Chapter 580: Carnival of Desire [12]

The entire space seemed to freeze the instant Adrian’s words fell.

Lily’s face immediately stiffened, the glimmer of hope that had just begun to surface in her eyes replaced by shock and disbelief. She hadn’t even had time to take half a step back in caution when a blazing stream of orange-red fire magic came crashing down from the front, carrying an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.

Lily reacted just as quickly. She swept her arm to the side, and ice and snow instantly transformed into a massive wall, rising between them.

The sizzling sound, accompanied by a sudden cloud of steam, filled the air, turning the entire space hazy and indistinct.

"Fall back!"

One of the members of the Themisia Guild—Mark—shouted, hastily drawing two short blades gleaming with silver light before rushing forward to shield Lily. At the same time, the female healer behind them swiftly waved her magic staff, causing a layer of pale, icy-blue protective barrier to flare into existence around the entire team.

BAM! BAM! BOOM!

[You’d have to be insane to try and negotiate with Adrian.]

[Honestly, we’d probably have a better chance talking to Ember, haha.]

[Lily shouldn’t have said from the beginning that she had information about the Mirror Maze.]

"Adrian! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Lily flipped through the air and landed neatly on her feet. By now, her team was nearly ten meters away from Adrian’s group. The frost-covered short sword in her hand crackled as the surrounding air rapidly froze. She glared at the blond-haired man strolling leisurely across the sandy ground and gritted her teeth. "We came here in good faith to offer you information!"

Adrian stopped walking, the corners of his lips curling into an elegant smile filled with mockery. He tilted his head slightly, his sapphire-blue eyes brimming with a gentle light, and said with complete sincerity:

"Come a little closer. I can’t hear you!"

"You...!" Lily was rendered speechless.

Did Adrian really think they were idiots?

Seeing that Adrian was still advancing toward them, Lily could only hurriedly lead her team away.

At this point, she didn’t even bother wondering whether Adrian intended to finish them all off with that infuriating smile on his face.

Adrian watched as Lily and her companions quickly disappeared from sight, unable to hide the slight bewilderment on his face.

[...]

[Anyone who didn’t know the truth would genuinely think he had been hurt by her rejection of his kindness.]

[Why can he always put on such an innocent expression? It’s so damn annoying.]

[That said, if they’re still hanging around here, they can’t hate him that much.]

[Lily’s group really went too far. Adrian saved their lives, and they didn’t even say thank you. Instead, they pulled something like this.]

After what had happened, the other survivors no longer dared to cause any trouble. They certainly wanted the coin, but it was currently in Adrian’s hands. If they wanted to get it, they would first have to see whether they were worthy of possessing it.

"Don’t worry. The amusement park will definitely be rebuilt. Once there’s only one team allowed to enter, we’ll definitely be able to get the coin."

Someone spoke up.

The others thought it made sense as well. Besides, they now knew the circus’s tricks. As long as they remained vigilant and followed Adrian’s group, they were sure they could win too!

With that thought in mind, the players quickly dispersed.

What they didn’t know, however, was that the real nightmare was waiting for them only after they stepped outside the circus area...

The players quickly scattered away from the ruins of Night Circus, secretly planning to return once the district had been restored. However, the moment they stepped across the boundary of the sandy grounds and onto the eerie paved road of Carnival of Desire, an invisible yet brutal pressure immediately crashed down upon each of their shoulders.

TING!

[System Warning]: You do not possess the "Satisfaction Commemorative Coin" belonging to the Night Circus District!

[System Warning]: Your "Joy Index" has begun to decrease continuously: -1 point/second...

"What?!"

A free player stared in panic at the blue number displayed before his chest. His Joy Index, which had been safely within the normal range, suddenly turned a vivid red and began plummeting uncontrollably.

In less than two minutes, the number had already fallen below the critical threshold of 20 points. Fear and panic surged through them as the horrifying, corrupted magical energy of Carnival of Desire immediately invaded their minds.

"It hurts... My head hurts so much! I need... I need something sweet!"

A male player screamed, his eyes rolling back as countless blood vessels spread across his bloodshot sclera. He frantically charged toward a nearby decorative lamppost—a structure made entirely from a gigantic candy cane twisted in red-and-white stripes, reflecting a stingy, eerie glow. Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the candy cane.

CRACK... CRUNCH...

"Delicious... So delicious! Hahaha! My score went up!"

He laughed maniacally as he watched the number on his chest rise by several points. Yet he failed to notice that his throat and tongue were gradually turning into a sticky, viscous mass of sugar syrup. The flesh on his face began to harden, transforming into a glossy layer of candy that froze all his facial muscles into a grotesque, permanent smile.

It all happened so quickly that no one had time to react.

Before long, the space outside was engulfed by a cacophony of screams and crazed laughter.

Not far away, the members of the Themisia Guild were also moving at full speed. Although Lily and the others possessed strong enough wills to resist the temptation to eat the grotesque food scattered throughout the park, they were completely powerless to stop the forbidden rules from invading their bodies.

"Lily... your skin..." Mark inadvertently glanced at Lily while running, and his pupils immediately contracted in horror.

The delicate skin beneath Lily’s neck, where it met the collar of her ice armor, had somehow become unnaturally smooth. It radiated a translucent sheen, rigid and stiff like a twisted piece of hard candy. As she gritted her teeth and continued forward, that patch of skin emitted crisp crack... crack... sounds, like glass on the verge of shattering.

"I’m fine. Keep moving forward!" Lily growled, her armored hand tightening around the hilt of her short sword until her fingers turned white.

She couldn’t feel any physical pain at all, but the sensation of her body gradually turning into some sticky, grotesque toy made of hard candy left her stomach churning with dread.

Without the Satisfaction Commemorative Coin, this place was silently transforming every one of them into part of its rotting, candy-coated architecture!