Chapter 10: Crimson Resilience

Does the "Cognitive Blur" effect of [Invalid] have a delayed impact on a player’s perception?

Bai Ming does not actively disclose his abilities, but he does not fear exposing them either. This is because, beyond allowing him to violate rules without punishment, [Invalid] possesses a secondary effect: cognitive blurring. According to records in the [Player Forum], the Twilight Game has existed for two years. During this time, Bai Ming has used [Invalid] in reality on numerous occasions, yet he has never attracted the attention of the player community. Given this, any anomalies perceived by [Feng Yinyin] and her group within the instance would eventually be suppressed by this cognitive blur.

Tap, tap, tap—!

Bai Ming turned to see Bai Xiaozhi walking toward him, stepping over the blood and gore covering the ground. "What is it? Do you want to take over beating them for me? That would be great; I’m tired, so you help me."

Bai Xiaozhi shook her head gently, extending a skeletal hand to grasp Bai Ming’s right wrist. A crimson light surged from her palm, twisting like a living creature as it burrowed into Bai Ming’s veins, leaving pitch-black marks in its wake.

[The player has been cursed by Bai Xiaozhi.]
[The player has gained the temporary curse trait: Scarlet Resilience.]
[Scarlet Resilience (C+): Endure, endure, until this endurance leads to death. When encountering any non-lethal damage, gain +8 to Toughness Saves. However, you must perform a Toughness Save check every time you level up; failure results in the permanent loss of 1 point of Constitution.]
[Curse Duration: 24 hours.]
[Note: Permanent attribute penalties reduce the individual’s potential cap and cannot be easily recovered through training.]
[Note: 1 point of Toughness Save is equivalent to the effect provided by 2 points of Constitution.]
[Note: This trait has been added to the player’s exclusive trait list.]

What constitutes non-lethal damage? Thirst, running, wear and tear, fatigue, temperature exposure, suffocation, and hunger are all considered non-lethal. Knife wounds, sword slashes, explosions, burns, freezing, curses, and toxic gas are all considered direct lethal damage.

The moment [Scarlet Resilience] took effect, the fatigue from swinging the club receded like a retreating tide, and the pain from the recoil dissipated without a trace. Bai Ming laughed heartily: "There are no saviors in this world, and we rely on no gods or emperors. What you need is the courage to wield the blade, not to hand your power over to me."

Bai Xiaozhi’s single eye dimmed, and the tattered corners of her clothes trembled slightly. Seeing this, Bai Ming reconsidered. He realized he had developed a bad habit of trying to teach others the principles of self-reliance. Bai Xiaozhi was merely an instance-based resentment; she wasn't truly human, and once resolved, she would simply dissipate. Self-reliance requires a future, and Bai Xiaozhi had none.

Therefore, Bai Ming reached out with his left hand and patted Bai Xiaozhi’s head. "But you are a princess today. A princess doesn't need to understand these things; she only needs to hide behind her knight."

Bang—!

Seeing a student closing in while they spoke, the steel club in Bai Ming’s hand transformed into a dark shadow, smashing into the ghost’s crown with a sound that tore through the air. Eyes bulged, the skull collapsed, and dark red blood sprayed outward. Using [Coward’s Reflexes], Bai Ming dodged the splatter and continued swinging the club at the ghosts.

Dark red blood formed streams outside the teaching building, and the scent of rust permeated the air. As Bai Ming continued to pummel the ghosts, more and more teachers began to gather at the entrance. They stood rigidly behind the glass doors, their pale faces pressed against the cold glass. Each face wore a bizarre smile, their protruding, bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Bai Ming. Teacher Wang’s face, in particular, was positioned in the middle of the front row, appearing as sharp and clear as a two-dimensional image.

Bai Xiaozhi stumbled backward, her thin fingers clutching the hem of Bai Ming’s clothes. Bai Ming smiled and patted her head. "It seems I am highly valued by the teachers. So many of them have come to see me, a truant student."

