Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 169: Dark Night Battle
The deer head was gone, the door had been completely knocked off, and the chaos on the floor was worse than before, with the dust raised by the furniture attack yet to settle.
Everything didn’t restart.
Yet the person before them had returned.
Blond hair, a cloak, chiseled features of deep depth, and an elegance tinged with a slightly infuriating air—genuine and the very same person who had been pierced by the deer antlers.
This eerie reunion made the five companions’ hair stand on end.
“Do you… not remember us?” Xu Wang cautiously began to probe.
The blond man tilted his head, looking confused. “Do we know each other?”
The companions fell silent.
With silence came wariness—when things are amiss, it bodes ill.
After a brief pause, Xu Wang adopted the demeanor of meeting for the first time and continued questioning the blond man. “What are you doing here?”
The blond man relaxed, clearly finding this question within his comfort zone. “Exploring. Aren’t you as well?”
Xu Wang blinked, feigning ignorance.
“You don’t even know this is a haunted house?” The blond man immediately took it upon himself to educate them. “A family of three used to live here—a couple with a son in middle school…”
The backstory, already familiar to them, was repeated as if rewound and played back.
The companions stood silently, wishing for a skip button to fast-forward through such NPC dialogue.
“…and the house has been abandoned ever since.” The blond man finished his tale, feeling a sense of duty fulfilled.
The companions exchanged looks, their eyes silently communicating.
Chi Yingxue—suspicious.
Wu Sheng—very suspicious.
Kuang Jinxin—extremely suspicious.
Xu Wang—absolutely suspicious.
Qian Ai—then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!
Just as the companions aligned their strategic target, the blond man suddenly was flung into the air, crashing into the wall in the same manner as his previous death, only this time the outcome was vastly different—the deer was gone, and the broken wall merely caused him back pain.
Wu Sheng’s mind flickered with doubt, but before he could ponder further, the man agilely got up, his figure flashing and his cloak billowing in a mysterious wind as he moved swiftly towards the door!
Wu Sheng’s heart tightened. “Lao Qian!”
Qian Ai, closest to the door, already understood, stepping forward with his imposing figure to block the doorless entrance with the [(Offense) Shovel of the Brave] in hand. “I’ll block the door. Don’t worry, if he dares come over, I’ll shovel him to death!”
Under the small colored lights, the shovel gleamed with a demonic force of power.
The blond man didn’t stop moving, but his speed momentarily slowed, allowing his cloak to billow again in that moment.
“Whoosh—”
As the sound of the cloak slicing through the air filled the room, Qian Ai was uncontrollably lifted into the air. With a “thud”, his head hit the ceiling.
Qian Ai’s head buzzed, barely recovering from the confusion, only to fall rapidly again. With a “bang” he slammed into the floor, nearly numbing his legs.
The companions were startled, and Qian Ai himself was baffled.
The belated notification finally sounded in his ear—
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Up and Down] on you~~]
Qian Ai was stunned. Up… and down?
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“……”
“Fuck! He can use stationery—” Qian Ai finally regained his senses amidst the bouncing, warning his teammates.
In the 4/23 Moonlight Maze, NPCs also used stationery, but such situations became less common in later levels, leading them to unconsciously let their guard down.
As Qian Ai was propelled up again, the doorway became completely open.
The blond man narrowed his eyes and rushed towards the doorway with such speed that by the time he reached, Qian Ai was still in the air.
But just then, he halted, unable to move forward, turning back to find his cloak firmly grasped.
Chi Yingxue, having wrapped the cloak around his hand for a tighter grip, looked at the blond man with a faint confidence and challenge.
Meanwhile, Qian Ai, counting his “thud” and “bang” moments, was on his seventh cycle of bouncing, soon to be freed from the spell as the stationery effect wore off, ready to coordinate an attack with Chi Yingxue…
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Endless Loop] on you~~]
“Thud!”
“Bang!”
“……”
Qian Ai, trapped in a new cycle of bouncing, longed for the [Happy Trampoline].
Though both involved jumping, the trampoline lacked a ceiling and floor tiles, making every bounce painless and even fun!
“Xiao Xue, duck—”
Xu Wang suddenly shouted.
Instinctively, Chi Yingxue complied, but his grip on the cloak remained firm.
As he lowered his stance, a silver bullet was fired.
