Chapter 16: Choice
The anomaly within the Birth Plaza vanished. Although the enemy had been successfully dealt with, Zuiyasi's eyes were filled with wariness. The Abyssal Jar in Wude's hands was far too terrifying.
After careful thought, Zuiyasi became less concerned. The activation time for this thing was too long, and the risk of using it was definitely extremely high; otherwise, Wude wouldn't be trying to give it away.
Moreover, if this were Wude's trump card, he wouldn't use it now. Thinking of this, Zuiyasi felt much more at ease.
Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette in his hand. He looked at Zuiyasi, who remained expressionless. Clearly, the other party had realized that the supreme treasure in Wude's hands wasn't as easy to use as it seemed.
Su Xiao was actually quite interested in this item. His idea was to bring it back to Reincarnation Paradise and then sell it to Reincarnation Paradise. He didn't believe this thing would dare to confront Reincarnation Paradise. How arrogant had the Ouroboros Stone Tablet been back then? Now it was subdued and obedient.
Su Xiao hadn't used the Ouroboros Stone Tablet for a while. It was undeniable that this thing was indeed somewhat sinister. It seemed to have surrendered, but in reality, it was more like a coiled venomous snake, ready to bite Su Xiao at any moment. Su Xiao had no good solution for this; he would just keep it locked away, as if he had never obtained it.
If Su Xiao ever grew impatient, he would sell [Dark Redemption] and let the Ouroboros Stone Tablet go plague someone else.
Regarding the plan to bring the Abyssal Jar back to Reincarnation Paradise and then sell it to Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao weighed it in his mind and decided to abandon it. What if, after obtaining it, he found the words "Cannot be sold" in the price column of its information? That would be a huge joke.
"Zuiyasi, do me a favor."
"Speak."
"Reach into the Abyssal Jar and pull out Baldy. In a little while, it will be digested."
"?"
Zuiyasi looked at Wude with confusion, his gaze seemingly asking: 'Wude, do I look like an idiot to you? Would I possibly do that? Huh?'
"Trust me this once. It's almost too late."
"Heh."
Zuiyasi laughed with unusual carefreeness. He looked Wude up and down and asked, "Bai Ye, who is this person? Looks a bit familiar."
"..."
"Ah, there isn't even the most basic trust between people anymore."
As Wude said this, he secretly felt regret, regretting that Zuiyasi hadn't come forward to check. This tentacle guy was too cautious.
Wude reached one hand into the Abyssal Jar. With a whoosh, his entire body ignited with invisible flames. His trembling hand withdrew from the jar, holding a pigeon-sized, featherless bird. This bald bird was covered in dense bite marks. It was Black Wing Zakawa.
It wasn't that Zakawa had been reverted to its original form; it had become a bald bird because it was sucked into the Abyssal Jar. Even more terrifying, this wasn't a transformation-type debuff but a permanent change.
"Kill... me."
Zakawa spoke with difficulty. It now sought only death.
"Sorry, I can't do that. But I can heal your wounds and let you live like this. I've tested it before; after you recover, you can barely fight a hen. Don't even think about a rooster; you can't win."
"Kill me, step on... me."
"Don't worry, I'll keep you with a flock of hens. It won't hurt your pride. Hey? Why are you crying? I still prefer that arrogant look you had earlier. Try to recover it."
Zakawa ignored Wude. It was in despair. The enemy had never said they would kill it from the start, but compared to death, it was now ten times, a hundred times more desperate.
"We Demon Clan love transactions. Let's make a deal. You tell me the secrets of the Nightmare World, and I'll help you return to your original form and let you go."
"Return... to my original form? You... won't kill me?"
"Of course. Remember this: the verbal promise of a Demon Clan member is a thousand times, ten thousand times more reliable than a Demon Clan contract."
"Alright, I believe... your promise. The Nightmare World has three layers, each with some similarities. The one you're in now is the third layer of the Nightmare. There's only the Birth Plaza here. Even if you walk out of the exit, you won't reach the Slaughter Ground..."
From Zakawa's description, Su Xiao learned the structure of the Nightmare World. The first layer of the Nightmare World was the most complete, with the Birth Plaza, the Slaughter Ground (ruins + maze), the Playground (another game venue), and Nightmare Town.
The second layer below only had the Birth Plaza and the Slaughter Ground.
The lowest third layer only had the Birth Plaza.
This unique structure showed the Nightmare King's caution. It clearly knew how cautious it was, which was why it had set up the Nightmare World this way, to prevent some angry player from crossing the 'network cable' one day to come and chop it.
Simply put, if you couldn't reach the first layer of the Nightmare World, the topmost layer, you couldn't find the Nightmare King. According to Zakawa, the Nightmare King never left Nightmare Town.
"Thank you, Zakawa. You've helped us a lot. Don't be nervous; I'll throw you back into the Abyssal Jar."
Wude grabbed Zakawa by one leg and was about to toss it back into the Abyssal Jar.
"You'll die a miserable death! You'll be devoured by ten thousand insects..."
"Let me explain. If I don't throw you into the Abyssal Jar, you can't return to your original form."
"This..."
Zakawa was speechless. It had just cursed Wude, and quite harshly.
Wude threw Zakawa into the Abyssal Jar. Moments later, flesh emerged from the jar, and from this flesh, a head protruded—it was Zakawa, screaming silently.
The flesh gathered, black feathers regrew, and after a dozen seconds, the restored Zakawa crouched on the ground.
Zakawa looked at its hands, then down at its chest. Its thought was that these people were too foolish. After forging such enmity, they actually let it go? Such foolish and hypocritical people were unworthy of a decisive battle with the Nightmare King; they might not even get to see the Nightmare King.
"Thank you for your mercy. I, Zakawa, will forever remember the kindness of the three of you. Lord Wude, please let me be your servant."
Zakawa knelt on one knee and lowered its head. It wouldn't flee. In its view, it had to show loyalty now, to become a servant of one of these three enemies. Otherwise, these people might break their promise. What it had to do was wait for an opportunity, then make these three die without a burial place, make them experience the pain it had just endured. It would never let this go easily, but before that, it had to endure.
Zakawa's head was pressed very low, and then, its head fell off.
"Huh?"
Zakawa didn't die immediately. Its face was full of shock. It saw the man holding a long blade standing not far away.
"Zakawa, I did promise you I wouldn't kill you, but... Bai Ye never promised that. Since you're about to die, the previous promise is void. This little jar is your eternal home. Enjoy it to the fullest."
Wude stuffed Zakawa's head into the Abyssal Jar. Zakawa's head was clearly several times larger than the jar, but it was stuffed in naturally.
As soon as Zakawa's head was stuffed into the Abyssal Jar, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Notification: You have killed Administrator Zakawa.]
[You have obtained 2.17% World Source (this is the Main Painting World World Source). Due to the Demon Clan Wude's participation in the killing process, this reward has been reduced.]
[You have obtained a Holy Spirit Chest (81%). Due to the Demon Clan Wude's participation in the killing process, this reward has been reduced.]
[Notification: You have successfully obtained the World Source of the Main Painting World.]
[Notification: After the Hunter completes this Scroll Competition, the world settlement will proceed normally. As this is an unsummoned competition, regarding the increase in Brand Level during this world settlement, the Hunter may choose from the following options.]
[1. Increase Brand Level by double (e.g., if the original increase was Lv.2, the actual increase will be Lv.4).]
[2. Consume the Brand Level that should have been increased this time to obtain one random draw opportunity (many items can be drawn, quality ranging from White to ???).]