Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 108: Hero’s Portrait

The castle fell. The anti-magic crystal lost its effectiveness, and large chunks of debris rained from the sky.

Eugene immediately slowed the falling debris, finally creating a way out for the three trapped at the bottom of the stone platform. The moment they escaped the terrifying chasm, Knight Marion immediately knelt on one knee to thank the Goddess, while Damori sat down on the ground, gasping like a depleted dog.

Eugene stood on the edge of the cliff, so close to the chasm that half a step further would cause him to lose his balance. Explosions continued within the chasm, with corruption smoke furiously erupting, passing over his pale golden protective shield.

“Captain!” Marion called out to him.

“The castle wouldn’t collapse on its own, knight.” Amidst the roaring wind, Eugene stood firm. “You take Mr. Damori back first and report the situation. I will witness this to the end.”

“But—” The explosion and wind scattered the knight’s shouts.

At the edge of the cliff, Eugene turned back, giving her a warm smile. “God wants us to witness.”

The nearby corruption was thick, and the soil was already showing the color of rotten blood. Marion tried to support Damori, who could barely stand up.

Damori looked at Eugene with a complicated gaze, coughing hard. “Um, earlier… I said many disrespectful things. I didn’t expect…”

“The Captain won’t mind,” Marion whispered softly.

“No, it’s my insincerity towards God.” Damori hung his head. “I was favored by the Goddess to witness all this. I-I want to stay, as a sign of repentance.”

Marion looked helplessly at Eugene, who didn’t turn back but nodded.

“God will see your faithfulness,” Eugene declared loudly.

Damori then relaxed, continuing to sit collapsed on the grass. An ominous tremor came from deep within the ground. The night grew deep, and the castle crumbled layer by layer before his eyes, leaving only vague silhouettes.

At this distance, they couldn’t see clearly—on one of the particularly large silhouettes, something was moving.

In the blood pool, half a body propped itself up, struggling to regain “combat power”.

High Priest Fischer’s wound ignited with blue fire, the two halves of his body self-adhering. The blood on the ground slowly flowed back into his body through the wound.

“May everything be eternal.”

Fischer sighed faintly.

As a Supplement Demon, he wasn’t a complete undead creature. Having obtained the “immortality” trait from an undead monster, it could only take effect once.

“Such unilateral decision-making, worthy of being the Chosen One by our God.”

He leaned towards the abyss, drawing a circle on his chest. “For true eternity, I must bring you…”

He suddenly became dazed in the middle of speaking. “I must bring you… bring you…”

Fischer covered his face, his eyes trembling amidst the blue flames through his fingers. A bizarre sense of chaos rampaged through his mind, as if cursed.

His pupils trembled, weakly kneeling back to the ground.

Speaking of which, among the high priests of the Eternal Church, Fischer Reginald was quite unique.

If Teest had heard his title rather than his real name, he would never have asked such a question as “How are you sure it’s me?”

This man successfully merged many monsters, but his specialty wasn’t in combat but in strange auxiliary skills. Among them, his most famous and bizarre ability became his title—

[Eye of the Storm]

Whenever Fischer decided to participate in something, he always got involved in the whirlpool of fate with this ability.

After getting involved, “Eye of the Storm” couldn’t affect the event itself. But it always allowed him to be lucky enough to get into the core of the event, knowing the entire development and changes.

The importance of information was no less than combat ability, and magic related to fate was rare.

In the past decades, High Priest Fischer never doubted divine grace—the Eternal Son favored him, allowing him to have this almost miraculous talent.

But as a fanatical believer, he now undoubtedly wavered in his faith.

…To follow that Chosen One, to follow the Mad Monk.

…This is the meaning of your return from death. This is your destiny.

Fischer hugged his head, his stiff wings spreading, shakily flying in the air.

God, what the hell is going on?!

……

At the same time, at the bottom of the chasm.

“Hmm?” Teest hummed in confusion, stopping what he was doing.

“What’s wrong?” Nol immediately turned around.

Not long ago, after the shock, Nol’s first decision was very decisive—to completely seal off this deadly chasm. Regardless of the nature of this world, the “mass emergence of corruption” was a sign of destruction and couldn’t be allowed to persist. As for post-event research, he could rely on Kando to travel directly.

He had the Lost Tower behind him and companions to unravel the mystery together. Nol remembered everything he saw underground and had Teest pack up Zhang Shuhang’s research materials, preparing to relocate the research base to Paradise.

…However, legitimately sealing the chasm meant that “Drake” had to appear again.

After packing up the spoils of war, the two dragged tables and chairs out of the ruins and crafted a new image on the spot.

Nol’s burnt hair was cut off by Teest, who then smeared hair dye on Nol’s head again. Without the long hair to cover him, Nol felt somewhat exposed. Teest tore up several linen shirts, resolutely creating a set of battle-worn attire to cover the important parts.

By now, Nol finally noticed the crisscrossing crown-shaped dragon horns on his head and the huge dragon wings on his back that he couldn’t retract. The roots of the dragon horns were black, with tips resembling blue gems, and ghostly sparks splattered on them. The dragon wings were also magnificent, their dragon scales captivating.

…Beautiful indeed, but irretractable!

Thus, the scene just now unfolded—Nol himself blushed with embarrassment. Teest, meanwhile, was squeezing and pressing around, then suddenly stopped like a bolt from the blue.

“There seems to be a problem with my skills,” Teest said, summoning the system window.

Nol let go of his horns and leaned in to take a look.

Teest’s [Necrotic Dominion] was activating, with the number of subordinates shockingly showing “1”.

“I killed that Fischer, the High Priest of the Eternal Church,” Teest explained with a frown. “At that time, I was focused on… well, finding you, and didn’t notice the system prompt.”

Was the High Priest of the Eternal Church so easy to kill?

Nol was puzzled for two seconds. But given Teest’s current strength, a rare combat class ambushing at close range, it barely made sense.

“It’s possible he automatically transformed into an undead and then was counted as your subordinate by the system,” Nol explained. “Your [Necrotic Conversion (Short-Term)] lasts up to half an hour, after which it will automatically be lifted.”

“We’ve been down here for almost two hours.”

Nol: “……”

“Is this skill really okay?” Teest breathed into Nol’s ear.

“Are you sure he was dead at that time?” Questioned about his design, Nol’s creator’s pride swiftly returned.

Challenged on his killing method, the Mad Monk’s murderous pride quickly joined in.

Teest stepped back half a step, vividly recounting the situation, almost like finding something to chop.

“…Split in two like a salted fish, one half even fell to the ground.” Teest gestured with both hands. “Even if he’s a Supplement Demon, being cut like that would cause instant death.”

“If he has undead monster traits, he might not die.” Nol stroked his horns. “Many low-level undead have ‘regeneration’ or ‘undying’ type skills, needing to be killed twice.”

“But undead monsters don’t have a ‘death’ concept. Once you kill them, they disintegrate on the spot, making [Necrotic Conversion] and [Necrotic Dominion] ineffective.”

As a competent creator, he certainly considered extreme cases. Nol added seriously.

“But Supplement Demons aren’t real ‘undead monsters’.” Teest pondered.

“……”

“If he was alive just now, really died, then revived using the traits of the undead within him, does it count as whether I killed him or not?” Teest brutally pointed out. “Under this premise, can [Necrotic Dominion] really take effect?”

“…………”

Schrodinger’s High Priest, huh? Nol’s face slowly turned pale.

If he ever got the chance, he’d definitely hang up the instigator, the Eternal Son, and beat him—Supplement Demons were too chaotic, and his skill logic had another bug!

Both fell into silence, staring at the “1” on Teest’s panel. As time ticked by, the simple number remained unchanged.

“Purely by design, [Necrotic Dominion] has no expiration time.” Nol spoke painfully. “If, and I mean if, Fischer’s condition caused a glitch in [Necrotic Conversion (Short-Term)], he will always be under your command, until death.”

Teest solemnly closed the skill window, pondering for two seconds.

“Fischer Reginald.” He theatrically ordered into the void. “Bring out the list of ‘Paradise Monsters’ from your subordinates and hand it over to the ‘General’ of Grape Collar.”

“Then find a cave in the Black Forest for secluded cultivation—no leaving without orders.”

After speaking, he paused to feel the effect for half a second.

“…Really feels like I’m in control.” Teest exclaimed. “Fischer Reginald, hop on one foot all the way back. See you later!”

