Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 31: Insane

Nol didn’t hesitate to use [Bloodline Suppression]. Facing a target as formidable as the shadow wolf, the second time wasn’t as effective as the first. The freezing effect wasn’t triggered, and the shadow wolf’s movement only hesitated for a moment.

While using [Bloodline Suppression], Nol summoned the skeletons of two shadow snow leopards. These leopards were massive in size, born with wind attribute magic, and they moved as if they were on flat ground when running on the snowy plains.

At the same time, Teest slammed several small balls into the ground, which exploded upon impact, releasing a pungent odor. Teest then quickly grabbed Nol by the waist and mounted one of the leopards.

In just a blink of an eye, by the time the shadow wolf’s front paws hit the ground, Nol had already been whisked away by Teest.

Dr. Zhu reacted swiftly, grabbing Rosen and jumping onto the other leopard.

“Don’t go to the hunter’s cabin,” Nol murmured. According to the game’s settings, the shadow wolf wouldn’t harm the hunter, giving players more room to operate. If the hunter was killed off, who knew if a successor would emerge from that couple.

“I know.” Teest, controlling the snow leopard, raced in the opposite direction of the cabin.

Teest didn’t want to prolong the fight. They couldn’t handle a single shadow wolf, let alone one accompanied by other threats. Jack’s defense was as thick as a turtle’s shell. Before they could break through it, the shadow wolf would have already devoured them.

Yet, uncharacteristically, Nol seemed fixated. Even when dragged onto the snow leopard by Teest, he kept his eyes on Jack, unleashing a barrage of wolf-tooth bullets. They hit the protective shield with a clattering sound and then weakly fell to the ground.

The shadow wolf leaped among the shadows of trees and rocks. Even though Teest specifically chose the most open and flat route, the creature still pursued them relentlessly.

Its shadowy web stretched out, shooting forward now and then. Teest had to dodge left and right on the snow leopard, avoiding being caught directly by the shadow web.

Moreover, there were ice spikes summoned by that burly guy that appeared from time to time. He used a “trip up technique”, making the dried grass come alive and wrap around the skeletons, making the group’s progression extremely difficult.

Nol lowered his eyes.

The shadow wolf’s attack logic remained the same—it prioritized players who had taken on the quest. But it seemed as if it couldn’t see that burly man. Could it be that he, like Teest, was an NPC with unique talents? The thought made Nol shiver involuntarily. NPCs, players… He used to analyze these terms without a second thought, but now they made him deeply uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the burly man summoned what seemed like a surfboard out of thin air and hopped onto it. The totem on the board emitted a faint glow, allowing it to glide swiftly over the snow. He pursued closely behind the shadow wolf, clearly intent on not letting them go.

“Hand over the candle!” he shouted at Teest. “You can’t escape! I’ll chop off your legs and make you cry licking my feet!”

He seemed to be enjoying this as if it were a fun game.

Nol realized that the ability to summon items out of thin air was a feature exclusive to a player’s system inventory. The burly man was indeed a player. Paired with the invincible shadow wolf, they were at a severe disadvantage.

Nol leaned back against the skeletal snow leopard, hugging Teest. Looking over Teest’s shoulder, he stared intently at the Eternalist. Nol had only encountered relatively ordinary players like Bly and Barto before. Their reactions to being trapped in the game were typical.

But what about this burly guy? Didn’t he notice the abnormalities of this world? Why did he join an organization like the Eternal Church? Why did he say such things? Why was he laughing?

“…est.” The howling cold wind fragmented Nol’s voice; he had even forgotten to use telepathy.

“What?” Teest tilted his head.

“Teest, stop,” Nol said. “We must repel that player; otherwise, we have no chance of winning.”

“To fend off the shadow wolf, I need a shield, and there’s no sturdy shield around,” Teest replied. “No offense, but your neighbors aren’t much help.”

Nol chuckled. “Who says we don’t have a shield?” Pointing to the burly man chasing them, he added, “Isn’t that one?”

Teest paused, taking a sharp breath.

