The Trial Game of Life – Chapter 160

Table of Contents | Character Guide

Chapter 160: Sword of Judgment (7)

Yan Ye actually said it wrongly, and she didn’t fully understand it either. Ten years ago, what Lin Yandong had to do wasn’t to make a choice. That dungeon was called ​​— [Letting Go].

At that time, the friction between him and Xiao Tong had accumulated over time, and they occasionally broke out, but they hadn’t yet reached the point of destroying each other. They were still old acquaintances who knew each other like the back of their hand and were each other’s trustworthy teammate. At least this wouldn’t change.

In order to ease the relationship, they reduced the time they spent fighting dungeons together. For three months, they parted ways. Just about the time Yong Ye City was having a celebration, they entered a large dungeon together.

It was an unprecedentedly large dungeon, with a thousand players drawn into it. But the content of this dungeon was very simple. It was just mountain climbing.

All players appeared at the foot of a mountain and had to climb to the peak carrying the baggage issued by the system. If they made it to the top, they would clear the game. All of the baggage was produced by the system and carried the same style. It could accommodate everything. If the player needed an item and was able to fit it into the baggage, that item could be found in the warehouse that the system provided, be it a piece of clothing, a book, a bottle of water or even a scooter. And everything had a definite weight, including their emotions, their social relationships, and their soul.

The baggage was actually the burden that everyone carried in life.

Whatever you picked up and gave up on the journey of life would eventually be reflected in this baggage. Some people chose to travel lightly, but when they faced danger, they couldn’t resist it and died.

Some people wanted to take everything with them and eventually crushed themselves to death.

Back in those years, ‘letting go’ was still a new concept in this world. When Lin Yandong looked at those two words, he felt like he was reading Buddhist teachings. But he didn’t think much about it at that time, and neither did he expect that this dungeon would change his life.

What was the lightest thing in a person’s baggage?

The answer was his soul. The human soul weighed only 21 grams. It was light and didn’t take up much space. It was the one thing that was easiest to ignore and to lose.

Lin Yandong picked up a lot of things and lost a lot of things. He didn’t care about gains and losses, but there was no way to not face the pain of losing something. When he saw Xiao Tong again in Zone G, his heart did tremble.

But the facts proved that he couldn’t go back to the past, and Xiao Tong would never look back either.

He could only keep walking.

“You let him go, and I’ll give you my arm.” At this moment, Lin Yandong looked at Yan Ye and made his choice.

Yan Ye found this answer both expected and unexpected. She remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a chuckle and said: “If people remain hypocritical for a lifetime, they can deceive themselves forever. That isn’t bad either.”

How could Miao Qi agree to this? This was the Mister he respected the most. He was supposed to protect Mister, so how could he let Mister lose an arm because of him? What was even worse was that Mister had to cut it off himself.

He struggled, exerting force from every part of his body, to the point that the veins in his neck started popping out. But the more he struggled, the tighter the rope became, and it even rubbed into his flesh because he used too much force. His blood dripped down, leaving behind a lingering pain. It seemed that some sort of poison had been applied to the rope and caused Miao Qi to lose consciousness slowly.

“Argh!” He still wanted to protest. If stares could kill, he must’ve killed Yan Ye ten thousand times.

“Hurry up and do it.” Yan Ye looked at him with eyes full of sympathy. She turned around and looked at Lin Yandong with a half-smile: “I gave Miao Qi a potion with a designated effect. Only when the potion takes effect that he would kill himself without any further hints from me. The system wouldn’t be able to determine it as murder.”

Hearing this, Miao Qi clenched his teeth, almost wanting to devour her. But his consciousness had been torn. In his blurry vision, he only saw blood splattering and a severed arm falling to the ground.

A string of prayer beads fell apart. A round bead rolled over the floor and gently touched his cheek.

The bead was dripping with blood, carrying with it a faint smell of rust.

“As you wish.” Lin Yandong cut off his arm and applied the chemical to stop the severed part from regenerating, exactly as Yan Ye had requested. However, his face showed no sign of pain, only a little pale.

Yan Ye was very happy. She injected Miao Qi with a needle to release him from the poison.

Lin Yandong didn’t expect her to be so straightforward, and he definitely also didn’t expect that Yan Ye would point the blade directly at his neck. There was relief and calmness in her eyes.

“I know that I can’t kill you, and I also know that my hatred seems ridiculous. But people like you, who are so high above me, can never understand the pain of always having to hide in the dark like me. Each of you is always calculating, always coming up with some shocking plans. Isn’t it laughable that a person like me ends up so miserable because of greed? But I’m just an ordinary person, and I shouldn’t have gotten involved in your affairs. I just happen to have the ‘Divination’ skill. I just want to survive in Yong Ye City and live a decent life…”

I’m really very tired.

