After seeing that the white-haired young man was standing alive and well, the live broadcast viewers fell into a bizarre silence for a few seconds, then exploded in intense discussion.
[Isn’t he okay? Why did so many people say that he died?]
[Fucking hell, that’s the Magician!! He’s actually alright—woohoo, I’m flyin’!]
[As long as he’s good, it’s all good. Mama’s heart is beating so fast it’s going to crash. I can’t take the stimulation.]
AD
[The Magician, G.O.A.T! It’s all fine now; I’m still waiting for gege to take me the hell out of this godforsaken place.]
All those eccentric comments from before had disappeared, drowned out by the sea of revelry.
It was worth mentioning that after the splash he made at Las Vegas and the show of benevolence he created by fluke for the instance’s live broadcast viewers, the Magician’s popularity was now biting on the heels of the S-rank contestants’, and was a massive hit among the general public.
Xu Su, who was looking melancholic earlier, suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. “Jiu-ge is alright!”
“Ah? What?”
When he came to, he leapt on the spot, turning his head just in time to catch the white-haired young man wave his hand at him.
Zong Jiu watched smiles spread across the faces of those newcomers from afar, and once again sighed deeply at how sweetly naive and gullible this lot was, before lowering his head again.
The young man’s wrists were long and slender, and blue veins were visible beneath his pale skin. The sticky blood that gushed through his veins thrummed with vitality.
Not too long ago, Zong Jiu almost thought that he was going to die.
Yes, right inside the coffin that was wrapped in blazing fire.
The white-haired young man pulled his knees up, firmly pushing them against No. 1’s chest. The Devil let go of the hand gripping his neck, instead forcing Zong Jiu’s head down to his chest.
They had sealed off all possible paths of escape from each other, seemingly determined to plunge into hell together.
To Zong Jiu, this was neither a good nor bad development.
He had dared to set this coffin on fire and vowed to drag No. 1 to his death with him. Then, he had naturally also anticipated being similarly imprisoned, just like the situation they were currently in.
How was it possible that he would actively send himself to his death?
That was right. Zong Jiu long had a countermeasure prepared.
The A-rank prop, Substitution Doll; the hottest prop in Las Vegas. It could ward off a fatal crisis, a passive prop that was second to none at present.
Zong Jiu equipped the prop directly after cashing the chips in for it. Although he felt that the chances of his death were rather slim, it wouldn’t hurt to put on an extra layer of insurance, lest he capsized in the gutter one day.
Sure enough, wasn’t he using it now?
Even though it made a dent in his wallet, he felt that it was well worth it.
Not only was it worth it, it was even extremely exciting.
From beginning to end, the white-haired young man was smiling like the Devil.
Their bloods were both boiling because of each other.
Just when Zong Jiu felt the tongues of fire lick his wrist, a mechanical notification was suddenly transmitted by the system.
[Main task item found. Submission successful.]
[A-ranked Instance: Famine Mountain Village. Mole identity card task clear.]
[Please hold as clearance rewards are being settled… The post-match evaluation is about to begin… You’re being transferred to the location: Broadcasting Studio.]
Pc atf rqila rfmbcv atja fnfgsatlcu jgbecv tlw raliifv, rbilvloslcu lcab yibmxr bo mbibeg, Ibcu Ale revvfcis gjlrfv tlr tfjv.
Djmxvgbqqfv ys gjulcu olgf, atf Gfnli cjggbkfv tlr fsfr.
Ktbrf ibcu jcv cjggbk fsfr kfgf rajlcfv lc j vjgx iluta atja mjerfv tfjgar ab rtevvfg, tlr bkc gfoifmalbc lc atf qeqlir mbcabgafv jcv recxfc, vgjuulcu tlw lcab j ybaabwifrr wjfiragbw.
Zong Jiu had a disconcerting feeling that he wasn’t looking into the eyes of a human. Rather, it was as if he were holding the key to unlock a heinous beast from its cage, unleashing the world’s most fearsome and distorted existence from its prison.
