Zong Jiu was shocked.
He was thoroughly shocked, and a sliver of it inevitably leaked into his expression.
The killing intent that they harboured for each other wasn’t fake; it was overwhelmingly and forebodingly chilly.
Zong Jiu was clear that as long as the opportunity was there, he’d always be more than willing to go up and cause trouble for the Devil. Even if the consequence was another F-rank rating from the system, he’d still want to kill the Devil.
Of course, he trusted that the other also felt the same, or he wouldn’t have set up traps in the Famine Mountain Village. No matter whether it was to sell him to the netherworld or admiring him being choked a hair-breadth’s away from death in the coffin, all of it drove at this point.
Previously, Zong Jiu had surmised that the Devil had to be under the jurisdiction of the system and made every effort to provoke him, relying on the system’s ironclad law of forbidding trainees to kill each other. While No. 1 might not need to enter instances like regular trainees had to, he was still made to roleplay as an NPC and was similarly subject to restrictions.
To be frank, Zong Jiu felt that he hadn’t truly offended the Devil yet. Zong Jiu himself would be the first to scoff if anyone were to call No. 1 merciful.
When Zong Jiu kicked Grandma Yin down in the nether world of the Famine Mountain Village, No. 1 followed up by using his instructor’s authority to chase him down.
That time when Zong Jiu hammered him down, No. 1 dared to give Zong Jiu a F with his instructor’s authority.
At first, Zong Jiu felt that the Devil had a vindictive personality; later, he found that it wouldn’t be accurate to call him vindictive either.
He was a madman.
Could the actions of a madman be explained?
Zong Jiu thought, If he were the Devil, he could probably guess it.
Only a madman, whose trigger point was how fun or interesting something was, could act this lawlessly and bewilderingly.
Zong Jiu didn’t plan to understand the mind of a madman.
But if even the Magician himself was shocked, the reactions of the people in the hall were naturally even more intense.
“How did this even happen…?”
“How come the Magician’s ratings are so disparate both times?”
“I know right. Doesn’t the instructor’s rating usually follow the system’s rating?”
Everyone, newcomers and veterans alike, broke out in whispers.
Generally speaking, the discrepancy between the system and instructor ratings weren’t large.
Other people got double Es, Ds, Cs; the difference between the two ratings would be a rank at most. Of the several ten thousand trainees, the Magician was the only one who had gotten S-F and F-S, the difference crossing seven ranks.
While their musings were still within reason, the brains of those in the bullet chat dived down the rabbit hole.
[Absurd, completely absurd.]
[Can it be that the instructor is a face-con and, seeing how good-looking the Magician is, is deliberately skipping back and forth with him across the ranks?]
[Ahahaha, your joke is going to be the death of me. Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered. Isn’t Thriller Trainee considered a variety show; (super loud voice) the purpose of variety shows is to pick good-looking guys, amirite?]
[Fuck, you make sense. But if we’re choosing the best looking, let me cast a vote for Master Zhuge!]
[Coughcoughcough, actually Master Zhuge is still decent… but if we’re really choosing the best, then… there’s one guy whose votes will lead by a mile.]
[!!! My friend, you really dare to dream. I expect you have three minutes before his followers arrive at the scene, hurry up and revoke it.]
[Sisters, hurry up and revoke your messages, protect your lives!]
Pa kjr bcis j ulnfc atja atf afc atgbcfr lc atf tlut njcajufr kbeiv mtja j ilaaif jybea atlr jr kfii.
Cc jycbgwjilas atja jqqfjgfv bcmf mbeiv yf ygertfv boo jr mblcmlvfcmf, yea jc jycbgwjilas atja jqqfjgfv aklmf tjv ab yf vfilyfgjaf.
Ktflg lcafgfra kjr vfolclafis jgberfv atlr alwf. Snfc atf ajmlaegc ifjvfg bo atf Vbgmfgs jcv Qlamtmgjoa Crrbmljalbc, Rb. 8 Dijmx Vtjwjc, Rb. 9 atf abq-cbamt Ursmtlm, jcv Rb. 10 Tlc-Tjcu Zjrafg klat tlr afgglyis yjv iemx kfgf vgjkc lcab vlrmerrlbc.
The S-ranks were trainees that stood at the cream of the crop, possessing supreme authority. They were then naturally also aware of information that regular trainees weren’t privy to.
