Nian's Resurrection Armor, the Arbiter

Lin Yu had to admit that Nian was indeed very capable.

From the very beginning of entering the [Instance], a calculated scheme was orchestrated, and the user acquired the power of the "Rakshasa," meticulously planning each step...

Even during battle, he was constantly strategizing, adjusting, and taking measures against Twenty.

Ultimately, this victory can only be described as a "narrow triumph."

Even during the very few seconds of the fall...

Lin Yu could sense that his "belief" had diminished.

Twenty was doubting her own identity as a Rakshasa.

It was all due to that fleeting glimpse, and the simple act of Hannah stealing his [Exclusive item].

This "Detective" could immediately overturn all his previous reasoning and begin to doubt the identity of the Rakshasa before him.

Lin Yu knew that Nian must already be wondering if he was "Lin Yu".

But...

It doesn't matter.

When Lin Yu finally took the risk of using Hannah, he was already prepared for the possibility that Nian Rumin might notice something was wrong.

But the reason this option was still chosen is naturally because...

This isn't really a "high-risk" option.

Even if Hannah had doubts after her success, Lin Yu wouldn't give her time to think things through or sort out her thoughts.

He looked at the spot where Nian had fallen and picked up the giant axe from the ground again.

Lin Yu walked over and then saw Nian lying on a rock.

Nightmare Substance acted as a buffer behind him, preventing him from dying from the fall.

However, judging from his contorted figure, Lin Yu could still tell...

This guy must have broken his spine.

He lay there, covered in blood, his limbs twisted, looking extremely wretched.

Hearing Lin Yu's heavy footsteps, Nian struggled to raise her head and spoke through her blood-stained lips.

"You won, but you should..."

"Smack!"

Lin Yu interrupted Nian's defeated Fang dialect.

He slowly put away his giant axe, looked at the pieces he had smashed into Three-Fold with the axe, and let out a breath.

"Phew... Done!"

He had no interest in making any remarks to his defeated opponent.

Especially against a formidable opponent like Twenty, who may still be hiding some trump card.

Lin Yu still remembers his first [Instance].

If Yu Longguo hadn't been so slow and hadn't listened to me for a few more minutes...

Perhaps I'm already dead by now.

Lin Yu is someone who is very good at learning from various experiences and lessons—not just his own failures, but also the failures of others.

Therefore, even though Nian looked like he was on his deathbed, Lin Yu couldn't talk to him much.

What if he's just stalling for time?

Even...

What if he has some means of Resurrection, or is trying to use this opportunity to trick me into revealing information?

In short, it's always better to be careful.

Looking at Nian's already dead body, Lin Yu prepared to deliver the final blow.

But before he could even make a move...

Lin Yu suddenly noticed that the Nightmare Substance around Nian began to surge.

A Black Cat reformed into a physical form—it was the "Nightmare" that had always been by Nian's side.

Beside it, a pitch-black passage opened up, seemingly leading to another world.

The Black Cat stood before the passage and glanced at Lin Yu.

"Alright, it seems you have no intention of negotiating with me."

The Black Cat spoke softly.

"I will look into what happened today."

Instantly, Lin Yu's hair stood on end.

Because the Black Cat was making the sound of Nian!

Is it the wicked humor of nightmares, or...?

"Is there really a second life?!"

Lin Yu's thoughts raced, but his body had already begun to move.

He pounced on the Black Cat!

The Black Cat leaped directly into the passage and disappeared.

Damn it!

Lin Yu cursed aloud.

Having schemed and plotted until this point, are we really going to let him escape anyway?

Where did this guy go?

Lin Yu stared at the disappearing darkness, trying to find out where the Black Cat had gone.

Old Zheng then spoke up quietly.

"Stop looking, he probably went straight to Night Valley."

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised to hear this.

"He can teleport across worlds directly within the [Instance]?! Are all Tier 3 Player this lawless? Do they have such powerful [Map] permissions?"

"Of course not," Old Zheng said calmly, "So that Black Cat isn't a 'Player,' it's just a nightmare."

"The Contract holder is dead, so it returned directly to Night Valley according to the mechanism of the Abyssal Contract."

As Old Zheng said this, Lin Yu's expression softened slightly.

"So that's how it is... But, that shouldn't be the nightmare imitating Twenty's voice to scare me, right?"

After Old Zheng's suggestion, Lin Yu realized a possibility.

Old Zheng nodded slightly. "Smart... That kid is like me. Although he died as a 'Player,' he had a backup plan that allowed him to retain his consciousness and soul, 'surviving' in a world he had cultivated and managed for a long time."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Contract this guy signed with Nightmare includes a clause allowing him to transform into Nightmare... Hmm, although it seems to come at a price for Nightmare, it's not impossible."

"No, now that I think about it, his affinity for Nightmare Substance... he must have already transformed a part of his soul into a nightmare from the beginning. So that Black Cat was just something he used to put on a show. Any nightmare abilities he used were actually achieved by himself, not through a 'transaction'!"

Old Zheng analyzed the situation, and Lin Yu understood.

"Anyway, I managed to save his first life... which is a good thing."

"At least he can no longer act as a 'Player'; he can only eke out a living in 'Night Valley'."

Lin Yu let out a breath and quickly adjusted his mindset.

Okay, although this result isn't exactly satisfactory, but...

It's not that it's unacceptable.

After all, he gained his Rakshasa power for free.

Old Zheng was surprised by how quickly Lin Yu recovered.

"You have a really good attitude."

"Of course, and now is not a good time to express regrets or vent frustrations."

Lin Yu sighed and turned to look behind him.

There, a Blood Demon, though only half his height, was still quite imposing, standing not far behind Lin Yu, his eyes filled with excitement.

"There really are Rakshasa," the Blood Rakshasa said, looking Lin Yu up and down, "And they are even more terrifying than those recorded in the records."

Lin Yu could sense that the aura emanating from Xue Luo in front of him was extremely terrifying, and the sense of oppression was completely unlike that of a contestant.

He looked at Lin Yu and, as expected, introduced himself.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Jiang Rong, and I am the referee, or notary, for this 'Glory Festival'."

He looked at Lin Yu and then explained his purpose.

"Your Excellency... I'll get straight to the point."

"I hope you can withdraw from this 'Glory Festival'!"