Yu Deng was completely entangled by the pitch-black colossal being. For several seconds, he was so frightened by the scene that he couldn't even react.
After a moment, Yu Deng widened his eyes and anxiously looked outside.
"Huh? Why were they thrown out? Qin Jun! Cheng Xiao!"
The unspeakable existence seemed displeased that Yu Deng was still thinking about other people. With a loud bang, it slammed the door shut, sealing the windows tight as well. Its flowing limbs slithered through the room, cutting off all lines of sight and blocking Yu Deng's view outside.
"What are you doing…?"
Yu Deng gripped his scalpel, staring warily and fearfully at the unknown creature.
"You—you're not allowed to move! Or I'll stab you with this!"
Hearing Yu Deng say that only made the creature inexplicably more excited. It even moved its body forward on its own, wrapping around Yu Deng's wrist and urging him to hurry up and hurt it with the blade.
…To be wounded by the human it loved, to have marks left on its body—wasn't that another form of intimacy and joy?
Yu Deng whimpered softly.
"Wuwu…"
The creature's excessive cooperation only made Yu Deng more frightened. He tried desperately to retreat, but still couldn't escape being completely wrapped up by it.
Where did this pervert even come from?!
The crow struggled to take flight in the cramped room, cawing angrily as it rushed over to rescue its master.
Only then did the terrifying creature seem to notice the crow's existence. After a brief pause, it coiled around the bird and flung it outside in a perfect arc.
Yu Deng: "..."
He stared blankly as his teammates and little pet were all thrown out.
With no other living beings left to interrupt them, the pure-black monster finally felt satisfied. Its enormous body swayed in excitement as its tentacles slid over Yu Deng's skin, lifting off the mask he was wearing.
Yu Deng was terrified, yet oddly felt a sense of familiarity...this cold, slick sensation seemed like something he had experienced before. For a moment, he didn't know what to do with this strange being.
His long, curled lashes were already soaked with warm tears. His round black eyes were veiled in mist, and his pale, pretty face was tense.
The creature extended a tentacle and carefully brushed against Yu Deng's cheek, wiping away the tears—secretly consuming every drop.
Suppressing the urge to tremble, Yu Deng asked softly,
"You… what do you want to do?"
The tentacles didn't answer, only clinging to him again and again. Yu Deng thought of what the town mayor had said earlier and lowered his voice even more.
"Then… are you an evil god?"
The pitch-black giant finally reacted. Its tentacles froze midair for a few seconds, curling slightly as if expressing confusion.
Yu Deng stared at it. "?"
What? this thing didn't even know who it was?! Still, at this point in the dungeon, it was the only thing that resembled a so-called evil god, so he might as well assume it was one.
Yu Deng changed his question.
"Then where did you come from?"
The tentacles curled even more distinctly. After thinking for a long time, it wrapped around Yu Deng affectionately.
—You summoned me.
"…Um, don't wrap so tightly." Yu Deng struggled with difficulty. "I'm not done asking yet. If you really are an evil god, do you know where you live? I want to go to the temple."
That question was clearly too complicated for a creature that acted purely on instinct. The evil god didn't understand at all and only swayed its body to express emotion.
Yu Deng felt a little frustrated.
This thing—evil god or not...didn't know anything at all. Was it… an idiot?
After talking past each other for a long time, Yu Deng finally gave up.
This terrifying being that might be an evil god simply couldn't communicate normally. It only knew how to cling to him—it probably lacked proper intelligence.
The next second, tentacles wrapped around Yu Deng's head, and his forehead touched something cold and flexible. His expression blanked for a moment as he entered a strange, mysterious state.
He seemed to see scene after scene flickering by—bright sunlight, clear moonlight and scattered stars, people sitting together and talking about life.
"The harvest goddess has finally blessed us this year."
"That's right, Sister Annie's family won't have to worry about food this winter anymore. That's wonderful. I really want to stay happy forever."
"If only we didn't have to worry about disasters, about storms, snow, or scorching heat."
"You're right. I wish for that too. Why can't the gods bless us forever?"
As the people spoke, their figures stretched and distorted, tangling together into something strange and twisted. The colors of the scene gradually dimmed, sinking into a heavy black, as if calling for everyone to fall into darkness together.
Yu Deng almost couldn't pull himself out of that state.
It was the creature that noticed something wrong first. Overwhelmed by a feeling similar to panic, it gently shook Yu Deng, waking him up.
But after doing so, it felt a twinge of regret—after all, it could have made its beloved human belong only to it… No, no. It couldn't bear to do that.
Its tentacles tangled together midair. This hesitation was probably the most complex emotion it had ever felt.
"That was so strange just now… Did you do that?" Yu Deng frowned uncomfortably.
The tentacles immediately abandoned the idea of imprisoning Yu Deng forever. They moved closer instinctively, rubbing against him in a placating manner.
[Beep… beep… Data scanning. Analyzing data… beep…]
System 01's electronic voice carried static. The scan lasted dozens of seconds before the prompt sounded again.
