Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 788 - 729: BOSS Game

"The purest form of pleasure often builds upon the pain of others, tirelessly pursued for the sake of joy itself."

"Child of God, the Deceiver, is the pioneer, and we should heed His words, for the advice of the noble is always more effective than trial and error alone."

"Holy Light is a gift, a tool to aid in the pursuit of delight, and thus should be revered as one enjoys the pleasures that shock and awe the spirit."

Every syllable stirred indescribable writhing, the sound a composite of chewing and the ripping of silk. Every Intangible Son, made translucent by the Holy Light, appeared as a glowing seaweed forest on the sea bed. Mental parsing and the power of the Evil God concurrently influenced it, with the forces of justice shaping within the Intangible Sons. Every effort was aimed at ’inflating’ them, providing the Evil God’s Kin with thought processes akin to human souls, creating channels for them to experience delight. Brainwashing seemed too simple a term for what Lyle was doing. He wasn’t altering their thoughts but rather installing a thinking add-on similar to the human brain within the Intangible Sons, with the Creator’s code and the knowledge of the Evil God providing the theoretical basis. Lyle was certain that the mishaps during the Spirit Summoning Ritual at Andrei Academy had been of great assistance to him.

This marked the first step in leading the Intangible Sons away from the Evil God. After all, becoming a zealous believer presupposed the abandonment of a clever mind. This was an evolution in accordance with natural law, the servants of a god gaining wisdom, starting to think, and becoming crafty. But before all of this, Lyle intended to fill their minds with joy.

Lyle patted the air beside him, and where there was nothing, a magical grid began to radiate outwards. Using administrator privileges, he resonated with the base code. The exposed data disappeared after a moment, his goal having been achieved. He glanced at the halted battle at the foot of the mountain and pointed to an Intangible Son nearby.

"Go down, familiarize yourself with my players, your toys." The individual separated from the mass and the Intangible Son plunged down the cliff like a massive boulder, landing at the base just ten meters from the players, tentacles stretching out instinctively, displaying the terror characteristic of a god’s servants.

The Dream Elves stood around the Intangible Son, their gazes fixed on the massive monster before them, but their expressions, more curious than frightened, pulled up the notification panel to reconfirm the latest administrator message.

"Is this the new test monster? I was wondering how we got the privilege to test new content in the middle of a guild battle, if this isn’t just a pixelated mess! I shouldn’t have kept my hopes up for those unethical administrators."

In the perspective of the Dream Elf players, the Holy Light on the surface of the Intangible Son glowed subtly, the massive horror from the abyss covered by the Light’s mosaic. If not for the system prompt, they would never have recognized this as an interactable object; at best, it was a spasming backdrop.

"Come on, the test rewards are real, quit complaining when you’re getting a bargain!" The second Dream Elf player shifted gaze from the Mosaic Son, the light not strong, but still painful if stared at for too long.

"Who’s going to test first?"

"I will," chimed a restless Berserker player, wielding a greatsword and charging valiantly forward.

Crash! Mid-charge, the player was pulverized into a bloody froth, and in the next second, tentacles shot out from the Intangible Son, devouring the airborne remains. The entire process lasted less than a second, and a second later, a tombstone fell from the sky. Lyle watched closely as fragments of the dead player’s dream were engulfed by the Intangible Son, causing a surge of Holy Light within it. Enveloping the victim’s soul, it emerged from the monster’s head and turned into a tombstone that hit the ground. The Dream Elf’s soul was unharmed, shielded from the corruption of the Evil God’s power by the Holy Light. Lyle breathed a sigh of relief, finally certain that the Intangible Sons infused with Holy Light would cause no harm to the players themselves.

This ritual was an act of automatic sacrifice led by the forces of good. Paladins had a tradition of offering spoils of war to the Holy Light, which in turn would grant blessings proportional to the honor presented. The Intangible Son had involuntarily offered a player’s soul as a sacrifice, receiving a substantial amount of Holy Light in return—a fair exchange for both parties.

