Chapter 14: The Second Game
In the blink of an eye, over twenty more hours had passed. With Sha's translation, Su Xiao understood everything in the notebook, and during this time, he had been familiarizing himself with the Instinct ability.
After more than twenty hours of exploration, combined with Sha's notes, he had become somewhat acquainted with Instinct, at least enough to use it in combat without issue.
Su Xiao still had four Soul Crystals (Medium) and one Soul Crystal (Small). If he wanted, he could also learn [Combat Mastery (Passive)] from Sha.
Su Xiao had no such intention. Biting off more than one could chew was unwise. The Instinct ability alone would take him a long time to digest. He wouldn't master two skills in quick succession; every time he learned a new skill, he first raised his previously acquired skills to a certain level.
Having many skills didn't equate to strong combat power. The abilities that could be flexibly used in battle were the truly practical ones.
"Ready to leave?"
Sha seemed to read Su Xiao's thoughts.
"Yeah."
"Wait."
Sha stood up, walked over to Su Xiao, and leaned her head close to him. As a tomboyish woman, Sha naturally had no body fragrance; Su Xiao only caught a whiff of sweat.
"The scent of a demon."
The corners of Sha's mouth curled up.
"Here's some advice: be careful of the Wolf Butler. A demon servant might be able to help you. You carry demonic power within you. To a demon servant, you and it are of the same origin."
Sha's face was almost pressed against Su Xiao's.
"Too close!"
"..."
Sha didn't speak, just wore a broad smile. After a moment, she turned and walked away.
Su Xiao pushed open the wooden door. There was no need to stay here any longer; otherwise, who knew how many more Soul Crystals Sha would swindle out of him.
As soon as Su Xiao left the room, Sha clenched her fists, a red glow flickering in her pale pupils.
"If I'm not mistaken about the aura, he's an inheritor of those madmen. There's also demonic power on his skin... This is an opportunity for freedom. Alice, it seems you're afraid of that being, to actually let an inheritor of those madmen into the castle. Have you forgotten who almost hanged you from the Void Platform?"
Sha untied the hemp rope from her black hair, letting it cascade down.
"As long as I escape to that being's territory, I'll be free. For freedom, anything is worth sacrificing."
...
On the first floor of the Demon Castle, in the spacious open area.
Su Xiao leaned against a stone pillar, having already activated Instinct. Every rustle of wind or movement around him couldn't escape his perception.
"Bubu, what are you spacing out for?"
Su Xiao looked at Bubu Wang. The dog had been acting off since earlier, often staring blankly into space.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, shook his head, and trotted over to Su Xiao, who couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Woof woof."
Bubu Wang clenched his dog paw into a fist and swung it forward a few times.
"Did you learn some skill from Sha?"
After understanding Bubu Wang's meaning, Su Xiao was quite surprised. He checked Bubu Wang's information.
Bubuteni (Follower · Space-Rending Evil Dog)
Health Points: 100%
Mana Points: 270
Strength: 26
Agility: 32
Stamina: 30
Intelligence: 27
Charm: 53
Skill 1: Full Speed Charge (Active Lv.10)
Skill 2: Snow Goddess's Gift (Aura Lv.1)
Skill 3: Loyal Bodyguard (Active Lv.1)
Skill 4: Advanced Creature (X)
Skill 5: Utter Devotion (X)
Skill 6: You Can't See Me (Passive, Self-Learned Skill) — Bubuteni can hide in any terrain. Current hidden variations: 864 (increased by 186).
Skill 7: Canine Secret Peeking (Passive, Self-Learned Skill) — When visually targeting an enemy from over 30 meters away, reduces the chance of being detected by 80%. If the enemy senses Bubuteni's gaze, Bubuteni will quickly enter the 'You Can't See Me (Passive)' state.
Skill 8: Scent Tracking (Passive Lv.3) — Can lock onto a known aura for tracking. Maximum tracking range: 5 kilometers. If the enemy's trail is not found within three hours of locking the aura, or if the distance from the enemy exceeds five kilometers, the trail will be lost.
...
Bubu Wang had gained a new skill: tracking an enemy's aura. Although Bubu Wang could originally track an enemy's scent, most Contractors could easily mask their scent.
Tracking an aura was different. Auras were not easy to conceal, unless one had a skill to control their aura like Su Xiao.
"Sha taught you?"
"Woof."
"..."
Su Xiao was speechless. He had paid many Soul Crystals to learn skills from Sha, while Bubu Wang, that rascal, had only sacrificed some snack reserves. Why was there such a difference between man and dog?
"Lucky bastard."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang wagged his tail, his expression clearly saying: "You have to pay Soul Crystals to learn skills? Master, you must be doing it wrong."
Leaving aside Bubu Wang's dumb luck, when Su Xiao checked Bubu Wang's attributes, he felt they were somewhat low.
Raising Bubu Wang's attributes wasn't simple; it required letting him devour the flesh and blood of higher lifeforms. Higher lifeforms were hard to find, and powerful creatures weren't necessarily higher lifeforms. It seemed that from now on, after killing any bizarre enemies, he would have to let Bubu Wang have a taste.
Sensing Su Xiao's gaze, Bubu Wang shuddered.
After wandering around the various wooden doors a few times, Su Xiao lost interest in the plot characters behind them. He couldn't negotiate with the relatively gentle ones, and the ones he could negotiate with were all dangerous. Moreover, after his dealings with Sha, these plot characters had become cold and distant, for reasons unknown.
After a few rounds, Su Xiao walked into the game room from before.
The game room was empty. The equipment in the wooden compartments on the walls was all locked, the kind you could only look at but not take.
Sitting back in a chair, Su Xiao began to rest. The second game would start soon. During these three days of rewards, he had mostly spent his time in Sha's room without any rest.
Just as Su Xiao was dozing off, the game room door was pushed open. Su Xiao's eyes snapped open.
"Someone's already here."
The detective loli walked into the room. She was covered in dust and grime, apparently having dealt with some plot character.
The detective loli found a chair far from Su Xiao and sat down. She didn't dare close her eyes, just leaned back to rest.
Su Xiao continued his nap. With Instinct active, if she attacked him, he would react immediately.
People gradually entered the game room. The other Contractors had all gained various benefits over the past three days, just as Su Xiao had guessed. This was indeed the reward after the first game.
When Su Xiao's fatigue from learning Instinct had somewhat subsided, the game room door opened again. This time, it was the Wolf Butler.
The Wolf Butler walked into the room. The Three Brothers of National Football and the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man all stood up, indicating they had dealt with the Wolf Butler. The Catwoman and the detective loli didn't move, while Skinny Fat nodded to the Wolf Butler, having also interacted with him.
"Dear players, three days have passed. It's time to begin the next game."
The Wolf Butler's attire was as immaculate as ever. He turned and walked out of the room. The other Contractors exchanged glances and followed him.
"Here we go again. I hope this time passes safely. Amitabha, Jesus bless me."
The detective loli was very nervous. The thrill of the first game was still fresh in her mind. The gloomy man, who wasn't weak, had died without a trace, leaving only the words, "My fate is mine to command, not heaven's."