Chapter 537: 11.63 First Green Star - Punishment World: 'h.e.l.l' (29)

Snorts!

Han Ya just snorted and averted his gaze as if he didn't care about what Chu Mo and Lan She had said. Though he couldn't understand their sudden detachment, Han Ya never cares about anyone except his beloved after all.

The two female snakes felt the weirdness in the atmosphere between these players and remained silent instead.

Lan She noticed that they've stopped speaking and asked, "Then how did you two end up as monsters then?"

"This... Anyone who failed to leave the Punishment World would be converted to Abyssal Monsters. We could start from being a mob monster gaining experience until we level up to becoming a Boss NPC."

"You cannot become a player again?" asked An Yuan.

"We could. But as Boss NPC we need to surrender to a player. Only when the player treated us as equal. A spouse or a lover, we can become players once again. But our lives would be connected to the player we had signed a life and death contract with."

"But signing it had disadvantages as well. Players are usually able to die multiple times and as long as they completed the Punishment Gameworld they would be able to return to the Abyssal City multiple times. But those who had signed with a Boss NPC would no longer be allowed to enter the Punishment Game World. It means death in games would be real in a sense. You and your signed partner would return to nothingness."

Han Ya asked, "And the advantages?"

"The two lives are connected. As long as one of the two isn't dead. The other could revive multiple times. If both were killed then it's the end. That's right. There's a sign of it. A mark would be left behind on the human player. If the main element of the Abyssal Ent.i.ty agreed to such a life and death contract, they would have to leave their essence inside the body of the player. Actually, players could sign such contracts with other players too. But their markings' color would be bright, only a black marking would be considered an Abyssal monster's imprint."

An Yuan muttered the word that caught his attention. When the word 'Imprint' was mentioned he remembered the black-red fire marking that appeared out of nowhere on Hei Anjing's collarbones and neck. It looks so pretty on his white skin that An Yuan couldn't forget about it.

"If pure black markings are from abyssal monsters and colorful ones are from the players, how about two colored ones?" asked An Yuan.

The humanoid monster showed a confused expression for a moment but still answered honestly.

"Imprints only have one color. Colors for players and Black for Abyssal Monsters. I haven't heard of a dual or a tri-color imprint before. If you know someone like that you can ask him about it if he is willing to answer then you will know the answer to that. But an imprint means that player had signed a life and death contract with someone. After all, imprints can never be removed."

"Permanent Imprint. Sharing life and death with another person. It's an eternal oath. No being would easily agree to it unless he found his soulmate." said Chu Mo as he glanced at Lan She.

But the latter just glanced at him and averted his eyes, though they are lovers they didn't have the same extent of feelings as Hei Anjing and Ye Xiajie have. Plus their current position as a warden and a prisoner created such unfair distance between them.

Unless Yun Ming was freed from his trials as a prisoner, he wouldn't be able to fully accept Warden Lou Wuye's love. Knowing this Warden Lou chooses to protect him from harm while keeping a certain line they could never cross unless Yun Ming gets back his freedom.

"Imprint? Permanent markings?"

An Yuan keeps muttering the word imprint unknown to him Han Ya is staring at his nape where he left a bit of his mana in it. A cloud-like black mist was imprinted on An Yuan's nape but because he couldn't see such a position, he remained ignorant of it. Though it wasn't the same life and death contract from the mouths of the snake monsters, it is still a bit similar to it yet at the same time not.

The group had left the two monsters alone and let them freely leave after giving them some food while the four of them returned to the camp and ate dinner. After eating dinner, they finally went to the center of the forest to the cavern of the demonic being from before. There they waited for a while for the elevator to arrive.

---

On the other hand, Hei Anjing and Ye Xiajie woke up from their nap. They finally left the abyss and met with their Systems who were waiting in the last layer of h.e.l.l. As expected no other players had reached the last layer at all.

Ye Xiajie asked, "No other players arrive?"

[Lord G.o.d Ye, no one had reached this layer except for Master.] answered System Yang.

Hei Anjing said while yawning, "No one is still here? I've already slept for hours and they aren't here again."

Ye Xiajie who had his arms wrapped around his wife was helping him clean up his face and all. He happily serves his wife and never gets bored with it.

"Where are they right now?" asked Hei Anjing. He is asking about the two systems with them.

System Yang stayed silent and let System Yue answer his Master's question. He knew how much Zhi Yue missed Hei Anjing. He was the one serving his master while he wasn't around.

[Lord Hei, Warden, and the rest are still on their way to the 10th layer. The h.e.l.l of Ice.]

Hei Anjing frowned unhappily and said, "Our long nap is enough for them to just finish a single layer? What are they playing around with?"

[The protagonists are with them so they couldn't just be overwhelmed with the difference in strength. With Lord Hei's permission they couldn't OOC at all.]

"Ah~ I forgot about that. Thanks for telling me, Yue. You and Yang go contact the world consciousness and remove the restriction on my husband, Warden Lou and Yun Ming. My husband and I are going to meet those guys halfway. I'm bored here already~" said Hei Anjing.

System Yue, [Eh... Eh? Lord Hei are you going up through those layers?]

"Yes, with A'Xia since there is nothing to do. But I might skip a few layers. Yes, like that h.e.l.l of maggots or something." said Hei Anjing.

"I'll be playing with you, Baby," said Ye Xiajie with a gentle expression on his face as he gives Hei Anjing on his cheeks.