It was then that the shocked players erupted into an uproar.

"Damn it, I got one-shotted! What’s the point of us testing this?! Are we even supposed to fight this thing?"

In the players’ eyes, atop the ever-changing mosaic, new prompts appeared, and a despair-inducing health bar.

[Test Boss: Intangible Son, Note: Touch equals death.]

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?! So you update the logs after the fact?!" The startled player approached the tombstone, tapping it to show concern for their companion. The tombstone shuddered and shed fragments from its front, updating its own epitaph for the companion.

[Died too fast, didn’t feel much, rewards received, profited from dying once. Hey, get the priest to revive me! I can still be of use!]

"..."

While the players were discussing, Lyle was also communicating with the Intangible Son.

"So, what are your thoughts on this ant that you’ve just annihilated?"

The Intangible Son’s response was concise.

"No." Crushing an ant with a flick of his fingers, such trivial work did not elicit any feeling at all.

Lyle nodded, casting a glance at the chaotic throng behind him.

"Simply erasing them doesn’t bring any sensation. These vermin are crawling all over the body of our father god, and no matter how much we clean, it won’t change their overwhelming numbers before the descent of our father god. Therefore, we might as well have some fun while sweeping away these maggots."

Lyle used his administrator’s privileges to descend invisibly next to the solitary Intangible Son and pointed at the top of its head.

"Now, I’ll teach you how to play the game with these players. First, you need to be weakened. See the red bar above your head? That indicates your health points. If your health points are depleted, then you lose. But when you deplete the health points of those players, you win."

The Intangible Son was itching to act, its tentacles flailing on either side.

"I understand, Divine Child. I’ll burst their health bars!"

"No, winning or losing isn’t what’s most important. What’s important is the joy." Lyle, as if sensing the Intangible Son’s confusion, issued a new command, "Before my order is given, you may not attack the player right in front of you. Also, pay attention to the expressions of these players. You should now be able to interpret emotions by observing facial expressions."

"Begin."

"Test BOSS: The Intangible Son begins battle with the player Chicken Xiaolongbao."

A hunter player and the BOSS were engaged in a back-and-forth bout. He always managed to dodge the swinging tentacles in time, drawing cheers from the battlefield. Drenched in sweat, his face wore the contentment of a true master. On the side of the Intangible Son, Lyle could feel its frustration. It was playing its part badly, always pausing for a moment to give that idiot a chance to dodge. Plus, the hunter liked to run all over the place, always managing to accurately run into the Intangible Son’s attack range, frustrating the servant of god internally. If the Intangible Son hadn’t been quick-witted, this fool would have walked onto a tentacle and been crushed to death. The Intangible Son was exasperated. If not for the Divine Child’s order, it would have been tempted to pinch that hyperactive nuisance to death.

While attacking relentlessly yet deliberately holding back, the BOSS’s health bar finally dropped to one-fifth. The Intangible Son looked at the flea before him, his face alight with hope, and his smile bathed in Holy Light, full of nonchalant joy. He was like someone who had already glimpsed the future, standing alone on the BOSS’s corpse, leaving a suave silhouette against the cheers and adulation of his companions. Wearing the coolest gear, owning the strongest parrot, he would be the top hunter of the Dream Elf Kingdom today.

But the dream was shattered by an Evil Ghost.

"Alright, kill him, my servant."

Oooooo!!! A terrifying roar sent earth and rock flying as the Intangible Son raised its tentacles high. A surge of euphoric psychic assaults, like waves crashing down, all tentacles thundered to the ground.

"I abide by your will, great Deceiver!"

As the second gravestone appeared, the system notification was a moment too late.

"BOSS The Intangible Son’s health is below twenty percent, entering Berserker state."

Lyle shrugged, his face twisted into a distorted smile, patting the now still tentacles like an insouciant scoundrel.

"How does it feel?"

"Thrilling."