Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor-CherryApple, Proofreader-adjective
The thirteenth door was embedded on the rock wall, about 100-meters above him.
To Jiang Fang, who had lost all functional props, it was now inaccessible.
Jiang Fang quietly leaned against the opposite wall and looked up from afar.
It wasn’t until he reached up to this point, that Jiang Fang was certain that this game wasn’t a test about reserving props or using them to their maximum efficiency.
The blonde girl said that any of them could take on the role of the “Princess” and play the game.
She also clearly mentioned that this was not a test of one’s physical strength.
She even waited patiently for the three to exchange props.
In other words, she wasn’t bothered in the slightest about the fact that they possess props that could possibly help them “cheat” their way through the game.
Either, she wanted the player to pass the game.
Or, she knew that it would be impossible for them to pass the game, no matter how many props they carried.
Just like the last mini-game in the library, this mini-game also tested the player’s ability to move, adapt and collect information.
The setting of this game could be determined from the gigantic eye-shaped world seen upon first entry and how the game was set up to be close to one’s heartstrings. It assessed how players would overcome their inner “fear”.
This also meant that the game wouldn’t be the same for everyone and the landscape would be modified based on the player’s fears and dislikes.
The first level of the game was a smooth ride.
While Jiang Fang passed through the doors and collected information, the game was also analyzing, collecting, and reading into Jiang Fang’s information.
Jiang Fang felt that the difficulty and terrain of the game had changed according to the props that he was carrying and how he used them.
He only had the two pages of [Ma Liang’s Sketchbook] that were practical in this game.
As a result, the game chose a smooth transition, and it wasn’t until the seventh door that the game put up an 8-meter cliff in front of him.
Jiang Fang was certain that if he had more advanced and handy props at his disposal, he would’ve started encountering difficulties at a much earlier level.
——In short, the game was deliberately forcing the player to exhaust their props.
The most obvious evidence of this was that after finding the situation out of control, the game refreshed to present a complex canyon system immediately after the twelfth door, forcing Jiang Fang to navigate through the maze. Dramatically, the usable period of the last bit of [Ma Liang’s Sketchbook] was exhausted in front of the door.
It made real-time calculations based on Jiang Fang’s actions, and then shifted and evolved into something that could capture the deepest fear within people’s hearts.
It commanded and encouraged the player to do something.
——But, what exactly does it want the player to do?
Various contradictions and clues, many of which had been discovered too late, opposed each other with equal harshness, arose in Jiang Fang’s mind and gradually connected.
First of all…
Jiang Fang looked down at his legs.
When he entered the twelfth door and nearly smashed against the cliff wall head-on, he felt a faint sense of dissonance.
For example, in sprint races, if the field was small, the staff would place a layer of cushion on the edge wall not far from the finish line to protect them, because stopping immediately after the finish line after running at such a high pace would be difficult. The athlete could not immediately stop after running at such a high speed and crossing the finish line, but must maintain a high pace and continue to run ahead to avoid injuries.
The soft cushions on the wall were supposed to function as a buffer.
At that juncture, no matter how quick Jiang Fang’s reflexes were, the impact of suddenly striking the rock wall at a dangerous speed of 20 meters per second should be quite fatal.
He had subconsciously used his foot as a cushion, even if it was timely, the consequence should be at least a bone fracture.
But Jiang Fang only felt a slight tingling pain.
Let alone, just now he was more than ten meters above ground when the bamboo dragonfly timed-out.
Even though Jiang Fang had already adjusted his posture and was ready to cushion his fall, he would have been injured when he fell from a height of nearly three or four stories, even if the ground was covered with soft turf.
In fact, apart from a little dust on his skirt and cheeks, he didn’t even have a scratch on him.
After thinking about the keyword “injury”, Jiang Fang soon found another discrepancy.
Jiang Fang still remembered that in order to maintain absolute sobriety, he had slashed himself severely whilst agitated.
At the beginning of the level, Jiang Fang gently cut his fingers with a dagger and used a subtle pain sensation to confirm whether the scene in front of him was an illusion.
But he had always loved his fingers, so he consciously controlled the force.
——However, while he was in midair, he used a lot of force to slice his backhand. His arm should have started bleeding right away.
Even though the pain was momentarily suppressed by quick adrenaline secretion, the wound should be real.
——However, it was as if the wound never existed.
