Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 35: Teest’s Gamble

In the midst of the snowstorm, a group of people slowly made their way. Among them, the figures of the old hunter and the white wolf stood out.

This wasn’t due to the request of Nol or Teest. They had just planned to hunt the Eternalist when they were blocked at the entrance of the igloo by the fully-armed old man. Hunter changed into a more efficient hunting outfit—even though it was a bit tight for him now. He carried a quiver full of crossbow bolts, and a long knife was added to his waist.

Even the white wolf wore an additional piece of leather armor, covering its vital parts slightly.

The old hunter panted heavily, looking as if he had run all the way back.

“I’ll go with you. The one you’re dealing with is a player, right? I’m afraid he’ll turn around and ambush my wolf,” Old Hunter said. “Besides, I’m easily affected by player rules. It’s better if you keep me close.”

Nol bent down to pet the white wolf’s head, and the wolf gently licked his hand. Even though it was old, its vitality felt incredibly real.

“Let’s go together then,” Nol said. “We’ll protect it.”

“This could be dangerous. Why not let the old man hide with the wolf?” Rosen seemed worried.

Before Nol could respond, Old Hunter interrupted with a curse. “Fuck, do you think I don’t want to? I have to guide the players! Unless there’s a player nearby, I can’t stray too far from the cabin.”

Rosen: “…Thank you for your hard work.”

……

The destination indicated by the coordinates wasn’t close. The old man and the wolf walked slowly, and it would likely take them from morning to evening. Teest and Nol led the way, while the old man and the wolf walked tensely in the middle, and the Luo Zhu couple brought up the rear.

By noon, the group stopped to eat. To avoid any mishaps from hunting, the old man took out dried meat from his backpack to share. He skillfully started a campfire, hung a small pot, and boiled soup with snow water and deer fat.

The dry, hard meat regained its tenderness in the water, becoming light and tender, slowly emitting the unique aroma of meat.

Nol didn’t eat, volunteering to patrol nearby so others could dine in peace. So, by the pot sat an instance NPC, a player-turned NPC, and two monsters-turned from another world. Without Nol, the atmosphere around the fire felt like distant relatives from both sides of a wedding sharing a table—related in a practical sense but emotionally distant.

Old Hunter looked around; his confusion palpable. Nol said they were there to protect friends, but none of them seemed close.

“You seem to have a problem with me, Mr. Law Enforcer.” Teest filled a bowl of soup and addressed Rosen.

After hesitating, Rosen replied, “You look like someone who could kill.”

“Just for that? Your place must be very peaceful,” Teest said, laughing, stopping his spoon.

“Not just that,” Rosen said seriously, his face not matching his cute looks. “I’ve caught many murderers. Some kill impulsively, some are psychopaths. I never mistake the latter—you and that burly cultist, there’s something off about your eyes.”

Teest slurped on the tip of his spoon. “Well, no wonder they chose you as a law enforcer. If you weren’t in monster form, you could have been an Investigation Knight here.”

This guy really couldn’t be bothered to pretend, even daring to accept the title of “psychopath”. Rosen awkwardly chuckled. “No, no, no, you might as well have ‘I’m suspicious’ written on your face. I’m not blind.”

Curious, Teest continued, “Since you’re good at reading people, what do you think of my companion?”

“He…” Rosen started but suddenly stopped, realizing something, and glared at Teest. “I don’t want to discuss this with you.”

“But I do,” Teest replied innocently. “We all enjoy discussing topics of interest. I’m interested in Nol. I can see you have some insights about him. Indulge my curiosity.”

Rosen looked Teest up and down. “I don’t like talking about friends behind their backs.”

“Oh, seems like you don’t have good things to say.” Teest smiled.

“No, I’m not—”

“Mr. Teest, if you have something to say, be direct. You don’t mind painting a dangerous image of yourself, and you’re prompting Rosen to recall Nol’s anomalies… In the end, you want us to be wary of Nol, right?” Julie interrupted, holding her soup bowl like a teacup.

