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

Chapter 404 Hard Work Pays Off

Over the next two days, Jeremy and Ritchie tirelessly scoured the cities surrounding Moonlight City, in search of a suitable instance for Ritchie's awakening.

As the saying goes, "hard work pays off," and by the evening of the second day, they discovered an instance located in a small city about 50 kilometers away from Moonlight City. This instance possessed an incredibly powerful shadow energy—exactly what Ritchie needed for his awakening. What made it even more perfect was that the instance was level 51.

A level 51 instance was considered ideal for an awakening. Instances at level 50 or below, if used for awakening, would result in a weaker talent post-awakening. This would only diminish Ritchie's strength. On the other hand, instances above level 51 were far too difficult. If Ritchie attempted one of these, his chances of success would be incredibly low.

Even if Ritchie managed to barely complete an awakening instance above level 51, the toll it would take on him would be immense. He might not even be able to maintain his consciousness throughout the process, which was something Jeremy, having gone through an awakening himself, understood all too well.

"I think this instance is perfect for your awakening," Jeremy said. "Since it's your awakening instance, I won't be able to enter. If I do, the instance will be locked to you."

Jeremy patiently explained, his tone serious. Although Jeremy wanted nothing more than to help Ritchie breeze through the awakening, he knew that if he interfered, the result would be disastrous. Even if Ritchie somehow gained his awakening talent, it would be a weak one.

Ritchie nodded resolutely.

"I understand! I'll clear the awakening instance on my own, using only my own strength. Should I go in now, or do I need to first acquire the awakening gemstone?" Ritchie asked, remembering what he had heard from Jeremy about the awakening gemstone.

He mistakenly believed that the gemstone was needed to open the awakening instance. But in truth, this belief was wrong. The awakening gemstone was a critical item found deep within the awakening instance, not something used to open it. To access the awakening instance, Ritchie actually needed the key from the class-change goddess, Janna.

Jeremy smiled gently at Ritchie's eagerness. "You're almost there. But remember, the gemstone is not what opens the instance. You'll need to meet Janna for that. The gemstone is important, but it comes later, deep within the instance. Focus on finding the goddess first."

Ritchie absorbed this new information, his mind racing with the steps ahead. He had a clear path now—find Janna, enter the instance, and conquer the trials that awaited him. He was ready for the challenge.

"The awakening gemstone is deep within the awakening instance! What you need to do now is come with me to the space where the class-change goddess, Janna, resides. You must have her provide you with the key. Only an instance opened with the key can become an awakening instance," Jeremy explained.

Ritchie finally understood the situation after hearing this.

With a smile, Ritchie said, "Then I don't think I'll run into any major trouble from here on out. The class-change goddess Janna is on our side, right? She shouldn't cause me any problems."

"She won't cause you any problems, but you must have enough strength to back it up. If your strength isn't enough, the class-change goddess Janna won't be able to provide you with the key to the awakening instance. And you'll also have to answer two questions from her," Jeremy replied.

Ritchie felt his nerves tighten again at Jeremy's words.

"My strength should be sufficient, right? I'm level 50 now, and the weapons and items I have are all quite strong. My shadow control skill is also at a very high level," Ritchie said, still worried his strength wouldn't be enough.

However, Jeremy wasn't concerned about Ritchie's strength. What worried him more was whether Ritchie could answer the two questions the class-change goddess Janna would ask.

"I think your strength should be enough to pass. But you might not be able to answer the questions Janna will ask. The questions will be related to the talent you're about to awaken," Jeremy said, his tone filled with concern.

But Ritchie didn't feel that he would have trouble answering such questions.

"Of course, the talent I'm awakening is related to shadow control. I'm very familiar with shadow control and the other related skills. I won't be stumped by any questions, you can rest easy," Ritchie said seriously.

Jeremy gave a hesitant nod. He really hoped Ritchie would be able to easily answer Janna's questions.

