I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 205

Chapter 205: The Wrong Rule, The Trap Zone, So What?

During this period, there is actually a reward to be obtained.

For ordinary Chosen Ones, this reward carries significant danger.

[Rule 8: You can try putting coins into the vending machine; it will benefit you. But be careful, absolutely do not let anyone see you, no matter who it is.]

The rule specifically warns Chosen Ones not to be seen while obtaining the reward, which surely means this item could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.

Therefore, the vast majority of Chosen Ones wait until all their teammates have entered their rooms before taking action.

Since this matter cannot be known by anyone, not even the doctor, the Chosen Ones don’t ask them about it.

Given the rule mentions it, the vending machine should be somewhere in this area.

However, this is still a zone inhabited by strange creatures. Without teammates’ help, for most Chosen Ones, it’s undoubtedly a test of life and death.

Once caught by a strange creature, there’s basically no way out.

So, the Chosen Ones make thorough preparations, either gathering some tools in advance or consulting the magic book for escape spells.

To survive and get the reward, ever since seeing the rule, everyone has been racking their brains along the way.

Rahman, the Chosen One from Pyramid Country, has been using various excuses to ask teammates for tools. He also received help from the magic book, learning two spell incantations.

He truly wanted to learn some advanced spells, but the magic book told him that given his aptitude, he could only manage the most basic ones. Even if he learned advanced spell incantations, he wouldn’t be able to cast them.

Because Rahman has never practiced cultivation, his body contains very little energy. Even if he mastered the incantations for high-level magic, he lacks the energy to execute them.

He gently pushed the door ajar, confirmed no teammates were around opening their doors, then cautiously stepped out of the room.

First, he made a detour to the storage room where the doctor was, advising him not to trust any visitors from 2 AM to 6 AM.

Then, Rahman went out, continuing his search for the vending machine’s location.

Even at this point, he didn’t dare turn on his flashlight, fearing someone might notice and create an awkward situation. He had to grit his teeth and walk a distance relying on his senses.

When he finally switched on his flashlight, he discovered several branching paths nearby.

There seemed to be various rooms inside, but these weren’t what he needed.

Here lay a small pitfall: the terrain was complex. If one didn’t remember the route, it was highly likely they couldn’t return within the allotted time.

If the time reached 2 AM, once the strangeness descended, they would have no choice but to tear up the purple card to request teammates’ help.

Though whether the teammates would actually rescue them was unknown.

After all, the Chosen One had reminded the others not to go out after 2 AM or trust anyone.

After searching for eleven minutes, the Chosen Ones began to panic. If they couldn’t find it soon, they had to return.

But just then, a strange scene unfolded.

It seemed the ‘step count’ was fulfilled. On their way back, they actually saw a vending machine leaning against a passageway.

In this dimly lit corridor, the Chosen One shone their flashlight around, confirming no one was in sight before cautiously approaching the vending machine.

At this stage, Rahman discovered a trap.

He noticed the vending machine seemed to be blocking a door.

Judging by the spacing between the room doors, there should be a door behind the vending machine.

This meant that while purchasing an item, a strange creature might suddenly burst through the vending machine from the front and attack.

Chosen Ones who failed to notice this point would likely be focused on their surroundings while buying the item and thus be killed by the frontal assault from the strange creature.

Rahman knew the Strange Tales world wouldn’t simply hand out rewards to the Chosen Ones.

He inserted a few coins into the vending machine, and two medicine canisters dropped out.

He picked them up, put them in his pocket, and immediately ran.

The next second, with a thud, two hands pierced through the vending machine, lunging straight for the various Chosen Ones.

Those eerie arms seemed capable of infinite extension, blood-red, resembling gaping, devouring mouths. In the center of each palm grew an eye, looking particularly terrifying.

Here, even Rahman, who thought he had covered all bases, encountered misfortune. After reciting the magic incantation, his speed was too great. He accidentally stepped on something round and lost his balance, falling to the ground.

In an instant, the icy cold, strange arm grabbed his wrist, forcefully pulling him back.

The terrifying strength nearly broke Rahman’s arm, his body dragging a trail along the floor.

