“Your Ability was the ‘Favorability System’ after all?”
This sentence fell.
Not only did Xu reveal a shocked expression: ‘Favorability System…’
The most shaken was none other than the person in question, Yao Xing.
Her entire body trembled nonstop, her pupils shrank, and she looked at Xin Ge’er in confusion.
“You—how did you know?!”
Xin Ge’er said nothing, just chuckled.
Jia Sha, sitting nearby, was also a Hero and knew Xin Ge’er’s background well.
He helplessly shook his head and smiled, urging, “Stop messing with our savior. Just tell her the reason.”
“Alright, alright.”
Xin Ge’er sat back beside Yao Xing and teased, “Why did this ability make you think for so long?”
Yao Xing glanced at her resentfully.
“Never mind that. What kind of thunderous System did you use to know my Ability?”
Haha—
Xin Ge’er laughed in amusement, then revealed the truth: “Why do I know your Ability? Because, you see, my Ability is—my Ability is—”
What’s going on….
Xin Ge’er suddenly stopped speaking.
Before Yao Xing could ask why, Jia Sha and Xu immediately leaped to their feet, drew their weapons, and prepared for the presence about to arrive.
Yao Xing looked left and right, scanning everyone’s wary eyes.
She was confused at first, but then she caught an unusual rusty smell of blood coming from outside the camp.
‘Could it be!’
Right.
It was the demon Xi Ke, swaggering in without a care.
In his hand, he held half a soldier, and in his mouth, he was chewing on an arm, enjoying it like a chicken leg.
“Heroes, hello~”
Everyone present couldn’t help but show disgust.
Jia Sha and Xu even struck first, each launching an attack at Xi Ke.
‘No, no! Every time this happens, once we attack Xi Ke, that demon general Zi Luan will definitely show up!!’
Thinking this, Yao Xing quickly shouted, “Don’t attack!”
But the words didn’t reach in time.
The attack had already landed.
Jia Sha, his whole body covered in purple demonic energy, slashed down with a single purple light, severing Xi Ke’s right arm clean off.
‘No—’
Yao Xing looked at Xi Ke in terror.
Xi Ke said nothing.
Facing their ceasing attacks, he just covered his mouth and let out a whimper, as if pretending to cry.
“Boo-boo… haha… hahahaha!”
“I’ve finally been waiting for you!!”
Yao Xing’s face went pale with fear.
“No!”
Time stood still.
Heartbeats stopped.
Everyone ceased moving.
Xi Ke maintained his eerie, grinning face.
The wind flowed again.
Heartbeats restarted with a jolt.
Yao Xing hurriedly stood up in fright.
In front of Xi Ke, a tall figure had appeared—the demon general Zi Luan!
Xi Ke hopped around excitedly, jumping up and down, and announced, “Welcome one of the Seven Generals of the Demon King’s Army, Lord Zi Luan!”
‘Gah! The demon general is here again!’
‘No, no. I have to figure out the trigger condition of his chess piece immediately! I absolutely must—’
“Lord Zi Luan, did I do well this time?”
“Not bad.”
As this familiar exchange repeated,
Zi Luan’s gaze had already swept across everyone present.
“Three heroes, one mixed-blood dragon, and one hiding underground.”
Hearing Lord Zi Luan list their numbers and even point out Anuo, who had been hiding for so long,
Yao Xing’s fear was now completely uncontrollable.
Her face overflowed with unease and despair.
Slap, slap…
Yao Xing hurriedly patted her own cheeks.
‘I can’t back down! Even if I die, I have to figure out the death rule!’
Everyone dared not attack, all observing.
Zi Luan remained silent, his terrifying smile still fixed on his face.
His tall figure paced around the camp over and over, as if applying pressure or waiting.
‘I can’t find a pattern!’
Xi Ke, guarding the camp’s entrance, kept clapping and hopping in excitement.
He was genuinely thrilled.
‘What pattern could there—’
Boom—!
A sound rang out.
Red fluid sprayed from someone and splattered onto Yao Xing’s face.
The scorching sensation made Yao Xing turn her head in fear.
The blood came from… Xin Ge’er…
‘No way… Xin Ge’er…’
Xin Ge’er had already violated the chess piece rule.
Now only blood remained.
