Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 33: I Don’t Like

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Crimson’s hearty laughter came through the communication crystal. He was ecstatic. “What to do now, Jack? If you had mentioned it a few days earlier, maybe I would have sneaked in to help you—but now the mission is already a third over, and I can’t enter the instance now.”

“Those two players, the torture target, and me made four at the beginning.” Jack insisted it was an accident. “I didn’t want to kill the torture target the second day I entered. I just didn’t think about getting reinforcements…”

“Oh, are you sure those two are players? Did you see their earrings?” Crimson didn’t really push the point.

“No.”

Jack gritted his teeth. The fireplace burned with fierce flames, making him feel irritated. “Their methods are nothing like the locals. I can tell that much. Even if the instance is full, creatures other than players can still enter, right? Get some locals and monsters in.”

“Oh—you want to use those disposable cannon fodder against players? Seriously?” Crimson was still laughing.

“Those two seem to have some moral baggage,” Jack said. “Their team has a dwarf and a gray wolfkin, and they seem to get along well. The dwarf even cooperates with the wolfkin.”

Crimson’s smile faded. “That’s a rare combination. Dwarfs and wolfkins don’t get along; their languages are completely different… Ah, that reminds me of some recent rumors. It’s said that there’s a place where monsters who understand languages have appeared. The Temple of Life has started paying attention to this.”

“Don’t tell me I should capture them,” Jack said cautiously.

“The dwarf and wolfkin? They aren’t worth the effort. Do as you please.”

Crimson paused for a moment. “I’d rather you capture that swordsman and his companion alive. Since they haven’t joined the Temple of Life, there’s a chance to win them over—but if they are hypocritical do-gooders, killing them is fine too.”

Back to square one. Annoyed, Jack said, “So, I need more hands, don’t you get it? Besides the two players, there are also two monsters. Even if I have many items, it’s not enough to handle all of them.”

“But you have the shadow wolf,” Crimson reminded him. “Use your brain, my friend.”

“You make it sound easy,” Jack muttered, glancing at the communication crystal in front of the fireplace.

Here it comes, the highlight of the communication. Crimson may be smart, but he always loved to show off. He would always hint at what he might do, which was what Jack was looking for.

Game ID Crimson, real name Crimson Lamier. A notorious serial killer from Country A, known for his brutal and bizarre crime scenes.

His known victims numbered 26. He loved to target males in their prime with good families—he would kill them, skin them, and then place them on a homemade altar, offering these “perfect lambs” to his imagined god.

The victims’ families would have their eyes and tongues removed, forced to eat the cooked flesh of their relatives. When found, most were mentally broken, unable to provide useful testimony.

…This was what Jack learned from the news.

This notorious criminal fled to Country C, where there’s no extradition treaty with Country A, hoping to hide among its dense population. When it was discovered that he entered the country illegally, the local police were on high alert. Strictly speaking, Jack was trapped indirectly by Crimson.

But Jack had to admit, when it came to “how to destroy a person”, Crimson had a much greater knack for it.

“Ugh, I’ve said it a thousand times, you killers who murder for the lower half are so boring,” Crimson lamented. “Always targeting the same type of weak person, not understanding the complexity and beauty of human nature…”

“Of course, I can’t compare to a renowned killer like you,” Jack said sarcastically.

“It’s simple. Aren’t those two players actively looking for the white wolf? This means they value the dwarf and wolfkin, who can’t enter the house. Otherwise, they could have just stayed inside, sipping hot soup, and waiting for the timer to run out.”

“To deal with a protector, the best attack is to kill those he’s protecting. Of course, if they don’t care about the deaths of the monsters, it shows they can be won over—don’t think about how to handle those two players, Jack, target the two monsters.”

Crimson casually summarized, ending with a wolf howl imitation.

Jack’s eyes lit up. He knew he could extract something from Crimson.

“I know that.” He snorted. “Never mind, whether I get external support or not, I’ll figure something out.”

Crimson’s chuckle came through the crystal. “Of course, of course, you surely know. Waiting for your good news, friend… Oh, by the way.”

Jack was about to end the call but stopped. “What?”

“Earring,” Crimson elongated the word. “The player’s earring, you have to confirm. In any world, the self-righteous always die the fastest.”

He thought it was something significant. Jack scoffed. Players were the strongest. He might as well assume both were players; what could go wrong?

He already knew what to do.

……

Teest was touching Nol’s left ear.

Nol’s earlobe was of average size, pale in complexion, and cold to the touch, almost like squeezing packed snow. Teest rubbed it gently with the pad of his finger, slowly warming the soft flesh with his body heat.