[Ding. Please be advised, Host. This entity is also one of your special mission targets and requires a contract.]
"Huh??"
...
Outside the door.
Cheng Xiao stabilized himself midair and landed lightly, immediately rushing toward the house, his anxiety impossible to hide.
But Qin Jun stopped him.
Cheng Xiao was incredulous. "What are you doing? He could be in danger!"
"If you panic like you're worried about a player getting hurt, his disguise will be exposed." Qin Jun scolded coldly. "I have an item that monitors his condition. He's not injured."
Qin Jun didn't know whether he was convincing his rival—or himself.
"He cares about clearing clues. We can't interfere."
Thinking of their beautiful little 'stepmother's' disguise, Cheng Xiao barely stopped himself and shot Qin Jun a glance.
This old man had been gripping his weapon the entire time, his brows tightly knit, his gaze never leaving Yu Deng's direction.
Tch. As if he wasn't anxious himself.
Cheng Xiao forced himself to calm down, but still remained ready to break through and rescue Yu Deng at any moment.
Fortunately, the mayor's house was quite grand. Though they'd been thrown out, there was still a garden outside that blocked most outside sightlines.
Qin Jun threw an offensive item toward the wooden house. Despite looking old and fragile, the structure remained intact after a localized explosion.
Cheng Xiao frowned and turned to the so-called mayor.
"Hey. What exactly is going on with your house?"
The mayor ignored them completely, still trapped in a daze, staring at the sky and muttering the same sentence over and over.
"As expected… all change is the will of the gods. We will ultimately gain eternity."
...
The two outside finally found a weak point in the wooden house and immediately launched another attack.
The colossal being wrapped around Yu Deng sensed the irritating rivals attacking. The anger it had barely suppressed surged again.
It clashed briefly with the two players—until it heard Yu Deng's voice.
"Hey—you're squeezing me…" Yu Deng complained, feeling dizzy.
It immediately stopped, ignoring the people outside, and rewrapped Yu Deng.
It was an embrace.
Soon. Very soon… It would lift its beloved human high above everything, give him everything, and make him willing to stay by its side.
Moments later, under the increasingly violent attacks from outside, the massive creature vanished from the house.
"Deng Deng, are you okay?" Qin Jun climbed in through the window, carefully checking Yu Deng.
Yu Deng shook his head. "What about you guys?"
Both Qin Jun and Cheng Xiao said they were fine.
Yu Deng glanced at them, recalling the contract mentioned earlier. He had always forgotten to ask whether contracting would affect dungeon clearance, but judging by their state, they didn't seem too affected.
At that moment, the mayor hurried back inside, only to find the mysterious creature gone. Yu Deng stood safely in the center, his cloak slightly disheveled.
"Sir, where has the god gone? What did you just do?"
Yu Deng hadn't fully recovered yet and didn't answer immediately.
Qin Jun stood behind him, subtly rubbing his back.
Cheng Xiao spoke up for Yu Deng.
"Isn't it obvious? Your so-called god was summoned by our lord."
Yu Deng froze for a few seconds, then followed Cheng Xiao's lead.
"That's right. I can summon Him easily, because He always listens to me."
After all… that suspicious evil god was his mission target anyway. Eventually, it would have to listen to him. The logic wasn't wrong.
Since he'd started, Yu Deng decided to exaggerate further.
He closed his eyes and began spouting nonsense.
"My actions are the will of the gods. You must treat me… treat me as you would a god!"
The words were outrageous, but the mayor believed them completely. Or perhaps he had already believed the moment Yu Deng summoned the evil god earlier. His attitude shifted entirely, his gaze full of reverence.
"Please forgive my earlier disrespect. So you are the god's agent. I will obey your commands."
Yu Deng felt like he was irreversibly sliding down the path of being a con artist.
Though that evil god did seem to have been summoned by him… they couldn't even communicate properly. How was he an agent?
But since he already was one… ahem.
Yu Deng forced a dignified tone.
"Very good. You are loyal. If needed, I will issue commands. Now, tell me about this town."
The mayor was puzzled but answered obediently.
"Our town has a beautiful environment. Everyone lives very happily."
"..." Yu Deng felt that was completely useless and gestured for Qin Jun and Cheng Xiao to help ask questions.
Cheng Xiao spoke.
"What do you live off of here? Fishing? Farming?"
The mayor paused for a long time before answering, "Farming, I suppose."
Strange.
"And how much do you know about the god?" Yu Deng asked.
"To be honest, I had never seen the god before today. But He is everywhere and always protects us."
Listening to the mayor ramble, Yu Deng learned that the townspeople were aware of the evil god's existence and even fanatically worshipped it, yet...when it truly descended, they were still afraid. The mayor seemed deeply shocked by its actual appearance.
"One last question. Do you know what Moonlight and Radiance are?"
The mayor hesitated.
"Moonlight and Radiance…? They are everywhere."
Another useless riddle.
With his two teammates accompanying him, Yu Deng chatted with the mayor a bit longer, but the clues remained vague.
They temporarily left the mayor and continued searching the town for clearer leads. When they reached a street corner, Yu Deng decided to rest.
