Yu Deng's position was very good, with an excellent field of vision… well, under the thick miasma, the view was actually completely blocked. But this was the shortest route connecting the collapsed area to the town, and also the easiest terrain to traverse. Many players were gathered nearby or heading this way.
Not long after the pitch-black creature proposed a "deal" to Yu Deng, another player approached in his direction.
"Holy shit? What the hell is that?"
The player caught sight of the jet-black, indescribable creature without warning. It felt as though his brain had been smashed with a hammer. Intense pain and dizziness surged in at once, and his body began convulsing uncontrollably.
It tightened its hold around Yu Deng, tucking him securely into its embrace, then extended a tentacle and whipped the player away like spinning a top.
Yu Deng: "…?"
The player: "???"
The player only felt pain in both body and mind. The agony vanished abruptly. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the player center residence. He had forgotten exactly what he had seen—only vaguely remembering that he had seemed to become a spinning top for a moment.
What a strange thing.
"..."
Inside the instance.
Yu Deng had not yet recovered from the shock of the creature's proposed transaction when he saw another player get eliminated by it.
Yu Deng stared blankly as the player flew out in a perfect arc, then turned to look at it. "You…"
After helping Yu Deng eliminate another nuisance, its tentacles wiggled in front of him as if asking for credit. One of them, however, excitedly tried to burrow deeper.
—For eliminating one person, Yu Deng had to "take care" of it.
Yu Deng was already unsteady on his feet, only managing not to collapse because he was wrapped tightly in its mass. When it moved like that, he couldn't endure it and tilted his head back. His slender, pale neck curved into a beautiful yet fragile arc.
Yu Deng only felt himself being filled completely, yet not reaching the very end. The intermittent tingling spread like electric currents, traveling through his limbs and bones.
The pitch-black tentacles were already stained with a sweet, glistening sheen.
"You—you're forcing a sale… you can't trade like this!" Yu Deng tried to push its body away, angrily scolding it. "You're a pervert… you're the worst! How can you do this…"
He had never agreed to this kind of transaction!
The massive being, after being scolded, only grew more excited. Its cold body kept rubbing against him. The tip of a tentacle caressed Yu Deng's strikingly beautiful face, finally brushing over the reddened corner of his eyes and curling away the tears that spilled out.
Yu Deng trembled uncontrollably and felt that this cold, swollen sensation was strangely familiar. He pushed weakly at the tentacles, utterly confused. "You… did you do something bad to me before… while I was asleep?"
It felt something akin to guilt, but quickly straightened itself and boldly tapped a tentacle—admitting it by default.
"Bastard…" Yu Deng was both angry and wronged, continuing to scold it. "How can you do that…"
The miasma still lingered around them. A lantern hung from a nearby tree branch, casting a warm orange glow. Yu Deng could make out the faint outlines of the forested mountains and hear distant sounds.
A huge sense of shame swallowed him whole.
His tears fell even harder this time. Not just physiological tears, but tears born of deep grievance.
"You really are the worst bad guy I've ever met… How can you bully me out here? There are still people outside…"
The enormous body that had been moving excitedly suddenly froze, panicking and stopping its motions. It wiped Yu Deng's tears and clumsily conveyed through stiff body language that it had wrapped Yu Deng tightly—no one could see.
"That's still not okay…" Yu Deng sniffed. "Not okay means not okay."
The tentacles drooped. It was regretful, but it didn't want Yu Deng to be upset, so it slowly withdrew.
The cold tentacles brushing against him instead brought another strange sensation. Yu Deng frowned and let out a few soft hums.
It tried to please him by pressing close, letting Yu Deng sink against its body, willingly serving as a bed. It also thickened the surrounding miasma further, causing any approaching players to lose their way and wander elsewhere.
It cleared out an absolutely quiet and safe area just for Yu Deng.
Only then was Yu Deng slightly satisfied.
Lying atop the creature, he felt the stone inside his cloak vibrate twice.
"Baby, where are you?" Cheng Xiao's voice sounded somewhat muffled.
"Cheng Xiao… I'm very far away." Yu Deng's voice still carried a sob, making Cheng Xiao's heart tighten instantly as he imagined possibilities he didn't want to consider.
"Don't be afraid. I'll come find you right now."
Yu Deng's head was still dizzy. It took him a few seconds to process Cheng Xiao's words. He said softly, "Better not. I'm relatively safe right now. Cheng Xiao, don't come over. It's dangerous outside."
"…" Cheng Xiao was caught off guard by the beautiful little stepmother's concern. His heart softened, and he coaxed, "Okay. Tell me your location. I'll make sure I'm safe before coming to find you."
Yu Deng described his position. "Anyway, I'll go back to see the mayor tomorrow. We can meet there."
"Alright. I understand."
The creature holding Yu Deng heard another male's voice and grew furious, itching to crush the stone that produced the sound.
Yu Deng smacked the tentacle with a slap.
It shrank aside sulking, deeply dissatisfied with the person on the other end of the stone.
Another human trying to approach its person… absolutely not. It would use the miasma to drive away anyone coveting Yu Deng!
Not long after the communication ended, the one who arrived first wasn't Cheng Xiao or Qin Jun, but the abstract tiger-leopard beast, Xiao Huang.
"Eh? Xiao Huang, how did you find me?"
Xiao Huang only wagged its tail. It wanted to rub against Yu Deng, but the presence beside him was too terrifying. It could only sit at a distance and make soft whining sounds.