After saying that, he circled back to Nol, his face full of excitement. “Even the errors in your world are amazing!”

Nol had nothing to say, so he just seriously twisted his wings.

Teest took the opportunity to lean down and kiss the soft wing membrane not covered with scales. The touch of the soft membrane and lips was too strange; he couldn’t help but gently lick it with his tongue.

Nol shivered from head to toe, and with a whoosh, the kissed half of his wing disappeared into the void.

Silence fell again.

“Oh.” A few seconds later, Teest’s fingertips ran through Nol’s hair, all the way to the back of his neck. “I heard that arranging the appearance of a god is also the job of the Pope.”

With a smile, he leaned forward again, lightly biting the other wing.

……

The sun was about to rise, and the darkness became thin.

A few hours earlier, the explosions at the bottom of the chasm had stopped. The castle that was once floating in the air had completely disappeared, and the corruption had calmed down significantly compared to before. Eugene could even withdraw the magical protection and directly feel the morning breeze.

He stared intently at the chasm, dew forming finely on his eyebrows.

In Damori’s view, everything probably ended. Perhaps the Great Drake and The Lord of The Manor fought to their mutual destruction. But Eugene’s gaze was so certain that, to avoid being contradicted, Damori tried his best to remain silent.

Just before sunrise, in the center of the chasm.

A beam of white light shot up into the sky, shattering the dim shadows before dawn—

Nol, with Teest hidden under the guise of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, burst out of the chasm in one go. His hair returned to a pale gold, and his golden pupils twinkled faintly.

His knight’s armor was almost gone, leaving only bloodstained linen fabric, barely covering the key parts. Large patches of pale skin were exposed, shimmering with the unique light patterns of dragon scales.

The unconscious Dia Blanco was carried on his back, arms dangling limply. In Nol’s shadow, the shadow wolf happily dove in, its tail tip flashing briefly.

Through layers of smoke, Knight Eugene looked up, meeting “Drake’s” gaze.

“Drake” had an expressionless face, just weary.

Their eyes met, and Drake immediately withdrew his gaze. Carrying the unconscious knight on his back, he hovered in mid-air, extending a broken sword towards the dark chasm.

The tranquility that enveloped the area completely disappeared.

The earth trembled continuously, and the rocks made sharp compressive noises.

In the depths of the chasm, in a corner Eugene couldn’t see, countless bone hands stretched out from both sides of the chasm. They grasped each other, hand to hand, until the hands from both sides successfully interlocked.

Countless “bone-hand ropes” tensed and retracted into the soil. The sides of the chasm shook violently, and the huge chasm, like a deep wound, was slowly stitched together.

In mid-air, Nol hid the freshly revived “The Complete Recipe Book” behind him. He and Teest joined hands, activating a purification magic together.

During the closing process, the escaping corruption smoke instantly ignited into brilliant golden flames, illuminating the morning as if it were day.

The corruption on the ground quickly dissipated in the flames, and the previously murky air became crystal clear. The black and red in the soil slowly faded away, leaving only brown earth.

The morning sun rose from the land, burning with golden fire. The moment the chasm closed, bright light completely struck the earth.

So that’s how it is.

Eugene stretched out a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling light.

Was this what Lady Tilia wanted him to see? The birth of a hero, or perhaps…

Regardless, he would remember this moment.

Not far away, Damori’s eyes were wide open, greedily taking in everything.

……

“Thank you very much!”

Old Dill bowed deeply to Nol, who was sitting on the bed. “These past few days, Mr. Eugene has been spreading your story. Without you, Lord Dia would surely have died at the hands of The Manor. You helped us expel The Manor and the White Night. You are a hero of Eternal Day City—the king demands a celebration. Everyone is eager to meet you.”

Just kill me already. Nol decisively refused. “No need.”

At this moment, Nol only wanted to be with Teest.

He had put on a perfect heroic performance in front of Eugene and then, according to the script—of course, also to accommodate his own physical condition—dramatically fainted.

Just thinking about it was exhausting. Recently, he had been through countless ups and downs. In the end, he even had to hang in midair, twisting his body into a cool pose.

Teest wasn’t in much better condition.

Considering that Nol had to pretend to be a magic swordsman, Teest had to help hold the Staff of Sacrifice and “The Complete Recipe Book”. He also had to ensure that Nol’s free fall was aesthetically pleasing, not face-down, and not breaking Mr. Dia Blanco’s neck—this was the first time he used the golden thread to save someone’s life, and his feelings were complex.

The two were busy and somehow managed to wrap up this act.

What followed was simple.

According to Teest, the awakened Mr. Blanco was grateful and insisted on taking Nol to the Blanco family’s estate for recuperation. The house wasn’t far from the church, and the conditions were indeed better. Eugene agreed readily.

As it turned out, Knight Eugene was quite foresighted. As soon as the news of “Eternal Day City’s White Night source disappearing” spread, people flocked to the Evergreen Church, trying to find the hero.

Even at this distance, Nol could hear the cheers from the church.

“I just want some quiet time. I don’t want to see anyone.” Nol—”Drake” expressed coldly. “Mr. Blanco is an excellent knight. His survival is due to his own efforts.”

A normal person would have had their intelligence halved by Teest’s repeated slaps, but luckily Mr. Blanco had a tough enough head.

“The Blanco family will never neglect a benefactor. I will ensure everyone stays quiet. Now that you’re awake, would you like some lunch?”

“We’ve prepared roast pigeon, braised beef, egg custard, and mixed fruit sweet porridge, as well as herbal tea with honey.”

Old Dill’s words were sincere, and his attitude had improved significantly since their first meeting. He seemed genuinely fond of Knight Dia.

Dia Blanco was about the same age as Teest. Nol wondered if Teest had received such affection as a child.

Nol’s hand shifted, pressing down on Teest’s hair—Teest, taking advantage of the protection of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, was shamelessly sleeping beside Nol.

“Two servings of each dish, please. Thank you.” Nol nodded. “I’d like to eat in the room.”

“Of course, of course.”

Old Dill bowed deeply again. “By the way, we have a request…”

“Please speak.”

“After you finish your meal, we hope you can leave a portrait,” Old Dill said. “The Blanco family’s painter is in the city, and his skill is unparalleled. Half an hour is enough.”

“The Blanco ancestors were Wilders, and they still believe that ‘the portrait of a benefactor can ward off misfortune’. We will prepare additional compensation if it’s convenient for you—”

According to “Drake’s” character setting, agreeing or not would both make sense. Nol was about to refuse when Teest, beside him, turned over and lazily stretched.

“No problem,” Nol said. “But I have two conditions…”

After a pleasant breakfast in bed, Teest’s eyes widened in surprise.

[…What’s the meaning of this?]

[From now on, you are the magical illusion of my deceased lover.] Nol tied Teest’s hair while speaking. [They want a portrait, and I requested one of the two of us.]

[Honey, I’m really touched.] Teest touched the freshly braided long hair hanging on one side. [But why did you agree to him?]

[“Hero Drake” is a creation of both of us.]

And he liked such a memento.

[We might get recognized by Eugene.]

[I also requested that the portrait not be shown after it’s done because “Drake” hates ostentation.] Nol withdrew his hand. [And your appearance right now is just perfect, “Mr. Landus”.]

Teest resumed his appearance as “Brother Landus”, with long black hair and eyes the same blue as Nol’s.

Until they sat for the portrait, Teest maintained a serious contemplative expression. The painter settled in front of them, stunned for a moment, before picking up his brush.

He had never had such perfect models.

The handsome Drake sat in a high-backed chair, and his lover’s illusion stood beside the chair, an arm draped over it. The two gazed at each other as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Sunlight streamed through the arched windows, encircling them in a hazy glow, the scene reminiscent of exquisite murals in a cathedral.

[The quest isn’t yet completed.] Teest leaned against the chair, communicating telepathically. [There are no prompts now. Probably need to wait for the king to officially announce the news… Haa, we still have to deal with Eugene and the king later.]

[So relax for now,] Nol said. [There’s much to do ahead.]

Teest was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but speak again. [So that’s it?]

[Hm?]

[Our relationship now,] Teest said. [And the second reward you promised me, have you forgotten?]

Nol smiled at him. [Of course not.]

At that moment, the painter decisively pressed down his brush, and the paint spread across the paper like a living thing.

