【Chat Channel】

January 7, 2013, 12:23

【Yi He】: Hollow puppet, I’ll raise my bid.

【Hunter 3】: You can have all the offal; the rest is mine. The payment stays the same: 10 gold coins.

【Yi He】: What are the offal good for?

【Hunter 3】: To eat. Eating one gives you an extra life, and you can use enchantment blueprints to craft items from them. They regrow every seven days. 

【Yi He】: Then wouldn’t it be more cost-effective for me to keep them for myself?

【Hunter 3】: Think about whether you can actually afford to use them yourself.

【Yi He】: Damn it.

Zhang Xing gritted his teeth. Behind him, Yining was either surveying the surroundings or staring intently at him.

That gaze was monstrous, devoid of any trace of humanity.

“Don’t look back,” Yining warned. “Your role right now is cannon fodder.”

“Ugh, okay…” Cold sweat poured down Zhang Xing’s face.

They walked down Street No. 5. The street was deathly quiet—no monsters, no anomalies. Most of the streetlights were intact, and the lit rooms in the buildings on either side indicated player territories.

Occasionally, a cat darted out from the curb, darting swiftly across the street—a black shadow flashing by.

Near the game map’s coordinate point, a loud noise suddenly erupted. Both men were drawn to the flames igniting overhead; they looked up and saw the fire distorting the buildings. The glow illuminated the surrounding area. Further in the distance stood a towering structure, perched atop which was a massive, winged monster with a texture resembling a mixture of asphalt and oil.

The monster’s single eye darted about, resembling the sun in the sky against the black canopy of night.

They held their breath at first, listening for the sound of a crowd not far away.

“Let’s go check it out.”

Yining acted decisively, quickening his pace as he ran toward the glow of the fire. Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment, but had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow.

It wasn’t until they got closer that Yining realized there were actually many people trying to put out the fire.

Dozens of people clad in black hooded robes were rushing back and forth carrying buckets or basins. Amid the chaos, the two strangers were quickly noticed. A burly man, his face covered in soot, shoved two wooden buckets into their hands without a word and pointed to the side: “Don’t just stand there! The water carts are over there!”

The water carts weren’t fire trucks, but simple carts pulling water barrels. The building on fire was none other than the church.

Yining’s gaze swept rapidly through the crowd. He spotted several men in black clerical robes among them; they too were frantically scooping up water and dousing the flames, their faces etched with anxiety and despair.

The air was scorching, and the crowd was dense; the vast majority were draped in black robes, resembling some kind of local cultural symbol. It seemed that until the fire was extinguished, Yining would be unable to find the person he was looking for.

Before long, another water cart rushed over. The man pushing it shouted to an elderly priest, “We can’t get through! The fire department is out of contact! We can’t find any firefighting equipment either!” 

“How much longer can we hold out?” The cleric wiped the sweat and soot from his face. “I don’t know! The fire’s getting out of control!”

“Don’t panic! We’ll find a way!” the elder priest said calmly. “We need more people! Hurry!”

Yining had just scooped a full bucket of water from the cistern and was about to turn and rush toward the fire.

“Whoosh!”

A cluster of flames, whipped up by the air currents, suddenly fell from the church roof, heading straight for his face!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The flames exploded against his skin, clinging tightly and searing him.

The pain had already stung Yining’s nerves a split second before the flame touched his face. He instinctively reached up to slap it away, but before he could, someone poured half a bucket of water over his head.

The flame went out, and white steam rose.

Finally, his hand touched a patch of skin that was intact and unharmed.

Yining shook his head, and droplets of water slid down from the tips of his hair. Once he realized what had happened, he pulled out a new makeup mirror from inside his shirt and took a look—where the fire had burned, there was indeed no scar; no redness, no swelling, no allergic reaction; he hadn’t lost any health or sanity.

Yet the sensation of pain felt all too real—a searing burn—and it took every ounce of willpower not to reach up and scratch his face.

He took a closer look at his inventory: one of the paper dolls with 100% defense had been used, leaving only four remaining. Was it this item that prevented him from getting hurt?

But if it really did block the damage, why did he still feel the pain?

Could there be something wrong with the fire?

As if to confirm Yining’s suspicion, a game notification popped up.