Living was tiring, and hating was also tiring. Maybe hating Lin Yandong was just a way of venting her anger, and she had to find a way to live on. But even with all that hard work, everything was in vain.

Lin Yandong said nothing. After so many years, he no longer tried to convince people to look back.

After saying so much, Yan Ye’s back seemed to stoop a little lower, and the hand holding the blade became full of withered lines. She reluctantly stood up, her tone firm: “That’s it.”

It was a last-ditch effort anyway. There was nothing left to regret.

As she finished speaking, the words were wiped directly from her neck, simply and neatly.

Her body fell heavily and soon turned into a flash of light, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground, which quietly became proof that a person had stood here.

Miao Qi, who had regained his consciousness, looked at the pool of blood in disbelief. It took him a long time to come back to his senses and cursed “crazy woman” in his heart.

Lin Yandong went over to untie him, but because he only had one hand left and was not used to it yet, his movements were a bit clumsy. Miao Qi’s eyes turned red and he lowered his head. Although he was able to talk now, he couldn’t say a word. Even his hair turned into a state of frustration.

Suddenly, a warm hand patted his head. Lin Yandong comforted him: “It’s okay.”

Miao Qi: “Mister…”

Lin Yandong: “Don’t you always say that you want to be my right-hand man? It’s you who will protect me from now on.”

Miao Qi finally lifted his head to see Lin Yandong’s smiling face. His heart seemed to be filled with something warm, so much so that he couldn’t say anything in response. But he still didn’t have the guts to look at Mister’s missing left arm.

Yan Ye was dead. He couldn’t even get revenge even if he wanted to.

How could she die so simply?

Miao Qi didn’t understand, and Lin Yandong also knew that he wouldn’t figure it out so soon and didn’t want to force him. Lin Yandong simply said: “Let’s head back first. We can talk things out later.”

The two left immediately. As they walked out of the warehouse’s gate, Lin Yandong glanced at a hidden corner, but he didn’t stop.

After their figures finally disappeared, Rong Yi stepped out of the corner with a complicated expression. Lin Yandong severed his arm for Miao Qi; this was something he didn’t expect.

Miao Qi seemed to be an outsider from beginning to end. He knew nothing about Scarlet. Either Lin Yandong protected him too well, or he deliberately kept everything in the dark.

At first, Rong Yi was inclined towards the latter. Miao Qi was the person closest to Lin Yandong. His behaviour after Lin Yandong got sent to jail could directly affect other people’s judgment of this matter. He acted all innocent, which could lessen everyone’s suspicion of Lin Yandong.

But this couldn’t guarantee Miao Qi’s safety. His behaviour didn’t seem to be fake. If he didn’t know the ins and outs of Scarlet’s incident, it would be very dangerous for him to be out there alone. Under such circumstances, he looked more like Lin Yandong’s chess piece.

But now Lin Yandong had cut off his arm for him, Rong Yi started to second-guess himself. Perhaps Lin Yandong really just sensed an imminent danger, so he told Miao Qi to go find Jin Cheng if something happened.

Scarlet’s escape from jail had nothing to do with him.

And this time, the familiar aura Rong Yi felt from him was almost gone. Rong Yi was also a little stumped about what to do next.

Holding onto this confusion, Rong Yi returned to his residence in Zone E.

Along the way, he still thought about Lin Yandong. Since Yan Ye was dead, Lin Yandong must’ve figured out that the 2nd Movement wasn’t with her, and that her lie had been exposed. In that case, Lin Yandong might soon suspect him. If Lin Yandong still wanted the 2nd Movement, he might soon turn up at Rong Yi’s door.

Just at this juncture, Rong Yi found a letter from the post office at his home. Opening the envelope, his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the contents —

Client: Zheng Yingying

Fortune teller: Yan Ye

Divination result: 3rd Movement, dungeon [‘Everyone Is A Star’ Movement]

Rong Yi clutched the letter and stared at the word ‘Yan Ye’ signed on it, feeling a huge wave crashing his heart. Both K and he knew that Zheng Yingying was one of the Fortune Teller’s clients, but they didn’t know the contents of the divination.

This letter was probably sent by Yan Ye before she perished, her very last note on this world. Although she couldn’t get the 2nd Movement, she would cause a huge storm in Yong Ye City just with this letter.

Seemingly without a hint of hesitation, Rong Yi went out to find Leng Miao. Leng Miao had spent the past few days looking for traces of Zheng Yingying, but found nothing. The two finally met after about an hour.

“Someone saw her and Jiang He entering the mission wall.” This was the clue Leng Miao finally got.

