Chapter 5, The Haunted Castle (1)
At this moment, a cacophony of noise faintly intruded into the ears, initially indistinct and unclear, but soon it grew closer and closer, as if it were coming from outside the door
It sounds very sophisticated, yet in reality, it is completely different from what Pei Renli envisioned
I apologize, but apart from games, Pei Renli only knows about Harry Potter. Moreover, it is common knowledge that the Earth is a realm of fantasy, and whether it can be applied in another world remains a question mark
He feels that he has been experiencing significant ups and downs recently, and he wonders whether there truly exists a law of conservation of luck that would allow him to rebound from the bottom.
It is iron gray in color, approximately thirty to forty centimeters long and as thick as two fingers, glistening under the overhead light, resembling metal
Furthermore, he is aware that the place he currently occupies is called the Castle of Terror. Moreover, the self-proclaimed Elegant Demon King, a Minotaur of the Chaos faction, has specifically mentioned that the danger level of the Castle of Terror is very high. Even though the difficulty is classified as 'beginner', one must not be careless. His exact words were that it requires not only courage but also wit and luck.
Not daring to touch it directly, Pei Renli used a short stick to push hard against the bottom of the frame, causing the oil painting to fall from the hook on the wall, landing perfectly with the back facing up
Moreover, the Demon King system just stated, 'Survive from the haunted castle.' How long must one survive? What are the conditions for passing? Or is it necessary to reduce the number of people to a certain quantity?
However, looking out through the gap in the window, all that can be seen is a profound darkness, with nothing else visible at all
He was completely unaware of all this, and compared to a group of unscientific individuals, Pei Renli had no advantages whatsoever, not even an informational advantage; the situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable for him.
This point can be inferred from both Lavina's words and Pei Renli's experiences, as well as from the book.
For the time being, regardless of the questions that remain unanswered, Pei Renli felt that he had traversed into a world filled with magic
The area by the bed was just disturbed; apart from the straw, nothing else was found. Even though Pei Renli, from a physiological standpoint, did not wish to approach that somewhat frightening oil painting, it must be said that, at present, that was the only place in the room that had not been examined.
However, neither complaints nor panic can truly resolve the issue. Pei Renli had no choice but to take a deep breath with a mind full of confusion, forcing himself to calm down
The elegant demon king stated that surviving requires more wit and luck than courage. As for luck, Pei Renli's opinion does not hold sway; he can only find ways to do his best in what he can control and strive to survive.
Thus, his cautiousness felt akin to defusing a landmine. After abruptly yanking open the dilapidated wardrobe door, he jumped back in a start, fearing that something might suddenly appear and hit him in the face. After waiting for two seconds and seeing that nothing had happened, he finally approached it.
This should be a small room made of brick and stone, less than 10 square meters in size, with a ceiling approximately 5 meters high. In the center of the ceiling floats a milky-white orb of light, possibly some form of magic, providing the most basic illumination
This prompt should inform you that the weapon in your hand can deal with ghosts, yet it also makes Pei Renli realize that there are indeed ghosts here
On the right side, there is a wardrobe, which is equally simple and lacks even a coat of varnish. Many areas show rough edges, and the wardrobe appears quite worn. The doors of the wardrobe hang down as if they might fall off at any moment
It is said that life is a book of continuous discoveries of surprises, and surprises always outnumber joys
This is truly like squid placed on an iron plate, rolled up
Reality does not require logic; the most absurd things can happen. Who could have imagined that even in a different world, one would still have to face the rat race
He does not know how terrifying the haunted castle truly is, nor does he understand whether the others who have been thrown in here with him are acting out of goodwill or malice. The only thing he is certain of is that he is likely nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in this place
Come a little closer, and you can see the back of the frame inscribed with 'Silver is a deadly poison to any ghost'
Survive at all costs, using every possible means to do so, and avoid contact with anyone unless absolutely necessary
Thus, upon hearing the commotion outside the door, Pei Renli immediately decided that he must, and could only, go out to take a look
Pei Renli: In a state of panic.
Having quickly organized the current situation and general course of action, Pei Renli finally had the mood to take a look around him
At first glance, it seems somewhat ambiguous, but it can be associated with the bright silver part at the front end of the spear
What on earth! How did it survive
Originally feeling somewhat uneasy, this time it has become even more alarming
However, the colors of this portrait seem to have melted together, originally depicting a person in formal attire, but now it resembles the creation of a howling ghost, which can indeed be quite frightening at first glance
He inexplicably traveled through time and, just as inexplicably, took on the role of a new demon king. These fantastical events, if given some time, Pei Renli could still accept. At the very least, he did not suddenly find himself in a carriage traveling through the snowy mountains, with a gagged individual beside him, which was a fortunate circumstance
I always feel that the definition of good things is becoming increasingly diminished
There is no need to hold too many expectations, after all, Pei Renli is not a martial arts expert, so how could he use cold weapons
First, let us organize the situation
Adjacent to the wardrobe is a semicircular window, which has been sealed with wooden planks the width of a palm. Pei Renli took a couple of steps over to inspect it, and through the gaps between the planks, he could see that outside there was an iron window, which also appeared to have been neglected for a long time, covered in glaring rust.
