Re-entering the Game, Sin Mask

In the end, in the dim alley, the thoroughly beaten-up Zhang Tao was covered in injuries and knocked unconscious. Of course, Lu Ce, who left afterward, was also bruised black and blue.

However, most of Lu Ce's injuries had been deliberately inflicted by himself.

He was already quite skilled at this sort of thing. It did not hurt anyway. If the two of them appeared to be injured to roughly the same extent, and he was an orphan with no property or family ties to worry about, the police would generally just smooth things over.

But this time, as he fought, Lu Ce could instinctively sense the other party's fragility. So long as he wanted to, he had had countless ways to kill him just now!

Of course, he had not done so.

Lu Ce had a clear understanding of his own position. He knew his current strength was still far from enough to do whatever he pleased.

He hurried back to his small room, pulled out a sheet of paper, and began writing down his conclusions regarding the Chosen of Suffering.

1. Self-harm did not count. Damage he inflicted on himself would not earn Pain Points.

2. The most direct method was harm and torture inflicted upon him by others. This was the simplest way to gain points.

Moreover, in this situation, even if he was capable of breaking free but chose not to, it did not matter. It would not be considered self-harm. Lu Ce believed this was a bug.

After thinking for a long while, Lu Ce wrote down a third hypothesis:

3. If the actions of another person or an enemy forced him to suffer harm, whether directly or indirectly, he could also gain points!

In the first game, he had torn off his own fingernail while trying to break free. And during the fight just now, he had met the objects thrown by the other party with his fists himself, yet it had still worked.

After putting down his pen, Lu Ce took a deep breath and looked at the summary before him.

"Anyway, that's probably how it works."

"Tsk, my system doesn't even have something like a beginner's guide. I have to figure everything out myself."

"These are all the rules for the Chosen of Suffering I've discovered so far. I'll add more later if I find any..."

He placed the sheet beneath his pillow, then lay flat on the bed to rest, unable to calm down for a long time.

Everything he could rely on was now in place. Which meant...

Time until the next game begins: 29:24:43.

Time until the next game begins: 00:30:23.

A day and a night passed quickly. Lu Ce did not take part in his classmates' discussions. His mind had long since entered the game.

As time passed, the subtitles changed, and a voice rang out in his mind at the same time.

Thirty minutes remain until the game begins.

Please make the necessary preparations in advance.

Please choose whether to become a spectator or a player.

Looking at the two options before him, Lu Ce recalled what Xie Antong had said to him with unprecedented seriousness the day before yesterday.

"Heh, thanks for the reminder."

"But you're right. How could I possibly give up an opportunity like this?"

"When fate arrives, all choices cease to be choices..."

"Player!"

Player identity loaded.

Chosen Paradise welcomes you. May your courage carry you straight into the heavens!

Half an hour later, a stream of data enveloped Lu Ce's entire body, and his figure vanished from the small room.

Welcome to the game. Your current instance difficulty is: Hell Level!

You have five minutes to complete your initial setup.

As the data stream loaded rapidly, a status panel representing Lu Ce's player information appeared before him.

Game Points: 3000

Pain Points: 7

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Speed: 10

Luck: 3

Spirit: 0

Bonus Medal: God Slayer (Legendary)

Equipment: None

Inventory: Initial Backpack

You have one reward awaiting collection.

Looking at his panel, Lu Ce was surprised to discover that his Pain Points had also been displayed on it, and could be used to add points to the attributes below.

Not knowing which stat was most important yet, he decided to deal with allocating points later.

"Claim!"

Your reward has arrived.

Obtained Sealed Artifact: A-007, Soul of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Effect of the Seven Deadly Sins: Amplifies the corresponding weaknesses in the user's humanity, but also grants a massive corresponding boost.

Please set the initial appearance.

As the voice fell silent, a mass of gray airflow appeared before Lu Ce, with no fixed shape.

An idea struck Lu Ce, and he said, "Make it a fluid mask."

The airflow slowly transformed into a mask that fit snugly over Lu Ce's face, yet he felt nothing as though he were wearing it.

Please select a form: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust.

Lu Ce gave it some thought and chose one that seemed relatively easy to control.

"Greed!"

The mask twisted for a moment before turning dark blue.

Please select a mode: Normal/Overload.

"Normal!"

Preparation time has ended. Entering the game.

His vision blurred, and a feeling of weightlessness hit him. The next second, Lu Ce had entered the game.

The moment he opened his eyes, Lu Ce was surprised to find that the dizziness had not faded. He felt top-heavy and light-footed, while the surrounding environment was abnormally hot, as if he had been placed atop a steaming basket.

Once he came to his senses, Lu Ce realized that he was hanging upside down in midair, with a chain locked around his left ankle.

Several dozen meters below him was scalding, boiling lava!

"Ahhh!"

A woman suddenly screamed beside him, and only then did Lu Ce realize that he was not alone in this second game.

Including himself, ten people had been hung here, like roast ducks in a fireplace.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a game? What is going on? Why am I hanging here?"

"It's so hot! It's burning! How are we supposed to get down?!"

Among the people hanging nearby, a few had already begun to panic. The utterly realistic sensations made them increasingly flustered.

Lu Ce gave them a quick glance and stopped paying attention. Their caliber was clearly limited; whether as enemies or allies, they hardly mattered.

Welcome to the game. Unfortunately, you have been selected for Hell Mode. But at the same time, you are also fortunate.

Each of you has a platform beneath you, and below those platforms is continuously rising lava.

You must free yourselves in time. If you are too late... then I am truly sorry...

Next is the first tool for escaping.

The mechanical voice rang out within this infernal furnace. Then, a rope descended between the ten people.

Tied to it was a saw!

A saw covered in crimson rust, its blade even riddled with chips!

At the sight of that thing and the rising lava below them, all ten instantly understood what "escape" meant.

In an instant, an uncontrollable chill surged into everyone's hearts.

—Except for one person.