My setting is above yours!

Chapter 92, Sequence Four's Ability Setting: [Mask of Deception]! (5k7)

Wow, you get rewards even if you do nothing?
Although it was abstract, Ron could understand what had happened.

Because he wore a mask, the Silver Knight was unable to control the distortion that occurred during his advancement and gradually became a "masked dancer".

Then Ron, like him, was unable to suppress [7]'s control. [7] manipulated his body directly with those semi-transparent threads, causing them to kill each other...

To be honest, this is very much in line with the style of [7].

After all, he had always stayed behind the scenes, manipulating others with unknown abilities, and always liked to treat others as puppets and pawns.

But the Silver Knight betrayed Him, and Ron, a pawn who had broken free of His control, appeared. It was only natural for Him to choose to control the two and make them kill each other as revenge.

But that way... it'll be a good deal for Ron.

Logically speaking, given that Ron is unable to use superpowers and can only rely on the extraordinary abilities of a "medium," there's no way the Silver Knight could have injured him.

After all, the Silver Knight is a "Mithril Knight" of the [Mysterious] Sequence 5. Just by standing still and letting Ron go all out, the weak "medium" can't do any damage to a "Mithril Knight".

Not to mention the Silver Knight, who has been mutated by the Mask and is transforming into the "Masked Dancer"—that's a demigod-level superhuman being!

When the Silver Knight is truly and completely mutated and transforms into a supernatural being, although his intelligence will be completely erased and he will become bizarre and grotesque, his abilities will truly reach the fourth level of Sequence, touching upon a faint divine nature...

At that time, let alone hurting Him... even Ron might not be able to survive next to the Silver Knight who has become a "masked dancer".

Mindless supernatural beings always act solely on instinct. The "Masked Dancer" is unlikely to be a friendly supernatural being towards humans; it could probably kill Ron in some way simply by manipulating magic at will...

But who can blame them when there's this half-crippled saint, [7]?
Under the control of those translucent threads, even though Ron was just a low-ranking newbie, he could still slip a hand through the Silver Knight's chest and say some heartfelt words to him.

That's why, although theoretically Ron killed the Silver Knight entirely with the power of [7], and the Silver Knight didn't completely become a "masked dancer," the kill was still attributed to him...

In theory, if Ron hadn't anchored the timeline within the [Flash of Light], he wouldn't have gained anything beyond information.

After all, the essence of [Fleeting Light and Shadow] is reversing the flow of time; all influences will change because of this reversal of time.

For example, if Ron drinks a Sequence 6 potion in [Flash of Light] and advances to Sequence 6, the potion he drank will naturally flow back out after time reverses and will no longer be digested by Ron.

but……

Who made Ron's character designation based on this method?
Kill monsters and obtain settings—this is the power of the Dimensional Update Manual, the only supreme being that is not affected by the passage of time!

After all, even the time reversal of [Flowing Light and Shadow] is itself an effect of the Dimensional Update Manual... so how could it possibly affect the ability of the Dimensional Update Manual itself?
That's why Ron was able to take down his teammate with tears in his eyes and inherit his small legacy—

'Thank you, Silver Knight, my good teammate... If I have the chance next time, I definitely won't let you down!'

Of course, that's only when there's an opportunity.

If there's no chance, I'll sacrifice my fellow Daoists rather than myself; I'll still try to scam them if necessary.

As a good teammate, the Silver Knight couldn't possibly stop Ron from achieving a better ending...

Ron was thinking silently, looking at the Dimensional Update Manual, and a sense of anticipation welled up in his heart.

'I wonder what kind of setting such a high-level transcendent being, a Sequence Four demigod monster, will bring?'

Thinking of this, he saw a new interface pop up on the screen—

The image depicts a full-color painting of a graceful dancer wearing a gilded mask, but her movements are stiff, her eyes are vacant, and her head is turned by her joints pulled by thin threads. Only darkness can be seen through the gaps in the mask.

[Advanced Extraordinary Being: The Masked Dancer]

Sometimes, you'll see graceful dancers on the stage of Puppet Town, completely absorbed in the town's ever-ringing bells, dancing with abandon—

"But behind this bizarre beauty lies a supernatural creature born from an out-of-control lie of 'trickery,' coveting your life."