Outside the window, celebratory cannons roared non-stop, and cheers were overwhelming. A few meters away, Eugene stood with his sword, quietly watching the Blanco family’s mansion.

Further away, Damori squeezed through the boiling crowd and dived into an alley.

“The investigation is complete. I will submit the incident report within three days.”

He gasped for breath as he activated the communication crystal. “This investigation was too dangerous. You need to pay more, Mr. Enbillick.”

The author has something to say:

We’ve got the wedding photo√

Kinky Thoughts:

End of the arc.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 107: Skill Endpoint

Kando was still sobbing, nursing its candle tears, while Nol gently tapped his magic staff, expanding the range of the blue fire’s illumination.

His free hand gripped Teest’s tightly. Standing side by side at the edge of the ruins, Nol and Teest gazed into the distance at the scene before them.

This was the apocalypse after the sky had fallen and the earth had shattered.

Tall buildings collapsed, and glaze tiles shattered on spherical machines. Rock layers looked like two rows of molars, brutally crushing two completely different worlds.

…Wait, were they really two worlds?

The gap beneath the chasm wasn’t large. Nol’s dark vision couldn’t see too far. He pursed his dry, tense lips and activated ​​[Bat Eyes].

He saw the corruption remains of terrestrial species, presumably some unlucky ones who had fallen here and were devoured by the corruption.

He saw bizarre corpses that didn’t belong to Tahe. Most were skeletal remains lying in the crevices of buildings, dressed in technologically advanced suits or ancient robes.

He saw relatively intact castles and buildings, fallen amidst dull, unknown remnants. Those huge remnants seemed to stretch out limbs, as if to protect them underneath.

Finally, beyond layers of collapsed rocks and decayed buildings, Nol saw an eye.

The moment he spotted it, his pupils dilated sharply, and his heart skipped a beat—

It was a round plastic eye, covered in scratches.

It flickered intermittently with red light, like a setting sun in the absurd ruins. The huge eyeball belonged to an even larger teddy bear.

This teddy bear was larger than a blue whale. Its body was decayed, and its seams were burst open, covered with vines Nol had never seen before.

Round and cute vines pierced through the rotten stuffing, blooming with bright flowers—pink-white, powder-blue, candy-like, dreamy colors.

The flowers swayed quietly in the deep darkness, as delicate as a lie.

“…Three.” Nol slowly squatted down, clearing away the ruins.

Three worlds had shattered here.

He picked up an especially cute plastic teacup, his fingertips trembling slightly. Not long ago, Nol had subconsciously categorized it with the “futuristic” world, but it wasn’t that; it represented yet another destruction.

Everything before him was strange and unfamiliar. Nol didn’t recognize these works—if they really were works.

He understood Zhang Shuhang’s obsession.

The scene before him was beyond common sense, like a bizarre dream, impossible to occur naturally. How could a normal person consider this place a “normal world”?

Zhang Shuhang, coming from an internet giant, was already knowledgeable about games. Once he learned of the existence of “Players” in Tahe, it wasn’t strange for him to firmly believe this place was a game.

This was the only explanation—the only one that could keep the survivors of The Manor sane.

Otherwise, this world was simply—

“Too terrifying.”

“Too wonderful.”

Nol and Teest spoke almost simultaneously. The former sighed, while the latter was exhilarated—

“Look at this!”

Teest excitedly tapped the cup, his fingertips casting an identification spell.

Orbs of light passed over several types of ruins, emitting gold halos of varying brightness.

“The cup is the oldest, then those strange machines, and finally those red walls and glass tiles. I can’t determine the exact years. What a pity.”

Holding Nol’s hand in one and touching the truth with the other, this feeling was too blissful. Teest decided to postpone his anger.

Carefully avoiding the corruption, he observed a delicate metal pen. “Two religions arguing non-stop, saying darkness descended on the land, a Demon King destroyed the splendid civilization. Then their gods led humanity to revive Tahe… blah blah, that sort of nonsense.”

“This ‘splendid civilization’ is more thrilling than I thought.”

“Yeah.”

The types of civilizations were completely different, some too splendid. Nol gripped the cute cup in his hand tightly.

The question arose: were those worlds really destroyed by the “Demon King”?

The Eternal Church and the Temple of Life had written a bunch of nonsense, and Nol wasn’t about to believe another word they said. The Demon King’s corruption was indeed destructive, but it didn’t seem to have its own consciousness.

No matter how he thought about it, compared to the corruption itself, the person who scattered the corruption everywhere seemed more like the culprit, right? Nol still vividly remembered the grudge he held when he was attacked by the Thousand-Hands Nightmare in the Black Forest.

“Praise to your reward. What a great experience.” Teest floated closer. “So, shall we go back first, honey?”

“…Wait a little longer.” Nol shook his head.

It wasn’t enough.

Zhang Shuhang said that the Demon King’s corruption was “the corpse of a god”. He wouldn’t have come to such a conclusion without reason.

Activating [Bat Eyes]​​ once again, Nol looked along the direction of the chasm.

When his eyes began to hurt, Nol found his target—

A barely noticeable missing piece.

There was a huge piece of black-red debris. Judging by the traces on its surface and the surrounding buildings, there should have been a large castle here.

Around this piece of debris, there were clear signs of human tidying.

“Teest.”

“Hmm? …Whoa!”

Nol hugged Teest and spread his wings again. They flew over the corruption, crossing the dangerous areas with sharp steel rebars, heading straight for the predecessor of “The Manor”.

Zhang Shuhang didn’t disappoint them.

There were some charred bones nearby, probably also monsters that had accidentally fallen here. They were likely the reason why Zhang Shuhang survived at the bottom of the chasm.

Before escaping the chasm, Zhang Shuhang had organized the textual records within the debris and even tried to restore some of the machinery.

The records were diverse and fragmented. Fluorescent screens flickered in the darkness, the familiar text emitting waves of cold air. Teest and Nol’s heads squeezed together, reading rapidly.

The “Teddy Bear” world left no records, hence unverifiable.

The “Near Future” world had two types of records. One type recounted a world-saving genius, while the other spoke of the “world collapsing after the genius’s death”.

The description of the genius was incredibly exaggerated—calling him the “protagonist of the era” wasn’t an overstatement.

Considering this was a work, perhaps he really was the protagonist. Nol sighed—such a standard plot design. The protagonist saves the world, gains perfect love and friendship, lives a magnificent life that surpasses thousands, full of grandeur.

But his life was destined to end before this world.

After the genius’s death, the world prospered for a while. People discovered a marvelous energy source underground—black with a hint of red, mostly solid, even more useful than oil.

…Shortly after this energy was exploited, a strange plague erupted in the world. As survivors struggled to survive, a corner of the sky collapsed.

That thing fell like a meteorite to the ground, shaking the entire world.

All who witnessed it died, the Earth’s crust shifted, and the climate became chaotic. The entire planet seemed to have gone mad. Soon after, people found familiar black and red fragments at the edge of the crash site.

[Our god has fallen.] This was the last record left by the survivors, written in English from Earth.

The records of the “Ancient Style” world were all on paper, decayed and moldy, making them difficult to read.

Unlike the “Near Future” world, it didn’t have a specific protagonist, but it mentioned many “divine edicts”, “fates”, and… “daily tasks”.

Nol didn’t recognize this work, but the framework was all too familiar to him—it was undoubtedly a daily life management game.

Its records, too, ended with the exploitation of the black-red “flesh coal”. Soon after, plagues broke out, and a mysterious, massive seismic event caused volcanoes and tsunamis.

[The underground true dragon has died, and the four seas have scorched earth.] This civilization directly used ancient characters from Country C.

“Corruption out of control, gods dying, civilizations collapsing, dead gods becoming new corruption.” Teest casually tossed aside the document, commenting, “Then the next civilization encounters the corruption, continues to perish… This damned place really is disaster-prone.”

Although from his tone, the Mad Monk didn’t seem to find this regrettable.

“So, the Demon King’s corruption really can be considered the ‘corpse of a god’.”

Nol slowly lowered his head, looking at the black-red debris beneath his feet.

Droplets of water condensed on the surface of the debris, oozing out slowly flowing black corruption, like juice seeping from rotting flesh.

They fell into the nearby soil, turning it a rich black-red. They mixed into the air, stirring up a slightly foul-smelling murky fog.

