The towering figure of the Judge stood impassively. The upper half of its body was wrapped in blood-stained bandages, while the wounds inflicted by the crow’s beak moments ago had already healed. Even the bandages appeared refreshingly new.
It remained motionless, maintaining its original posture. Bandages outlined sharp contours on its face, and long, jet-black hair hung down over its forehead.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary adult male, except for its towering stature. Everything else appeared normal.
But as soon as anyone saw its face, they would never mistake it for an ordinary human.
The Judge’s entire face was enveloped in blood-soaked bandages. One could faintly discern a handsome countenance beneath, but the area around its eyes constantly oozed fresh blood, creating an eerie discomfort.
Anyone gazing at this bandaged face, devoid of any openings, would feel something sinister take hold of their soul. It wasn’t just because of the blood seeping from a face that closely resembled a human’s; it was also due to an irresistible fear.
That fear stemmed from the Judge’s gaze.
Oh no! Knife-bro had spotted them!
Brother Li and the pink-haired girl, who had seen the Judge’s face, were both horrified.
They stared in disbelief at the terrifying man on the ground below. Even though they knew it was just a game, they couldn’t help but shiver in fear.
This formidable boss had unpredictable abilities, and even the seasoned players hadn’t fully figured out its personality and skills. They only knew that this boss was cold, heartless, and rarely spoke.
In fact, amidst countless attempts to conquer it, they had only managed to record two sentences from this boss. One was, “You shouldn’t have come here,” and the other was, “Death is your destiny.” Its sheer disdain for the players was evident by its refusal to speak.
However, due to the magnetic quality of its voice, when players shared the recordings online, it unexpectedly attracted a large following of fans who loved its voice.
After the game became popular, these two lines of dialogue were turned into meme videos and circulated widely on the internet. This turned the cold and heartless “Knife-bro” into an internet sensation.
One couldn’t deny that Knife-bro was the epitome of a ruthless and silent character. He gained countless fans due to his formidable strength, cruel personality, and the tragic backstory mentioned in the urban legend.
Furthermore, although his face couldn’t be seen, his physique was obviously that of a handsome man with muscular and attractive features. Many male and female fans were drawn to him for his body. For a while, the fanbase was so active that it turned a serious gaming forum into a gathering place for adoring simps.
However, this big boss in the game also had his drawbacks—namely the fact that Knife-bro, as the final boss in a high-level instance, behaved more rigidly than bosses in simpler instances. He focused only on relentless killing.
What was even more lamentable was that, due to the boss’s overpowering combat abilities, all plans against him were sound on paper but futile in action. Even though it might not possess much intelligence and only knew how to kill, it still overwhelmed players, reducing them to desperate cries.
In contrast, the bosses in simpler instances within the game were cunning and players could even freely interact with humanoid or monstrous bosses. This included some intimate contact below the neck that was not suitable for description. This unconventional approach sometimes made players wonder if these NPCs were real people in disguise, leading to many rumors about their authenticity.
By comparison, Knife-bro seemed mechanical. The creature lacked emotion, and player interactions with it were essentially suicidal because its sole mode of operation was to kill. This made some players even suspect that the developers had been lazy when designing this character. Its lines were just barely adequate, and its intelligence was even lower than the low-level minions in the instance.
This boss, officially named the “Judge,” had always guarded the island, and there was very little information about it. In the game’s lore, there were only brief mentions of its background, indicating that it was the son of a butcher, possibly shaped into a merciless character due to domestic violence and bullying during childhood. It would kill anyone it found on the island and had strong regenerative abilities. The rest remained a mystery, including the origin of the island and how Knife-bro had become the way he was.
Initially, some wealthy players gathered a group to challenge this boss and complete the highest-level seal mission to earn the right to unlock the server’s second advanced instance. However, after countless deaths and enduring fifty percent of the agony hundreds of times, they had to admit that this boss was an unbeatable bug-like existence in the game. No matter how powerful their weapons were, they couldn’t defeat it.
Since the launch of Tales of the Unusual, many simple instances had been opened, but this remained the only high-difficulty advanced instance that players cursed incessantly. The game’s official website’s forum saw countless curses and millions of wishes for the game designers to meet their ancestors, but it was all in vain. The game’s difficulty never decreased.
As a result, many top players gave up. They entered the advanced instance only to gain experience and explore new ways to die, then headed to the simpler instances for relaxation. No one dared to think about the highest-level seal mission offered by the game.
This situation led to an abundance of strategies circulating online, with players trying all sorts of ways to survive. They were only limited by their imagination, and there was nothing they couldn’t do. However, almost all these strategies mentioned one survival secret: once Knife-bro spotted you, don’t hesitate, just run. Otherwise, prepare to restart the game. You would die miserably!
As they looked at the man symbolising death, the four of them shivered. They had initially thought about taking some photos to show off online, but now, they had no inclination.
“Hurry, let’s go! If you don’t want to die, run!” Brother Li scolded the uncooperative native NPCs, taking the lead with his companions, rushing forward.
The survivors behind Brother Li were in disarray, panicked and following suit.