“That’s bad.” Rong Yi frowned.

The 3rd Movement would be discovered soon, and it could very well fall into Zheng Yingying’s hands. That little girl with the [Nameless Blade] might carry evil intent.

A storm was rising again in Yong Ye City, but Tang Cuo inside the dungeon had no time to care about it.

Louis XIV was very strong, remarkably and exceptionally strong. On the night of the fifth day, Tang Cuo finally had a serious fight with Louis XIV, but he was on the losing side almost the whole time and could rarely inflict harm on the opponent.

The only good thing was that he could finally hear the words Louis XIV said that day.

“Turns out it’s his blessing. Even he doesn’t stand on the same side as me.” When Louis XIV said this, his tone was very low and even a tad self-deprecating, almost like he was mumbling to himself.

Tang Cuo understood the meaning of this sentence almost instantly.

Blessing. The [Sword of Judgment] had the blessing of the Elf King Aimee. Ammo, the unicorn in [Forest of The Elves], once said that Louis XIV often went to the Secret Lake to stay when he was young, and Aimee and he were good friends.

Without a doubt, Louis XIV was angry and heartbroken when he realised that he had been betrayed by his friend. If the Heavens wanted him to die, he would go mad first. This king had clearly turned into a madman because he had reached the point where everyone betrayed him.

But his madness was more than just madness. As such, he had the nerve to curse God and command his men to destroy the Forest of The Elves.

When Tang Cuo heard this command coming out of his mouth, his heart was completely still. For him, this was an opportunity. Louis XIV was so bothered by his friend’s betrayal that his usual composure was total chaos now, which exposed a narrow opening for Tang Cuo to enter.

The opportunity only came in the blink of an eye, and Tang Cuo briskly pounced over. Calling for the Holy Light of Judgment with all his strength, he slashed towards that opening.

Louis XIV finally couldn’t dodge the Holy Light of Judgment that was beaming ever so brightly, and the armour on his body failed to help him block the blow. Tang Cuo managed to thrust the sword into his chest but missed the mark.

The tip of the sword was caught in between his ribs, and Tang Cuo was just a beat too slow in pulling back the sword. This delay ruined the situation entirely. Louis XIV raised his hand and grabbed the [Sword of Judgment], letting the blade cut his palm. Without even a hint of a frown, he immediately swung the sword towards Tang Cuo with his other hand.

With the distance of only one body between them, Tang Cuo caught his eyes. Louis XIV’s madness was suppressed under those icy cold eyes, which was enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat.

At the critical moment, Tang Cuo triggered the ‘Teleportation’ skill of the Greenvines Alliance badge and barely ducked it. But Louis XIV wasn’t going to let him go. A magic attack hit him, turning the place where Tang Cuo stood into a patch of barren land.

Louis XIV was also a master of both magic and martial arts, and his magic was way more advanced than Tang Cuo’s. The ‘Holy Light Shield’ couldn’t last long before being shattered by this attack.

“Cough, cough…” Tang Cuo clutched his chest, sensing a taste of rust rising in his mouth, and he even caught the smell of something burning on him. His whole body was a complete mess.

Fortunately, Roger Reeds appeared at his side at the right time and blocked a round of attacks for him.

“You did well just now. You may learn new magic skills.”

“Yes, teacher.”

After repeated training like this, Tang Cuo managed to last for another half an hour and eventually made it to seven o’clock in the morning. This time, he seriously consumed too much energy. If it weren’t for the fact that injuries he suffered in the secret realm would disappear after he returned to reality, he would certainly collapse.

But he couldn’t rest yet, because the swordsmith that Edwin hired had arrived.

The man looked at the [Sword of Judgment] again and said the same thing as Edwin: “…Other than that, I don’t see any major problem for now. Please allow me to head back and take a closer look. The Duke has provided me with a lot of materials. If it’s just energy leakage, the sword can be repaired today. I’ll send it back before seven o’clock in the evening.”

Tang Cuo looked at the man’s confident look and couldn’t help but take out another item.

[Ammo’s Gift]

A horn that was shed when the unicorn was young. When ground into powder and sprinkled in a blacksmith’s furnace, there would be unexpected results.

“Please try using this.” Since the best swordsmith in the country was already here, it would be a waste to not take this chance to use it.

The swordsmith took the horn shell. At first, he was stunned, but right after that, he looked as though he was on cloud nine. “This, this is the horn of a unicorn. My goodness, this is extremely rare! Thank you, Sir Knight, for allowing me to have the honour of looking at this exquisite item. I’ll surely live up to your trust and use it well!”

Tang Cuo cleared his throat: “You’re welcome.”