【Storyline “Unquenchable Fire” has been triggered】

【Unquenchable Fire: Find the source of the fire within 20 minutes. It is located inside the church and usually attaches itself to fuel.】

【Hint: Complete the storyline to receive a huge reward.】

【Countdown: 00:20:00】 Huge! Rewards!

Yining took a deep breath and gazed at the church doors just a few steps away.

This world, this game—every moment was forcing him to make a choice.

A fierce internal struggle raged in Yining’s mind. His situation was dire: Zhang Xing, standing beside him, was a mystery—friend or foe? The Hunters’ Guild had placed a bounty on Graveyard players, and the raging fire before him was no different from burning charcoal.

Yet the potential rewards were equally tempting. It was precisely because he had been one step ahead—defeating monsters and accumulating points earlier than others—that he had achieved a strength level in the upper-middle tier among players. The slow bird must take flight first.

His rational mind was lecturing him at length, having already laid out 1,800 words on why the downsides outweighed the benefits. His emotions, however, had only a few words for him: “What are you standing there for? If you die playing, you can just have the priest perform a funeral service for you.”

“All that caution you’ve been building up—isn’t it meant to be used for a wild move at the critical moment?”

Yining had convinced Yining.

Sure enough, the longer you suppress and restrain yourself, the more likely you are to explode at a certain point!

Zhang Xing, who was in the middle of putting out a fire, also received a plot line notification. Watching Yining charge into the burning building, he silently set down his tools. Is that guy going to his death?

Or maybe he has defensive items on him. It’s the perfect chance to wait until he’s used up all his trump cards.

Zhang Xing had an item that allowed him to see other players’ game panels, though its effect was limited. Aside from clearly seeing their in-game roles and skills, he could only see the names of items in their inventories—not their specific functions.

Yining was wealthy, and he himself was a valuable asset. He was a prey he couldn’t afford to let slip away.

Zhang Xing quickly mapped out his next few moves, then picked up the wooden basin from the ground and joined the bustling crowd to continue fighting the fire. If you’re going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.

As long as he recoups his investment later, nothing else matters.

The image of Yining pointing a gun at him flashed through Zhang Xing’s mind, and he suddenly felt he should recoup his principal with interest…

The heat inside the church was almost blinding. Where candles should have been lit, they had all melted, leaving a thick layer of wax.

Yining quickly scanned the area from a game-like perspective, searching for the location of the “unquenchable fire” and taking in the church’s interior layout in its entirety: stained-glass windows, massive columns supporting the vaulted ceiling, the pulpit, rows of pews, and plaster statues.

From the outside, the church didn’t look particularly grand—just a standard three- or four-story building with a double-height second floor. He was confident he’d complete the story quest soon—at least before he was burned to death.

“Boom!”

A plaster statue suddenly shattered into pieces, the shards scattering across the marble floor.

But for some reason, the stained-glass windows remained undamaged by the flames and intense heat, while the long tables and chairs had already been reduced to kindling in the inferno.

Yining covered his mouth and nose with a damp cloth in one hand while rubbing his eyes, which were watering from the smoke, with the other. After a few rubs, he noticed that those.

Benches were filled with people.

They could hardly be called people—merely human-shaped shadows.

The flames seemed to be erupting from these shadows, for they were constantly rubbing against one another like flint and tinder; with every friction, sparks flew.

【Collect Clue: Afterimage】

【Story Progress: 10%】

【Gained: Clairvoyance +1】

With this increase, Yining now has 2 points of Clairvoyance, just one point shy of the 3 points required for the Fifteen-Day List.

Sure enough, the eyes of Spirit Vision were different from the previous ones.

Now, the flames he saw were black, thick, and filthy, resembling pools of rotten sludge from a sewer.

After circling a few pillars and checking all blind spots without success, Yining ran toward the stairwell leading to the second floor.

His airways burned intensely in the heat; with every second he spent in the fire, the pain grew more intense, until at a certain moment, the sensation, and Yining thought to himself, “This isn’t good—my respiratory system might be three-quarters cooked.”

It must have been the defensive bonus from his novice period, combined with the +1 defense from his bracelet, that had saved him. Otherwise, he’d be a dead man by now.

He checked his stats panel; the status bar was quite busy.

