Flame Larceny

For two nerve-wracking seconds, everyone stood frozen in place as they stared at the wall of pulsating black silk in front of them. Until the end, the stagnant silence was shattered by Xinxin who staggered backward and let out a terrified scream. "AH—!"

At once, the scene descended into utter chaos.

Tang Ye took a few steps forward and hovered over the door, wanting to save Brother Zhi yet also did not know where to start. "Oh nonono…! Brother Zhi, are… are you okay?! Can you give me an answer?!" He called out in a panicked tone. But upon hearing no sound from inside aside from the quiet rustle of silk, he turned to ask Sister Hong for advice, "Sister Hong, what should we do? Brother Zhi is trapped inside!"

Sister Hong finally snapped out of the trance she was in. Her complexion was horribly pale, but she quickly regained her composure instead of losing her shit like Xinxin and Tang Ye did.

"Step aside," she ordered.

Tang Ye's eyes lit up and he quickly moved to make some room for Sister Hong… only for the woman to grab the door and slam it shut!

"Sister Hong?!" Tang Ye and Xinxin cried out in disbelief.

"What?" Sister Hong hissed in a low voice. "Do you think I'm capable enough to rush in and rescue him? If he couldn't even make it out alive, what about me?! Haven't you seen how powerful and deadly that silk monster is?! If something also happens to me, then what? Can the four of you – second-timers, a newbie and a child – make it out of this Cycle alive?!"

Tang Ye and Xinxin fell silent at that, their faces twisted horribly as if they had eaten a fly. As much as it pained them to admit it, what Sister Hong said was true. In this Cycle, she and Brother Zhi were the two most experienced players. Hell, Brother Zhi must be the most powerful player among them. But now that an accident had happened to him, could they risk losing Sister Hong too?

"But…" Xinxin sobbed softly. "But can we just leave him alone like this?"

"Do you think I'm too cruel?" Sister Hong sneered coldly. "Then I'm sorry to tell you that from now on, you will see people a thousand times crueler than me. You have to learn that a sacrifice is necessary sometimes for greater good." After making sure that the door was tightly shut and the silk monster would not be able to get out, she turned away and started to walk toward the stairs with her back ramrod straight. It was as if the one she had lost was not a partner and a human being, but a dog she could discard at will. "Let's go. It's almost ten pm."

Tang Ye and Xinxin cast a few hesitant glances at the door, but left with no other choices, they could only follow behind Sister Hong with a depressed look on their faces.

"What are you looking at?" Nian asked with a glare upon seeing that Jin Jiuchi was still rooted in place while staring at the door unblinkingly. "Don't tell me that you are still entertaining that foolish idea. Haven't you seen what happened to that man?"

"But, Nian'er," Jin Jiuchi tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I don't understand. Why did she say that a sacrifice is necessary sometimes?"

Nian let out a sigh and reminded himself that this man's mindset was really simple like a child. Foolish, even. And that's why he had to be extra patient and accommodating. "Do you remember what I said about the death condition?" he asked.

Jin Jiuchi nodded. "You mean, that room is also a death condition?"

"That's right. At first, we still had no idea what would happen if we went inside. Would it be safe or would we be attacked by the black silk? We didn't know. That's why Sister Hong sent that man to scout the surroundings. If he could find something that would give us a clue as to why Madam Liu fell from this room, then all is good. And if he died, then we would learn to be cautious from now on. Though it sounded cruel, I have to say that this is indeed the way to survive in the Cycle."

The strong preyed on the weak. The line between moral and evil was blurred to the point of unseen.

At the end of the day, humans were selfish beings who thought of themselves first and foremost. Under desperate and extreme situations, how far would they be corrupted by the malice in their hearts?

In the end, what made them different from the terrifying creatures here?

Nian shook his head to dismiss the useless thoughts. "Let's go back," he told Jin Jiuchi. Alas, he had taken two steps before realizing that Jin Jiuchi did not move at all. Not only that, he was back to staring at the door! Annoyed, he snapped at the man, "What the hell are you waiting for?!"

Jin Jiuchi turned to him with a slow blink. "But Nian'er, he is not dead yet."

Nian was taken aback, "...What?"

Before Nian could even register what Jin Jiuchi meant by that sentence, a loud rumble resounded through the air and the walls started to shake. Even Sister Hong, Tang Ye and Xinxin who were already halfway down the stairs hurriedly rushed back again, shocked.

They saw the door, which Sister Hong had shut before, slammed open again with a loud bang and a huge ball of fire rolled out.

No, it was not a fireball, but a person cloaked in flame from head to toe as if they were burning from within. Even the face and hair was not spared.

"Brother Zhi!"

Surnamed Zhi rose to his feet and exhaled a puff of white smoke from his mouth. Quickly, the fire dissipated from his body to show a face everyone had been familiar with. A few cuts marred his face and body, still oozing with blood. But aside from that, he was completely untouched by the flame itself.

He raised his hand to show a leather journal, his piercing gaze fixed on Sister Hong who looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Found it."

Skill Card: Flame Larceny

Skill Type: Fire Manipulation

Skill Level: 5

Skill Description: Those condescending gazes befall you, for you are a thief. Yet they have no idea that fire is burning under your veins. Your fiery power, a stolen gift that can lift you from your dark plight.

Prop: Willguard Amulet

Prop Level: Valuable

Prop Usage: Defend against mental manipulation from level four skills or below.

Status: In use

[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the special task from the Nightmare – 'Sacrifice yourself in front of other players'! You are only one step away from becoming a Veteran player! Please try your best to earn the ticket and return to the real world!]