Chapter 2: Breaking Free
All nine were bound to iron pillars. If they were ordinary people, they would first cry for help, then try to break the iron chains. But none of these nine were ordinary—they were contractors who had survived life-and-death situations, with a hunter mixed among them.
There was no hunting mission this time, so Su Xiao’s identity as a hunter wouldn’t be exposed. However, that didn’t mean he would cooperate with other contractors. To be precise, aside from members of the same adventure group, everyone else remained wary of each other. After all, the rules of Demon Castle were still unclear, and the content of the game was unknown.
From the literal meaning, the game had already begun, but Su Xiao had no idea what would come next. Was he just supposed to stay tied up like this?
“Everyone, let me introduce myself. My name is Walsh. From my personal perspective, I don’t want to be hostile to any of you.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man spoke.
“…”
Silence.
The gold-rimmed glasses man wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, he smiled as he looked at the others.
“Given the current situation, we’d better break these chains. Personally, I’m not strong in combat—I specialize in support. This game is likely every man for himself, so I need to be proactive. For a support-type, passing a trial for the strong alone is unlikely. Anyone need support?”
The gold-rimmed glasses man began trying to recruit others. If he really was a support-type, there was nothing wrong with that.
“I need it. Let’s cooperate.”
The little girl dressed like a detective spoke.
“Oh? Little sister, what’s your combat type? No need to be too specific—melee or ranged?”
The gold-rimmed glasses man’s voice was gentle, slightly hoarse, and with the small beard on his chin, he had a certain masculine charm.
“Actually… I’m a support-type too.”
The detective loli in a peaked cap flashed a grin, looking a bit mischievous.
“Cough, then let’s stick together through thick and thin.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man didn’t change his attitude upon learning the detective loli was also support. Instead, he showed a sense of camaraderie between supports.
“I’m in. Give me a buff.”
The gloomy man spoke.
“Brother, you look pretty grim—definitely not someone easy to get along with. It might be rude to say this, but I’m rejecting your application.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man smiled at the gloomy man.
“Yeah, we’re not playing with you. You’re too ugly. My mom won’t let me hang out with you.”
The detective loli also refused, making the gloomy man’s face even darker.
“You two over there, I’m a support-type too. How about letting me join?”
The catwoman near Su Xiao spoke, her voice slightly seductive.
“Of course, no problem.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man was practically “accepting everyone.”
“We three brothers are also supports.”
The leader of the National Football Team started joining in.
“Great, with the National Football brothers on board, we’re like a tiger with wings.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man had heard of the National Football Team and recognized them immediately. The small group’s numbers surged, reaching six. Those left out were the rejected gloomy man, the starving fat man rolling his eyes, and Su Xiao.
“Nine people, six are supports. If I’m not a support, I’d be out of place. This isn’t a trial for the strong—it’s a trial for supports. Glasses, I’m a support too. Count me in.”
The fat man spoke, swallowing his saliva. It was unclear whether he hadn’t eaten for a long time or if his ability kept him perpetually hungry. If it was the latter, this fat man was lucky—he could enjoy dozens or even hundreds of times more food than normal people.
“Brother Pi Pang, you’re too kind. I’ve heard of your reputation. I’ve played a few of the games you’ve designed. The experience was great, though the difficulty was too high. Overall, those games are very suitable for contractors—they train certain abilities while relieving stress.”
The gold-rimmed glasses man recognized the fat man. In fact, the fat man was already famous.
“Not bad, just earning some extra cash.”
Pi Pang was very humble, but in reality, the Paradise Coins he earned from designing games were no small amount.
The situation in the room subtly shifted. Except for Su Xiao and the gloomy man, everyone else had joined the small group.
“This brother, I can see you have an extraordinary aura. Won’t you join us?”
The gold-rimmed glasses man started recruiting Su Xiao. This seemed like recruitment, but it was actually targeting someone—the gloomy man.
The gold-rimmed glasses man appeared to need others’ support, but that wasn’t the case. Everything about the Demon Castle game was unknown, requiring someone to “test the waters.” Clearly, the gloomy man was chosen as the “unlucky tester.” Among the nine in the room, seven had already tacitly agreed.
The gold-rimmed glasses man seemed gentle, but he was actually the most aggressive and skilled at self-preservation, immediately claiming to be a support-type.
“Indeed, extraordinary aura. My hair’s standing on end.”
The catwoman near Su Xiao spoke.
“What the hell is that…”
Pi Pang stared ahead, his eyes twitching.
“Hey hey hey, this is no joke.”
The detective loli also looked ahead, struggling with all her might to break the chains.
At that moment, in front of the nine, a dozen metal blades spanning the room slowly sliced toward them. The blades moved slowly, very thin, and the cold light reflecting off them made everyone’s hair stand on end. If hit by these things, even 80 points of Stamina attribute wouldn’t hold up.
[Space binding has been removed. The hunter may use any method to break the snake chains.]
A prompt appeared. Su Xiao felt a certain binding sensation disappear. The reason he had stopped struggling earlier was precisely this space binding. The others were the same—the chains might be breakable, but the space binding was impossible to escape.
Now that the binding was gone and a dozen blades were slowly closing in, everyone began using their own methods to break free.
“Fat Surge.”
The fat on Pi Pang’s body flowed like water. Despite his obese appearance, he was a flexible fat man.
With a clatter, the chains fell. Pi Pang easily broke free, took out a bag of beef jerky, and started chewing slowly.
“Meow?”
The catwoman called out, suddenly turning into a calico cat and smoothly escaping the chains.
“Third Brother, it’s your turn.”
The leader of the National Football Team roared.
“Got it.”
Third Brother took a deep breath, his leg muscles tensing as he crouched slightly.
“Here we go!”
Boom!
An explosion rang out. Third Brother leaped upward with all his strength, shooting straight up like a rising national flag.
With a thud, Third Brother’s crown hit the ceiling, but he didn’t care. He slid back down, landed, and jumped again like a rubber ball. Bound to the iron pillar, he bounced up and down, the repeated friction loosening the chains slightly. Third Brother seized the opportunity to break free. Say what you will, but Third Brother’s head was truly iron.
After breaking free, Third Brother immediately ran to Second Brother, took a TNT bomb from his storage space, and stuck it next to him. Second Brother panicked.
“Wait, wait… hold on!”
Boom!
Flames surged, and the shockwave spread. Third Brother quickly healed Second Brother. Amid the smoke, Second Brother’s hairstyle was a mess, with green smoke rising from his head. The chains binding him weren’t blown apart, but they were noticeably looser. These chains were less like objects and more like living creatures. Second Brother “successfully” broke free.
Seeing this, the leader of the National Football Team shuddered.
“Third Brother, listen to me. Aiya, don’t put that on me…”
Boom!
A few seconds later, the leader and Second Brother, moving like they were on a “moonwalk,” ran to the back of the room, followed by a bruised and battered Third Brother. Third Brother felt wronged, but he didn’t say a word.
Witnessing this, Bubu Wang seemed to discover a new world. His big, watery eyes looked at Su Xiao, as if to say, “Master, need help? Bubu knows healing skills too.”
Su Xiao certainly wouldn’t use such an unorthodox method as the National Football Team. He took out the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash, pressed his thumb against the guard, and drew the blade slightly.
Clang!
Blade aura shot out. The chains were cut into several sections, writhing on the ground like snakes.
An energy shield dissipated in front of Su Xiao. He walked toward the back of the room, away from the slowly approaching sharp blades.