Chapter 292: Trying to Exploit a Bug? Isn’t That Just Asking for Death?
At two in the dead of night, the Chosen Ones, who had been busy all day, were still on the move.
A total of 133 Chosen Ones had made it onto this eerie night road. The rest either died in that strange villa or hadn’t made it out yet. For those who hadn’t come out, when they woke up in their rooms tomorrow, they’d encounter all sorts of bizarre things.
The bell would disappear, and as soon as they realized that, they’d know they were no longer “in” the villa. How to find information, get back to the villa, and then escape—that would be the key to their survival. Any slip-up in the details would lead to instant death. The difficulty had really ramped up.
Those already dead in the villa didn’t have to worry about all these troublesome matters anymore.
Tonight, the Chosen Ones who made it out faced a new trial. In this chilly, dark night, taking a deep breath of the cool northwest wind could help them perk up a little.
Even if some were exhausted, they had no choice but to keep moving. This was the Tale World’s double assault on their spirit and willpower. If they lost their clarity at a time like this, they wouldn’t be able to react quickly if something unexpected happened.
Veterans knew that the Tale World always threw something sudden at you in the strangest of places.
With their sight gone, the Chosen Ones’ hearing had become incredibly sharp, making them hyper-sensitive to every sound. Not a single rustle around them escaped their ears.
In this environment, the most resonant thing was the breathing around them. In the dead of night, breaths rose and fell one after another—not just their own, but also those of their A-rank demons and guide dogs.
If they could see, most people wouldn’t pay attention to such details; they were overly dependent on vision.
The more skilled Chosen Ones started memorizing the breathing rhythms of their guide dogs and A-rank demons. After all, if you can’t see, you should remember certain special sensations. If something felt off later, they’d need to react immediately.
You have to know, in this Tale World, anything could happen—but everything left traces. Gathering intel ahead of time was always the best strategy.
At this stage, most surviving Chosen Ones traveled in groups of three: one person, one dog, and one demon. Some, who hadn’t trusted their luck in the previous stage and had summoned extra demons to prove their “bloodline,” might have four or five.
The Key Demon had no combat ability—its second form was literally a key. And if it got destroyed, all the demons it had summoned would go out of control. Since other demons were bound by contracts through the Key Demon, without those contracts, they’d no longer obey the Chosen Ones’ commands. So whenever there was nothing to do, the Chosen Ones kept it tucked safely in their inner pockets.
The movements on both sides of the road also caught the Chosen Ones’ attention.
Kim Jeong-ki, the Chosen One from the Stick Nation, now felt like many eyes were fixed on him. He let out a deep breath to stay calm.
At that moment, he took a few steps forward along the road and heard rustling sounds from the grass, as if something was following his movements. His heart, which had just settled, tightened again with unease.
Only S-rank demons offered advice to their Chosen Ones. The A-rank demon behind him was just there to protect him; unless he asked, it would never speak a word.
The guide dog, loyal as always, remained vigilant of the sounds around them. It barked twice at Kim Jeong-ki, asking if it should take out the unknown creatures lurking nearby.
Based on Kim Jeong-ki’s judgment, the guide dog might be slightly stronger than those creatures in the grass, which was why it showed some fighting spirit. With the A-rank demon backing it up, they could probably handle the strange beings beside the road.
But then Kim Jeong-ki remembered a rule.
[Rule 5: If you hear strange sounds from the grass beside you, do not be afraid—’they’ might be able to help you.]
This left Kim Jeong-ki puzzled. The strange creatures beside me can help me? What does that mean? If I’m in danger, will they come to my rescue?
That seemed unlikely. He could feel the bloodlust in those gazes—like they wanted to devour him, like a predator watching its prey. Even the guide dog felt a sense of crisis.
He could also draw conclusions from the intel the dead chef had provided. The chef had once mentioned that there were fog and strange creatures on the outskirts. After the villa burned down, the fog dissipated, so these must be the creatures the chef was talking about.
