Hell Game: Starting from Metropolis

"In the end, I was the only one who walked the path of the inner eye to its very end."

"But my journey is also coming to an end."

Muro recounted everything slowly and clearly.

"Is the path of the inner eye also a dead end?"

Liu Zheng asked.

“From the perspective of those in positions of authority, the path of the inner eye is correct, and apart from being extremely demanding, it has no flaws.”

"But from a human perspective, any path to becoming a superior is a dead end. Because human consciousness is simply no match for the consciousness of a superior."

"Do you believe me, young outsider?"

Muro suddenly asked.

"I'm sure that's out of the question. Tell me what you want to do first."

he replied.

“You helped my teacher, and you helped me too. So, logically, I should give you something in return. But I have nothing to give you now, except for the awareness of being in a superior position.”

"Release your consciousness and enter my mind."

"Muro said."

"how should I do?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Look down and hold my hand."

"shake hands?"

He looked at the ground again, and the reflection was no longer the endless web of time, nor Muro's huge and ugly body, but a short young woman in academic robes.

She had short platinum blonde hair, delicate and gentle features, some freckles on her cheeks, and clear, innocent eyes.

She smiled shyly at Liu Zheng, then timidly extended her right hand.

Liu Zheng hesitated for a moment, then extended a tentacle and grasped her.

So that's how it is.

Muro paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.

"Did you see it?"

"No, I can only see the mist itself that surrounds you."

Muro shook his head slightly.

"Your future is infinitely bright, stranger, but there is also infinite darkness on the road ahead. I hope my gift can help you walk more smoothly."

She gently tugged at Liu Zheng's tentacle and pulled him into her arms.

A gentle yet vast consciousness enveloped Liu Zheng, making him feel as if he had returned to his mother's amniotic fluid, except that this womb was the entire ocean.

"It's so comfortable."

He narrowed his eyes.

To be honest, this feeling fascinated him.

After all, Liu Zheng had never experienced the feeling of maternal love.

Seemingly sensing his attachment, that vast yet gentle will contracted further, like a mother's arms embracing her infant.

In this embrace, he felt his senses expanding unconsciously.

Liu Zheng seemed to see many bizarre and mysterious things, but those things left no trace in his consciousness.

Because it is unconscious, it causes no harm.

"Received a gift from the superior 'Foolish Spider': Perception +5, Spirit +5, increased resistance to rationality decline, and 20% reduction in damage taken from superiors. Explore the other effects yourself."

A system notification suddenly sounded, startling Liu Zheng from his reverie.

He opened his eyes, and the reflection on the ground transformed back into a gigantic, pale moon. There was no trace of Muro, nor was there the Web of Time.

"Thank you."

Liu Zheng sincerely expressed his gratitude.

The boost to those two attributes alone is equivalent to several high-quality items, not to mention the other effects.

Considering that this is a permanent bonus, has no negative effects, and does not take up equipment slots, it is not an exaggeration to call it a perfect quality reward.

“It’s alright, your loneliness has also comforted me, stranger.”

Muro shook his head.

"As I've become more and more proficient in mastering the power of this body, I've felt less and less lonely."

"If you're getting more and more skilled, why is the line still snapping?"

Liu Zheng asked, puzzled.

"Because the process of mastering power is the process of synchronizing with the thinking of those in power. My shallow and inferior humanity is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. At most, after ten more regressions, I, as Muro, will disappear, leaving only the foolish spider."

Muro sighed.

"understood."

He nodded.

Only Muro, being human, would help her former teacher; as for the lives of Albert and the Atlanteans, what business is it of the foolish spider in power?

It would be good enough if He didn't help the Moon Demon torment the Atlanteans.

"So, hunter, kill me and break this hopeless stalemate. Either wake Atreus from his nightmare, or let it sleep peacefully forever."

Muro said calmly.

"Okay. By the way, if you die, what level of Blood Gem will you get?"

Liu Zheng asked.

Is this how you communicate where you live?

Even with his good temper, Muro couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

"Frank communication improves efficiency. Besides, you're not even a decent human being, why would you care about these things?"

He said with a grin.

"It must be super large, right?"

