44: Chapter 44: The Desert of Death - Transition Chapter

Luo Yuejian took the item out to take a look. The matchbox lay there quietly; it looked ordinary on the outside, and the matchstick inside was just as ordinary.

This ordinary item was truly different from her life-bound item. The Infinite Card was so flashy, while this matchbox was merely a tool for providing matchstick(s).

What use could this have? Other than lighting a fire or illumination, Luo Yuejian really couldn't think of any other use for it.

Recalling the two games she had experienced before, Luo Yuejian realized that there hadn't been a single scenario where a matchstick was needed.

This was enough to show that this item would not affect her grand cause of slacking off at all!

Thinking of this, Luo Yuejian breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

After all, for her, being able to continue slacking off with peace of mind was the most important thing.

She felt pleased, and a subtle smile rose at the corners of her mouth.

But suddenly, Luo Yuejian remembered something; the smile on her face vanished instantly, and her already stiff expression became even stiffer.

Wait a minute, the rewards for the livestreamed game had been distributed, but the penalty from that slacker system of hers hadn't been issued yet.

The penalties issued by the slacker system were all skills, and they had played quite a significant role in the previous few games...

At the same time, the system's voice, like a death knell, rang out leisurely, "Host, it's my turn, right."

Before Luo Yuejian could open her mouth, the slacker system's sorrowful voice rang out: "Host, you have failed my trust in you once again."

"Are you not prepared to try to complete the mission at all?!"

Being framed with such a huge accusation, Luo Yuejian just went: ?

When she typed a question mark, it wasn't because she had a problem, but to prove that you had a problem.

"I'm not trying hard enough? I even got penalized for my acting in this round!"

She got angry the moment she thought of this, cursing and swearing, "That damn trustee system of yours—if it weren't for it, I would have died a hundred and eighty times already! And that Underwater Breathing you gave me later, saying it was useless—if it weren't for it, I definitely would have drowned in that lake! I suspect you did it on purpose!"

She was shaking with anger and cold; she had worked so hard to slack off, but her teammates and the system—two pairs of "pig teammates"—had caused her to have to continue to the next round, and now the system was actually saying she hadn't tried at all?

A thief crying "thief," it's a thief crying "thief"!

The system acted very innocent, "Isn't that because you, Host, were acting too obviously? Otherwise, how would the penalty mechanism have been triggered?"

"Besides, that Underwater Breathing skill is inherently useless, Host; you are truly wronging me. Although this skill was used briefly in the previous game, did you find anything underwater?"

Luo Yuejian was taken aback. Upon thinking about it, she realized she really hadn't found anything underwater; instead, she had wasted a lot of time cleaning off the moss.

The system loudly protested its innocence, arguing its case, "Host, think carefully, how many levels can we encounter that involve going underwater? This skill was hand-picked by this system specifically for you, Host, because it would barely affect your mission!"

Its voice carried a sense of dejection, "I didn't expect that even though I was thinking so wholeheartedly for the Host, I would be thought of this way by the Host..."

This smooth combo of attacks left Luo Yuejian completely unable to parry, and she immediately began to doubt her previous thoughts.

It was true, that Underwater Breathing was useless. Even if it was used in this game, it didn't seem to have had any real impact on her, other than letting her slack off for a while longer...

Thinking about it this way, she seemed to have truly wronged the system...

A feeling of guilt immediately arose in Luo Yuejian's heart, and she said to the system with some embarrassment, "Alright, I was wrong this time."

She secretly made up her mind that she would definitely act well in the next game and would absolutely not repeat the mistakes of the previous two rounds.

The system sighed, "It's okay, Host, I forgive you. I know that you haven't completed such simple missions for two consecutive rounds, so you must be feeling very frustrated."

"But Host, you must remember that the goal of the system and the Host is the same! Everything this system does is to help you complete the mission! Let's keep working hard in the next round!"

Once these words were spoken, Luo Yuejian was immediately moved to tears, thinking that she really hadn't been a good person before, actually doubting the system, when the system was clearly her thoughtful little cutie!

Before she could express her loyalty to the system, she heard the system's cold, mechanical voice continue, "Alright, Host, now we should discuss the penalty for your failed mission."

Luo Yuejian: ?

Why did she feel something was a bit off...?

Before she could react, the system's voice continued, "Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Pain Suppression."

The penalty was indeed another skill. Luo Yuejian sighed and asked, "What kind of skill is this?"

The system explained, "Pain Suppression refers to the Host's ability to ignore pain when encountering injury."

Losing the sense of pain? Luo Yuejian's first thought was: This skill seems pretty good, right?

When doing missions, if she got injured or something, at least she wouldn't be afraid of the pain.

On second thought, she suddenly discovered a greater use for this skill. Luo Yuejian's eyes lit up instantly; once she lost the sense of pain, she wouldn't be able to detect serious bodily injuries in time. For example, if stabbed by a sharp weapon, she wouldn't feel the pain and might continue to act, which could lead to the wound worsening and death from excessive blood loss.

Hiss, did the system actually do something human-like this time?! The skill it gave actually seemed to be vaguely helpful for her to complete the mission?

The slacker system's voice rang out at the right moment, "Host, you can believe now that the system is serving you wholeheartedly, right? Although this skill is a penalty, I believe you have some thoughts on its actual efficacy. The system's goal has always been to let you complete the mission and resurrect as soon as possible!"

Luo Yuejian was practically moved to tears, "System, I really wronged you; this penalty skill is great! I will definitely work hard on the mission and never let down your expectations!"

The system was also very cooperative, its tone impassioned, "Host, let's work hard together!"

A scene of a benevolent master and filial system, truly touching.

A wave of intense dizziness, like a surging tide, suddenly struck her. The force came with extreme swiftness, as if it wanted to completely drown her consciousness.

In the midst of chaos, Luo Yuejian seemed to have fallen into a strange dream. In a trance, a vast and incomparably huge forest, like a painting, slowly unfolded before her eyes. This forest was shrouded in thick darkness, and every inch of space was permeated with a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

Crows hidden in the dark, like messengers of darkness, would occasionally emit hair-raising cries. The cries were sharp and long, piercing the silent air, as if warning intruders. Bats with fangs flew about as if startled...

An ancient castle, towering into the clouds, appeared abruptly in the depths of this dark forest, like a silent beast, standing there quietly, emitting an ancient and mysterious aura. Its walls were covered in the traces of time, mottled and variegated, as if telling stories of the past.

The pointed towers pierced straight into the sky, appearing exceptionally abrupt in the darkness. Clearly, this eerie and mysterious ancient castle was the location for her next mission.