Who Exactly Is the Monster?

"... Blocked?"

Upon hearing what Supervisor Cornelius said, the ban's eyes widened in surprise.

The middle-aged red-haired Child of the Moon stood with his hands behind his back, still maintaining at least some politeness even towards the Blood Slave.

He glanced down at the ban and calmly replied, "We suspect that anti- Child of the Moon individuals have infiltrated the Crescent Moon Manor. We are currently conducting an intensive investigation, and the private rooms and main gate have been sealed off. Leaving now may result in being attacked due to being alone, so please wait in the lobby for a while."

How long will it take?

The woman beside the ban Child of the Moon, was also very dissatisfied. "I've already paid the money. You're not going to suddenly go back on your word, are you?"

"Please be patient, the matter is being handled."

Supervisor Cornelius remained calm and polite, replying, "The thief who attacked you guests will soon be apprehended by our security personnel. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you tonight; you will each receive a gift certificate upon your release."

"Guests can play in the lobby a little longer. We've called the Blood Slave down again. From now until you're released, all expenses are free—of course, you'll still have to pay for any damages, so please be gentle."

"Having her is enough for me."

The woman muttered to herself and pulled the ban closer to her.

But after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Then let's get another bottle of wine."

Supervisor Cornelius nodded slightly and bowed. "Please rest for a moment, I'll be right there."

She found a place to sit down with the ban in hand, and watched as the Child of the Moon who had just left gradually returned to the hall where the lights were being lit again, her brows furrowed.

Holding the ban, she whispered, "I suspect that bad guys have infiltrated the guests, which is why they made us all sit in the lobby."

"What? Is that really how it is? This is absolutely terrifying."

The ban was feigned surprise, covering its mouth with one hand.

Her performance was so exaggerated and perfunctory, but the woman wasn't dissatisfied. She was completely captivated by the little girl and was willing to deceive herself for her sake.

Meanwhile, the ban was seriously considering how this unexpected situation had occurred.

Is my line of thinking not allowed? Probably not.

She could clearly sense that both of the "suggested solutions" given in the mission were actually traps. They seemed feasible, but they were impossible to complete unless everyone was absolutely rational... and that was the nature of the Promotion Ritual.

All Promotion Ritual, assuming no one holds back and everyone gives their all, have a chance of being passed. There is absolutely no ritual that cannot be completed... This is the fundamental principle behind the Nine Pillar Gods' allocation of dreams and tasks.

Based on this principle, the more people who need to work together to complete a task, the more difficult it becomes. This is because while the upper limit is increased, the variables also increase.

The ban was a highly experienced superhuman. Upon entering the arena, he immediately disregarded all tasks that required more than two people to complete.

Similarly, the task of being an informant, which requires direct competition and conflict with other promoted individuals, was also removed.

Based on the experience of the ban, there are many cases where a large number of people survive the Promotion Ritual and then the ranking is determined by points... the higher the level, the fewer the cases.

At first, when everyone was still a bit clueless, they were willing to cooperate with each other. But they soon realized that gathering with others didn't actually improve their chances of clearing the game.

If a task is completed, everyone gains points, and the gap between them remains small; if a task is not completed, everyone wastes time. But when betrayal is witnessed for the first time, one becomes extremely wary of "teammates."

At higher-level Promotion Ritual, due to the death penalty, survival becomes a more important objective than completing the level. People tend to prioritize concealing themselves and then decide whether to take action to complete one or two tasks based on the situation.

This is why the higher the level of the Promotion Ritual, the more difficult it is to pass.

Although he, the philosopher, and the stranger were temporary teammates, their relationship wasn't exactly good. Their cooperation was based on the fact that no one dared offend the other, otherwise they would face retaliation and pay the price upon returning to reality. In other words, their cooperation was solely based on "not betraying each other."

But conversely, they are not obligated to risk helping each other.

Furthermore, although we don't know how many "informants" there are, it's impossible for everyone to be an informant. Therefore, the probability that my two teammates are informants is very low... In this situation, if I reveal my identity and win, my teammates will consider me an informant regardless of whether I actually informed on them or not.

Because this cannot be explained.

—So the ban chose to hide itself. It didn't reveal the informant's identity, nor did it disguise itself as a survivor; it didn't contact anyone, only attempting to escape in its own way. It went to collect the points awarded for the escape mission.

But now, that road has also been blocked.

What happened? Was it another informant who did it? That doesn't seem right either.