Although somewhat annoyed, Muro still answered Liu Zheng's question.

"Why is it still super-large? Even the Lesser Superior Amirola unleashes super-large attacks. You can control time, so you should be at least a level above it, right?"

He was a little disappointed.

"If I were to become the fully-powered master, I should be able to produce even higher-grade blood gems. But frankly, you are still no match for my fully-powered self."

Muro also spoke more directly.

"Ok."

Liu Zheng abandoned his suicidal thoughts.

Come to think of it, in any power system, abilities related to time are always at the top level.

Fighting a fully evolved, foolish spider, even putting aside the possibility of victory, would surely exhaust all his trump cards, leaving him with no way to fight the Moon Demon.

"Then the Moon Demon must be in its complete form, right?"

he asked.

"He should be able to condense even higher-grade blood gems."

Muro thought for a moment and then said.

"That's fine."

Liu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Knowing that there are higher-level Blood Gems but being unable to obtain them is just as frustrating as knowing the winning numbers for the grand prize but not being able to buy the ticket.

"Then let's begin, stranger. Be careful, I won't hold back."

Muro turned around and moved her tiny feet in the opposite direction.

"Don't worry, I hate match-fixing the most."

He pulled out the butcher's knife and boning knife, and took out all the items he might need from the system space.

Muro didn't reply. He walked to a distance of about fifty meters from him, stopped, and turned around again.

"Begin the hunt, hunter."

A detached female voice rang out, then vanished in an instant.

The branch-like appendages behind it emitted the same white light as the space itself, like clusters of white dandelions.

Its dark eyes were fixed on Liu Zheng, conveying contempt and murderous intent.

Clearly, the humanity of this superior being, who was transformed from a human, has been overshadowed by the instinct for survival and combat.

“I will give you a dignified death as a reward, Ms. Muro.”

Liu Zheng bowed to her, then charged forward.

He was half again as fast as when he fought Amirola, because his equipment was working its magic again.

Name: Heart of the Ocean (Enhanced)

Quality: Excellent

"Effect 1: Increases movement speed in water by 50%, and allows you to breathe freely underwater."

"Effect 2: Recovery speed is increased by 100% in water, and damage taken in water is reduced by 50%."

This equipment, which has demanding requirements but powerful effects, somehow came into play, which is also an important reason why Liu Zheng dared to fight the Foolish Spider head-on.

But when he sprinted to within about thirty meters of the Foolish Spider, a sense of danger welled up inside him.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, then jumped backward, covering a distance of several meters.

From the ground where he had just stood, a dozen small spiders that looked similar to the Foolish Spider leaped out of the water like fish, using their sharp forepaws to claw forward.

If Liu Zheng hadn't dodged, he would probably have been torn to pieces on the spot.

"Goodness, you were holding back, weren't you?"

He cursed under his breath.

It's true that beautiful women can lie, even beautiful women who are no longer human.

When the dozen or so small spiders missed their target, even more small spiders jumped out of the ground, crowding together and blocking his path to the Foolish Spiders.

Suddenly, the tree of light on the back of the Foolish Spider swayed, and the little spiders immediately rushed towards Liu Zheng like a pack of wild dogs.

Their movements are completely haphazard; they sometimes even collide with each other and then sway wildly.

Even so, the sight of hundreds of deformed monsters the size of humans rushing towards them is enough to trigger a variety of inner fears in anyone, including trypophobia, insectophobia, gigantophobia, and so on.

Fortunately, Liu Zheng wasn't entirely human; he only felt a little disgusted.

It's like intending to swat a fly, only to find a bunch of maggots crawling out of its belly – that kind of disgusting feeling.

Therefore, he decided to act quickly.

Liu Zheng ignored the little spiders trying to surround him from multiple directions and charged straight ahead.

A small spider tried to slice him to pieces with its forelegs, but he instantly cut its two forelegs into several pieces.

Then, Liu Zheng bumped into its flat head.

"Damn! That's fucking hard."

Liu Zheng grimaced in pain.

He felt as if he hadn't hit his head, but rather a block of metal.

You don't even need to look to know that there's definitely a bruise on his shoulder.