Nol continued, “The shadow wolf won’t attack him. I want to know the extent of this ‘non-attack’. If it genuinely won’t attack him, then he’s the best shield. If the shadow wolf bites him, he won’t die… He’s a player.”

Teest turned, silently staring at Nol, whose beautiful blue eyes were dimmer now.

“I have to know why the shadow wolf won’t attack him,” Nol whispered while staring at a certain point in the void. “Bugs need to be addressed properly.”

“If he dies, what will you do?” Teest casually remarked. “He is, after all, your kin.”

‘But this is also my world,’ Nol thought.

“I will use a revival spell,” Nol replied calmly. “I won’t let him actually die.”

Teest smiled. It might’ve been Nol’s imagination, but this time, his smile seemed genuinely sincere. He whistled, signaling the couple to step back, and made a graceful turn with the snow leopard beside him, leaping into the snow.

Nol’s expression hardened, and with a gesture of the book in his hand, countless skeletal hands emerged beneath the burly man, firmly holding onto the protective shield and trapping him in mid-air.

Caught off guard, the burly man froze in place.

The shadow wolf charged forth. With a jump, Teest lightly landed behind the tall man. Just as the massive wolf jaws were about to reach the burly man, the shadow wolf abruptly stopped.

It looked at the tall man with confusion. Not out of fear, but more like someone who doesn’t eat cilantro discovering it in their bowl.

Finally regaining his composure, the burly man exclaimed, “Fuck!”

He tried to break free from the skeletal hands, but they kept emerging, not attacking but merely holding him up in the air, tossing him around.

Teest used the burly man as a live shield, nimbly dancing around the skeletal hands, stabbing at the shadow wolf like a silver gust of wind. The wolf, with its long neck and sharp claws, just couldn’t get a hold of him.

Alongside the attacks, a health bar appeared above the shadow wolf’s head, exaggeratedly long compared to the lich, to the point of despair.

But it didn’t matter; their goal wasn’t to defeat it.

This was a basketball game where the “Eternalist” acted as the ball and the “shadow wolf’s massive mouth” was the hoop.

The couple quickly caught onto their intentions and swiftly joined the fight.

Rosen set up rings of light spells, gathering all nearby shadows around the burly man, drastically limiting the wolf’s mobility. Julie, with Rosen on her back, dodged and jumped to avoid the combat.

Jack, seeing his struggles were futile, began to use spells. However, he wasn’t a magic-based class, and his attempts barely disrupted Teest’s movements. Even more annoyingly, each time he was about to cast, a skeletal hand would interrupt him. The magic backlash alone wiped out 20% of his health.

Jack knew the strongest players around, and none were like this.

…Where did they come from?

While the burly man, Jack, was dazed, Teest successfully baited the shadow wolf into opening its mouth. At the right moment, they tossed Jack into the wolf’s mouth.

Crack!

Jack’s protective shield was bitten through, losing four layers. The shadow wolf, eyes wide, spat him out. Before Jack could curse, he was lifted into the air again by the skeletal hands.

“Fuck you all. I’ll cut you down myself!” Jack was furious. “Wait until you fall into my hands—fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Crack! Crack!

After a familiar setup by Teest, the wolf opened its jaws again. Nol made the “shot”, and Jack’s shield dwindled to its last layer, its glow almost gone.

This won’t do; I need to run. These two are too troublesome. With me here, the shadow wolf can’t fully utilize its powers.

Painfully, Jack took out a small crystal ball and swallowed it. The next moment, he turned into a colored mist, finally escaping the skeletal hands’ grasp.

Invisibility, double agility, solid smoke, sensory disturbance… Jack ripped one spell scroll after another, disappearing into the spreading smoke.

With the burly man gone, the battle was won.

While the smoke hadn’t cleared, Teest threw a couple of stink bombs. Without the burly man’s interference, fifteen minutes later, they managed to shake off the shadow wolf.

By dawn, the four had found a secluded spot and hastily built an igloo. Teest brought out honey, and they all ate it with snow, barely restoring some energy.

This was their first encounter with the shadow wolf, and luckily, no one was injured. Nevertheless, the group looked uneasy, especially Nol.