This scared the viewers from Pyramid Country half to death. They thought Rahman had this round in the bag, never expecting him to slip up at this critical moment.

At this extremely perilous moment, Rahman utilized the skill ‘Slippery’ he had acquired at the wax museum.

Upon activating this skill, a layer of oily wax appeared on his skin, making it very slippery and difficult to grasp.

Thus, he forcefully broke free from the strange arm and sprinted back towards his room.

The strange arm seemed to have an attack range; once he ran beyond it, it wouldn’t attack anymore.

This allowed the Pyramid Country viewers to breathe a sigh of relief.

• “That scared me to death! I thought Professor Rahman was done for. We’re counting on him for some rewards!”

• “Wait, is Professor Rahman a superhuman? How can he use that kind of move?”

• “It’s probably the skills mentioned by Cardinal Gregorio, the ones the Strange Tales world grants after achieving an S-rank rating.”

• “I get it now. So, the more skills one has, the higher the survival rate in the Strange Tales world. That’s way too overpowered!”

• “So that means the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master must have four or five skills by now, right? Wouldn’t he be like a fish in water in the Strange Tales world?”

• “Is it possible that he doesn’t even need these skills to survive? It’s more about whether the strange creatures can survive under the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master, depending on how powerful their skills are. Only the really powerful ones get to live.”

The Pyramid Country viewers fell silent. That was a valid point.

Their Chosen One acquires skills to stay alive. His acquired skills probably go unused.

Rahman did indeed escape danger, but the Chosen One from Britannia Nation, during this round, was focused on the periphery, guarding against attacks from strange creatures.

However, he was directly dragged in by the strange arm hiding inside the vending machine. His flashlight fell in the corridor, and a heart-wrenching scream erupted from the room.

Britannia Nation’s large screen went black. Failed to clear.

This made numerous viewers watch in fear and trepidation.

This stage was much simpler for the Transcendents.

Gregorio simply walked out the door to get the reward, incidentally beating to death the strange creature that attacked from the vending machine.

Zhang Yangqing was even more ruthless. He couldn’t be bothered with inserting coins; he directly dismantled the vending machine and took the reward item inside.

Presumably, the strange arm saw how ferocious he was and didn’t dare come out to attack him.

By the time the Chosen Ones returned to their rest rooms, it was very close to 2 AM.

Moreover, they had to return with utmost caution, fearing discovery by teammates.

Zhang Yangqing, however, had no such worries. He returned relatively early and had already gone to rest.

During this period, the sporadically flickering lights in the corridor suddenly all went dark.

The entire corridor plunged into pitch blackness, with shadows seemingly flitting back and forth.

If the Chosen Ones pressed their ears against the door, they would hear some furtive footsteps.

The footsteps were sometimes dense, sometimes slow.

Perhaps while the Chosen Ones had their ears pressed against the inner side of the door, these eerie beings were pressing their ears against the outer side.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A series of knocks made many Chosen Ones with ears to the door nearly jump out of their skins.

Forget about terror, it was definitely startling.

Outside the door, a ‘teammate’s’ familiar voice seemed to call out, needing the Chosen One’s help.

But at this moment, anyone who wasn’t a fool wouldn’t open the door, not even daring to make a sound.

Since the rules explicitly warned about this, how could the Chosen Ones possibly violate them?

However, it seemed these strange creatures weren’t very strong, belonging to the sneaky type, only daring to attack relatively weak individuals like the Chosen Ones, not daring to harass other more powerful teammates.

They couldn’t even damage the sturdy doors of the rest rooms.

Originally, Rahman had a well-laid plan for tonight. He had learned a one-eyed magic spell from the magic book.

He could set the visual perspective of one eye on the corridor ceiling—by drawing a mark in a certain spot, he would know who left their room later.

But startled by the knocking, at that moment, a shadowy figure walked out from a teammate’s room.

Due to his momentary fright, by the time Rahman reacted, the door had already closed. He didn’t see who it was.

Missing this opportunity, he would need to observe continuously for several hours to determine which teammate was the strange creature.