Teest casually fished some meat from the pot and admitted nonchalantly, “Of course. You’re the unpredictable factor. You know when to advance or retreat, possess some brains and strength, and are from the same place as him. It would be strange if I didn’t care.”

Julie instinctively straightened her back—just for that fleeting moment, the wolfkin instinct in her sensed a nearly bloodthirsty hostility. A chill ran down her spine, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

“If things are resolved smoothly, we will invite Nol to join us. Even if he refuses to leave you, we will suggest that he come with us.” After pondering for a moment, Rosen laid his cards on the table. “Nol is under a lot of pressure; he needs normal companions who can understand him. If you really care about him, please think about it.” He deliberately emphasized the word “normal”.

“Ah, but I don’t like moving with too many people.” Teest showed a troubled expression. “How about we make a bet—if he agrees to go with you, I will willingly back off, no second words.”

“But if Nol refuses both of you, you both will voluntarily leave, ensuring you don’t leak any information about Nol to other outsiders. Given your wisdom, you should recognize his uniqueness.”

“Do you want to bet, Mr. Law Enforcer, Ms. Healer? Fair and square, with one’s life as the penalty.” Teest playfully waved a spoon, his golden eyes filled with mischief. But his tone was soft and enticing, carrying an almost irresistible charm.

‘This guy must have pulled some trick,’ Rosen thought, completely unmoved.

Teest was indeed a formidable ally on the same front, but he was just too dangerous. Rosen’s detective instincts were screaming alarms.

However, Teest’s proposal was very tempting. Those with psychological disorders often have their own set of logic. If Rosen could win the bet, Teest might genuinely stick to the rules of the game. But if they ignored his hints and insisted on accompanying Nol, Teest might take their lives—he wouldn’t even have to do it himself, just expose them as “monsters” to humans.

If Rosen was alone, he would definitely stick with Nol, ensuring he wasn’t influenced by Teest. But now he also had loved ones to protect, and as for Nol…

Was Nol’s subtle madness truly only due to Teest’s influence?

Frankly, Rosen wasn’t sure. Nol was undoubtedly kind, but something felt off to Rosen. Regrettably, he wasn’t familiar with “Xu Yue” and couldn’t figure him out.

…To hell with it! Let Nol decide!

“We’ll take the bet.” Rosen gritted his teeth. Dr. Zhu sighed but didn’t object.

Teest gave a smile that could only be described as enchanting. “A wise decision, Mr. Law Enforcer. Then it’s settled.”

“What on earth are you all talking about?” Old Hunter finally couldn’t help but interrupt. “All this talk in outsider and wolfkin language—players really do know it all.”

Teest turned to the hunter and cheekily winked.

……

Nol had no idea what Teest was scheming behind his back. He was in a peculiar mental state—one half of his soul was shrieking from the overwhelming burden, while the other half had defensively transformed into a resigned shape for self-preservation.

Whether in body or spirit, the only way to escape the stimulus was to become numb. If it meant preserving his core kindness, sacrificing a bit was worth it.

At dusk, the group located the anomaly coordinates.

The spot was in a cold spruce forest, seemingly unremarkable. Snow was heavily falling, and the towering spruces were dizzying. Nol scanned the area and sniffed—he didn’t sense any bones nearby but detected a faint stench of decay.

He cautiously gripped the Staff of Sacrifice he had unstrapped from his back. The black candle, the core of his magical power, still seemed dormant. If it weren’t for its inanimate appearance, Nol would’ve thought it was dead.

“There’s the smell of a corpse nearby. Be careful,” Nol whispered, deciding to search around the coordinates. However, before he could even look up—

“Over there. I guess we have to go through.”

Teest casually pointed towards two identical spruces. “The traces on the ground lead that way; the grass beneath one of the trees has been stepped on. It’s that person; the footprints match.”

Speechless, Nol looked where Teest was pointing. All he saw was the pristine snow and naturally shaped dried grass. Even upon close observation, he couldn’t discern anything. What on earth were this guy’s eyes made of?