On the contrary, Teest seemed as casual as if he was out for a night stroll… he even appeared somewhat happy.

“If you can accept quests, can the two of us also?” Rosen spoke to Nol again, seemingly trying to make conversation.

“If there’s no prompt, probably not,” Nol replied lethargically. “You can only accept quests inside the instance. You two directly possessed creatures inside, skipping the ‘entry’ step… It’s like a game bug.”

Rosen sighed. “This damn game has too many bugs. Brother, is this really a game? Is it because the system isn’t compatible with the ‘real world’ that it’s so—?”

“I haven’t found conclusive evidence yet.” Nol quickly interrupted Rosen, his face expressionless.

So far, apart from Witch Lynn that he had guessed on his own, Nol hadn’t told anyone that he was the producer himself. Even the dragon nest trio didn’t know. Initially, Nol just wanted to avoid disputes, but now he really couldn’t dare to speak out.

This fact was like a wound, gradually festering at the bottom of his heart.

There was a hint of worry in Rosen’s gaze as he looked at Nol. But when he looked at Teest, that worry turned into caution.

“The person just now seemed to be a player.” Julie deftly changed the subject. “He must have come in on a quest. Why didn’t the shadow wolf attack him?”

Nol lowered his head. “I’ve verified, it’s not that the wolf ‘never attacks’. He must have used some method to interfere with the shadow wolf’s judgment. If the fight had continued, he would’ve been bitten to death.”

After saying that, he smirked. “Theoretically, the instance shouldn’t allow items that can ‘avoid the shadow wolf’s attacks’. I’m more inclined to believe he exploited a system loophole.”

“Like wearing the hunter’s clothes?” Teest asked with a smile.

Rosen was startled. “What?!”

“When we fought earlier, I also noticed any potential items, especially since he’s a magic-poor class. Unfortunately, I didn’t detect any unknown aura, and he was using all common magical items.” Teest shrugged. “But his clothes were strange, sewn with deer and bear hides; I’ve only seen such clothing on hunters.”

“I also wore the hunter’s clothes, but the shadow wolf attacked me.” Nol pointed to his snow boots. “Dr. Julie, your sense of smell should be similar to that of the shadow wolf. What do you think? Can you smell the hunter’s scent?”

Julie sniffed a few times.

“The smell of medicine is pungent, but I can indeed smell other people’s scents,” Dr. Julie said solemnly.

“The Old Hunter is still alive, so we can’t make a direct comparison.”

Teest continued enthusiastically, “That clothing is slim and long. It doesn’t cover the Old Hunter’s big belly, but the sleeves cover his hands. It’s not the Old Hunter’s clothes—it should belong to another hunter—a dead hunter.”

Rosen frowned. “That’s not right. We’ve seen the records. When a hunter dies, their bodies vanish.”

“Unless that guy knows where the bodies have gone,” Nol said slowly.

He finally looked up, a smile on his face.

“I’ve always wondered, the cycle of the hunters is weird… Some hunters die from injuries, old age, or sickness. Some should die in their houses, so some should leave marks on the walls. But there’s nothing.”

The hunter’s cabin looked ordinary, almost identical to the original concept art. When Nol first saw it, he didn’t notice any issues. Of course, after moving in, he did notice the traces of time on it, but—

“The current hunter’s cabin has been standing for at most 40–50 years. The earliest records of the cabin date back over a century ago,” Nol stated.

Seeing his smile, Rosen frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

“In the snow, there’s a hunter’s cabin, and inside lives an enthusiastic hunter.”

Nol turned to him, his blue eyes shimmering in the dark. “When a player arrives and finds the cabin and hunter mismatched, or when there are too many strange traces in the house, that’s not good. The player would feel uneasy, so the hunter and the cabin must match. When the hunter dies, the corresponding cabin must also be ‘refreshed’.”

For a moment, no one spoke. The outside blizzard roared like a beast.

“Since the hunter’s bodies haven’t truly vanished, can I assume the hunter’s cabins also can’t just ‘refresh’ out of thin air? They might be stored somewhere in the instance, like the hunter’s bodies,” Nol said calmly. “Yes, that makes sense… That’s a complete ‘save’.”

