Deceitful Game

Chapter 175 Am I some kind of really bad person?

Chapter 175 Am I some kind of really bad person?

"—Hell Transformation"

Mingbo repeated the somewhat sinister title.

He had read the story.

That was a short story written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, titled "Hell Screen".

The story is set in Heian period Japan, where the painter Yoshihide is employed by Lord Horikawa to paint "Hell Screen" to depict the horrors of hell. However, he gets stuck on the final scene—"noble ladies being burned in a magnificent carriage." He has never seen a burning carriage and therefore cannot imagine it.

Yoshihide asked Duke Horikawa to burn an expensive carriage so he could sketch it—the Duke, harboring resentment from being rejected when he coveted Yoshihide's daughter, readily agreed with a laugh. That very night, the magnificent carriage was set ablaze, and inside, chained together, was none other than Yoshihide's own daughter.

Liangxiu was instantly devastated, but he knew he was powerless to do anything about it and could never stand against the Grand Duke's power. Yet, in that instant, his grief and misery fueled his artistic fervor, making him determined to complete his work.

So he watched, with a mixture of sorrow and joy, as his only beloved daughter struggled to her death in the fire.

A month later, the "Hell Screen" was finally completed, shocking the world.

It was indeed a scene of utter devastation, like a living hell; looking at the screen, one could almost hear the wails of hell.

On the night the painting was completed, Liangxiu hanged himself in his studio.

"They're all stories about fathers, daughters, and art—"

Mingpo murmured.

The Grand Duke's overwhelming power was unshakeable by Ryoshu—could Chizuko and her father possibly resist the endless cycle of suffering in that deceitful game?

If you don't leave the game, you'll always be stuck in this hellish cauldron of boiling oil; but even if you leave the game, it's just like closing your eyes and ears and burying your head in the sand.

Although the cause of the tragedy has been rewritten, this fragile space-time means that with just the slightest disturbance, they will fall back into the game of deception.

To protect his property, and even—to protect the possibility of becoming a deceiver again—he is trapped in the "paradox" of sinking alone into hell, yet he must fight with all his might to survive.

Mingper was unsure whether the "resurrected deceiver" could still become a deceiver if it died again after the paradox was completely defeated and the promotion instance was completely destroyed.

Did he only lose all his property and title, or was he even stripped of the possibility of becoming a conman?

Mingpo had no idea.

Chizuko probably doesn't know either.

Her promotion game happened to run into a copy of her father's "paradox"—a fact that is very easy to guess.

After all, without a Dionysian shrine, there is only one way to inherit a title: the Deceiver can inherit the unique title of the "Paradox" by defeating the "Paradox" in the promotion game.

Just as Mingpo inherited "Frankenstein," Ai Shiping inherited "The Chariot."

Chizuko inherited the unique title of Zhou Zhiqing Lead Level, "Hell Transformation," from her father.

"Your father—"

Mingbo stroked Chizuko's hair and asked softly, "What was his expression when he saw you?"

He saw it all clearly.

In that instant, Chizuko's expression twisted with pain.

She lowered her head deeply, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force.

He cried.

After a long silence, Chizuko whispered in a slightly hoarse voice, "Dad's like he's gone mad. He knelt on the ground, crying, and told me to leave this place, Chizuko." But then she kept shaking her head, even slapping herself, saying, "Don't quit the game," but then she wouldn't say anything more—and started crying uncontrollably again—

The girl looked up at Mingpo.

There were no tears in her eyes, only an emptiness bordering on despair: "That was the first time I'd ever seen my father cry—"

At that time, I didn't know why.

"Because he knows everything."

Mingpo's voice was deep.

That magnetic voice was like a devil's whisper, or a demon's curse: "He knows—if you continue to wallow in this game, you will be shattered to pieces sooner or later, and die without a burial place."

"But at the same time—he also knew what it would feel like to be abandoned by 'himself.'"

Just like you right now.

Mingbo didn't say those words aloud, but they were already etched into Chizuko's heart.

"But he doesn't dare tell you everything—because if he does, you might not dare to leave. Even if you do leave, you'll feel uneasy and worried. And one day you'll come back here again."

The price to pay is that "you" are now left here.

She left happily and carefree.

"He wanted his daughter to escape this game safely—that was his wish. For that, he didn't stop his daughter from riding in the luxury car—so that you could kill him and inherit his title."

He might not necessarily not consider you his own daughter.