The only ones left were two heroes, Xu, and Anuo.
‘Wait, where’s Anuo!’
Yao Xing searched the ground beneath her.
Hahaha…
But Xi Ke kept laughing, louder and more arrogant.
“The arm I’m chewing right now belongs to that underground brat you were looking for~ Hahahaha!”
‘What—’
Yao Xing was utterly hopeless, but her still-rational mind told her she had to spot a shred of the death logic, even just a trace!
Boom…
Boom….
The most terrifying thing came.
Red fluid filled the entire camp.
Yao Xing couldn’t stay seated.
She collapsed to her knees in despair.
“Only you left~”
Xi Ke sneered mockingly.
Zi Luan, like a cat toying with a mouse, could have killed Yao Xing instantly, but instead walked closer, faced her directly, and circled around her.
‘No—no—’
‘What is the principle—’
“I’ll give you a choice.”
Zi Luan’s sudden words made Yao Xing look up with hope.
What met her eyes were the two rows of eyeballs on the demon general Zi Luan’s arms.
‘What is that…’
Boom….
Her head split open like a watermelon smashed by a club.
Red fluid turned into a beautiful red cloth across the camp.
“Too bad, you didn’t get to choose~”
Xi Ke approached with a sneer and took a bite of Yao Xing’s corpse.
Because of the instantaneous explosion, darkness struck in an instant.
Why—
Why did I die—
Why—
[Bad End]
….
“!!!”
Yao Xing opened her eyes again.
This time, she was still inside the carriage.
The number of repetitions had reached a point that made one question life, and indeed Yao Xing couldn’t bear it anymore.
She looked ahead at Xu and Anuo in the carriage.
They were so safe, yet unaware that they would die tonight.
“I—”
‘Maybe I should go later this time…’
Yao Xing thought, but the memory of her first attempt slapped her hard.
‘No. If I go later, Xin Ge’er will definitely die… the council will come… and the inside will have long been infiltrated by Xi Ke!’
‘But if I come earlier…’
A sense of despair shrouded her heart again.
The scenes before her death replayed in her mind, accelerating Yao Xing’s collapse.
‘Why? What is the principle? What exactly did we trigger?’
‘Is it because I saw its face? No… no… I clearly saw it many times!’
‘No—no—no—’
‘Everything has to start over. I have to wait for another night again!’
Skip.
….
At the Mianyang Royal Palace.
The result was a successful negotiation.
King Mian Yang agreed to seal the country’s borders, agreed to let Yao Xing be responsible for hosting the Luyuan Heroes, and agreed to stop the council activities—all going smoothly like the previous two lives.
Skip.
On the road to the front lines.
Yao Xing quickly resolved these events just like in the previous life, but of course, she once again faced Xu’s questioning.
“Why did you say you saw the demon general and demon on the road?”
[Warning: You are under suspicion]
Hearing this question—
Seeing this prompt—
The question itself was completely normal.
Yet it once again stirred up thoughts of giving up in Yao Xing: ‘Huan… I… I really think I want to give up…’
She looked at Xu with a broken expression, and involuntarily, once again, she forced an excuse: “It’s all for thorough preparation. If I’m not certain about something, it won’t be convincing. This is for Mianyang’s safety.”
Seeing Xu turn around without further questions, understanding her,
Yao Xing felt terrible inside.
She looked at her own hands and feet, trembling nonstop… afraid of the future ahead…
When she passed a lake, she saw herself on the water’s surface.
She was no longer the same person as before.
She used to be so lively, but after experiencing death over and over, her eyes now only held the color of collapse and lost hope.
‘I…’
So lonely….
So terribly lonely….
Even when walking, Yao Xing had lost her posture.
She stared at the ground all day, her steps growing heavier.
….
Inside the camp.
Same as before, not long after Yao Xing and Xu arrived, they joined the battle, helping Jia Sha and Xin Ge’er resolve the monster tide.
Time reached evening.
Yao Xing sat alone.
Watching the interaction between Xu and Jia Sha.
But Xin Ge’er was acting strangely.
She didn’t drink water, nor did she interact with Jia Sha.
Instead, Xin Ge’er immediately sat down beside Yao Xing without a word.
