118. Finally Crossed Paths with a “Real Player”

Even if you carry the weight of the Abyss—or rather, the Gourmet City—and are fortified by an invincible state upon opening the gate, you still have to die under the special effect of "Life Hooked, Fated Bond."

Chen Sheng glanced at his "novice equipment" and could only say that it was truly his prized possession; it had instantly obliterated an "elite monster" that was supposed to be invincible while guarding the gate.

"Thanks!" Chen Sheng shouted toward the direction of the irregular building.

After all, he had always been a polite person. He rarely cursed in his life, and even when he did occasionally let out a profanity, it was mostly directed at the "dog developers" of the world. But since those developers weren't even acting like humans, he didn't count that as cursing.

Chen Sheng then signaled for the little ghost girl to continue leading the way.

Although the little ghost girl was somewhat shocked that a ghost assimilated by derived rules had been so easily and thoroughly extinguished, she considered that this madman of the human world had just wielded the power of a torture weapon. It then seemed only natural. Torture weapons could kill even malevolent spirits, let alone a gatekeeper ghost that only possessed the strength of a malevolent spirit by borrowing derived rules.

However, if the gatekeeper were truly a malevolent spirit, it wouldn't have been killed off completely. While it would die for the moment, as long as the value of its existence remained, the malevolent spirit would reappear at some specific interval. In a sense, malevolent spirits are immortal.

The little ghost girl was relieved, but inside that irregular building he had shouted at, a man was left dumbfounded.

He was a man in his thirties, currently staring blankly. He wore a suit that should have been immaculate, but he was in a wretched state; his high-end office suit, worth thousands in the real world, was covered in food scraps. He had just been forced to participate in a "Gourmet Feast." Thanks to his rigorous exercise routine, he had a large appetite, and having known about the feast beforehand, he had starved himself for two days and nights, allowing him to survive the event without incident.

A "Gourmet Feast," as the name implies, is a banquet filled with an abundance of food. However, at every stage of the banquet, one must consume food that meets the requirements, or else the amount missing would be carved directly from one's own flesh. Most who participated in the "Gourmet Feast," even if they survived, ended up missing limbs. That he was merely in a disheveled state was considered lucky.

He had been overjoyed, even finding the thought of appreciating the unique scenery of this eerie world, believing that by finishing this "Gourmet Feast," he had gained several more years of life and freedom. Then, he witnessed the scene between Chen Sheng and the gatekeeper. He was shocked; he hadn't expected anyone to be able to fight a "rule-based horror," let alone suppress it. That was why he had cried out.

However, his cry was not out of kindness. Closing the gate would indeed strip the gatekeeper of its malevolent spirit strength, but at the same time, it would awaken another "rule-based horror" within the Gourmet City. It was a terrifying rule-based entity with its own domain, which the "Chosen Ones" selected by this eerie world called the "Gate-Closing Ghost."

Anyone who, like him, helped this "Gourmet City" awaken the Gate-Closing Ghost when the Gate-Opening Ghost was losing could receive "goodwill" from the "City Lord, Lu Jinsheng." He didn't know what this "goodwill" was, but the last "Chosen One" to receive it had been completely liberated—not only regaining life and a healthy body but also having all his debts to the "Gourmet City" wiped clean.

Having all debts cleared meant that the "Chosen One" would never have to return to this eerie world again. It was a true rebirth.

"Chosen Ones" like him were all people whose lives had reached an end, who suffered from physical ailments, or who were driven by a lack of money and an urgent desire for social mobility. Thus, the "people" of this eerie world also called them the "Greatly Desirous." This title was quite fitting, as those without strong desires would never be selected by this world.

Once selected, if one could survive and walk out of that terrifying city, they gained the right to choose their destination and to "buy on credit." He, for instance, had chosen the Gourmet City and traded his life and temporary freedom for credit.

Because he was already dead. But not a natural death.

He had caught his girlfriend in a hotel room with another man. In a fit of extreme rage, he rushed in and beat the pair to death. Although he fled immediately, the police were fast and cornered him within half a day. In his panic, he ran to the roof of a building and jumped.

He didn't commit suicide out of remorse for having no way out; he simply didn't want to be captured by the police and locked up, nor did he want to be shot. After all, though it was a crime of passion, coming from an average family background meant he was certain to face the death penalty; there was no possibility of medical parole.

Thus, this eerie world determined that he had a desperate craving for freedom and life, selecting him as a "Greatly Desirous." The "lifespan" and "time of freedom" he bought on credit from the Gourmet City allowed him to live like a normal person in the real world. As for the murders he had committed, they were covered up by a mysterious force; no one remembered those two deaths, not even the families of the adulterous pair. It was only when his "time of freedom" expired that those murders would be remembered.

"This... how is this possible?"
"A rule-based horror, actually killed?"
"And without the gate even being closed!"

His gaze was dull, his face full of disbelief. Although the number of "Chosen Ones" was small and scattered across the world, they could gather in the real world if they met in the same place and had the intent to connect. Under the leadership of those with ulterior motives, many "Chosen Ones" had gathered. They exchanged information and gradually categorized the types of horrors in this world.

The Gate-Opening and Gate-Closing ghosts were among the rule-based horrors that "Chosen Ones" feared the most and hoped never to encounter. Because these horrors were completely impossible to kill! Moreover, once the "corresponding rules took effect," they became immensely powerful and could kill unconditionally.