"This is the Masked Dancer, the 'supporting role' in Puppet Town, a superhuman being transformed from a superhuman who fell into Puppet Town and had their life script altered."

Inherent settings—

【The Dance of Eternity】: The chaotic magic of 【Trickery】 is rampaging because of its out-of-control lies. The magic of 【Puppet Town】 has painted over the life scripts of the extraordinary, turning them into endless masked dancers, fluttering in the world.

【Mask of Deception】: Masks are worn on their faces, and also on their hearts... Beneath the harmless mask, deception will sprout and bloom freely in the shadows.

【The Stage at Will】: The masked dancer is always on the stage, and 【Puppet Town】is always the stage for the masked dancer.

[First defeat of the enemy "Masked Dancer," setting extraction in progress.]

[Setting Excerpt: Deceptive Mask]
By loading this setting, you will acquire the "Mask of Life" when you deceive others with lies and listen to their last words.

The deceased's last words will manifest as a reflection of their life, allowing you to understand everything about them.

By wearing a mask, you can conceal your own mind, impersonate someone else in a mystical sense, and hide your own actions.

Furthermore, theatrical actors conceal all their emotions beneath a mask. After loading this setting, you can erase traces of your heart; no one can detect or control your thoughts, and you can also conceal your subtle actions to a certain extent.

Upon seeing the settings in the Dimensional Update Manual, Ron was so happy he almost fainted.

As expected of a demigod-level superhuman!

The value of this setting is so high it's overflowing!
Although Ron seemed to have received a similar setting when he killed the "War Puppet," he knew that the two settings were completely different in effect, and their value was worlds apart...

【A Thousand Faces】 is simply a feature that allows Ron to distort his body, transforming it into whatever form he desires, or into the person he wants to impersonate.

【The Deceptive Mask】...can directly allow Ron to impersonate someone else in a mystical sense!
What is the "mystical significance"?
Even concepts like spirituality, soul, and ego—all concepts that prove their identity at their origin—will be manipulated and directed at Ron!
Moreover, the [Mask of Deception] has more than just this one effect...

Upon obtaining the "Veil of Life," it will manifest as a representation of the deceased's life, allowing Ron to understand it. This means Ron can fully know everything the deceased experienced.

Possessing all the deceased's knowledge and experiences, and then, in a mystical sense, taking over their identity, while also using the "thousand faces" effect to physically transform oneself into that appearance—

At this point, probably no one could tell whether Ron was really the deceased whose life he had taken.

This is simply an unbeatable disguise technique... If Ron were an assassin or a con artist, this kind of setup alone would be enough for him to reach the top of the dark path, becoming the world's top assassin and the world's top con artist!
Ron suspected that this setting was actually a supernatural ability of the [Trickery] Sequence 4 "Theatrical Actor," since lies and last words sounded like the potion formula of the [Trickery] Sequence 0 "The Chess Player."

The auxiliary materials that were difficult for Ron to understand back then are now somewhat clearer to him.

Those auxiliary materials are probably similar to "The Mask of Life," products created by extraordinary individuals in the [Trickery] sequence at higher sequences, relying on their extraordinary abilities.

To become the "player" of the [Trickery] Sequence Zero, one must be extremely proficient in these methods, successfully turning various high-sequence powerhouses into playthings and pawns in one's hands. Only then can one seize their legacy as supplementary materials, ignite the spark of [Trickery], and ascend to the throne of gods...

Thinking about it carefully, the [Trickery] sequence doesn't seem like a good thing... With such bizarre abilities and such a dark way of doing things, what kind of good people can this sequence produce?

Then, thinking about the even more bizarre behavior of those who controlled people like puppets [7], Ron immediately curled his lip.

It seems that [mystery] is no better than [trickery]... These two paths are not only similar in ability, but also in their despicable ways of doing things. No wonder [7] can possess the seed of [trickery], I wonder where he got it from.

However, considering the actions of [7] and the explanations in the Dimensional Update Manual, Ron couldn't help but ponder:
'Why does it seem like... the superhumans of the [Trickery] faction aren't having an easy time?'

'That makes sense. Since the Seed of Deception can already be held by a [mysterious] saint, it indirectly proves that there is currently no god in the [Deception] sequence—that god is dead?'