It felt like some sort of contamination, Teest thought with pleasure, applying a slight pressure. The sharp hook of the earring pressed against the earlobe, and the shining gold slowly pierced into the flesh. A drop of bright red blood oozed out, quickly tinting the gold with a layer of red. Against Nol’s pale skin and dark hair, these colors seemed especially pure.

Teest deliberately slowed his movements to savor the rare sight, even deliberately touching a bit of the blood with his fingertip.

Nol’s brows slightly furrowed from the pain. His breathing was faster than usual, but he didn’t make a sound. His hair wasn’t long, and as he tilted his head, most of his neck was exposed.

Teest’s gaze irresistibly drifted to Nol’s neck.

It was perfect, the lines as smooth as a sculpture. Teest’s eyes wandered to the locations of the artery and throat. They were within easy reach, but he wondered if they were lethal for a lich.

“Done,” Teest said a few seconds later, stepping back with satisfaction.

The player’s earring now adorned Nol’s left ear, still stained with a glaring blood mark. Nol, still with furrowed brows, nonchalantly cast a healing spell on his ear and asked, “Why did it take so long?”

Just to put on a player’s earring, Teest took four to five minutes. The continuous pain made Nol uncomfortable. Not to mention, he had to hold still and let someone else handle him, which wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“I had to get it just right. Otherwise, our enemies would spot the flaw,” Teest explained, gently touching the earring pendant. “You agreed to this.”

The touch made Nol flinch slightly. He glanced skeptically at Teest but only clicked his tongue without saying more.

‘People do need to vent,’ Teest thought. Nol seemed in better spirits than yesterday, reminiscent of their first encounter. In a way, it was easy to deal with him—after all, good people tend to be alike.

And indeed, Nol suited moonstone better; heavy gold would ruin his temperament.

“That burly guy might mistake me for a player, and there might be Eternalists waiting at the instance’s exit,” Nol said seriously. “I’ll pretend to be a player from now on. Remember to cooperate.”

“Of course, I remember.” Teest smiled. “By the way, I need to take you somewhere… How about I blindfold you for a surprise?”

“Let’s go,” Nol replied, pretending not to hear the last part.

If it took that long to put on an earring, who knew what would happen if he was blindfolded? Maybe he’d open his eyes to find himself hung up by the Mad Monk’s golden thread. Nol couldn’t guess Teest’s thoughts, but he was sure the man was unpredictable in this regard.

Upon reaching their destination, Nol once again confirmed that Teest was far more unpredictable than he had imagined.

Their destination was an igloo built a few days ago, where Rosen and Julie had been spending the night. However, the most eye-catching thing inside the igloo wasn’t them—

The old hunter was tied up tightly with a golden thread, sitting in the igloo they had built. An old white wolf was circling him, its nose making anxious sniffs. The wolf was frantically digging around the old hunter, as if trying to hide him.

Catching the scent of herbs on Nol’s snow boots, the white wolf abruptly turned its head. Its nose wrinkled, baring all its teeth, and let out a threatening growl.

“Idiot! Idiot!” the old hunter shouted, his eyes bloodshot. “Run, run!”

Instead, the white wolf lowered its body, adopting a battle stance, getting even closer to the old hunter.

Nol was silent for a while. “What’s going on?”

“Last night we found the hunter and the white wolf. They’re close,” Rosen said, sounding brighter upon seeing Nol had recovered. “I wanted to let you guys know, so I cast a light spell near the cabin… but only Teest came out.”

Teest blinked innocently. “My companion was sleeping soundly, and I didn’t want to disturb him. But this is a great discovery, so I quickly captured them—mainly Mr. Hunter. The white wolf didn’t leave on its own, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Rosen frowned, clearly not approving of Teest’s methods. But given the dire situation, he said nothing.

Nol closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Finally, he walked over to Teest and patted his shoulder. “Thank you for not killing the white wolf.”

He was certain if the Mad Monk had entered the instance alone, the moment Teest saw the white wolf, it would have been doomed.

“Of course, I have to discuss this kind of thing with you,” Teest said cheerfully. “Besides, if I killed the wolf on the spot, Mr. Hunter here might have a heart attack.”

The old hunter’s veins throbbed on his forehead, unable to break free from the golden threads that bound him. He cursed vehemently. The white wolf looked even more tense; its tail tucked between its legs but still growling softly.

“Alright, everyone’s here.” Teest ignored the white wolf’s intimidation and looked at Nol. “Honey, what do you think? The Eternalist hasn’t found us yet. If we kill it, we can all leave.”

“It’s just an animal that’s about to die of old age. Think about your compatriots. A cultist and shadow wolf are running amok; the longer they stay here, the greater the risk.”

Nol didn’t answer.