Suddenly, an excited voice rang out ahead.
"A mysterious merchant with precious goods and clues? Hahaha, I've finally found you."
Yu Deng snapped his head up, sensing danger.
The speaker emerged from the shadows. His features were uneven, his triangular eyes drooping with a vicious gleam.
"Kill you, and my points will skyrocket, right?"
Yu Deng recognized him instantly—not just because of his unpleasant appearance, but because of his notorious reputation.
This was an extreme player named Feng Er.
He had entered the Infinite World a year ago. Though not especially powerful, he possessed a particularly troublesome item that had cost many players dearly. He was bloodthirsty, torturing players in every dungeon and even assaulting weaker men and women.
Yu Deng had memorized his face after seeing him once on the forum. He was also one of the three extreme players in this dungeon.
Qin Jun and Cheng Xiao immediately tensed, recognizing him as well. They rushed closer to Yu Deng, but were a step too late.
[Host, be careful!]
Suddenly, Yu Deng's vision went black.
Qin Jun and Cheng Xiao realized what was happening and barely managed to throw items onto Yu Deng before he vanished.
"..."
Yu Deng was dizzy for a few seconds.
He couldn't hear his teammates anymore. System 01's voice became fragmented, crackling with static.
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has entered Player Feng Er's item domain. Unable to leave for five minutes. This is an S-rank causality item.]
The domain was a cubic space of about ten square meters, with smooth walls on all six sides—no doors, no windows.
Yu Deng tensed like a startled kitten, staring warily at the extreme player.
"Those two troublemakers—were they your trade partners? Or teammates?" Feng Er stretched his arms, grinning. "Whether you're a player or an NPC, welcome to my kingdom!"
Yu Deng hurriedly pulled out his wolf-fur sweater for defense, gripping his scalpel tightly.
But hearing that sentence, he paused briefly.
Whose kingdom was this small? How tasteless.
The silent cloaked merchant wasn't tall or strong. Backing away without a word, he looked fragile and helpless.
Feng Er grew more excited.
"Come on!! welcome death!"
Both players' livestreams exploded with activity.
[Holy shit, isn't that the extreme player? I saw stats last time—over eighty players have died at his hands.]
[Baby, be careful!!]
[Wife doesn't seem to have many combat items… can he really beat this scumbag?]
Meanwhile, Feng Er's viewers were the complete opposite—twisted and gleeful.
[I know that guy. He's a player who hogs the popularity rankings but is actually weak as hell.]
[Feng Er, kill him! Let's see what that fake god really looks like!]
Without waiting for the audience, Feng Er teleported forward. His claws elongated, nails gleaming with a dark purple sheen.
The claws reached Yu Deng's throat—but in the next instant, Feng Er slammed to the ground.
Yu Deng froze.
"??"
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has activated S-rank item: Mirror Damage Reflection. Owner: Qin Jun.]
[Player Feng Er has been eliminated.]
Yu Deng blinked.
"???"
Wait—was it over? He hadn't even done anything.
But as Yu Deng looked at Feng Er's fallen body, the eliminated player didn't leave the dungeon. Instead, he stood up again.
"So you really are a player." Feng Er's gaze was venomous. "An S-rank defensive item, huh… I underestimated you. But you won't be so lucky this time. A powerless lamb like you should've died long ago!"
Yu Deng stepped back, pulling out his hoarded items.
"I—I'm not easy to mess with," he muttered defensively. "I don't want to die in someone like your hands."
Feng Er charged again, switching tactics—cruel but non-lethal, clearly intending to torture him.
Yu Deng used Black Fog Restraint to immobilize him, but Feng Er quickly broke free with a higher-tier item.
Yu Deng could only keep moving along the walls, throwing item after item—each one countered.
His livestream viewers were frantic.
"You actually have this many items?!" Feng Er snarled, jealousy overflowing as his playful intent turned into pure killing desire.
A fatal attack closed in.
Driven by the instinct to survive, Yu Deng recalled his recent training. Just as Feng Er's weapon neared his heart, Yu Deng leaned back sharply and donned the Vampire Crown.
His movements became unprecedentedly agile. He swung his scalpel.
Drip.
Rust-scented blood splattered, a few drops landing on Yu Deng's mask.
The arrogant extreme player collapsed.
Yu Deng stood still.
Within five short minutes, the battle had escalated and reversed at breakneck speed. Fear, tension, and adrenaline left Yu Deng trembling, tears streaming down his face.
Slowly, he removed his mask and wiped away the blood.
With his final strength, the dying extreme player lifted his head—seeing a stunning, doll-like face, crowned in brilliance.
Utter purity. Utter danger.
The scalpel that had drawn blood remained spotless and sharp—just like Yu Deng's eyes, still bright and untainted.
Yu Deng delivered the final strike, his arm shaking uncontrollably.
A timid, pain-averse crybaby—yet he achieved a perfect counterkill.
With a trembling, tearful voice, Yu Deng said,
"I told you… I'm really not easy to mess with."