But it was already 2:20 AM. Drowsiness set in, his eyelids grew heavy, and his mind began to fog. Staying awake like this wasn’t a sustainable solution.

Moreover, maintaining the magic required energy.

So, he simply dispelled the magic and fell asleep.

When knocking sounded again, most Chosen Ones were startled awake, thinking the strange creatures were preparing to assault them forcefully.

This time, the steady voice of Goatee Captain called from outside. The Chosen Ones glanced at their watches; the time was 8:20 AM, well past the time for strange creature attacks.

After responding, the Chosen Ones got up one after another, beginning today’s journey through the Strange Tales.

After dressing and gathering their belongings, the Chosen Ones opened their doors.

Outside were those familiar faces.

After two days of interaction, seeing these faces gave the Chosen Ones’ hearts a slight sense of security.

Without these people, they would have died long ago on the road.

Why didn’t many Chosen Ones discover the method to identify the strange teammate in this stage?

Because subconsciously, they were unwilling to suspect their teammates.

If they truly found out which teammate it was, how would they face them on the upcoming journey?

How could they make the other teammates believe them?

These were all extremely difficult questions.

But if they didn’t know, when the strange teammate truly acted, could they withstand it?

Judging by the strange teammate’s intelligence, they probably wouldn’t act lightly without extremely high confidence or before achieving their objective.

Conversely, if they did act, there was a high probability they could eliminate the others.

This was the huge hidden danger within the team; they had to find a way to expose them.

Complex and conflicting emotions swirled in the Chosen Ones’ minds.

Just then, an urgent voice interrupted their thoughts.

“Bad news! That doctor and the ‘human’ have both disappeared.”

Purple-Eyes Girl ran over, followed by Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man.

After being woken up, they went to greet the doctor.

Who knew that upon pushing open the storage room door, they found it completely empty.

The mechanical clamor had long ceased, and even the two assistants guarding the door were gone.

Moreover, the creatures inside some large glass containers had also vanished.

Let alone any trace of the doctor and the human.

After the mountaineering team entered the storage room together, they found no signs of a struggle, making it impossible to determine what exactly had happened.

“What should we do? Should we go back to the lab and ask?”

Pompadour Man, like the Chosen Ones, had just woken up.

It was time for a decision again, and everyone’s gaze seemed to turn towards the Chosen One.

Rahman, the Chosen One from Pyramid Country, calmed down very quickly. His reasoning was that the doctor and the human had probably already left. They should search nearby for a way out and leave this place as soon as possible.

If Rule 1 was correct, their current location was two kilometers from where they descended from the upper level.

Because it was one kilometer from this level’s entrance to the lab, and another kilometer from the lab to the storage room.

That meant walking another kilometer should reveal the so-called exit.

With a goal in mind, the mountaineering team set off again.

Here, Zhang Yangqing had it easier. He only needed to say “let’s go,” without even explaining why.

Just see if any teammates dared to ask.

If no one dared, they could only follow him.

The mountaineering team walked for over ten minutes. The corridor remained dim, but under the flashlight beams, the Chosen Ones saw a familiar staircase.

This staircase was identical to the one the mountaineering team had descended earlier—the stairs connecting to the exit.

Seeing this, the mountaineering team’s heavy hearts began to lighten.

After being inside for over ten hours, they could finally get out.

The Chosen One from Kangaroo Nation was the first to rush out, also becoming the first victim.

Once outside, a group of strange creatures surrounded him.

The bizarre spider with two heads only needed to spit out a web to ensnare the entire mountaineering team.

No matter what method the mountaineering team used, they couldn’t break free.

Purple-Eyes Girl, who managed to struggle free, was attacked by other strange creatures and couldn’t provide support.

Then, the two-headed bizarre spider violently retracted the web. Amidst the Chosen One from Kangaroo Nation’s desperate struggles, the double-headed bizarre spider devoured every member of the mountaineering team.

The scene was exceptionally bloody and terrifying.

Being eaten by such a horrifying creature was worse than a quick, clean death.

