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

“Holy crap, Phoenix sis, your analysis is spot on... Your ‘Class’ can’t possibly be ‘Detective,’ can it?”

Lin Yu egged her on, and Phoenix shook her head.

“My Class is Vendor. That was just a simple analysis.”

“All right... let’s find Kui first — not sure if she was awakened by someone or woke up on her own.”

Phoenix walked over and began checking where Kui had fallen. “From the traces, she probably didn’t pretend to be asleep from the very start and avoid being affected. She likely fainted first and then came to.”

Lin Yu inspected the scene and came to the same conclusion.

“Can Death Sleep Technique undo itself?”

Fish asked with some curiosity.

“Very unlikely, but if it’s Kui... it’s possible. After all, she has a lot of life-saving tricks. Though she doesn’t know Night Valley magic as well as I do, it’s normal for her to have strong defenses against hypnosis and soul attacks.”

“If it was undone, it wouldn’t have been fast. After all, not long ago Raymond was here and she was still here then... hmm, so she probably didn’t go far.”

Fish analyzed, then glanced at the open window. “Hey? Could she have jumped out the window and run?”

“No. Although that window looks like it was just opened, that was probably a diversion by Kui, since she couldn’t be sure whether whoever arrived first after she broke the Death Sleep would be friend or foe...”

Phoenix continued analyzing, but Lin Yu suddenly moved.

He walked to the cabinet in the corner of the room and kicked it.

Bang!

The cabinet made a noise and began to wobble in place — only then did the three realize it was actually an oil painting that had been integrated into reality.

Then the colors dissolved and faded, revealing Kui hiding behind it.

She slipped out from the real space behind the painting and greeted the three with a smile, “Hi?”

Phoenix and Fish looked at Kui, both a little speechless.

“How did you know we were here? Why didn’t you come out?”

Phoenix said helplessly.

“Actually, I didn’t see you guys arrive — when I’m disguised in the painting, I can’t see or hear.”

Kui said, a little embarrassed.

“Then at least glance at your Social panel. You were so safe-looking just now... you were so actively adding people as friends, but not so active replying to messages.”

Fish sighed.

“Sorry, I was too nervous in there... Also my Social was flooded with messages. I honestly couldn’t keep up!”

Kui said, even more embarrassed.

“Anyway... so what happened just now?”

Phoenix summarized what Fish had told her in even briefer terms for Kui.

Kui understood.

“OK, got it — we need to find Brother Qi, then together kill five snake descendants, right?”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Kui said, pumped full of energy.

The group left the residence and started searching for Brother Qi.

“By the way, how did you wake up from Death Sleep?”

Phoenix asked casually, then added, “Of course, if it’s personal, I won’t pry.”

“No big secret. My soul has a Blessing from the Pure Abyss. Any interference that violates my will, anything that disturbs my personal will through soul tampering, gets ‘cleansed’ during my soul’s hourly self-check.”

Kui smiled. “In other words... a mental-interference type spell can only affect me for up to one hour!”

“But... I’m curious. How did Schreiber over there immediately tell that the ‘cabinet’ was painted by me?”

“My shadows, textures, and details shouldn’t have had any mistakes. Combined with my Class and my items, it should be a perfect disguise.”

Phoenix and Fish missed it, how did he see it?

Kui asked, eyes blazing.

“That cabinet was fine, and at a glance matched the surroundings, but it wasn’t in Night Valley’s style.”

Lin Yu answered honestly.

“Not Night Valley’s style... aren’t you unfamiliar with Night Valley?”

Phoenix asked with curiosity.

“I am. I have no idea what Night Valley chests usually look like, but I’m certain about that one... it was standard Rococo-style wooden furniture. Even the wood grain and texture looked like Kingwood, West African Yellow Rosewood... The lacquer technique and decorative style were standard Victorian.”

“Although items in different worlds can look similar through convergent evolution... similarity would only be in general shape and foliage. The veins and grain of the leaves can’t be identical.”

“In short, this was definitely a Player-made thing, created by a Player — it doesn’t belong to this world. To me it was conspicuously out of place, practically highlighted and glaring.”

Lin Yu talked on and on, leaving the others stunned.

“Hey, dude, did you study Western history? That’s so professional!”

Kui clicked her tongue in amazement.

Fish gave a thumbs up. “What a talent... no wonder you convinced the Inquisitor of the Tribunal of Heresy, it’s not a coincidence.”

Phoenix also looked at Lin Yu and asked the same question he’d been asked earlier.

“So... what’s your Class?”

Lin Yu was already ready with his answer.

“Scholar. My Class is Scholar.”

Before entering this dungeon, when the Schreiber identity was first created to fit the First Generation Freud’s disciple identity, Schreiber’s Class was decided.

There was only one answer — Scholar.

The same Class as Old Zheng.

“No wonder,” Fish said, enlightened, “You really are a cultured fellow, Schreiber!”

“That’s great, you awakened Scholar... you must have a high degree, right,” Fish said with a smile, “Too bad I never went to university.”

“Why’s that? You’re from Yanjing, right? Didn’t you take the local college entrance exam?”

Lin Yu asked curiously.

Fish waved her hand. “The day I joined this Game was right before the college entrance exam.”

“After what happened, I just didn’t want to take it... and anyway, studying was never really my thing.”

They chatted as they moved, and soon found where Brother Qi was.

Even without Raymond’s help and without scouting from above, his location was actually the easiest to find.

After all...

Brother Qi had gone with an elite squad from the Tribunal of Heresy to investigate three ‘cases’ in Lilee.

Based on when the Death Sleep Technique was triggered, he most likely would be at one of those ‘crime scenes’!