World of Insanity

Chapter 9: Back to the Game

As night was just about to fall, Zander was in his way to his home. 

Better safe than sorry, he chose not to retrace his steps from the previous night, opting instead for a different route. 

This alternative path was one he frequently used for his nightly runs. No one would find it strange if he switched routes, and, more importantly, it was well-trafficked by pedestrians. 

---

The first thing he thought when he got to home was about that incident with the woman.

He attempted to log into the game using the bracelet the previous day, but his initial efforts proved futile. Just as he was on the verge of giving up, he inexplicably managed to log in. 

At that moment, a strange prompt appeared: **"The previous player has died."** This left Zander baffled. After all, game characters are usually resurrectable, so why had the game permitted him to access the account? 

Now, it seemed likely that the prompt, **"The previous player has died,"** referred to actual death. 

Zander's expression shifted grimly. If his theory was correct, this situation was venturing far beyond the realm of scientific explanation. 

He continued browsing the photo on his phone, shaking his head wistfully as he kept his focus locked on the picture, and suddenly, a new detail caught his attention. 

In the background, tucked away in the crowd at the corner of the photograph, stood two men wearing duckbill caps with their faces concealed by black masks. 

"It's them!" 

Zander's heart skipped a beat as recognition struck him. These were the same individuals he had encountered the previous night. 

Fixated on the pair, Zander's mind churned with thoughts. A troubling possibility dawned on him—the woman in black hadn't committed suicide. She had been murdered by these two men! 

The inference was compelling. When Zander had seen the men the previous evening, they had appeared to be in pursuit of something. 

Now it seemed clear: they had been chasing the woman in black. 

Recalling the urgency and terror etched on her face, a chill ran down Zander's spine. 

Subtly, he withdrew his gaze from the photo and steadied his emotions. He was now certain—the woman had been killed. 

And her killers? Most likely, those two men. 

As for their motive, Zander speculated it had something to do with the game bracelet she had given him. 

"What secrets does this bracelet hold?" 

Zander resolved to keep silent. He wouldn't mention the bracelet to the police, nor anything about the game itself. 

---

With apprehension simmering in his chest, he arrived home and wasted no time pulling out the Demon World game bracelet for further examination. 

Unfortunately, after scrutinizing it for some time, he found nothing unusual. 

"I hope it's all just in my head," he muttered, exhaling deeply to calm himself. 

Deciding to push aside his doubts, Zander donned the bracelet and entered the game warehouse. 

**"Where you die, you shall respawn."** 

He found himself back in the same prison cell as before. But this time, it was devoid of life—no sign of yesterday's white-robed youth or his corpse. 

**[Congratulations, Novice Task Completed.]** 

**[Daily Task Activation, Main Quest Activation. Visit the Task Center to view tasks and collect rewards.]**

As the notification appeared, a flicker of joy crossed Zander's face. 

After confirming that the area was safe, he eagerly opened the task panel for the first time. 

**[Would you like to claim the "Kill the Uncontrolled Cultivator" task reward?]** 

Without a moment's hesitation, he claimed it. 

**[Congratulations on acquiring the unknown inheritance of the great immortal.]** 

**[Congratulations on acquiring 45 Primeval power points, Elephant-strength gu, and bone-shifting gu]**

**[The rewards have been stored in Personal Space. Please check your Personal Space.]** 

**[Daily Task has been activated.]** 

**[Main Quest has been activated.]**

"45 primeval points! damn Rank-5 mission truly deserves its reputation." He knew how rare the primeval points were. The Rank-One mission didn't give any points, rank-two gives only five points(5pp), rank-three gives fifteen points(15pp), rank-four mission gives thirty primeval points(30pp) whereas rank five offers astonishing forty five points. (45pp).

[[

Rank-One mission : 0 Primeval Points

Rank-Two mission : 5 Primeval Points

Rank-Three mission : 15 Primeval Points

Rank-Four mission : 30 Primeval Points

Rank-Five mission : 45 Primeval Points

]]

And one should know that people even struggle to complete a rank-one mission, not even thinking about chances of completing a rank-five mission.

If it was any other person, they scream with unmounted happiness just by this. But he was too greedy to be satisfied by this.

Excitement bubbled as Zander promptly navigated to his Personal Space. 

