Chapter 202: I Want It All

【Red Maple Boarding School】 Evaluation Rank S, rewarding 5000 Points.

【Red Maple Boarding School】 True End Line cleared, rewarding 5000 Points.

【Red Maple Boarding School】 Dual World Line unlocked, rewarding 5000 Points.

【Worldview resolution 100%, rewarding 5000 Points.】

【Low difficulty side quest completed, rewarding 3000 Points.】

【Medium difficulty side quest completed, rewarding 5000 Points.】

【Achievement “The Outsider” unlocked (Influencing the other world line in a Dual World Line instance), rewarding 1000 Points.】

【Achievement “Selfless” unlocked (Sacrificing some of your own interests to help other players complete their tasks), rewarding 1000 Points.】

【Total reward points 30000, already deposited into the Points Account.】

The balance of the Points Account increased to 【150,400】, enough to purchase quite a few powerful items.

Qi Si leaned against the high-backed chair, his eyelids half-lowered.

The Identity Card that had vacated the upper right corner of his vision for a while reappeared, the red-robed, red-eyed figure smiling with both pity and mockery.

【Identity Card: Crimson High Priest】

【Effect: You will more easily gain the faith of other beings, and convert that faith into your own power.】

The Identity Card he had coveted for so long was finally in his grasp. With everything settled, Qi Si yawned contentedly.

The moment he left the instance, the high fever receded, his missing limbs returned, and the illness that prevented sleep vanished, allowing utter exhaustion to descend upon him.

He forced himself to stay awake, his gaze falling on the “Selfless” achievement. The corners of his mouth curled up sarcastically: “A game that aims to extract sin actually promotes virtue? What is this supposed to be? Risk hedging?”

The settlement text continued to refresh.

【Your skill “Soul Contract” has undergone tempering in the instance, and its success rate has changed.】

【Success Rate: 26% (The results of two ten-sided dice rolls are used as the tens and ones digits respectively; a roll greater than 74 is deemed a success.)】

Although the success rate increased, it was still low, and not very useful to Qi Si.

However, he did notice that after clearing a instance related to the Contract, the Soul Contract skill always seemed to change slightly… It felt as if the Contract was manipulating things behind the scenes.

【Congratulations on perfectly clearing the Red Maple Boarding School instance. You may choose one reward item: 1. Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen; 2. Cursed Pendulum.】

“There’s actually a choice?”

Qi Si watched the icon for the 【Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen】 with half-lidded eyes. It was a glass tube filled with rolling cyan-black liquid, the viscous fluid occasionally spitting out ominous, toad-like bubbles.

The moment his gaze touched it, the item details popped up.

【Name: Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen】

【Type: ##】

【Effect: Causes infection with “insomnia syndrome”. Can be transmitted to anyone via contact in the “Real World” and remains latent within the body. The holder determines the time and intensity of the outbreak.】

This was undoubtedly an item similar to the 【Statue of the Joyous God】—one that could be brought into reality to create eerie events—and it was even more useful and convenient than the Statue of the Joyous God.

It is not restricted by location or time; it can spread between people merely through contact and be Carried across the land as populations move.

It is not a mass or instantaneous outbreak. It can be remotely controlled by the holder, precise to the individual, determining whether the infected person suffers an outbreak, when it happens, and how it manifests.

The holder only needs to sit high and wait for the pathogen to lie dormant inside everyone after repeated contact. They can then control the life and death of any individual, or even carefully control the “degree” to threaten and torture specific people.

Compared to the area-restricted 【Statue of the Joyous God】, the 【Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen】 is invisible, traceless, and moves freely. Given time, people of all races across the world will fall ill at unexpected times, leaving no root cause or evidence.

No one will know who spread this disease or where it started. Official forces will search high and low but struggle to pinpoint the source of the evil, and may even attribute the erratic outbreaks of “insomnia syndrome” to an “accident”—the kind that certain people are accustomed to proclaiming.