These strange creatures were different from living animals, so Kim Jeong-ki judged they weren’t the kind that could relieve hunger.
So how was he supposed to interpret this rule? Did he have to wait for something to happen?
Right now, his mind was a complete mess. Without being able to predict anything, it felt like the whole world around him was an abyss. One wrong step and he’d plunge into eternal darkness.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the path ahead seemed impossibly difficult in this pitch-black world.
When he first entered, he’d been hoping to farm resources, but now that thought was gone. All he wanted was to figure out how to survive safely.
So he decided to follow the rules—even if he didn’t fully understand the deeper meaning. Letting those strange creatures follow him for now couldn’t be wrong.
These rules were giving Kim Jeong-ki a massive headache.
First, there was Rule 2: the end of the road lies in the direction of the moon. But all the Chosen Ones were blind—how could they see the moon?
They could only rely on the directions given by their A-rank demons. Since the demon said the moon was straight ahead and there was currently only one road, the Chosen Ones had no choice but to go forward.
The night road stretched on endlessly. Many resting Chosen Ones felt they couldn’t figure out the rules any time soon, so they chose to walk and think at the same time.
Time was limited. They had to get out before dawn—the longer they delayed, the more complications would arise.
Rule 4 was crucial. In Kim Jeong-ki’s understanding, it described the conditions for a supernatural encounter.
Along the way, they’d definitely come across roadside residents. If, during the night, the lights in those houses were on, that meant they were in hunting mode. Stepping into their range would trigger an attack.
Then Kim Jeong-ki thought about Rule 6. It said they’d encounter some strange people along the way, also calling themselves travelers, heading somewhere along the same road. The rule reminded Chosen Ones not to travel with them, but allowed conversation—which meant gathering intel.
Kim Jeong-ki could understand that much. If he didn’t have that level of comprehension, he wouldn’t have survived this long.
But Rule 8 baffled him. What did “do not accept anything for free” mean? What was the significance?
And then there was Rule 9, about thunder and rain. Thunder was just the precursor to rain.
At this point, Kim Jeong-ki could already guess that the rain represented pollution. If they got caught in it, not only would they themselves be affected, but their guide dogs and A-rank demons would mutate as well.
But here was the real question—what did that last part mean? The rain won’t stop?
If it rains, are they just supposed to wait for death?
Kim Jeong-ki couldn’t make sense of it. For now, all he could do was try to understand the surface meaning and memorize the rules.
He wasn’t doing too badly. Most Chosen Ones, upon arriving at a new location with new rules, would first grasp the literal meanings and then analyze specific problems as they came up.
Because this stage gave them so little time—only four hours.
Without the help of their A-rank demons, they’d have lost their eyes entirely. They depended on their demons to relay most of the information.
Blindness undoubtedly made the Tale World harder for the Chosen Ones, slowing them down and impairing their judgment.
But after hearing these rules, Zhang Yangqing had already pretty much figured out what this stage was about.
“Are the conditions for supernatural encounters hidden this deep now?” Zhang Yangqing sighed, as if he could already see many Chosen Ones lying dead on this road.
Most Chosen Ones thought there were two conditions for supernatural encounters in this stage: either a house with its lights on or a white carriage. Those two were correct, but Zhang Yangqing felt there were three more hidden conditions.
Rule 2 seemed to be giving directions, but it also subtly outlined another condition for an encounter.
The correct path was toward the moon, and the moon moved over time. The Chosen Ones had to correctly judge directions and choose the right path to avoid major trouble. If they took a wrong turn, they’d be attacked by strange beings.
The rules didn’t elaborate on this, but a careful inference made it clear.
As for where these strange beings were—well, the movements on both sides of the road were exactly that.
As long as the Chosen Ones stayed on the right path, those creatures would only follow them and never attack. In fact, at critical moments, they might even become helpful.
Helpful in what way? Zhang Yangqing figured it had to do with a lack of combat power. The question was whether the Chosen Ones could understand what “help” really meant.