Nol had seen these before. They were everywhere in The Manor.

This was the goal that Zhang Shuhang pursued. He wanted to bring the corruption to the surface, destroy the current world… and then welcome the “game ending” he firmly believed in.

Nol wiped away the stray corruption, carefully observing their source—the pile of debris resembling dried, rotting flesh.

Teest hummed a tune as he flipped through the remaining records. Halfway through, his voice suddenly stuck, falling silent.

“…Are the gods of ‘Tahe’ really the Eternal Son and the Goddess of Life? Isn’t that too much?”

Teest turned his head, looking at Nol with a complex gaze. “According to previous records, those ruined worlds only acknowledged one god.”

Nol suddenly understood Teest’s implication.

These vanished civilizations were all “works” and works always have creators. Three worlds lay dormant here. Where did their creators go?

As the creator of the fourth world, a chill ran down Nol’s back.

…Why did these “works from Earth” become real here?

…Why were they destroyed time and time again?

…And those black-red remains…

They had touched part of the truth, a part far beyond Nol’s previous expectations.

Nol closed his eyes, and after about five minutes, his breathing became steady again.

…He seemed unable to feel despondent.

Nol’s nerves felt numbed, lacking the energy for sorrow, only driven by the urge to smash those question marks.

Perhaps it was because of the warm Teest pacing around him, constantly picking up interesting-shaped remnants of civilizations.

He had promised this guy to seek the truth together. He couldn’t break his word again.

“Teest, I need to do something a bit dangerous,” Nol said. “I need your help.”

Teest withdrew his hand from studying the relics, his smile completely disappearing. “Danger again?”

“I won’t die. If something goes wrong, just take off my head and purify it vigorously.” Nol patted his head. “Just giving you a heads up.”

“That’s more like it.” Teest snorted and said, “If things really go south, you can regenerate your body after ten minutes—in exchange, I want to observe your head up close for ten minutes.”

“Deal,” Nol agreed seriously.

He picked up the ancient plastic cup, scraped off a piece of the black-red debris, and earnestly requested, “Can you make this edible for me?”

Teest: “.…..”

Teest: “I love the moments when your brain is off-kilter, honey.”

“The ones I ate before were all secondarily corrupted products. It’s time to verify the ‘source’ itself,” Nol said. “I also like your courage to do anything. Let’s do this.”

Previously, Nol would never respond like this.

Caught off guard by the “like”, Teest was stunned for half a second before remembering to light a fire.

Under Kando’s light, Teest set up a campfire, took out a lot of cream and spices. Chopped debris mixed with milk, cream, and various aromatic herbs, along with a lot of sugar, boiled into a light gray slurry.

Teest rapidly froze the mixture with magic, then used the “Betrayer” to cut it into fine powder and sprinkled it with jam. The whole process was astonishingly quick.

He served it in the pink cute cup.

“Here.” Teest cleared his throat with a flourish. “Not quite suitable for the season, but it’s the best way to suppress the odor.”

Nol nodded, taking the cup of light gray shaved ice with both hands. “Thank you.”

He had consumed corrupted monsters before, so it wasn’t a big problem. Recently attacked by pure corruption, he could suppress it with [Lost Last Wish]​​.

Now he was just eating a bit of the source of corruption. The impact was still within a controllable range.

Nol took a small spoonful, cautiously bringing it to his mouth.

A very faint taste of blood, overwhelmed by a strong, sweet flavor. The coldness of the corruption itself mixed with the actual ice, making it hard to detect anything odd.

The next second, two voices appeared simultaneously.

[Save me… I want to go home… Save me… Dad… Mom… Take me away…]

​​[Lost Last Wish] activated. The delirious murmurs of corruption crazily burrowed into Nol’s mind.

The other voice made Nol’s mouth bitter.

It was the sound of ​[Fallen Death]​ successfully activating. That meant the “Demon King’s corruption” indeed was some kind of remains.

[Corrupted False God: Fragile creations, crude laws—their world cannot survive. This skill has no effect, this skill has no value, and this skill cannot be used.]

[Similar origin skill found. Do you want to merge “Lost Last Wish” and “Corrupted False God”?]

[Note: Merging can create a new skill. The new skill will retain the original skill sources, and the new skill will will will will bring you extremely dangerous knowledge. Please choose carefully.]

The strange stuttering occurred again.

“Yes.”

Nol looked again at the remnants slumbering in the darkness, those desperate murmurs still echoing in his ears.

[Origin analysis in progress… Will transmission in progress…]

[Skill merge complete.]

In that instant, the continuous murmurs abruptly stopped, leaving only boundless silence.

The newly formed skill lay quietly in the skill bar, its description surprisingly simple—

​​[To My Compatriots: Please kill me.]

[This is not a skill.]

[This is a request.]

The author has something to say:

Here we are!!! The unveiling is essentially complete—

Next up, it’s time to visit the Demon King!

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 106: Story Grave

The shadow wolf was still carrying the unconscious Dia Blanco in its mouth, whining softly. Teest remained still, and the siren, drenched in sweat, showed no intention of running away.

“What?” The rumbling sound of collapsing almost drowned out Teest’s question.

“Go, Teest,” Nol urged.

He summoned a skeleton dragon and climbed on it. He no longer cared about his wounds. Every bit of mana was now precious.

Teest didn’t speak for half a minute, then finally said in his usual tone, “How much mana do you have left?”

“Just enough to not ensure your safe departure,” Nol replied. “I told you, I won’t let you die here.”

“Well, there’s no choice then, and I didn’t plan to die here today either.” Teest shrugged, his golden eyes still greedily fixed on Nol.

“So there’s no way,” Nol said, tugging at the corners of his mouth, wincing as he touched his neck wound.

[You know what to do, right?] He intentionally turned his sentence into a telepathic message. Maybe this was their last chance to use telepathy, Nol thought.

[Of course, keep going amidst the collapse and jump down using the debris,] Teest answered without hesitation. [First try to run as far as possible. If things look bad, abandon these guys and teleport out.]

​​[Sounds perfect,] Nol responded.

The person he liked was the Mad Monk. This once was his greatest dilemma, now his greatest fortune—Teest had given him faith, and faith didn’t require the “object of belief” to be by his side.

“Goodbye, Teest,” Nol said. “I hope we have the chance to meet again.”

Nol hesitated, not mentioning the gold wheel.

How wonderful it would be if he really died here. It could become his tombstone. But if Teest wanted it back, he wouldn’t stop him.

Their relationship had always been like this, hadn’t it?

Teest examined Nol, from his tired face to his battered body, especially around the heart area. Finally, Teest stepped back half a step, nodding politely.

“Goodbye, Nol,” he said.

The explosions had reached a level that shook mountains, and the surrounding corruption boiled and bubbled wildly. The skeleton dragon spread its wings and plunged into the darkness.

On the platform, Teest still hadn’t moved while the shadow wolf whined anxiously beside him. The siren’s face, which had been filled with panic, now showed no fear as he leaped off the wolf’s back.

“Please leave, unique Chosen One.” He knelt halfway, his words full of devotion and passion.

Wings belonging to a dragon emerged from his back as the fabric on his back fluttered wildly, accompanied by the sticky sound of flesh stretching. The siren—or perhaps he shouldn’t be called a “Siren”—Fischer spread his arms, his face full of smiles, without a hint of panic.

“If you don’t mind, I can take you away from here.”

Teest glanced at him. “A Supplement Demon. Did you eat one of your own kind?”

“A small trick, My Lord. We have a few ‘Paradise monsters’ back there.”

Fischer smiled and lowered his head, his eyes no longer youthful but rather cunning like an old man’s.

“High Priest Fischer Reginald, at your service.”

High Priest, a position second only to the Pope, with only two in the entire church.

Teest couldn’t help but look at him again, already figuring out how to deal with this guy.

…But he just didn’t feel up to it.

“Lord Crimson failed, so now I’m responsible for bringing you back. You are very important to us.”

Seeing Teest’s lack of enthusiasm, Fischer continued aptly. Both ignored the rapidly collapsing platform around them, as if it were just a light drizzle on a sunny day.

The collapse accelerated, but the explosions below became slow and weak. Nol must be trying to handle it.

‘With the little mana he had left, who knows if he could succeed,’ Teest thought irritably. And here he was, with a High Priest buzzing in his ear, annoyingly distracting.

