Edited by Jules
After escaping the danger, Xiao Lan and Hua Yan searched this white room.
After all, neither of them wanted to miss a possible hidden clue here.
But this time, the two still tacitly chose separate directions in order to avoid unnecessary conflict. According to the custom among players, what they found would belong to them, and those that didn’t find anything could only blame their own luck.
From furniture to the objects on display, everything was white, like it was blanketed with snow.
As Xiao Lan walked, he carefully inspected everything in the room.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a tiny crystal ball decoration.
This crystal ball was filled with water and there were some snowflakes at the bottom. With a shake, a snowstorm was kicked up in this tiny world.
And in the center of the crystal ball was a crude little wooden house.
Although it was just the size of a thumb, it was right in the middle of the snow, and was practically identical to the wooden house they had seen previously in the snowfield.
Xiao Lan picked up this crystal ball.
Sure enough, he discovered a design identical to the one on the book cover.
At the same time, the book cover lit up once more.
Same as back in the red room, two boxes lit up this time.
Xiao Lan quietly sighed in relief. Fortunately, the number of boxes given by the rooms wasn’t random.
As an unlucky person, he had been genuinely worried that he would only get one box this time.
That would seriously be too tragic.
Now, nine out of the thirteen boxes on the cover were lit up; there were only four boxes left.
In other words, two more rooms had to be found, or… four more players had to die, for the design to be fully lit.
At that time, whether the game would end or enter a new phase was unknown.
Hua Yan also noted the change.
She glanced in Xiao Lan’s direction, a thoughtful expression flashing in her eyes. “So it’s like that…”
After the boxes lit up, Xiao Lan no longer lingered, and he and Hua Yan left the room separately.
Hua Yan first chose a direction, and the two parted ways.
The instant Xiao Lan left the room, he heard the system notification once more:
“Crow’s attention on you has increased.”
“Congratulations to player Xiao Lan for becoming the most focused on reader, obtained 【Random reader small gift pack】*1”
Xiao Lan: “…”
Why was Crow focused on him?
Could it be because he had entered two special rooms one after another and had come out alive each time?
Xiao Lan didn’t want the boss’s attention at all, really. It sounded as if flags were stuck all over him, and that he would die very soon.
But conversely, he had also been given a gift pack.
He didn’t know whether this was lucky or unlucky.
Xiao Lan took out the 【Random reader small gift pack】 that had quietly appeared in his storage space.
Hopefully it isn’t something like Crow’s personal signature…
That was what Xiao Lan, who had been hurt by Zhang Dong’s personally signed XX series, thought.
Fortunately, Crow, who was a famous author and lived in a grand residence, wasn’t a stingy guy.
The item that appeared was:
【Name: In-app purchase?】
【Ability: Consume a random person’s wealth and your luck will increase by a random percentage (50%-2000%), duration of 5 minutes (Use 1/1)】
【Description: In-app purchases are the only way to rescue an unlucky person, but will sometimes lead to bankruptcy】
Xiao Lan: “…”
Why did he feel like he was being mocked twice over at the same time?
Not only was he poor, he was also unlucky.
However…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Seeing the words “Consume a random person’s wealth”, Xiao Lan revealed a self-confident smile.
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At that moment, another change appeared in the ‘Mingyue Pavilion’ book in the hands of the players.
The cover flickered and new content appeared in the book:
【The resentful avenger closes his eyes】
【Cleansed of all suffering and sorrow in the raging flames】
【Returning to the tranquil night】
Xiao Lan’s breathing stuttered —
‘Resentful avenger’.
The first person to flash through his mind was Qi Ning.
People like Qi Ning who were filled with hatred were truly rare, and this was also a game where there was a limited number of people.
It wasn’t improbable that two avengers might have appeared at the same time, but the chance also definitely wasn’t high.
It was very likely that the one who was currently in a deadly crisis was Qi Ning.
The pattern on the cover flickered and showed that Qi Ning was fine for now, but he was still in danger.
Separated as they were by space, Xiao Lan had no way of knowing Qi Ning’s situation. Like the rest of the players, he would only be able to know if Qi Ning lived or died from the change in the book.
Given Qi Ning’s strength, he probably wouldn’t fall here.
But nothing was definite in the game.
It was useless to think so much now. Xiao Lan put away the book and continued on.
After walking for a while, Xiao Lan suddenly sensed contact from Luo.
Luo’s writing appeared on the envelope, strong and clear as always, like a work of art:
【Sir, the progress on the cover increased by two boxes simultaneously. Did you do it? You aren’t hurt, right?】
Xiao Lan replied:
【It was me. Don’t worry, I’m fine.】
【Is there any progress on your side?】
Luo seemed a little regretful:
【Apologies, I’ve been looking for unusual-looking rooms, but it seems my luck isn’t good. I haven’t encountered even a single room.】
【It’s like they’re rejecting me.】
Xiao Lan was just about to say something to comfort him.