Of course, Zhang Yangqing had no such concerns. Lack of combat power? Are you talking about me or the strange beings?
On this night road, before they’d even gone far—or perhaps before they’d even truly begun—one Chosen One had already fallen, and another had been injured.
This round, the Chosen Ones from the Cherry Blossom Nation and the Maple Leaf Nation both tried to exploit a loophole, but in reality, they were just asking for death.
They actually thought about going back to the villa to grab some food. They hadn’t been out long, after all. If they had food, they could solve many problems and also gain some bargaining chips for trading.
After all, weren’t the other travelers along the way hungry too? Did they want to eat?
On a long night journey, surely I’m not the only one hungry, right?
As long as I trade food with others for items, then I wouldn’t be receiving anything for free.
Besides, there were still plenty of valuables in the villa—paintings in the hallway, collections in the weapon room, gold and silver jewelry in some of the rooms. Weren’t all those items tradable?
The more they thought about it, the more they wanted to go back and raid the villa.
After all, they’d lived there for a few days and were familiar with the place. Even if it was dangerous, wasn’t their A-rank demon there to protect them?
To be fair, their judgment on some of the rules wasn’t bad. They just failed to notice the hidden ones.
But going back would mean deviating from the direction of the moon, right? That is, stepping onto the wrong path and triggering the condition for a supernatural encounter.
Neither of them seemed to realize this, still feeling pleased with their own cleverness.
When they strayed off course for a while, the contaminated creatures lurking in the grass burst out and attacked the Chosen Ones who’d taken the wrong path.
These terrifying creatures were utterly fearless, their throats emitting dreadful, gurgling sounds.
If the Chosen Ones could see, they’d notice these were completely polluted beings, having lost all reason. Their eyes looked wrong—dark pupils glowing red, saliva dripping around their teeth—insanely ferocious.
Some of them even showed signs of decay, yet they appeared incredibly vicious.
The guide dogs and A-rank demons were strong, but not enough to withstand the sheer number of creatures. It started with three or four, then over a dozen swarmed in.
The Maple Leaf Nation’s Chosen One directed his two servants to kill eight of them, but eventually, he was overwhelmed by the sheer tide of creatures and killed.
The guide dog’s body was pierced through, the A-rank demon was decapitated, and the Chosen One himself was torn apart. His agonized screams added a grim touch to this eerie night road.
Within moments, the corpses were devoured. That was the price of taking the wrong path.
At this stage, the Cherry Blossom Nation’s Chosen One reacted much faster. When the creatures attacked, he seemed to realize he’d gone the wrong way.
At this point, he needed to make sacrifices rather than try to fight head-on. He ordered his A-rank demon to hold off the creatures at all costs, while the guide dog dragged him at a full sprint.
And so, a horrifying scene unfolded: the guide dog ran at full speed in the direction of the moon, just as the Chosen One had commanded. His hands gripped the dog’s leash for dear life.
Even as he tried to run alongside it, there was no way a blind man could keep up with a guide dog—not even if he could see. Once the dog accelerated, he couldn’t match its pace and was dragged along.
The powerful guide dog was like a small truck, forcibly dragging the Cherry Blossom Nation’s Chosen One for hundreds of meters.
The scene was absolutely brutal. It was like he was being tortured. A trail of blood was scraped along the road, dust flying everywhere.
Behind him, the strange creatures gave chase, but the enhanced guide dog was simply too fast.
At that moment, the Chosen One’s body was violently scraping against the ground, carving a bloody path. The searing pain nearly made him pass out several times—but pain was better than death. He gritted his teeth and pushed through, forcing himself to stay conscious.
Otherwise, by the time the dog stopped, he might have been nothing but a pile of bones.
So he endured the dragging for a while, and only when he heard no more creatures chasing them did he yell for the dog to stop.
“Stop! Stop!”
Just shouting those words seemed to take everything out of him—during the drag, dirt and mud had been forced into his mouth and nostrils.