'The setting description in the Dimensional Update Manual explicitly and implicitly hints that the emergence of [Puppet Town] was the result of a lie by [He] spiraling out of control...'

'And Puppet Town doesn't look like a good place at all, but for a transcendent of the 'Trickery' sequence to advance to sequence four, they must deal with a masked dancer... No wonder the Silver Knight wanted to steal the containment object that Father Suer was suppressing.' 'Now Puppet Town is also being watched by the 'Mysterious' Saint. [7] doesn't know what he's planning, but he's probably already done a lot of research on it and is preparing to use the power of Puppet Town to advance. In other words, this is already part of His territory...'

If another extraordinary individual were to embark on the [Trickery] sequence, exhausting all their strength to digest the Sequence 5 potion, and then attempt to advance to Sequence 4, only to find themselves facing a "Masked Dancer," one can only imagine the despair they would feel—

According to the setting, the place where the "Masked Dancer" is located will become [Puppet Town]. This [Puppet Town] doesn't seem like a place that a Sequence Five can just wander around in...

Even if one were truly blessed by fate and managed to kill a "masked dancer" inside and actually escape, they would still definitely be noticed by [7].

'This guy got the [Trickery] Seed; I wonder if there's someone else behind him. Even if there isn't, he's still a Sequence Three holder of the Seed… The [Trickery] Sequence transcendents are in luck.'

Thinking of this, Ron couldn't help but feel a little pity and shook his head.

Luckily, he had the Dimensional Update Manual...

You can switch sequences anytime, anywhere with just a bottle of Sequence Nine potion—any sequence with a pitfall can be avoided, and sooner or later you can find a sequence without pitfalls to become a god in peace!

But for now, we have to put aside whether or not we become gods, and first think about how to best use the settings we have.

Although the [Mask of Deception] is extremely valuable, it has one obvious problem—

That is, no matter what, a "mask of life" is needed to activate it.

To obtain the "mask of life," one must deceive others with lies, cause their death, and hear their last words. Only then can the "mask of life" manifest through this power...

Putting aside whether this matter crosses Ron's moral bottom line—just at the moment, he simply has no opportunity to do it!
After the previous [Flash of Light and Shadow] attempts, Ron basically knew that the entire Evening Bell City was probably under the surveillance of [7]...

If he dares to use the ability of [Mask of Deception] to deceive anyone, he will definitely be discovered by [7].

Thankfully... thankfully, [Mask of Deception] has an ability that doesn't require a "Mask of Life," and it will trigger consistently whenever the character is loaded.

'Erase the traces of your heart, and no one will be able to detect or control your thoughts, and to some extent conceal your subtle actions…'

Looking at the text on the Dimensional Update Manual, Ron seemed to be deep in thought, his mind racing as he considered a new plan.

This ability is precisely his best help in disguising and hiding himself!
In the top-tier fishpond of Evening Bell City, where Sequence 3 fish are fried, as a mere novices, if he wants to make a splash, the most important thing is to avoid being detected!
[7] These repeated attempts to block the door and kill him were probably largely due to the use of [mysterious] abilities and the power of the [trickery] spark, which allowed them to anticipate Ron's thoughts and, to some extent, understand his ideas...

Now, thanks to the [Mask of Deception], he can not only avoid this, but also conceal some of his subtle actions...

This might allow him to subtly alter the Silver Knight's ascension ceremony without being detected by [7], and then, by utilizing the effect of [Mask of Deception], escape [7]'s temporary control and find a way to facilitate the Silver Knight's ascension—

Only by gaining a true demigod ally, and one who is absolutely hostile to [7], can Ron turn things around, stop [7]'s ascension, and escape Evening Bell City alive!
'I feel like I can give it a try now... Oh, and I could also try to find other extraordinary creatures in Evening Bell City, kill them to get some new settings, and maybe even get some useful assistance...'

Ron, not wanting to waste any more time, stepped out of his cage once more and began a new round of [Fleeting Light and Shadow]—

Then he died and came back to life not long after.

His expression changed slightly, and after pondering for a long time, he made up his mind and stepped out of the cage once again...

Not long after, he died again.

His expression was solemn, his brows furrowed in deep thought. He carefully formulated his plan before stepping out of the cage once more...

And this time he died even faster.