Teest patted Nol on the back. “Eternalists have a special footprint-erasing technique. Unfortunately, it has a tiny flaw. Let’s go; that person isn’t inside now.”

“You can tell?” Rosen couldn’t help but interject.

“The latest trace indicates that he left. Judging by the accumulated snow, he’s been gone for a while. His footsteps going out were heavier than when he came in, suggesting he’s carrying around 5kg of luggage. I bet he won’t be back anytime soon.”

Teest said, “Huh? Why are you looking at me? I don’t have a map on my face. Let’s go in and check.”

Inside, Nol revised his assessment of the Mad Monk’s danger level. If the target wasn’t a member of the Eternal Church, he might have even felt pity for Teest’s prey. This guy had evaded capture for over a decade, and it wasn’t just about combat skills.

“It’s a pity you’re a player; otherwise, you’d be the one to take my place,” Old Hunter said dryly. “You and the white wolf match in color.”

“It’s my honor, sir, but I prefer summer,” Teest responded with a chirpy tone, stepping through the symmetrical fir trees. In an instant, he vanished, as if swallowed by the cold wind.

Did he just go in? What if there’s a trap?

Nol tensed up, ready to follow, when suddenly a silver head appeared between the trees. Teest’s head hung eerily in the air with an excited expression on his face. “Come and see. It’s quite a sight!”

…Fine.

Nol’s worries faded. He followed Test into the trees.

Unlike Teest, Nol couldn’t smile at what he saw before him.

Twenty-seven log cabins were stacked in a cube, arranged with perfect precision, as if weightless models were simply placed in the snow. They all looked the same but were in varying states of decay; Nol guessed that was how they looked when their last owners died.

Near the closest cabin lay four or five naked bodies.

Their faces were upwards, half-buried in the snow, looking like dolls plucked from toy houses. Snowflakes settled on their dull eyes, which stared blankly at the sky.

Apart from the half-beastmen hunter’s body, the rest were male and female with no visible injuries. They had perfect proportions and exquisitely crafted faces—each wore a shining gold earring on their left ear. The warm gold now only seemed cold.

The dead neighbors, the dead NPCs… before Nol now, were the dead players.

Aren’t players supposed to be immortal? He thought blankly.

“Oh, you’re looking at the player corpses.” While Nol was in a daze, Teest had already made a round around the cabin. “They chose to log off, equivalent to ‘suicide’… Even in a different world, there must be those who choose that end, right?” He asked uncertainly.

Nol nodded gravely.

By this time, the remaining members had also entered, all stopping by the bodies. Rosen was silent, while Julie simply put her hands together in a prayer.

“The torture and punishment of the Eternal Church are world-class,” Teest continued, seemingly unphased by the mood. “But in a situation like this, players are lucky. No one can stop them from logging off. If it were locals, the Church has countless ways to prevent them from ending their lives during interrogation.”

“You seem to know a lot about the Eternal Church,” Rosen noted, his voice extraordinarily dignified. “If you weren’t on our side, I’d have thought you were one of them.”

Teest smirked and curved his eyes. “That’s not impossible.”

Nol bent down, trying to close the eyes of the dead, but his fingers were so cold, unable to soften the frozen eyelids to close them. Even though his palms felt icy and the corpses were equally cold, there was a stinging sensation.

Those cloudy eyes remained open, like amber filled with despair and pain.

Finally, Nol carefully removed one of the earrings. Once a player died, it would easily fall off.

The gold earring lay quietly in Nol’s hand, emitting a strong sense of rejection, like a lost dog missing its owner.

“That won’t be of any use,” Teest interjected. “Player’s earrings belong only to the respective player. They can’t be reused, or else they wouldn’t be left behind.”

“I just want to study it,” Nol responded. “So, that Eternalist isn’t here?”

“He’s not. He only left some things in the room… Hey, wait for me!”

Nol didn’t wait to hear the rest. He headed straight inside.

The old hunter followed him in, inhaling sharply. The primary furniture in the room matched his own cabin’s; only the position and details differed. The desk here was tidy, with a few scrolls of beast skin scattered on it, written in the beastmen language.

