I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 195

Chapter 195: It’s Not That They’re Weak, It’s That the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master is Too Strong! 

In this stage, having a sense of time is crucial.

Every single minute and second given by the strange tale world must be utilized; otherwise, surviving tonight would be very difficult.

A lot of so-called unnecessary information doesn’t need to be collected.

This is essentially distracting information, meant to interfere with the chosen ones’ judgment and waste their precious escape time.

The chosen one from the Sakura Nation was tied to that blood-stained chair by the homeowner.

And now, the homeowner was looking at him while holding a massive pair of pliers.

Everything was so terrifying and hopeless.

He struggled desperately, even though the ropes tore his skin, but it was futile.

He had just been lamenting the fate of those tortured souls, imagining their suffering.

He never expected that he would now become the one being tortured.

There were still a few minutes until 2 o’clock. No matter how he begged for mercy, the homeowner remained unmoved.

It seemed this was routine for him, or perhaps he genuinely enjoyed others’ pain and despair.

Seeing the look of terror on his prey’s face was his greatest spiritual sustenance.

Many viewers from the Sakura Nation had already switched their screens to other countries, unable to bear watching their chosen one endure such inhuman torture.

Only a handful of Sakura viewers stared intently at the screen, hoping for some kind of rescue.

Unfortunately, the Sakura chosen one didn’t even have time to tear the purple card.

As soon as the time came, the homeowner couldn’t wait to start his “experiments” on him.

The homeowner first used the pliers to crush his toes, making him wish for death but find it unattainable.

At this point, for the Sakura chosen one, death might have been a release.

Saliva, tears, and blood mingled on his face; his consciousness was twisted with pain.

His screams had torn his throat hoarse; the entire room was filled with his agonized cries.

Finally, everything went black – he had failed.

Quite a few chosen ones shared a similar fate to the one from Sakura.

It all came down to their reflexes and judgment.

If they didn’t eliminate distractions like Rahman did, they would either be blocked by the homeowner on the stairs, meeting a similarly gruesome end.

Especially the tragic irony of feeling the joy of obtaining the magic book, only to run into the homeowner around the corner.

As for judgment, it involved the dangers associated with choosing a room.

Choosing the room with the crib, after meeting the conditions to avoid the strange baby’s attack, meant the baby would protect the chosen one from any attacks originating from outside the room.

Choosing the first room meant no protection; it was a room the homeowner could freely attack.

Hardly anyone chose the first room.

Of course, the one who dared to choose it had already eliminated the danger.

Choosing the second, messier room meant being attacked by the strange specimens when the time came.

These specimens were essentially the previous homeowners who weren’t completely dead yet. The current homeowner kept them here, waiting for them to die completely before “modifying” them.

At 2 AM, those specimens would open their blood-red eyes.

The rules didn’t tell the chosen ones how to deal with these strange entities. They would either die horribly in the room.

Or climb out the window, only to face attacks from the villagers.

Ordinary chosen ones would die no matter what they did.

But one superhuman managed to escape this room and even found his teammates.

This superhuman was the representative from Olympia, a warrior from the superhuman faction of Sparta.

The nation of Olympia had quite a few superhumans. This one possessed a powerful bloodline, with physical strength and speed ranking above average among superhumans.

Although his judgment was somewhat flawed, he endured the pressure, smashed through the window, and escaped.

He thought that by gathering his teammates, they could all escape together.

Little did he know, this action not only failed their escape but also got all his teammates killed.

Braving the blizzard, he gathered his teammates, and the five-person squad assembled.

All five possessed superhuman strength. They took advantage of the chaos and ran for the village exit.

But for some reason, a layer of mist shrouded the outskirts of the village. No matter how they ran, they always ended up back inside the village.

The commotion they caused also alerted the villagers. Nearly twenty villagers appeared within their sight.

Some stood on rooftops, postures erect and elegant, like beasts ready to pounce from above.

Others were already in front of them, all with menacing, clawing stances.

Their expressions were completely different from the friendly ones when they first arrived; now the villagers were bloodthirsty beasts.