"If you're truly ready, then let's head to the space where the class-change goddess Janna resides," Jeremy said, extending his hand toward Ritchie.

Ritchie grasped Jeremy's hand, and together they transformed into a streak of light, vanishing from the spot.

After the light faded, Ritchie and Jeremy arrived in the space where the class-change goddess, Janna, was located.

At this moment, the class-change goddess Janna appeared somewhat different from before.

Her current form was much closer to that of a deity.

Janna's body was surrounded by pure white light, and within that light seemed to be a powerful force.

"Awakener, you have finally arrived," Janna's voice rang out from ahead.

Both Jeremy and Ritchie's expressions changed slightly when they heard this voice.

Jeremy's change was subtle, as he had already gone through a similar experience before. The voice of the class-change goddess Janna now reflected her divine nature. Her voice was hollow, as if it were coming from a distant place.

Ritchie's reaction, however, was much more intense.

He had never imagined that the class-change goddess Janna would speak to him in such a tone.

For a moment, Ritchie was stunned.

Jeremy quickly reminded him.

"Answer her quickly! What are you standing there for?!"

Prompted by Jeremy's words, Ritchie hastily responded.

"Yes! As the awakener, I am ready for my awakening. I hope you will grant me the qualification for awakening," Ritchie quickly repeated the words Jeremy had told him.

Janna's voice echoed once more.

"Very well, you must answer two of my questions before I can give you the awakening key."

"I understand! You may ask your questions now! I will answer all of them immediately!"

After the initial shock, Ritchie finally composed himself.

Jeremy, seeing Ritchie's tone, let out a slight breath of relief. From the way Ritchie spoke, Jeremy could tell that Ritchie had regained some confidence.

"My first question is: How can you use shadow control to bind the soul of someone stronger than you?" Janna asked her first question.

Upon hearing the question, Ritchie's expression became more relaxed.

He thought that this question was very easy for him to answer.

"I would first use other skills to weaken the person stronger than me. If I succeed in weakening them, I would then use my shadow control to bind their soul. If I fail to weaken them, I would hide in the shadows. After that, I would find another way to achieve my goal," Ritchie answered.

His response was flawless.

The class-change goddess Janna nodded. "Very good, your answer is indeed without issue. Now, I will ask you the second question."

Although Ritchie had answered the first question perfectly, it didn't necessarily mean he would easily answer the second one. After all, the second question was likely related to the talent he would gain after the awakening.

"How do you think you can truly merge with the shadows?" Janna's question echoed in the air.

After hearing the second question, Ritchie didn't immediately respond.

He furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Although the question didn't sound particularly difficult on the surface, for someone like Ritchie, who had an extensive understanding of shadow control, truly merging with the shadows was a challenging concept.

Shadow control only allowed Ritchie to hide in the shadows, but it didn't enable him to become one with them.

Ritchie felt he needed to find the perfect answer to this question.

During Ritchie's silence, Jeremy couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"You aren't going to be unable to answer this question, are you? You'd better be able to answer it! I can't offer you any help! I haven't said a word this whole time!"

Jeremy's concern grew, as he realized he couldn't offer Ritchie any assistance. He wanted to help, but suddenly found that he couldn't speak at all.

After a few minutes of silence, Ritchie finally spoke.

"To truly merge with your shadow, you must completely empty your mind. And when necessary, you must merge a part of your soul with the shadow."

After giving his answer, Ritchie felt a little uneasy. He wasn't sure if his response was correct.

The class-change goddess Janna didn't reply immediately. After a short pause, she smiled and said, "Your answer may not be perfect, but it has some merit. You have now earned the right to challenge the awakening instance. Take this key and use it to challenge your own awakening instance."

As Janna spoke, a key that emitted a strange, otherworldly glow floated in front of Ritchie.

Ritchie excitedly grasped the key in his hand.

"I will succeed! I will clear the awakening instance for sure!"