“We always act together. That monster was taken down by him just now. How are you so sure it’s me?” Teest said absentmindedly, “I’ll tell you a secret: actually, he is the Chosen One of your god. He just jumped down. You still have time to follow him.”

“You’re joking, but I have my ways of judgment.” Fischer leaned forward, his posture respectful.

“Since you’ve come to me, I admit, I was the one who burned down the Immortal Church of Grape Collar.” Teest raised his hands, really wanting to kill something. “I super hate you guys. It would be better to fight sooner rather than later.”

…That time, he kissed Nol under the blazing church. Teest remembered Nol’s expression at that time, preferring to see that expression again rather than this guy before him.

Would he never see it again?

“It was you who burned it, then it’s God’s will, the predetermined fate,” Fischer said gently.

“How cooperative,” Teest muttered, playing with his sword, his other hand quietly clutching a ball of gold thread. “Even if I’m the Mad Monk, you still want to take me back to your den?”

“I had my suspicions.” Fischer smiled, his already striking eyes protruding even more. “If you like torture, I will bring every high-ranking member to you. If you want power, I can personally help you cut off the Pope’s head… If you seek the truth, we are willing to pave all the paths for you.”

“Just come back with me and admit you belong to the Eternal Church.”

Wow. Teset’s eyebrows twitched.

Compared to these guys, he thought his mental state was great, not understanding what Nol was dissatisfied with before…

Nol reached out to him in the midst of the blue flames, saying he needed him. In this relationship, Teest always felt he would be the first to leave, but in the end, Nol left first.

In the end, Nol still guessed his choice—that guy always guessed his thoughts.

It wasn’t fair.

Teest moved a step to the left, avoiding a particularly large collapse. The stone platform tilted slightly, shaking violently. The shadow wolf shivered, nudging Teest’s back with its mouth.

“This is not a place for a long talk. Please allow me to take you away.”

In the endless darkness, Fischer opened his arms to Teest, his gaze as devout as if welcoming the Eternal Son’s own son.

‘The vicinity is no longer safe,’ Teest thought casually. He needed to find out how Fischer found him. Next, he could kill this guy directly, or use him to destroy the Eternal Church, or…

Teest twirled his hair ends, listening intently. The base of the stone platform was clean, signifying the collapse was nearing its end. The corruption hadn’t spread, and the area near the chasm was still silent. Nol was still holding on.

Realizing this, Teest felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Everyone here likes to sigh, making me want to sigh too.” Teest walked towards Fischer, muttering. “Let’s go. You don’t know what you’ll catch if we stay longer.”

“At your command,” Fischer replied joyfully. “I promise, I will safely take you away from here.”

…Someone had promised before.

One step—Teest’s heartbeat was a bit chaotic.

Small explosions began to occur below the chasm. Had Nol fallen, or not?

Two steps—he wondered if his nerves were stuck to the soles of his shoes. Otherwise, why would each step feel so awkward? He was always looking for an invisible hand.

The wedding ring still hung on his chest. He seemed to have gotten used to its weight.

Three steps… Teest couldn’t help but sigh loudly. A nameless anger was bouncing in his chest.

Damn it, how could Nol dare to leave him so easily?

“Do you know?” Teest stopped in his tracks. “Someone once told me that some people’s emotional connections are like ‘sickness’. When nothing happens, it only feels ordinary.”

Fischer looked at him confusedly.

“I didn’t understand it at the time, and I think you won’t either,” Teest said. “Let me put it in a way you can understand—”

The “Betrayer” was enveloped in full murderous intent. A bright light flashed. Too close to react, Fischer was bisected by the light that cut from head to toe. One half of him wobbled and fell, while the other half barely stood.

“—I haven’t done my evening prayers yet,” Teest whispered into the ear of the half-standing person.

The stone platform completely collapsed.

“Ben, run!” Teest pushed off the falling stones. The shadow wolf, taking advantage of the stone’s shadow, scampered away towards the side of the rift. Teest, however, pushed downward, plunging into the darkness.

The inexplicable heaviness and sadness fell with the stones, leaving Teest feeling unusually light.

…And annoyed.

If Nol was already dead, he wanted to witness his death with his own eyes to complete the final evening prayer. If Nol wasn’t… well, they would first deal with this damn problem, and then he would properly unleash his anger.

As Teest was contemplating this, a white light suddenly exploded in the darkness.

In the next instant, before he could dodge, he fell directly into someone’s embrace.

…..

A while back, Nol sat on a skeleton dragon, hovering in the middle of the rift.

The explosion’s black smoke obscured everything, and the air was filled with murky corruption. Nol, enduring the discomfort, raised his magic staff without hesitation.

Blue flames burned fiercely, rapidly expanding the circle of fire. With Nol at its center, it spread out in a perfect circle beneath the floating castle.

Beyond the circle of fire, a dark gray sea covered in ice appeared. Thus, in the deep night, amidst the rift and the collapsing castle, a circular ocean emerged.

It was the icy frontier at the edge of the Endless Sea from Nol’s memory—where the ice was a thousand feet thick and the seawater remained stagnant all year round, theoretically causing the least impact.

The falling corruption hit the ice layer and quickly froze into black and red ice blocks. With no more corruption colliding from above, the explosions in the chasm below him gradually subsided.

Save me, save me, save me… 

The source of the corruption continuously steamed up from the bottom of the rift, causing Nol’s head to throb with noise.

Save me, save me, save me…

The mana of “The Complete Recipe Book” was down to 3%. The stone platform above continued to collapse slowly, and worse, he could still feel Teest’s presence.

Why is that guy still there?

Nol’s head was spinning, and his whole body was in pain. But as soon as he tried to catch his breath, the circle of fire violently constricted, and large debris falling into the rift nearly blew away Nol’s skeleton dragon.

Now with only 2% mana left and a third of the castle still above, Nol wondered what Teest was up to… What happened to being the most reassuring?

Nol gritted his teeth, forcing himself to expand the circle of fire. The debris striking the distant frozen sea made a teeth-grinding impact and cracking sound.

“Kando, if you want to live, I’ll throw you out of the rift later.” Nol squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, sweating profusely. “Just giving you a heads-up…”

“You’re calmer than I expected,” Kando replied slowly after a while.

“My life’s flashbacks are about to come out. I have no time for panic.” Nol gave a bitter smile, trying not to look at the dark abyss below. “To throw, or not to throw?”

“You know very well, you might not last until the end.” Kando glanced at him with its one eye.

“Just answer the question. Will you die?” Nol couldn’t care less about manners now—he was almost at his limit. Why hasn’t Teest left?!!!

That guy might not care about getting hurt, but he wasn’t one to give up on life easily. Could it be some trick by Fischer. Damn it, did he leave too early…

“Let me see until the end,” Kando whispered softly.

1%.

The skeleton dragon couldn’t hold up and disintegrated into fine bones. Nol struggled to stay mid-air, watching his mana drain away rapidly. “The Complete Recipe Book” turned gray quickly, showing signs of breaking at the edges.

‘This is the end,’ Nol thought.

Facing this disaster, he did his best, and even if he had to do it all over again, he couldn’t have done better.

He was true to himself, and the neighbors in The Manor could continue to sleep in the system. As long as they were alive, there was hope.

He could give up.

Coming to this dangerous world, Nol had prepared himself for death. If he couldn’t make it back… it would be like encountering a car accident or sudden death.

He had to give up.

The Lost Tower was taking shape. Witch Lynn and Officer Luo were smart people, and they had connected with Anakin… It didn’t matter if he wasn’t there.

Let everything come to an end. He was about to let go of that pressure and…

Damn, why hasn’t Teest left yet?!

If he gave up here, that guy would definitely be affected.

He couldn’t die yet.

Nol almost crushed a tooth as he switched the source of his mana from the “Dragon Corpse Notebook” to the “Lich’s body”. The body of a Lich itself was magical material, so it could do the job!

The mana of “The Complete Recipe Book” quietly stayed at 1%. Nol’s legs began to vanish.

‘Hurry up and leave,’ Nol frantically thought to himself, his eyes fixed in the direction where Teest was.

The circle of fire voraciously drained his mana, and Nol’s legs began to turn to dust. Then his waist, his abdomen. In the dark void, only half a person hung there, like many other remnants.

Hurry up and leave. Get away. Didn’t we agree not to sacrifice our lives?