Having just tasted the sweetness of turning Qijia Village into a ghost domain, Qi Si was naturally intrigued by a similar type of item.

Zhang Yiyu’s experience proves the Eerie Investigation Bureau’s powerful ability to conduct offline investigations. He has done many things that harm society in the past, and will do more in the future, so he must plan ahead and accumulate more Chips in reality to prevent being physically eliminated by a bullet when the truth comes out.

The effect of the 【Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen】 is practically tailor-made for negotiation. If he holds the lives of countless people in his hands, the Eerie Investigation Bureau will inevitably be reluctant to act rashly.

They are holding Jin Yusheng as a hostage, and he will use the eerie invasion as a threat. Fair, just, reasonable, and legitimate.

Qi Si then looked at the 【Cursed Pendulum】.

A thin black chain secured a blood-colored crystal, and the sharply ground pendulum bob reflected a strange, demonic red light.

【Name: Cursed Pendulum】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Upon drawing blood, the wounded entity will randomly acquire one of the following statuses: amnesia, hallucination, high fever, etc.; the holder’s physical strength, martial prowess, reaction speed, movement speed, and agility receive a slight increase; the holder can control it via thought for remote attack (attack power intensity depends on Soul Strength).】

【Note: The Evil God blesses believers while simultaneously cursing heretics. The ancient sorcery cannot be deciphered or removed.】

Qi Si stared at the thumb-sized crystal pendulum bob, sinking into contemplation.

Is that how a pendulum is used? If he remembered correctly, this thing was for divination, not for directly smashing people, right?

As if sensing Qi Si’s confusion, the Eerie Game displayed a line of text on the system interface: 【Item functions and usage are subject to game settings. The final right of interpretation belongs to the World Rules.】

…Never mind then.

Qi Si stretched out a finger and touched the Cursed Pendulum icon, his fingertip passing through the phantom image as if it were nothing.

He pondered for a moment and asked, “Can I test the effect?”

【No.】

Qi Si thought for a bit, then asked, “Can I have both?”

【No.】

“…”

For Qi Si, the 【Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen】 was a must-have. After all, the Eerie Investigation Bureau was already watching him, and he urgently needed something that could provide him with security in reality.

But he was quite unwilling to just give up the 【Cursed Pendulum】.

Since they were offered together for selection, even if the two items weren’t exactly equivalent, they must each have their own advantages.

The 【Cursed Pendulum】 was the weapon-type item Qi Si had always lacked.

Although the randomness of the first effect was frustrating, the ability to inflict debuffs on entities like players, Ghosts, and NPCs was rare enough that, if used properly, it might yield miraculous results.

The second effect would comprehensively improve the holder’s individual strength. Although the description “slight increase” was vague, every little bit helps. Qi Si knew his martial prowess was a weakness, and having an item to compensate for it would be perfect.

Qi Si was most interested in the third effect: controlling the pendulum via thought for remote attack. This was very friendly to a martial arts failure like him who lacked any combat foundation—it was simple, flexible, and easy to master.

As for the attack power being determined by Soul Strength, Qi Si believed that his Soul Strength wouldn’t be weak, considering he held the authority of the Contract, controlled the souls of Qijia Village and several players, and had been mistaken for an Evil God by Zhang Yiyu.

As instance difficulty increases and players become stronger, deception and strategy might handle many situations, but when facing a brute whose strength overcomes all tactics, even the most infallible strategist can only surrender.

Qi Si urgently needed a weapon that could enhance his strength, and reinforce the martial prowess he had always neglected.

“So, I really can’t have both?” he asked again, sincerely.

The newly unlocked 【Crimson High Priest】 card was materialized between his fingers. The red-robed deity on the card and he, sitting on the divine throne, simultaneously lowered their crimson eyes and revealed an eerie smile.

The system interface flickered twice, finally relenting:

【You may choose one item and purchase the other using Points.】

Qi Si asked, “How many Points will it cost?”

【The Game System will calculate the Points required for purchase after you make your selection.】

This was likely the final limit for negotiating with the Eerie Game.