The best approach for Jiang Fang to confirm this would be to test it again on himself.
Jiang Fang pressed the dagger horizontally on his thin forearm, then slightly folded his forearm against his upper arm, and with a little force applied, the two sharp sides pierced against the skin on both sides.
Jiang Fang pursed his lips and closed his eyes, holding the dagger hilt exposed between his forearm and upper arm. He drew it out slowly.
He could feel the resistance of the blade cutting through the layers of muscles and tissues.
Jiang Fang did not open his eyes until the sharp blade was completely pulled out.
However, the blade was clean.
There was no trace of blood.
Jiang Fang relaxed his tense arm.
The flesh that was “exposed” in front of his eyes was likewise unscathed.
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.
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——This is a perfect world where no one gets hurt.
It was indeed the setting of a typical fairy tale world.
Thinking about it this way, they never really saw whether a wound really existed on the blonde girl’s hands that were wrapped in layers of blood-stained bandages.
However, even if he figured this out, the problem at hand wasn’t resolved.
Even if he knew that he would not be injured, how was Jiang Fang going to climb this 100 meter cliff wall?
Could this be an illusionary world?
As long as one knew they wouldn’t get hurt, they could overcome the fear of injury..
Overcome his fear and complete the level?
——Doesn’t seem to be wrong.
The standard of “overcoming fear” was not quantifiable at all.
For example, Jiang Fang now knew that he would not be injured, so in theory, he should be able to “overcome his fear”.
But when Jiang Fang stepped on the rock wall with one foot, he didn’t, in the slightest, feel like he wasn’t under the influence of gravity.
The thirteenth door that remained opened on the cliff face showed no sign of coming down.
Could it be that the criterion for passing this level was to completely overcome his fear of heights on the spot?
However, Jiang Fang’s fear of heights was psychogenic.
Unless his father came back to life, he couldn’t overcome it.
And this was impossible to achieve.
And the game would not put forth an impossible goal.
Jiang Fang raised his eyes to look back but unexpectedly found that the twelfth door through which he came in, somehow appeared just 5 meters away from him, floating quietly, seemingly a silent invitation.
~Come in, come in.~
As the blonde girl said, “The door that the ‘Princess’ walked through will not disappear, but will always wait for the return of the ‘Princess’.”
A thought came to Jiang Fang’s mind.
Perhaps this door behind him, which was within reach, was actually the real door?
If he walked through this door, perhaps he could return to Nan Zhou’s side?
But he quickly dismissed this thought.
The blonde girl had clearly said.
“As long as the ‘Princess’ finds the game too difficult and does not wish to continue, she only needs to turn around and reenter the door she had previously come through to be able to leave the game directly.”
“When you go through the first door, you have the right to leave at any time.”
Her words were very specific.
The door behind him was reserved for players who didn’t want to continue playing anymore.
If they were overwhelmed by fear, the player could choose to leave at any time.
If he really chose to go out through that door based on the wild ideas in his mind, it was very likely that he would leave Nan Zhou behind in this world completely.
Jiang Fang still remembered that after they finished the game at the library and came out, the door to the library was closed, and there was no way they could go back in there.
There was no way he could take such a risk with Nan Zhou.
Therefore, this path was not feasible.
……
So, Jiang Fang looked up at the door a hundred meters high in the cliff face and continued to think about how he could climb up there.
The sunlight was dazzling and inadvertently stung his eyes.
When he first entered the game and saw the blonde girl, beams of light fell on her gorgeous hair making it appear golden.
The blonde girl’s eerie brilliant and touching smile popped up in his mind.
——He suddenly remembered the feeling of inconsistency that he had when he first entered the game.
He had threatened to kill the blond girl, trying to figure out whether she had normal human emotions.
The blonde girl, who clearly had other normal emotions, faced him and gave a fearless smile, she even took the initiative to raise her snow-white neck, revealing the vulnerable throat under her skin.
She was not afraid of death in the game.
So, was she not afraid of dying, or would she not die?
If he wouldn’t get hurt, technically, it also meant he wouldn’t die…
Jiang Fang was stunned by the thought in his mind.
But his train of thought was stopped in its tracks.
A man may overcome all his fears…
Except death…
Death, which represented a complete separation and farewell to the self, fits the theme of fear best.
Wasn’t facing death the ultimate aesthetic of overcoming fear?