The next second, the feeling of imprisonment vanished.
His surroundings, which appeared like a scene cut out from a fiery hell, shifted into the splendour of the broadcasting studio.
Under the dim lighting, Zong Jiu inspected his hands.
His Substitution Doll was still lying intact in his system backpack. It hadn’t been put to use.
He had abruptly completed the main task the moment right before the coffin was about to be engulfed by flames. There was no way he’d believe that the Devil didn’t have a hand in this.
Undoubtedly, some variables that Zong Jiu weren’t aware of must have appeared during this period.
After all, before he pulled the torch out of the Strange Black Box, the Devil’s hands were tightly latched around his neck. Zong Jiu could still vividly recall the unbearable suffocation he was driven to by those gradually closing ice-cold fingers.
The Devil genuinely desired to kill him; not from up high, but by personally bestowing death upon him, like toying with prey.
It couldn’t be that No. 1 had changed his mind in just those short few moments, right?
Coming to this thought, the white-haired young man raised his head.
At the top of the golden-red dome, ten thrones towered supreme.
Except for the middle one, which was vacant, they were all occupied.
During the time that Zong Jiu was lost in thought, the main event commenced in the broadcasting studio.
The ornate and grotesque chandeliers hanging from the dome died out in unison.
When the lights came back on, apart from the lowest step and the ten thrones, the entire hall was submerged in deep darkness.
[E-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
Veiled alarm was on the faces of all the E-rank trainees. Those with weaker mental capacities even fainted on the spot from the stress.
But they were already faring much better than the F-rank trainees in the previous evaluation. At least, there weren’t any trainees who attempted to make a break for it, probably also because they knew that doing so would only turn them into pulp.
Zong Jiu took note of the ratings of the newcomers from his group.
They had completed their main task and even made it through several danger zones while doing so. Even if some were slacking off, they still survived. The system wasn’t that harsh. So those few newcomers all successfully made it to shore, getting a D-rank rating. Xu Su was so excited that he leapt a metre into the air.
After they were done bouncing in joy, each of them, very solemnly, didn’t forget to salute Zong Jiu who was on the C-rank step, drawing many gawking stares from those around them.
Zong Jiu, “…”
It was so awkward that he chose to pretend not to have seen it.
[D-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
Unlike the previous rank evaluation, the lower-ranking trainees didn’t make any waves.
For the most part, their original rank was around the evaluation they received, give or take a rank. It was difficult for anyone to really leap up the ladder.
This time around, there were a few newcomers of decent calibre among the D-ranks who managed to jump to C-rank, joining the upper-rank club.
Of course, some were promoted, and naturally, some were demoted.
Some D-ranks didn’t perform well and were relegated to E-rank.
These people looked deathly pale with fright. There was even one who couldn’t stabilise his emotional state and pulled out a dagger, wanting to take his life on the spot, causing blood to splatter on the faces of the people around him.
Zong Jiu coldly swept a glance across and turned his gaze away, disinterested.
It was almost time to get to the C-ranks’ ratings.
At this time, everyone’s interest was raised by a trifle.
The Magician, Zong Jiu, who had caused an upset in the previous evaluation, was situated on this ranking. He was one of the minority who was able to jump three ranks in one fell swoop in the first instance, and was also the most popular newcomer at present, unmatched by any other.
All of the veterans were whispering to each other.
On the B-rank step, Cao Hongtao even spat. “Goddamnit, he really came back alive.”
They were still holding a grudge over the survival points they were extorted of in the Famine Mountain Village.
The attitude of the other veterans were the same across the board, either folding their arms to watch the show or harbouring malicious intent out of envy for him having won No. 1’s favour.
Some on the bullet chat were fretting.
[Hey do you guys think the Magician can get a high rating from this instance?]
[A high rating? Are you eating shit? He was already exposed as a mole in this instance; his system rating certainly won’t be high.]