Hei Anjing kissed him back and held his hands, "Of course! You are coming with me. I will not leave you here."

There ten fingers were intertwined and clasped together with no s.p.a.ce in between. It was as if promising an eternity together. The couple heads to the elevator and heads up to the next layer together. Leaving the two systems behind drowning in the dog food that had rained on them.

System Yue, [For some reason I feel back for those players who would be b.u.mping the Lords on the way.]

[Yes, you would like to see someone go back up from the last layer just to play around. Only Lord Hei who is mischievous would think of playing around in such a dangerous place enjoying the thrill. While Lord G.o.d Ye had longed to treat this event as a date with his wife pampering him all the way. Those players who sacrifice almost anything to survive those layers would definitely puke blood if Lord Hei even speaks out.] said, System Yang.

[That sounds fun. I want to watch the Lord's anger those players~]

System Yue was becoming more playful and bad ever since he had spent time being Lord Hei's system in those past worlds. It was understandable, there isn't much real danger besides Lord Hei.

System Yue, [I'm excited about what would Lord Hei's reaction in the h.e.l.l of the blood pool. That layer is also known as the h.e.l.l for l.u.s.tful sinners.]

[... Um, Lord G.o.d Ye is with him... I don't think what you are thinking will happen Yue'er...]

[A'Yang... You don't believe me. I know Lord Hei's temperamental moods. Either way, let's just turn off the Streaming camera on time if that happens.]

[...Do you... really think it would happen?]

[Maybe or maybe not~ Let go complete our task so we can follow after the lords as soon as possible.]

The two systems created a s.p.a.ce rift and directly went to the location where this world consciousness resides. Though the Main G.o.d of this Abyssal world is Ye Xiajie. The controller of the star is still the Heavenly Laws in this world. System Yang and System Yue left to meet that collection of wills and input the command Lord Hei had given them. System Yue usually does such a thing in the last few words under the order of Hei Anjing. Now together with System Yang, they would be doing it together once again.

The elevator that Hei Anjing and his husband had ridden on had moved up to the layer Hei Anjing had chosen. He chooses the seventeenth layer. The h.e.l.l of pounding.

h.e.l.l of Pounding.

A land of stones with not even a single gra.s.s is growing. There aren't even demons stationed after this layer. Because in this layer even the mountains would sometimes fall on earth. The layer is a field with red stone and blackened areas. Those blackened areas are the location where most beings were pounded to nothingness.

At this moment, a few players were running around the area like rats who were escaping from the cats. There used to be a large number of them but now they look like beggars covered in dust, mud, and dried blood. They are trembling as they watch the red sky above their heads fearing that something might fall from there killing them off instantly...

"This is impossible! How can those things fall from the sky!"

"No. No. I'm dreaming. This must be a nightmare!"

"Those players might... m-might still be..." remembering how a group of players instantly turns into a lump of meat paste the moment a mountain falls from the sky. Some of the blood and flesh splashed on them when those people were pounded to death. "Urgh~ pukes~"

Some female players were already traumatized by what they had witnessed the moment they entered the layer. There are tons of groups that have entered the layer all at the same time. Despite the sour smell of vomit, none of the players had scolded the female player who started to puke. Some men even puke with her when they've also remembered the scene of living humans suddenly turning into ground meat.

The appearance of that ground meat isn't that much different from the ones they used to cook when making some sausages or something. Just recalling it made them unable to stomach ground and processed meat due to what they had witnessed. They had a feeling they wouldn't be able to eat meat at all if they ever survive this h.e.l.l.

"Everyone keep your eyes from those things above. Keep your guards heightened and make sure to report any rumbling sounds you hear!"

"Y-Yes!"

This group of players was in a state of breakdown and anxiety thinking that a mountain would suddenly fall on them like before. As they walked around the stone ranges they suddenly heard a rumbling sound of something hitting the ground like before and it was coming from behind them.

When they turned around they saw mountains falling up and down in line coming after them.

BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.

"It's here again!!!"

"Run. RUN AWAY!!!"

BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.

"AHHH~ No. Don't come here!"

"I don't want to die. I don't want to turn in a meat paste ahhhh!!!!"

"Shut up! Don't look back and keep running!"

BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.

While running for their lives they b.u.mped into a weird scene of a male couple enjoying the view. They were both looking around the area. The beautiful young man with black hair and deep blue eyes was holding an Ice cream bowl in his hand. He was happily scooping some ice cream for himself and would sometimes feed the other handsome yet dangerous-looking man standing beside him.

This man had long hair and monochromatic eyes of black and red despite the dangerous aura coming from him. His eyes were gentle when looking at the beautiful young man beside him. He even calmly held a paper umbrella with a floral pattern above their heads blocking the rain of mini pebbles from the sky.

Hei Anjing hummed happily, "Ice cream is the best... My love, eat too. I will feed you some more. Ah~"

"Ah~ thank you, baby. But don't eat too much or you'll get a stomach ache," said Ye Xiajie as he worriedly rubs his wife's tummy.

"Then~ help me finish this bowl and I won't suffer from stomachache as you said."

"Sure~ feed me, baby, ~"

This cringy and mushy couple who is flirting in the midst of danger is none other than Ye Xiajie and Hei Anjing. Seeing their interaction some players even forgot to run away and were instantly turned into meat paste.

BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.

"Ah!! You stupid couple! Run!!!"