***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
***
The system's voice announcement had always been emotionless, but this time, after delivering its message, it let out a cold laugh—a laugh so chilling it made one's scalp tingle.
Ruan Qing, however, didn’t dare show any displeasure, pretending as though he hadn’t heard it at all.
After all, he was the one who had deceived them first.
The strength of a vengeful ghost after death was tied to the depth of its resentment, as well as its abilities in life. For anyone else, becoming a vengeful ghost would make it nearly impossible to stand against Miao Li.
With Miao Linyuan and the others' fates unknown, the only one Ruan Qing could choose was Miao Ciyu.
But he had underestimated their speed and overestimated his own physical limits. Even if he hadn’t tripped, he likely wouldn’t have been able to cross the boundary line before them.
Ruan Qing had thought he was doomed to fail in this instance, but unexpectedly, someone helped him.
It was the short-haired girl who threw him out.
No one knew where she found the strength, but the moment Ruan Qing stumbled, she grabbed his wrist and hurled him past the line separating Miao Village from the outside world.
Inside the line was a living nightmare, a hellscape. Beyond it, however, was a vibrant, blossoming world—the only path to clearing this instance.
No one could survive the riot of the cursed worms. From the moment the village head concealed his own time of death, allowing the worms inside him to break free, their rampage was inevitable.
Because she had thrown Ruan Qing out, the short-haired girl lost her balance and crashed heavily to the ground. There was no way for her to escape now.
The pursuing boss wouldn’t spare her, nor would the countless cursed worms behind her.
The short-haired girl had felt a strange familiarity with the boy for a long time. It wasn’t just from seeing his bounty in the game’s main city—it went further back.
As if… she had known him before she even entered the game.
Players in the Infinite Horror Game were all individuals who had died and become participants. Most retained their memories from before death, and the short-haired girl was no exception.
She could clearly recall her past life, yet no matter how hard she searched her memories, she couldn’t find any trace of the boy. She had almost convinced herself it was just her imagination.
But when the wind brushed through his hair, she finally remembered where she had seen him before.
Amid the ruins of what had once been a living hell.
The boy had walked across that scorched, crimson earth, his white figure receding into the flames like a god descending into the mortal world.
And in a way, he truly had.
The short-haired girl flashed a bright smile at the boy who had turned to look at her—a smile more radiant than ever before. Silently, she mouthed the words:
Thank.
You.
With that, she closed her eyes, waiting for death.
But instead of dying, she was suddenly kicked away with brutal force. Her body flew backward, slamming into a large tree before crumpling to the ground.
Whether it was shock or sheer agony that paralyzed her thoughts, the girl could only stare blankly. The impact had shattered her ribs, driving bone fragments into her organs, yet the physical pain barely registered. Her dazed eyes blinked at the shadowy forest ahead.
Had she… cleared the level?
[Congratulations to player Li Miaomiao for clearing the instance: <Miao Village>.]
Before she could process it, her figure began to fade. At the last second, she jerked her head up to look at the boy—because she realized something.
Players were pulled back into the system space of the Infinite Horror Game ten seconds after the clearance announcement.
But the boy had emerged long before her, yet his form remained trapped in the instance.
Li Miaomiao’s eyes widened, her heart leaping into her throat. Instinctively, she lunged toward him—only for the scenery to warp abruptly. She crashed onto the floor of the system space, alone.
She had been ejected.
Her injuries had vanished the moment she returned, but she stayed frozen on the ground, the image of the fragile boy burned into her mind. Her chest ached, her eyes stung, and the suffocating weight of realization pressed down on her.
Only the dead entered this game. And that boy—still trapped, even after clearing the dungeon—was no exception.
Ruan Qing had figured it out too. Even the short-haired girl, kicked aside at the last moment, had escaped the instance. Yet he remained.
Apart from the system’s announcement declaring his victory, nothing had changed.
The chilling presence drew closer. Two figures stood at the boundary, their oppressive aura thick with malice. The darkness in their eyes stirred an instinctive, overwhelming fear.
Even though they stayed behind the line, Ruan Qing retreated a step, his delicate face tense with wariness.
The short-haired girl was kicked away by Miao Ciyu, before Miao Li could kill her.
Not because Miao Ciyu was kind, nor to repay her for saving Ruan Qing—but because he refused to let her die for Ruan Qing’s sake.
He would not allow anyone to leave a mark on his heart, not even through death.
He belonged to himself, body and soul—that was how it should be.
Ruan Qing watched the two of them uneasily, pressing his pale, thin lips together as he called out to the system in his mind, his voice lacking its usual calm.
'System, why haven’t I left the instance yet?'
[I don’t know.]
The System’s voice was cold, its tone stiff and devoid of warmth, as if suppressing some kind of anger.