[True that. If a mole is exposed, his system rating will surely drop. But it shouldn’t drop too far; after all, he cleared his main task.]
[Yeah, that should be the case. A-rank might be rather much of a reach, but getting B-rank would be a pleasant surprise.]
[Ugh, really? I was betting that he’d rise straight to S-rank after this instance. What a shame.]
The white-haired young man stood there, unheeding of everyone’s scrutiny, his expression languid and lethargic.
After being roasted by the fire earlier, Zong Jiu felt he might have suffered mild burns on his body. He was making plans to head back after the system was done to do a thorough check up, spend five hundred points to restore himself, then get a good night’s sleep.
Zong Jiu wasn’t overly concerned about his rating.
After all, the fact that he had been exposed as the mole this time was secondary. The clincher was that he had directly made a move to kill the NPC Grandma Yin, who the Devil was role-playing.
Back in the first instance, Zong Jiu had only knocked the perverted doctor unconscious. The plot progression of the Mental Asylum was already drawing to a close, so it didn’t have much impact on the overall situation. On the other hand, if Famine Mountain Village progressed as it was supposed to, the instance boss could still hop around and make trouble near the end, continuing to fool the trainees and hinder them from discovering the villagers’ lies so easily.
In short, Zong Jiu was aware that his rating wouldn’t be anything much to speak of and was already prepared to experience the punishment instance. In any case, he had no regrets about killing the NPC that the Devil was roleplaying, not to mention that he had long been curious about that single-player punishment instance.
[C-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
As expected, the exact moment the system issued its rating, a big purple ‘F’ floated above Zong Jiu’s head.
The hall roared.
F!
Unless one violated an ironclad law laid down by the system or truly performed too dismally in the instance, fearing death and running in the face of trouble, it was unlikely for one to get a F.
Those seated on thrones at the uppermost reaches also cast their gazes down.
“He got an S in the previous instance but only an F this time? That’s rather excessive.”
The Exorcist turned his head over. “Old Ghost, weren’t you in the instance with this kid?”
Black-Robed Azan silently nodded.
“How did he do?”
Several of the others on the thrones looked over imperceptibly.
“There is no way that this is all there is to it.”
Black-Robed Azan didn’t make much of a comment, clearly not wishing to expound on it.
But this one sentence already revealed enough information.
If even No. 4 said that this wasn’t all there was to it, then that would rule out the speculations that Zong Jiu had been passive in this instance.
Messiah’s forehead creased in worry. “Strange. Which ironclad rule did he violate?”
With the system rating hot out of the oven, the bullet chat was wrecked with dismay.
[Time to go take a shower and sleep it off. F-rank. The instructor’s rating usually follows the system’s. It’s over for him.]
[F-rank… this is too outrageous. Did he kill a trainee?]
[That’s not impossible, ack. I watched all of Famine Mountain Village. Coincidentally, a C-rank did die in there. He seemed to have a grudge with the Magician from Las Vegas. The Barbarian also said that the C-rank was tailing the Magician right before he vanished.]
[Ah… it’s not strange to hold a grudge, but actively killing someone is a bit overboard. Isn’t he just seeking his own death?]
[I know right, totally.]
[Nevermind, time for everyone to disperse. We all know how hard the punishment instance is, so don’t get your hopes up.]
Just as people were sighing, gloating, or lamenting, someone suddenly cried out in startlement.
The hall that was abuzz with discussion immediately quietened.
It was dead silent.
This scene was an exact replica of the second round of evaluation, history practically repeating itself.
Zong Jiu also realised something.
This time, he didn’t lift his head, because a blood-red glow was already reflecting off his wrist.
Next to the purple F-rank system rating, a letter dazzling with an inauspicious light quietly floated into existence.
S-rank.
The instructor had given him an S-rank rating for the instance.
Zong Jiu: ?
