The Great Culling

"Don't say that too soon!"

Ma Yuan's eyes widened as he stared at the Clay Figures heading toward the kilns. As long as it wasn't the final moment, there was still hope.

"Hah!"

Song Li chuckled softly and turned to look at Lin Baici, only to find him perfectly calm. He didn't look like a man about to die at all.

Something was wrong!

Why wasn't he afraid?

Could it be that whoever had their Clay Figure move would die?

Was that why he was so confident?

The possibility sent a cold sweat down Song Li's back.

"Lin Baici, aren't you scared? That monster said 'Enter Kiln,' and according to the steps for making a Clay Figure, there's definitely a drying stage. Your Clay Figures haven't moved, so you're doomed! Hurry and think of something!"

Song Li rambled on.

"You should attack that Clay Figure Monster now and kill it. Maybe you'll still have a chance to survive."

Lin Baici made a suggestion.

Scared?

Sorry, I'm just afraid that God's Taboo Game is too easy. It can't kill me!

The Clay Figures sculpted by the travelers walked up to the kilns nearest them. Then they sprang into the air and jumped inside.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The kiln lids immediately slammed shut.

"Light the fire!"

The Clay Figure Monster's voice rang out in a lilting, eerie cadence. It sounded like a shaman from some ancient tribe chanting a spell to ward off evil and summon spirits.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The firewood piled beneath the kilns burst into flames.

Orange-red flames rose and swayed like dancing demonesses.

The commotion on the Earth Platform gradually died down. The travelers fell silent, all of them staring at the kilns.

The Programmer with Dark Circles was no fool. He liked to plan ahead, and he figured that even if they had passed this step, the ones to come would be fraught with danger. So he started egging on the travelers who had failed.

"Your lives are already counting down. If you want to survive, your only option is to band together and fight that Clay Figure Monster to the death!"

The Programmer with Dark Circles tried to persuade the travelers around him to risk their lives. Even if they couldn't win, at least they might find out what the Clay Figure Monster's weakness was.

They hesitated.

To be honest, if the Clay Figure Monster hadn't just smashed the Fat Man's head with one slap, demonstrating its terrifying power, they would have attacked already.

Seeing how cowardly and afraid of death they were, the Programmer with Dark Circles shook his head in disappointment. Then he hurried over to Lin Baici, intending to talk to him.

That young man was willing to risk everything when it mattered. If he took the lead, the other failures would probably dare to fight, too.

But after walking a dozen steps, the Programmer with Dark Circles suddenly felt hot. He started sweating, then his skin began to burn, as if his arm had accidentally brushed against a grill while he was eating barbecue.

"What's going on? Are travelers not allowed to move around freely?"

The Programmer with Dark Circles frowned and looked around. Then, to his horror, he realized he wasn't the only one in trouble.

"Why do I feel so hot?"

"It's burning! It's burning! What's happening?"

"Damn it, what now?"

The travelers shouted over one another, and a woman screamed.

"Baici..."

Ma Yuan looked pleased.

He truly was a God Hunter. He reacted quickly and realized that everyone complaining about the heat and burning sensations had made Clay Figures that had jumped into the kilns.

Song Li could no longer keep her composure. She felt unbearably hot, as if she were in a sauna. Sweat poured off her, and within seconds, her clothes were soaked.

Then her body started heating up, bringing with it the searing sensation of being roasted over glowing coals.

"Brother Lin, look at her..."

18D's face was full of terror.

It wasn't just Song Li. Many travelers' skin had turned red, as if they'd been burned by glowing coals, and blisters were breaking out all over them.

"Brother Lin, save me! I don't want to die!"

Song Li struggled toward Lin Baici, desperate for help.

Tears spilled from her eyes, but before they could run down her cheeks, they sizzled and evaporated.

Ma Yuan stepped over and kicked Song Li in the thigh.

Thud!

"Ah!"

Song Li screamed and fell to the ground. Then she could no longer get up, writhing in pain.

"Save me! Please!"

Song Li's skin visibly dried out and wrinkled, turning black and charred, like skewers of lamb left on a grill.

Every traveler on the Earth Platform whose Clay Figure had entered a kiln was suffering as though they were being roasted in a blazing fire. They writhed in agony.

"Why was I the one who got it wrong?"

The Programmer with Dark Circles howled in anguish.

He'd thought Lin Baici was one of the failures. He never imagined that he was the one who'd turned out to be the pitiful fool.

"If you want to survive, attack that Clay Figure Monster now!" Xia Hongyao shouted.

About a dozen travelers staggered toward the Clay Figure Monster in their desperation, but even more ran toward the kilns, trying to retrieve their Clay Figures.

But the kilns were too hot, the flames too fierce.

The instant they placed their hands on the kiln mouths, the skin sizzled and their palms were scorched.

The smell of burning fat and flesh began to spread across the Red Clay Mud Pond, pungent and sickening.

"B-Brother Lin..."

Song Li's voice had gone hoarse. Her once fair, smooth skin was black and wrinkled, and she no longer looked anything like the beautiful woman she had been.

Her body was so hot that even the Studded High Heels on her feet had started to melt, fusing with her skin.

Lin Baici sighed and fixed his gaze on the Clay Figure Monster.

It stood in the middle of the Earth Platform. It took a deep breath, savoring the charred stench floating through the air, then looked delighted.