When the Cherry Blossom Nation’s Chosen One finally picked himself up, the skin on his chin and arms had been scraped off—viewers could see the deep white of bone underneath.
Fortunately, the quality of his chest clothing was excellent; though torn in places, most of it held up, which saved his life. Without it, his chest would have been a bloody mess.
When the guide dog came up to lick his arm, he felt a sharp, piercing pain. He was about to scold the dog when it suddenly dawned on him—maybe this was the dog’s way of helping him heal?
It hurt—of course it hurt—but he knew complaining was pointless.
Besides, without the dog’s help, he’d have died in that ambush.
His A-rank demon had done its best to hold off most of the creatures, but now when he tried to summon it again, there was no response. It was likely dead.
At this stage, without a demon, survival was practically impossible.
Thankfully, the Tale World had left the Chosen Ones a lifeline—they could summon the Key Demon. Though it had no combat ability, it still had eyes, could speak, and could have conversations.
Now, the Cherry Blossom Nation’s Chosen One began reconsidering his route and calmly analyzing the rules again.
His wrong turn had cost him too much time—he’d lost manpower, gotten injured, and only survived through quick reflexes.
Now he needed to find a lone, not-too-strong traveler, figure out a way to use his guide dog to kill them, and then sacrifice more lifespan to summon new demons.
He’d certainly be spending a lot of lifespan in this stage, because ordinary demons wouldn’t be much use.
If his luck was bad, he might burn through all his remaining life before even clearing the Tale World.
He also realized just how many traps the Tale World had now—even the conditions for supernatural encounters were hidden, weren’t they?
But on second thought, it did make sense. The rules had warned them; they just hadn’t figured it out, and the price was heavy.
He was lucky to be alive—unlike the Maple Leaf Nation’s Chosen One, who didn’t even leave a complete corpse.
At this point, many viewers still didn’t understand why they’d been attacked when they hadn’t broken any rules.
Only after the expert panel explained did the audience realize—oh, that counts too?
Zhang Yangqing said, “Not only does it count, there are plenty more traps ahead. I’ve only pointed out one possibility.”
Aside from that, there were two more.
Rules 6 and 8 were also conditions for supernatural encounters, just more subtle.
Because both rules involved suspicious creatures that seemed to want the Chosen Ones to break the rules so they could attack them.
And the ways to break the rules weren’t just as simple as the words suggested.
Other Chosen Ones felt lost because they couldn’t connect all these complex rules into a single main thread—they just went with the flow.
Zhang Yangqing, however, could weave all these intricate rules into a complete main quest.
His insight was terrifying. First, he considered where the most dangerous part was—which brought him to Rule 9.
[Rule 9: If you hear thunder, find shelter as soon as possible, because rain will follow shortly, and it will not stop.]
Since the rule said so, polluted rain would definitely fall—and it wouldn’t stop.
The Chosen Ones obviously couldn’t just walk through the rain under normal circumstances. Not only would their two servants mutate, but they would too.
If it wouldn’t stop, didn’t that mean they’d need some items to shield themselves from the rain?
This was where the rules began to connect.
[Rule 4: The night road is long. If you come across a house with its lights on, leave immediately. If the lights are off, ‘they’ won’t harm you.]
[Rule 6: If you encounter any group claiming to be fellow travelers, do not accept their request to travel together—but you may exchange a few words.]
Although both rules were conditions for supernatural encounters, to pass the stage, they had to interact with them.
Because these “residents” and “travelers” might carry items like umbrellas and raincoats.
That’s why Rule 6 reminded Chosen Ones that they could converse appropriately—to obtain useful items.
But then came the trap.
[Rule 8: Remember—on this road, do not accept anything for free!]
This rule was reminding the Chosen Ones not to accept items gifted by the “residents” or “travelers.”
They had to obtain the necessary items through purchase or trade.
That was the main quest of this eerie night road.
Once you connected these rules, the night road would no longer be so bewildering!
