Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 25: Skill Evolution

Nol had two things confirmed.

First, to make a judgment about “witnessing the Mad Monk”, he indeed needed to find concrete evidence first.

Second, apart from normal Players and monster neighbors, a third abnormal presence had appeared in this world—Teest, who possessed Player privileges.

Teest had entered the game only in the last two months, while the “Mad Monk” had been active for over a decade. Considering Teest’s cautious attitude in the novice village, he was likely a native, an NPC.

Nol couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart.

Previously, he had only considered that when his identity was exposed, Teest might get angry at his concealment.

Nol was prepared to sincerely explain his reasons and express his apologies. After that, they could openly discuss modern matters. Perhaps Teest would be willing to collaborate with him, and together they could uncover the truth of the world.

But now, the situation had changed. Both of them were keeping secrets from each other. “The Demi-Creator from Another World” and the “Notorious Killer of Over a Decade”—it was hard to say which was more outrageous.

Nol lowered his hand. He had no intention of attacking Teest after all. He didn’t know why. He didn’t feel fear, but a sense of regret. He even felt like laughing a bit.

Thinking back now, there had always been something off about Teest.

Compared to other Players, Teest’s mental state was too stable. He was incredibly adapted to this world, seamlessly blending in with his words and actions, rarely using modern slang. In the novice village, instead of being open to listening, he seemed more like someone extracting information from other Players…

The more Nol reminisced, the more doubts he uncovered. He had considered these things before, but the belief that “all Players are compatriots” was deeply ingrained.

Were there any other native Players like Teest? How much did the people here know about “Tahe”?

“Mr. Mage, you don’t seem well. Let’s sit down and talk.”

Seeing Nol’s prolonged silence, Teest said, “You don’t really have a better choice anyway, do you?”

Nol glanced at the City Lord hanging in the air. He forced himself to calm down and nodded.

The two of them left the bedroom. Teest politely closed the bedroom door and lit the lights in the living room.

The living room was clean and tidy. The City Lord and the blood were locked behind the door. A single isolation spell made the previous scene seem like illusions.

As Nol settled at the table, Teest brought a platter of smoked ham and cheese, sliced peaches, and a glass of emerald-green freshly-made drink—it looked quite familiar, like something Mr. Kurt might prepare.

Teest even specially lit a three-headed candelabrum. The candlelight cast an ambiguous hue over the table, creating an atmosphere that was quite appropriate.

“Let me guess your questions—firstly, apart from myself, I haven’t discovered any other local ‘Players’.”

Teest twirled the translucent slices of smoked ham with a silver fork. The raw meat-like colors should have been enticing, but Nol had no appetite at all. He hadn’t touched the food and just stared at Teest.

“Secondly, Players come from another world. This world is like a game. The upper echelons of the Temple of Life and the Eternal Church must be in the know… Any other questions?”

Nol remained silent for a few seconds. “When did you find out about my situation?”

If Teest only considered him a local monster, there was no way he would share this information.

“You’re talking about the fact that ‘you’re also from another world’.” Teest stopped his fork movements. “I began to suspect at first and was completely sure when you saved the knight.”

“Facing Lich Valdorlock, you remained unnervingly calm. But when you saw the human body in tatters, you panicked and rushed to rescue. I’ve only seen this kind of innocence in that group of Players—you haven’t endured much suffering, have you?”

Nol had no response.

Whether facing a severely injured knight or seeing walls full of children’s skeletons, he indeed couldn’t suppress his instinctive reactions. Just like someone who had arachnophobia couldn’t smile and kiss a spider.

Only three types of people were adept at disguising their emotions—social experts, sociopaths, and those accustomed to living in danger. He was obviously none of those.

But so what? They couldn’t harm each other, and the situation was still under control.

Nol straightened his posture, clasped his hands, and put on a smile.

“How did you become a ‘Player’?” He calmly posed his second question.

“Last month, a sudden earring appeared on my left ear, and I couldn’t get rid of it no matter what.”

