[You enlarged your tentacles, which seemed to catch her attention]
[Her methods of killing you became even more ruthless]
[...]
[Your limbs were chopped off, you died]
[This simulation has ended]
[You can choose to load the save file prior to the current plot, or restart the simulation]
There was no need to think about it.
Silas knew this trash game only provided two identities each time. Both were related to the Church, and both required encountering the so-called Church Killer.
The only thing to consider was how to deal with her.
[You have chosen to load the save file prior to the current plot]
[You know that the Church Killer is extremely powerful, and once you take on the identity of the Dean, you cannot escape death]
[Thinking of your previous experiences, you attempted to take off your monastic robes and disguise yourself as an ordinary person with no ties to the monastery]
[But just as you were about to leave, the window was smashed. A head wrapped in a cloth sack was thrown in, closely followed by the helmet that made your scalp tingle with fear]
[You decided...]
[Option 1: Run away!]
[Option 2: Fight her to the death!]
[Commence Free Simulation]
There were still 16 Free Simulation attempts left, there had to be a way.
[You chose Option 2]
But how did the saying go again?
A person must accept their own limitations, and accept that things don't always go as planned.
Exhausting the regular simulation attempts and starting to use the free simulations didn't mean Silas could suddenly become stronger.
[You lured her to the hiding place of the Knight Order, forcing the knights to draw their guns and shoot to save their own lives]
[But she easily slaughtered all the knights like mowing grass before she could be hit. It didn't affect her movements in the slightest]
[You died]
It wasn't that Silas was weak.
It was that this time, the target was too strong. So strong that Silas couldn't even understand what kind of help a target like this could possibly need from him.
Following this line of thought...
The Church had people who could defeat her. As long as he could make it to the further Church the knights had mentioned.
[...]
[You attempted to rely on 'Acceleration Expert' to rush to the place where the large Church forces were stationed, but she seemed to be able to see right through your thoughts]
[She followed you unhurriedly]
[Your stamina was depleted, and you were caught]
[You died]
Silas truly started to feel a chill down his spine.
No matter what he thought of, she seemed to be able to anticipate it. Could she actually load saves?
[...]
[You figured that perhaps in a narrower area, her movements would also be restricted]
[You guessed right]
[But at the same time, your movements were equally restricted. You couldn't handle her attacks]
[You died]
Motherfucker.
How are you supposed to fight an opponent who can also load saves?
Was it really a dead end, with no way to play?
[You recalled that beneath her helmet and robes was a woman's body.]
[You felt that perhaps you could approach from the angle of gender, focusing your attacks on her breasts and private parts instead of aiming for vital organs]
[...]
[Your moves were completely anticipated. Before your tentacles could even touch her breasts, they were chopped off]
[She seemed extremely disgusted by your dirty tricks and slaughtered you even more brutally]
Speaking of which, her weapons weren't made of ordinary materials either.
Silas's tentacles had encountered quite a few strong enemies so far, and at most they had been mangled; they had never been chopped off so easily.
[...]
[You died]
[This simulation has ended]
[You can choose to load the save file prior to the current plot, or restart the simulation]
[You have chosen to load the save file prior to the current plot]
[You know that the Church Killer is extremely powerful, and once you take on the identity of the Dean, you cannot escape death]
[Thinking of your previous experiences, you attempted to take off your monastic robes and disguise yourself as an ordinary person with no ties to the monastery]
[But just as you were about to leave, the window was smashed. A head wrapped in a cloth sack was thrown in, closely followed by the helmet that made your scalp tingle with fear]
[You decided...]
[Important Choice Triggered]
[Option 1: Run away!]
[Option 2: Fight her to the death!]
[Commence Free Simulation]
Silas couldn't relax anymore.
Because his Free Simulation attempts had come down to the last two.
Including the regular simulations, 15+6, a full 21 lives had been hacked to pieces.
No way.
What kind of dungeon was this exactly?
If she used "Holy Light" or something similar, he could accept it, but in reality, she was slaughtering him purely with swordsmanship.
He fought for a full 22 lives and hadn't even managed to touch the hem of her clothes.
[You chose Option 1]
[You immediately ran away, darting into the woods outside the town]
[But she could equally anticipate your thoughts, effortlessly following behind you. No matter how you detoured.]
[Your skills cannot be used indefinitely, but her speed never slowed down. The moment you slowed down for a split second, the sword reached your throat]
[You died]
[...]
[You have chosen to load the save file prior to the current plot]
[You decided]
[Important Choice Triggered]
[Option 1: Run away!]
[Option 2: Fight her to the death!]
[Commence Free Simulation]
Great, just great.
Out of a total of 22 lives, only 1 was left.
Combining the experiences of so many attempts, Silas finally figured it out. This person could either load saves, or her strength was so great that he wasn't even fit to carry her shoes.
It was exactly like slaughtering a little chick.
No matter what he thought of, even the most despicable dirty tricks would be easily neutralized by her.
[You chose Option 2]
The Dean's office.
The head wrapped in the cloth sack rolled in front of Silas once again. The former Dean's face still retained the horror from before his death. Blood flowed from the severed neck, dragging out a bloody trail.
"Click."
The helmeted figure stood three steps away from Silas, raising the short sword in her hand.
"Hold on, I accept my fate."
Silas waved his hand. "If I have to die no matter what, can you let me say a few words before I die?"
