Chapter 359: Ten Years Of Life

Left with no other choice, the group made the unanimous decision to advance.

At present, they were in a dimly illuminated narrow tunnel that led to an unknown destination. A hushed tension hung in the air as everyone mentally prepared themselves for any unforeseen circumstances. For a while, only the echoes of their cautious footsteps, racing heartbeats, and the faint whisper of moving air filled the space.

Shen Nianzu counted the time silently inside his heart. Twenty seconds... sixty... one hundred twenty...

By the two-and-a-half-minute mark, he began to sense a vivid change in his body. His limbs extended, and his perspective suddenly grew higher. With a gasp, he raised his hands and witnessed a rapid transformation happening before his eyes. The small hands of a teenager continued to grow until they became the hands he was intimately familiar with.

The aging process did not happen only to him, but the players around him as well. Gu Luoxin let out a startled cry when he suddenly gained two additional inches in height, and his youthful features became sharper and more mature.

"Wha..." he examined himself with utter bewilderment. "What the hell?!"

"Chirp!" Still clinging to his leg, Toki raised his head to admire Gu Luoxin’s new appearance, his sapphire blue eyes shining like sunlight-kissed jewels.

"It’s rule number two," Ying, now a mature woman in her thirties exuding a charismatic aura, stated somberly. "We have exceeded the number of attractions allowed by the labyrinth. Now we’re paying the price with ten years of our lives."

The teenager Noir had also transformed into a tall and dashing man that resembled his true self, albeit a few years older.

However, the most rapid change occurred to the two players who were still unconscious: Buzz Cut and Qiuqiu. Scrunching his brows, Noir pressed his fingers to Buzz Cut’s neck and declared in a low voice, "Dead."

Earlier, Buzz Cut had aged a few decades as a consequence of attacking Momoko in the labyrinth’s core, and his lifespan was finally not enough to pay for this attraction he had to go through. At his last moments, he looked like an old grandpa with wrinkles on his face and a head full of gray hair, a far cry from his original flamboyant and vigorous appearance.

Meanwhile, Qiuqiu’s vitality was already running low to begin with because of Medeia. And now her form instantly withered like an old tree bark sucked dry of its moisture. A pained gasp escaped her lips as she convulsed, and she looked like she was going to die at any moment.

"The healing prop!" Shen Nianzu barked out in a hurry. "Use it on her!"

Gu Luoxin needed not to be told twice. He immediately sprang into action and put the wreath, necklace and bracelet on Qiuqiu. Everyone watched with bated breath as a gentle blue radiance enveloped her entire body, and her convulsion quickly ceased. The line between her brows smoothed out, and her skin regained its fair and supple texture. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, still dazed and disoriented.

"I..."

Her eyes scanned the surroundings at a sluggish pace, before eventually landing on the players. It took her a while to fully register her condition, and then she propped herself up and patted herself in disbelief, murmuring, "I–I am still alive...?"

As Shen Nianzu, Ying and Noir were included in the ’cold and taciturn’ category, the task of explaining their current situation could only fall on Gu Luoxin’s head.

When he finished, Qiuqiu immediately burst out into tears and offered a deep bow of gratitude to all of them, "Thank you... thank you for not leaving me behind! Thank you so much for saving me!"

How many people would be willing to carry around a useless barrage who could only inconvenience them? Were it not Shen Nianzu and others, perhaps Qiuqiu would have died from early on, just like how Buzz Cut had earlier proposed to kill her in order to sever her connection with Medeia. She was truly fortunate to be stuck in this Cycle with players who still treated others like ’human beings’ instead of chess pieces who could be carelessly tossed aside once they were deemed useless. It was for this reason that she could still remain alive until now.

"Ahaha, it’s okay, it’s okay..." Gu Luoxin hurried to say, his smile awkward. "We’re all fellow humans here, so it’s only right for us to help each other."

Upon hearing his words, Noir let out a quiet scoff, while Ying quietly muttered under her breath, "If only everyone could think so..."

Unfortunately, in the Nightmare Cycle, most of the players were only concerned with their own safety and they were willing to do anything to survive, even if it meant harming others. The prime example of it was how the bespectacled player was cruel enough to sacrifice Brother Zhang to grant himself entry, despite Brother Zhang’s sincere attempts to help him.

The line between moral and evil was getting more and more blurry, and eventually everyone would be able to commit crime with ease, as long as they had the ’if I don’t do this, I won’t survive’ mentality.

At the end of the day, were humans scarier, or were the nightmare creatures?

Soon after Qiuqiu regained her bearings, the group continued their journey, this time one member short. From the original nineteen, only five remained – Shen Nianzu, Gu Luoxin, Noir, Ying, and Qiuqiu – plus their tour guide, Toki.

As they walked, Qiuqiu couldn’t help but apologize profusely, "I’m sorry... I’m very sorry! I had no idea what was happening either. I was planning to summon a nightmare creature from a mid-level Cycle I’ve been through previously, but..." her face paled in fright as she recalled the excruciating agony of her life force being sucked out of her bit by bit, while she was helpless to do anything to stop it.

"This has never happened before?" Shen Nianzu asked to confirm.

"No, no!" Qiuqiu quickly shook her head. "I can swear on my life!"

Shen Nianzu nodded with a thoughtful hum, "Then you don’t need to apologize. That witch held a grudge against me, and she would do anything to descend into this Cycle to kill me. You happened to be the most convenient means available for her."

"Look!" Gu Luoxin exclaimed with excitement as he pointed ahead, drawing everyone’s attention. "I can see the exit!"

The end of the tunnel was right in front of them, and everyone couldn’t help but quicken their pace in eagerness. They burst out of the narrow passage into a spacious and open circular space, and the extremely familiar scenery froze them right in their tracks.

"T–This..." Qiuqiu rubbed her eyes in shock and astonishment.

"Impossible..." Ying surveyed the area, her eyes filled with utter disbelief. "How are we back to the labyrinth’s core?!"

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A/N: Hii guys, it’s so good to see you again this month! QAQ I’m very sorry to keep you waiting. Like I have promised, I will publish all the Chapters until the end of this Cycle, but because it’s a lot more than my expectation (16 chs) *cough* I will divide it into two days, as I’m not done editing all of them yet.

Thank you so much Cats_895, Victoria_Innocenti, hyunxminn and others for giving 200+GTs for WBNC in October! Please continue to support the book this month as well *puppy eyes*

Now please enjoy this mass release~

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