Having just finished a meeting, Benjamin had come to check on his daughter, only to find her with significant injuries.

His face darkened, and he turned to Jeremy with a serious expression. "What happened? Why is my daughter so badly hurt? I thought I made it clear—I wanted you to take care of her."

Before Jeremy could answer, Bonnie interjected. "Father, you've got it wrong! Jeremy actually helped me a lot. The reason I got hurt was because I made some serious mistakes during the instance. It wasn't his fault."

Bonnie's words were true; her injuries were largely due to her own actions in the instance.

To Benjamin, however, it seemed Bonnie was deliberately defending Jeremy. He scoffed coldly.

"I've told you before, Bonnie—if an instance is too difficult, you shouldn't follow Jeremy. He's powerful, but even he can't guarantee your safety."

With that, Benjamin turned and walked away. Though he could have used this moment to discuss cooperation with Jeremy, he believed that task was Liam's responsibility and didn't want to interfere.

After Benjamin left, Bonnie looked at Jeremy apologetically. "I owe you an apology. Because of my mistakes, things between you and my father have become even more strained. I'll find a way to smooth things over with him. I'm sure he'll come to understand and appreciate you."

Jeremy responded with a reassuring smile. "It's really not a big deal. Mayor Liu still needs me to help protect Moonlight City! And I'm confident I'll earn his understanding and respect—I am the strongest among us, after all."

Jeremy's confident reply visibly lifted Bonnie's spirits. "Alright, then. Go get some rest. If you really want to join me in our next mission, you'd better heal up quickly!"

After this final reminder, Jeremy turned to leave, but at that moment, Liam appeared in his line of sight. Liam greeted him with a warm smile, while Jeremy's expression shifted to one of mild surprise.

He approached Liam and, with a hint of suspicion, asked in a low voice, "Have you been following me? Why did you suddenly show up here?"

Smiling, Liam responded, "There's no need for me to follow you. All of Moonlight City is under surveillance by the Special Situations Bureau, so the moment you stepped into the city, I was aware of it."

Liam's explanation made sense to Jeremy, so he said nothing further and simply waited for Liam to continue.

"I'm here because I want to discuss our upcoming cooperation. If we're going to secure the safety of Moonlight City, we'll need to work very closely together."

Finally understanding Liam's intent, Jeremy's expression softened. He, too, was determined to ensure Moonlight City's safety, and this alignment of goals seemed promising.