Teest raised his eyebrows in slight surprise and pointed to his left ear. “After that, I started hearing strange voices occasionally and seeing blue pop-up windows. It’s roughly something like that.”

With Teest’s cunning, he probably infiltrated the novice village on his own, intending to gather information.

Nol fell silent.

In other words, Nol and his neighbors awakening, Players arriving in this world, and Teest being granted the identity of a “Player”… all these three events had occurred during the same time period.

This was definitely not a coincidence.

Nol tilted his head slightly, and a pop-up window appeared out of thin air.

[Lich — Lv.20]

[HP: 100/100 [Permanently Locked] | MP: 100/100 [Permanently Locked]]

[Strength: 13 [-99.35%] | Agility: 8 [-99.35%] | Intelligence: 6,981 [+260%] | Physical Defense: 22 [-99.35%] | Magic Defense: 29 [-99.35%]]

[Status: Curse “Constitution Destruction [Undispellable]” permanently in effect; “Staff of Sacrifice” is in effect; “Guardian Oath” is in effect]

Teest narrowed his eyes.

“I guess you know how to display it,” Nol said with a smile. “Since you’re so curious about ‘Players’, I can help you understand the situation.”

“For example, I know that this so-called ‘Guardian Oath’ is actually the deceptive effect of the ‘Betrayal Overture’. I understand these things better than other Players do.”

After all, Teest could surely tell, so it was better to openly admit it.

“But we still have to part ways in the end,” Teest said leisurely. “I thought you would ask about the ‘Mad Monk’.”

Nol stood up. His hands rested on the edge of the table as the smile vanished from his face.

In the darkness, his eyes emitted a faint gleam, sending shivers down one’s spine instinctively.

“Lord Swain is a core member of the Eternal Church, and the ‘Mad Monk’ likes to display bodies at the entrance of the Temple of Life… Your actions are highly purposeful. You certainly didn’t choose to do things this way just for thrills. Teest, you have a strong aversion to those two factions.”

“Furthermore, I heard that the City Lord was abducted by Eternalists. I was deceived just now. It’s impossible for Swain to go obediently with strangers, and the Investigation Knights wouldn’t be so easily misguided. You must be well acquainted with the Eternal Church to impersonate them so perfectly.”

“So what?” Teest blinked, as if listening to gossip about others.

“So,” Nol speared a piece of cheese and stuffed it into Teest’s slightly open mouth. “My guess is that most of the people you killed were connected to the Eternal Church.”

“You’ve offended both factions to death. The Eternal Church wouldn’t go around publicizing its shameful deeds, and the Temple of Life wouldn’t kindly help you clear your name.”

There was something Nol didn’t say—not long ago at the bell tower, Teest didn’t need to risk saving him. That wasn’t something a heartless psycho would do.

“What if your guess is wrong?” Teest swallowed the cheese and said with a playful smile. “What if I’m just a freak who enjoys killing—”

“In that case, I won’t stand by and watch you kill innocents,” Nol said as the pointed fork gently touched Teest’s lips. “At worst, I won’t tell you how to break the engagement, and I’ll just keep a close eye on you… honey.”

He said the last sentence slowly and deliberately.

“Do you still care about the ‘innocents’ of this world?” Teest bit down on the fork’s tip, the laughter in his voice becoming even stronger. “Honey, you’re a bit too kind-hearted.”

Nol paused for a moment.

He couldn’t just say that this world seemed to be one he created, and he couldn’t bear to see it turn chaotic.

So Nol sat back down in his chair. “There’s nothing I can do. I’m just that kind of overly good person. After all, someone here is a legendary serial killer, and I need to balance the moral standards in this household.”

“Oh my, I’m starting to like you more and more.” Teest burst into laughter, waving his hand casually, and another pop-up window appeared in the air.

[Player ID: Teest]

[Fallen Knight — Lv.20]

[HP: 59,449/59,449 | MP: 11,280/11,280]

[Strength: 6,807 [+30%] | Agility: 2,824 [+30%] | Intelligence: 1,018 [+30%] | Physical Defense: 5,794 [+30%] | Magic Defense: 3,510 [+30%]]

[Status: Curse “God’s Forsaken [Undispellable]” permanently in effect; “Betrayal Overture” is in effect.]