The saved hut seemed to not reject monsters and outsiders. The couple and the white wolf followed inside. The white wolf curiously sniffed around and finally growled softly at the burning fireplace, looking like it wanted to challenge it.

Nol squatted down in front of the scattered scraps on the floor.

“Wolfbane mushrooms, centipede grass, mystic river lotus.” He picked up the fragments with his fingers, smelling them one by one. “Blood of the grey spider-bird, saliva of the soul beast… all ingredients for the ‘Heartbreak Poison’.”

“Over here…these scorch marks were left by the lightning whips. Two of them, korot tree gum used for prop adhesive, and leather…”

He muttered while half-squatting on the wooden floor, right above a large black and red bloodstain.

This time, Nol didn’t show any signs of collapse. He calmly discerned every trace, emitting a subtly dangerous aura. At this moment, it seemed he didn’t care about the neighbors’ thoughts or speculations and displayed his abilities without hiding them.

Through the thick cloth, Teest rubbed the goosebumps on his arm, focusing even more intently.

“Don’t stray too far from me later.”

A few minutes later, Nol stood up. “The ‘Heartbreak Poison’ is specifically aimed at creatures other than players. It’s a lethal poison, and the poisoned won’t survive for more than five minutes… Other than that, this guy also made some sort of tool. I guess it’s for the shadow wolf. Prepare for the worst.”

“Like what?” Rosen asked.

Nol adjusted the folds on his robe. “For instance, he might have found a way to control the shadow wolf… Just in case, we need to make some preparations.”

……

As it turned out, Nol’s predictions regarding enemy tactics were always accurate.

As night fell, at the end of the trail, Nol smelled the familiar stench of corpses.

“Everyone, stop.” He raised the Staff of Sacrifice. “There’s an ambush ahead. The magical fluctuation isn’t right.”

“Ah, I was hoping to train the dog a bit more. What a pleasant surprise.” A cheerful voice rang out.

Burly Jack, riding the shadow wolf, emerged from the shadows of nearby rocks.

He sat on a peculiar saddle, which firmly fixed him on the back of the shadow wolf. Two lightning whips were modified into reins, connecting to a sturdy collar around the wolf’s mouth. The shadow wolf seemed restless and agitated, as if wanting to break free. A second later, electricity flashed, and the wolf let out a painful howl, obediently staying put.

[Top-level Lightning Whips] [Advanced Rider’s Saddle]… This guy really invested a lot. Daring to put a collar and saddle on a shadow wolf, only because the wolf wouldn’t attack him.

Truth be told, this set wouldn’t last long on the shadow wolf. But even if it lasted just half a day, it would be a huge disaster for them.

Nol narrowed his eyes, quickly strategizing.

On the other side, the burly man continued, “Have I not introduced myself? I’m Jack, a remarkable player—Hey, old hunter, you know right? I’m a player.”

“I know you’re an idiot,” Old Hunter coldly retorted.

Jack laughed. “Your bravery is only temporary. Listen, Hunter—come. Come to me quickly. I need your help—”

“Stop me!” The hunter seemed dazed, shaking his head desperately, shouting at the Luo Zhu couple. The white wolf was the first to bite his trouser leg, pulling him back with a concerned look.

Jack, riding the shadow wolf, grinned like watching a comedy. “I need help. I truly need you to come to my…”

Jack couldn’t finish. Nol smirked.

A white shadow swept from above the rocks. With a flash of cold light, a piece of purplish-red flesh fell into the snow, steaming and bleeding like pomegranate seeds.

It was Jack’s tongue.

“Good evening, Mr. Jack.”

Teest deftly leapt onto a tree branch, half-squatting on a thick one. He looked at Jack with a smirk as blood gleaned on “The Betrayer”.

“Don’t you think you talk too much?”

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The author has something to say:

Physical silence.

Teest: Marriage is a world of two. One more is too many!

Nol, his anger gauge is about to reach 100%…

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Some readers asked why the hunter could roam freely before. It’s because there were no players in the instance at that time. Once players arrived, his movement got restricted~

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