The blond man dodged to the side swiftly, the bullet grazing his shoulder and tearing through both suit and skin, leaving a burn mark.
The blond man’s gaze darkened as he looked toward Xu Wang.
Suddenly, a bizarre vibration came from outside.
The next moment, a swarm of black bats broke through the window, attacking Xu Wang!
Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin immediately went to assist.
The blond man withdrew his gaze, now facing Chi Yingxue standing up again. He said in an icy tone, “I hate it when people grab my cloak.”
Chi Yingxue’s smile widened. There was genuine joy in his eyes. “I love doing what others hate.”
As he spoke, a glint of cold light flashed, and his cross was already thrust forward!
The sound of the weapon piercing flesh was muffled and brief.
Chi Yingxue pushed the cross in deeply, leaving no chance for the opponent.
But before he could savor victory, the figure beneath the cross turned into a wooden dummy. Still blond, still cloaked, but its facial features were carved, and its limbs and torso connected by some kind of metal swivel.
The real blond man had already slipped away.
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Decoy] on you~~]
The notification in Chi Yingxue’s ear clarified the situation.
There was no time for frustration. He pulled hard on the cross, but it was lodged deeply into the dummy’s chest like a wedge firmly nailed into wood, impossible to extract.
As he attempted a second pull, he heard a stiff “click, click” sound.
The dummy raised its arm.
The arm’s movement was stiff, but its strike was incredibly fast. Chi Yingxue dodged, and the swing missed his face, landing heavily on his arm while still holding the cross.
The sharp pain made Chi Yingxue’s eyebrows and nose scrunch together.
While Chi Yingxue was entangled with the wooden decoy, the blond man, with a flourish of his cloak, took to the air and gracefully headed for the window just cleared by the bats.
He flew elegantly, with a confidence that spoke of assured victory.
As he approached the window, ready to feel the night breeze on his face…
“Splat!”
A net made of pink silk threads, forming a latticework “window”, caught the elegant blond man just as it had the bats he summoned. Splat, he was stuck to the web.
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Spider Web of Love] on you~~]
The blond man was spread-eagled against the web like a “大”, struggling to look back, only to see the two who had gone to fend off the bats still entangled in the fight, but the real target of the bats was crawling out of the melee, heading towards him.
“Do you like it?” Xu Wang gestured towards the struggling blond man as he walked towards the window. “It’s all little hearts, you know.”
Perhaps enlightened, the blond man immediately looked down at the pink web sticking to him and quickly recognized that every mesh was shaped like a “heart”.
“Your taste is atrocious…” the blond man said with disdain, his unattached cloak fluttering with a swish.
“Whoosh—”
Wu Sheng, amidst the bat swarm, caught the sound and immediately realized. “He’s going to use stationery!”
By the time Xu Wang received the warning, the notification was already in his ear—
[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Super Sticky Mouse Trap] on you~~]
Just as Xu Wang reached for the cross, a giant sticky mouse trap appeared under his feet, immobilizing him.
He was only a step away from the window and tried to take off his shoes in frustration, but they wouldn’t budge as if the mouse trap had glued his socks and soles together!
“Caw—”
Suddenly, a black crow flew in from outside, targeting the web, and in a few pecks, several strands were broken.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Xu Wang tried to use stationery again, but as he raised his arm, a shadow flashed by him too quickly to see, leaving only a gust of wind.
When his gaze finally settled, the companion who had rushed over was firmly holding onto the blond man’s cloak.
It wasn’t Chi Yingxue but Kuang Jinxin, yet the posture and momentum were exactly like Chi Yingxue’s from earlier.
“I’ve said I hate it when people—grab my cloak.” The blond man was gritting his teeth, having already lost his fake vampire teeth in the fray, but now, Xu Wang could see real fangs slowly emerging.
Kuang Jinxin held tight to the cloak, his fighting spirit no less than Chi Yingxue’s, but when he spoke, it was in the genuine, calm manner typical of himself, without a hint of teasing or challenge, just sincere advice. “If you really dislike it so much, maybe wear a tighter cloak next time.”
The blond man: “……”
Xu Wang: “……”
This creative suggestion left both the human and vampire speechless, caught in “imagination difficulty syndrome”.
“Flap flap—”
Wu Sheng had dispersed the bat swarm with some unknown stationery, causing them to scatter in all directions, throwing the living room into momentary chaos.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Wu Sheng shouted, “Xiao Kuang, Xu Wang—”
This shout, distracting the blond man further, made his thoughts even more chaotic, instinctively turning towards the source of the sound.