Moreover, either they once occupied positions of high status as leaders in factions of the infinite loop, or they were mavericks respected by all who raged alone in battle, possessing a more mature outlook and clearer insight than others.
Even they were similarly curious as to who the instructor was, and why he would display such disparate treatment to this newcomer time and time again.
Only Zhuge An didn’t participate in their discussion.
Most of the time, Zhuge An had an unfathomable, unfriendly aura. Not rushing to get on his bad side, others would simply take it as him unwilling to express his opinion.
The dark-haired man sat silently on the No. 3 throne, his gaze coldly falling on the shield held aloft in Athena’s hand in the distance ahead.
It was mystifying how history tended to repeat itself.
With a spectacle in the first part, if there wasn’t anything that transcended the usual logic after, people would pay even less attention towards the end.
Last time, Zong Jiu’s shocking achievement caused tongues to wag even after the evaluation in the broadcasting studio ended. It was the same this time.
There weren’t any easter eggs among the rest of the C-ranks, nor among the B and A-ranks.
Only about two or three advanced from B to A-rank, receiving a fervent baptism of gazes. However, there were still none from the A-ranks who managed to challenge those ten thrones.
Within the S-ranks, possibly because Black-Robed Azan didn’t perform as well in this instance whereas the Exorcist did, No. 5 and No. 4, the Exorcist and Black-Robed Azan, exchanged places. Aside from this, the others were unmoved.
[The third round of evaluation has concluded. Trainees may now move.]
It was all dandy this round, another S and F, even saving him the effort of moving.
Zong Jiu still had the green C-rank trainee badge attached to him, standing motionless with his arms crossed as he watched other trainees move.
As before, there were few changes in the upper three ranks. Those on the lower three ranks, as long as they hadn’t fallen to E-rank, had barely escaped death. On the other hand, it was another tragic scene on the E-rank step; some bawled, some yelled, and there were even some who crossed their chests, praying to a higher deity.
After every evaluation, it was an assemblage of myriad expressions and attitudes of life, causing people to involuntarily sigh.
[Punishment instance is being opened… Forced transfer complete.]
Like the F-rank step, all on the step that represented the E-ranks abruptly vanished.
The number of people in this colossal broadcasting studio was halved again.
Now, only slightly under five thousand remained.
The two instances had weeded out many newcomers. Those who didn’t make it to D-rank were completely eliminated.
Those who managed to make it to D-rank were all newcomers who at least had one skill, whether it was quick wits, having received a special prop in an instance, willingness to go all out, or a lucky hand that won them life-saving props in Las Vegas. In short, if they had two skills, their overall ability would certainly show marked improvement.
Everyone’s attention was concentrated on the emptied step.
“Who knows if anyone will come back alive from the punishment instance this time.”
“Yeah. The F-ranks were wholly wiped out the last time. Gosh, it’s really saddening to think about.”
“Isn’t that a given? The system already said that it’s a revival round and it’s even a solo-player instance. It’d be weirder if the system made it easy for you to pass.]
The system adjusted the flow of time inside and outside the instance. Perhaps to the E-rank trainees who had just disappeared, they had already experienced the entire length of the solo-player instance. However, to the trainees still standing in the broadcasting studio, they’d only disappeared for a mere moment.
Five minutes later, the results of the punishment instance could be revealed.
The veterans were all doing their calculations.
If the difficulty level of the punishment instance wasn’t that high, then it wasn’t like they couldn’t keep it as a contingency plan.
Soon, it was time.
A white shaft of light suddenly appeared on the empty step.
[!! Someone actually survived the punishment instance this time.]
[Is the punishment instance not as difficult as we imagined?]
[Perhaps, or maybe it was because it was all F-rank trainees last time, so we extrapolated to everyone and assumed the bar to be set high. After all, F-rank trainees aren’t made out of strong stuff anyway. If you dump them into a B-rank instance, it isn’t impossible for the whole fleet to go down.]
[Makes sense.]
After the white light faded away, a quiet swept over the hall.
Because what had appeared on the steps could no longer be called a ‘human’.
It was a puddle of scarlet flesh writhing on the ground. Not only was there no skin left intact on his body, his features also looked melted and deformed, weakly producing faint breathing sounds.
Someone in the broadcasting studio suddenly raised their voice. “Apply to the system for full recovery. You only need 500 points, hurry!”