The superhuman from Olympia was also furious. As a superhuman, he didn’t want to take this lying down. He shouted, “Kill them! If we don’t kill them, we can’t get out! These things aren’t human!”

Seeing this, his other teammates had no choice but to fight.

The Olympian superhuman struck first, using his immense physical strength to slam into a villager blocking his path.

But the villager was only sent flying a short distance before landing steadily on the ground.

This shocked the Olympian superhuman. A collision from him could probably shatter a cement truck back on Blue Star, yet this guy was unharmed?

For some reason, he even saw a mocking expression on the villager’s face.

The sounds of battle rose and fell. Teammates unleashed a barrage of dazzling moves.

The slicked-back hair guy’s surroundings were filled with sharp blade lights. In one-on-one or even one-on-two situations, he could hold his own, but now, outnumbered, he was quickly overwhelmed.

Even the incredibly strong bespectacled guy, under the overwhelming physical天赋 and车轮战 of the beast-men, was defeated.

The Olympian superhuman found it increasingly strange the more he fought. Logically, his teammates shouldn’t have lost so quickly.

His own movements were slowing down. He realized the blizzard’s chill was reducing their speed, causing lag in their movements.

As their body temperatures dropped, all their attributes were declining.

Just as the Olympian superhuman felt death approaching, the square-jawed uncle opposite him mocked, “Is that all you’ve got? I haven’t even warmed up yet. Now let me show you what a real powerhouse looks like. I’ll take this body of yours!”

With that, the square-jawed uncle erupted with powerful energy, momentarily repelling the surrounding snow.

The terrifying energy made despair flash across the Olympian superhuman’s face.

So he had been made a fool of all along. This guy could have killed him anytime, but was just toying with him.

Powerful animals often play with their prey before eating, to keep the meat tender.

Although these creatures looked human, they still retained beastly habits.

Moreover, they had eaten many climbers, absorbing their strength. These villagers’ abilities were now at their peak.

The square-jawed uncle simply charged, transforming into a gust of wind, too fast to react to.

What followed was a standard “Black Tiger Plucks the Heart” move.

Even though the Olympian superhuman blocked with his arms, his tough skin and flesh were easily pierced by the square-jawed uncle.

With a squeeze from the square-jawed uncle, the powerful Olympian superhuman, the Spartan warrior, fell.

Before dying, his eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief.

Although affected by the cold, were these villagers really that strong?

The aura emanating from these villagers alone felt like towering, ferocious beasts.

And this was only the first stage. The Olympian superhuman couldn’t even imagine what terrifying creatures lay in the later stages.

But he wouldn’t get to find out, falling forever in this icy, blizzard-filled night.

A few other superhumans shared the same fate as the Olympian.

However, the Olympian superhuman was relatively stronger, managing to hold on until now.

Other superhumans were slain by the villagers in just a few moves.

The terror of these villagers in the strange tale world not only dealt a devastating blow to the chosen ones but also left an indelible impression on the viewers.

Those superhumans who dominated Blue Star had fallen in the very first stage?
Was the six-star strange tale world really this terrifying?

In the international chat room, everyone was heatedly discussing.

: This shouldn’t be right. I saw the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master handle it with ease, slaying five villagers with one sword strike. Why is it taking so long here without a clear outcome?
: Ah! How did our nation’s superhuman get killed? Can’t he even defeat villagers in what seems like a beginner stage?
: I feel like maybe the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master entered an easy version of the strange tale world. Everything seems so easy for him, like cutting through melons and vegetables.

: Think about it carefully. Is it possible that it’s not these villagers are weak, but because the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master is too strong?

: Didn’t the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master say in previous strange tale worlds that everyone seems like one-star to him? He one-shots everyone, so no matter the strange entity or native, they are nothing in his eyes. The top tier is just the top tier.

: I think that’s right. I’ve seen footage of the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master eliminating strange entities in his own country. He literally smashed an entire city. Even that hundred-meter-long colossal whale was easily slain by him.