Qi Si decided to quit while he was ahead, saying, “I choose one.”

【Congratulations on receiving the reward item “Insomnia Syndrome Pathogen”. Calculating the Points required to exchange for “Cursed Pendulum”…】

【Calculation Result: 200,000 Points.】

【Please complete the purchase within 1 hour, otherwise the purchase agreement for this item will permanently expire.】

The glass tube filled with cyan-black liquid materialized in front of Qi Si. Qi Si grabbed it, placed it on the bronze table, and then reached out to touch Zhang Yiyu’s Soul Leaf, bringing up the settlement interface.

【Red Maple Boarding School】 Evaluation Rank A, rewarding 3000 Points.

【Red Maple Boarding School】 True End Line cleared, rewarding 5000 Points.

【Worldview resolution 80%, rewarding 3000 Points.】

【Achievement “Carried” unlocked (Clearing the TE instance with low participation), rewarding 1000 Points.】

【Achievement “Death and Life” unlocked (Dying and resurrecting in the instance), rewarding 1000 Points.】

【Total reward points 13,000.】

Qi Si yawned and immediately transferred all thirteen thousand Points into his own account.

If his judgment of the situation was correct, Zhang Yiyu likely wouldn’t get another chance to see the light of day and use these Points.

With fragmented footage circulating from Red Maple Boarding School, anyone with sense would suspect she had become Qi Si’s eyes; the Investigation Bureau naturally wouldn’t feel safe allowing her to enter a instance again, risking the possibility of leaking crucial intelligence.

He was still short of 200,000 Points by over thirty thousand. Qi Si casually harvested a little from every Soul Leaf to round up the total.

“Confirm Purchase.”

The moment the command was issued, the precise figure of 200,000 in his account instantly vanished, replaced by a round zero.

Tiny specks of light converged in the void, forming a blood-colored pendulum that glowed faintly, hovering and swaying slightly.

Qi Si reached out and grasped the pendulum. The cold pendulum bob retracted its sharpness in the holder’s palm, but the coldness it emitted remained bone-chilling and venomous.

The black chain wrapped around his pale wrist like a living viper. A chilling power seeped into his blood vessels and flowed through his meridians, instantly banishing all of Qi Si’s drowsiness.

He stood up from the high-backed chair, his movement creating a gust of air. With light steps, he crossed the sanctuary and reached the bronze door in less than ten seconds.

He turned, shifted sideways, bent down, and leaned back, performing several movements to form a rough assessment.

“Speed has indeed increased, but the exact value needs to be measured in reality. Agility is also enhanced; some movements that usually feel awkward are now easier to execute. Reaction speed and martial prowess require further testing, but they should also be boosted. It’s best to conduct detailed tests after returning to reality.”

The time for a single stay in the game space was limited. Considering that he could usually bring items back to reality, Qi Si decisively gave up on continuing to test the effects of the Cursed Pendulum and sat back down in the high-backed chair.

He reached out his hand toward the golden World-Fruit, looking down at the villagers’ Soul Leaves.

After the tempering of the first instance, most of the hundred-plus people had died. Only forty-one Soul Leaves hung limply on the branches, their condition far from optimistic.

The total of seventy-one thousand Points acquired by the survivors was held and toyed with by Qi Si, who would act as an all-dominating God, distributing and rewarding them.

Since the villagers hadn’t become official players yet and had nowhere to spend Points, Qi Si deposited all seventy-one thousand Points into his own account, happily watching the Points he had just spent recover by almost half.

With a little time remaining in his stay, Qi Si clicked into the Live Stream Hall once more.

Colorful window grids spread out across the gray background. Lines of silver-white text flashed before his eyes, accompanied by the sound of celebratory fireworks:

【The streamer you favored has cleared the No. 33 Middle School instance. Congratulations on completing a successful live stream investment.】

【You invested a total of 80 Points. 800 Points have been returned to your account based on the ratio. We wish you an enjoyable viewing experience.】

Qi Si:???