"Brother Lin, we passed!"

18D was so excited he could barely contain himself. He pumped his fist wildly.

Now that Song Li and the others were dead, didn't that mean the people who had stayed put—the ones who'd made the Clay Figures—had passed?

Hearing this, the dying Song Li was overcome with regret and remorse. They filled her chest like weeds growing wild.

I hate this so much!

Why didn't I listen to that student?

If I'd sculpted a crying face, I could've survived!

"Wife! Honey!"

The Man with Glasses was frantic. He wanted to hold his pregnant wife, but her body was like a glowing piece of charcoal. It was too hot to touch.

"Honey!"

The pregnant woman curled up in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She ached for the unborn child in her belly.

Why did this little life have to suffer like this?

"Don't be afraid. I'll kill that monster!"

The Man with Glasses gritted his teeth, his face twisted with fury and murderous intent. The only way he could think of to save his wife and child was to kill the Clay Figure Monster.

"Don't go!"

The pregnant woman reached out to grab her husband's pant leg, then pulled her hand back, afraid of burning him.

"Don't go. Just try to survive!"

She begged him.

She knew that if he went, he would surely die.

"God of Gluttony, is there any way to save them?"

Lin Baici clenched his fists.

[No!]

The God of Gluttony's answer was brief and to the point.

This was Rule Pollution, a supernatural force beyond human power to defy. To survive, they had to follow the rules of the God's Taboo Object.

The heat baking the Clay Figures inside the kilns was reflected onto the people who had made them.

So, a few minutes later...

The Programmer with Dark Circles died!

The pregnant woman died!

Song Li died, too!

Besides them, 478 other travelers who had sculpted the wrong expressions were also burned alive.

Their bodies were completely dehydrated and charred, curled up like burned pieces of charcoal. A heavy, charred stench wafted from their corpses.

"Urgh! Urgh!"

Someone couldn't bear the horrific scene and bent over to vomit.

"Brother Lin, urgh..."

18D tried to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, he threw up his lunch.

Lin Baici felt a little sick, too.

"Once you join the Safety Bureau and start clearing God Ruins and sealing God's Taboo Objects, you'll see deaths more horrifying than this."

Ma Yuan patted Lin Baici on the shoulder.

"There are 288 people left!" Xia Hongyao finished counting.

After so many people had died, the Earth Platform was suddenly much quieter.

The Clay Figure Monster didn't so much as glance at the corpses. It announced loudly, "Congratulations, everyone. You passed the Dough Figurine step. Next is step four: baking the figures to set them!"

When Ma Yuan heard the word "passed," he excitedly slapped Lin Baici on the back.

"My Team Member's pretty good, isn't he?"

Xia Hongyao bragged, looking very pleased.

"Any apprentices willing to step forward and be the first group of examinees?"

The Clay Figure Monster asked.

The travelers looked around, but no one made a sound.

The first ones up would probably be in for a rough time.

Lin Baici was waiting, too. He wanted to figure out what this step involved so he could find a way to pass, but then the God of Gluttony spoke.

[Step forward and volunteer. The first group has the greatest chance of survival!]

After hearing that, Lin Baici immediately raised his hand.

"I'll do it!"

Whoosh!

Every traveler turned to look at him. They seemed surprised and confused, but none of them thought he was an idiot.

Lin Baici had performed brilliantly earlier and helped quite a few people pass the Body Sculpting step.

Someone like him

wouldn't do anything foolish.

"Little Lin, did you figure something out?"

Xia Hongyao was curious and asked quietly.

She thought Lin Baici was good at reasoning and must have spotted some important clues.

Ma Yuan and 18D looked at Lin Baici, waiting for an explanation.

"I didn't figure anything out. I just thought maybe the first group would get some kind of advantage?"

Lin Baici casually made up an excuse.

"You're very impressive!"

The Clay Figure Monster grinned, though it looked more like it was about to eat someone. "Take your Clay Figure to one of the kilns!"

[Choose a kiln close to the Mud Pond!]

The God of Gluttony reminded him.

"If you trust me, come with me!"

Lin Baici called out loudly.

Everyone looked at one another.

Xia Hongyao picked up the Clay Figure she'd sculpted and followed Lin Baici.

"Hongyao, don't be reckless. The best thing to do is wait for a group to go first and see what this step involves."

Ma Yuan tried to persuade her.

According to the patterns Hunter groups had identified, the first people to step forward in a Rule Pollution incident were almost always cannon fodder, there to gather information.

"I trust him!"

Xia Hongyao was very confident in Lin Baici's intelligence. "Besides, he's my prospective team member. I can't just watch him risk his life alone!"

Lin Baici was taken aback. "Prospective team member?"

"Yep!"

Xia Hongyao beamed. Once they'd sealed this God's Taboo Object and gone to Haijing, she'd call her sister and get Lin Baici a spot that let him skip the entrance exam.

Someone this amazing only came along once every ten years, right?

I have to snap him up!

Ma Yuan hesitated. Should I go or not?

18D didn't hesitate. He picked up the Clay Figure and followed them.

Although he hadn't known Lin Baici for long, the guy was not only outstanding but unbelievably lucky. Every choice he made turned out to be the right one!

With a guy like that to cling to, I can stay alive!