Chapter 174

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each strike was heavier than the last; the silver-white armor was covered in cracks and gradually crumbled into dust, revealing a handsome blond man with lifeless eyes and a bewildered expression.

The burly man reached out and grabbed the chick-like creature in front of his eyes, then breathed hot steam from his mouth onto the man's face.

"Pure White Warrior, is that all the strength you've got?"

The two men's faces were less than a centimeter apart. The blond man, his face covered in blood, was panting heavily. Looking at the hideous and terrifying face in front of him, he instinctively moved his body, trying to escape the clutches of the demon.

"Adam... please spare me."

"Your last words were a plea for mercy? You've disappointed me greatly. What a waste of all that good equipment." Adam shook his head contemptuously, released the man, and let him fall to the ground. His gaze shifted downwards as he watched the man crawl away like a dog.

"To become a player is to pursue power, and every step on the path to the top is forged from the bones of one's own kind, so my answer is--"

He strode forward, caught up in a few steps, and stomped hard on the young man's back.

"No!"

Splat

His 'climb' was so forceful that it created a crater several meters in size in the hard ground, as if someone had thrown a tomato on the ground. The young man was instantly crushed, and his blood splattered hundreds of meters away.

Chun opened her eyes a crack, wiped her cheek with her hand, and looked down to see blood spurting out.

Before them lay a sea of fire, the massive arena riddled with craters, and a man clad in heavy black armor the Roar to the sky, only to be met with a storm of cheers.

"Adam!"

"Adam!"

Madness, ecstasy—it was a killing spree. Adam slaughtered the entire player squad, and piecing together a complete corpse was a pipe dream.

Chun turned around and glanced at her companion in the white trench coat. Her lips moved slightly, but she didn't know what to say. The two of them had watched the whole thing without intervening.

"That monster seems quite suited to this dungeon; it's been very excited since the beginning." The young man in white forced a smile.

"You're just too excited, Officer Shiratori," Tsubaki corrected, then looked at Adam waving to everyone around him, speechless with frustration.

After receiving the game prompt, the monster didn't waste a second. First, it clashed with the guide, saying it wanted to go to the nearest deathmatch arena. The guide naturally refused, as each seed's arena had already been assigned.

Chun immediately realized something was wrong. Could it be that each deathmatch arena had a player team? Before she could even finish analyzing it, Adam, that monster, had already killed the guide.

That's right, he killed the Cult's guide who occupied a full 3-point prompt!

Tsubaki and Shiratori were completely dumbfounded. Who plays games like this? This Cult looks like they're in charge of the dungeon; aren't they afraid of being hunted down by the entire dungeon?

Okay, Adam wasn't afraid at all, because he took them both hostage and went straight to this V Arena III, where he fought seventeen matches in a row before crushing the player teams assigned there.

Pure White Warrior, Transcendental Grade- level player, quite famous on the forums, ended up wiping out an entire squad by himself?

Chun covered her face. This was also a core figure in a large organization. No wonder Lord Yellow Light always said that Adam was a double-edged sword.

They must have some kind of prophetic ability; finding the real culprit shouldn't be difficult, and they'll have a lot of mess to clean up.

"Speaking of this Cult, what's going on? Adam killed their people, and they haven't faced any punishment yet?" Chun had been waiting for this opportunity, but let alone a fight, the Cult hadn't even sought an explanation. And look at the frenzied audience in the deathmatch arena...

Adam, who started the rebellion, became a hero???

"With this monster around, forget about progressing the story. If the sky falls, he'll be the one to bear the consequences." Officer Shiratori sighed nonchalantly, "We're just too unlucky. The Future Diary records four instances simultaneously, including those lunatics, so why are we the only ones who have to be with him?"

The organization's mission was to find the negotiator and figure out the next phase of intelligence to benefit everyone, but this monster was hardly the type to negotiate; his fists were faster than his brains.

If that 'Taiyi' really exists, wouldn't those two be caught in the crossfire?

"Following those lunatics is more dangerous. At least Adam won't attack us." Chun forced a reason and muttered, "It's fine if we can't talk about silencing them, but we'll lose out on intelligence. But if no one can silence us, Adam will be faster. My biggest fear is that if we fight, they'll escape."

"That's true, but the combined probability of all four dungeons is less than 20%. We won't be that unlucky." Shiratori rubbed his forehead.

"No, he's here. I've already extended an invitation."

The dull sound startled the two of them, and they hurriedly turned around, especially Chun, whose squinty eyes always looked like they had undergone cosmetic surgery whenever they saw Adam, with big, round eyes.