After seeing that the white-haired young man was standing alive and well, the live broadcast viewers fell into a bizarre silence for a few seconds, then exploded in intense discussion.
[Isn’t he okay? Why did so many people say that he died?]
[Fucking hell, that’s the Magician!! He’s actually alright—woohoo, I’m flyin’!]
[As long as he’s good, it’s all good. Mama’s heart is beating so fast it’s going to crash. I can’t take the stimulation.]
AD
[The Magician, G.O.A.T! It’s all fine now; I’m still waiting for gege to take me the hell out of this godforsaken place.]
All those eccentric comments from before had disappeared, drowned out by the sea of revelry.
It was worth mentioning that after the splash he made at Las Vegas and the show of benevolence he created by fluke for the instance’s live broadcast viewers, the Magician’s popularity was now biting on the heels of the S-rank contestants’, and was a massive hit among the general public.
Xu Su, who was looking melancholic earlier, suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. “Jiu-ge is alright!”
“Ah? What?”
When he came to, he leapt on the spot, turning his head just in time to catch the white-haired young man wave his hand at him.
Zong Jiu watched smiles spread across the faces of those newcomers from afar, and once again sighed deeply at how sweetly naive and gullible this lot was, before lowering his head again.
The young man’s wrists were long and slender, and blue veins were visible beneath his pale skin. The sticky blood that gushed through his veins thrummed with vitality.
Not too long ago, Zong Jiu almost thought that he was going to die.
Yes, right inside the coffin that was wrapped in blazing fire.
The white-haired young man pulled his knees up, firmly pushing them against No. 1’s chest. The Devil let go of the hand gripping his neck, instead forcing Zong Jiu’s head down to his chest.
They had sealed off all possible paths of escape from each other, seemingly determined to plunge into hell together.
To Zong Jiu, this was neither a good nor bad development.
He had dared to set this coffin on fire and vowed to drag No. 1 to his death with him. Then, he had naturally also anticipated being similarly imprisoned, just like the situation they were currently in.
How was it possible that he would actively send himself to his death?
That was right. Zong Jiu long had a countermeasure prepared.
The A-rank prop, Substitution Doll; the hottest prop in Las Vegas. It could ward off a fatal crisis, a passive prop that was second to none at present.
Zong Jiu equipped the prop directly after cashing the chips in for it. Although he felt that the chances of his death were rather slim, it wouldn’t hurt to put on an extra layer of insurance, lest he capsized in the gutter one day.
Sure enough, wasn’t he using it now?
Even though it made a dent in his wallet, he felt that it was well worth it.
Not only was it worth it, it was even extremely exciting.
From beginning to end, the white-haired young man was smiling like the Devil.
Their bloods were both boiling because of each other.
Just when Zong Jiu felt the tongues of fire lick his wrist, a mechanical notification was suddenly transmitted by the system.
[Main task item found. Submission successful.]
[A-ranked Instance: Famine Mountain Village. Mole identity card task clear.]
[Please hold as clearance rewards are being settled… The post-match evaluation is about to begin… You’re being transferred to the location: Broadcasting Studio.]
Pc atf rqila rfmbcv atja fnfgsatlcu jgbecv tlw raliifv, rbilvloslcu lcab yibmxr bo mbibeg, Ibcu Ale revvfcis gjlrfv tlr tfjv.
Djmxvgbqqfv ys gjulcu olgf, atf Gfnli cjggbkfv tlr fsfr.
Ktbrf ibcu jcv cjggbk fsfr kfgf rajlcfv lc j vjgx iluta atja mjerfv tfjgar ab rtevvfg, tlr bkc gfoifmalbc lc atf qeqlir mbcabgafv jcv recxfc, vgjuulcu tlw lcab j ybaabwifrr wjfiragbw.
Zong Jiu had a disconcerting feeling that he wasn’t looking into the eyes of a human. Rather, it was as if he were holding the key to unlock a heinous beast from its cage, unleashing the world’s most fearsome and distorted existence from its prison.