Yao Ye, crying uncontrollably, had been pampered all his life and had never experienced such distress. First, he was beaten up, and then, he was frightened by the deceased. He felt so wronged that he was on the verge of breaking down.
Seeing everyone else leaving, Yao Ye started to panic. He unintentionally glanced down the hill and met the gaze of the bandaged monster.
Though the bandaged creature had no visible eyes, the sight of those blood-soaked wrappings made Yao Ye’s skin crawl. He couldn’t continue crying and, for the sake of survival, scrambled to his feet, joining the others as they ran. For the sake of survival, he ran until his legs were jelly.
At the clearing, the silent Judge sensed the final trace of a familiar presence on the hilltop vanishing and gripped the long knife in hand tightly.
Who could it be?
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.
Pa ofia rb ojwliljg…
“Leoo! Leoo!”
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Lf tjv rbjxfv lc rfjkjafg yfobgf, jcv cbk, tlr mibatfr, ralii cba fcalgfis vgs, miecu ecmbwobgajyis ab tlr ybvs.
In normal circumstances, he would have loathed these clothes and tossed them away for something new. But today was different from the past. Presently, he was a fallen phoenix, looking even more bedraggled than a drowned dog, with no room for his typical privileged behaviour.
He trudged along with heavy steps, following at the rear of the group. He ran with a blurred sense of awareness, his aching lungs protesting, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep running to stay alive.
After running for a while, the player leading the group finally stopped. Brother Li surveyed the surroundings and consulted his map on the smartwatch, then discussed with his companions, “Should we explore other plot points now, or should we head to the slaughterhouse? It’s getting dark, and the island is not safe.”
The pink-haired girl was taking selfies with her smartwatch, planning to post photos of her thrilling escape online. She listened to Brother Li and casually replied, “Sure, we’ll follow your lead, Knife-bro!”
This island was filled with various monsters that harbored grudges against each other, engaging in daily mutual slaughter. They showed no mercy to intruders, especially when night fell. During the night, Knife-bro would temporarily halt its patrol, and the island became a haven for these creatures, turning it into hell for intruders.
As players, they had some self-defence abilities, but they couldn’t deal with so many monsters. Therefore, the wisest choice was to enter the central slaughterhouse on the island and hide there from the nighttime attacks.
Another player, Dollar, looked at the frightened NPCs behind them and asked, “Brother Li, what about these people? Shouldn’t we bring fewer of them? With this many, if they start yelling and screaming like earlier, the slaughterhouse won’t be entirely safe either.”
Brother Li thought it over, and with his perfectionist tendencies, he left the decision to Dollar. He made a swift decision to remove twelve people from the group, leaving twenty behind, enough to form five human shields for their party of four.
Everyone agreed with this decision. They quickly chose twelve of the weakest and tied them to a tree with ropes, preventing them from following.
“No! Don’t leave us behind! Please! Big Brother! Big Brother! I’ll do anything! Waaah!”
A disheveled woman pleaded in terror, using her bound hands to pull open her clothes, attempting to seduce Brother Li and the others as they prepared to leave.
The survivors, who had been terrified by what they had witnessed, were now experiencing an unprecedented fear of the island. No one wanted to be left behind to face certain death. In their eyes, Brother Li and the others had become their only lifeline, and they desperately wanted to follow.
“Waaah! Don’t leave me!!!”
“At least, can you untie us? Please! We don’t want to die! Waaah!!!”
A young girl with tear-stained cheeks and some elderly people were also begging.
However, as players, Brother Li and his companions were unmoved. They coldly departed, leaving the bound survivors behind.
These guys were nothing but NPCs. In fact, from what they knew of the storyline, they were not even living beings. They were pitiful creatures, unaware of their own deaths, holding no value that would move a player.
The other survivors wore distressed expressions, but none dared to defy the players.
Many of those who survived the shipwreck were affluent entrepreneurs with significant societal standing. Those who once dominated their fields were now as docile as quails. Under Brother Li’s scolding, they remained silent, seemingly completely submissive to Brother Li and his associates.
Or at least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.
Yao Ye, too ashamed to face the elderly and women, hung his head low, looking disheveled as he walked at the back of the group.
He heard haunting and pitiable wails from behind. Struggling, he covered one ear with his handcuffed hands.
Yet in the end, Yao Ye couldn’t resist looking back. The tear-stricken faces of despair caught his gaze.
The women tied to the trees were submerged in the dense canopy’s shadow, looking like offerings to a demon, with faces that exuded a lifeless aura.
At the very least, someone should untie them.
Yao Ye gritted his teeth, recalling that mysterious young boy named Yuan Ping he had met during his childhood in a remote town.
It was only later he found out that the boy, who died suddenly, had lived his life under the shadow of domestic abuse, enduring unspeakable suffering.
Yet, even so, Yuan Ping had helped him escape the slaughterhouse.
Had he not treated him with such arrogance and instead offered a helping hand, perhaps the boy wouldn’t have met the tragic end of being burnt alive.
As he grew older, Yao Ye often pondered these what-ifs, filled with shame for his youthful arrogance.
Though he had always been proud and haughty, he wasn’t heartless. He felt regret, and these memories would involuntarily resurface whenever he was alone, filling him with sorrow.