That person was obviously also aware of this.
He laboriously rolled up his blood-congested eyeballs. His mouth opened and closed, yet he could only form a sound as soft and frail as a balance spring.
“Hah, hah…”
Everyone felt as though they had waited for an eternity before finally seeing golden light descend upon him like the coming of a miracle.
The heap of fleshy pulp scattered on the floor suddenly stretched and reformed, regaining the shape of a middle-aged man.
He stood on the spot, his eyes slack and his arms hung down, like someone had sucked his soul out of him. He resembled a walking corpse.
[Trainee has spiralled into a state of insanity. Loading mandatory recovery…]
Another shaft of white light flashed, and that only lucky E-rank trainee vanished from the hall again.
Everyone was silent.
If the system determined that a trainee had received overwhelming stimulus in the instance and was not in a fit mental state to continue the competition, they’d be forcibly sent for electrotherapy. If recovery was possible, they’d be judged as having cleared the punishment instance and re-enter the competition. If recovery wasn’t possible, then the system would simply take action to obliterate them.
But all in all, very few did fall into a state of insanity, the numbers so few that it was an even rarer, and more terrifying, occurrence than death.
However, the system wouldn’t take the mood of the trainees into account. After handling the punishment instance, announcements started to ring out again.
[The third instance will open in seven days.]
Seven days?!
Everyone looked at each other.
They were only given three days to rest between the first and the second instance, yet it was solidly doubled this time.
Was there going to be another activity again?
Tacitly, the trainees accepted that the system had the tradition of stirring things up during the intermission between instances.
While Las Vegas had given many newcomers a leg up, it also left a lasting psychological shadow on everyone’s hearts.
However, it was undeniable that these cruel events could boost their strength tremendously in a short time frame.
So what special activity would it be this time?
[During the intermission between the two instances, a special activity will be held on the rooftop of the trainee dormitories: King’s Game.]
King’s Game!
The hall and bullet chat roared in surprise. Astonishment splashed across the faces of trainees who understood the rules of this game.
[A game rulebook has been placed in each trainee’s dormitory.]
[The activity will officially begin tomorrow night. Please stay tuned.]
Zong Jiu was shocked.
He was thoroughly shocked, and a sliver of it inevitably leaked into his expression.
The killing intent that they harboured for each other wasn’t fake; it was overwhelmingly and forebodingly chilly.
Zong Jiu was clear that as long as the opportunity was there, he’d always be more than willing to go up and cause trouble for the Devil. Even if the consequence was another F-rank rating from the system, he’d still want to kill the Devil.
Of course, he trusted that the other also felt the same, or he wouldn’t have set up traps in the Famine Mountain Village. No matter whether it was to sell him to the netherworld or admiring him being choked a hair-breadth’s away from death in the coffin, all of it drove at this point.
Previously, Zong Jiu had surmised that the Devil had to be under the jurisdiction of the system and made every effort to provoke him, relying on the system’s ironclad law of forbidding trainees to kill each other. While No. 1 might not need to enter instances like regular trainees had to, he was still made to roleplay as an NPC and was similarly subject to restrictions.
To be frank, Zong Jiu felt that he hadn’t truly offended the Devil yet. Zong Jiu himself would be the first to scoff if anyone were to call No. 1 merciful.
When Zong Jiu kicked Grandma Yin down in the nether world of the Famine Mountain Village, No. 1 followed up by using his instructor’s authority to chase him down.
That time when Zong Jiu hammered him down, No. 1 dared to give Zong Jiu a F with his instructor’s authority.
At first, Zong Jiu felt that the Devil had a vindictive personality; later, he found that it wouldn’t be accurate to call him vindictive either.
He was a madman.
Could the actions of a madman be explained?
Zong Jiu thought, If he were the Devil, he could probably guess it.
Only a madman, whose trigger point was how fun or interesting something was, could act this lawlessly and bewilderingly.
Zong Jiu didn’t plan to understand the mind of a madman.
But if even the Magician himself was shocked, the reactions of the people in the hall were naturally even more intense.
“How did this even happen…?”
“How come the Magician’s ratings are so disparate both times?”
“I know right. Doesn’t the instructor’s rating usually follow the system’s rating?”
Everyone, newcomers and veterans alike, broke out in whispers.
