https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-164-The-Protagonist-s-Onslaught-IX-/13547066/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-166-The-Protagonist-Strikes-Back-XI-/13547068/
Chapter 165: The Protagonist's Onslaught (Ten)
Chapter 165: The Protagonist's Onslaught (Ten)
The closer the six of them got to the Soul-Grasping Formation's location, the more horrifying the environment became.
This wasn't just subtle atmospheric tension anymore—it was a direct assault on their senses. Amid the swaying shadows of the forest, grotesque corpses of all shapes and sizes kept appearing around the players. Most were skeletal, missing limbs, or twisted in macabre poses, each death uniquely gruesome, but all sharing one common trait: unimaginable suffering.
The place felt like a grotesque exhibition of the violently deceased. Corpses hung from trees, faces half-dissolved into dripping flesh, bodies charred into blackened meat, skulls split open to expose hollow cavities—the list went on. Every imaginable death had been re-created here, amplified by an overwhelming stench of rotting decay. For Feng Bu Jue, this was the most chilling and revolting scene he'd encountered in Terrifying Paradise so far.
With tattered corpses in their vision, the fetid odor clawing at their nostrils, and ghostly whispers echoing faintly in their ears, only Feng Bu Jue remained calm. The other five had all accumulated noticeable Terror Value.
"While we know these are hallucinations", Ye Zhi said, "they still pose a hidden threat. If a real monster approached now..."
"You wouldn't be able to tell the difference?" Feng Bu Jue finished with a smirk, glancing mischievously at Galileo ahead. "Right?"
"Er... yes", Galileo muttered, uneasily wondering why this player named Mad Bu Jue felt like he was about to get double-crossed.
Ye Zhi eyed Feng Bu Jue and the two Gms suspiciously, whispering to Meng Jing Chan at the rear, "Captain... don't you think these three are acting... strange?"
Meng Jing Chan took a swig of beer and belched.
She shot him a glare, shook her head, and sighed in exasperation. I need to request a team transfer...
Though Meng Jing Chan seemed perpetually sloshed, his mind was sharp. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly was off about the three guild outsiders. If anything, Feng Bu Jue's Reasoning Ability and the other two's Scouting proficiency felt suspiciously high—almost like they were cheating. But without proof, he decided to keep his suspicions to himself.
"Something's approaching", Copernicus suddenly said, his eyes locked ahead as he drew a long blade. Though their illumination device had limited range, he clearly sensed two small boss-class monsters spawning and closing in at high speed.
Galileo drew his weapon simultaneously, ready for combat. Feng Bu Jue followed suit, unsheathing his steel knife.
Earlier at the Soul-Grasping Formation, Feng Bu Jue had used his Death Poker directly because the scenario's enemies were likely ghosts, making cold weapons ineffective. But now, judging from these hallucinations' behavior and previous monster encounters, he believed these entities were more related to Western-style "magic", meaning ordinary weapons would suffice.
This was a good time to elaborate on Feng Bu Jue's personal philosophy regarding supernatural beings—mainly their races and strength classifications...
As someone who'd watched countless horror movies, he considered Eastern ghosts far more terrifying than their Western counterparts.
In typical horror movie logic, Eastern ghosts were simply more dangerous for ordinary people. Even if someone was being strangled to death by a ghost, they couldn't touch it. Worse, these wronged spirits often used tools to kill—elevators crashing down at high speeds, steel beams falling from the sky, bathtubs that sucked people in... These vengeful ghosts could do just about anything: teleportation, possession, illusion creation, telekinesis... Protagonists in these movies usually only survived by the skin of their teeth.
Whether it was Sadako, Kayako, or the ghost couple from Ringu, they all brought crushing horror and despair.
Western supernatural beings, however, leaned toward physical harm. Vampires and werewolves were overused tropes everyone knew—fangs, claws, moonlit transformations. By the 21st century, they'd become romanticized, associated with terms like "tall-dark-and-handsome" or "rich-and-beautiful", serving as fantasy love interests for many young adults.
Even excluding these two, Western ghosts, ogres, mummies, and demons were still comparable. Feng Bu Jue associated Western ghosts first with Casper from Casper the Friendly Ghost and his overused line, "I'd like to be friends with you." That cute ghost was hardly scary. Of course, there was Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street, but after watching the third movie, audiences realized even a powerful ghost like Freddy had weaknesses in both worlds. That's why the movie's victims were usually brainless teenagers, while the protagonist was normal-acting with decent combat skills. If an action movie star played the lead, Freddy might end up facing prison shower justice himself.
Ogres reminded him of a unit from Heroes of Might and Magic—a cold-blooded, intelligent killer, or B-movie monsters accompanied by amateurish human meat artifacts.
Mummies could be either museum display mummies or bald magical heartthrobs using sand-based powers.
Demons were a high-combat-power race closest to Eastern ghosts since they could inflict non-physical harm. But their methods and motives differed greatly from wronged souls. Higher-ranked demons transformed into middle-aged heartthrobs or beauties to ruin lives through "deals", while lesser demons acted like serial killers—except they feared no legal consequences.
In short, Feng Bu Jue had strong biases against Western supernatural beings. Even before losing his fear, he'd always thought facing them meant two outcomes: either getting killed in a fight or taking them down with a chainsaw. He'd never imagined being cornered or killed by Western ghosts.
"I'll take the left one", Copernicus said, dashing forward as a blur.
Galileo didn't even speak. Stepping forward, he shot ahead five or six meters, bounding off several tree trunks with such speed and agility that he became a flickering shadow.
The three Order members watching were stunned—not out of fear, but shock. These two's skills rivaled top-tier Order experts. A level 8 player with this speed and technique? Either they were elite martial arts players secretly boosting stats with cheat codes, or their "Scouting proficiency" was a lie.
"Truly impressive", Feng Bu Jue mused, following closely. He now had ninety percent certainty these two were Gms. He wanted to see just how strong they really were.
(End of Chapter)
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