Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 58: Silhouettes

When Ethan Walker brought down his hammer, everyone was caught off guard, unaware of what had just transpired.

Even Natalie Clark, renowned for her extensive knowledge, and the usually nonchalant Oliver Wright were stunned into silence. "Ethan, brother-"

"Damn, Ethan Walker!"

They hurried to intervene, fearing that Ethan had suddenly become unwell and was acting impulsively.

Though Ethan and Felix Rayburn were known to be at odds, such an act was unthinkable, especially under the watchful eyes of so many cameras. Such confrontations should be settled in private, not in the public eye.

The viewers in the live stream were equally dumbfounded. They knew of Ethan's severe condition, but never expected him to act so recklessly. Personal grudges were one thing, but to potentially endanger someone's life was another.

Even though unseen, the chat was filled with messages urging Ethan to calm down.

"Ethan, don't do anything rash!"

"Ethan, if you seek revenge, at least do it discreetly!"

"I'm leaving the stream. That way, Ethan's hammer never falls."

Chaos erupted in Felix Rayburn's live stream room.

"Why isn't anyone stopping this?"

"My poor Felix!"

"Why would they let someone like Ethan, clearly mentally unstable, participate? What is the administration even doing!"

"Folks, I've found the administration's hotline. Click on my profile, hurry!"

Inside and outside the game, chaos reigned, but Ethan's hammer strike did not waver.

With a thunderous crash, dust billowed, and the ground seemed on the verge of shattering.

The illuminated screen revealed a black silhouette lifting a hammer, then casually slinging it over the shoulder, as another figure lay helplessly sprawled on the ground. Natalie Clark, unable to intervene, knelt down, teeth clenched, to check on Felix Rayburn.

A player-on-player bloodshed within the game would lead to an investigation by the administration, causing endless trouble.

Oliver Wright, having failed to stop Ethan, was already at Felix's side.

"Huh?"

He exclaimed in surprise.

"Why does Felix look so... flattened?"

Ethan grabbed a camera light and threw it near Felix's "corpse."

The camera, dutifully performing its task, executed a 360-degree sweep, clearly displaying the figure on the ground to all viewers in the live stream.

It was a flattened, black silhouette, limbs twisted in an undignified sprawl.

Anyone could see that this was no ordinary person.

Oliver Wright stroked his chin, squinting his eyes, glancing between the floor and the screen.

"It's the shadow on the screen!"

Indeed, this was the true nature of the game's boss.

The boss had been present from the start, ever since the screen lit up, mimicking their every move. This "Silhouette" was the boss of the cinema-themed game.

These Silhouettes lacked attacking capabilities but were highly deceptive. As soon as players opened the "emergency exit" for the first time, the Silhouettes would randomly replace a team member. Opening it a second time would result in another replacement.

This would continue until all players had been replaced.

The Silhouettes could mimic every action and tone of the players, but they would lead the real players in circles, leaving them bewildered and inadvertently exiting the game, still clueless about what had transpired.

The key to clearing the game was simple, as Ethan had demonstrated - to play the lone wolf, tackling the challenge solo.

As long as the number of players entering the game is one, the game does not recognize the existence of a "team," and the silhouettes on the screen are not triggered to "replace" anyone.

Of course, as Ethan had previously suggested, "hand in hand" was also a viable strategy. The Silhouettes required an opportunity to replace, and they often targeted players who strayed alone. The dimly lit environment was designed precisely for this purpose, silently replacing players with their screen counterparts.

However, if a replacement was successful, identifying and eliminating the replaced Silhouette from the team could also bring back the original player.

These three methods of clearing the game, though seemingly simple, each posed its own set of challenges. Firstly, solo gaming, like what Ethan and a few other star players had done, was not a common practice. Even the aces of gaming teams wouldn't attempt to clear a game solo unless absolutely necessary.

The White Tower game was ever-changing, and no one could fully grasp its patterns. Each ace player was a significant investment for their guilds, a protected asset not to be risked for brash acts. Secondly, the idea of men holding hands, while effective, was initially hard to accept.

And the last method was even more challenging. Even if one suspected a teammate had been replaced, how could one ensure that a single strike would hit the impostor Silhouette? Each method was uniquely difficult in its own right.

Ethan, along with his two subordinates, had tried several times during the simulation to understand the workings of this cinema-themed game. He hadn't intended to resort to the final method. But circumstances had led him there, unavoidably.

After the black shadow was flattened, it lay still on the ground. As Oliver Wright reached out to touch it, it suddenly retreated into the shadows with a swift motion.

Ethan extended his hand, asking the others who had a knife.

Natalie Clark handed him a thin, sharp dagger. He stepped forward and slashed the screen where the "Felix Rayburn" silhouette was.

A person fell from behind the torn screen, lying on the ground.

It was the real Felix Rayburn.

Felix coughed continuously, trying to recall what had just happened.

He remembered refusing to follow Ethan, wandering among the audience seats for clues.

Suddenly, his consciousness blanked, and everything turned dark.

The next moment, he found himself in a pure white space, unable to speak or hear. A television set before him showed Ethan and two others.

And "himself."

He screamed for help, but it was futile. There was no exit, only three other black silhouettes mechanically mimicking the actions of the people on the TV screen. When he stopped, the three silhouettes turned their heads towards him. Their movements continued, but he could feel their gaze.

Felix broke out in a cold sweat.

He thought he would be trapped here indefinitely when Ethan suddenly turned and smashed his silhouette with a hammer.

The Felix trapped behind the screen was also struck by Ethan's silhouette, knocking him unconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the outside world.

He gasped for air, looking up at the other three.

Oliver Wright kindly offered him a hand, while the mysterious, masked individual's expression was unreadable.

Ethan, with his back to him, weapon now vanished, stood by the emergency exit and said indifferently,

"Now you understand why I insisted on us holding hands."