Thinking of this, Yao Ye’s heart overflowed with sympathy. Recalling the cold indifference he faced when he sought help earlier, he stopped in his tracks and turned back.
“I’ll untie you!”
Swiftly, Yao Ye began untying them, intending to free them and then catch up with the group ahead.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“Young man, you truly are kind-hearted!”
“Thank you, big brother!”
The vulnerable group, tethered together like locusts on a long rope with their hands bound, continuously thanked Yao Ye. Yet, their expressions seemed odd.
Distracted by the cuffs on his wrists and focusing on untying the knots, Yao Ye was oblivious to it all.
“It’s okay. Find somewhere safe to hide. I overheard them saying it’s dangerous here at night…”
Before he could finish, Yao Ye noticed the group surrounding him. Unease sprouted in him.
“…Right, you all should leave. I need to get back, or they’ll be angry…”
Yao Ye took a few steps back, noticing the twisted expressions on the faces of those he had saved.
“…Now that you’ve left the group, does that mean there’s an extra spot?”
An elderly man with disheveled silver hair gazed at Yao Ye, eyes gleaming eerily.
“That’s right. Since you’ve stepped out, give me your spot!”
A tearful girl with swollen eyes now displayed a mix of envy and desperation.
“You all!!!”
These people were mad!
In disbelief, Yao Ye’s eyes widened, alarm bells ringing in his head. He turned to flee but was grabbed by the collar by one of the women he had freed.
“Thank you for your help, but…why not help just a bit more? You hypocrite!”
Her delicate features twisted with malicious resentment.
“That man said they needed exactly twenty people. Now that you’re gone, there’s a chance for us!”
Several other frail-looking men joined the circle. Those who had just thanked him now glared with hatred.
“Why are you running? Weren’t you helping us?”
“You sickening hypocrite! You thought we couldn’t see through your vile intentions? Just showing off your kindness, huh? If you were truly kind-hearted, why not help us?”
“Bind him! Then we can return!”
“Yes! Let him fend for himself! This fake bastard! Disgusting!”
“Bind him! Bind him, and we can go back!”
All ten wore eerily ecstatic smiles, their features contorted in wild emotion, making them look less than human.
Yao Ye was shattered.
Never did he imagine that the people he saved would turn on him so viciously. They tied him to a tree, wrapping the rope several times and tying a tight knot.
“You maniacs! Let me go!!!”
Watching them rush towards the group ahead, fury welled up within Yao Ye.
“I helped you! Why? Why do this to me!!!”
Having lived under his father’s protection, Yao Ye had never witnessed the darker side of humanity. He couldn’t fathom why, after saving them, he was met with such a grim fate.
“Why…why do this to me…”
Unable to hold back, Yao Ye began crying. He knew he was doomed.
Tied to a tree and unable to move an inch. Even if no beast or creature killed him, he’d die of hunger or thirst.
“Help…someone…please save me…”
Tears streamed down the face of the young man with raven-black hair, making his already handsome features look even more pitiable.
“Damn you all…damn you all…you’ll pay for this…” After a while, the exhausted Yao Ye began to curse those who had abandoned him through gritted teeth.
“You just wait…I’ll kill you all…all of you shall die miserably! Damn it!”
Yao Ye resolved never to do a good deed again. Sympathy, morality—to hell with it all!
Everyone on this island was mad! There wasn’t a single sane person!
He shouldn’t have come back to save them. He was a fool, an idiot. He deserved this!
Left alone in the desolate forest, fear nearly drove Yao Ye insane. He struggled bitterly, ropes chafing his body raw, cuffs cutting his wrists into bloody flesh.
“They’re insane…all of them…damn you…go to hell!!!”
Despite his wounds, Yao Ye continued to thrash, but his body was weak. Having gone without food or drink since the shipwreck, he had no strength left. Compared to his bindings, his attempts to free himself seemed futile.
Thud… Thud…
He heard heavy footsteps approaching, growing louder and closer.
He stopped struggling, breathing rapidly, tears dripping.
Help… was there anyone out there who could save him?
The sound halted behind the tree to which Yao Ye was tied.
He stiffened, his soft black hair damp and clinging to his face. Trembling, he tried to look in the direction of the sound.
A face, wrapped in bandages with blood seeping through at the eyes, appeared before him.
It was the man with the large blade, wrapped in bandages.
Without a word, he silently looked down at Yao Ye, looming ominously.
The man’s terrifying figure and the overpowering smell of blood threatened to shatter Yao Ye’s sanity.
“AAAAAH!!!”
A scream tore from Yao Ye’s throat as he desperately struggled, the bloody stains on his white shirt darkening.
“Help… Ahhh!!! Stay away! Don’t come closer!!!”
TN: We’ll go back to weekly Sunday releases next chapter. There will be no more delayed releases for this arc. The arc will end at Chapter 64, which will be posted on 21 Jan 2024.
Gnashing my teeth so hard at those people who left him behind!! The audacity to say he was a hypocrite!!! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
I feel like… these urban legends, these worlds, are the negative emotions heightened? it feels like the theme of this novel is humanity and our selfishness? our negative emotions?