【Heart Growth Cycle 98:32:14】

【Liver Growth Cycle: 39:12:47】

Yining’s hopeful vision of his liver still being inside his body was officially dashed. Perhaps his spiritual vision had improved, allowing him to see himself more clearly. If the normal growth cycle was seven days, then his liver had left him on the very first night of the game, which wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The staircase leading to the second floor was blocked by a wall of fire. Without hesitation, Yining used a precious defensive paper doll; a faint golden light flashed around him, and he successfully passed through.

Standing on the raised platform on the second floor and looking down, the number of dark figures in the church hall seemed to have increased.

The second floor of the church contained many rooms, and Yining would likely have to check them one by one—a prospect that made him somewhat impatient, as inspecting each room took at least 30 seconds.

There was no time to hesitate; he had to press forward.

As he entered the first room, he was instantly locked in the gaze of a pair of fierce eyes.

In the room, a shadowy figure wielding a machete was furiously hacking at the other shadows; shards and blood splattered across the walls and windows, a sight enough to make one’s knees go weak.

The figure with the machete, spotting the intruder, dropped the person it was attacking and charged straight at Yining.

Yining quickly muttered, “Excuse me,” and deftly shut the door.

But the shadow with the machete didn’t stop; it charged at Yining at breakneck speed, the door offering no resistance whatsoever.

Yining reacted just as quickly, darting aside to avoid it. The shadow, unable to stop its momentum, charged straight ahead, like a ghost in a horror movie that appears before your eyes in the blink of an eye. The shadow raced across the second-floor open-air platform. Yining thought the unknown entity was about to jump off the building, but it vanished after passing through the railing.

【Collect Clue: Bloodthirst】

【Story Progress: 20%】

These scenes felt like a dream.

In the next room, several dark figures were tangled and intertwined, some tearing at each other like beasts, others huddled together, emitting shrill screams. The room was filled with human heads stacked as neatly as bricks, and the moment the door opened, countless pairs of hollow eyes turned to stare at him simultaneously…

After Yining made his way around the second floor, the story progress reached 80%.

Only one room remained. By then, his lungs could no longer hold out.

The game system emitted a distorted alert sound.

【Notice: Lung lobe damage, tracheal damage】

【Growth Period: 168:00:00 (7 days)】

Yining exhaled a cloud of hot, murky air; he could no longer feel the excruciating pain. Fortunately, the flames here only damaged his lungs, not his skin.

The purpose of his journey was to speed up the growth of these organs, which had slow regeneration cycles. The person helping him with this was a close online friend. A slightly disheveled appearance was acceptable, but nothing too revealing—that would really lower his likability score.

Only two defensive paper dolls remained in his inventory; he’d used all three of his previous stock to block the fire damage.

He arrived at the final room. This room had none of those disgusting black shadows; there was only a table with a candle on it. The flame flickered on the candle, and its appearance revealed nothing unusual.

【Collect Clue: Flame】

【Story Progress: 100%】

【Item Obtained: Unquenchable Fire】

【Item Category: Special/Cursed】

【Description: This flame will not go out under any normal circumstances. If provided with enough fuel to burn, it will behave gently and obediently. If left without fuel, it will burn everything in its path; given enough time, it will spread its presence across the entire world.】

【You have completed the storyline and saved this cursed church】

【You have earned the favor of all the clergy at this church】

【Obtained: Gift of the God of Kindness ×1 (Requires 5 points of Clairvoyance to open)】

The game’s notification sound erupted into a symphony, but Yining had no time to check it; he shoved the candle into his inventory slot and then turned his back to the window, charging straight into it.

With a crash, the glass shattered. Yining plummeted from the second floor of the church, his back slamming into the ground along with the shards of glass, leaving him seeing stars.

This hurts like hell.

【Hint: 100% Defense Paper Doll -1】

【Notice: 100% Defense Paper Doll Remaining: 1】

Realizing he wasn’t dead, Yining didn’t get up immediately. He lay flat on the ground, arms spread wide, gazing up at the church building still being consumed by flames. The lingering excitement from the adrenaline rush hadn’t faded yet, and he felt somewhat exhilarated.

Firefighters carrying buckets of water shuttled back and forth around Yining. Water occasionally splashed onto him, but not a single person stepped on him.

“Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”

The middle-aged priest leading the group saw that the firefighting efforts had improved significantly after an “outsider” fell from above. Realizing the real danger had been averted, he hurried over to help Yining up.

“Can I find a doctor here?” Yining’s eyes lit up instantly.