The corners of his mouth rose. “Every time a hunter dies, his body and the cabin are both preserved, convenient for later research.”

“The system must protect the saves from being damaged, which is why the shadow wolves don’t want to attack a player wearing ‘part of the save’.”

“Oh, what about those white wolves? They’ve been hunted, and their bodies didn’t vanish,” Teest asked sweetly, as if listening to a fascinating bedtime story.

“They have simple behaviors and lack research value,” Nol replied.

“I see,” Teest murmured.

Rosen moved closer to Julie. His back was slightly hunched, clearly on guard. Julie wrapped his hand with her claw, squeezing it reassuringly.

“I understand,” Julie said in a comforting tone that doctors often have. “I’ve heard that this kind of ‘save’ seems to be purely background data and won’t manifest within the game instance.”

“If that player got the ‘save’ clothing, does it prove that this world isn’t just a simple game…?”

Nol’s smile faded.

“Perhaps,” he replied. “But we still need conclusive evidence.”

……

Jack hurried through the night, gasping for breath.

He miscalculated; those guys weren’t easy to deal with. The dwarf and wolfkin were certainly not players. Even if the mage and warrior were, including him, there should still be one more player spot left. If Crimson was here, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state. He shouldn’t have lied about the instance being full, trying to hog all the credit for himself. Now, all he could do was grit his teeth and endure.

Tonight’s battle was a complete defeat for him. Damn, how humiliating. It was a pity the player he brought in died. Otherwise, he could’ve taken out his frustrations on him.

Jack refused to end the game like this. The style of that mage was similar to the previous masked monster—perhaps they were the same person. This was crucial information. Even if he couldn’t find the candle, he must salvage something before leaving…

No, no! This was just a lapse in his judgment. Next time, he would be better prepared.

The burly Jack trudged through the snow, one step deep and the next shallow, finally reaching his destination.

Two identical spruce trees stood about a meter apart, their roots surrounded by mirror-image clusters of weeds. Even knowing the location, Jack almost missed it.

He exhaled a frosty breath, closed his eyes, and walked right between the two trees.

When he opened his eyes again, it was still the same forest, but there was something new in the clearing—

Over twenty identical wooden cabins were neatly lined up, piled up in the snow like cubes. The cabins all looked the same, differing only in age and damage. Some had white plaster on the walls, and some were patched up with differently colored boards. One was covered inside and out with chaotic scribbles in blood, appearing almost black in the snowstorm.

It stood silent among the trees, like a quiet fortress.

Jack entered the hut in the middle of the bottom row. Inside lay the player he had brought in.

The player was frozen solid, his limbs stiff and pale. Fortunately, the extremely low temperatures meant slow decomposition, so there was hardly any smell. After briefly admiring the corpse, Jack tossed it into the snow outside, where three or four other bodies already lay, all of them well-proportioned and handsome.

Only one didn’t look so good, belonging to a male half-beast. The body was naked, with a messy, dirty beard. His left leg was torn apart by wild beasts, and his right hand still clutched a crossbow. The cabin had once belonged to him, but Jack had dragged his body out. Now it was his.

Jack lit the fireplace, carefully removed his beast-skin coat, and hung it near the flames to dry. The room gradually warmed up. Sitting down in front of the fireplace, his mood had lightened considerably since entering.

The night was deep, and a snowstorm raged outside. The warm firelight cast a soft glow over everything in the room.

“It’s quite beautiful when you look at it this way,” Jack mused, stretching out his legs and getting drowsy.

Those fools outside probably never understood what the shadow wolf was—who would have thought this place would have a “physical save”? Even Jack shuddered a bit when he first saw these identical cabins.

‘If there’s a god in this world, it must be utterly insane,’ he thought.

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The author has something to say:

Celebrating the young couple’s first basketball game together, quacking happily.

Shadow Wolf: Woof! Why do people keep forcing cilantro into my mouth when I don’t like it!

You all got fooled by Jack regarding the number of instances!

The advanced tech of the Eternal Church be like: This is what Lord Demon Jack said.jpg

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