Nol: “.…..” What the hell is this interface!

These values couldn’t possibly belong to a normal Fallen Knight. Even without the buffs, the strength was almost on par with that of his Lich before it was cursed… These attributes were more like those of a monster.

Suppressing his shock, Nol clicked on the curse explanation.

[※God’s Forsaken: Through deceitful means, you have deceived the divine. The gods no longer watch over you. You have lost the favor of the gods and will henceforth stand alone.]

Well, it seemed to make sense. Teest hadn’t lied back then.

But compared to a typical curse explanation, this note was a bit hard to decipher—if it were in the wording of “Tahe”, the system would probably just say “certain system function disabled for a period of time”.

“How about it?” Teest asked curiously.

“Did your attributes remain this high when you were still a knight?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’ve never shown them to outsiders.” Teest emphasized the word “outsiders”. “I guess it has to do with the differences in our origins.”

‘It’s indeed possible,’ Nol thought.

For the sake of fairness, the differences in basic values among Players weren’t significant. On the contrary, the attributes of human NPCs had little limitation—after all, the development team needed to leave room for “popular NPCs”, and every era needed a few incredibly talented heroes.

…But this was still a bit extreme.

The most powerful NPC that Nol had designed, the half-human, half-dragon “Dragonblood Hero Drake”, had attributes that were roughly on par with this. It was likely that Teest had experienced more before becoming a Player.

“Last month, did you ever write your name in suspicious places?” Nol forked a piece of peach meat for himself. “Or come into contact with suspicious idols, or meet strange figures?”

“No.” Teest brought the ham and peach together to his mouth, and the atmosphere between the two was oddly calm.

“What about your lineage?”

“My whole family is human, if that’s what you’re trying to ask.”

Nol was taken aback by his response. Indeed, Teest was a native, and he must have a family in this world. But considering that the “Mad Monk” had been committing crimes for over a decade, Nol decided not to delve into it.

“You’ve heard Players say that this world is a game. Do you not have any thoughts on that?” He changed the topic casually.

“Starting from the Dark Age, this world has existed for over two thousand years. You’ve only been here for less than two months.” Teest leisurely sipped his lemon water. “You do have vast knowledge, but you’re not all-knowing, are you?”

Nol closed the status panel and quickly processed this new information.

Great, he managed to stabilize Teest. As long as he forgot about the City Lord hanging next door, tonight could be considered successful. There was a long road ahead, and he had plenty of opportunities to gather information.

“Aren’t you drinking? I made it especially for you.” Teest suddenly pointed at that glass of green drink, and the ice inside had almost melted.

Nol instinctively smelled the mixed drink; a fresh hint of mint, sweet juice, and… a faint hint of blood.

“What did you put in there?” Nol cautiously placed the glass down.

“The blood of Lord Swain. A friendly gift.”

Teest casually toyed with his hair and had a nonchalant expression on his face. “I guess you can absorb power from food… Don’t look at me like that. It’s quite easy to guess. Don’t you know how amusing your eating expressions are?”

Nol couldn’t bring himself to take a sip, whether he imagined Swain in his human or monster form. He looked at Teest, then at the glass, then back at Teest.

Teest’s smile turned slightly shallower. “Don’t worry. Whether in spirit or flesh, Swain can no longer be considered human.”

“People call that thing a ‘Supplement Demon’. Just like some humans become skeleton soldiers after death, some become werewolves while still alive, and some become demons… it’s just another kind of monster. Believe it or not, I have no interest in hunting ordinary people.”

Nol recalled his dismal attribute values for a while, then thought about his neighbors scattered outside. In the end, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and picked up the drink, pouring it into his mouth.

The drink was refreshingly cold, the sweetness just right, and there was absolutely no trace of the bloody taste inside. Nol had to admit, Teest really had the skills of a cook.

