The coward fainted on the spot, but most people scattered in a panic.
Unfortunately, no matter how far they ran, they always ended up back where they started.
The clock struck midnight. The faceless figure bent forward and said with a laugh, “The devil’s game officially begins now.”
“Rule number one: Remember, everyone in the tower is faceless. If you see someone with a face, run immediately—or they’ll skin you and wear your skin instead.”
“Rule number two: Don’t trust anyone. The person beneath someone’s skin may not be your teammate.”
“Rule number three: Get inside the tower within ten seconds, or you’ll die immediately.”
“The countdown begins. Run for your lives.”
“Ten.”
“Nine.”
“Eight.”
…
“One.”
3
As soon as the faceless figure began counting down, everyone ran for their lives toward the tower.
“Everyone, stay calm! Don’t let it lead you around by the nose!”
My warning was completely drowned out by the commotion. Faced with death, they weren’t going to put their lives in the hands of a stranger.
Vengeful spirits kept appearing, biting the living’s necks clean through and chasing down anyone left alone. Screams filled the air as everyone fought their way forward. There were too many people at the scene, and the tower’s entrance was too narrow. Everyone was trying to escape; in just a few seconds, several people had been trampled unconscious.
I bit my finger and drew a talisman. A flash of golden light struck the vengeful spirits, and after a string of shrieks, the tower entrance suddenly widened.
So the vengeful spirits had been causing trouble. They’d deliberately narrowed the entrance, wanting to watch the living kill one another.
Before I could think, an enormous force suddenly pulled me into the tower.
At the same time, the faceless figure finished counting down. In the distance, more than ten people who hadn’t made it into the tower exploded in an instant, bursting into flowers of blood.
“Ah!”
The little girl from earlier was so frightened her legs gave way. She covered her mouth and sobbed uncontrollably.
Inside the dark, damp tower, the faceless figure’s voice rang out again: “Congratulations to the one hundred players who made it inside. Find the exit before daybreak, or you’ll be staying here forever. Each floor on the way to the exit holds plenty of surprises. I’ll update the number of survivors in real time. Good luck, everyone.”
After we entered the tower, everyone was scattered across different floors. On my floor were a girl and two young men.
I’d tried to summon the gods and spirits, but this tower was too eerie. Their power struck it like a fist into a sack of cotton—not even a scratch.
I’d read in my master’s book that Khốc Quỷ Liên could create a self-contained space. Inside it, everyone and everything had to obey the rules it established. In other words, from the moment we stepped into the tower, we were completely under Khốc Quỷ Liên’s control. The only way out was to follow what it had said.
“What do we do now?”
The girl sat on the floor, her voice trembling as she asked.
The two young men were twins. They glanced at each other. “We find the exit. Otherwise, we’ll all die here.”
With that, they started to leave.
“Wait.” I called them back. “Danger could strike at any moment here. To keep us from getting separated, I’ll put a tracking talisman on each of you. If we’re in danger, I can pull you to my side.”
The girl wiped her tears. “Thank you.”
She introduced herself to the two young men. “She was the first one out there to notice something was wrong.” Then she looked at me. “My name is A Kỳ, and they’re my cousins. This is Đại Song, and this is Tiểu Song.”
“My name is Hạ Hầu Thu.”
Once I’d cast the talisman, an invisible thread wrapped around the wrists of all four of us, then disappeared.
“With the tracking talisman in place, even if a vengeful spirit skins one of us and takes their place, I’ll know immediately.”
Everyone looked uneasy at that.
I reassured them. “Don’t be afraid. My abilities are limited here, but I can still protect myself.”
I led the way, with the three of them close behind.
Suddenly, laughter rang out from the far end of the corridor. It grew closer, hollow and terrifying.
Slowly, countless floating red dots appeared in the corridor, one after another, quickly filling the entire passage.
My eyes widened. “Vengeful spirits! Run!”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the red dots rushed straight at us. Only then did everyone realize they weren’t red dots—they were the vengeful spirits’ eyes.
I couldn’t sense any resentment from these vengeful spirits. They were merely tools created by Khốc Quỷ Liên to carry out its task.
There was only one command in their minds: Kill every living person.
Before long, vengeful spirits filled the space behind us, their piercing shrieks relentlessly assaulting our eardrums.
Đại Song and Tiểu Song’s ears were bleeding from the noise. A Kỳ clutched her head, and she was no better off.
Tiểu Song shook his head. Blood was already starting to run from his eyes and nose.
I put my hand on his wrist. Tiểu Song’s eyes immediately cleared, and he looked at me gratefully. “Thank you.”
I pulled them onward. “The faceless figure said every floor has its dangers. It looks like the vengeful spirits are the challenge on the second floor. Hang in there, everyone. Once we find the entrance to the third floor, the spirits will disappear.”
As I spoke, I threw out two lightning talismans to buy us a little more time.
I don’t know how many vengeful spirits I destroyed along the way. My hand trembled as I cast talismans. When I was nearly out of strength, we finally saw the entrance to the third floor.
“Ah!”
A vengeful spirit bit A Kỳ’s leg, and countless others immediately rushed toward her.
As she was dragged backward, she reached out, her eyes wide with terror. “Help me! Help me…”
By then, the twins and I had stepped onto the stairs to the third floor. Just as I’d said, the vengeful spirits stopped attacking as soon as they left the second floor.
With no other targets, all the vengeful spirits rushed toward A Kỳ.
I was about to go back and save her, but Đại Song pulled me back. “Don’t! If we go out there now, we’ll all die!”
I turned to him in disbelief. A Kỳ was his cousin.
Đại Song wouldn’t meet my gaze. He just held my hand tightly, lowering his head and pressing his lips together.
Tiểu Song said nothing either, silently supporting his older brother’s decision.
The hallway rang with A Kỳ’s screams and cries for help. My gaze grew colder by the moment. I twisted around and grabbed Đại Song by the wrist. He winced and said disapprovingly, “I know you’re capable, but there are so many vengeful spirits out there. Can you kill them all? It’s already this dangerous on the second floor, and it’ll only get worse from here! Who knows which floor the exit is on? If you run out of strength, we’ll all die. A Kỳ can’t be saved anymore. We have to go!”
I didn’t answer. Silently, I formed a hand seal. “With my spirit’s eyes, I summon your divine soul. Quỷ sư, heed my call and aid me—appear!”
A colossal figure appeared behind me, its eyes blazing red and its entire body radiating murderous energy. The moment it appeared, the vengeful spirits grew much fainter, their true forms trembling nonstop.
The Khốc Quỷ Liên limited how long I could summon the quỷ sư. To save A Kỳ, I strained to keep the quỷ sư’s form intact. My eyes were bloodshot, and a sweet, coppery taste rose in my throat.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the quỷ sư to find A Kỳ, who had passed out.
But the vengeful spirits seemed to realize the quỷ sư wasn’t very powerful. After their initial fear, they began edging closer again, attacking without pause.
Mediums are linked to the gods and spirits they summon. If the gods and spirits are injured, I suffer the backlash too. After struggling to bring A Kỳ back, I staggered and nearly fell.
Luckily, before we went to Miao territory, An Mạn had prepared a pile of medicine for me. I took a pill and felt much better.
When the twins saw that I’d rescued A Kỳ, they said nothing, silently helping her to one side so she could rest.
I closed my eyes and rested.
They might think I’m some kind of saint. Sometimes, I feel like my efforts are completely unappreciated.
After living for several hundred years, I’ve received more contemptuous looks than admiration.