"Intuition?"

"It's a firm belief in the bonds of Destiny, a resonance between the strong." Adam, still covered in embers and with small cracks in his armor, patted Shiratori on the shoulder, and the latter, like a nail, was almost driven into the ground.

"I'm very satisfied with your story missions. The last time I had such a comfortable experience was with that 'No One Survives' mission."

"I'm glad you're satisfied." Shiratori quickly pulled herself out of the ground, patted her dusty clothes, and asked, "Would you like to rest for a bit?"

"No, keep fighting. That Pure White Warrior is all talk and no action. He didn't use the item to its full potential. He panics when he gets hit and tries to run away. He's not even as effective as these characters in the story."

You fucking know that mech is valuable?!

Both of them were furious when they heard this. There were also such technologically advanced props called "Day," like the one Yuki had encountered before that Armless, but a single hand was nothing compared to a full-body mecha.

A piece of Arcane Grade equipment was dismantled, but the two of them couldn't blame him, because it would have been easier for Adam to dismantle himself.

But you're injured.

"Hurt?"

Adam glanced down at his body. The missile had shattered his armor, the laser Piercer the shield fixed to his hand, and a large hole had been torn in his abdomen. Oh, the last one was from the previous battle, where he was shot through by a character in the storyline—that bastard had used him.

He reached in with his large hand, rummaged around inside, pulled out a few shrapnel fragments, and finally kneaded the bloody hole shut like putty. This series of actions made Tsubaki and Shiratori grimace in disgust.

After finishing, he picked up a giant battle axe that was bigger than a person, slung it over his shoulder, and walked off the stage amidst cheers.

"Hahaha, wounds and pain are the most wonderful candy."

"The first battle has been arranged; just follow me."

At the same moment, Abate walked into the lounge and, without any pleasantries, got straight to the point.

He had a very low opinion of these people. Apart from Kevin, who was the leader, who was somewhat decent, the other women were too fragile. He felt like he could crush them with one hand.

Can I choose my opponent?

"No, this was arranged in advance."

"Arranged by the Cult?"

"Nonsense, Arena IV is yours."

Yuki paused for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Can I refuse the challenge?"

Abate was taken aback. This question touched on a blind spot in his knowledge. How could he not accept the challenge? How could he back down? He should be excited and his eyes should light up when he heard about the battle. He should just go and fight!

"According to the rules of the Cult, you can't refuse what's arranged. There's also an impromptu challenge, consider it an extra round."

"How many games do I need to play a day?"

Why are you so indecisive and slow? You're not straightforward at all.

Abate was annoyed and snorted, "It depends on how many people are interested in you. I've never scheduled more than 12 shows in a day."

12 games?

Yuki was shocked. This was way too much! If he had to do it all by himself, he'd be exhausted. Was this dungeon testing the average strength of the player's team, trying to force a series of battles?

He fell silent for a moment. A war of attrition was definitely not going to work. For example, Hayasaka Ai's claim of high emotional intelligence was very distinctive, but in other words, it had a major flaw.

Interest—that's the key word. I need to figure out a way to make them lose interest in me.

Thinking about this won't help. Yuki stood up and looked around at everyone, who couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Crimson skies, a frenzied city, a simple and brutal style—this 'Calamity of Blood' is clearly different from previous dungeons.

Without uttering a word, Yuki simply gave a confident smile, took his knife, and left first.

"Let's go, let's go on stage."

Is Chapter 5 fast enough? (7,000 words)

Leaving the lounge, the group, led by Abate, arrived at a deathmatch arena.

The outer walls of these deathmatch arenas were black and uneven, and the entire arena was oval-shaped, much larger than any football stadium I had ever seen in my previous life.

Like the residents of Yadu Town, the logic remains absurd: people in the instance have nothing to do but fight and watch deathmatches, and since this thing is open 24 hours a day, the cheers never stop.

They are less like entertainment facilities and more like monuments standing tall in the city.

Some black cars were parked on the side of the road, and people were using stretchers to lift the dismembered bodies into the cars. Judging from their unrecognizable appearance, they didn't seem to be being taken for emergency treatment. Sure enough, there was a golden skull on the windshield.

Abate went up to chat with them, and occasionally a wild laugh could be heard. Yuki Hiyori exchanged a glance, seemingly noticing that the members of these Cult got along very well.

There's a problem, but how do I check it?

