A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

"..."

The shadowy figure paused for a moment.

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 2, currently at -32]

"Wow! Even disregarding the two extra points, I already have a negative 2 favorability rating right from the start! Choosing to provoke the opponent was definitely the right decision."

Zhou Ke'er nodded secretly.

"Snapped"

With a soft sound, a sofa appeared behind Zhou Ke'er, and a small table with a cup of tea appeared in front of her.

"You should know that you are already dead. But you will continue to die."

The shadowy figure continued speaking to Zhou Ke'er.

"Hmm... because you hate me? That's why you won't let me die?"

Zhou Ke'er sat casually on the sofa and took a sip of tea.

Ugh, so bitter...

She stuck out her tongue in secret and calmly put the teacup back on the table.

"It's not that I don't want you to die, it's that I want you to die a few more times."

The shadowy figure replied, "But you're right about how much I hate you."

"Oh, let me die a few more times."

Zhou Ke'er scratched her head.

"I am the 'death' you described, the one that's easy, joyful, and carefree, like a child playing."

The shadowy figure pointed at Zhou Ke'er and said coldly, "A mere insignificant human dares to disregard 'death'? Therefore, from this moment on, you will be punished..."

"Wait a minute... punishment? Excuse me, let me ask you something... Well, assuming you're not lying, you are 'death,' which means there are other beings just like you. Since there are such beings, there must be certain rules..."

Zhou Ke'er abruptly interrupted the other person, "So I want to ask... which rule did I break that warrants punishment?"

"...There are no rules as you mentioned. It's just that your dismissive attitude towards death makes me very uncomfortable."

The shadowy figure explained.

"Oh, I understand... Wow, what a grand official's presence, Lord Bao!"

Zhou Ke'er looked as if she had just realized something. "So, you want to punish me not because I broke the rules, but simply because you don't like me?"

Come to think of it, even if I harshly mocked "life," or said that "life" is a disgusting and painful thing, no one seemed to mind. Why are you the only one who's upset? Wow, you're truly magnanimous. I admire you.

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 4, currently at -36]

(Note: Death will directly affect the difficulty of the module due to the player's affinity with the character. Please choose carefully.)

"...I am punishing you not simply because I am unhappy, but because you chose to die a quick death but disregarded death itself. I am punishing you so that you will understand the weight and pain of death."

The shadowy figure paused for a moment before continuing.

"There are no rules as you described; it's simply that your dismissive attitude towards death makes me very uncomfortable."

Zhou Ke'er repeated the words the shadowy figure had just spoken with a mocking tone, "Oh, you see, it would have been so much better if you had said it like you just said. If you had said something like that, people would have easily misunderstood, wouldn't you say? Now, these words sound much more respectable, don't they?"

"..."

The shadowy figure fell silent again. Zhou Ke'er even felt that the guy was so angry that the characters "井" (well) appeared on his forehead, if he had a forehead.

"Ah, in that case... there's still one small problem."

Zhou Ke'er grinned and raised her index finger, looking at the shadowy figure and saying, "I severely insulted and mocked 'Life' before, and I feel extremely regretful and guilty now. In order to make me realize the weight of life, I want to accept 'Life's' punishment first. How about it? Is that okay?"

After all, as the old saying goes, "If you don't know about life, how can you know about death?"

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 3, currently at -39]

"...You don't have the right to be picky."

The shadowy figure's voice began to tremble slightly, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

That's really strange. He's supposed to be a god, and according to the established rules, he's existed for tens of trillions of years. How can he have such a bad attitude? He gets so angry just from a few words from someone?

Zhou Ke'er raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I'm not qualified? Because to your noble gods, I'm just a lowly human?"

"You've finally come to your senses. You're nothing more than an ant in my eyes..."

Before the shadowy figure could finish speaking, Zhou Ke'er interrupted with a shocked expression, "Oh? So... you, a dignified god, are actually getting angry with an ant? Did I really make you angry?"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I thought you were so magnanimous that you wouldn't care what a nobody like me said. Turns out you care a lot! Sigh, I'm really sorry. How about I apologize? Would you like a lollipop as an apology?"