But he suddenly thought of something — if Luo, this god of luck, was finding it hard to chance upon these unusual rooms, while Xiao Lan, this unlucky person, kept finding them constantly…
Did that mean that these rooms were a symbol of bad luck?
Thinking about it, it seemed possible.
After entering the room, you had to experience double the danger, and there weren’t any special rewards for successfully escaping. At most, it was just increasing the progress toward clearing the game.
If someone were to accidentally die inside, then they were using their own life to increase progress for the other players to clear the game.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a drain on HP…
Compared with lucky winners, players who frequently encountered these rooms were more like god-chosen poor devils ne.
The reward which Xiao Lan had obtained was also because he had gained Crow’s attention, and not because he cleared the room.
Could it be that he had caught Crow’s attention because he looked especially unlucky?!
So 【Random reader small gift pack】was a consolation item given to an unlucky bastard ba…
How considerate, Crow laoshi.
“…” Xiao Lan, who seemed to have discovered some particular truth, turned mute.
Right at that moment, Xiao Lan turned a corner and was about to continue forward.
His footsteps abruptly paused.
The corridor before him was very odd.
The walls were very dry, but there was an even layer of water on the floor. It was shallow, and it looked like he could cross it easily.
But the water looked tranquil and unruffled, like glue or glass, and was a little strange.
The water more or less occupied the entire corridor. If Xiao Lan wanted to continue, he had to cross through it.
It just so happened that he was in contact with Luo at the moment. He described the odd situation to Luo.
After a moment, Luo’s reply appeared:
【This seems to be a type of monster Crow wrote about called a water demon.】
【It looks like a thin layer of water, but after you step on it, it’s as if you’re in the deep sea.】
【The water demon itself will also produce a powerful drag force to prevent the victim from leaving.】
【From the book that the water demon is from, I suspect it can’t be considered to move quickly. It isn’t swift enough to chase prey, so it frequently lies in wait to catch its victims.】
【The water demon relies mainly on restraint and affecting the senses in an attack. It’ll be very troublesome if it catches you.】
【At the same time, it’s even slower on a vertical surface than when it’s on a water surface.】
【I hope this is of some use. Please be careful, sir.】
It had to be said that with Luo, this omnipotent helper, Xiao Lan felt as if he was holding a cheat sheet during an exam, which made things exceptionally effortless.
The water demon quietly lay in wait, waiting for its prey to walk right into its trap.
【Thanks.】
Xiao Lan put away the envelope for now.
He sized up the area occupied by the water demon, then looked at the two walls.
The next instant, Xiao Lan directly leapt up, jumping onto the wall.
Countless slender strands instantly appeared on the water on the ground as they attempted to catch Xiao Lan. However, Xiao Lan had already braced himself to leap for the other wall.
After going through so much training, he was no longer like in the past, where he couldn’t even get up on the wall.
Wasn’t this just leaping through the air? What was the big deal?
The slender strands failed in their attack, but still chased closely after Xiao Lan and continued to launch attacks.
While Xiao Lan and the water demon were doing battle.
On the other side, Luo finished writing in the air, and was waiting for Xiao Lan’s response.
However, long, dragging footsteps came from behind him.
It was the lazy sound made when the sole of a shoe was dragged over the ground.
As if the spaces overlapped in that moment, a figure walked out of thin air.
It was a skinny and shriveled man. He was holding scissors the length of his arms, and he could be considered tall and large, but he was too thin. At a glance, he almost didn’t seem human.
His face was extremely wrinkled, making it hard to make out his original features; the only thing that could be seen was a pair of dull eyes.
Luo had no intention of turning around and dealing with the new arrival.
To him, waiting for news from his sir was more important.
However, when the newcomer saw Luo, his originally dull eyes flashed with a delighted light.
“It’s you!” His hoarse voice unexpectedly sounded a little surprised and delighted, as if he had accidentally come across a hidden treasure.
Only now did Luo reluctantly deign to give him a small glance. “You are?”
“Heehee, heeheehee…” The newcomer didn’t reply, but began laughing on his own.
The more he laughed, the louder it became, to the point that he began to tremble all over, like some extremely rare good thing had just happened.
Luo didn’t speak, and merely gazed coldly at this neurotic person.
When he wasn’t by Xiao Lan’s side, he was still elegant and well-mannered, but always looked a little less animated.
Such as now.
The newcomer cackled for a good while before he finally straightened his body.
He wiped the spittle from his lips, then looked at Luo’s eyes with a longing gaze. “Clearly, it’s the eyes that are the most delicious, but that fat pig doesn’t understand! Stupid tasteless fat pig!! How can greasy brains be more delicious than eyes filled with moisture…”
There truly were tons of crazies at the advanced level.
Or perhaps it was right to say that birds of a feather flocked together?
This guy was clearly the same trash as that brain-eating man; they even appeared to be on friendly terms.
