Chapter 268 - 33: A Bunch of Lunatics

While the Puppet Master and the Maid were locked in a fierce battle, a group of people watched from a distant lighthouse.

There were four of them in total: the Magician, the Acrobat, the Strongman, and the clown.

Seeing the Puppet Master lured into a dead end by the Maid, then tricked by a feint and literally disarmed, the Magician sighed with regret. He took out a notebook and drew an ’X’ under the Puppet Master’s name.

"The Puppet Master loses ten points for this segment. You all need to remember your own strengths and weaknesses, and you also need to understand your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. And above all, never, ever use your weakness to fight their strength. Got it?"

"You’re so long-winded," the clown said, displeased. "Are all the official members of the Madhouse as preachy as you?"

The Magician gave the clown a look of displeasure, then shrugged and began sketching in his notebook.

Seeing the Magician’s actions, the clown crossed his arms and said disdainfully, "You don’t have to do that. I know the rules. There’s no penalty for talking back to the examiner."

"But it will affect how I arrange things for you later, clown."

Clapping his hands, he turned to the scrawny Strongman and the deathly-pale Acrobat next to him. "You are all players guided by the Prophet, and you all wish to join the Madhouse. But you must understand, the Madhouse doesn’t accept ordinary players. You need to display your madness and your own unique aesthetic."

Pointing to the now-subdued Puppet Master on the docks, the Magician continued, "The Puppet Master is a good example. I built the stage for him, but he didn’t cherish the opportunity. It seems he failed to grasp the true essence of aesthetics, equating it with raw power instead. That is why he failed. So, who wants to take on the next challenge?"

The Acrobat was about to raise their hand, but the Magician spoke first. "I’ve already witnessed your aesthetic. It’s quite good; I’ve given you a high evaluation. So, let’s give this opportunity to someone else. Strongman, are you ready to take the challenge?"

The Strongman nodded slightly, coughed twice, and then started toward the docks.

He looked like an old man, his movements exceptionally slow.

He slowly descended the lighthouse, went around the long staircase, crossed the wide lawn, and squeezed through the crowd of onlookers. Then, he walked toward the already-subdued Puppet Master.

Seeing the approaching Strongman, Bystander A also noticed the ID above his head. He immediately raised his shield, seriously blocking the man’s path.

Faced with Bystander A’s interception, the Strongman stopped.

Then he took a deep breath.

The breath seemed to go on forever. The surrounding air rushed into him like a gale, making those nearby feel as if they were suffocating.

Then, the Strongman’s body began to swell. His originally scrawny frame inflated like a balloon, and in no time, it was bulging with massive muscles.

Not only that, but his body also began to grow taller. The stooped, hunchbacked old man transformed into a towering brute. He then clasped his hands together and smashed them down violently on Bystander A.

The first blow dimmed the color of Bystander A’s shield; the second covered it in cracks.

With the third, the entire shield shattered. The indicator light in the center immediately went dark, meaning it would need some time to recharge.

However, after those three hits, the Strongman’s body began to shrink. Some of the muscles on his body receded, giving Bystander A a chance to catch his breath.

Bystander A retreated quickly, and Cuihua stepped forward.

Her Katsuo Stick pressed forward, its tip emanating the unique aura of Cuihua, the Dark Chef. Even a light graze would be enough to knock someone unconscious.

But faced with Cuihua’s stick, the Strongman simply took another deep breath.

This breath swelled his chest, allowing him to take the blow from Cuihua’s stick head-on. He then continued walking toward the Puppet Master.

No matter how the stick struck him, he remained completely unfazed. Even as his face became bruised and swollen, he never stopped.

Then, Duan Fei’s Crowbar arrived.

His Spiritual Armor activated. [Substitute] transformed the Crowbar in his hand into a Bone Sword. The sharp longsword erupted with terrifying destructive power, making the Strongman pause for the first time and narrow his eyes.

But then, he continued forward, meeting Duan Fei’s Bone Sword without a hint of hesitation.

The longsword slashed through, splitting the Strongman’s body in two down the middle. But the muscles at the wound instantly locked up, preventing even a single drop of blood from spilling.

Due to his Skill’s limitations, Duan Fei could only muster that single, all-out attack, and his Spiritual Armor dissipated.

Seizing this hard-won opportunity, the Strongman’s upper body leaped forward, pouncing on the Puppet Master. Before the man’s terrified eyes, he grabbed him by the neck.

SQUISH...

With a gurgling sound, the Puppet Master’s head dissolved into a pile of pixels, and the Strongman, having completed his mission, vanished from the instance.

In the distance, the clown stared, dumbfounded at the scene.

Pointing at the figures in the distance, the clown shouted in disbelief, "That’s it? That’s all?! I thought he was going to be some big shot, but it was just that?"

To his surprise, the Acrobat beside him was wiping the corners of their eyes, and even the Magician had tears in his as he said, "So beautiful. Truly, so beautiful!"

"Say what?"

"Can’t you feel it?" The Magician looked at the clown with contempt. "In order to eliminate his companion and protect a secret, he willingly threw himself into danger, charging into the enemy ranks. That is the ultimate madness. That is aesthetics. The Strongman gets a hundred points, a perfect score!"

The clown’s brain completely short-circuited. He couldn’t understand the Magician’s standards at all.

’And you, Acrobat, why are you crying?!’

’What kind of emotional resonance are you two even sharing?!’

At that moment, the clown just wanted to turn and walk away, to stop dealing with this bunch of insufferable lunatics.

However, entering the Madhouse was his goal, his long-held wish. For this, he had even abandoned his companions to get the chance to meet the Prophet, which ultimately led to his recommendation to the Madhouse.

So, he could only let out a long sigh and ask, "Then what’s the difference between what the Strongman did and what the Puppet Master did?"

"They’re completely different. Are you really a madman? Do you really want to join the Madhouse? Why can’t you see it?"

’I can see jack shit!’

The clown desperately wanted to slap the Magician, but he didn’t dare.

After all, he really needed to get into the Madhouse.

In the end, he could only look into the distance and shout resignedly, "So amazing... truly amazing."

"There’s hope for you yet," the Magician said with feeling.

’Lunatics.’

It was the clown’s most immediate thought.