The darkness that shrouded everything began to gradually dissipate.
Gao Hai's consciousness regained clarity. He opened his eyes and lifted his head.
"Unfamiliar ceiling..."
He couldn't help but mutter.
Disorientation.
At this moment, what Gao Hai felt was an incredibly intense sense of disorientation.
Red Nut Gray Hole. The time he had spent inside this instance was simply too long. Especially during the second playthrough, the period where he was executed by the core obsession. After that painful torture, which lasted so long that his cognitive abilities were nearly worn away, Gao Hai felt an extremely unfamiliar sensation towards the bustling reality of the world.
This was really bad.
Gao Hai let out a long breath.
This was truly... really bad...
Finally realizing that he had broken away from the instance, Gao Hai almost completely collapsed into his seat.
This feeling of relief was so good. It was like he had just discovered that he was actually still alive.
With thoughts surging through his mind, Gao Hai lowered his head and looked at the clothes on his body.
Hmm, it was the casual wear he had on before entering the instance.
Inside the instance, Gao Hai had actually taken this outfit off long ago. However, it seemed that upon his return to reality, he had reverted to the fully dressed appearance he had when he first entered and prepared for action. It was just that the clothes were now severely damaged—probably due to wear and tear during the process of the instance's collapse and destruction after he had discarded them.
Thinking this, Gao Hai turned his head and saw Maki Shijo sitting beside him. She had also just opened her eyes, her expression looking very exhausted.
"Just woke up?"
Gao Hai asked.
"Mmh..."
Maki nodded gently, looking around with a somewhat dazed expression, before finally seeming to come back to her senses.
"We... came out of there alive."
There was an indescribable emotion in the girl's voice.
"Yes, we successfully survived our second game."
Sitting opposite them, Kaguya Shinomiya opened her eyes and followed up, speaking in a low voice.
Survived.
At this moment, the three people sitting in this small private compartment finally comprehended the reality before them.
"I'm really tired enough as it is... Even though the physical fatigue and injuries were healed after leaving the instance, the mental exhaustion just can't be eliminated no matter what."
Maki, who was collapsed in her seat with no regard for her image just like Gao Hai, muttered.
"And there aren't any rewards to speak of. Even though the game we cleared was actually Dim Night-level, and a dual-core instance at the peak difficulty of Dim Night-level at that, the [Sacrificial Game] still treats this instance as Twilight-level. It didn't provide us with any rewards, only giving us the qualification to participate in Dim Night-level missions. What the hell is the use of that?"
Gao Hai shook his head and said, his expression looking extremely displeased.
This instance was truly too much of a pitfall. Clearly, at the start, it was said to be a Twilight-level instance that newbies could treat as a vacation. The result? Once inside, the difficulty skyrocketed, directly turning into peak Dim Night-level. And then, after painstakingly resolving this completely unreasonable high-difficulty instance, there were actually no rewards?!
This psychotic [Sacrificial Game] actually considered this instance to still be Twilight-level. Gao Hai and the other two who cleared the instance were deemed to have merely passed a second Twilight-level instance. Furthermore, because one S-rank rating and two A-rank ratings were identical to the settlement for the Shirakawa Apartments instance, none of the three were able to receive any additional buff rewards from the game side this time.
Isn't that too much of a scam?
Gao Hai really wanted to protest loudly like this.
But the [Sacrificial Game] was a bastard game where the planners only cared about their own amusement and didn't take the players seriously at all, completely ignoring player appeals. Therefore, no matter how much Gao Hai protested, the rules of this game would not change because of it. He could only helplessly put this matter aside for now.
"Although there is no way to obtain new buffs to further improve our survivability, at least this time, we have once again harvested the power of a Blessing."
Kaguya spoke softly at this moment. Her eyes were suddenly covered by a layer of dark red cold light. Her entire aura changed at this instant, and the surrounding air inexplicably became much colder and gloomier, as if a ghostly entity had descended.
Seeing this situation with Kaguya, both Gao Hai and Maki were slightly stunned. But immediately after, sensing the power of the Blessing, both of their eyes underwent the same change. For a moment, all three people in the compartment turned into 'pink-eye patients,' and the temperature showed a tendency to drop straight towards sub-zero.
"This thing... could it be the legendary [Berserk Rampage]?"
Feeling this peculiar power, Gao Hai couldn't help but mutter.
At this moment, what the three of them felt was the Blessing power belonging to Hedal.
This was a rather simple and crude Blessing. It directly and significantly increased strength, speed, and neural response, while reducing all damage—whether from conventional means like swords, clubs, guns, and bombs, or various terrifying anomalous damage means—to a considerably low degree. For example, if Gao Hai were originally hit by a pistol, the bullet would penetrate his skin and stay in his body. But after activating the power of this Blessing, the bullet would at most leave a shallow mark on his skin.
Activating and maintaining this Blessing required the direct consumption of the user's stamina and mental strength. Therefore, if the usage intensity wasn't controlled correctly, the Blessing holder might lose mobility and faint directly after using it, or even sudden death on the spot was possible. It had to be used with caution.
Hedal's Blessing had a second effect: distinguishing [Abnormal Humans]. It was a very eerie Blessing.
With this Blessing, when the holder encountered people such as cannibals, necrophiles, or those with split personalities—people who possessed [great abnormalities compared to normal people]—the holder would sense it and realize that this person was [abnormal]. This Blessing was similar to Li Zhaodi's Blessing of sensing good and evil; both were permanent passive skills, though its application seemed much narrower. Gao Hai thought about it for a good while but couldn't think of what use this Blessing would have in ordinary times, so he temporarily ignored it.