As she was talking, Zhou Ke'er pretended to be holding back a laugh and burst out laughing, then immediately returned to her normal expression.

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 2, currently at -41]

"why are you laughing?!"

The shadowy figure finally began to tremble visibly, its once solid form becoming ethereal, as if it were about to collapse.

"I remembered some happy things."

Zhou Ke'er answered in a very serious manner.

"You've already committed suicide, what's there to be happy about?!"

The shadowy figure couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, I think 'Life' has a very good temper. It didn't react much when I scolded it, so I'm kind of happy."

Zhou Ke'er nodded seriously and explained.

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 1, currently at -42]

"That's too much! I've put up with you for so long! Don't push your luck!"

The shadowy figure finally couldn't hold back its roar.

"Oh dear, how can you say that? You're not human, aren't you the most noble and supreme deity? Why compare yourself to the lowest and most insignificant human being, like an ant?"

Zhou Ke'er looked terrified, then finally couldn't help but burst out laughing again.

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 1, currently at -43]

"You've been laughing at me the whole time! You haven't stopped!"

The shadowy figure continued its impotent rage.

"Hey, Mr. Death, I'm professionally trained. No matter how funny it is, we won't laugh."

Zhou Ke'er nodded very seriously, and then added in a low voice, "Unless I can't help it."

"crooked!!!"

The dark figure darted in front of Zhou Ke'er and slammed its fist on the small table several times, spilling some of the tea from the cup on the table.

"Alright, alright, please continue."

Zhou Ke'er raised her hands in surrender, signaling the other party to continue.

"..."

As if realizing his lapse in composure, the shadowy figure silently drifted back to the throne, coughed twice, and said, "You will experience thirteen different deaths. After each death, you will become the next person about to die. But if you can avoid death, you can continue to live as that person..."

"Pfft..."

Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly stopped herself and waved her hand, "Sorry, I just couldn't help it, this is just too, too funny, hahaha, so your punishment is to let me live?"

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 2, currently at -45]

"It's about killing you again, not bringing you back to life..."

"So you mean you want me dead? But... if you hadn't brought me here, I would have died in the first place."

Zhou Ke'er tilted her head, looked at the dark figure with a puzzled expression, and pointed to her head: "Sorry... I mean, have you lived too long and your brain is a little off?"

Besides... if you just want me to die a lot, why go through all this trouble? There must be places like hell or the underworld, right? Just throw me in there, won't that solve everything?

Or... are you truly so magnanimous that you must witness my death, and not just any death, but one orchestrated by your own plan, to find satisfaction? Ah, truly befitting the noblest of gods, with such wicked pleasure... no, such supreme pleasure."

[Death reduces Zhou Ke'er's favorability by 4, currently at -49]

"...You go die first, you bastard!"

The shadowy figure was silent for two seconds, then roared madly.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Ke'er's vision went black and she lost consciousness.

------------

75. The Death Loop (Part Two)

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential!"

As soon as Zhou Ke'er regained consciousness, she heard this sentence.

"???"

What the hell? A breakup with an engagement as the starting point?

So what does this have to do with letting him die once?

Wait... that shadowy figure just said it was to make him become someone who was about to die, and experience death again...

But it's unlikely that anyone would die in this situation, right? Unless both sides have completely fallen out?

Furthermore, he wasn't the one who just uttered that famous line, which means he's not the male lead in this play...

Then it's even less likely that you'll be targeted, right?

Puzzled, Zhou Ke'er snapped out of her reverie, opened her eyes, and surveyed her surroundings.

Hmm... The antique-style furnishings suggest it's somewhere like a conference hall or something similar.

On the other side were an angry young man and elderly men with livid faces, probably elders or patriarchs of the opposing family.

So does that mean Zhou Ke'er belongs to the group of young ladies who broke off their engagements?

"How dare you! Is this the place for you to speak?"

The old man beside Zhou Ke'er sneered at the young man, "Is this how the Xiao family treats its guests?!"