Jeremy watched the bustling scene of the villagers preparing for the ceremony, while simultaneously trying to think of a way to escape.
He was now absolutely certain that he had been trapped.
The mayor, who had just appeared, was clearly the strongest enemy he would have to face.
At this moment, Jeremy wasn't sure whether the mayor was the boss of the Endless Abyss instance.
If the mayor was indeed the boss of the Endless Abyss instance, Jeremy was likely in for a tough battle.
However, if the mayor was just an early-stage boss, Jeremy felt that he could probably handle it with relative ease.
Jeremy had no intention of delving deeper into the Endless Abyss instance.
He believed the situation there was vastly different from other instances.
He would need to be fully prepared before entering the deeper parts of the instance.
As Jeremy frowned and pondered, the first farmer he had seen earlier returned to him.
"Do you like cake? We've made you a very large one!"
The farmer's words caused Jeremy a flicker of unease.
He suspected that the cake the villagers had made for him could lead to grave danger.
When Jeremy looked in the direction the farmer pointed, he felt more certain that his suspicions were correct.
At the center of the village square, the villagers had created an enormous cake.
The cake was shaped exactly like Jeremy.
"Are you really asking me to eat this cake?" Jeremy instinctively thought to ask.
However, just as he was about to speak, the words that came out of his mouth were, "I really love this cake, and I can't wait to eat it right now."
The moment Jeremy heard his own words, he realized he had made a mistake in responding.
But it was too late to take it back.
So, Jeremy simply fell silent, deciding not to speak further.
The farmer, on the other hand, looked at Jeremy with excitement.
"If you like it, then fine! But it's not time for cake yet! The ceremony will only begin at sunset. The sun is still in the sky, and we can only hold the ceremony once it sets."
After saying this, the farmer quickly left.
Jeremy glanced up at the sun in the sky.
"Right now, it should still be noon, and there's half a day left before the sun sets. I still have time to think of a way to escape before sunset."
Jeremy believed that he still had enough time to figure something out.
However, what he didn't anticipate was that, just a few minutes later, the sun began to set at an alarming speed.
Darkness quickly enveloped the entire town.
At the same time, the expressions on the villagers' faces became increasingly bizarre and strange.
Each villager would occasionally glance in Jeremy's direction.
It was at that moment that Jeremy realized he was completely unable to move.
He decided to activate his King of Time and Space talent.
A fragile portal appeared in front of him.
Jeremy didn't dare step through it, knowing that the moment he entered, the portal would likely collapse, and he wouldn't have another chance to activate The King of Time and Space again.
So, instead of escaping, he chose to continue fighting the mayor.
During the battle, Jeremy continuously searched for weak points in the area around him.
Eventually, he found a very weak spot behind the mayor.
With his grip tight on *Mortal Combat*, Jeremy quickly charged towards the mayor. Just as he was about to collide with the mayor, he suddenly jumped high into the air.
With this move, Jeremy finally reached the weak area in the space.
Jeremy didn't waste a single second. He immediately activated his King of Time and Space talent. Before him, a more stable portal finally appeared.
The mayor's reaction time was incredibly fast. As soon as Jeremy opened the portal, the mayor flew toward him without hesitation.
Despite the mayor's form being a grotesque, twisted mass of flesh, it moved with surprising speed.
Just as the mayor was about to use the many semi-transparent black threads to control Jeremy, Jeremy finally managed to pass through the portal.
As Jeremy crossed into the portal, he quickly shut it behind him.
The mayor was left trapped in the Endless Abyss instance, while Jeremy had successfully escaped.
Upon exiting the instance, Jeremy fell straight into the water.
He struggled for a while before finally managing to crawl out of the river.
Jeremy was in a sorry state. His clothes were completely soaked, and his hand, still gripping Mortal Combat, was trembling uncontrollably.
Part of the reason for his shaking was the near-death experience he had endured in the Endless Abyss instance, but the other reason was simply the freezing cold of the river.
After taking a moment to collect himself, Jeremy finally managed to regain some composure.
"It seems I don't need to explore this place again tonight. I can just write up everything I found in my report. I've gathered enough information, so the military headquarters shouldn't give me any trouble," Jeremy decided, quickly heading back.
Not long after Jeremy left, an eye suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Endless Abyss instance.
The eye was hollow and cold, its expression vacant and indifferent.
However, as soon as the eye appeared, it was swept away by the rushing water.
The environment around the entrance of the Endless Abyss began to change drastically. The river water grew colder than before. The trees that had still been alive nearby quickly withered and died.
Even the dock and the abandoned, decaying boats near the entrance began to rot further, their conditions worsening at an alarming rate.
It seemed that Jeremy's actions had caused the forces of the Endless Abyss instance to seep further into the real world.
However, none of this was known to Jeremy.
At that moment, he had already returned to his residence at the fastest speed possible.
He turned the heating up to its maximum setting and began to think about how he should write the report to submit to the military headquarters.
In Moonlight City, Jeremy didn't need to worry about writing reports, but in the capital, he was required to write them personally.
After several hours of intense work, Jeremy finally finished the report.
Just as he was about to submit it, his phone suddenly rang.