Undoubtedly, Hedal's Blessing was very practical. Leaving aside other things, just the first effect of the Blessing was extremely powerful. According to the power of the Blessing the three felt, relying on activating this Blessing in an emergency to escape the pursuit of anomalies and horror stories was completely achievable. As for enemies of the human type, it would be even easier; as long as this Blessing was activated, it would basically be a slaughter.
The only problem lay in consumption. According to their estimates, Maki could last at most three minutes using this Blessing, Gao Hai five minutes. Kaguya's body had congenital issues, so even with the Blessing's enhancement, she was inferior to both Gao Hai and Maki; she would likely reach her limit after continuously using the Blessing for about one and a half to two minutes.
"Very good. It seems the harvest is actually quite nice."
After carefully confirming the power of this Blessing, the corners of Maki's mouth couldn't help but curve into a hint of a smile.
"That's right. However, it looks like neither Maki-san nor I received a second Blessing. That is to say, Andres's Blessing was given to you, right, Gao-kun?"
Kaguya nodded as well, then looked at Gao Hai and asked with some curiosity.
"Yeah, that should be it. I can already sense Andres's Blessing. This Blessing is... huh?"
He sensed the power of this Blessing.
That peculiar Blessing, carrying a few hints of warmth, linked his existence with another's.
Maki also widened her eyes at this moment, revealing an expression of disbelief as she looked at Gao Hai. Her cheeks were almost instantly dyed with a crimson blush.
Andres's Blessing had only one ability: Spatial Movement.
The cooldown time was about 24 hours, meaning it could be used once a day. After use, Gao Hai could instantly move to Maki's side, or instantly move Maki to his side. As for the spatial interval existing between them, it currently seemed that unless they were separated in different instances, this Blessing had no restrictions and could be activated anytime, anywhere.
The reason this Blessing designated Gao Hai and Maki was simple: because they held good will toward each other. Maki and Gao Hai's heartfelt affection for one another was the key to activating this Blessing.
It was simply like... a confession...
Maki's cheeks turned almost as red as an apple. After feeling the power of the Blessing transmitting from Gao Hai's side, she knew that the affection she had always been too tsundere to express to Gao Hai was now being transmitted to him without reservation, just like the warmth he was transmitting towards her.
This kind of feeling...
This feeling that belonged only to me and Hai-kun...
Trembling slightly, Maki lifted her head, wanting to say something.
Then she sensed a second connection. At this moment, it crossed the distance of space, linking Gao Hai with a person who was not in this place.
Eh?
Maki froze.
Gao Hai didn't speak either.
The power of that Blessing seemed to pause slightly as well, seeming not to quite understand why such a situation would occur. But soon, the power of this Blessing continued to operate dutifully, connecting the heart of Gao Hai with another young girl who held mutual affection for him, granting them the extraordinary power to move to each other's side.
"What's wrong with you two?"
Kaguya, who felt absolutely nothing, saw Gao Hai and Maki first reveal expressions of joy, followed by the joy on Maki's face suddenly turning into a squirming shyness. Then, both of them froze in a daze at the same time, with Maki looking as if she had turned to stone. That continuous, drastic change in expression was truly very confusing.
Then, Maki turned her head expressionlessly to look at Gao Hai, whose forehead had begun to sweat.
"Say, Hai-kun, do you have anything to say?"
The girl's aura, at this moment, was like a raging fire.
"This, this, I..."
Gao Hai took a step back, retreating to the side of the compartment until his back pressed against the wall. For a moment, he had absolutely no idea what would be best to say.
Hey, hey, hey, what kind of Blessing is this? A harem Blessing? A wings Blessing? Isn't it a bit too early to get this kind of ability now? I haven't even settled a single one yet!
Looking at the extremely unfriendly look on the girl's face before him, Gao Hai opened his mouth, his brain spinning rapidly trying to find a way to break the current deadlock.
Hum—
Then, before he could think of a solution, a white light suddenly emerged at this moment. Immediately after, a young girl fell right into Gao Hai's embrace just like that.
"Ehehe, found you, Ah Hai~"
Chika Fujiwara, similarly disheveled, reached out to wrap her arms around Gao Hai's neck, resting her head on his chest and letting out a happy laugh.
The power of the Blessing had been mobilized.
Gao Hai hadn't expected that this new Blessing, which belonged solely to him, could actually have its control seized if the female party had a strong will. She activated the Blessing and teleported directly to Gao Hai's side, instantly making the situation even more chaotic.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and get off Gao-kun!"
Unsurprisingly, after about two seconds of stupor, Maki pounced directly. She grabbed Chika's shoulders, intending to pull her off.
"Whoa, don't pull! The clothes will rip!"
"I don't care about that! Get down, you!"
"No way! Shijo-san, you said it yourself that you aren't Ah Hai's girlfriend!"
"I-I-I—waah, I don't care anymore! Get down! You're not allowed to hug Hai-kun!"
Chaos.
Two women and one man, tangled together, noisily arguing in confusion.
Gao Hai's expression was complex. He didn't know whether he should be happy enough to fly or feel troubled by the hassle.
Maki was so angry that tears were flowing out. She tugged at Chika firmly, refusing to let go, not even caring that she herself had fallen into Gao Hai's arms in the process.
As for Kaguya...
Kaguya did nothing at all.
She merely sat motionless in her original spot.
Her brain, faced with a scene that defied common sense, had fallen into a crash state.
Who am I? Where am I? Why do I have to witness such a shameless scene? And the three people in this scene are my distant relative and my only school friend.
There must be something wrong with the way this developed, right?
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 50 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 20 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
🔥 20% CODE: MEDUSA2
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