He had just finished drinking about half of it when a strange skill appeared in the alternative options—

[Corpse Devour: Consume the corpse of a highly intelligent creature, randomly gaining a certain amount of attribute values; the younger the creature, the more attribute values can be obtained; this ability can only be used once per target; cooldown time is 7 days.]

This skill didn’t originally exist in “Tahe”, but it did seem useful. At least it showed Nol a glimmer of hope for recovering his attribute values.

Without hesitation, he replaced [Load-Bearing] with it, and as soon as [Corpse Devour] entered the skill bar, another prompt appeared.

[Similar origin skill discovered. Would you like to merge the skills “Heretical Devour” and “Corpse Devour”?]

[Note: Merging will create a new skill, and the new skill will retain the skills’ original origins, with other changes being unpredictable. Please choose carefully.]

Nol decisively chose “Yes”.

The core of both of these skills was devouring—gaining experience, skills, and attribute values through devouring. This mechanism wouldn’t change too much, and at most, the new skill might add some restrictive conditions.

Skills were something that grew stronger the harder they were to obtain, making them worth a gamble.

[Analyzing individual traits… Merging skills…]

[Skill Merging Completed.]

[Fallen Death [Novice]: Devour the flesh of the fallen, randomly gain 1 skill, randomly gain a certain amount of attribute values; this ability can only be used once per target; cooldown time is 1 day.]

[Note: Up to 3 acquired skills can be retained; the lower the target’s strength, the fewer attribute values obtained.]

[※”Fallen Death” can evolve with the holder.]

A rather strange skill name.

Nol read it again; if this skill were translated into common language, it would be something like “Fallen Leavers”, and it couldn’t really be called semantically incorrect.

The evolved skill was just to his liking—

The restriction of “highly intelligent creatures” had been removed, and the interval for gaining attribute values had been shortened from 7 days to 1 day.

The skill’s limitations were stricter as well. While [Heretical Devour] hadn’t specified whether the target was alive or dead, [Fallen Death] now had the “fallen” limitation, meaning he couldn’t just bite a powerful enemy to cheat.

If it weren’t for Swain’s utterly disgusting appearance earlier and Nol’s inability to fight melee, he would have seriously considered this.

The effect of “gaining experience points” was gone. Nol didn’t mind at all—killing enemies inherently produced experience points, and it was better to kill them first and then consume them.

Simply perfect.

Thank you for being here, dear Mad Monk. Nol looked at Teest with eyes full of softness. If Teest weren’t twisted enough, he would have almost missed out on such an amazing skill.

Teest was caught off guard by his gaze. “Ahem, it seems you’ve gained some nice power.”

“I didn’t receive any experience growth prompts. Has Lord Swain not died yet?” Nol asked. Since his identity was exposed, he didn’t mind using in-game terms directly.

“No, the resilience of the Supplement Demon is quite remarkable.” Teest nodded. “However, he has only a few minutes left. If you have any questions, it’s best to ask them soon.”

“When he’s dead, can you pour me another cup?” Nol handed the cup back to Teest with both hands. “Remember, wait until he’s dead.”

[Heretical Devour] shook for a skill once. What relation did it have to his [Fallen Death]? Let’s try again!

Teest looked at Nol, then at the cup, and back at Nol. His expression was somewhat complex. “You…”

“Yeah?”

“Forget it. I have a feeling that we’ll get along well.”

……

Dawn was approaching, and under the last traces of night, Nol and Teest entered the witch’s forest.

Indeed, miracles only happened once. Nol sighed inwardly.

Lord Swain quickly breathed his last, and they gained a decent amount of experience points, both reaching level 21. But when Nol tried his luck with the skill roll again, all he got was [Stay Up Late].

Well, this was his normal luck. The fact that he managed to get [Fallen Death] was quite lucky on his part.

The important thing was that after drinking the City Lord concoction and using [Fallen Death], Nol’s strength and agility each gained 2 points. Moreover, these were added directly to his weakened values—the curse only required equipment and item bonuses to be proportionally converted, but it didn’t restrict skills.