The space appeared as a grid—ten by ten cells, capable of holding a hundred items. 

Currently, four items occupied the grid. 

The first was a dagger; the second, a key. These were the very items he had obtained the previous day. 

To his surprise, these items had automatically transferred to his Personal Space following his death. 

The remaining two item was unfamiliar: a fist-sized, a golden-colored insect; and a fat black-colored bug.

"Huh... An insect!! no two insects, one beautiful and another ugly.."

"Nah Nah.. this isn't so normal, there should be a catch, this is an inheritance left by a great immortal."

He first took out the fat black bug.

**[Elephant-Strength gu: Rank 7 immortal gu, contain strength path dao marks, can help the cultivator to gain extraordinary strength of Mountain Elephant Beast King for a limited period of time]**

"Rank-7? So, it seems the game's insects are categorized into different rank, But what is this, it says that only cultivators can use this and unfortunately I am not one, ahh..fuck!" a deep frown appeared in his face. 

[Warning: Due to the unavailability of primeval essence in the air, the gu is loosing its essence!]

"Huh..!"

[Warning: If not converted to bloodline in time, the gu might get wasted]

"What the fuck, isn't this insect supposed to be immortal!"

[Spend 15 primeval points to convert it into bloodline and demon sutra]

[yes/no]

"Yes! Yes!.. this is clearly a daylight robbery," he let out a long sigh in the frustration of those 15 wasted points.

[Conversion Successful!]

[Congratulation player I_Wanna_Kill for obtaining Mountain-Elephant bloodline and Mountain-Elephant demon sutra]

Not even a second has passed when two new items appeared in his personal space.

Zander reached for the crimson gemstone first. Its translucent surface revealed an intricate carving of a giant elephant within. 

[Mountain Elephant Bloodline Crystal: Physique Series, Mortal-Level Bloodline, mature Mountain Elephants possess mountain-carrying strength, consume to obtain the Mountain Elephant Bloodline.]

"Physique series? Seems like the demons' bloodlines in the game are divided into different series. But why the heck is this mortal level bloodline, wasn't the gu rank 7?" He pondered.

Next, he retrieved the white jade plate. 

**[Mountain Elephant Sutra: Mortal-Level Demon Sutra. Used by juvenile Mountain Elephants of the Mountain Elephant Clan, this sutra significantly enhances the power of the Mountain Elephant Bloodline. Use to acquire the cultivation method of the Mountain Elephant Sutra. Do you wish to use it?]**

"Ok.. At least my 15 primeval points didn't get completely wasted." 

"Now lets have a look at the another insect"

Setting the jade plate aside, Zander picked up the golden fist size insect. In no time the warning message once again appeared.

[Spend 20 primeval points to convert the gu into a technique seed?]

"Huh?.. now its not bloodline but technique seed, Is it because this insect is not related to any demonic beast."

Zander could only think of this reason. He might be right as how can the bloodline extracted from any insect.

**[Technique Seed - Bone-shifting Technique: Upon use, a Technique Seed possessing the power of Bone-shifting will condense within your body. Do you wish to use it?]**

"A Technique Seed within the body? There's no mention of this on the forums. I wonder what its true purpose is," he murmured. 

The description was brief, offering little insight into the Technique Seed's practical application. Still, Zander knew one thing—the rarer an item, the more valuable it was. This Technique Seed was undoubtedly extraordinary. 

Without delay, he chose to consume the bloodline crystal first. 

As the crystal slid down his throat, Zander was overwhelmed by a fiery force surging through his body. The energy grew more intense, threatening to engulf him entirely. 

It felt as if, without control, his body might implode under the sheer pressure. 

"Tss... This feels way too real!" Zander hissed through clenched teeth, bracing himself against the agonizing force. 

Reaching for the jade plate containing the Mountain Elephant Sutra, he acted swiftly. 

**Use!** 

The jade plate disintegrated, unleashing a radiant white light that shot directly into Zander's forehead. 

In an instant, an intricate flow of information about the Mountain Elephant Sutra filled his mind. Acting on instinct, Zander channeled the raging energy in his body, following the precise methods outlined by the sutra. 

To his relief, the searing sensation of his body nearing its breaking point dissipated almost immediately as the sutra took effect. 

"It worked!" 

A newfound clarity washed over him as he opened his Personal Information Panel to inspect the changes.