The next second, the feeling of imprisonment vanished.
His surroundings, which appeared like a scene cut out from a fiery hell, shifted into the splendour of the broadcasting studio.
Under the dim lighting, Zong Jiu inspected his hands.
His Substitution Doll was still lying intact in his system backpack. It hadn’t been put to use.
He had abruptly completed the main task the moment right before the coffin was about to be engulfed by flames. There was no way he’d believe that the Devil didn’t have a hand in this.
Undoubtedly, some variables that Zong Jiu weren’t aware of must have appeared during this period.
After all, before he pulled the torch out of the Strange Black Box, the Devil’s hands were tightly latched around his neck. Zong Jiu could still vividly recall the unbearable suffocation he was driven to by those gradually closing ice-cold fingers.
The Devil genuinely desired to kill him; not from up high, but by personally bestowing death upon him, like toying with prey.
It couldn’t be that No. 1 had changed his mind in just those short few moments, right?
Coming to this thought, the white-haired young man raised his head.
At the top of the golden-red dome, ten thrones towered supreme.
Except for the middle one, which was vacant, they were all occupied.
During the time that Zong Jiu was lost in thought, the main event commenced in the broadcasting studio.
The ornate and grotesque chandeliers hanging from the dome died out in unison.
When the lights came back on, apart from the lowest step and the ten thrones, the entire hall was submerged in deep darkness.
[E-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
Veiled alarm was on the faces of all the E-rank trainees. Those with weaker mental capacities even fainted on the spot from the stress.
But they were already faring much better than the F-rank trainees in the previous evaluation. At least, there weren’t any trainees who attempted to make a break for it, probably also because they knew that doing so would only turn them into pulp.
Zong Jiu took note of the ratings of the newcomers from his group.
They had completed their main task and even made it through several danger zones while doing so. Even if some were slacking off, they still survived. The system wasn’t that harsh. So those few newcomers all successfully made it to shore, getting a D-rank rating. Xu Su was so excited that he leapt a metre into the air.
After they were done bouncing in joy, each of them, very solemnly, didn’t forget to salute Zong Jiu who was on the C-rank step, drawing many gawking stares from those around them.
Zong Jiu, “…”
It was so awkward that he chose to pretend not to have seen it.
[D-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
Unlike the previous rank evaluation, the lower-ranking trainees didn’t make any waves.
For the most part, their original rank was around the evaluation they received, give or take a rank. It was difficult for anyone to really leap up the ladder.
This time around, there were a few newcomers of decent calibre among the D-ranks who managed to jump to C-rank, joining the upper-rank club.
Of course, some were promoted, and naturally, some were demoted.
Some D-ranks didn’t perform well and were relegated to E-rank.
These people looked deathly pale with fright. There was even one who couldn’t stabilise his emotional state and pulled out a dagger, wanting to take his life on the spot, causing blood to splatter on the faces of the people around him.
Zong Jiu coldly swept a glance across and turned his gaze away, disinterested.
It was almost time to get to the C-ranks’ ratings.
At this time, everyone’s interest was raised by a trifle.
The Magician, Zong Jiu, who had caused an upset in the previous evaluation, was situated on this ranking. He was one of the minority who was able to jump three ranks in one fell swoop in the first instance, and was also the most popular newcomer at present, unmatched by any other.
All of the veterans were whispering to each other.
On the B-rank step, Cao Hongtao even spat. “Goddamnit, he really came back alive.”
They were still holding a grudge over the survival points they were extorted of in the Famine Mountain Village.
The attitude of the other veterans were the same across the board, either folding their arms to watch the show or harbouring malicious intent out of envy for him having won No. 1’s favour.
Some on the bullet chat were fretting.
[Hey do you guys think the Magician can get a high rating from this instance?]
[A high rating? Are you eating shit? He was already exposed as a mole in this instance; his system rating certainly won’t be high.]
