Head Chopper Demon

Chapter 18: Head Chopper Demon

"What happens then?" The two men's teeth chattered as they spoke, but they couldn't help pressing for an answer.

Those who survived the initial trial did so through strength or luck, but any player who made it through knew better than to take missing a dungeon lightly.

Under their watchful gazes, Xu Huo flicked his cigarette and grinned. "I don't know either."

The two players pretending to be station staff finally realized they'd been toyed with. Enraged and humiliated, they lunged at him. "We were going to let you live—but you're asking for death!"

"Ding!"

The brass lighter remained lit as Xu Huo quickly stepped back a few paces, raising his hand and shouting "Burn!" twice.

Almost as soon as he spoke, blue flames erupted on the corners of the two players' clothes. Ordinary fabric ignited like paper, engulfing them in an instant. The men, who had been baring their fangs moments before, screamed and tore at their garments.

The other three players, who had been waiting for an opportunity, were startled by this display and instinctively retreated.

"He's using a game item!" The tall, thin man threw off his burned clothes, glaring at Xu Huo with a mix of anger and fear. When he spotted the lighter in Xu Huo's hand, greed flickered in his eyes. He shouted to the other three, "You idiots, hurry up and help! He's definitely got more than one ticket on him. Grab them, and you can get to the next dungeon. Otherwise, you'll starve to death here!"

But before the three players could react, a series of "Burn!" rang out through the hall. One by one, the players' clothes caught fire, including the two fake station staff who had just stripped off their shirts.

A group of them rolled on the ground, wailing in agony. Xu Huo stood to the side, watching this impromptu strip-and-rescue operation with little emotion, roughly figuring out what the "Arsonist's Tool" could ignite, as well as the size and speed of the flames.

It could only ignite clothes worn on a person—clothes lying on the ground were unaffected. The intensity of the flames matched normal fire; there was no special property that made them unextinguishable or capable of melting metal.

Two conditions were necessary for ignition: first, there had to be no obstacles between the lighter and the target—in simple terms, a straight line was required, so holding the lighter behind his back wouldn't work; second, the target had to hear him shout "Burn"—just mouthing the word wasn't enough.

Of course, if an evolved had enhanced hearing, the controllable range would be much larger.

Satisfied, he nodded and checked the time on his phone before vanishing from the station hall.

*

The train sped through a forest thick with fog. The light outside visibly dimmed. Xu Huo checked his phone again and realized that after the scenery had shifted three times in a row, the timeline had become completely scrambled. It looked like night now, but in reality, he had only been on the train for two hours.

There was no fixed time difference between the game and the outside world.

Just as he put his phone down, the game screen suddenly popped up:

[Player Passerby A has entered the Hot Spring Mountain area and has automatically joined the E-class dungeon "Head Chopper Demon." Please note: This dungeon is low-level, and players cannot bring non-game items.]

[Background: The Hot Spring Villa, famous for its natural hot springs, was once popular among players and non-players alike. However, over the past three years, guests who came to relax would inexplicably lose their heads, with no trace of the perpetrator left at the scene. After several private detectives and police officers went missing, the boss of the Hot Spring Villa had to offer a high bounty to solve these bizarre deaths—unfortunately, to no avail.]

[To this day, the Hot Spring Villa has become a gathering place for detectives, journalists, and horror story enthusiasts. Before midnight tonight, another batch of guests will arrive at the villa...]

[Dungeon Task: Protect your head. (Note: Keep a close eye on your head, or it might just run off on its own!)]

[Dungeon Duration: Five days.]

[Please check into the Hot Spring Villa before midnight game time, complete the dungeon task, and failure to clear the dungeon will result in not receiving a return ticket.]

[Countdown begins: 10, 9, 8, 7...]

When the countdown ended, Xu Huo found himself standing on a path shrouded in thick fog.

Dense trees were soaked in the heavy mist, making it impossible to see beyond five meters. A sign stood beneath a dim yellow streetlamp, reading "Hot Spring Mountain Station" and "Hot Spring Villa, 500 meters straight ahead."

He took a few steps to the side, but unlike in normal fog, his field of view didn't expand. The thick mist blocked his sight, revealing nothing but blackness beyond.

It seemed that aside from what the dungeon required, other areas were locked to players. If he failed to clear the dungeon and had no spare tickets, he might very well be trapped here.

"Hey, beautiful... wait up!" Just as he was about to move forward, someone called out from behind.

Xu Huo turned around, one hand on his waist, and saw a skinny man with glasses crawling out of the bushes. The man stood up, only to look startled by Xu Huo's appearance.

It couldn't be helped—who would expect a figure with waist-length hair from behind to turn into a six-foot man?

"Hello... you're a player too, right?" The glasses man scratched his head awkwardly. "The light was too dim earlier, I couldn't see clearly."

Xu Huo touched the hair at the back of his head. He had already cut it once on the road, but it had grown back.

Since it would all fall off on its own in a week anyway, he wasn't too bothered.

"Heading to the Hot Spring Villa?" He offered a cigarette.

The glasses man quickly took it. "Yes, yes. What should I call you, big brother? How about we go together?"

Xu Huo nodded, and the two of them walked toward the villa, keeping a certain distance between them.

On the way, the glasses man briefly introduced himself. His name was Yuan Yao, a programmer by trade. He had survived the initial train by chance and had dragged things out until the last day of the deadline before being forced to board.

He had arrived here in the morning and had been hiding in the bushes by the roadside. Eight players had already passed by ahead of him. Seeing that time was running out, he figured Xu Huo was the last one and hurried out to team up with him.

After listening, Xu Huo asked thoughtfully, "Do players arrive at different times?"

Yuan Yao patted his chest and said, "Brother Xu, don't worry. I'm good at games. The notice says twelve o'clock, so the dungeon definitely won't start until after that. Maybe the ones who went ahead haven't even gotten through the door yet!"

That wasn't what Xu Huo was thinking about, but he didn't say anything.

This Yuan Yao had been hiding just three meters away, yet Xu Huo hadn't sensed him at all. Nor had the eight players who passed by earlier noticed him.

His gaze shifted to the man, and a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"Hey, we're here!" Yuan Yao pointed ahead.