Phantasmal Illusion

The man who jumped off the building was named Zhao Mo.

After that incident, Forgiveness Hat had felt awful for a long time. He was ashamed that he had done nothing. He had clearly had a chance to save that young man, who should have had a beautiful, brilliant life ahead of him.

Over the past year, he often dreamed of that young man's mangled, bloody body after the fall.

That day, he had still delivered the items to the woman who worked as a barista, as Zhao Mo had asked.

Pan Xiaoting was a very pretty girl. Her phoenix eyes were especially alluring, and she appeared quiet and gentle on the surface.

Instead of being happy after receiving the flowers and gifts, she seemed somewhat surprised and dismissively told Forgiveness Hat to just leave them on the ground.

Forgiveness Hat handed her the note Zhao Mo wanted her to read, then said, "He jumped off a building. At noon."

Pan Xiaoting said, "Huh!?"

"Really?"

She seemed startled. Then she saw the video Forgiveness Hat had recorded and took out her phone to check the news for confirmation.

"Zhao Mo really jumped?"

After the fright, shock, and panic, she relaxed again, as though she had avoided some kind of trouble.

"That's good too. He won't keep bothering me anymore."

When Forgiveness Hat heard that, he spat and left.

Later, after looking into it, he learned about Zhao Mo's situation.

He and Pan Xiaoting had both graduated from college last year.

Zhao Mo worked at an internet company and often worked overtime until late at night. Since they lived in different districts, he and his girlfriend spent more time apart than together.

Recently, after Zhao Mo had worked overtime to complete a project, he thought he would get promoted and receive a raise. Instead, his supervisor stole the credit for his work and pocketed the bonus. When Zhao Mo reported it to higher management, they told him the achievement had been his supervisor's contribution to begin with. Zhao Mo argued furiously, refused to accept it, and was thrown out of the company.

Forgiveness Hat learned that Zhao Mo's supervisor was actually the boss's brother-in-law.

Zhao Mo had lost his job.

After sulking at home for several days, he had planned to celebrate his birthday with his girlfriend, Pan Xiaoting, when this happened.

The double blow of unemployment and heartbreak had driven him to jump.

Now.

Forgiveness Hat had returned to that day. Looking at the despairing man on the ground, he decided to do something.

This man needed his help.

He had to gently counsel him and help him walk out of the shadows. He absolutely could not provoke him at a time like this, or it would backfire.

Patience, love, listening.

Smack!

Forgiveness Hat slapped him across the face.

"Fuck, before I saw you, I could never have imagined there'd be such a pathetic excuse for a man in real life. You've disgraced all men. If you want to jump, then hurry up and jump. Stop crying like some goddamn woman!"

Zhao Mo said, "?"

Zhao Mo, who had just been slapped, was dumbfounded.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

He had been agonizing and wavering inside when he was suddenly slapped. For a moment, he did not know whether to fight back or continue moping, and his mind froze.

"Give it to me!"

"W-what?"

"Give me your phone!"

Forgiveness Hat snatched the phone from his hand and started typing to that woman.

Woman: "Then let's just be friends. I wish you happiness."

Forgiveness Hat: "Being friends is great. So can I come too? #shy"

Woman: "."

Woman: "There are already three people. There's no room."

Forgiveness Hat: "You still have two hands. I'll call one of my delivery-runner bros too."

Pan Xiaoting seemed shocked. It took her a full five minutes to reply.

Woman: "Then come over. 6 p.m., Shangri-La Hotel, room 666, the kinky room."

The corridor on the thirty-second floor was silent.

Zhao Mo stared blankly at the chat history.

Forgiveness Hat continued cursing, "Fuck, you want to spend the rest of your life with a cheap woman like this? What are you after? So you'll never run out of hats when it gets cold? I seriously don't know how you went blind and fell for a woman who looks quiet and refined but is actually such a slut. What the hell do you even like about her?"

Zhao Mo said gloomily, "I like the contrast."

Forgiveness Hat said, "???"

The amount of information was too much for him to process at once.

Zhao Mo gave a bitter smile. "She said she was only like that with me. I never expected... Sigh! I should've realized it earlier. Last time, I went to her place in the middle of the night, planning to get intimate, and I found soup in the pot. She said pots naturally produced soup, and I believed her."

Forgiveness Hat said, "???"

"Brother, when it comes to green grasslands, Inner Mongolia is just a joke. You're the real deal!"

Zhao Mo: (︵`)

Forgiveness Hat said, "Quit looking like some huge sucker! What's gone is gone. Do you fucking live just for women? Is your brain growing on your dick?"

For a moment, Zhao Mo could not say anything. He only felt like his head was buzzing from the scolding.

Forgiveness Hat said, "If I were you, when the time came tonight, I'd call the cops and report people gathering at a hotel for a group orgy! Get every last one of them locked up for a few days to clear their heads."

Zhao Mo's eyes lit up. He seemed to think it was a good way to get revenge.

But just as his spirits rose, remembering his own circumstances made him miserable again.

"I'm useless. Not only did I fail to make money, I even lost my job. I can't even afford to rent a decent place in this city. No one could stand trash like me. My life is such a failure."

Forgiveness Hat said, "So you mean you can't go on living just because you got dumped and lost your job?"

Zhao Mo did not say anything. Forgiveness Hat's earlier shouting had already jolted him awake, and the extreme thoughts in his head had vanished. Jumping had been a burst of recklessness. Once that urge faded, he became scared just thinking about it, and naturally no longer dared to jump.

Forgiveness Hat pulled him up from the ground.

"Brother! You've got it all wrong!"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Zhao Mo said, "?"

Forgiveness Hat shouted, "From now on, from this very moment! Not only have you thrown off a burden in your life, you now have limitless opportunities!"

Zhao Mo said, "Uh... Is that really true?"

Forgiveness Hat nodded firmly. "That's exactly right! Your wonderful life is only just beginning. If you don't keep living, how will you witness your future self standing at the forefront of the times and seizing the surging tides of the market?"

Zhao Mo: !!!

Zhao Mo felt as if he had risen to his feet in an instant. Even the triangular storage room on the rooftop could not bend his back, because he was... hard as steel!

Forgiveness Hat looked at Zhao Mo, who had pulled himself together, pursed his lips, and nodded in satisfaction.

"If... only I could have awakened him like this that day. I really hope this isn't in a game."

Smack!

The surrounding scene shattered. When Forgiveness Hat opened his eyes again, he was already back outside Salt Well Town.

Gray mist filled the surroundings, and countless thin threads that only players could see poured into his body.

Successfully resisted Phantasmal Illusion, EXP +200

At that moment, the Phantasmal Erosion damage he had been suffering also disappeared.

"So... this dungeon is an immersive illusion dungeon. It doesn't test attack power or defense, nor does it test combat skill. It tests whether you can see through this illusion and emerge from your final inner demon?"

"What an amazing game mechanic."

He looked around, but he could no longer see any trace of the Lord. His watch showed that the Lord had entered the town.

"Damn, this dungeon isn't over yet! I have to rescue the Lord!"

He saw that the red dot belonging to Xiao Xiao had not disappeared from his watch.

"Xiao Xiao isn't dead yet. I need to save her first."

He took a step forward and nearly tripped. After taking a closer look at his surroundings, he sucked in a breath.

"Damn... so many Raiders!"

Several dozen green-skinned Raiders lay sleeping on the ground.

At the same time, the red dot belonging to Xiao Xiao suddenly began to move.

Today's 5K update is complete~ Thanks everyone for following along today!