Giman became alert instantly and shook his head. "No, one person can only play once." Realizing his tone might have been too stern, he added with a smile, "Besides, I don't have that many gold coins, do I?"
Demacia looked stunned and a bit disappointed. "Is that so? Alright, what shall we play?"
Millions of eyes on the bullet screen were fixed on this interaction, and players from other cities were already planning to use the teleportation array. After all, this was a golden opportunity to get rich. One hundred thousand gold coins was far too enticing; even if it was a trap, they were eager to jump in.
Giman adjusted his attire, feeling a mix of apprehension and elegance. "Then the game begins. You can see the rules in the game."
With a snap of his fingers, the power of the rules surged, and Demacia's body faded from view.
Giman intently watched the game unfold. Ten seconds later, confusion flickered in his eyes. How could he dare to inquire about a second game at this level?
As Demacia's lifeless form reappeared, another wave of players arrived, only to be blocked by the rules from approaching.
Giman remained silent for a moment before continuing the game, enveloped in a sense of surrealism. As time passed, players died one by one. Giman began running multiple games simultaneously, urged on by the anxious and peculiar excitement of the spectators.
He scrutinized each game, but without exception, players who shouted strange phrases perished within ten seconds. They even left behind worthless equipment.
As a devil, it was the first time Giman found himself overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of these players. A hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand—it didn't matter. In every game, he achieved complete victory, with no player managing to last even ten seconds.
His cousin was even more remarkable; the rules seemed on the verge of advancing. These soulless participants may have had limited individual game rules, but they couldn't resist the collective enthusiasm and sheer numbers.
As time dragged on, Giman began to relax. "Sure enough, Eugene and Fey are liars. The Star Federation and the Sun Federation are the real dangers!"
The two devils felt the power of the rules intensifying, and the pleasure in their eyes grew more pronounced, their bodies becoming more elegant in response.
Meanwhile, outside the devil's game, a picture appeared before Sabo, revealing the two devils without their notice. "I think we're nearly there. When I approached, they were secretly summoning participants. If I hadn't sensed the summoning power, I might have missed them entirely."
Sabo stretched his long arms and rubbed his ankles, a grin on his face. The use of wonders had increased again. Next time, he'd utilize these wonders to navigate his way.
However, he pondered how Bai Yi managed to mobilize so many wonders without revealing his identity. He still needed to investigate this further.
"Wait a minute. Have you noticed that the power of these devils is growing? We need to wait for a limit, similar to the online games emerging now. When the experience value is almost full, players can't help but work overtime to level up," Ethan said casually, fiddling with some mechanical accessories in his hands.
He needed to create machines with constant attributes and then attach them to the gods to observe the bonuses and effects. After that, he could destroy these machines and decide whether to integrate the god city gate mecha. He even had ideas about a fully mechanically modified mechanic; if such a thing could be attached to a god, it might yield legendary combat power.
Of course, this was contingent on whether mechanics with souls could also be possessed. He needed to conduct experiments on that front.
But for now, the priority was the two devils. If they could be killed, they should be. If not, they still needed to be dealt with.
Sabo absentmindedly rubbed his ankle and suddenly felt something sticky. He sniffed it and, with a sense of enjoyment, asked, "My friend, which one do you want to go after?"
Ethan moved aside, silently acknowledging Sabo's preference for dirty tactics. He didn't expect Sabo to be this filthy, especially since he had a bit of a cleanliness fetish outside of battle. The tentacles emerging from the dark side needed to be clean.
"Whatever," Ethan replied.
"I sense something evil about my cousin, so you can go for him," Sabo said, rubbing the dirt between his fingers as a palpable, corrupting power began to emanate from his touch.
Ethan felt a wave of resistance and his eyes turned scarlet. The intense aura made Sabo tremble slightly. Watching Ethan distance himself, Sabo extended a tentacle into his domain, unbothered by the dislike.
"It'll take him about two hours. I think it's almost time. I'll head out now," Sabo said, his body gradually fading.
Ethan observed the hint before him, contemplating its significance.
[You have touched the absolute dirty realm. The aura around you begins to change; your soul is hidden, and the revealed aura is constant in the middle of the bronze level, lasting five hours.]
He felt a layer of something binding his soul, but this restraint didn't seem too strong. Once he tapped into the power of his soul, it would likely dissipate.
Returning to the bright side, Ethan made his way toward the devil's game.
His plan and Sabo's were straightforward: let the players keep losing, then wait for the devil to lower their guard. Finally, they would disguise themselves as players and attempt to initiate multiple games. Once opened, the devil would be in great danger.
Summoning players was also simple. He would send a note to Demacia. The note, falling from the sky, would evoke memories of his participation in a god-level mission. Whether driven by curiosity or the urging of the audience in the live broadcast, he would race to the regional game.
Given the attention he received, it would only take two hours from the moment he received the note to the gathering of players. Especially since the game rules were written on the note, players would be compelled to join. Giman and the devil named Yasen worked together seamlessly; one offered 100,000 gold coins, while the other assured players they would agree to any amount.
This synergy created the current situation.
Ethan donned a mage's robe and pulled up his hood. A faint layer of fog obscured part of his features as he entered the devil's game, feeling a mix of emotions.
Suddenly, the noise of countless players erupted around him. They rushed forward eagerly, slaying monsters below the golden level. Golden-level monsters could bypass them, but if they couldn't avoid them, they would simply wait for their next turn.