As the erosion reached his chest, Nol switched the source of mana to his left arm.

‘I can’t lose the gold wheel in my chest. I can’t throw it away,’ he thought dully. Losing most of his body, Nol’s HP plummeted, and his thoughts became increasingly blurry.

The castle’s collapse seemed endless.

Just one more second, just a little longer. He had to let Teest leave, to let the person he liked survive…

His left arm vanished, then his shoulder, his right arm. Finally, the Staff of Sacrifice pierced through the crumbling “The Complete Recipe Book”, inserting itself into the gaps of his bones.

Only a head and a heart with a coin embedded in it remained suspended in mid-air. Nol thought he could end quietly, but at this moment, he struggled so hard.

They were so close. How could he let go?

“Of course, I will follow my god, as long as we’re always ready to flee.”

Nol remembered. When he said this, Teest was standing in the sunlight, smiling happily at him.

But he left Teest in the darkness.

Nol began to burn the remaining flesh, tongue, vocal cords, eyeballs. He stubbornly preserved his head and heart—he hadn’t yet said sorry. There were things he still needed to figure out.

…Why haven’t you left?

“Hey,” Kando suddenly said.

“…Hm?”

“Bite me.”

“…Huh?!”

“I admit it. You win! We’ve come this far. I can’t just watch you perish.” The black candle grumbled. “Just bite—ow!!! Damn it, why are you so harsh!”

Nol, in a daze, bit off a tear of the candle. The black candle instantly shed a few more tears, blinking desperately.

‘It’s useless,’ Nol thought. [Fallen Death]​ required eating corpses, but since the candle asked, he might as well take a bite…

A “ding” notification sounded.

Almost in the same second, the system’s prompt eagerly boomed into Nol’s ears.

​[You have met the special evolution condition.]

[You have achieved: Full level of the “Lich” race; Carrying dragon remains for 1,000 hours; Possessing dragon skills; Granted flesh and blood voluntarily by dragon lineage.]

[Special race “Dracolich” evolution unlocked. Do you wish to evolve?]

Was there even a choice? Nol’s mind was a mess. He couldn’t remember information about the Dracolich.

But it didn’t matter. The Mad Monk was clinging to his mind. Even if the system asked him to evolve into a four-cornered chicken, he’d go for it for that one-time “evolutionary state recovery”.

“Yes!” He silently screamed, still fiercely maintaining the circle of fire.

The blue fire turned into a near-white pale flame. The white light instantly broke through the darkness. “The Complete Recipe Book” completely turned into light particles, merging into Nol’s body. Light threads emerged from the void, wrapping his remaining body into a cocoon of light.

It was painful. Every part of his body felt as if it was being ground and then reforged. For a moment, his body became immensely large, then gradually shrank, taking on a human form.

Nol’s torso and limbs fully recovered. His hair grew absurdly long, hanging down towards the chasm, blown about by the storm.

“Thanks, Kando!” Nol shook his head wildly. He felt horns on the top of his head, but he wasn’t quite sure… Whatever. It wasn’t important. He was still alive!

Nol was fully restored. His pitiful 100 MP instantly drained, but now he had this body—

As a magical material, the Dracolich, compared to the Lich, was like rocket fuel to coal briquettes.

Nol, burning his newly grown long hair, sustained the falling that was nearing its end.

The white light dispersed, and his eyes turned into vertical pupils, fixedly staring in the direction of Teest. After the light, a familiar figure dove down—following the last remnants of the castle, Teest plunged straight downward. There was blood splattered on him, and his eyebrows were filled with anger.

Nol’s heartbeat had never been this fast.

To hell with life, loyalty, and love. Watching Teest rapidly approaching, his hair stood on end from the thrill.

Nol timed the moment and retracted the circle of fire, catching Teest in his arms. Their bodies collided, and the familiar warmth blended together. The sense of fulfillment after death felt like rebirth.

He had to admit defeat. Nol tightened his arms, not wanting to let go, and he wouldn’t ever again.

“You promised me a bonus. You can’t back out now,” Teest seriously demanded as they fell.

“Sorry, I didn’t think… What?” Nol almost bit his tongue.

It was still the same—the Mad Monk he knew.

Nol couldn’t help but laugh out loud, hugging Teest’s waist, rapidly crashing into the depths of the chasm.

“Aren’t you going to slow down? If you’re intent on crashing, then I’ll teleport away.” Teest clung to Nol as the darkness rapidly enveloped them.

“Don’t go. I’ll compensate you with two rewards.”

Nol grabbed Teest’s long hair. With a swish, the wings of the Dracolich opened, protecting them both in the middle.

“Let’s hear them.” Teest felt the base of the wings.

“The first,” Nol looked towards the rapidly approaching bottom of the valley, “to wrap up this disaster and verify the truth below. The rest, once we leave here together, I’ll tell you.”

He emphasized “leave here together.”

“Alright, you…” Teest was about to continue when his lips were suddenly caught by Nol’s.

It was a kiss.

“I need you. I like you. I swear I won’t leave you behind.” Nol held the person in his arms tightly. “Will you still come with me, Teest?”

“Of course.”

Those blue eyes still shone brightly. In the midst of the fall, Teest closed his eyes contentedly.

“You’re mine now,” he whispered softly.

……

Nol deliberately controlled their speed. It took them about five or six minutes to reach the bottom of the cliff.

It was pitch black, but fortunately, they both had night vision. Teest carefully wrapped himself in magic, standing firm amidst the surging corruption.

He hesitated for a rare moment. “This is…”

Beside him, the relaxed look on Nol’s face completely disappeared.

In front of them lay the remnants of at least two civilizations.

Part of it resembled the castle, sparkling with a strange white glow, its shapes shockingly symmetrical.

The rest looked newer in material but more ancient in design—golden flying eaves, crimson walls, and scattered blue stone bricks. A carved wooden round table and white folding chairs lay toppled together, utterly out of place even to Teest’s unfamiliar eyes.

They clearly came from different civilizations.

“Nol…”

“This isn’t from Earth.” Nol gazed at a relatively intact piece of ancient architecture, murmuring dreamily. “It looks similar, but it’s not… The real dynasties didn’t have this form. There are many creative beautifications, like…”

“…like Tahe.”

Corruption slowly flowed over his feet, but Nol seemed oblivious. He caressed the fragments, his voice frighteningly soft.

Alien weapons, modern text. Nonexistent architectural forms from Country C, remnants with a sense of technology that seemed even older.

…Apart from “Earth” related, there was another possibility. How could he have forgotten?

These are two “works”.

Two already destroyed stories, lying quietly in their graves, leaving only their remnants.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 105: Choice

As the sky began to darken, Eugene, dragging his injured leg, got up for his evening prayers.

He regularly ate his three meals a day, even though their supplies consisted only of bread, water, and salted meat. After eating, he would complete his knight training as usual. Whenever he recovered a bit of magical power, he used it all to heal the wound in his abdomen.

Damori curled up at the base of a half-collapsed wall, covered with several blood-stained blankets, trying to reduce his consumption through sleep.

Knight Marion stood despondently at the edge of the stone platform, looking down into the bottomless chasm below.

The darkness was like a crack in the world. Staring at it for too long, one’s thoughts seemed to be sucked into that unreal blackness. Every few seconds, Marion had to look up at the castle above.

The castle was shrouded in fog, more silent than a grave. However, this time, when Marion looked up, she saw the castle’s spire blown off. The evening sun shimmered on it, resembling a violently extracted fang.

She jolted. “Captain!”

Damori opened his sleepy eyes, and Eugene lowered his sword. Inside the castle, a colossal silver-white object emerged, struggling in the air, clearly battling something.

Unfortunately, their view was obscured by clouds, allowing them only to see a rough outline.

Eugene narrowed his moss-green eyes, a fervor in his gaze.

“As expected,” he said. “God wants us to witness all this.”

Above in the sky, beyond the clouds, the two challenging the “monster” were far from calm.

Upon giving the answer that “the Demon King’s corruption is the corpse of a god,” the Lord of The Manor—Zhuang Shuhang “stood” up.

His mountain of trash-like body continuously extended from the base of the stage. Nol watched as the shadow grew taller and taller. What they had seen earlier was just the tip of the iceberg.

