Deceitful Game

Chapter 108 [The Timid Fox]

After all, it feels so real.

The image of myself in that "memory," with that wild smile and unrestrained demeanor... was exactly the same as my state when I was in the beginner's game.

Two people were let go.

The power to create illusions.

This seems to be... exactly the experience the "raccoon" went through in the tutorial game.

However, his condition, his memory, and his own were clearly different.

Because that "Mingpu" has memories.

He clearly knew what his past self was like, as well as memories of the "previous timeline," and many hidden pieces of knowledge that even his current self didn't possess. He even referred to the terrifying demon as "Little Demon," and seemed quite familiar with it... at least they knew each other before that deception game began.

Not only that, he even possesses special powers in the beginner's game.

The dim yellow pupils were the glow of the power of the Slaughter Domain.

and………

He called the realm of slaughter "path," "destiny," and "road."

This has a different meaning.

In the subconscious, "domain" refers to "being classified into a certain type".

However, the word "road" implies that "it can continue to move forward".

"What does 'Twilight Seeds' mean? The demons seem to be called 'Twilight Families'... Does 'Twilight' refer to some evil god?"

Mingbo murmured softly, "The Path of Slaughter, corrupted by twilight..."

Therefore, the manifest color of the path of slaughter is dim yellow?

"Apper?"

Just then, hurried footsteps came from his bedroom door.

A limp and a thud came at the same time. It was clear that only one foot was wearing a slipper, while the other foot hadn't had time to put on a slipper.

Immediately afterwards, there was a rapid knocking on his bedroom door from the outside.

Ai Shiping's worried voice came through: "Are you alright?"

He had clearly heard himself scream "Ah!" when he woke up.

Somewhat worried that something might happen to him, he rushed over immediately.

"...It's nothing, it was probably just a nightmare."

Mingpo's voice regained its composure, and she kept her experiences and inner worries to herself.

He never panics, and he never shows weakness in front of others.

If even he panics, what will happen to his eldest son?

Let Ai Shiping take the blame... Mingpo is not trustworthy.

Mingpo's sharp gaze swept around his bedroom again, but he still saw nothing.

Only then did he get up.

When he entered the game, he wasn't wearing pajamas, but clothes he could wear straight out. Therefore, when Mingpo woke up in bed, he was also wearing those clothes and didn't need to change.

Opening the bedroom door, Mingpo said teasingly, "Your dog ears are pretty sharp. You could hear me yell 'Ah!' even through two doors?" "I am a [fox], after all."

Ai Shiping shrugged, relaxing completely: "It's good that you're alright... I thought the house was haunted."

"...Why would you think that?"

"Well……"

Ai Shiping clearly didn't realize that Mingpo was interested in this place.

He hesitated for a moment: "Is it...intuition?"

"You deserve praise for not just opening the door and coming in today."

Mingbo changed the subject: "He's much more polite than before."

Generally speaking, as people of the same sex, they shouldn't have to worry so much when entering each other's rooms—it's not like they're living with someone of the opposite sex, and they don't have to knock on the door before entering to make sure the other person is available or has any personal belongings that need to be packed.

After all, most student dormitories don't have one room per person. Generally speaking, people should be used to it. Take Ai Shiping for example... he doesn't care at all if Mingpo comes into his room, and sometimes he even drags Mingpo over to play games together.

But Mingpo is an exception; he has a very strong sense of territory.

He has hated anyone entering his room since he was a child. He would even get angry if it was his parents.

It wasn't that he was secretly doing anything in his room... Mingpo was naturally a person with very few desires. His most unsociable trait during his university years was that he didn't even read brochures or watch porn. It wasn't self-discipline or reserve; he simply found it uninteresting.

Only something more exciting can excite him.

Mingpo simply hates people entering his space. In college, he didn't have his own private space, so that space was his bed, which he would isolate himself with a curtain. It was fine outside, but if he was hiding in his bed and someone pulled open his curtain without asking, Mingpo would definitely breathe on it.

Even when Ai Shiping, her "only friend," entered Mingpo's bedroom without knocking for the first time, Mingpo got angry at him.

However, although Ai Shiping may seem frivolous, he knows how to respect others.

Once Mingper made it clear that "I don't like it," he never did it again.

But even if they don't do it, they still won't hold back with their words.

Ai Shiping complained, "This stupid habit of yours... If you were to suddenly die in front of your computer one day, I'd be torn—whether or not I should come in and check on you."

"Now you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Mingpo shrugged. "We're all dead, aren't we?"

"……Too."

Ai Shiping smiled.

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he exclaimed excitedly, "My title has evolved!"

"What has it evolved into?"

Mingpo asked as she walked out of the bedroom.

He went to the living room and poured himself a glass of water.