Teest glanced at Rosen and continued with a grin, “This law enforcer didn’t stop me. It seems that in your world, human life is more important than an animal’s.”

“That’s my friend! Damn it, it’s been my friend for decades!!!” the old hunter roared, his eyes bulging as he sprayed spit everywhere. “If you dare to kill it, I will—I will—”

He stumbled over his words, unable to speak.

Rosen pursed his lips tightly, his face looking terrifying. It was Julie who stepped forward, her tone as calm as ever.

“Mr. Xu, we need to clarify one thing,” Dr. Zhu said softly, incongruent with her fearsome beastly appearance. “Without you, we would still be lost. We have no position or right to demand you to end the quest immediately. Both Rosen and I feel the same.”

“It’s our lives at stake, and you don’t have to take responsibility. Whatever judgment you make, we’ll accept.”

Teest didn’t speak. He folded his arms, looking interested. On one side of the scale were the lives of his compatriots, and on the other were the aging hunter and his wolf.

For a kind-hearted person, this choice was somewhat cruel.

To his surprise, Nol barely hesitated. He walked up to the old hunter. With a flash of blue fire, the golden threads fell to the ground. Just as the old hunter was about to rise, Nol pressed him back down with one hand.

He showed no expression and didn’t utter the heartwarming words Teest had expected.

“Answer my question,” Nol said gravely. “If you want to protect your wolf, do as I say.”

The old hunter swallowed hard and nodded.

“The player is your only family. You can’t refuse to help the player, you can’t lie to the player, and when necessary, you have to give the player clues about the white wolf… is that correct?”

The old hunter stopped struggling. He looked at Nol in astonishment. “…Yes.”

Nol was silent for a few seconds. “Who told you this?”

“Nobody told me.” The old hunter sat down disheartened, trying to shield the white wolf with his body. “I was young when I woke up in the cabin… After waking up, all I remembered was that my name was Hunter, I was 19, and I lived here as a hunter.”

He shook his beard, his tone almost mocking.

“Waiting for the player, helping the player, guiding the player to find the white wolf—this is my fate. I just know these things, like a bean knows it should sprout… Isn’t that what destiny is?”

“Do you know if there were other hunters before you?” Nol continued.

The old hunter laughed.

It was hard for Nol to describe that smile—a mixture of pain, contempt, and despair, like a blunt knife stabbing at him.

“Of course, I have some guesses,” Hunter said. “Listen, since I’ve been here, the white wolf has cycled three times. One white wolf dies, and a new one appears right away. There’s always a white wolf here; only ever one white wolf… If that’s true for the white wolf, why not for me?”

He looked up with his clouded eyes, staring directly into Nol’s. “Young man, both humans and wolves live in packs. Why are only we left waiting here alone?”

“You realize all of this but still can’t violate the rules regarding the player,” Nol muttered.

Must help, must be honest, must guide. These were the core rules when the system randomly generated the “Hunter” NPC.

“Fate cannot be defied.” The old hunter sighed. “No matter how much I hope or curse, it will come.”

Nol was silent for even longer. After a sigh, he asked the question he had been concerned about from the beginning—

“You didn’t finish your sentence earlier, ‘If you dare to kill it.’ What were you going to say? ‘I’ll die with it?'”

“Is not being able to end your own life also part of your ‘fate’?”

The old hunter still maintained that wry smile. “Isn’t it obvious? Do you like living alone in such a ghost of a place?”

However, when the system generated the “Hunter” NPC, there was no such rule. That was what Nol thought.

Reality? Game? Countless clues point to the same answer, and Nol didn’t like it.

No, these were just… circumstantial evidence; he needed stronger and more brutal proof.

“That’s enough, Mr. Hunter.” Nol reached out to the hunter. “Thank you for your answers. We—well, at least I—don’t want to kill your wolf. Let’s hold on until the end. Maybe we can find a better solution.”

Teest took a sharp breath, his eyebrows raised high. “Oh honey. A little kindness is charming, but isn’t it too soft-hearted to let your compatriots bear the risk for an old wolf?”

Nol helped the confused old hunter to his feet before turning to Teest.

“It’s not about being soft-hearted or not.”

He smiled at Teest, the golden earring on his left ear gently swaying, almost dazzling against his black hair.

“Rushing to clear the game means killing the white wolf, letting the hunter die in despair. Then we leave here with our heads full of tragic memories—it shouldn’t be like this; this place shouldn’t be that kind of terrible place.”

“I just don’t like the way it is now. That’s my only reason.”

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The author has something to say:

Teest: After the hug, my partner seems to be mentally stable!

Teest:

Teest (surprised): …Maybe I was wrong. Let me look again.

Nol: ?

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