Death Game: Starting as a Trickster, Pretending to Be a God

Regardless of who was the primary personality or the secondary personalities, Lin Yu was quite certain that among these three forms, Moss was the only one who did not trust him.

Therefore, either this child was very vigilant, or this fellow was very smart.

Although the appearance was that of a child, this was, after all, a ”projection” within a dream.

Lin Yu was very sure that this image did not correspond one-to-one with a person’s appearance in reality.

This was more like a projection of the ”inner soul.”

Otherwise, the three of them should look exactly the same.

And precisely because of this, even if it looked like a child, the mentality might not necessarily be that of a child.

Self-identity sometimes inherently deviates from one’s actual condition.

”Next, I still have to figure out a way to handle this ’Moss’...”

While Lin Yu was thinking, they had already walked near the light source.

Lin Yu roughly estimated;it was about the same amount of time it took him to find the log cabin last time.

Although Twenty’s projection in the dream would change, it still followed certain patterns.

Like the time from the waking point to the ”light source.”

This was also a kind of path dependency.

However, this time, the light source was indeed not a log cabin.

It was an abandoned mine shaft.

The source of the light was a swinging miner’s lamp at the entrance of the mine shaft.

Two tracks that looked old and poorly maintained stretched deep inside, with a rusted, mottled mine cart at each side of the entrance.

This surprised Lin Yu somewhat.

Last time, the two of them played the finger-guessing card game in the small log cabin...

Lin Yu thought that even if they weren’t playing the finger-guessing card game this time, they should at least be playing a different kind of board game.

But this mine shaft didn’t look like a good place to play cards either.

Moreover, Twenty wasn’t here either.

However, Lin Yu wasn’t particularly surprised about this point.

After all, Lin Yu was well aware...

This time, for Twenty, the objective was different.

Previously, he had only come to investigate Lin Yu, but now he had chased into the same [dungeon] and paid some kind of consumable [item] as the price.

Perhaps he still didn’t intend to kill Lin Yu, but it was also reasonable if his methods were correspondingly more extreme.

Furthermore, from ”Twenty’s” perspective, at the moment he activated the ”dream,” there was still the possibility that the woman before him wasn’t Lin Yu.

If that were the case...

Lin Yu felt that if he were Twenty, he would definitely kill this person who barged in.

”So in a sense, I’m still saving this guy’s life.”

Lin Yu thought, walking straight to the edge of the mine shaft and touching the rusty, old mine cart.

Fern also walked briskly to his side, speaking with a smile.

”Hoho, it’s looking more and more like a ’trap.’”

”But I still think it might be a good idea to go in and take a look.”

Algae, however, offered a different opinion: ”If you want to take the risk, I have no objection, but we can’t bring Moss along on the adventure.”

”Fern, out there I could try fighting a 『Third Tier』 for you, but since this is a ’dream,’ a world on some level of consciousness and soul... I can’t take that risk.”

As Algae spoke, Lin Yu quietly glanced at Moss.

The two of them had a difference of opinion—this was also a classic occurrence with ”split personality.”

If two souls lived in one body, disagreements would always arise.

After all, in terms of the cause of ”split personality”... if a person had no ”self-contradictory” aspects in their views on everything, was completely satisfied with all the decisions they were about to make and their current situation, and believed there was nothing in their past decisions worth regretting, it would be very difficult to develop a split personality.

Most split personalities stem from a self-protection mechanism after ”trauma.”

Even if the two personalities are fortunate enough to coexist harmoniously most of the time, there will inevitably be moments of disagreement.

And the current ”disagreement” was between Fern and Algae...

So how they would ultimately act, Lin Yu guessed, might be decided by the suspected ”primary personality,” Moss.

But to Lin Yu’s surprise, Moss didn’t say anything.

This child-like little fellow just remained silent, watching the unyielding Algae and Fern, just like Lin Yu.

”Is it because I’m present that they don’t want to or dare not express themselves...”

Lin Yu considered the worse possibility.

”However, thinking on the bright side, since we are all currently in the form of consciousness entities and soul projections... we don’t need to reach a consensus to act.”

”Perhaps it’s based on this point that this ’Moss’ chooses to let things be.”

While Lin Yu was thinking, sure enough, Algae and Fern also began to act while maintaining their analysis.

”I’m going to look around elsewhere. Even if I’m going into this mine shaft, I’ll be the last one to enter.”

After saying this, Algae put Moss down on the ground: ”If, before I return, Fern still wants to go into the mine shaft... then don’t follow Fern.”

Moss remained silent, just tapping on their own mask.

”Tap, tap, tap.”

Three crisp plastic sounds. Lin Yu didn’t know if this counted as agreement or what.

But Algae stood up contentedly, seemingly having received an affirmative reply.

He walked off in another direction.

Fern watched Algae walk straight away and called out to his retreating back.

”I know you’re cautious—but don’t forget, our physical bodies in reality right now are probably in a state of blood loss.”

”Time is not on our side.”

Algae, who had already walked some distance away and whose figure was about to disappear into the darkness, didn’t speak. He just raised his right hand high, clenched it into a fist and then opened it, seemingly also a kind of response to Fern.

”Truly communicating with oneself, so convenient and in sync.”

Lin Yu watched this scene and sighed with emotion again.

However, this time, even as an ”outsider,” Lin Yu could sense...

It seemed Fern and Algae had reached some kind of subtle reconciliation.

”It looks like we’ll be waiting here then.”

Lin Yu leaned against the mine cart. He tapped the edge of the cart, speaking calmly to Fern.

Fern nodded: ”Although I don’t think this place is really a trap;it’s too obvious. That guy we’re fighting and his cat probably aren’t that bored either.”

”In my opinion, this place is probably truly the key to our escape—but since Algae wants to look around more and explore other possibilities, I won’t stop him.”

Lin Yu looked at Fern and said, ”Because you need Algae’s combat power, and... you also suspect there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance the ’key’ to leaving this dream is elsewhere.”

Fern gave a slight nod.

”Ah, Grass... so calm and smart, these traits somewhat overlap with mine.”

She said with a smile.

”Perhaps, but I still don’t agree with him,” Lin Yu said, pushing himself upright using the mine cart’s rusty lever. ”And I don’t agree with you, who was persuaded by him either.”

”Both of you are too conservative and cautious. In this extreme situation, caution is hesitation, conservatism is cowardice—these are exactly what the one scheming against us wants to see.”

As Lin Yu spoke, he took a step forward and scooped up the silent Moss in one motion.

Simultaneously, he kicked backward with his foot, knocking open the mine cart’s lever!

While he had been sitting on the mine cart earlier, he had been quietly studying its structure—especially looking for how to start this mine cart!

Then, holding Moss, he leaned back and fell into this low mine cart!