Thank the heavens, his future was no longer shrouded in darkness.

After communicating with the puppet, Lynn readily agreed to meet with the two of them. She had changed into a simple self-made dress, and she still wore a red square scarf around her neck.

“Come in. The house is a bit messy, don’t mind.” She opened the door for them.

The interior of the wooden house was quite spacious, indicating that Lynn had made some modifications.

She had covered the sunniest side with vines and dried straw, creating a row of beds. At the end of a long table was a tall wooden chair, and six wooden stools were placed on each side. A vase of fresh flowers stood on the table, and wooden plates were stacked in a pile. Among the six sets of knives and forks, a pair of chopsticks could be found. The plates still held leftover bones and fruit pits.

Several stacks of old books were piled on the table, while the rest of the surface was covered with drafts. The drafts were filled with mechanical views and cross-sections, as well as densely packed magical calculations.

Even as the Creator, Nol was slightly taken aback for a moment. “Miss Lynn, pardon my rudeness, but what did you do before?”

“I was a mechanical engineer at the Hongfu Group. Don’t let this appearance fool you. I’m actually 26,” Lynn said.

Nol had heard of this group, and it was quite famous domestically. “Do you… also have military-industrial operations?”

“No, but I only need to know the basic principles of weapons.” Lynn shook her head. “Puppet Witches have mechanical talents, remember? This is the world of magic.”

Nol felt a little relieved—honestly, compared to the combination of young and old in the Dragon’s Lair, the shrewd and composed Lynn seemed more likely to be of help.

On the other hand, Teest had already leaned in to study the blueprints with keen interest. Lynn didn’t mind. She poured them two cups of herbal tea.

“Have a seat,” she said. “This time, we can have a proper conversation.”

The teapot emptied and filled again, emptied and filled again.

Nol shared all the known information with Lynn. Of course, he omitted details about himself and Teest, only mentioning that Teest was an NPC who gained Player status. A bystander might have insights that could be helpful.

“I see… I have a conjecture and a question.”

Lynn pondered for a while. She pulled a blank parchment and picked up a piece of charcoal.

“Let’s start with the conjecture. In my view, ‘Players’ are the most genuine outsiders—they create their own avatars and come with system guidance. They know this is a game and possess immortality. That’s a significant advantage.”

She wrote down [Normal Players: Earthlings individuals who log into the game conventionally.]

“We are similar to Teest in that we were assigned roles post-birth.”

“Residents of the neighborhood are inhabiting monsters, possessing incomplete Player privileges. Teest, on the other hand, acquired Player status as a native… We don’t yet know if his privileges are complete. He probably isn’t willing to test that with death.”

“We weren’t given any guidance, completely ignorant of the situation. If it weren’t for you, Nol, I wouldn’t even know this world is related to a game.”

She added: [Bugged Players: Earthlings who entered the game through unknown means; Tahe natives (only 1).]

“I guess this world only needs normal Players. However, while the system was activated, we somehow got sucked in. We’re just bugs caused by system glitches… That’s my conjecture.”

Lynn wiped her charcoal-covered hands and took a sip of tea.

“My question is simple: Why do the ‘Bugged Players’ only come from our neighborhood?”

She looked up at Nol. “So far, you’ve encountered four bugged Players, and apart from Teest, they were all Joy Garden residents.”

Nol gripped his teacup tightly. He, as a “game creator”, lived in Joy Garden, and only residents of Joy Garden were pulled here. It looked suspicious from all angles.

That was why Nol was hesitant to reveal his identity. He feared that some of his neighbors might grow resentful, cause internal divisions… or even kill him directly.

He did want to help his fellow neighbors as much as possible, but he refused to be a scapegoat for certain individuals.

“And those two inexplicable gods that showed up—there’s more to this than meets the eye. Fortunately, we can both blend in as humans and gradually gather information.”

Lynn stared at Nol for a while, then suddenly changed the topic. “Nol, do you have time? I’ve prepared some potions. See if there’s anything useful for you.”