Generally speaking, the discrepancy between the system and instructor ratings weren’t large.
Other people got double Es, Ds, Cs; the difference between the two ratings would be a rank at most. Of the several ten thousand trainees, the Magician was the only one who had gotten S-F and F-S, the difference crossing seven ranks.
While their musings were still within reason, the brains of those in the bullet chat dived down the rabbit hole.
[Absurd, completely absurd.]
[Can it be that the instructor is a face-con and, seeing how good-looking the Magician is, is deliberately skipping back and forth with him across the ranks?]
[Ahahaha, your joke is going to be the death of me. Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered. Isn’t Thriller Trainee considered a variety show; (super loud voice) the purpose of variety shows is to pick good-looking guys, amirite?]
[Fuck, you make sense. But if we’re choosing the best looking, let me cast a vote for Master Zhuge!]
[Coughcoughcough, actually Master Zhuge is still decent… but if we’re really choosing the best, then… there’s one guy whose votes will lead by a mile.]
[!!! My friend, you really dare to dream. I expect you have three minutes before his followers arrive at the scene, hurry up and revoke it.]
[Sisters, hurry up and revoke your messages, protect your lives!]
Pa kjr bcis j ulnfc atja atf afc atgbcfr lc atf tlut njcajufr kbeiv mtja j ilaaif jybea atlr jr kfii.
Cc jycbgwjilas atja jqqfjgfv bcmf mbeiv yf ygertfv boo jr mblcmlvfcmf, yea jc jycbgwjilas atja jqqfjgfv aklmf tjv ab yf vfilyfgjaf.
Ktflg lcafgfra kjr vfolclafis jgberfv atlr alwf. Snfc atf ajmlaegc ifjvfg bo atf Vbgmfgs jcv Qlamtmgjoa Crrbmljalbc, Rb. 8 Dijmx Vtjwjc, Rb. 9 atf abq-cbamt Ursmtlm, jcv Rb. 10 Tlc-Tjcu Zjrafg klat tlr afgglyis yjv iemx kfgf vgjkc lcab vlrmerrlbc.
The S-ranks were trainees that stood at the cream of the crop, possessing supreme authority. They were then naturally also aware of information that regular trainees weren’t privy to.
Moreover, either they once occupied positions of high status as leaders in factions of the infinite loop, or they were mavericks respected by all who raged alone in battle, possessing a more mature outlook and clearer insight than others.
Even they were similarly curious as to who the instructor was, and why he would display such disparate treatment to this newcomer time and time again.
Only Zhuge An didn’t participate in their discussion.
Most of the time, Zhuge An had an unfathomable, unfriendly aura. Not rushing to get on his bad side, others would simply take it as him unwilling to express his opinion.
The dark-haired man sat silently on the No. 3 throne, his gaze coldly falling on the shield held aloft in Athena’s hand in the distance ahead.
It was mystifying how history tended to repeat itself.
With a spectacle in the first part, if there wasn’t anything that transcended the usual logic after, people would pay even less attention towards the end.
Last time, Zong Jiu’s shocking achievement caused tongues to wag even after the evaluation in the broadcasting studio ended. It was the same this time.
There weren’t any easter eggs among the rest of the C-ranks, nor among the B and A-ranks.
Only about two or three advanced from B to A-rank, receiving a fervent baptism of gazes. However, there were still none from the A-ranks who managed to challenge those ten thrones.
Within the S-ranks, possibly because Black-Robed Azan didn’t perform as well in this instance whereas the Exorcist did, No. 5 and No. 4, the Exorcist and Black-Robed Azan, exchanged places. Aside from this, the others were unmoved.
[The third round of evaluation has concluded. Trainees may now move.]
It was all dandy this round, another S and F, even saving him the effort of moving.
Zong Jiu still had the green C-rank trainee badge attached to him, standing motionless with his arms crossed as he watched other trainees move.
As before, there were few changes in the upper three ranks. Those on the lower three ranks, as long as they hadn’t fallen to E-rank, had barely escaped death. On the other hand, it was another tragic scene on the E-rank step; some bawled, some yelled, and there were even some who crossed their chests, praying to a higher deity.
After every evaluation, it was an assemblage of myriad expressions and attitudes of life, causing people to involuntarily sigh.
[Punishment instance is being opened… Forced transfer complete.]
Like the F-rank step, all on the step that represented the E-ranks abruptly vanished.