He was somewhat reluctant to touch this unknown object, but considering it was the only thing that could barely serve as a weapon so far, Pei Renli had no choice but to grit his teeth and quickly make contact with it. Seeing that it did not react in any other way, he finally took it in his hand
No means are off-limits, which means selling out your teammates is acceptable. It is also permissible to push others you encounter out to take the hit. Coincidentally, Pei Renli has just crossed over, and he only saw the so-called Demon King system less than ten minutes ago. For this group of people, he is essentially high-quality cannon fodder
Turning his head, Pei Renli cautiously approached the wardrobe
This line of text did not disappear immediately; rather, it seemed to confirm that Pei Renli had indeed finished reading it before vanishing along with the black curtain that obstructed the view, restoring the sight to its normal state
He is facing a wall, on the left side is a very simple wooden bed, with a mattress made up of nothing but a pile of straw, covered by a yellowed white bedsheet.
As for this thing called magic
Survive from the haunted castle, by any means necessary
The first thing that catches the eye is an ancient wall made of brick and stone. Pei Renli appears in a state of 'facing the wall', with the tip of his nose just ten centimeters away from the wall, and any closer would risk a collision.
Indeed, the promise made earlier was rather hasty
Growing up as a child in a normal civilized society, free from illness and disaster, Pei Renli worried about performing poorly on exams and facing double punishment at home. He also concerned about the short duration of school holidays, which was insufficient for him to enjoy playing games to his heart's content. However, he never truly considered the issue of life safety.
As his eyes blinked from the glare of the bright light, Pei Renli was about to turn his head when his vision was once again engulfed in darkness, similar to the so-called Demon King system that had appeared before, directly covering more than half of his field of vision with a dark curtain.
The host previously mentioned that there are six hundred new demon kings, and all those who entered the terrifying castle are newcomers. One might assume that all six hundred of them are unfortunate souls like Pei Renli, but that is not certain. After all, some of the demon kings in the stands resemble humans, while others are so grotesque that even a forensic expert who specializes in assembling corpses would find it hard to bear.
Just now, there was dust, making it difficult to see clearly. It was only when I held it in my hand that I discovered there was a rotating mechanism within the short rod. As I turned it clockwise, with a crisp sound of "clang," both ends of the short rod extended outwards. One end was relatively sharp and shiny silver, while the other end was blunt. It felt as if the short rod had transformed into a spear slightly shorter than a long spear. When I turned it in the opposite direction, it returned to the form of a short rod.
This time, however, there is no longer the name of Pei Renli and a large hourglass above; instead, there is a line of text.
If these newcomers are all as bewildered as Pei Renli, they can only be considered ordinary individuals at the level of good health, which is somewhat acceptable. However, if they are different from Pei Renli and possess a certain degree of inexplicable power beyond scientific explanation...
The brilliance that enveloped him appeared quite abruptly, yet it vanished just as quickly, lasting no more than a few seconds. By the time he felt the brightness on his eyelids diminish and opened his eyes, he found that he had once again changed locations.
Originally, it could only be said that the plot was developing too quickly, leaving one somewhat bewildered and unable to keep up with the pace. Now, it has escalated directly to the issue of life and death.
However, this demon king is not much different from a lone commander, and unexpectedly, I discovered that there is actually quite intense competition among demon kings. From the details of what the host mentioned earlier, one can even conclude the fact that 'there are factions among demon kings'.
The situation is as such, Pei Renli quickly identified his position
After all, the public security in our country is among the best on the global server, not to mention that he is still very young. Why would he worry about this? Instead of having such idle thoughts, it would be better to spend that time playing games
Pei Renli is very clear about his position, but staying in this small room of less than 10 square meters is not a good choice. The current safety may be similar to the initial period of safety, but it does not mean that it will always remain safe. Moreover, the room is too narrow; if something were to happen, he would not even have space to escape.
Regarding wit, Pei Renli is somewhat confident, but when it comes to luck...
However, no matter how much exasperation Pei Renli felt inside and wanted to vent, he lacked the ability to change the current situation, at least not at this moment
This is a completely unknown field for him, and it is essential to exercise extra caution
Having a weapon in hand can bring a certain sense of security, but its effectiveness is limited
There were no clothes in the wardrobe; the first thing that caught the eye was the large clouds of dust that had been stirred up. ... Pei Renli waved his hand to avoid choking, and then he saw a stick placed inside the wardrobe
Finally, the prompt on the Demon King system added a phrase at the end stating that no means are restricted, which should not have been added casually
Turning around with a short stick in hand, Pei Renli saw that opposite the window sealed with wooden planks was a wooden door that had been overlooked, and beside the wooden door hung a portrait.
The King of Monsters, a being feared by mortals, is both a destroyer of reality and a harbinger of change, a literal embodiment of the villainous big boss
short stick