No Explanation

The cloak was still floating in the air.

After this series of unexpected events, it finally reacted, gathering clouds of black mist beneath its hood.

The black mist gradually condensed into a long mouthpart. The Demon lunged at Zhu Yan, its furious roars shaking his brain.

"Liar!! Liar!! You are a player—!"

That mouthpart aimed at him with extreme speed, and Zhu Yan felt the world spin.

"Enough, you idiot!" he shouted, his face pale, while simultaneously activating the ability Humiliation.

Humiliation was only at level three, but activating it was at least a psychological comfort.

The power of Complaint caused the Demon to freeze for a second.

Zhu Yan seized the opportunity and lunged forward, feeling the mist-like mouthpart penetrate his body in a bizarre manner, churning his stomach with intense pain.

And that hood was aimed right at Zhu Yan's heart.

Using all his strength, he plunged the short dagger into the back of the hood, feeling his life force rapidly draining away as everything in his vision blurred.

Sshk.

The flickering candlelight at the very edge of his vision illuminated the Demon's rapidly shriveling body.

The cloak collapsed like a deflating swimming ring, and the sharp, twisting pain in Zhu Yan's stomach vanished instantly.

A few seconds later, he tentatively began to take deep breaths, realizing that he had unknowingly been drenched in cold sweat.

Guan En was supporting him, reaching out to check his pulse.

"I thought you weren't coming," Guan En's voice trembled. "Hang in there. I'll take you to the hospital once the instance ends."

Zhu Yan pushed him away.

"No need. There's still a loose end to tie up," he said, suppressing the urge to vomit on the carpet as he crawled toward the disgusting-looking black cat.

Both the Witch and the Demon had already "died" under the promise of not collecting a reward.

Guan En's task was to "pay it the corresponding reward."

If "it" solely referred to the Demon, then with the two of them having reached this point, the instance should have ended long ago.

But Guan En said "once the instance ends," meaning he hadn't heard the completion prompt yet; the instance was still ongoing.

Then, it could only mean that Zhu Yan's previous guess was correct.

The black cat also counted as "it."

The fact that it attacked Guan En when Zhu Yan attacked the Witch was enough to show that it probably wasn't bound by the "no reward" agreement between Zhu Yan and the Witch, believing it was entitled to its own separate compensation.

And this was exactly why the instance hadn't ended!

Zhu Yan sneered coldly, pressing the short dagger straight against the black cat's neck.

"I know you can understand human speech," he said coldly. "You can choose your reward. Do you want a human leg, or an arm?"

It only said reward, but didn't specify what the reward was or who got to decide.

The law of the jungle prevailed; right now, Zhu Yan called the shots.

As long as the black cat also agreed, the reward issue would be settled.

"Choose one of the two, or I'll kill you."

The black cat howled mournfully.

Zhu Yan pinched the back of its neck.

"If you want a human leg, meow twice. If you want an arm, meow once."

The black cat was terrified.

Its scarlet eyes stared at Zhu Yan, and it let out two quick, short meows.

"Very good," Zhu Yan said. "No changing your mind. If you dare to change it, I'll kill you."

He entered the online store, bought a human leg, and threw it in front of the black cat.

As he did this, an unexpected female voice rang clearly in his ears.

"Congratulations, Account Deleted."

Zhu Yan was startled once again.

He had indeed changed this name himself, but every broadcast sounded as melodious as a death knell.

"Even though you did not enter the instance, you used a clever method to help your friend overcome a crisis, indirectly obtaining the item Plague Potion."

Zhu Yan turned his head to glance at Guan En. The other man was slightly stunned, a trace of relief at having survived a disaster appearing on his face.

Obviously, he had heard the broadcast too!

Guan En unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, poured it into a kettle, then walked over and handed Zhu Yan a milk candy and a bottle of Plague Potion with a long straw inserted into it.

"Replenish some energy," he explained, sitting down on the carpet beside Zhu Yan. "Thanks for this time."

Zhu Yan put the candy into his mouth; the sweetness made him feel much better.

The female voice broadcasted briskly.

"Additionally, you have gained the acknowledgment and admiration of the black cat."

Ah?

What?

Zhu Yan turned his head to look and found that the extremely ugly cat had not disappeared.

It was awkwardly and strenuously tearing at the human leg, its scarlet eyes with dilated pupils staring eagerly at him.

Zhu Yan gagged, almost throwing up the candy he had just swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Guan En asked with concern, looking Zhu Yan up and down.

"Do you have a history of gastritis?"

"I'm fine, thanks for caring," Zhu Yan said dryly.

He was just someone who cared a lot about appearances; this cat was truly so ugly that he couldn't stand it.

"Player, do not disdain the cat's appearance." The female voice seemed able to see through Zhu Yan's thoughts. "Unlike cats in the human world, a Witch's cat will often adjust its own appearance based on the true aesthetic style of its master."

...Ah?

Zhu Yan subconsciously looked at the Witch shattered into pieces on the floor.

He crawled over, found the facial fragments near the golden hair fragments, and pieced them together.

"What's wrong?" Guan En asked.

He obviously hadn't fully recovered yet, looking as if he wanted to say something but was holding back a lot of words.

But Guan En tactfully didn't ask, simply helping Zhu Yan piece the Witch's face together.

Although the colors were still vivid, unlike the exquisite features of the Witch when she was alive, this face had a massive aquiline nose in an irregular triangular shape, and none of its facial features were symmetrical, looking as if they had been punched crooked.

"In ten minutes, I will announce the instance's impact and your rewards."

The female voice crisply finished its last sentence.

"Now, please take the cat, the cat's food, and the Demon's cloak, and leave the room. We will send you back to the real world."

Zhu Yan looked at the cat frozen on the ground, taking big bites of meat, and really wanted to ask if its dietary habits could be adjusted.

Even though it gave him the creeps, Zhu Yan stood up, bent down to pick up the grayish-black cloak of unknown material, and disdainfully grabbed the cat by the back of its neck, pulling it up.

"What are you doing?" Guan En was startled.

Zhu Yan smiled at him.

"I'm leaving," he lied. "This is the task Carnival Paradise gave me."

"Hey, wait—"

Zhu Yan ignored him.

He pulled open the room door and heard Guan En speaking rapidly behind him.

"Why did you lie to me? Why did you know you had to turn into this appearance? Why did you know it could intimidate the other things?"

"Why did you know to wait for those things in the hallway?"

Zhu Yan paused for a moment.

The hallway was a genuine coincidence.

As for the other questions, he didn't really want to answer them because there was no need to.

Answering them would simply be exposing his own pitiful little secrets.

It was just a one-time cooperation.

In reality, Guan En stood on the opposing side from him, after all.

He turned his head and saw Guan En standing in the middle of the room with a pale face, his expression carrying confusion and doubt.

"And another thing," Guan En said, staring at the black cat in Zhu Yan's hands. "Why are you taking this creepy creature with you? What kind of task did [Carnival Paradise] give you—hey!!"

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Tucking the stiff black cat under his arm and gathering his cloak, Zhu Yan felt a sudden flash before his eyes.

A split second later, the long, plush-carpeted corridor morphed into a pitch-black emergency stairwell. A fluorescent green exit sign flickered intermittently in the dark.

"Player, you have returned to the real world."

"Please remain focused and wait patiently for the broadcast."