Bai Ming was well aware that these teachers, like the students, were bound by the rules and could not harm him. After all, he had used [Invalid] over the past two days to cancel the punishments for two specific rules:

[5. Teachers and students should respect and care for each other. As a student, you must follow the teacher’s instructions, respect the teachers, and care for the teachers.]
[6. Students should get along with each other, refrain from arguing or fighting, resolve conflicts rationally, and seek help from teachers for difficult problems.]

It was the disappearance of these two punishments that left the students helpless to do anything but take a beating, and prevented the teachers from forcibly issuing commands to Bai Ming.

"Oh! I get it. You’ve gathered spontaneously to give me, a truant, extra lessons so I can maximize my clearance rating. I really thank you, my 'good teachers'."

...

In the classroom of Class 6, Grade 3, [Mo Wen Qian Cheng] stood by the window, watching the fierce battle at the entrance of the teaching building. He couldn't help but click his tongue. "The stamina of [Wu Tian] is too persistent. Even if they were a thousand unresisting pigs, a butcher would be exhausted just from the killing."

[Wo Neng Wu Sha] sneered, "Boss [Wu Tian] has a deep background; naturally, he has potions to restore his stamina."

[Feng Yu Zi You] asked, "What do we do now? Teacher Wang used an excuse to let us have a self-study session and ran downstairs; we should be free now, right?"

"Should we go help [Wu Tian]? Can he really handle it? The teachers are gathering more and more; I’m afraid there will be an accident." It wasn't that he didn't trust [Wu Tian], it was just that the scene was too exaggerated. It was like a player single-handedly taking on a siege boss. Bai Ming was the boss, and the students and teachers were the besiegers. However, Bai Ming was ultimately just a player, while the students and teachers were ghosts. Could he really keep it up?

[Feng Yu Zi You] continued, "I suspect he utilized the reversal of Rule 6 to make the students unable to attack him. But Rule 5 doesn't restrict teachers from attacking students; at most, it only grants immunity to their commands."

[Feng Yinyin] said calmly, "Trust him. Even if we don't, going down there now is just suicide. There are over twenty teachers down there; what could we possibly do?"

The group fell silent. Indeed, what was the point of going down? If Bai Ming won, they won; if Bai Ming lost, they lost. If Bai Ming truly won and they went down only to throw their lives away, it would be a massive loss. Although it was an unpleasant feeling to entrust one’s life to someone else, this was the reality of the Twilight Game.

"Eh? Why am I in the classroom? What’s the situation?"

[Yuan Wei Hua]’s awakening voice broke the silence. This was, of course, brought about by [Feng Yu Zi You] and the others. They had the means to temporarily restore the consciousness [Yuan Wei Hua] had lost, hoping she could contribute at a critical moment—perhaps even as cannon fodder.

[Wo Neng Wu Sha] said irritably, "You have the nerve to ask? You’ve almost slept your way to a clear!"

After a brief explanation, [Yuan Wei Hua] was first shocked, then delighted, and finally smug. "I just have that kind of 'win-by-doing-nothing' fate. If you're not convinced, deal with it!"

[Wo Neng Wu Sha] was infuriated, arguing with [Yuan Wei Hua] until they nearly came to blows, only to be stopped by [Feng Yu Zi You] and [Mo Wen Qian Cheng]. Watching [Wo Neng Wu Sha]’s impotent rage, [Yuan Wei Hua] felt great. She looked down at Bai Ming, who was slaughtering everything below, and thought smugly, "So what if he's strong? Whatever special F-rank rating he gets, he still has to obediently carry me to a clear."

Just then, a voice suddenly surfaced in her mind:

"Kill him."

[Yuan Wei Hua]’s eyes instantly turned vacant. She quietly retreated behind the other players, pulled a pistol from her [Inventory], and aimed it at Bai Ming below, pulling the trigger.