After observing for a while and noticing the crow was absent, Xiao Huang was secretly overjoyed. It whimpered in feigned concern, asking if the crow had been abandoned.
"No." Yu Deng somehow understood it and shook his head. "I had a small accident yesterday and ended up too far from the little crow, so it… hid for now."
In truth, the little crow had been recalled into his contract compendium and needed a few hours of cooldown before it could come out again.
Xiao Huang immediately deflated.
Seeing the foolish creature getting closer and closer—drawing Yu Deng's attention and even trying to lick him—the being grew angry and released a wave of pressure, pushing Xiao Huang further away.
After resting for a while, Yu Deng finally recovered from the earlier weakness in his legs.
He turned and poked the creature.
The townspeople's mutated forms were somewhat similar to it… so this being was indeed the god, right? The townsfolk didn't consider it an evil god, but a true deity.
Yu Deng studied it for a long time but still felt it didn't resemble any proper god. After all, what kind of god demanded that kind of transaction?
Unaware that its evaluation in Yu Deng's heart was extremely poor, it kept pressing close affectionately.
An hour later, a rumbling sound echoed in the distance. Another area had collapsed. At this point, only 90 players remained alive in the instance.
...
After the mutation rules intensified, the night was destined to be restless.
Yu Deng barely held on until past 2 a.m. before exhaustion overwhelmed him. He fell asleep in the evil god's embrace. With its protection, he slept fairly soundly—aside from occasionally being nudged awake by cold tentacles.
When the next day came and the miasma reluctantly dispersed, only 45 players remained. In other words, 85 players had been eliminated yesterday, most during the night.
Yu Deng opened his eyes to find the creature that had bullied him gone. He had been placed inside a tree hollow. His cloak was neatly arranged, but his skin was slightly flushed—clearly evidence that the creature had secretly continued messing with him.
Yu Deng cursed it a couple of times in his heart before opening the rankings panel, staring at the player information with a heavy mood.
Some players had been eliminated by others. Some… had completed mutation and could no longer leave the instance.
The remaining dozens were likely strong and ambitious players seeking more points—or the treasure of the temple.
Yu Deng tidied himself up and summoned his little crow again from his contract compendium. This time, not only did the crow appear, but also the small bat ball that had served him before.
"Oh? You're out too? Then be good, okay?"
The little bat nodded obediently and smugly glanced at the crow.
After giving instructions, Yu Deng stepped out of the tree hollow. Xiao Huang, who had been guarding outside, immediately followed. It glared unhappily at the crow and bat ball, then crouched down to carry Yu Deng toward the town.
"Huh? Xiao Huang, you can go into town now?"
Xiao Huang flicked its tail proudly, very satisfied with its role as a mount.
On the way, townsfolk who saw Xiao Huang—and Yu Deng riding it—were surprised at first, then treated Yu Deng even more warmly.
It was now past nine in the morning.
The town during the day still had a faint miasma, but much lighter than at night. At least the roads were visible.
[Ding. The temple's location will soon refresh. Clue released.]
[The place of eternal desire and the heart's longing.]
Another riddle… Yu Deng combined it with the instance background and vaguely formed a hypothesis.
But before finding the temple and treasure, he needed to eliminate other players.
Hmm… he had a rough idea.
Lost in thought, Yu Deng arrived at the mayor's house. After hesitating, he told Xiao Huang to wait outside and went in to share his plan.
The mayor sat up straight. "You wish to organize a bonfire ritual? Tonight?"
"Yes." Yu Deng tried to remain calm. "I have received the will of God. He wishes to hear the voices of His people tonight."
Summoning courage, he continued lying, "And I… I will be responsible for this ritual. I can communicate with God on everyone's behalf."
The mayor already believed him deeply, his eyes full of reverence and caution. "Of course. It is our honor for you to oversee this ritual."
A man of action, the mayor immediately rose to inform the townsfolk.
[Ding. All players, please note: Tonight at 8 p.m., proceed to the town's central square to participate in the bonfire ritual. Attendance is mandatory.]
Yu Deng blinked in surprise at the mayor's back, not expecting his lie to trigger a new system announcement.
All remaining players heard it and began considering their options.
...
Later at the square, Yu Deng maintained his mysterious demeanor while supervising preparations. Cheng Xiao and Qin Jun stood nearby, watching over him.
Suddenly, Yu Deng felt an unfriendly gaze. Looking up, he saw the one-eyed man from the first night staring at him.
The man spoke loudly, "We all know someone among us can manipulate others."
He implied Yu Deng was deceiving the NPCs.
To test him, the one-eyed man used a "clarity potion" on Xiao Huang.
"It won't listen to you anymore," he declared.
Xiao Huang sneezed violently, then trotted over to Yu Deng wanting affection—only to be smacked by the crow.
After processing what the man said, Xiao Huang angrily grabbed the metal fire basin for the ritual with its three tails and began juggling flaming fireballs in front of everyone.
After a dazzling performance, it strutted up to Yu Deng, huffing proudly.
"Good dog," Yu Deng praised instinctively, then corrected himself awkwardly, "Good tiger… leopard."
That sounded even weirder. He gave up. "Good Xiao Huang. Very impressive."
Pleased, Xiao Huang shot a provocative glance at the crow and bat ball, then at the one-eyed man, juggling the fireballs even more skillfully.
Trying to sow discord between it and the pretty human? Impossible!
It was cleary very obedient!