: Damn, look how arrogant these villagers are. It’s just that they didn’t get matched with the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master. If they did, he’d slaughter them all.

Somehow, Zhang Yangqing seemed to have become a powerful existence recognized by the majority of viewers worldwide.

Viewers knew they might not believe in Taoism, but they absolutely had to believe in the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master.

It wasn’t that the other chosen ones were incompetent; it was just that this one from the Dragon Nation was absurdly powerful.

As the difficulty of the strange tale world increased, many superhumans had lost their advantage.

With just a slight misjudgment, if they couldn’t find a way to remedy, they could only be slain.

Gretchenko was a prime example of intelligence. Once he set aside some of his pride, even if he didn’t get the magic book, by following the rules and scolding the strange baby, he could safely get through tonight.

A single strange baby was nothing in his eyes.

But if he had to brave the blizzard and couldn’t quickly kill all the villagers, he would still face a life-or-death dilemma.

While other chosen ones were busy dealing with strange entities, being tortured and killed by them and the villagers.

Everyone realized that one livestream had long since gone to sleep, as smooth as if on vacation.

Most other chosen ones were turn from side to side until two or three in the morning before sleeping, needing to wake up at seven, spending the night on edge, afraid of unexpected events.

Zhang Yangqing had already entered dreamland before 1 AM, finding it very comfortable under the blankets in the cold weather.

Precisely because Zhang Yangqing cleared the stage early, it gave viewers an illusion that it was “simple.”

Only after seeing the tragic states of other chosen ones did viewers realize this was the terrifying strange tale world.

It seemed the increased difficulty of the strange tale world had no effect on the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master. That was what made him so fearsome.

In the strange tale world, the chosen ones still alive at this stage had basically fallen asleep.

Everyone knew there was still a journey ahead tomorrow.

Judging by the nature of this strange tale, everyone needed to conserve energy to reach the next shelter before nightfall, i.e., before the blizzard arrived.

Otherwise, they would basically freeze to death in this icy wilderness.

Even if it was only four or five hours of rest, it was precious.

Besides, there might be various dangers on the road tomorrow. If they couldn’t react in time, they could die on the spot.

So, the chosen ones gradually drifted into sleep.

As for those who didn’t, they were contemplating the current situation and tomorrow’s plans.

At this point, they needed to trust their teammates to some extent.

Because if they didn’t wake up between 7 and 8 AM, they would need their teammates to remind them.

If no one woke up, then although they survived the night, they wouldn’t be able to leave tomorrow.

Waiting for the next time the exit opened might mean waiting another day.

Who knew what dangers they might encounter during that extra day of waiting?

Many chosen ones also complained that this strange tale world purely didn’t want them to sleep properly.

If only they had a phone to set an alarm.

At this moment, some chosen ones realized.

They should have taken a clock from the living room when the homeowner was away.

Thinking of this, some regretted immensely, always missing some details.

But could anyone really think of such fine details?

Without an alarm clock, if other teammates didn’t wake up, they couldn’t exactly ask the strange baby to wake the chosen one, could they?

The more they thought, the sleepier they became. Eventually, these sleepless chosen ones also fell into a deep slumber.

After walking all day and experiencing the heart-pounding exploration and confronting the strange entity at night, they were utterly exhausted.

The night passed just like that.

In this polar night environment, chosen ones easily lost track of day and night.

Coupled with sheer exhaustion, everyone worried about not waking up.

At this point, the bearded team leader, as someone familiar with the area, proved his usefulness.

At 7:10 AM, as per the Magician’s instructions, he crumpled the fan card into a ball.

The chosen ones, feeling the vibration, quickly woke from their dreams.

Outside, snow was still falling, but lightly.

In the dim night, the moment the chosen ones opened their eyes, any drowsiness was instantly startled away.

Because right before them was that angelic-looking strange baby.

Its wings were spread open, the eyes on the wings fixed intently on the chosen one.

Waking up to this sight made them hold their breath in fear.

Even though they knew the rules prevented the strange baby from harming them, it was still terrifying.