[You have used the skill * Hypnosis Expert]
[The target has a special constitution and abnormal mental stats. The skill cannot take effect]
[...]
It really wasn't an issue of probability.
Special constitution, what the hell kind of constitution was it this time?
"Swish."
The helmeted fellow completely ignored Silas's words. It seemed there was nothing but murder in her eyes. With a light tap of her boots, she instantly sprang over.
"What did you think I was going to say?"
"Motherfucker! Even if I'm going to die..."
The good mood Silas had accumulated up until now was gone. It seemed it had been a long time since he had gotten emotional in the game.
But his deaths had simply been too tragic. Even if he could start over, it still hurt.
He hadn't cleared the stage within a day, so the extra rewards were gone. That meant even if he managed to pass this time, the rewards could only upgrade one thing.
Losing was acceptable.
But he had to tear off a piece of her flesh at the very least, right?
"Squelch!"
Silas's shoulder was pierced by the short sword, and he directly used his bones to jam her blade.
"..."
But the helmeted woman reacted very quickly. She immediately abandoned this sword and switched to the sword in her left hand, aiming straight for Silas's neck.
"Crunch!"
Silas didn't think about anything; acting purely on instinct, he bit down on the blade of the incoming short sword. He used his forehead to smash into her helmet.
There was only one thought in his head.
At least bite off a piece of her flesh.
It shouldn't have been successful.
"Bang!"
But he actually hit her.
The pain of his forehead colliding with a block of iron was very obvious.
"?"
"..."
The helmeted woman pulled out the sword Silas was biting down on, causing a horrifying gash to be ripped open at the corner of Silas's mouth.
But her forehead was injured. Using his X-ray vision, Silas could see a small bruise on her forehead.
That's not right.
There must be something wrong somewhere...
Judging from the experience of dying so many times, there was no way she couldn't react to a desperate, flailing "turtle punch" move like that.
"Swish!"
The helmeted woman charged over again.
"..."
Silas wanted to use the same move to continue attacking her head. But this time, his painstakingly recovered tentacle was severed again.
He was losing stamina severely.
A coincidence?
"Thud!"
He unexpectedly planted another kick squarely on her stomach. Although it didn't hurt her because her body was sandwiched between thick iron plates, it still landed a hit.
What was the difference?
"Squelch!"
The helmeted woman didn't give Silas time to think, relentlessly pressing her attack.
Most of them were tanked by Silas using his HP bar. He couldn't dodge. Or rather, no matter how he thought about it or tried to dodge, he would be anticipated.
"Hah..."
Silas struggled to get up against the corner of the wall, taking his last breaths. His monastic robes were completely covered in blood. Looking at the helmeted woman in front of him, he suddenly froze.
"You... can read minds?"
Everything suddenly made sense.
The only two attacks that had worked were because he hadn't thought of anything at all; he had merely thought about biting off a piece of her flesh even if he died. But in reality, he hadn't bitten her, but rather relied on instinct to headbutt or kick her.
"You've lasted the longest by my hands. But this ends here."
The helmeted woman didn't answer. She had already reclaimed the sword lodged in Silas's bones. She was now wielding short swords in both hands.
"..."
He didn't know how long he had held on, but it was definitely the longest he had lasted in over twenty loaded saves.
The injuries Silas suffered could only be described as too gruesome to look at.
But he still had one breath left. He had guessed right. As long as he thought of nothing, as long as he could control his thoughts... she wouldn't have it this easy anymore.
The only problem was that a human brain couldn't truly think of absolutely nothing.
"Come on. Again."
Silas staggered to his feet, raising his tentacle which could no longer be healed. He had no backup plans left, not even load saves.
But that was fine.
Wasn't it just missing out on an upgradeable reward?
Looking on the bright side, this target had knocked some sense into him. There was always someone better out there; he was far from the level where he could keep his hands in his pockets and ignore everything.
"..."
But the helmeted woman didn't come over. She just stared at Silas coldly.
"I'll come back to take your life. Hope you can get a good night's sleep."
"?"
Silas standing up meant he was truly out of options, just seeking death. Could she actually think he was still capable of fighting?
Soon.
In the moment Silas swayed and collapsed, he heard a commotion outside the monastery.
It seemed the Knight Order finally remembered to put on a show and brought a lot of people. The horizon was also starting to show the white of dawn.
"Lord Dean, you died such a miserable death!"
"Please rest assured, I will donate all your money to the poor according to your dying wishes... Eh? Still breathing?"
The nun sprawled over Silas, howling for ages before finally squeezing out two drops of tears. When she realized Silas was still breathing slightly, she was dumbfounded.
"..."
Silas closed his eyes. Just breathing caused his lungs to throb with pain. That area had been punctured; a normal person would have died long ago.
He understood.
The helmeted woman wasn't soft-hearted, nor did she spare him because those cowards from the Knight Order had arrived. She had traditions and principles... she only killed at night. The previous six Deans had all died deep in the night. During the day, one had to worry about the night, and during the night, one had to worry about how to survive.
Even if he somewhat understood her special ability, she herself was still powerful enough. Powerful enough to treat him like a chicken she could slaughter whenever she wanted.
Indeed.
Even if an ordinary person knew she had mind-reading abilities or something similar, they couldn't control their instinctive thoughts. As long as they revealed a flaw, they would still be hacked into pieces. But he wasn't an ordinary person; he was a player. It seemed... there was a way.