Chapter 291 - 56: Don’t Reward Him

Standing in the mirror castle, Duan Fei discovered a serious problem with the level designers of "Abyss."

They loved to make things big.

The infinite office, the infinite city district, the infinite factory...

Even a simple event dungeon had to have a super-massive apartment building. It made Duan Fei feel like the designers didn’t know how to make a game unless they made the scene ridiculously huge.

The place he was in now was no different.

This was the fifth floor of the Dungeon. It looked like the inside of a castle, but its hallways stretched into infinity, and its staircases extended into endlessness.

Unlike a simple copy-paste job, every room here was unique, and every hallway was distinct. Each room led to three different rooms, and each of those, in turn, led to three more.

The entire castle was made of white marble. The items within were varied and breathtakingly beautiful. All sorts of gold, silver, and jewels were on dazzling display, and what looked like very expensive oil paintings were everywhere.

But no matter how luxurious it was, the moment you remembered this was an infinite space, a powerful sense of emptiness and desolation would set in.

Humans cannot comprehend the concept of infinity. When that concept is presented in a way they can somehow grasp, what follows is an immense hollowness, helplessness, and the emptiness of abandonment.

After wandering around for a short while, the three Slimes instantly lost all desire to continue.

The place seemed to have some special effect. The longer they stayed, the more hallucinations they experienced, and everyone saw something different.

For instance, upon entering one room, Duan Fei saw characters with a strong "other man’s wife" vibe, like a Snow Woman and Lord Hasshaku. Cuihua, on the other hand, saw four hairy, bare-chested men performing "Dance of the Little Swans."

Wei, Shu, and Wu were all present.

Not only that, but you could also enter the mirrors. Once inside, the atmosphere changed instantly.

The once-luxurious room immediately became dilapidated. The chandelier overhead could only emit a faint glow, casting the room in a cold light, like an ancient tomb on a desolate mountain.

And the presences that had only been subtly exerting psychological pressure before were now utterly unrestrained within the mirror. Vague shadows could be seen everywhere, and Ghost-like entities were all around.

Not long after entering the mirror world, the three players’ minds were crushed by the immense mental pressure, causing them to die. They woke up back in the main square.

Recalling the last thing he saw in the mirror, even someone as nerveless as Duan Fei felt a lingering fear.

It was something difficult to describe, something abstract. It was like finding a razor blade embedded in the bar of soap you use for your daily shower, when you know for a fact that you live alone.

It was the kind of horror that grows the more you think about it. The moment you realize something is wrong, the fear springs to life.

Sprawled on the ground, the three Slimes looked as if they were melting into flat pancakes, trying to relieve their psychological terror.

After an unknown amount of time, someone poked Duan Fei with a wooden stick and said, "Duan Someone, you’re back."

Lifting his head, Duan Fei saw the little boy, Hansen, standing in front of him, with his sister, Gretel, beside him.

Pulling his body back together, he said to Hansen, "You two..."

"Hmm?"

Hansen crouched down, looking at Duan Fei with anticipation.

His gaze was no longer that of someone looking at emergency rations, but at a newfound friend, eager to do something for that friend.

Looked at with such a pure gaze, Duan Fei no longer felt like snapping at him. So he said, "Never mind. Take us to see Miss Witch."

"Okay."

Hansen happily picked up Duan Fei and Cuihua, then had his sister pick up Darts Guest. The two children dashed into the Witch’s hut, holding up the three Slimes as they announced, "Miss Witch, our Slimes are back!"

"Stop messing around. The sight of Slimes just annoys me right now," Miss Witch said, sipping her floral tea.

"Why?"

"Someone leaked the news that I’ve been to the tenth floor. Now every Slime in town is pestering me for the way down. Are you kidding me? Am I the kind of person who would just casually reveal the method?"

She crushed a Slime on the floor with her foot, regarding the remains with the same expression one would have for a cockroach. Then, she conjured a small flame with her fingertip and burned away the residue.

For a moment, a sweet scent like vanilla ice cream filled the air, making even Miss Witch, who disliked Slimes, swallow her saliva.

After disposing of the player, Miss Witch propped her chin on her hand and asked, "Alright, what is it?"

Duan Fei hopped onto the table opposite the Witch. "We’ve reached the fourth floor. Right now..."

"Hold on. My hearing might be going bad. What floor did you just say?"

"The fourth floor. It’s a castle, full of rooms and mirrors. We..."

Miss Witch let out a long breath, then looked up at the ceiling and muttered to herself, "The fourth floor... Do you have any idea how long it took us to get to the fourth floor?"

"Um, three days?"

"Three months! We had to consult all sorts of veterans, learn all kinds of techniques, and grind on the first floor over and over, gathering materials to sell for money. Only after we’d learned enough skills and bought the right items did we barely manage to defeat the gatekeeper boss and get to the fourth floor."

"We were lucky. And we’re not afraid to die."

"Not being afraid to die is the key, isn’t it? I don’t know what the deal is with you Slimes, but the fact that you can die and revive somewhere else... it’s truly incredible."

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Miss Witch showed an arrogant smile. "You want to ask how to get through the fourth floor, don’t you? I do know, but I’m not going to tell you. However, if you’re willing to be my seat cushion for a day, I might consider it."

"Don’t you dare reward him!" Darts Guest yelled in disbelief.

"What’s that supposed to mean!" Duan Fei roared back.

"Think about it. I’m very light," Miss Witch said, dangling her legs, a sly grin spreading across her face.

One, his ability to concoct a Magic Elixir; two, his rapid progress through the levels. The traits Duan Fei displayed made the Witch extremely jealous. Her twisted personality made her feel that she absolutely had to bully him a little.

Duan Fei looked at the Witch’s brazen smile and asked expressionlessly, "Let me ask you something. Your Profession is Alchemist, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"What’s the potion you want to brew the most right now?"

"The Sleep Elixir, I suppose. A single drop would let me get a good night’s sleep. But that thing is too difficult. I still haven’t managed to make it. Probably only a Legendary Level Alchemist could pull it off."

Without another word, Duan Fei hopped over to the cauldron. His ultimate Magic Elixir ability activated.

When a Skill reaches its apex, it’s no different from Magic.

Even without the aid of any other Skills, Duan Fei swiftly added various herbs into the cauldron. A few minutes later, he had brewed a special Magic Elixir.

Duan Fei placed the Magic Elixir on the table, his face impassive. The Witch was terrified.

Finally, she just prostrated herself on the floor, pointed to her own back, and said, "Please, p-please sit. Be my honored guest."

"I told you not to reward him!"