I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 202

Chapter 202: You Can Be Jealous of People, But Not of Gods!

Ten minutes for the Chosen Ones…

Sometimes felt very long, but right now, it was incredibly short.

They wished they had several more ten-minute periods to think of countermeasures.

As time ticked by, the room marked with the purple exclamation point also began to exhibit some strange phenomena.

The Pyramid Country’s Chosen One, Rahman, seemed to hear a heartbeat. He was sure it wasn’t his own or his teammates’.

So, he shone his flashlight around and noticed dust seemingly falling from the ceiling.

Rahman looked up and saw the ceiling pulsing back and forth.

As the countdown neared, the pulsing sound grew louder, and even his mountaineering teammates sensed something wrong.

“Is there something on the ceiling? It looks alive.”
“I feel like something terrifying is sealed there. Maybe that Jealousy Gremlin knows what terrible presence is in this room, which is why it didn’t dare come in.”
“What do we do then? If what you say is true, and the thing on the ceiling is more terrifying than the Jealousy Gremlin, won’t we be doomed when it comes out?”
The thought of something in the room more terrifying than the Jealousy Gremlin made the teammates uneasy.

At this moment, Rahman’s mind was clear. Only four minutes had passed, meaning there were six minutes left before the thing on the ceiling could revive.

Within these six minutes, he had to figure out a way to deal with the Jealousy Gremlin.

Otherwise, they might face an even worse situation.

Rahman glanced around. In times like these, he still had to rely on himself; these teammates were just support.

He pondered for a minute, then suddenly opened his eyes and said, “I have an idea. Do any of you know how to make ugly faces?”

His teammates looked at him, confused.

Rahman continued to explain. Originally, according to their plan, the ugliest person would go out to fight the Jealousy Gremlin, but they might not win, and it was unclear what the Jealousy Gremlin defined as ‘ugly.’ Deciding who to send was also a problem.

So, Rahman decided to be bold. The Jealousy Gremlin’s eyes were a bit off, but its other facial features were relatively normal.

The medical record card stated that the Jealousy Gremlin didn’t kill ugly creatures.

Since this was also a rule, there must be a way to solve it.

Making an ugly face also counted as being ugly.

So, Rahman had his teammates contort their faces into idiotic expressions, with twisted mouths, flared nostrils, and extremely grotesque expressions.

They even used eyeliner and lipstick to smear their faces, making them look utterly hideous.

The Purple-Eyed Woman initially refused. As a refined beauty, her appearance was her life.

But to survive, she had no choice.

Another three minutes passed. Time was tight.

If they didn’t leave soon, the Jealousy Gremlin might not be the one to act; the aberrant creature inside might.

Who went out first required courage.

After all, the Jealousy Gremlin was right outside the door. If it attacked, no one would survive.

Just as the other teammates hesitated, Rahman stepped out first.

To his teammates’ anticipation, indeed, the Jealousy Gremlin took one look at Rahman’s strange and ugly face, its eyes showing ‘disdain,’ and didn’t attack at all. It just kept staring intently at the doorway.

Seeing this, the other teammates followed suit and walked out.

As expected, upon seeing creatures uglier than itself, the Jealousy Gremlin showed no desire to attack.

And so, after Rahman and his teammates left, they fled the area.

After they had gone some distance, they heard a loud crash from behind, as if something had collapsed, followed by sounds of a fight and then a sharp scream.

It seemed to come from the Jealousy Gremlin.

Something that could kill even the Jealousy Gremlin was clearly the terrifying creature from the purple-exclamation-mark room.

The mountaineering team was terrified, hoping that thing wouldn’t chase after them; otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Rahman thought that his teammates had underestimated the Jealousy Gremlin. Because the Jealousy Gremlin’s opponent wasn’t good-looking, the jealousy factors within it couldn’t erupt, which was why it couldn’t defeat the creature from the purple-exclamation-mark room.

If there weren’t any high-attractiveness individuals like the Purple-Eyed Woman in the team, the Jealousy Gremlin might not have been able to withstand the attacks from the other four.

The Jealousy Gremlin’s strength depended on the target’s attractiveness.

Actually, there were several ways to handle this stage; it wasn’t very singular.

But strangely, viewers unanimously switched to the Dragon Country’s live stream.