The number of people in this colossal broadcasting studio was halved again.
Now, only slightly under five thousand remained.
The two instances had weeded out many newcomers. Those who didn’t make it to D-rank were completely eliminated.
Those who managed to make it to D-rank were all newcomers who at least had one skill, whether it was quick wits, having received a special prop in an instance, willingness to go all out, or a lucky hand that won them life-saving props in Las Vegas. In short, if they had two skills, their overall ability would certainly show marked improvement.
Everyone’s attention was concentrated on the emptied step.
“Who knows if anyone will come back alive from the punishment instance this time.”
“Yeah. The F-ranks were wholly wiped out the last time. Gosh, it’s really saddening to think about.”
“Isn’t that a given? The system already said that it’s a revival round and it’s even a solo-player instance. It’d be weirder if the system made it easy for you to pass.]
The system adjusted the flow of time inside and outside the instance. Perhaps to the E-rank trainees who had just disappeared, they had already experienced the entire length of the solo-player instance. However, to the trainees still standing in the broadcasting studio, they’d only disappeared for a mere moment.
Five minutes later, the results of the punishment instance could be revealed.
The veterans were all doing their calculations.
If the difficulty level of the punishment instance wasn’t that high, then it wasn’t like they couldn’t keep it as a contingency plan.
Soon, it was time.
A white shaft of light suddenly appeared on the empty step.
[!! Someone actually survived the punishment instance this time.]
[Is the punishment instance not as difficult as we imagined?]
[Perhaps, or maybe it was because it was all F-rank trainees last time, so we extrapolated to everyone and assumed the bar to be set high. After all, F-rank trainees aren’t made out of strong stuff anyway. If you dump them into a B-rank instance, it isn’t impossible for the whole fleet to go down.]
[Makes sense.]
After the white light faded away, a quiet swept over the hall.
Because what had appeared on the steps could no longer be called a ‘human’.
It was a puddle of scarlet flesh writhing on the ground. Not only was there no skin left intact on his body, his features also looked melted and deformed, weakly producing faint breathing sounds.
Someone in the broadcasting studio suddenly raised their voice. “Apply to the system for full recovery. You only need 500 points, hurry!”
That person was obviously also aware of this.
He laboriously rolled up his blood-congested eyeballs. His mouth opened and closed, yet he could only form a sound as soft and frail as a balance spring.
“Hah, hah…”
Everyone felt as though they had waited for an eternity before finally seeing golden light descend upon him like the coming of a miracle.
The heap of fleshy pulp scattered on the floor suddenly stretched and reformed, regaining the shape of a middle-aged man.
He stood on the spot, his eyes slack and his arms hung down, like someone had sucked his soul out of him. He resembled a walking corpse.
[Trainee has spiralled into a state of insanity. Loading mandatory recovery…]
Another shaft of white light flashed, and that only lucky E-rank trainee vanished from the hall again.
Everyone was silent.
If the system determined that a trainee had received overwhelming stimulus in the instance and was not in a fit mental state to continue the competition, they’d be forcibly sent for electrotherapy. If recovery was possible, they’d be judged as having cleared the punishment instance and re-enter the competition. If recovery wasn’t possible, then the system would simply take action to obliterate them.
But all in all, very few did fall into a state of insanity, the numbers so few that it was an even rarer, and more terrifying, occurrence than death.
However, the system wouldn’t take the mood of the trainees into account. After handling the punishment instance, announcements started to ring out again.
[The third instance will open in seven days.]
Seven days?!
Everyone looked at each other.
They were only given three days to rest between the first and the second instance, yet it was solidly doubled this time.
Was there going to be another activity again?
Tacitly, the trainees accepted that the system had the tradition of stirring things up during the intermission between instances.
While Las Vegas had given many newcomers a leg up, it also left a lasting psychological shadow on everyone’s hearts.
However, it was undeniable that these cruel events could boost their strength tremendously in a short time frame.
So what special activity would it be this time?
[During the intermission between the two instances, a special activity will be held on the rooftop of the trainee dormitories: King’s Game.]
King’s Game!
The hall and bullet chat roared in surprise. Astonishment splashed across the faces of trainees who understood the rules of this game.
[A game rulebook has been placed in each trainee’s dormitory.]
[The activity will officially begin tomorrow night. Please stay tuned.]