They wanted gold coins and wealth. No matter how strong the monsters, nothing could stop them from becoming millionaires!
Ethan followed the tide of players as a golden ghost roared nearby, frantically absorbing their blood, creating waves of chaos.
As it killed, the ghost seemed to notice something; it inexplicably shifted its focus away from the players in this area and turned to attack those behind it.
Ethan trotted along with the players for an hour until he reached the devil's castle, where even more players gathered, creating a cacophony of anxious shouts.
"Hey, devil, can you hurry it up? I'm in a rush!"
"That's right! Increase the difficulty a bit; make it a challenge for me!"
"Are you kidding? Hurry up! I want to treat him like a toy!"
"Devil, I've never begged anyone in my life—please, just this once!"
"C'mon, brother! My girlfriend's 60th birthday is coming up. Give me some gold coins, and I'll buy her a gift!"
Ethan stood among the players, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He shouted excitedly, "Hurry up! Do you want to play or not? If not, the devils will take your place! Don't make me summon the devil!"
One player turned, stunned. "Can you summon the devil?"
"Just kidding! But that shows how desperate I am. What if the money is taken by the guys in front of me? Devils aren't exactly rich, are they?" Ethan seamlessly integrated into the crowd.
The player nodded. "That makes sense! Devil, do you want to play or not? If you don't, the devil will take your spot! If I were your boss, I'd definitely open for you!"
Inside the castle, the devil Yasen listened to the commotion outside, feeling a bit speechless. He began to understand the wonders' mentality. In some illusions, he realized they treated the world like a game. After witnessing the same wonder twice, he also understood why they were unafraid of death.
They were immortal, which explained the current situation.
But this was advantageous; immortal wonders combined with the subtle power of rules equated to a devil's rule machine.
He could feel that he was close to reaching the second-tier legend, being merely two thousand years old. This was his first time playing the devil's game, and he could already see a bright future ahead.
After this batch of over 100 players met their demise, he quickly summoned another hundred.
With an elegant smile, he addressed them, "Dear wonders, welcome to the Devil's Game. This game requires your souls, but since you don't have any, I'll allow you to participate as an exception—as long as you keep your lives intact."
"Stop talking nonsense! Let's get this started!"
"Start? What do you want to open? It's hard for me to get it. Hey, devil, does 100,000 gold coins count?"
Yasen didn't mind the players' rudeness and replied gently, "Of course! But remember, this is our hellish rule. If you lose, the power of the rule will take your life, and if I lose, it will take the promised reward."
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up! I'm still waiting to collect my money!"
"Wait, why can one person only play once? What if I win and want to continue?"
Yasen looked at the players with exasperation. "I said you can only play once because we don't have that much money."
"No! If you don't have money, you can offer other top-tier items, artifacts, treasures. As long as I win, I want to keep playing!"
Listening to the players, Yasen felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. Although they knew their chances of winning were slim, some players were eager to participate. The atmosphere grew chaotic again as the hundred-player game resumed.
Yasen waved his hand, and those players who had agreed to play vanished. He looked at the remaining players, feeling slightly exasperated, but having won nearly 20,000 times, he didn't want to waste time with them.
He was on the brink of becoming a second-tier legend and didn't believe these players would win.
With a smile, he announced, "Then we'll wait until you win the first game."
"Oh, that's what you said! Let's get started!"
Both the players and the devil were eager to begin. With a grand wave of his hand, the first player vanished before him, entering the devil's game.
Yasen waited excitedly, ready to begin the next hundred-player game. He had a hunch that if all the players outside participated, he could attain the second-tier legend!
He silently counted down.
10… 9… 8…
Half of the players are dead—that's good. He was one step closer to the second-tier legend.
7… 6…
80% of the players were down. Hurry up!
4… 3…
This group of players was impressive; they were about to break the ten-second record and prepare to summon the next batch.
2… 1…
Huh? Is it really a record-breaking situation?
The devil looked closer, observing the last remaining player. It was a game of evil ghosts, where emotional control was key. Within an hour, players would be scared by the ghosts or show hostility, leading to their direct loss and subsequent death by the rules.
The game was nearly unsolvable; it was difficult for people to manage their fear or hostility toward threatening entities. The rules stated that players would lose if they were frightened by evil ghosts or attacked them due to hostility, but it didn't specifically mention hostility.
Yet, there was another wonder who hadn't died!
He leaned in closer, carefully observing the wonder. It seemed to have sensed something. Slowly, the figure looked up, revealing a kind smile beneath the hood.
That smile made Yasen uneasy.
This wonder appeared different, akin to the fierce red ghost of this dimension.
Suddenly, she emerged from the shadows, ready to end the monotonous game. Her delicate, blood-streaked face was just ten centimeters away from the handsome man.
She had expected to be pushed away, or for these players to scream in fear.
What she received in return, however, was a gentle gaze.
"Ah, ah, ah."
"Go to die, die, die."
"Kill you, kill you, kill you!"
The bloody spirit surged, and a powerful killing intent mixed with hellish energy radiated outward, delivering the ultimate thrill.
Yet, the wonder's eyes remained soft. He raised his hand and gently brushed the red-clad ghost's face, saying tenderly, "You've got some flowers on your face. Wash them off; you might look better."
Yasen felt a chill run down his spine. Something was off. He squinted, hoping he wasn't witnessing the unthinkable.
(End of this chapter)