Kuang Jinxin seized the moment to pull, yanking the man from the window down to the floor.
Xu Wang then handed over the cross to Wu Sheng, who was rushing over—the advisor’s cross was still embedded in the heart of the ghost doll.
Wu Sheng, without slowing down, took the cross and aimed it at the blond man’s heart on the ground!
With Kuang Jinxin’s restraint and Wu Sheng’s strike, the blond man had no escape, not even a chance to use his cloak and stationery. His eyes suddenly reddened as he urgently shouted out, “Save! I’ll save for you—”
The tip of Wu Sheng’s cross was already touching the fabric of the suit, just an inch away from piercing through.
Fortunately, one party called out in time, and the other stopped just in time.
“What did you say?” Wu Sheng, pressing his elbow against the man’s chest, asked again for confirmation.
“I said save. I’ll let you save…” the blond man pouted, his fangs now looking almost pitiful. “I just came here for an adventure. Why do you have to kill me? Can’t a vampire explore a haunted house…?”
As the blond man spoke more, he seemed sadder, eventually shedding a tear of blood.
Wu Sheng, holding the cross: “……”
Kuang Jinxin, holding the cloak: “……”
Xu Wang, stuck to the sticky mouse trap: “……”
Chi Yingxue, wrestling with the wooden dummy: “……”
Qian Ai, caught in a loop: “……”
……
“Preserve this moment, continue the ties that were bound, through thorns and dangers, may the path ahead be smooth.”
“Ding—”
Xu Wang [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Time Reversal]
Wu Sheng [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Nowhere to Hide]
Qian Ai [Stationery Box]: Received [(Offense) Stingy*]
*Be as tight as a drum (一毛不拔) Idiom originally referring to extreme selfishness, now used to describe a very stingy, selfish person.
Kuang Jinxin [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Pumpkin Carriage]
Chi Yingxue [Stationery Box]: Received [(Illusory) Who Am I]
“Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Save successful.
The blond man disappeared amidst a shower of pale golden light, leaving only the sound of his cloak in the night wind long after.
The five companions stood in the living room, looking at the chaos, their feelings mixed.
“So, he was just a save NPC?” Qian Ai blew on his red-swollen hand. If not for these hands protecting him, his head would’ve been cracked open by now.
Xu Wang put away the cross. “Seems like it.”
“He appeared repeatedly just to remind us to save?” Kuang Jinxin somewhat understood, but not completely. “But he died quickly the first time, right?”
Wu Sheng: “If Chi Yingxue hadn’t dealt with the deer head, he would’ve died quickly the second time too.”
Chi Yingxue remained quietly indifferent, merely nodding when his name was mentioned, as if to say, “Yes, it was my doing.”
Xu Wang figured out the logic. “Although the save NPC appeared repeatedly, each time he only gave the challengers a short window to act. If no action was taken within the first few minutes, the NPC would be killed by that unseen force.”
Wu Sheng nodded.
“But we were also attacked by that force. What exactly is it…?” Xu Wang frowned, looking around the room with a chill in his heart.
Wu Sheng knew, their captain already had the answer.
“It’s the ghost in this room.”
……
Five minutes later.
Wu Sheng stood in the center of the living room, asking his companions, “Ready?”
They nodded. “Yes.”
Wu Sheng took a deep breath and activated the recently acquired save reward—[(Illusion) Nowhere to Hide].
What kind of ghost lived in this house was about to be revealed…
The flash of golden light from the illusory stationery was brief, and just as quickly, it took away the original hazy lights.
The living room went completely dark, like a cinema suddenly losing power.
The companions held their breath, waiting for the evil spirit to appear.
Suddenly, a small light shone in the darkness.
The light was tiny, weak, and easy to miss if one wasn’t paying attention.
But soon, two, three, four…
In just a few seconds, countless light particles appeared in the darkness, everywhere, filling the entire house, like dust reflecting light in the universe.
The companions stood among these lights, chilled to the bone.
This was the ghost they were trying to catch.
They thought it was elusive, but it was everywhere.
The author has something to say:
A vampire that doesn’t pretend to be a vampire is not a good save point NPC~(～￣▽￣)～
<<< || Table of Contents || >>>
Kinky Translations 