Ruan Qing knew why it was angry. Because of the gu worms, this instance had given the System too much hope—only for him to realize, in the end, that everything had been manipulation and calculation. Anyone with a shred of pride would be furious, let alone the usually aloof System.
Ruan Qing’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
Apart from its icy tone, the System’s voice held no urgency or panic, meaning there was no issue on the other's end.
His exit from the instance was only a matter of time.
Even so, Ruan Qing’s scalp prickled under the weight of their stares, every cell in his body screaming at him to run.
But running—or not—made little difference. If those two could escape, even fleeing to the ends of the earth would be useless.
“Care to explain?” Miao Ciyu’s voice was frigid, his face dark with menace as he glared at Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing’s slender frame shivered slightly. He lowered his head in panic, avoiding Miao Ciyu’s gaze.
Though he said nothing, his guilty posture said everything.
He had used him.
Miao Ciyu’s eyes darkened completely, swirling with something terrifying. Finally, he forced out a few words from the depths of his throat.
“Good.”
“Very good.”
Miao Ciyu stared at Ruan Qing with a gaze so venomous it seemed to devour him whole, sending a chill down the spine.
If his fury wasn’t appeased, something truly horrifying might happen.
But Ruan Qing didn’t explain, didn’t speak, didn’t even lift his head to glance at Miao Ciyu.
Miao Ciyu let out a cold laugh at the sight—a laugh eerily similar to the system’s earlier mockery—then stepped directly over the boundary line.
Ruan Qing’s eyes widened as he watched the man approach him, disbelief flickering in his beautiful gaze.
He could leave Miao Village?
The only reason Ruan Qing had remained so calm was because he knew vengeful ghost couldn’t leave Miao Village. But now, that belief had been shattered.
Vengeful ghost could leave—at least, Miao Ciyu could.
Ruan Qing’s face paled, his slender frame trembling uncontrollably, his lips quivering.
He parted his lips as if to speak, but no words came out—as though he didn’t even know what to say.
His wide eyes stayed fixed on the approaching man, panic flashing across his delicate features as he staggered backward, step by step.
And Miao Ciyu advanced, step by step.
Ruan Qing frantically called out to the System in his mind, his voice urgent, his tone rising with barely restrained fear.
'When can I leave this dungeon?!'
No response came—as if the System had never existed at all.
This time, Ruan Qing’s composure truly faltered. His beautiful eyes widened with unease and terror, his face twisting into helplessness as he continued to retreat.
But because his attention was locked on Miao Ciyu, he didn’t notice the tree behind him—until his back slammed into it, forcing him to stop.
He was already slower than Miao Ciyu, and with this delay, the man was now right in front of him.
Miao Ciyu’s shadow engulfed Ruan Qing, an oppressive weight bearing down on him as he spoke in a low, rough voice.
“Why did you lie to me?”
Ruan Qing’s face was deathly pale. He lowered his gaze, avoiding Miao Ciyu’s eyes, his body trembling faintly as he whispered in fear,
“…S-sorry… I didn’t mean to lie.”
“I just… had no other choice…”
His voice cracked, thick with unshed tears, pitiful beyond words.
Ruan Qing was in rough shape—his frantic escape had left his forehead damp with sweat, strands of hair clinging to his cheeks. His face was smeared with blood and dirt, the picture of utter desperation.
But this disheveled state did nothing to diminish his beauty in the slightest—instead, it added a touch of fragility, unconsciously stirring a pang of pity in those who saw him.
Yet no one present was fooled, not even the dark-faced Miao Ciyu, nor Li Tianyi standing nearby.
As the dungeon boss, Li Tianyi was under the least suppression from the dungeon after its conclusion, so he had naturally pieced together the identities of those intruders—and Ruan Qing’s role among them.
He stood by the boundary line, watching Ruan Qing with an amused smirk.
Anyone unfamiliar with Ruan Qing might easily be deceived—he was adept at playing the victim with this fragile, pitiable act.
Though trapped within the boundary, Li Tianyi was in a rather good mood. He let out a soft chuckle, his gaze shifting to Miao Ciyu.
"Forced affections aren’t sweet. Clearly, he doesn’t love you—why insist on digging for answers?"
Miao Ciyu sneered and turned to glare at Li Tianyi. "None of your damn business. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Nobody important." Li Tianyi chuckled again, tilting his chin toward Ruan Qing. "But go ahead—try taking him out of the dungeon."
Miao Ciyu’s expression darkened further. The reason he hadn’t forcibly extracted Ruan Qing from the dungeon yet was simple: the moment he used his power to remove him, Li Tianyi would forcefully merge with him—just like those other bosses had done before.
But it seemed he had no choice. The presence of others was closing in on them, and delaying would only invite more competition.
With a final icy glance at Li Tianyi, Miao Ciyu channeled his power and took Ruan Qing out of the dungeon.
I already liked the short haired girl before, now I like her even more
ReplyDelete