The Chosen One from Matador Nation suffered even more tragically. He encountered a swarm of strange ants—a dark, overwhelming mass, with the sound of countless crawling legs. Even running back, he was caught by the ant swarm.

Soon, wherever there was an orifice, it was invaded by the strange ants. Before long, only a white, skeletal frame remained.

Similar fates befell over thirty others.

Watching their respective Chosen Ones’ large screens turn black one after another left viewers baffled. Why did this situation occur?

Their Chosen One clearly followed the rules, so why were they attacked by strange creatures?

Could it be that the mountaineering team violated the doctor’s rules and fell into a trap he set?

Apart from this explanation, nothing else seemed to make sense.

But next, some Chosen Ones successfully emerged, though not via this route.

Seeing this exit, Rahman instinctively wanted to go up.

But the chill blowing in from the exit instantly jolted him awake.

“Oh crap! So the trap is here. This is the big one!”

Rahman seemed to recall a rule, breaking out in a cold sweat.

[Rule 6: Remember, you can only go downward here. If you find yourself going upward, evacuate this area immediately.]

Most Chosen Ones thought this rule had already been triggered and wouldn’t activate again.

But the place where Rule 6 was truly triggered was right here.

The upward path—wasn’t that the trap!

Because it was early morning, and the Chosen Ones were all in a just-woken-up state, seeing a path identical to the one they descended, most didn’t think twice and went straight up.

If they actually went up, they would trigger the condition for a strange creature attack and be pursued by the ones lying in ambush outside.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Strange Tales world. It always gave psychological hints unexpectedly, then presented a trap.

But the absurd thing was, it did give the Chosen Ones a hint; they just didn’t react in time.

High-level Chosen Ones excelled at surviving dangers, but they were prone to faltering at such pitfalls.

In this round, Muscle Doctor Miller, the Chosen One from Eagle Nation, also narrowly escaped death. He, too, didn’t react in time and went out.

Fortunately, he had the ‘Stealth’ skill. Upon realizing something was wrong, he immediately activated Stealth and ran back.

Without this skill, he would have been doomed in this stage.

This was the advantage of veterans—they possessed a certain capacity for trial and error.

After bypassing this passage, Rahman found a downward-sloping exit and walked out of the sanatorium’s basement through a tunnel.

Subsequently, many other Chosen Ones also realized this was a trap and found alternative routes to exit.

Even if the mountaineering team was confused, the Chosen Ones patiently found excuses to explain, making the team believe them.

After all, they were a team; he wouldn’t harm them.

Just as viewers hoped no one else would fall for the trap, another Chosen One went up.

Before viewers could even mourn, a violent rumbling sound erupted from this Chosen One’s large screen.

This sound was familiar, so familiar that viewers seemed to guess who this was and what he was about to do.

On Dragon Nation’s large screen, Zhang Yangqing was conducting a one-sided slaughter of strange creatures.

No matter how terrifying these things seemed, that was only in other Chosen Ones’ eyes.

The powerful double-headed bizarre spider hadn’t even spat out its web before a golden longsword pierced its forehead. Green blood and mucus splattered out; it died on the spot.

That swarm of strange ants was struck by the majestic, awe-inspiring golden light and instantly evaporated. No matter how many came, they died.

Perhaps ant swarms seemed infinite in many people’s eyes, but this infinity was relative; there would always be an end.

This level of infinity was useless before Zhang Yangqing. He only needed to concentrate a burst of golden light and expand it outward from his body. Without even using any special technique, any ant touched by the golden light died instantly.

Even the mountaineering team members around Zhang Yangqing felt like this teammate’s magical power must also be infinite. Wasn’t it a bit excessive to go all out like this first thing in the morning?!

Zhang Yangqing certainly knew this wasn’t the correct exit, but did it make a difference?

Weren’t they all meant to exit anyway? Why should he take a detour?!

Since it wasn’t an instant-fail rule for clearing the stage, what did he have to fear?

Thus, the first Chosen One to forcefully exit through the wrong door appeared.

Viewers watched the vast, boundless snowy field on the large screen, sighing with emotion.

What kind of strange creatures would be tormented by him next?!