[True that. If a mole is exposed, his system rating will surely drop. But it shouldn’t drop too far; after all, he cleared his main task.]
[Yeah, that should be the case. A-rank might be rather much of a reach, but getting B-rank would be a pleasant surprise.]
[Ugh, really? I was betting that he’d rise straight to S-rank after this instance. What a shame.]
The white-haired young man stood there, unheeding of everyone’s scrutiny, his expression languid and lethargic.
After being roasted by the fire earlier, Zong Jiu felt he might have suffered mild burns on his body. He was making plans to head back after the system was done to do a thorough check up, spend five hundred points to restore himself, then get a good night’s sleep.
Zong Jiu wasn’t overly concerned about his rating.
After all, the fact that he had been exposed as the mole this time was secondary. The clincher was that he had directly made a move to kill the NPC Grandma Yin, who the Devil was role-playing.
Back in the first instance, Zong Jiu had only knocked the perverted doctor unconscious. The plot progression of the Mental Asylum was already drawing to a close, so it didn’t have much impact on the overall situation. On the other hand, if Famine Mountain Village progressed as it was supposed to, the instance boss could still hop around and make trouble near the end, continuing to fool the trainees and hinder them from discovering the villagers’ lies so easily.
In short, Zong Jiu was aware that his rating wouldn’t be anything much to speak of and was already prepared to experience the punishment instance. In any case, he had no regrets about killing the NPC that the Devil was roleplaying, not to mention that he had long been curious about that single-player punishment instance.
[C-Rank trainee evaluation in progress… System rating is being released…]
As expected, the exact moment the system issued its rating, a big purple ‘F’ floated above Zong Jiu’s head.
The hall roared.
F!
Unless one violated an ironclad law laid down by the system or truly performed too dismally in the instance, fearing death and running in the face of trouble, it was unlikely for one to get a F.
Those seated on thrones at the uppermost reaches also cast their gazes down.
“He got an S in the previous instance but only an F this time? That’s rather excessive.”
The Exorcist turned his head over. “Old Ghost, weren’t you in the instance with this kid?”
Black-Robed Azan silently nodded.
“How did he do?”
Several of the others on the thrones looked over imperceptibly.
“There is no way that this is all there is to it.”
Black-Robed Azan didn’t make much of a comment, clearly not wishing to expound on it.
But this one sentence already revealed enough information.
If even No. 4 said that this wasn’t all there was to it, then that would rule out the speculations that Zong Jiu had been passive in this instance.
Messiah’s forehead creased in worry. “Strange. Which ironclad rule did he violate?”
With the system rating hot out of the oven, the bullet chat was wrecked with dismay.
[Time to go take a shower and sleep it off. F-rank. The instructor’s rating usually follows the system’s. It’s over for him.]
[F-rank… this is too outrageous. Did he kill a trainee?]
[That’s not impossible, ack. I watched all of Famine Mountain Village. Coincidentally, a C-rank did die in there. He seemed to have a grudge with the Magician from Las Vegas. The Barbarian also said that the C-rank was tailing the Magician right before he vanished.]
[Ah… it’s not strange to hold a grudge, but actively killing someone is a bit overboard. Isn’t he just seeking his own death?]
[I know right, totally.]
[Nevermind, time for everyone to disperse. We all know how hard the punishment instance is, so don’t get your hopes up.]
Just as people were sighing, gloating, or lamenting, someone suddenly cried out in startlement.
The hall that was abuzz with discussion immediately quietened.
It was dead silent.
This scene was an exact replica of the second round of evaluation, history practically repeating itself.
Zong Jiu also realised something.
This time, he didn’t lift his head, because a blood-red glow was already reflecting off his wrist.
Next to the purple F-rank system rating, a letter dazzling with an inauspicious light quietly floated into existence.
S-rank.
The instructor had given him an S-rank rating for the instance.
Zong Jiu: ?