Jiang Fang weighed the dagger in the palm of his hand and made a slash in the air.
The dagger was very sharp, it rapidly cut through the air, emitting a clear, almost whistling shrill.
When the cold blade was pressed against his throat, the frequency of his Adam’s apple rolls increased substantially.
The airflow exhaled from his mouth was scorching hot.
But his hand was surprisingly steady.
——It’s not a bad idea, he could give it a go.
Right?
The dagger slashed down his artery.
He cut his own trachea with precision.
Jiang Fang watched as his “other self”, wearing a sapphire blue skirt emerged from his body and slowly fell forward.
The sight was too strange and bizarre.
It was beyond any fear that humans could imagine.
Jiang Fang took a step back, knelt down, and caressed “his” corpse’s cheek with a hand that was rapidly losing temperature.
However, the corpse was warm.
There was an expression, a temperature, the appearance of eyes closed awaiting trial.
Looking at this face, Jiang Fang seemed to see himself for a second.
No one knew what he was thinking.
He was probably wondering whether this was a clone of himself, or his real self.
The person he’d killed with the dagger—was it himself from a second ago?
Or was the person standing here himself from a second ago?
He may be wondering whether the current him was considered dead, or alive.
Jiang Fang finally understood what the blonde girl meant.
When all the available props were forced to be used up by the game, when every attempt was exhausted, the game would force players to sacrifice themselves and face the fear that makes no difference to everyone—death—to reach the last door.
It was just like the blonde girl said.
People don’t die here.
There would be no danger to life.
Similarly, as she stated, the fear of murdering oneself was enough to cause one to forsake one’s teammates and go headlong towards the exit door.
Various wild and chaotic emotions flashed through Jiang Fang’s eyes, clashing and twisting, and eventually settling.
Finally, he caressed “his” cheek and leaned over, placing a light kiss on “his” forehead, mildly saying, “…You have worked hard.”
Anyone who saw this scene would be horrified and would think that Jiang Fang was completely insane.
However, Jiang Fang’s consciousness was clearer than ever.
“Don’t worry.”
Jiang Fang lifted his head and looked up at the last door a hundred meters away, seemingly speaking softly to someone on the other side of the door, “This is a big project.”
……
He was only one door away from Nan Zhou.
On the other side of the door, Nan Zhou was persistently pecking at the door ring, flapping his wings, and making an effort to open the door.
The blonde girl was gently giving her handmade goose feed to the eager swans.
Hearing the sound, she turned around.
Knowing that Nan Zhou was eager for his husband, she couldn’t count how many times she had emphasized to Nan Zhou, “Don’t worry too much about him. The level is not difficult, and there will be no dangers to his life.”
Nan Zhou looked back at the blonde girl.
He decided not to tell her that he was planning to break down her door.
It was just that after he turned into a swan, his power had been greatly suppressed.
Moreover, the door was one-way and could not be opened from his direction.
With no success, he could only circle around the door unhappily, pecking at it.
Li Yinhang came over, still not used to her webbed feet and gently pointed towards Nan Zhou’s wings with the tip of her wings, “Don’t worry too much. Didn’t the blonde girl say that there won’t be any danger? Brother Fang is very powerful. Don’t worry. We’ll just wait for him.”
Nan Zhou, “I know. That’s why it’s strange.”
Li Yinhang, “What’s strange?”
Nan Zhou, “There is no danger. He is very good. I know all that. But my heart still feels uneasy.”
With that said, Nan Zhou became upset and smoothed the “hair” on his chest, as if he was looking for an unexplained trauma that was causing him to feel this way.
Nan Zhou said, “That’s not quite right. Something seems to be wrong with me.”
He guessed that perhaps the impact of the full moon he suffered in the last instance had not recovered.
Li Yinhang, “……”
Pfft.
If she had to guess, this was probably the legendary ‘love’.
“At the very least, it couldn’t be motherly love.”
Li Yinhang originally wanted to teach love education to the boss.
But after thinking about it, she decided against it.
Firstly, the big boss looked as if he’d never dated before.
Secondly, she, herself, had never dated before.
She could talk about the theory behind dating, but she had no actual experience. If she were to flap her mouth and teach others, wouldn’t she end up misdirecting and teaching the child wrong things?
While Li Yinhang was thinking it over, a rustling sound from the door brought her back to reality.
