The Righteous Player(s)

Chapter 142: “Don’t Look Back”

Yes, that’s right!

The more Annan thought about it, the more it was possible.

Otherwise, why would Amos know the mechanism leading to the basement?

Why was Amos in the basement without the slightest sense of fear?

There was only one answer.

That was, he knew from the beginning that the gallery wouldn’t hurt him!

It looked dangerous. But Amos just got to keep walking, don’t stop, look back, nor hesitate to move forward.

Then, Brother Sledgehammer couldn’t catch up to him at all!

Annan recalled Yiyi’s action.

He became self-aware that his behavior pattern might be a bit out of the norm.

After Yiyi noticed that her abdomen was injured, her first reaction was to open her top, making it easier to move.

Since Amos was injured in the abdomen, the blood-stained coat hung on the hanger had already given some hint.

In this case, he didn’t leave the gallery but just came in from outside!

“So, if Amos kept going, what would happen in the end?”

The answer was clear.

As early as “preset ending” to the True Ending, there were already hints.

To complete the ritual of the Venerated Skeleton, the condition was to let Amos die and let Elle rebirth.

In other words, Amos had to alterate (TN: Possibly in relation to Alteration Magic) Elle, the daughter of Brother Sledgehammer, and successfully gave birth to the Venerated Skeleton’s heir.

Also, Brother Sledgehammer shan’t kill the nanny of the deity’s son.

With that, Amos could survive.

This was the True Neutral Ending (Normal End). In other words, it was an ordinary ending that had not happened in history and satisfied the wishes of the nightmare owner before his death!

Every gallery sub-dungeon instance was the kindness retained in Amos’s heart… But, it wasn’t quite accurate to depict it as kindness.

It was more like Amos’s rebellion against the Venerated Skeleton.

Because the actual nightmare owner was the stillborn child.

“Angelo” had no consciousness and no self-knowledge. His life had not yet begun, and naturally there was no life experience sufficient to construct a nightmare.

But his parents had.

In other words, what “Angelo” knew should be at least what happened after Elle was pregnant.

It felt similar to the Nightmare: White Tower, which Annan had experienced.

People in nightmares were self-conscious…

In the timeline when Brother Sledgehammer hunted down the dungeon challenger, that was the day when the police department joined forces with a particular person to enter the gallery in the original history. Amos, at this time, had already refused to serve the Venerated Skeleton.

That was why the gallery threatened him, guided him but protected him.

The power of this gallery came from the Venerated Skeleton.

Through the prompt of the display cabinet, Amos “turned his head back” into the illusion he had created, which meant that he had repented.

Amos entered the gallery as a victim to kill the powerful “Amos” assisted by the Venerated Skeleton or ruin Amos’s plan. It all indicated Amos’s intention to repent.

He was Amos.

He should have a good understanding of his layout and personality.

Therefore, he should be able to defeat himself easily.

Then naturally, a dead baby couldn’t be born.

The nightmare was interrupted and ended.

If he failed and was killed by himself, it meant that his repentance wasn’t resolved. His memories would be washed away and start over. The rise in the erosion rate meant that his thinking was getting darker until he finally stopped hesitating and struggling. He would carry out his last evil deed at the last moment.

—Thus, the nature of this dungeon instance would be “reenactment.”

This referred to Amos’s constant reenactment of the last day of his life. It was also Amos reenacting his evil deeds over and over.

—So the first reminder of the nightmare was “don’t look back.”

This wasn’t physically turning back.

It warned Amos not to look back.

By now, there was no room to repent.

“That’s it.” Annan’s eyes shone lightly as if hitting a realization.

Just like in the “betrayer” nightmare, Annan needed to empathize with John’s mind and know what he was thinking. In the “White Tower” nightmare, Annan also needed to put himself into Gerald’s shoes to clear the dungeon successfully.

In the “gallery” nightmare, Annan had to act as “Amos!”

If Amos’s will were determined and would never look back till the end, the nightmare would be completed, and the level would be cleared.

That was the evil ending.

Simple and convenient.

As long as the dungeon challenger didn’t look back, didn’t hesitate, and moved forward steadily, there would be no danger.

But Annan firmly believed that there should be another way.

A “heroic” or perhaps good route!

Otherwise, the basement ending would be unnecessary!

But obviously, Yiyi’s performance in the basement ending was not a “good person.”

“…I will try to tackle the second nightmare in a while.” Annan made up his mind.

At this moment, Delicious Wind Goose had read the letter.

The content of the letter was indeed no different from the previous level.

It was still a fragment of Elle’s diary…

But there was a difference!

On the back of the diary fragment, there was an extra line of dark red words written in blood:

“Don’t look back, Amos…”

This handwriting was elegant, “They found me…”

Annan, who read the diary, could tell at a glance that this was precisely Elle’s handwriting!

“—Nice! There’s a difference in the diary fragment!”

“—As expected of Uncle Goose. I came to learn the strategy this time!”

“—The writings are so beautiful. I love it.”

“—Then you go and marry the quill. It wrote the words.”

Seeing that the diary had changed, the players became rowdy.

There were many intelligent people among the players.

Almost all came up with the strategy to “take the props from the previous level and then enter the next level.”

Delicious Wind Goose did not discard the letter.

He just put the paper back into the letter carefully and took it with him.

“I think there will be new changes with the letter on the next level. Do you believe it or not, friends?”

Delicious Wind Goose said confidently, “If there aren’t any new changes, I will eat my computer when I return.”

“—Are you the incarnation of the recycle bin?”

“—Uncle Goose, you already owe me an Internet cafe.”

“—Let my computer go and eat my files.”

“—Go away and eat the online dwellers!”

“—Go away and eat silly people!”

“—Go away and eat…huh? We have a traitor!”

Annan nodded thoughtfully.

He agreed with Delicious Wind Goose.

He also believed that this diary might change further after it entered the next level.

This tone didn’t seem like it was written in the diary previously, but it was revealed instead at that moment.

It was more like it was written just now.

Did Elle discover it?

When did she discover it?

There was only one answer.

Someone entered the basement, or the “Elle” in the picture frame was found!

Referring to the news in the newspaper, this should happen at the same time.

In other words, the people at Freezing Water Port Police Station might have already rushed in.

Or, they had entered the first floor.

As for Annan’s consideration, the players naturally would not know.

—Unless the players pay with their affection rate.

Delicious Wind Goose didn’t want to waste time any further. He no longer hesitated but maintained the pace as fast and steady as possible without having his health dropped. Then, he walked slowly forward in this long corridor.

He complied with the instructions in the letter and didn’t look back.

Behind Old Goose, the ground and walls began to decay and ruin at speed visible to the naked eye. The floor cracked in crunching noise, like a fire hound crawling out of hell. It was as if a demon steaming flames crawling out of the floor, slowly approaching behind him.

Although Delicious Wind Goose did not look back, the loyal and stupid viewers still reported the situation behind him immediately:

“—Run! A mob spawns behind you, Old Goose!”

“—What is that? A supposedly three-headed hellhound but only has one head?”

“—Is this a nightmare?”

“—Your nightmare has a dog?”

“—Hmm, I think this dog is a bit like a police dog.”

“—In fact, don’t you think it’s pretty cute if you take a closer look?”

“—This mob looks so disgusting! Why is it discharging pus!?”

“—I think this will have an inestimable impact on young viewers.”