However, with how this one called the other a stupid fat pig behind his back, it seemed that their friendship was a little fake.
He snapped the scissors in his hands with force. The cold snap echoed in the air.
Luo still showed no change in expression.
The newcomer, however, didn’t care. “Your eyes truly look nice. This sort of black is like obsidian. They’re just too perfect.
“It makes me unable to help but want to — eat. Them. Up~”
He walked step by step towards Luo. “Oh, right, where’s that youngster you were with? His eyes also look quite delicious. They’re so clear, they must be full of elasticity…”
He then licked his scissors. “You both just became advanced players ba, heeheehee… If you tell me that youngster’s weakness, I’ll allow you to die quicker; how about it?”
The instant he finished this sentence.
Luo’s handsome eyebrows knitted together. This guy was coveting what shouldn’t be coveted.
In an instant, his originally black eyes turned a light gold.
The light gold eyes reflected a gem-like luster in the light, but were filled with murderous intent.
Luo finally turned and stared at him, his tone chilling. “What do you want to do to my master?”
The newcomer felt a killing intent head-on that made his skin prickle, and his expression grew even more excited.
He completely didn’t focus on what Luo said. “Those eyes!! Oh! Too beautiful!! Too wonderful!! How could you hide them?!!
“Give them to me! Give them to me now!!”
He was so worked up his eyes turned red. As if no longer able to hold back, he dashed towards Luo at full speed.
Xiao Lan was able to easily evade the water demon’s filament attacks.
His moves were extremely agile, each step resting on the wall for one instant before he moved again, but it didn’t affect his speed at all.
The attacks of the water demon behind him grew more violent, but ultimately, they weren’t unable to touch Xiao Lan in the slightest.
Finally, Xiao Lan reached a corner in the corridor, which was also the end of the surface occupied by the water demon.
With another forceful stamp on the wall, Xiao Lan directly left the water demon’s area of control.
Leaving behind wiggling filaments that cut infuriated arcs in the air.
Xiao Lan landed on the floor and waved farewell to the water demon’s domain, angering the water demon into fiercely slapping the ground.
After his frivolous action, Xiao Lan swiftly left the area.
After ascertaining that his surroundings were safe, Xiao Lan took out the envelope.
【I’m fine. It’s all thanks to your analysis.】
After a few seconds, Luo’s response appeared once more. His writing was as elegant as always and looked no different from before:
【It’s my honour.】
At that moment, a person was lying by his feet.
Perhaps it couldn’t be entirely considered ‘a’ person. His scissors and even the hands wielding them had disappeared. As if corroded by some unknown force, his body had large areas of damage, and his eye sockets were empty holes.
But he still wasn’t dead.
He seemed a little delirious. His face was filled with fright, but he was still laughing maniacally. “Haha… Ha… Hahaha…”
Luo felt nothing towards this scene at all.
He left without remorse, occasionally writing some words that only he and Xiao Lan could see in the air.
The same elegant smile was still on his lips.
The person on the floor could only hear unhurried steps gradually drawing away from the corridor.
The world in his senses gradually sank into stillness…
Not long after.
During an interval in his conversation with Luo, Xiao Lan flipped open ‘Mingyue Pavilion’.
The flickering on the cover had stopped; moreover, one more box was lit.
Did something really happen to Qi Ning?! The startled Xiao Lan hurriedly flipped the book open.
In the end, the page which belonged to Qi Ning in the book had changed.
The original text was crossed out and had turned into:
【The avenger continues alone in the darkness】
【Eternally sinking】
This meant that Qi Ning had already escaped alive.
While Xiao Lan sighed in relief, he stared at the new lit box on the cover. Who was the one who had died?
Now, ten boxes were already lit on the cover.
thanks for the chapter
Luo: “Every part of my master can be only my.”
Xiao Lan: “Someone said bankruptcy?”
Qi Ning: “…” (ಠ_ಠ)
thanks for the chapter~
Thank you for the chapter
»… but ultimately, they weren’t unable to touch Xiao Lan in the slightest.« weren’t able/were unable
Wrong move random guy lol Don’t even think of doing smth to XL in front of Luo.
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
Ah I’m glad our plague doctor is okay~
Thank you for the chapter!
I like how worried he is about Qi Ning. I also don’t want him to die anytime soon.
I’m giggling at the water monster being angry xD
thanks for the chapter <3
I should’ve checked if the translation was complete already! I was so hooked with this story, it wasn’t that faced paced or too boring that I almost gave up reading. The translations are, as always, superb. I’m thinking if there are any other players left besides the four? And if the instances also exist in the real world?
So nice to read another chapter : ) Thank you for your translations!
There so many player in this instance…kinda curious how many of them 😐
three boxes left! 4(maybe more) players left! they’ll be okay (:
Mr. Luo is so whipped, ah! it’s like Xiao Lan is like a drug and his desire to consume this delight forever lingers in his lips, ah!!