They seemed to be anticipating a good show.

As everyone knew, most Chosen Ones’ attractiveness ranged from average to below average. The only exception was the Dragon Country’s representative, whose divine looks were peerless.

What level of formidable aberrant creature would the Jealousy Gremlin become? It was truly something to look forward to.

At that moment, an astonishing scene unfolded on the Dragon Country’s screen.

Upon seeing Zhang Yangqing, the Jealousy Gremlin became so jealous and twisted that it directly evolved.

The conditions for an aberration to mutate were very苛刻; only during the apocalyptic catastrophe had there been a case of fusion mutation.

No one expected that at this stage, merely seeing Zhang Yangqing’s face would trigger the Jealousy Gremlin’s mutation.

Indeed, jealousy was also a source of power.

But Zhang Yangqing’s appearance truly made many people jealous, just like during his first entry into the Strange Tales world. Before showcasing his strength, many had commented on it.

Once the Jealousy Gremlin finished evolving, a terrifying aura began to spread.

Initially, Zhang Yangqing’s teammates had been ready to fight, but seeing this, they all hid behind him.

The Purple-Eyed Woman’s legs were even trembling. The aura of bloodshed and resentment made one feel fear from the depths of their heart.

The others weren’t any better; internally, they were panicking, but being men, they had to maintain a facade of calm on the surface.

The other members of the mountaineering team understood one thing clearly: if the security guard boss couldn’t handle this aberrant creature, they were undoubtedly dead.

Looking at the Jealousy Gremlin now, originally, the bones on its chest were just protruding like spikes, the sharp bone spikes gleaming coldly. It could pull them out to use as weapons.

That alone had frightened many Chosen Ones; it was an entity they couldn’t oppose.

Now, it was even more absurd. Spikes were erupting from its head, hands, feet—almost its entire body.

The bone spikes pierced through its skin, bending and wrapping around its body, forming a perfect armor of bone spikes around it.

Originally white in its bone state, it had now transformed into a crystalline form, drastically increasing its hardness.

The Jealousy Gremlin’s power had reached its peak. It felt that even an ‘angel’ could be slain.

Its gaze towards Zhang Yangqing was frenzied, even shedding tears of blood—the literal manifestation of jealousy bleeding.

The Jealousy Gremlin was grateful to Zhang Yangqing for transforming it into this state, but it would also give Zhang Yangqing a death filled with agony.

If the monster from the purple-exclamation-mark room emerged now, it would be instantly killed by the Jealousy Gremlin.

Seeing the Jealousy Gremlin approach, the mountaineering teammates subconsciously shuffled back a bit further.

They didn’t even entertain the thought of fighting.

Whoosh!
The Jealousy Gremlin launched itself forward, fast as lightning.

A terrifying aura rushed towards them.

Even the mountaineering teammates could only see a blur.

When the Jealousy Gremlin charged right up to Zhang Yangqing, mere inches away, it felt that in the next second, it could pierce through this person who had driven it mad with jealousy.

But no matter what, it couldn’t move.

The Jealousy Gremlin only felt an invisible, giant hand gripping it tightly, rendering it immobile.

When it looked at Zhang Yangqing again, it felt as if it were in another space.

This space was pitch black. The human before it was over a hundred meters tall, his stature like that of a divine being.

The terrifying self that stood before others was as insignificant as an ant before this being.

The Jealousy Gremlin thought: Is this what a celestial god looks like?

Before it could ponder further, Zhang Yangqing simply clenched his fist. Instantly, it was compressed into a sphere by immense energy.

As Zhang Yangqing released his grip, it turned into crystalline powder, scattering to the ground.

Before dying, the Jealousy Gremlin seemed to understand one thing: it could be jealous of people, but not of gods.

Such a terrifying Jealousy Gremlin was effortlessly erased by Zhang Yangqing with just an opening and closing of his hand.

To the uninformed, it might seem like Zhang Yangqing had just crushed an ant.

But in front of Zhang Yangqing, comparing it to an ant wasn’t incorrect.

Viewers who had been hoping for a good show now also looked down on the Jealousy Gremlin.