If they hadn’t been so exhausted last night, who could have rested in such a room?

Entering the strange tale world, It is itself a form of torture for the chosen ones.

Only by enduring this torture could they become stronger.

Those who cleared more stages would find themselves physically stronger than before, a testament to the power of the all-attribute bonus.

These survivors couldn’t even imagine that ordinary people in the Dragon Nation received even greater bonuses.

But such thoughts were not for the chosen ones to dwell on now, as the danger wasn’t over yet.

Whether they could ultimately leave this nameless village was the conclusion of this stage.

Soon, text appeared on the white cards in the chosen ones’ hands.

It described how the climbing team members had encountered some dangers last night, managed to survive using their skills, and felt they should leave early. Otherwise, if the villagers woke up and invited them for meals or something, they wouldn’t be able to leave.

The five discussed for a few minutes, then prepared to set off with their luggage.

The chosen one from the Pyramid Nation, Rahman, climbed out the window under cover of darkness.

Then, using yesterday’s method, he lowered the prepared rope.

Grabbing the rope, he slowly descended to the ground. Once his feet touched the thick snow, he released his hands and walked away slowly.

He headed for the meeting point the bearded team leader had mentioned.

This required the chosen ones to be extremely careful.

They couldn’t make any sound, lest they alert the villagers and render all their efforts from last night in vain.

Even if they hadn’t slept enough, the cold weather kept them quite alert.

Seeing his teammates arrive one by one gave Rahman a sense of security.

Compared to the terrifying villagers and strange entities, seeing these teammates was reassuring.

After all, his teammates had been helpful along the way.

Even though Rahman knew there was a strange entity among his teammates, the sense of hostility seemed to be gradually decreasing.

At the very least, the strange entity among his teammates wouldn’t strike for now. Perhaps it wasn’t time yet.

Or perhaps the strange entity among his teammates needed to use the chosen one and the others to achieve its own hidden agenda.

During this period, the strange entity would pretend to be a genuine teammate.

Regardless, Rahman still found this group relatively reliable.

At that moment, the bearded team leader suddenly said, “The situation isn’t good. I just scouted the area, and there’s an impenetrable mist around here.”

The mist in the strange tale world seemed like a special rule. Without finding the correct method, leaving was impossible.

Or perhaps only specific individuals could see through it.

This posed a problem. If they couldn’t get out, and the villagers woke up, wouldn’t they be in big trouble?

How to get out was actually written in the rules.

Rahman told the others he had a way out.

[Rule 1: Not every villager is hospitable. If you offend those with bad tempers, they will drive you out.]

If they couldn’t find a way to dispel the mist, this rule was the solution.

Rahman had guessed this upon arrival, so he had been observing which villagers were inhospitable.

These inhospitable villagers could drive the climbing team out.

The villagers who came to greet the chosen ones were all ‘hospitable’.

As for those whose doors remained closed, with no one coming out to greet them, they were the inhospitable ones.

So, following his memory, he found the house of an inhospitable villager.

After knocking, shortly after, a displeased person opened the door.

Fortunately, the falling snow muffled the sound, so other houses couldn’t hear.

Then Rahman said, “Hello, can I stay here for the night?”

As expected, the homeowner stepped out angrily and shooed them away.

They followed the direction the homeowner chased them, and thus walked out of the mist.

Rahman’s cleverness earned praise from his teammates.

Actually, this rule wasn’t hard to understand. One just needed to connect Rule 1 and Rule 6 to figure it out.

Other chosen ones began doing the same.

Those who survived until here generally had decent observation and judgment skills.

As the other chosen ones made their way out, viewers were surprised to find one chosen one was still asleep in the village.

Bro, aren’t you afraid of dying?
Then everyone clicked on the livestream of this still-sleeping chosen one.

Oh, it’s the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master. Never mind then!

Viewers knew that when other chosen ones ran away, it was to remove themselves from danger, with the danger coming from the villagers.

The Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master hadn’t left yet. He might not be in danger, but these villagers might still face danger!
After all, he was the most terrifying existence in this strange tale world!