He remained silent, pondered, went out again, and returned dead...

After repeating the process more than ten times, Ron finally couldn't take it anymore.

He was so angry that he was panting heavily, his chest heaving. He couldn't help but remove the bronze shackles from his feet and smash them with his bare hands, shattering the corpse's head into pieces with a "bang".

Kurt, who was secretly watching the new inmate, was horrified and quickly turned his head away, thinking to himself that a fake superhuman had arrived at the Sanctuary...

That's so inconsiderate!

'【7】Was He betrayed by someone or was He inherently evil...? How did He prepare so many preparatory measures?!'

Ron wasn't idle during those dozen or so expeditions...

For the first time, he tried to rely on the power of the [Mask of Deception] to secretly leave Evening Bell City again, hoping to escape and head to the Fog City.

As a result, although he was not seen by anyone and his thoughts could not be discerned by [7], he was found again by the Silver Knight and [7]'s avatar in the suburbs outside the city, who asked him, "Your Excellency, where do you wish to go..."

Although he did go further than before, he still couldn't escape from here—[7] That guy seemed to have made a contingency plan that someone could deceive Him, so he simply monitored all the places around Evening Bell City, and He would discover whoever left the city!
Afterwards, Ron followed his own plan and went to search for the extraordinary creatures that existed within Evening Bell City...

Theoretically speaking, he wouldn't even need to search further; the skeletal prison within the Scorched Earth Sanctuary already contains enough extraordinary creatures for him to extract the necessary information.

But after a quick search, Ron discovered that the entire Scorched Earth Sanctuary had been completely cleared, with only the husks of recently deceased individuals remaining, transformed from their resentment…

There are no supernatural beings here other than husks and war golems!

It seems that [7] had already cleaned up the entire City of Evening Bell when the script was written, erasing everything that might cause any impact, leaving only some harmless supernatural creatures in the City of Evening Bell.

As a result, Ron searched the entire city of Evening Bell but found no other supernatural creatures. The only time he saw one was in the city's sewers, where he found a mud monster lurking there.

The mud monster was quite large, but its strength was estimated to be only at the seventh level of the Sequence. Ron was originally full of confidence and was ready to kill the monster to obtain a setting, but after fighting with all his might for a long time and was about to kill it, translucent threads suddenly emerged from the guy's body...

That's right, it's a puppet of [7]!
Ron could only silently watch as [7] tore him into shreds, which were then instantly seized and refined...

After that, Ron went to explore the other superhumans who had been manipulated.

It was only then that Ron was shocked to discover that, apart from Father Sue and Idrila, all the other superhumans seemed to have become puppets of [7]!
Everyone, whether it's President Elvis or Father Harvey, even these Sequence 7s, the strongest people in Evening Bell City on the surface, will be exposed and turned into puppets controlled by semi-transparent threads if Ron mentions anything related to [7] in front of them...

Only Idrila, the protagonist in the script, and Father Sue, the antagonist, were not controlled and still retained a certain degree of self-awareness...

However, this sense of self-awareness seems to have been temporarily suppressed by the [Trickery] Seed.

Theoretically speaking, the script for Evening Bell City is completely under the control of [7].

His goal was to trick the Silver Knight, turning him into a "masked dancer" and dragging the entire Evening Bell City into Puppet Town...

Even though he was seriously injured and his strength was reduced to less than one-tenth, with such meticulous planning and preparation, it seemed that there was almost no possibility of resistance to the script he had set!

But thankfully... there's always a way out!

Ron calmed himself down and looked at his personal panel on the Dimensional Update Manual.

Although [7] control over Evening Bell City extends to every aspect, one problem can never be changed—

Perhaps because of the ritual, he didn't truly and completely turn Idrila and Father Sull, the main characters of the story, into his puppets. The Silver Knight, as the leader of the ascension ritual, was also not turned into a puppet...

As long as they are not turned into puppets, the most important characters in the play "Dragon Quest" will still have the opportunity to change their roles.

If their roles could be changed, altering the final battle and influencing the ending... then the Silver Knight, who was originally a supporting character in this script, could certainly become the protagonist!

Considering Ron's various settings and methods, as well as the containment objects possessed by the Silver Knight...

This inescapable net laid out by the saint is not without a chance of being broken!
(End of this chapter)