There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: 0 Is Not the End, but the Beginning

If nightmares had a color, it would definitely be red.

Laden with Duan Fei’s expectations, and after a thirty-minute wait, what finally emerged before everyone was a Monster made of a cluster of red bubbles. It looked like the mascot for some major sporting event from that one island nation.

Scattered within these bubbles were a few bullets and some bloody water, all of it trembling as it floated in mid-air due to some strange power.

[The creature you created is so terrifying that you have been frightened. Your Spirit Attribute has been temporarily reduced by 3 points.]

"Damn!"

Duan Fei was certain he had to be the first person in Abyss to be frightened by his own pet.

But looking at the others, their expressions were about the same as his. They had all probably entered a state of ’I understand, which only makes me more shocked’.

Just as the Darts Guest on the other side was staring blankly, the bubbles had already flown in front of him and let out a shockingly loud cry.

"%#￥#%......"

It was a sound difficult to describe in human language, like the cry of a Demon ground to dust, mixed with the gales of Hell, and then squeezed out through Satan’s mouth.

That sound alone caused Duan Fei’s Spirit Attribute to temporarily drop by another 3 points, making the brand-new creature before him seem even more terrifying.

After it finished screaming, the pile of bubbles exploded. The bullets within shot out, instantly shredding the Darts Guest, who dissipated into a puff of smoke.

[White Tiger Team’s Darts Guest has been killed by Cyan Dragon Team’s Duan Someone].

The Darts Guest, who had been eliminated instantly, didn’t even have time to react.

He stared blankly as his game screen turned black and white. He was so furious he felt like he was about to choke.

’I’m a distinguished Professional Player, a city darts tournament champion, a darts master in the game...’

’And I got instakilled by a Monster whose original form I couldn’t even make out, one that probably couldn’t even take a single punch!’

’What the hell was that?!’

’This player has to be cheating!’

Burning with rage, the Darts Guest immediately wrote a report to the Abyss development team and received a reply five minutes later.

"The other party is playing normally, with no signs of cheating or using hacks."

’No cheating... Could it be some kind of Talent?’

At that moment, the Darts Guest fell into deep thought.

As the bullets flew out, a cloud of white mist drifted toward Duan Fei. Its sweet scent not only healed his earlier wounds but also restored his Spirit to its normal state.

Looking at the spot where the bubbles had vanished, Duan Fei couldn’t help but say, "Pochita, was that you protecting me?"

"You actually named that bizarre thing?" Yue Hua asked in disbelief. "Speaking of which, since you can summon such a strange creature, don’t tell me you’re a Demon Summoner."

"You could see it that way, I suppose. Too bad it was a one-time use... huh?"

Looking at his item inventory, Duan Fei had assumed his Biological Culture Medium would have disappeared.

But to his surprise, the thing was still there.

The DNA fragments stored inside were still present, but its usage count had dropped to 0.

After a moment’s hesitation, Duan Fei chose to fuse it again.

Familiar bubbles appeared in the test tube, and a countdown timer materialized, indicating that a new Demon was about to be born.

At the same time, the usage count dropped to -1.

Seeing this, Duan Fei had a revelation.

He articulated his theory in his mind, and then he saw the effect of his "Gift of Chaos" Skill change.

"Within this instance, it seems you can use any item with a usage count until it reaches negative infinity."

Understanding his Talent Effect, Duan Fei felt this instance was a real bonus round.

His Biological Culture Medium was supposed to be single-use; you get what you get.

But thanks to his overpowered Talent, he could freeload off the Biological Culture Medium’s effect indefinitely within this instance, allowing him to obtain his ideal pet.

’What more is there to say? Time to start rolling!’

While Duan Fei was excitedly trying to create a new pet, the Darts Guest’s Magician sighed with regret.

This Holy Grail War was just for fun anyway, so she didn’t mind losing.

What she really cared about was that other Magician, Yue Hua.

She had a secret that no one knew: she had a thing for taking care of completely useless people.

Previously, she had sensed a particularly strong aura of uselessness from Yue Hua, which made her want to take her away and dote on her like a pet for a while.

However, after her side’s victory, it was as if a switch had been flipped in Yue Hua. A spark of confidence was born within her and slowly began to grow.

It was small, but she was no longer her type.

"What a pity. I thought you’d make a fine useless person."

With a long sigh, the Magician ruffled Yue Hua’s hair and decisively left the battlefield.

Yue Hua watched her leave in confusion, then walked decisively over to Duan Fei and asked, "Duan Someone, could it be... you’re actually really strong?"

"I’m just average, I guess."

"Then does that mean we can earn that four thousand?"

"Let me correct you. Even if we win, we have to split it with our teammates. That comes out to at least eight hundred each..."

"Then if we just kill everyone else, it’ll be four thousand!"

Duan Fei looked at Yue Hua helplessly. He felt this shut-in had been shut in for so long that she didn’t even know what team spirit was.

Patting her on the shoulder, Duan Fei said, "I’m begging you, please try being a decent person first."

But on second thought, Yue Hua’s words did serve as a reminder for him.

There might be other Magicians on his team who were just as desperate for money. Other players might also kill their own teammates to get a "Greatest Contributor" evaluation, monopolize the rewards, and boost their score.

This was a high-magic world, after all. The items obtained at the end had a high probability of being high-magic items. It was hard for people not to be tempted.

’This is why I hate teaming up with anyone other than Jinghong. There’s always this feeling that I can’t completely trust them.’

Just as Duan Fei was considering his next move, a message suddenly sounded in his ear.

[Cyan Dragon Team’s ’Love Me, Are You Scared?’ has been killed by Cyan Dragon Team’s Cuihua]

"Oof."

Speak of the devil.

For a moment, Duan Fei didn’t know whether to lament what a coincidence it was, or to lament that Cuihua, who always looked so innocent, had also started killing teammates.

He had only run one instance with Cuihua.

Although they had gotten along quite pleasantly and cooperated well in the previous instance, that didn’t necessarily mean he believed Cuihua had some hidden reason.

He could only say that, based on his understanding of Cuihua, he felt the possibility of there being a hidden reason was slightly higher.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to find Jinghong first. Meeting up as a pair would be much more convenient than being alone.

Just as he was about to set off, he suddenly heard a male voice echo in his mind:

’Huh? What’s going on? Why didn’t I die?’

Looking around, Duan Fei saw only Yue Hua beside him, and nothing else.

’Hey, that guy seems to be looking for something. But he looks so dumb, he probably doesn’t know I’m the super-organism in the test tube, right?’

Picking up the test tube, Duan Fei stared at the fleshy lump that had already begun to take shape inside and said softly, "That’s right. I’m the dumb-looking one."

’HOLY SHIT! He can hear my voice!’