: This Jealousy Gremlin is too weak. I thought it would reach world-destroying levels.
: Can’t say that. The Jealousy Gremlin just reached its own limit, and its limit might only be a snap of Zhang Tian Shi’s fingers.
: According to our cultivation world’s terminology, the Jealousy Gremlin’s upper limit might only be Zhang Tian Shi’s lower limit. They’re simply not on the same dimensional level.
: It must be said, if anyone had Zhang Tian Shi as a teammate, they would indeed feel unparalleled security.
: If you asked me to go into the Strange Tales, I might not dare, but if you told me all my teammates were like Zhang Tian Shi, then I think I could.
: I think you’re the dangerous one. If Zhang Tian Shi had a teammate like you, he’d probably find a way to eliminate you first. Based on his habits, he’d definitely deal with the most troublesome one immediately.
: Damn, you might be right…
While the viewers sighed, the teammates were also increasingly astonished. They initially thought Zhang Yangqing only knew how to unleash large-scale attacks, but now, even in one-on-one combat, he was this terrifying.

An aberrant creature several times stronger than them couldn’t last a single encounter with him.

How could they not be moved?

They even began to speculate about Zhang Yangqing’s identity.

Genuine teammates thought that if this person were their companion, this run would be absolutely secure.

If this person were an aberration disguised as a teammate, then this run was undoubtedly doomed.

But here was the question: if this person were an aberration in disguise, would they need to hide their identity from them?
While other Chosen Ones were guessing their teammates’ identities, Zhang Yangqing’s teammates were already starting to guess his identity.

Zhang Yangqing’s playstyle was unique. He shifted troublesome problems onto others, so they wouldn’t trouble him.

My strength is right here. Whatever schemes or tricks you have, just bring them on.

But remember, you only get one chance!
Once you fail, death is the only outcome.

Therefore, any aberration intending to deal with Zhang Yangqing would surely make thorough preparations, aiming for a one-hit kill.

And Zhang Yangqing’s teammates, as long as they guessed his identity, would secretly observe the other teammates’ actions, trying their best to sabotage the aberration’s plans.

This was also the main reason Zhang Yangqing had deliberately kept the team disharmonious from the start.

Now, other teams’ coordination was getting better, and their relationships were becoming more harmonious.

But in Zhang Yangqing’s team, there was a significant rift between each member.

Tap, tap, tap… Footsteps continued to echo in the dim corridor as the mountaineering team pressed on.

It was now 12:40 AM. Though exhausted, they gathered their spirits to continue searching for a resting place.

After walking about a kilometer, the Chosen Ones arrived before a double-door room.

Basically, except for Zhang Yangqing, everyone else opened doors cautiously.

They were afraid of being startled when opening doors.

When Zhang Yangqing opened a door, whoever saw him was the one in for a surprise.

Unlike other teams chatting and laughing, Zhang Yangqing’s team was mostly silent.

Faced with an absolute powerhouse like Zhang Yangqing, the mountaineering team could only obey.

Soon, the mountaineering team found an organ stored in a glass container in the inner room of this double-door room—a brain.

Following the normal procedure, the mountaineering team needed to rest here for a while, five to ten minutes.

Because the corridor had poisonous gas, and the strong disinfectant smell here could detoxify.

During this time, the Chosen Ones would carefully inspect the room, looking for useful items.

This double-door room seemed to be a special ward. Zhang Yangqing could see some IV drips, a bloody wheelchair, and even some tools whose purpose he didn’t know.

Why could Zhang Yangqing see these?
Because he was in the main hall, while the other Chosen Ones were in the inner room.

The inner room stored some useful props, like oxygen tanks, which were quite scarce here.

Other Chosen Ones still needed to thoroughly search every cabinet in the inner room because they had to obtain coins.

You couldn’t just start looking for these after seeing a vending machine, so preparing in advance was correct.

In the deepest parts of some cabinets, the Chosen Ones found the coins they desperately needed. Even one or two made them happy.

There were also some medical record forms that the Chosen Ones needed to collect.

These were their roles within the team, their understanding of the characters they played.

It could be said that other Chosen Ones couldn’t rest at all, while Zhang Yangqing left these complex and troublesome tasks for his teammates to do.

He only needed to list the tasks and then instruct his teammates to follow through.

Why were Zhang Yangqing’s teammates so obedient?
Zhang Yangqing’s unfathomable strength was the primary reason—a concrete manifestation of authority.