The black-red flesh interwoven with relics of civilization, grotesquely swollen and endless, made the embedded Savage Giant Witch seem minuscule. Now, the Lord of The Manor looked not like a centipede but more like a mutated ant queen.

The Lord of The Manor raised his hand and pointed. Five embedded weapons on his body activated.

Five beams of light shot towards Nol from different directions, and Nol hastily retreated. He clumsily raised his rocket launcher, firing at the opponent’s mountain-like body.

Admittedly, as an office warrior, Nol’s aim was disastrously bad. He kept firing non-stop, the crystal energy depleting rapidly. The Lord of The Manor didn’t relent. The sounds of explosions and destruction drowned out all else, painfully reverberating in their ears.

With the castle’s top gone, the bright blue sky suddenly pressed down. The highest clouds were thin, with sunlight pouring down, making everything terrifyingly bright.

Amidst the roaring artillery fire, Teest tried his best to jump onto the Lord of The Manor, attempting to sever the latter’s upper body from the monstrous frame. However, each time he swung his sword, a strange barrier repelled his blade.

The Lord of The Manor was like an efficient killing machine—appearing damaged and cumbersome, but actually impregnable.

The Lord of The Manor fired around the hall, bullets and beams sweeping everywhere. If not for their quick evasion, their bodies would certainly have been shattered into pieces.

Nol leaped from his spot, the explosion’s hot wind at his back, releasing his grip as the heavy launcher fell to the ground with a thud.

The launcher’s crystal was completely depleted, but the Lord of The Manor’s relentless attack didn’t slow in the slightest. In the past hour, they hadn’t managed to inflict any significant damage on the Lord of The Manor.

No wonder the Lord of The Manor had them come directly to him—he and Teest had defeated two neighbors, and Zhuang Shuhang had no intention of following the usual tactics. He came out swinging, ready to deal with them for good.

“Stop dragging this out,” Zhuang Shuhang said listlessly as a beam of heat left a deep mark on the wall. After the attack, black-red corruption oozed from the damaged area, emitting billowing black smoke. “This is just a waste of time. Just let me kill you nicely.”

‘Deadly situation.’ Nol thought. ‘This guy’s state is also off.’

As a leader, the Lord of The Manor had no interest in even the most basic negotiations; he seemed fixated only on slaughter and destruction.

But no matter. Nol suddenly leaped up, rushing to Test’s side—his goal had already been achieved.

Seeing Nol relentlessly hopping around, the Lord of The Manor sighed. He had just raised his cannon when a ball of blue fire fell from the sky, blowing off a large chunk of mechanical pile on his body, exposing the black-red, rotten tendons inside. Murky smoke billowed upwards, and Zhuang Shuhang’s expression suddenly turned gloomy.

Magic attack.

Just as Teest was about to instinctively land and jump again, Nol grabbed him around the waist. Teest gracefully spun around, lightly stepping on Nol’s toes, and the two hovered mid-air.

“Ouch.” Teest said, looking at the heavily damaged room from above, “Did you guide him to destroy the anti-magic crystals?”

“I don’t understand his weapons, but the anti-magic crystals are my design. I can figure out where they are,” Nol said hoarsely, swinging his staff forcefully. Blue fire burned, and a ring of fire appeared in the air, intercepting a beam of light.

Beyond the fire ring, surprisingly, was the corridor where the neighbors slept.

The beam created a semi-circular pit, and in the center of the pit was another fragmented anti-magic crystal.

“Teest, the rest is up to you,” Nol said.

“At your command, honey,” Teest replied as a gust of wind rose, and he plummeted towards the Lord of The Manor on the central stage.

The two turned the battle into a game of catch, with Teest leading Zhuang Shuhang’s attacks, and Nol catching them with Kando’s fire rings. The Lord of The Manor’s attacks were ferocious, and Nol simply used them to destroy every anti-magic crystal he detected.

With each crystal shattered, an invisible weight was lifted off them.

Countless skeleton dragons rose into the sky. Nol stood on the back of one, extending his staff towards the heavens, raining down blue fire.

Suddenly, the situation reversed, and Zhuang Shuhang’s reactions became sluggish.

Unable to adjust his cannons in time, he resorted to using his black-red tendrils to whip at the corruption marks, causing chaotic explosions everywhere.

Amidst the smoke, Teest drew the fire, nimbly leaping among the building ruins, gracefully dodging bullets and gunfire.

Nol seized the opportunity to rush towards the sleeping neighbors, jumping between fire rings and sealing them into the system. When the attack wave came crashing down, Nol flashed out of the fire ring again. He grabbed Teest’s hand, and the two beautifully swapped places.

The fire ring was extinguished, leaving Teest in a safe place. Nol stepped on the dragon, swiftly ascending into the blue sky. Then the fire ring reignited. He extended his arm and pulled his knight back to his side.

Between the white light and the black-red corruption, a chaotic dance in space unfolded.

……

As the sun set and stars emerged, the sky grew darker.

With magic power rapidly depleting, Nol gasped, clutching “The Complete Recipe Book”. After sealing all the sleeping neighbors, his mana was left with a mere 10%.

The drawback of a prolonged battle began to show—Zhuang Shuhang’s attack speed hadn’t slowed, and corruption kept gathering, making his power seemingly endless.

At this point, it was difficult for Nol to make Zhuang Shuhang lose consciousness. Their best option was to rescue the siren and escape this endless war of attrition.

“I can’t feel my companions.”

As the sleeping neighbors were sealed one by one, Zhuang Shuhang seemed to notice something, his voice becoming sharp. “Did you kill them? …Did you kill them all?”

“I just protected them.”

Nol stood on the head of a skeleton dragon, facing Zhuang Shuhang from afar. “You must know, their condition was terrible. Whether it’s the Demon King’s corruption or the corpse of a god, it was hurting them.”

He still remembered the relentless pain and ringing in his ears. Ordinary people couldn’t bear it, let alone the neighbors on the brink of collapse.

On the increasingly dark stage, the Lord of The Manor let out an angry laugh.

“But it makes us stronger.” He questioned sharply. “Only we, after being touched by it, can still keep our sanity. Only we can use its power… It’s our greatest weapon, and you just took it away on your own accord?”

“Get stronger, then what? Attack nearby towns, kill ordinary people?” Nol retorted.

“Idiot. This is a game world! You actually sympathize with a bunch of data? Without attacking them, where do we get supplies?”

Zhuang Shuhang yelled, the entire castle trembling with his movements. “Do you think we didn’t try to negotiate at first? Monsters plus corruption—they wouldn’t even talk. Just killed our people!”

“How do you handle different factions? Is your cooperation with those NPCs genuine?”

He twisted his massive body, directly collapsing a wall. “Trapped in this hellish place, if not for this castle, everyone would’ve gone mad long ago!”

“Even with different attitudes towards the outside world, as compatriots, we could have cooperated.”

Nol tiredly dodged beam after beam.

“Look at that announcement. You guys are really getting into this bullshit world. I’m not free enough to be educating you. Just keeping the people around me safe is tiring enough.”

Zhuang Shuhang sneered. “Anyway, as long as this world is destroyed, everything will end—”

“How can you be so sure?!” Nol couldn’t hold back anymore.

The Lord of The Manor widened his eyes, revealing a twisted smile that one might see on the face of a mentally ill person.

“I’m asking you.”

He said with a terrifying smile, “You enter the game. The protagonist has the power to be denied by the whole world, companions on the brink of collapse, and enemies destined to be a matter of life and death with you… Tell me, how do you play this game?”

“Answer me, how do you complete it? With so-called truth, goodness, and beauty in ‘negotiations’? I think it’s a tower defense war game. The monster faction destroys everything, the protagonist wins, the game ends—”

Watching the crazed Zhuang Shuhang, Nol had mixed feelings.

He grieved for the innocent victims of Eternal Day City and Balsam Town, but as a native of Country C, he couldn’t bear the thought of his compatriots being killed either. It was an insoluble contradiction.

If he wasn’t so familiar with everything, able to act effortlessly, could Paradise have been another Manor?

“Have you ever considered that all this might be ‘real’?” Nol tried to soften his tone.

Zhuang Shuhang laughed heartily, black-red liquid overflowing from his eyes.

“Absolutely impossible.” He grinned, pointing to the pitch-black chasm. “You know what? I woke up from there.”

“When you’re about to die, I’ll throw you down there—go down and see, then you’ll understand everything.”