She suddenly got excited, “Is he coming?!”
Nan Zhou did not say anything.
He squatted down and faced the door, waiting for Jiang Fang, who had successfully passed the game, to push open the door.
He also turned around and groomed his side with slightly messy, white feathers.
After finishing the grooming, Nan Zhou once again felt puzzled by his strange behavior.
——Why did he do that?
However, the person on the other side of the door also seemed to be in no hurry to enter.
……
Jiang Fang stood on the edge of the cliff, holding the door handle with one hand and probing the storage with his other.
At his feet, there were 51 bodies.
The corpses were heavily bound and stacked together by the soft light he cast with [Right Hand Light Finger Chain] piecing together and erecting a human-shaped ladder.
Part of it was used to reinforce the base, and part of it was used to build the ladder.
Including Jiang Fang “himself”, there were 52 corpses in total.
He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but that was the number of cards in a deck.
And he was the only joker standing above all the cards.
It was the beginning and the end of all the madness.
Standing on the shoulder of the 52nd corpse, Jiang Fang took out the beautiful, radiant high-heeled shoes from the storage slot.
He held the door handle and put the high heels back on.
After completing his get-up of “Princess”, Jiang Fang’s fingertips slowly applied pressure onto the door handle.
At the same time, his feet with the high heels strapped on gave a light push.
The soft corpse fell back in response
……
At the moment when the light outside the door surged in, Nan Zhou saw a figure walking out of the light.
The fluttering skirts, elegant manners, slightly upturned lips…
He was momentarily dazed as if he had returned to the time when he was still in front of the window of [Eternal Day]: “Apple Tree-”
However, when his line of sight fell between the owner of those slender calves, Nan Zhou’s expression froze.
Even though Jiang Fang hastily closed the door, Nan Zhou noticed something terrible dropping down from behind the door into the light that was gradually dispersing from thick to thin.
Jiang Fang took out the first nettle dress from the storage slot and used a dagger and threw it to Li Yinhang. Then, he took out the second nettle dress with his own hands, and enduring the burning sting, put it on Nan Zhou.
Fortunately, this pain was a little numb to him now.
As Nan Zhou’s figure grew rapidly, Li Yinhang could already feel the pain brought by the golden ring.
Although she thought about keeping it, it was hard currency after all, the burning pain at this moment still made her panic.
It was almost as if the golden ring was going to be branded on her leg.
When Li Yinhang realized something was wrong, she quickly rolled up her pants and dismantled the gold ring, which was slowly melting together and breaking in half.
Nan Zhou, who had returned to his original form, walked behind Jiang Fang, towards the closed door.
Jiang Fang, in a princess dress, grabbed his waist, and smiled softly by his ear, “I can’t stand straight, I have to hold onto you.”
Nan Zhou looked at Jiang Fang, whose lips were so white that there was no trace of blood.
It was as if someone had caught him off guard and stabbed him in his heart, that he couldn’t feel pain, only anger.
At this time, a piercing pain came from his thigh in waves.
The golden ring seemed to be squeezing and burning his skin.
But he did not care.
Nan Zhou lowered his voice and asked him, “How… did you pass the level?”
Jiang Fang hugged him, catching on to the faint trembling even though he tried his best to suppress it. Following his line of sight, Jiang Fang knew that he had already guessed seventy to eighty points in his heart.
Just like how Nan Zhou already had a good guess in his heart about what he had suffered through.
Probably because he had died more than once just now, Jiang Fang hugged Nan Zhou so tightly that Nan Zhou could hardly breathe.
——He was in pain for him.
Such realization gave Jiang Fang a twisted, reassuring, and warm feeling at the same time as his heart ached.
“… Ah!” Jiang Fang hugged Nan Zhou so firmly, that he could even feel Nan Zhou’s heart beating rapidly. Jiang Fang smiled and softly whispered to him, “I don’t want to tell you.”
That was both highly disturbing and awesome.
Imagine trying to make a ladder out of thin rope and some dead bodies, geeze. Craftsmanship level: master.
Ahah Lin Yinhang, so self aware 😂
Also, for all this chapter wasn’t gory, it was heartbreaking! Even if he doesn’t really die, he still felt the pain of dying 51 times!!
Thank you for the update! ❤️ ❤️
Engineer and perfect player! So talented
Thank you for new chapter
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
thanks for the chapter <3