Furthermore, in other Chosen Ones’ teams, most of the fighting was done by teammates, consuming a lot of physical energy.

The Chosen Ones were only responsible for intellect and judgment, so many troublesome tasks required the Chosen Ones’ personal attention.

This was why, when other teammates were resting to recover stamina, the Chosen Ones needed to search for information.

But in Zhang Yangqing’s team, during combat, these people had nothing to do; besides freeloading, they had no other tasks.

When Zhang Yangqing wanted to rest, they were naturally willing to help him organize information and find the things he wanted.

It could be said that Zhang Yangqing’s team and other Chosen Ones’ teams exhibited opposite behaviors.

After detoxifying and adjusting their states, the Chosen Ones’ teams continued forward.

Along the way, everyone seemed to be diligently memorizing the aberrant creatures on the medical record forms.

They didn’t aim to remember everything completely, just hoped to remember the general information so they could refer to it quickly when in danger.

They encountered a few aberrant creatures along the way, all dealt with through the Chosen Ones’ coordination with their teammates.

The mountaineering team seemed to trust the Chosen Ones more and more.

Late at night, no one seemed particularly willing to keep moving forward.

But thinking they might not get out tomorrow, they steeled themselves and continued following the Chosen Ones’ plan to find a way out.

That was the mountaineering team for you. Since they dared to take risks to climb mountains, they had this level of resolve.

Truly lazy individuals wouldn’t join a mountaineering team.

Here, some Chosen Ones were also observing. They felt that genuine teammates wouldn’t complain about hardship or fatigue.

Because genuine teammates, wanting to obtain the Frost Fruit, wouldn’t grumble about the difficulties of the journey.
Someone like the Goateed Captain was most likely a genuine teammate.

Those who seemed impatient were likely aberrations.

These were things worth observing. The Chosen Ones also had some ‘suspected’ individuals in mind.

The corridors on this level seemed slightly cleaner than the previous one, but only slightly. There wasn’t a huge difference.

If forced to point out a difference, perhaps the smell was a bit fainter than on the previous level.

When passing rooms with exclamation marks, the mountaineering team subconsciously developed a habit of avoidance.

Rooms with exclamation marks contained aberrant creatures.

If they could be sealed, the Chosen Ones would seal these rooms without hesitation.

Some superhumans actually did this.

The Chosen One from the Malay Country was a curse master. Upon seeing rooms that seemed off, he would directly find ways to seal them.

This significantly reduced the dangers they encountered.

His playstyle made many superhumans watching the stream ponder.

In terms of combat ability, many superhumans didn’t have the advantage.

The aberrant creatures in the Strange Tales world were extremely formidable in combat.

It seemed sealing techniques had certain benefits in the Strange Tales world.

Take the first stage, the mountain village, for example. If one chose the first or second room, they could use sealing techniques to seal the door and the aberrant specimen, which would also allow them to pass.

Especially pre-prepared sealing talismans might not completely suppress a room with aberrations, but they could buy some time for oneself and teammates.

Inside the Strange Tales world, after walking another kilometer, the Chosen Ones’ teams encountered another double-door room.

But this room was somewhat strange; there was a green question mark on the door.

This made the Chosen Ones and mountaineering team members somewhat hesitant to enter.

Having a mark meant there was more or less a problem inside, as marked by the medical staff who used to work here.

The Pyramid Country’s Chosen One, Rahman, tried wiping the mark, but it had no effect. That suggested the mark was likely genuine, and there might indeed be some danger inside.

At this point, Rahman glanced at the Purple-Eyed Woman, as if asking if her substitute skill’s cooldown was over.

After all, in this environment, only the Purple-Eyed Woman dared to scout ahead. Others encountering danger would most likely die.

“Wait a moment, I’m crafting a prop. It’s almost done.”
The Purple-Eyed Woman didn’t say much, just those words, making them wait in the corridor.

Actually, she was being sly here. Her substitute skill’s cooldown was already over, but she didn’t want others to figure out her cooldown time.

Because a magician feared being seen through. As long as others knew her exact cooldown time, they could calculate the timing to kill her.

After waiting a while, the Purple-Eyed Woman went to open the door, while the others retreated a certain distance.

The moment she pushed the door open, a surge of intense green gas billowed out.