Tentacle monster, don't get jealous

"Huh?" The sudden denial made Qian Lai jolt, his pupils contracting sharply as an involuntary shudder ran through him.

He had been born into a family of mystic practitioners and possessed an unparalleled talent for commanding ghosts. In theory, he wasn't afraid of ghosts, but... he was afraid of the dark!

Darkness with no way out, strange chittering sounds-it was the perfect setting for a human imagination to run wild.

People could scare themselves to death!

When he looked up, Qian Lai didn't even realize his eyes had grown damp. "Wh... what?"

"We've probably been going in circles this whole time. We've passed the Dream Core several times."

"Huh?" Mystic practitioners controlled talismans with their minds, and their imaginations were always more vivid than most people's. Qian Lai immediately stopped thinking and answered on instinct. "How? Why didn't we see it if we passed it? That thing glows!"

"We just missed it."

With that, Yu Qing immediately picked up his pace, changed direction, and ran forward without stopping.

Perhaps realizing how frightened the man behind him was, the young man soon slowed down and offered, "If you're scared, you can find something to talk to me about. I'll answer."

He had turned back to speak out of consideration for Qian Lai, but at that instant, in the endless darkness, Qian Lai found himself staring straight into a pair of scarlet eyes!

His face went white, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.

The first question that sprang to mind was-Are you human?

But... in their current surroundings, asking that would only make him more afraid.

So Qian Lai's mind raced. After a long deliberation, he asked, "What... did you do before you entered the game?"

"I was a programmer."

"Huh?" Qian Lai wanted to cry, but no tears came. "You don't look like one, though. QAQ"

"What?" Ahead of him, the young man's faint laughter drifted back. "Do programmers have to be balding, wear glasses, and dress in plaid shirts?"

"..."

Yu Qing seemed to be answering him quite seriously. "I don't think everyone who practices mysticism wears a short jacket, hangs coins on themselves, and wears sunglasses like you, either."

"Hmm... and your jacket's green, too. Doesn't that color have a pretty bad implication?"

"Did your girlfriend cheat on you?"

Qian Lai: "..."

[Hahahaha, this streamer really knows how to comfort people.]

Although viewers were leaving the stream in droves, Yu Qing had a strong fan base. Even after all those losses, he still had over twenty thousand viewers.

Enough for him to turn things around!

Yu Qing quickened his pace, keeping an eye on the friendly chat as he walked. [Haven't you noticed? The streamer is really gentle with some NPCs. This is the first time I've seen anyone like that.]

[He's good to his viewers, too. Lots of streamers only reluctantly start sucking up to viewers once they realize we're useful. This one called us "God" right from the start. He's such a sweetheart!]

[Waaah, what do I do? I still don't want him to die. (Tip: +10,000 points)]

[Revival Cards are so expensive. I wonder if the big spenders have left. (Tip: +8,000 points)]

But no matter how friendly the chat was, none of the massive tips from earlier appeared again!

After all, wealthy viewers were selective about which streams they watched. Naturally, they lavished their money on skilled streamers with plenty of items, leaving smaller streamers with less and less room to survive.

The endless darkness descended upon them relentlessly. Before long, even a devoted fan in the chat started crying.

[Waaah, my older sister was forced into a Dungeon too, and she's stuck there forever as an NPC. That's why I can't bear watching streamers who are kind to Dungeon NPCs. I don't want him to die, waaah. (Tip: +370,000 points)]

That donation had probably emptied their savings.

So... who exactly were the people watching these streams?

Were they human? Or were they the so-called deities... who had created the game?

Unfortunately, before Yu Qing could finish thinking it through, that message flashed past and was completely censored.

Didn't they say only messages containing spoilers would be censored? What had that message revealed?

Could the NPCs here have been transformed from humans, or other living creatures?

"It's all right." At last, Yu Qing stopped.

He stood before a dim crack of light, the blood-red color of his eyes growing brighter. Raising his hand, he slowly aimed it at the sliver of white light ahead, which the darkness was steadily devouring.

"I have two million points now. I won't die," he murmured, as though comforting the viewer who had sent that message. "I won't need a Revival Card, either."

[Hahahahaha, no Revival Card? Aren't you bragging a little too much?]

Messages continued drifting through the chat, scattered expressions of disbelief and doubt flashing past. Some even mocked the streamer for being too stupid to realize what the director had done.

Chitter, chatter. Chitter, chatter.

The noises around them kept drawing closer. Now it wasn't just Qian Lai-Yu Qing felt something sticky beneath his feet, along with an almost lethal crushing pressure.

Something climbed onto his feet, soft as a puddle of mud. It surged upward relentlessly, clamoring to devour him.

Yet... a faint smile still lingered on the young man's lips. "I found the Dream Core."

"Huh? Is there a key?" At last, Qian Lai, who had been keeping his eyes shut behind him, opened them. But what he saw was a Dream Core so corrupted that only a tiny untainted speck remained.

"The Dream Core's been corrupted." Qian Lai sounded despairing. "So this dream hasn't been under Xu Han's control for a long time."

Yu Qing felt around haphazardly near the blackened little sphere. After a while, he confirmed, "There's no key anymore."

"Someone corrupted Xu Han's dream and took control of it. The key's been gone for ages."

Chitter, chatter. Chitter, chatter.

The sludge beneath their feet kept spreading. The chittering grew more frequent, sounding just like... eerie, triumphant laughter!

"Qian Lai, Qian Lai." A faint voice came from beside him. Qian Lai turned and found himself facing Yu Qing's faintly smiling face. "I don't have the strength to break free. Pull me away. Hurry, get me out of here!"

Finally! Time! To! Run!

Qian Lai nearly wept with joy. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed Yu Qing's wrist and charged in the direction Yu Qing pointed.

The smell of blood drifted through the darkness, while chittering lumps of rotting flesh chased them relentlessly. Qian Lai was fast on his feet, and before long, he grew frustrated by how slowly Yu Qing, with his low stamina stat, was keeping up.

He actually muttered something along the lines of "Tentacle monster, don't get jealous," then hoisted Yu Qing onto his back and kept charging forward.

[Huh? Hahahahaha!]

The sudden turn of events instantly filled the chat with laughter.

[Finally realized you can't do anything and decided to run? Hahahaha, but where are you going to run in this pitch-black darkness?]

[The streamer's got two million points now. I say he should just buy a Revival Card and ditch his teammate.]

[Exactly, exactly. Running around aimlessly like this, he's not far from death.]

Aimlessly?

Qian Lai panted for breath. He didn't think they were running aimlessly. At the very least, Yu Qing hadn't shown any fear or anxiety so far. He had remained calm the entire time, and even... gave precise directions as they fled.

They... might really be able to escape...

Chitter, chatter. Chitter-chitter, chatter...

Qian Lai kept running forward, while the thing chasing them relentlessly kept winding around his feet.

The hurried footfalls and sticky chittering sounded one after another, distracting even the director as he worked in the Director's Office.

He turned his gaze toward the footsteps behind him. There was a wall.

There were sounds outside the wall?

Oh~~, now he remembered.

Those two troublesome fellows were running for their lives~

What a shame. He had taken control of this place long ago. They... would never escape.

The corners of the director's mouth curled upward, and his smile spread wider and wider.

Wrinkles bunched up until they swallowed his eyes. But soon, he heard the footsteps growing closer and faster, as though they were charging straight at him.

Then, boom-