Once you are the one who gets sacrificed.

"No wonder—it's a hellish transformation."

Mingpo sighed.

It must be said that there is indeed a reason behind the way titles are distributed in the game of Deceit.

There is indeed some reason why Chizuko's father was able to receive this title.

His love for Chizuko was undoubtedly real, as was the pain of watching her descend into hell—and at the same time, the coldness of deciding to abandon her to save his own daughter was also real.

Hearing Mingpu's words, Chizuko became even more distressed.

A green glow emanated from the depths of her eyes—the aura of the realm of balance.

She covered her ears and screamed hysterically like a child—perhaps she was just that kind of child.

As she experienced intense emotional turmoil, the room began to change.

The music room had become like a torture chamber.

Iron railings rose from the ground, locking them firmly in place.

A dense mass of clothing mannequins with ferocious expressions appeared outside the cage.

They were holding kitchen knives, chainsaws, and sharp awls.

This villa seemed to have come to life, rising abruptly from the ground.

A giant made of stone appeared on the wall with a pained face, which then transformed into an expression of uncontrollable rage.

Monsters are becoming more and more like monsters, nightmares are becoming more and more like nightmares — hell is becoming more and more like hell.

The only thing that remained unchanged in the room was the dilapidated Steinway piano.

Mingpo continued to play the piano keys on her own.

This time, he didn't play any historically famous pieces. Those were pieces his mother and his piano teacher had made him learn.

At this moment, Mingpo is playing the first piano piece he learned by his own will when he was a child.

A poem about a bird.

Ethereal, tranquil, and ethereal music flowed through the room.

But it was almost instantly drowned out by the roar of the castle giant, Chizuko's still-screaming screams, and the noise of the piano coming from the second floor.

However, Mingbo remained unmoved.

His pupils were a hazy yellow, his lowered gaze was as still as water, and his face was as calm as a deep well.

"Mingbo said in a low voice."

"Quiet down, Chizuko."

next moment.

Chizuko's emotions calmed down instantly.

Everything around them returned to normal within seconds.

Those are all illusions.

But it could also be described as a real illusion that can kill others and crush their bodies.

The "hellish transformation" is manifested precisely because of extreme pain, sorrow, and fear.

As for Chizuko—it only took her a moment to go from complete collapse to doll-like calm.

—Her pupils were empty.

A hazy yellow hue emanated from the outer edge of the pupil.

That is the power of the "Silence of the Lambs".

Mingpo didn't say all that for nothing.

Upon seeing Chizuko, Myoha realized how she should use her title.

Just like "Frankenstein".

The power of such a unique title is completely excessive—

Under the passive effect of the title, Mingpo can see through the negative emotions in others' hearts at a glance: hatred, fear, despair, jealousy, sadness —

When she actively uses this ability, Mingpo can manipulate the other person's actions and emotions to a limited extent.

The more the other party trusts him, the less effort he expends when manipulating their actions;

The more emotionally distraught the other person is, the fewer obstacles there are when he tries to rewrite their emotions.

The more Mingpo understands the other person's deepest psychology, the longer and more seamlessly he can maintain his control.

However, if an ordinary person obtains this title, it can only be used as a one-time, short-term incantation. As soon as the other party breaks free, they will immediately become alert—and then the control will no longer be effective.

Mingpo's own abilities allow him to manipulate these emotional strings at will.

The ability suited Myoha so well that it allowed him to completely control Chizuko. He was clearly aware that he could now rewrite Chizuko's emotions at will.

If he were even more capable, Mingpo felt he could even create false memories in people!

—The suitability of this title for Mingbo is surprisingly high.

Compared to the "Werewolf" and "Frankenstein" titles that rely solely on his extraordinary reaction speed, the smoothness with which Mingper used this title even startled Mingper herself.

This is not a match between the sun's pseudo-gold and even the Zhou dynasty's blue lead!

The boss of Zhou Zhiqing's lead-level advancement instance—in her home turf, even in the "illusion" constructed by her abilities—was controlled by an advanced user.

"So... this is the title that suits me best?"

Mingpo suddenly recalled his first game.

According to the emotionally distraught raccoon, he seemed to possess the ability to manipulate illusions. That must be the power he obtained from "Wraith" in his previous timeline.

It seems that Mingpu is best suited for this kind of "manipulation" ability.

"Why do I always get abilities that seem like they belong to bad guys?!"

Mingpo sighed, "It makes me sound like some really bad person."