“Listen, don’t take it seriously,” Teest warned. “This guy’s not right in the head.”

“I know.” Nol closed his eyes. “Let’s retreat for now. We’ll come back to seal him later.”

Zhuang Shuhang’s trash heap-like massive body began to stretch, his voice harsh. “Do you know that there are still real Players in the world?”

“I really don’t understand.”

“You advocate for a system that ‘strengthens through killing’. Under such rules, you still want peace?”

“Go!” Nol shouted to Teest.

Communication with the opponent was completely impossible. “The Complete Recipe Book” only had 8% mana left. They couldn’t afford to tangle any longer.

The space emitted a viscous cracking sound.

Suddenly, numerous circular portals appeared around Zhuang Shuhang. They densely filled the space, the ground, the air, and near Nol and Teest. Countless monsters emerged—low-intelligence trolls and lizardmen screamed and furiously attacked the two.

This time, Nol saw very clearly.

Zhuang Shuhang activated some device on his body. The transporter buzzed like a pump, tirelessly opening voids in the air, drawing the power of corruption.

Taking advantage of the monsters distracting them, Zhuang Shuhang’s eyes turned blood-red, and he launched another concentrated barrage of gunfire.

Damn it. Nol gritted his teeth.

No wonder the monsters could invade towns at will. That wasn’t a power Tahe should have. Tahe’s magic definitely couldn’t prevent it. Zhuang Shuhang didn’t hesitate to expose his hand. He wanted to use his “monster army” organized outside The Manor in exchange for their lives.

Nol’s limbs were torn by the trolls and lizardmen. His vision was obscured by monsters, and his eyeball was nearly gouged out by a troll. Amidst the chaos, the effect of [Betrayal Overture] wore off, and Teest was dragged five meters away.

Nol’s magic power had already bottomed out. The mana in “The Complete Recipe Book” was constantly draining away.

8%, 7%, 6%…

They needed to leave quickly.

Nol commanded the skeleton dragon to crash into him, barely breaking free from the encirclement. Ignoring his broken spine, he quickly scanned around and found Teest enveloped by monsters.

Teest’s hand, still extended, rapidly cut through the monsters clinging to him.

Unfortunately, for each one he cleared, two more climbed on. The monsters Zhuang Shuhang recalled were in the thousands, a veritable swamp of flesh and blood.

Near Teest, the Lord of The Manor’s weapon ports all emitted halos. These halos pulsed like heartbeats, ready to launch an attack at any moment with a rain of arrows piercing the heart.

No.

The shooting trajectories nearby were dense. Bumping into Teest would be futile.

Teest was going to die here.

Realizing this, Nol almost stopped thinking. At that moment, he finally made a choice—

The letter opener “Bad News” shot out like a bullet, rushing towards Zhuang Shuhang’s shoulder.

The letter opener had no killing intent and no light effects, like a small piece of shrapnel flying off. It skewered into Zhuang Shuhang’s shoulder, and the next moment, all the weapons on the Lord of The Manor’s body simultaneously extinguished.

They began to fall.

Like mud sculptures drained of all moisture, the weapons stuck to Zhuang Shuhang rapidly rolled off. The rotting flesh that penetrated them lost support and collapsed softly to the ground.

Zhuang Shuhang’s body, belonging to the Savage Giant Witch, melted and disintegrated, just like the previous Player, Jack.

Nol, dragging his broken spine, rushed towards the melting Savage Giant Witch. His heart thumped against his chest. Thankfully, the letter opener had a similar effect on the neighbor as on the Players. Zhuang Shuhang returned to being a normal person, and Nol could take him back to the Lost Tower. With so many neighbors there, they could communicate slowly…

Unfortunately, this beautiful vision shattered in less than a second.

From within the crumbling Giant Witch’s body, there was no tall, thin young man from Country C. When it first fell out, Nol barely recognized it.

It was a half-mutilated skull.

The skull’s edges were charred, and the pink brain inside was still trembling. It fell towards the ruins, the soft brain tissue about to separate from the skull and hit sharp debris.

Nol didn’t care about slowing down. He rushed onto the sharp wreckage, blood splattering everywhere.

“System, custody—!”

Amid the collapsing machinery, Nol caught the half skull, almost breaking his voice shouting.

In a few short seconds, he trembled all over, as if waiting for a judgment. Fortunately, the magic was successfully activated, and the fragmented skull turned into golden light, successfully taken into custody by the system.

Zhuang Shuhang’s life was barely saved.

The castle continued to collapse, the tremors not only not subsiding but intensifying.

With the Lord of The Manor gone, the power supporting this place—whatever it was—suddenly became chaotic. The monsters, without command, stood around confused. Teest successfully freed himself from his burdens and leaped towards Nol.

“Well done,” he said cheerily, helping up the battered Nol. “This place is about to collapse. Need a hand?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Nol didn’t answer for a long time, and Teest suddenly realized something.

The stone layers were crumbling, with floor tiles falling everywhere. The “foundation” of the castle was completely exposed—a huge piece of wreckage, wax-like, was melting and falling into the chasm.

The first drop of “wreckage” hit the chasm, and the nearby land trembled violently. An explosion seemed to occur underground, with thick black smoke rising. The black-red corruption seeped out of the chasm again, signaling another round of the “White Night”.

Then came the second and third drops. The smoke grew thicker, and the trembling land could now be called an “earthquake”.

“We should leave,” Teest reminded again.

Nol looked down at the chasm, enveloped in smoke.

“You take Ben. I’ll go get the siren.” He hurriedly connected his bones, ignoring his flesh wounds.

Without the interference of anti-magic crystals, the two quickly found the bewildered siren. The young knight mounted the shadow wolf, looking utterly shocked. “Did you do this?”

“Yes,” Nol said. “We are from Paradise. Sorry for keeping it from you.”

Teest ignored the siren, focusing only on Nol. “We need to leave.”

“Yes, yes,” Fischer said urgently. “The Lord of The Manor said, if everyone’s gone, this place will fall back into the chasm. Corruption hitting corruption, that’s a super big explosion—let’s go quickly!”

Nol actually smiled.

“You call him ‘The Lord of The Manor’,” he said. “You don’t know his real name. You don’t have corruption on you and there wasn’t any room above for you… Everyone’s mental state is terrible, but you’re unbelievably normal.”

“You’re not from Earth, are you?”

“Brother, is this the time to nitpick?” The siren looked down fearfully as the stone platform was rapidly crumbling. “Let’s leave here first and then…”

“Earlier, when I heard about the collaboration between The Manor and the Eternal Church, I wondered why I hadn’t seen any members of the church.”

Nol glanced at Teest. “Don’t mind me. I’m just guessing—this guy is an expert in identifying cultists. He’ll know for sure.”

Teest wasn’t smiling anymore. His eyes were fixed on Nol.

As the platform peeled away, the corruption poured like heavy rain, falling into the abyss along with the debris. Black smoke rose swallowing the stars above, leaving nothing but boundless darkness.

‘At least for now, the siren hadn’t lied,’ Nol thought.

The explosions underfoot became more frequent, like standing on a volcano about to erupt. If the castle completely fell, the impact would undoubtedly reach Brick Shadow and the capital city, Eternal Day City, causing an immense White Night disaster.

In the darkness, the staff could only illuminate a small area.

Nol suddenly felt the staff containing the [Mid-Distance Teleportation] was a bit hot​​ his hand. He couldn’t help but look at Teest, those molten gold-like eyes meeting his gaze.

The scales of decision wavered. It was time to choose again.

Perhaps he would never have enough time to make the perfect choice.

“My judgment has led to this crisis. I have to take responsibility.” Nol’s voice trembled, but his tone was unusually calm. “But even if time were reversed, I think I would make the same choice.”

“What responsibility do you have?” Teest’s tone was dissatisfied, and his voice was slightly hoarse. “This is a natural disaster. No one can stop it.”

“I can expand the candle’s fire ring to its maximum, making the castle debris fall into the sea, preventing the explosion.”

“Are you joking? You only have that much mana left, and you have to—”

“Have to catch it below. It’s a bit dangerous.”

Nol reached out, straightening Teest’s slightly disheveled hair, his fingertips brushing over the other’s warm skin. “If things go well, I’ll just go down to the bottom of the cliff. Sorry, this time I won’t take you with me.”

“Go, Teest.”

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