Before Nol could answer, Teest sat back on the straw bed. “You guys go ahead. I’ll take a short nap.”

Lynn led Nol to the cellar outside the wooden hut. The cellar was strewn with puppet limbs, and it was even more gruesome inside—it was pitch dark, with puppet parts suspended on the walls, and tables cluttered with metal tools resembling instruments of torture. It seemed to be her workshop.

“Take this.” She didn’t waste time and threw a small paper package to Nol. Opening it, he found a life-sized wisdom tooth brooch, with its root painted a dark red and a ceramic-like texture.

[Mirthful Grin: A puppet’s hidden tooth, allowing you to hide emotions like a doll. Usage: With the crown up, the function is enabled; with the root up, the function is disabled.

※Crafted with care by Witch Lynn.]

Nol pinned it on his cloak. His facial expressions suddenly froze, preventing him from making any expression at all. He then rotated the tiny tooth half a turn, and the rigid sensation instantly disappeared.

“What’s this?”

Lynn smiled wryly. “Mr. Xu, if I’m not mistaken, you’re the kind of guy who relies solely on brainpower and doesn’t engage in office politics.”

Every word hit the mark, and Nol could only nod honestly.

“We’re from the old conglomerate here, so it’s quite feudal. I’ve met my fair share of nasty people, probably more than your department colleagues.”

The witch’s expression turned disgusted. “Trust me, those old men play more dirty tricks than a palace intrigue drama—you’re the innocent type, and you’ll get taken advantage of within two months.”

With that, she shook her head. “This world has a lot of schemers. Instead of dividing your attention and concerns among the gods, it’s better to solve issues directly with items. You’re quick to react. Just control your expressions, and things will get much better.”

“Thank you.” Nol tucked the brooch into his cloak’s inner layer.

“By the way, you must have a high rank within the game development team, right? Could you be a game creator?”

Nol’s hand holding the brooch trembled slightly. This neighbor was too terrifying; truly a tough individual to have survived alone for over a month.

Lynn smiled. “When I mentioned ‘Bugged Players only come from the neighborhood’, your expression was a bit unnatural. Why do you think I gave you this?”

She then quickly suppressed her smile. “It’s true that this matter shouldn’t be publicized. It’s best if only you and I know about it. In the future, when discussing this topic, just say that you have friendly relations with colleagues in the ‘Tahe’ project team. Also, be cautious around Teest.”

Nol halted.

“I can’t read him.” Lynn was concise. “Better to be safe.”

‘It’s too late,’ Nol thought wistfully. Teest was the “serial killer” who had been lurking right under the Temple’s nose for over a decade, and they even got married.

“Understood. But first, help me with these. You’re an expert with items.”

Nol took out the Dragon Corpse Notebook and the Staff of Sacrifice.

“This notebook is crucial to me. I need to address its mana consumption issue. This staff… I want to know what the candle on top of it is.”

“As an exchange, I’ll answer whatever information you seek.”

Lynn glanced at the two items. “The notebook is manageable. I’ve researched the issue of recharging items. The staff…”

The moment she touched the candle, her expression suddenly changed.

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The author has something to say:

Teest: Ta-da! I’m the Mad Monk!

Nol: Another glass of the City Lord’s Special, no ice, less sugar. The City Lord is about to die, thanks.

Teest:

Teest: I think we (in the unconventional sense) will get along well…

————————————

It’s really not that Nol is too naive. For dealing with schemers, one can reference those adept at networking and speaking eloquently like old pros (like Wei Xiaobao*). It’s not just about high intelligence; it’s another type of skill altogether.

*Referring to the protagonist of Jin Yong’s martial arts novel “The Deer and the Cauldron“. Although he is greedy, lustful, illiterate, and has low martial arts skills, he’s witty and righteous, which gets him out of a lot of trouble. || The author is saying that while Nol isn’t naïve, he’s also not as cunning and tactful, unlike Lynn, who has dealt with work politics and knows how to maneuver around (scheming) people.

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