Yao Xing looked at her with tired eyes, confused: ‘Why isn’t she talking this time? Am I acting too weird, or is she worried about me… or is she tired…?’
Xin Ge’er kept glancing at Yao Xing intermittently, but didn’t say anything.
This was the first time such an awkward moment had happened.
Normally, someone with Xin Ge’er’s socially terrorizing personality would definitely start a conversation.
Not overthinking it, since Yao Xing also wanted to chat with someone, she asked, “Are you very tired?”
Xin Ge’er paused, put down the water she was drinking, closed it, and looked at Yao Xing.
“Yeah.”
Xin Ge’er nodded.
Her eyes lacked their usual liveliness, clearly deep in thought.
‘Looks like she’s really tired this time.’
Seeing this, Yao Xing, equally exhausted, naturally wouldn’t miss this chance.
She buried her head between her raised, foot-tapping legs, allowing herself a moment of respite from the long tension.
“Yao Xing.”
Before Yao Xing could rest much, Xin Ge’er’s sudden call forced her to lift her head out from her legs.
“What’s up?”
Xin Ge’er hesitated for a while, then decided to say, “Actually, we heard what you discussed with King Mian Yang. I also know about the demon general and demon you mentioned.”
“That’s real.”
Yao Xing quickly added.
But unexpectedly, Xin Ge’er nodded repeatedly.
“I believe you. So I want to talk with you. Do you have any plans to deal with them?”
‘Believe me? That fast?!’
This development was completely different.
Even if this life’s Xin Ge’er was too tired, she shouldn’t skip the chitchat and jump straight to this step.
But there was another explanation….
‘Maybe I showed too much anxiety this time, so she got curious and wanted to hear my plans?’
Thinking this, Yao Xing could only share the parts that wouldn’t get her suspected.
“On the carriage, I could see that the demon was small and kept changing its form. It must be disguised as a human!”
“And that demon general was taller than the demon. It had an eerie, never-closing grinning face, eyeballs on its arms, and wore a cloak…”
Yao Xing wanted to continue, to share her possible guesses about the demon general’s ability, but because she couldn’t reveal the time-loop rule, she fell silent in disappointment.
“Sorry, that’s all I know. Pretty useless info, huh? Haha…”
But Xin Ge’er shook her head.
“No, I think it’s very useful. It lets us know the number and threat of the enemies.”
“Because you told us, we can now discuss how to guard against that demon general and the disguised demon.”
That time, before the demon Xi Ke arrived, everyone gathered together, including Anuo who was underground.
Yao Xing finally felt some progress in the plot.
She quickly advised tactfully, “Everyone, if you really encounter that disguised demon, please don’t attack!”
Jia Sha looked at Yao Xing in confusion.
“Why?”
Yao Xing didn’t know how to explain.
Xin Ge’er raised her hand and spoke, “Let’s just listen to Yao Xing. She might have experience dealing with the demon general. If not, we can adapt.”
Seeing Xin Ge’er’s support, Jia Sha also gave a willing nod.
Xu said nothing, but looked like he had accepted the decision.
After that, they continued the discussion, but many points were meaningless since Jia Sha, Xu, and Anuo didn’t understand the demon general.
Inside the camp, the flickering firelight illuminated everyone’s faces.
Yao Xing’s heart finally felt a rare calm, even though she clearly knew what threats lay ahead.
Yao Xing tightly gripped her own clothes, her nails digging deep into her palms.
This smooth progress didn’t bring her any relief; instead, it felt like a string pulled to its limit, ready to snap at the slightest breeze.
‘Now’s a good chance… Quickly recall my deaths… What exactly did I die from?’
‘I remember… I looked up… and then I saw Zi Luan’s body…’
‘Saw the eyeballs on its arms…’
‘There seemed to be… words… on the eyeballs…’
Yao Xing suddenly had a breakthrough.
The fear on her face instantly vanished.
Xin Ge’er and Xu both immediately noticed the change in her expression.
Jia Sha caught on a beat later.
“What’s wrong?”
Yao Xing quickly said, “Everyone! Once we encounter the demon general later, we must close our eyes! Because those two rows of eyeballs on its hands are likely the key to triggering the ‘chess piece’!”
“Don’t ask how I know. Just say I guessed it!”