The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1074: Hope & Fear

Dillon Reef was a fish-man from a low-rank mortal realm, where the mana value was unnatural low, and becoming a Rank 6 Divine Being was extremely difficulty.

However, against all odds, Dillon Reef was able to cultivate to the Divine Sea Realm and become a 1-star Divine Warrior. By chance, he even caught the attention of a passing elder and had the opportunity to leave his barren world, joining the prestigious Myriad Sea God Palace.

Just when Dillon Reef thought entering the Myriad Sea God Palace would allow his aspirations to reach the heavens, misfortune struck and plunged him into the abyss of despair.

Even though he had the choice to escape his pathetic situation, he couldn’t risk his future.

Being able to enter the Myriad Sea God Palace was the blessing of many lifetimes. If he lost his status and got kicked out, it would be almost impossible to re-enter.

As such, Dillon Reef would rather endure suffering and be despised by others than use his limited credits for a way out.

’I’m not afraid of hard work! Someone, please give me a chance! Don’t let my divine path end here! I’ll work hard and become your sharpest, most sword! Your choice won’t be wrong! I just need a chance!’ — Dillon Reef silently prayed.

His silent prayer was just one of many among the Junior Disciples, but it was rarely heard.

Even if Dillon Reef was willing to serve a master, no one was willing to take him. The investment didn’t seem to be worth the effort in the eyes of many.

Blip!

As Dillon Reef mindlessly stayed cooped up inside his small seaweed shelter, a rare sound of notification was heard. His empty, dull eyes immediately glimmered with surprise and doubt.

Shortly after, his eyes darted across the trash-filled floor, full of emptied shells and scattered parchments. He used his only usable hand to rummage through the piles before retrieving a white hexagonal prism crystal.

The dull white crystal, which had never emitted any light for the past 30,000 Gaian Years, was currently flickering with weak starlight, indicating someone was answering his problem on the Wall of Dilemma.

Although the crystal buzzer wasn’t damaged or faulty, Dillon Reef found himself in disbelief.

He had waited many years for it to flicker with starlight. Yet, when the time came, he couldn’t believe it was true—No, he was afraid of believing. Nothing was more cruel than reigniting the flame of hope, only to extinguish it.

As the hand gripping the flickering crystal buzzer trembled with conflicting emotions, a cry of surprise resounded roughly three hundred meters away from Dillon’s location.

"Ahhh! This can’t be!"

The exclamation naturally drew the attention of nearby Junior Disciples as an excited Bluefin Fish-man dragged himself out of his dilapidated shell shelter. Curious gazes focused on the flickering crystal buzzer in the Bluefin Fish-man’s hand, and the crowd exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh my Aegaeon! A problem on the Wall of Dilemma has been answered!"

"What? A problem on the Wall of Dilemma had been answered?! That can’t be! The Senior Disciples and Professors have not visited this Chamber of Dilemma in the past 10,000 years! Could it be a mistake?"

"It’s absolutely true! Open your Celestial Eyes and take a look at the Dilemma Buzzer yourself!"

"Son of a Blobfish, it’s actually true! Which benevolent being has graced us with Nereid’s smile?"

...

As more Dilemma Buzzers flickered with starlight, more and more Junior Disciples outside of the Grand Chamber of Dilemma became aware and involved in the growing commotion.

Within minutes, everyone outside the Grand Chamber of Dilemma found out what was going on. The Grand Chamber of Dilemma was usually listless and quiet. As such, any ripples within these calm waters would spread across the entire sea region very quickly.

With every addition of Junior Disciples having their Dilemma Buzzer flicker to life, the desperate crowd grew in excitement and hope. They began prostrating toward the direction of the Grand Chamber of Dilemma and prayed, hoping to join the chosen ones.

Some Junior Disciples had been around the slum region for a couple of hundred years, but there were also others who had been around for many millions of years. The sheer tenacity cultivated over such long periods of suffering could be considered frightening to some beings. ℟ÅƝǑΒĚS

"Yes–!!! Thank you, Benevolent Godchild!" another overjoyed fish-man cried upon seeing their Dilemma Buzzer flicker with starlight.

Such excitement spread to the crowd, generating another wave of gossip.

"How many has it been now?"

"That’s already the 135th in the past hour!"

"Already 135 resolutions? This must be a divine miracle...! Something like this has never happened before!"

The large crowd of Junior Disciples couldn’t help but tremble with excitement and anticipating as the number of chosen ones grew in the hundreds.

Surprisingly, not a single chosen one had entered the Grand Chamber of Dilemma to verify their solutions on the Wall of Dilemma. Many Junior Disciples feared the wave of miracles would end if they disturbed the benevolent almsgiver.

At the same time, the chosen ones were willing to wait outside the Grand Chamber of Dilemma with their fellow sufferers. They had all endured the same hardship for many years and had built camaraderie through their shared suffering. They could afford this bit of patience, even if the entrance to salvation were right in front of them.

However, it was also precisely because no one had been able to verify the solutions on the Wall of Dilemma that a minority of Junior Disciples began to grow fearful of the situation, thinking it was a big sham.

After all, the flickering of starlight from the Dilemma Buzzers only indicated that someone had written on the Wall of Dilemma. It didn’t prove whether the answers provided were authentic solutions to the related problems.

"Can someone really answer so many problems so quickly? What if... some bastard is just scribbling nonsense on the Wall of Dilemma?" a gold-scaled fish-man uttered hesitantly.

A seed of doubt was immediately planted in everyone’s heart, and the chosen ones shuddered at the thought. They weren’t sure if they could keep their sanity if everything were false.

Having a taste of heaven before dropping back into hell.

If such a thing happened, someone would have to pay the price for playing with their weary hearts.

"Don’t speak nonsense! How dare you doubt the benevolent almsgiver? The solutions on the Wall of Dilemma must be true! It has to be!" another fish-man shouted defiantly. He couldn’t accept any other reality.