It's not worth putting the senior in such a risk. As a support character, she doesn't have much combat ability, and if she's discovered, it will be difficult for her to escape. Besides, the citizens here aren't as friendly as the residents of Yadu Town. If you try to talk to them, they won't answer and will even yell at you rudely.

Conventional methods were useless, Yuki finally decided to remain unchanged and follow the plot; he believed that an opportunity would eventually be found.

"Let's go, it's almost time." Abate returned. He was very inattentive at work and often left Yuki and the others to slack off.

"By the way, how many deathmatch arenas are there in the city?" Yuki looked ahead and saw an 'IV' sign at the entrance, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"There are eight of you now. From now on, you'll be assigned to number IV. Don't think too much about it. Just focus on becoming warriors here first," Abate explained from the front.

What does "warrior" mean?

"It's no use knowing now. What if you die in the first match? I'd have wasted my breath."

Yuki raised an eyebrow, about to ask another question, but Abate had already walked ahead, so he had no choice but to follow.

The entrance was narrow, about the width of two people standing side by side. Inside stood several burly men dressed like Abate, wearing sunglasses, standing solemnly like gatekeepers.

Further inside, there was a dark and narrow passageway, with emergency lights emitting a faint green glow, but without the deathly silence of the Demon Hospital.

The Roar, cheers, and the explosions of battle filled the surroundings, causing Yuki to instinctively grip the hilt of his sword. After turning a few corners, a bright light shone from the exit, and the cacophony of sounds intensified.

"Kill!"

"Kill him!"

"Cut off his head!"

"I want to see rivers of blood!"

Not only Yuki, but everyone's breathing became heavy, and these sounds created a frenzied atmosphere that made people want to fight.

"Calm down, quickly take a mouthful."

Yuki took a sip of Quiet Dew and handed the bottle to the others. He was there to explore the dungeon, and it wouldn't be good if his observation skills were affected.

At this point, no one cared about the "indirect kiss" topic from Adolescent Japan anymore. They took turns taking a sip from the small bottle, and only after calming down did they realize that the cheers had actually caused a negative mental state.

It's really strange. Mai Sakurajima has met many enthusiastic fans, but none of them have had such an infectious voice as these.

They reveled in the killing with all their might, as if the meaning of life was simply to watch such brutal battles, far more fanatical than any fan in real life.

"Be careful, everyone. This place has a mental corruption effect that can infect you without you even realizing it," Yuki warned, stepping out into the corridor first.

The countless lights atop the deathmatch arena made him squint, as if this were the brightest star in the city. At a glance, it was indeed a stadium-like structure.

The area was surrounded by tiered seating, but no one sat down. Tens of thousands of people, their eyes bloodshot, roared and screamed, looking like a swarm of writhing insects.

The place was packed with people, but upon closer inspection, the seats weren't all occupied; there were always a few empty seats among the crowd.

Yuki's gaze swept across the empty seats, not paying much attention to them yet, before he was quickly drawn in by the intense visual impact. Reason could not explain their fervor, but his heartbeat quickened with the atmosphere.

What would it feel like to be the center of attention and cheered by so many people?

Yuki suddenly felt like he had watched a football match in his past life, and he had also fantasized about standing in the center of Anfield Stadium, being cheered by tens of thousands of people. He would die without regrets even if he could have it just once.

Moreover, this kind of fervor and infectiousness is a hundred times stronger than a football match; it's enough to turn a coward into a warrior, causing them to rush in headfirst in a moment of passion.

It is a form of psychological erosion that is virtually unsolvable.

He became wary and quickly shifted his gaze to the center.

In the middle is the arena, which is 400 meters long and 300 meters wide, covering an area roughly the size of three or four standard football fields. The sheer size of this area is quite awe-inspiring when viewed from above.

It wasn't flat; it had obstacles of all sizes, and it wasn't higher than the ground as Yuki remembered. It was almost level with the first row of seats, except that there were eight black pillars standing around it, corresponding to the eight entrances.

What a strange architectural style.

The excessive size in the middle makes the audience seats seem too small, but this structure causes the cheers to converge towards the center, creating a feeling like the eye of a storm.

"I can't imagine how excited I'll be standing in the middle. I'm afraid I'll lose control of my emotions," Kaguya muttered to herself. She wasn't used to being the center of attention, and even when she was speaking as a freshman representative and being watched by the students of Shuchiin, she remained calm and composed.

But right now, this atmosphere has probably intensified a thousandfold, ten thousandfold, making it impossible to calm down.

"Miss, would you like another sip of Quiet Dew?" Hayasaka Ai asked from the side.