Volume One: Entering the City Chapter Twenty-Three: A Way Out?

The wind swept over the rooftop again and again. Lu Yi gazed at the figure standing by the railing and spoke quietly, “I heard about what happened before from others. Thank you for saving me.”

The figure slowly turned around. It was the Mad Blade. Leaning against the railing, he wore a strange, twisted smile on his lips. “Thank me? Do you think I went out of my way just to save you? And do you think I called you up to the hospital rooftop just to hear your thanks?”

Lu Yi frowned, sensing the visitor had come with ill intent. “Then what do you want me to say? I doubt you people have so much free time right now.”

“I’ll be direct with you. Before you were attacked, we’d already tried to protect those two previous natives, but failed both times. Saving you was just a way for me to vent my frustration.” With a mocking grin, the Mad Blade took a few steps closer.

“And as you said, I’m not that idle. Since you survived, the sequence has likely changed. That guy, the Emperor of Austria, will probably split the team—half to watch the last native, the other half as support. But I came for something I find more interesting,” he said, stopping a few meters from Lu Yi.

“That is, what exactly allowed you to survive?” When he finished, Lu Yi did not answer immediately. How could he reveal his trump card so casually?

“Heh, don’t want to say? I like people like you.” As he spoke, a long blade appeared in his hand. In a flash, he drew it and slashed, sending a blade of light toward Lu Yi, his voice cold and menacing: “Let me test you, then.”

Madman! Lu Yi’s heart jolted with shock. He hadn’t expected the Mad Blade to attack mid-conversation. But now, he truly couldn’t summon the Demon Eye, and the threatening arc of the slash was already upon him. Instinctively, he manifested the Demon Hunter, hoping to block the attack.

Yet, the sensation of collision never came. The blade of light swept past Lu Yi’s side; the Mad Blade had angled his strike away.

He stared in surprise at the dagger in Lu Yi’s hand. “Darkgold equipment? I thought you’d reveal some ability, but you just pulled out a dagger.”

A cold gleam flashed in the Mad Blade’s eyes. “So you weren’t honest before. But your affinity with this weapon is impressively low.”

The long blade vanished from his hand. “Why did the City arrange for you to be attacked at this time? What is so special about you, that the City would make an exception and have you targeted before all the natives have faced assault?”

Lu Yi’s face remained impassive. Would he tell the Mad Blade that he’d actually undergone an exorcism by a story character, and then been hunted by a death omen?

The Mad Blade shook his head in disappointment. “So you haven’t fully awakened your ability. The first time, all the natives we tried to protect died because we weren’t prepared. For you to last until we arrived, you must have triggered some power.”

He raised his head, smirking as he pointed the blade at Lu Yi. “Thank the City for its special arrangement. To let you discover your ability in the first mission is a great fortune. And hurry up and stabilize your power. I want to see what it is that makes you so important.”

“What special arrangement by the City? It was the Reaper’s doing, all because of that abnormal exorcism ritual. In what way is that a good thing?” Lu Yi raged inwardly. But as soon as the thought formed, a sudden inspiration struck him.

Wait—a good thing, a bad thing, no, that’s not it. The Reaper orchestrated my death because of the exorcism, but thinking back, since survival is the goal in the trial world, the ritual must have failed. So why did the Reaper mock me and plot so deliberately?

And it’s the Reaper—would it really be angered or amused by my actions? Obviously not. But it did so anyway. There’s only one explanation: the City made it do this.

Suddenly, two words surfaced in Lu Yi’s mind: a “way out.” He felt as if he was in one of those endless ghost story scenarios where, once someone finds a “way out,” the restrictions on the ghosts loosen, and those who discover it are hunted more fiercely.

But for Lu Yi, it was still a bit different. If the exorcism was the way out, then the Reaper’s assault had been delayed far too long.

He had two theories. First, maybe the City believed that letting the Reaper pursue him immediately would have left him no chance, so it delayed the attack and gave a warning. But Lu Yi didn’t really think this likely.

The second was that the exorcism ritual was close to the “way out,” but still short of it. So, to nudge Lu Yi, the City had the Reaper reveal itself and issue a warning.

“All right, take care of your injuries. Don’t die later—I’m genuinely curious about your power.” The Mad Blade laughed and turned to leave.

Lu Yi watched him walk away, his mind still circling his own theory. The exorcism was close to a “way out”—but in what way? Did it need stronger power for purification?

He scratched his head and tried to piece together that night’s events: being guided to the black house; the monster’s appearance; seeing its form; the monster breaking into the room; the Demon Hunter saving him; the pendant driving away the black mist on his body; the black mist swelling to block the light; the exorcism failing, leaving only a message behind.

“Light dispels the black mist, black mist blocks the light.” Lu Yi spoke the words without thinking, then shivered. It was resistance—using local forces against the Reaper.

Since even a small town like Shanel had people capable of such things, and the protagonist was taken away by a superpowered organization, there must be people like that in Anvalo as well.

Suddenly, Lu Yi understood something: why did the City force everyone back to Anvalo with a mandatory script? Why, upon returning, were they sent to the comic convention to interact with the natives? Because the City wanted the trial-takers to get to know their native friends, so these networks could be used later.

He speculated further—if he hadn’t been exorcised by the old lady, this forced plot would probably have been completely harmless.

With this in mind, Lu Yi picked up his phone, intending to tell Li Xinran, but then he changed his mind. The “way out” was not something that could be spoken aloud. Last time, he’d barely escaped the Reaper when he got close to it. If he said it directly now, the danger could be unimaginable.

He decided to gather information himself and make contact with the Demon Hunter.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Tu Xiaoxi calling. She’d heard Lu Yi was mostly fine and immediately contacted the others; everyone agreed to have a get-together. She was calling to ask if Lu Yi could come, and he readily agreed.

After hanging up, Lu Yi smiled. Attending this gathering was his own idea—no forced plot, no script from the City. This only confirmed his suspicions: the City was guiding newcomers to use their relationships with the natives.

That night, each new trial-taker had their own experiences—some chatted idly with the natives; some holed up in corners they deemed safe.

And in the depths of this night, Anvalo was swept by a torrential rain. The storm banished the heat of summer, as if opening a new chapter for the city.