This only blocks people leaving through the main entrance... but when everyone is gathered together, escaping through the Secret Passage becomes much easier.

So, was it the survivors who did it?

By killing the Child of the Moon through ambushes and other means, a sense of crisis is created. Then, everyone is gathered together, giving them a chance to escape the manor.

But if they do that, they'll be forced to come over themselves...

The ban is completely baffling.

No matter how he reasoned, he couldn't figure out how this situation came about—it was unlikely to be the original arrangement; it seemed to be an unexpected and sudden event.

But just then, she suddenly heard a cry of surprise.

Before everyone's eyes, a high-ranking elderly Child of the Moon suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning and lost his life.

The Blood Slave he had been holding screamed in terror, fell to the ground, and was too terrified to get up.

The moment the incident occurred, the entire hall was immediately placed under lockdown. The Child of the Moon immediately went into battle mode, their crimson pupils lighting up as they warily scanned their surroundings.

The Blood Slave who had previously served that person were dragged off the ground by the masked men in black. The Child of the Moon beside her was also surrounded and was being politely questioned.

"It's a spirit of the dead—"

Within seconds, the Child of the Moon, responsible for examining the corpse, gave her answer, "Quickly, fetch the priest and necromancer! First, set up an exorcism ritual—uh uh uh uh..."

He had only spoken halfway when he suddenly turned pale and covered his throat.

This caused the surrounding Child of the Moon to immediately hold their breath and look over with trepidation.

Fortunately, he recovered in a short while.

—But at that moment, he suddenly flew into a rage and launched an attack in front of him! His right hand transformed into a sharp, thin, scarlet blade, severing the head of the other Child of the Moon who was closest to him!

This time, people finally understood how the ghost had killed people.

It's an illusion! "It's Earthbound Spirit!"

The experienced Child of the Moon had even identified the specific type of spirit. "Scatter quickly! Earthbound Spirit can cause many people to fall into hallucinations at the same time!"

Even if they knew, they couldn't solve this problem—

Earthbound Spirit are at least at the Fourth Level, and most likely the Fifth Level! The strength of the Child of the Moon lies in their bodies; their souls are only at the strength of a newborn. Due to the rejection by the Dao, they lack divine vision and the Spirit Vision of the Path of Twilight. They do have ways to harm Earthbound Spirit ... but the Child of the Moon simply cannot see ghosts.

If the incident had occurred in the first half of the night, when those powerful figures from other cultivation paths were still around, perhaps there would have been a chance to save the situation.

Among the human guests invited by the Child of the Moon, there must have been powerful priests and necromancers, and they must have been Fifth Level powerhouses. The mages and Demon Scholar present at the time could also deal with the undead—as long as the undead weren't too strong, they could at least use spells and rituals to fight them.

But it's already four or five in the morning, the time for the Child of the Moon show to end.

The human guests had already left Crescent Moon Manor. The remaining Child of the Moon were unable to resolve the issue for the time being and could only disperse and wait for the professionals to arrive.

Supervisor Cornelius immediately raised his voice to calmly announce, "Please remain calm, everyone. Earthbound Spirit cannot directly harm you! So whatever you see, do not attack; it's all an illusion! We have already notified the church and the Necromancy Academy, and professionals will arrive soon!"

"You liar! When did you notify us?!"

The woman muttered a curse under her breath, then immediately picked up the ban and ran towards a deserted corner.

Her strength was quite weak—not all Child of the Moon are strong, she only possessed the strength of the Third Level. It was precisely because of this that she was targeted by the ban.

This means that if a powerful Child of the Moon falls into an illusion and wreaks havoc, she could easily be drawn into it.

She had just gained eternal youth and didn't want to die so inexplicably! Just as she rushed around a corner, she suddenly bumped into a strong young man.

She immediately sensed the scent of the other person as Blood Slave —that alluring blood fragrance, a scent that ordinary humans do not possess.

Normally, she might have stopped to strike up a conversation or invited the other person over. But now, she was only annoyed by fear and frustration.

She instinctively grew fangs, wanting to teach this person a lesson.

At this time.

A spiraling, shadowy spear suddenly appeared from behind her and pierced her heart.

"Die, monster."

A deep, hateful growl came from behind her.

"Damn it, who's the monster here?!" The woman's vision went black.

The first chapter is 3,000 words! The second chapter is already 900 words, and maybe the third chapter will be out by 5 PM!