Seeing this, Ai Shiping went straight back to his bedroom, took out a can of iced cola, and tossed it to Mingpo.

Mingpo caught it and asked, "Is this enough?"

"There are still a dozen or so cans left," Ai Shiping chuckled. "Let's finish them first."

That's what he said, but he didn't open a single can himself.

"Then you can drink it yourself."

Mingpo tossed the cola back to Ai Shiping, watching him frantically catch it: "I'm not as addicted as you."

Ai Shiping didn't refuse; instead, he opened the cola and took a big gulp.

He burped and continued the previous topic: "I took a prefix, 'cowardly.' Now I'm the 'cowardly fox.'" "That's good."

Mingbo nodded: "It makes others look down on you."

"The effects have also changed... I can no longer 'smell danger in the air.' Instead, I can instinctively sense when danger is approaching. This sense is a sixth sense, so I can directly sense even enemies without a scent. I won't be so afraid of ghosts anymore!" "And my treasure-hunting ability has also changed slightly—when I actively use the title, I will prioritize checking for 'the most recent threat.' Only when there is no threat will I start treasure hunting."

Ai Shiping explained his evolved title to Mingpo in detail: "My hearing and sense of smell have been further enhanced, and my physical attributes, especially my explosive power, have also increased to a certain extent."

"But overall, he's still a support character with no combat capabilities."

Mingpo concluded, "We've only improved our survival skills a bit. Don't be too arrogant, don't be too complacent, and prioritize self-preservation."

"As for the fact that you can sense the presence of ghosts and are therefore not afraid of ghosts... I can't say for sure."

"...Ah, that's true."

Ai Shiping chuckled awkwardly: "Sometimes hearing things too clearly actually amplifies fear..."

He recalled that when he played horror games, he always liked to turn the music down to the lowest setting.

In most cases, besides the face-jumping moments, the music is the scariest part of horror games. But turning it off completely just doesn't feel right—he'd tried turning off the music and playing "Good Luck" on, but it just looked weird.

It's not scary anymore, but it's not fun either. And if the music is turned up too loud, it'll be too scary.

"It seems that the passive effects of the title can also be used in reality."

Mingpo nodded: "Then it seems that the reason I can't see the item description is because I haven't consciously 'used' it..."

As she said this, Mingpo subconsciously glanced at the countdown timer in the living room.

He was stunned.

-101:23:20

……strangeness?

Mingpo frowned slightly.

He clearly remembered that there were still 126 hours left in the countdown before he entered the game.

How come there's suddenly one less day?

Could my guess be wrong?

This time, the only players in the game are myself and Ai Shiping, so there shouldn't be any waiting period.

But this time...

Mingbo pondered for a moment, then asked Ai Shiping, "Can you still smell... or rather, sense the assassins outside?" "...Not really."

Ai Shiping hesitated for a moment: "I don't sense any danger."

"And what about at home?"

Mingpo guided the question by asking, "Is there any danger at home?"

"No, not at all."

Ai Shiping became somewhat insecure after being asked this question: "Did my title get weakened after evolving? I could clearly feel the hostility before entering the game, but I can't feel it after evolving..."

"Not necessarily. It's also possible that...they left."

Mingpo said vaguely.

But a thought inexplicably arose in his mind...

Perhaps they are already dead.

He didn't know why he had such a thought. The answer simply appeared in Mingpo's mind, as if the truth were self-evident.

It's like someone who has mastered a lot of math knowledge; they can instinctively arrive at the answer when faced with a very simple math problem. But when it comes to which specific formula or theorem to use, or how to derive the logic, they suddenly get stuck and have to go through it all again.

As for this "missing formula"...

...Then it can only be that "little demon".

Thinking this, Mingpo's pupils shimmered with a dim yellow light.

That was the power from the [Madman].

But something's strange...

Any past titles will cause some mental pollution when equipping them.

For example, werewolves make people bloodthirsty and restless, Frankenstein makes people violent and eager for fame, and detectives make people calm and lazy... Mingpu has already gotten used to resisting this kind of mental pollution.

However, this title is unique.

However, it did not bring any spiritual pollution to Mingpu.

It's as if he's not wearing a title.

However, its passive effect should at least include the negative effect of "gaining a mild mental disorder".

But Mingpo felt refreshed and much more energetic.

Could it be...

"Hey, son."

He thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let's... go for a walk."

"Oh?"

Ai Shiping perked up at the suggestion: "Going out to eat? We've certainly got more chips now... Let's enjoy ourselves while we can, Godfather! Treat us to something nice!"

"...It's not impossible."

Mingpo said somewhat helplessly, "I mainly want to introduce you to another teammate of ours."

"Then let's bring him along for dinner!"

Ai Shiping waved his hand generously: "I'll treat him to the chips—I'll cover all the chips he uses to show off!"