Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

The witch smiled without saying a word, shifting her gaze from Freya to Cheng Cheng's face.

Cheng Cheng didn't respond; he was thinking a step further than Freya.

This doesn't just imply that the trial dream is a shadow of the game world; perhaps even the game world itself is a reflection of reality projected onto the cave wall.

Is she implying that she is the one who emerges from the cave and sees the truth?

Or was she the one who truly emerged from the cave?

Unable to figure it out, the witch seemed to have no intention of explaining.

She put down her teacup and clapped softly:

"Congratulations to Cheng Cheng for passing the trial of the Omniscient Witch and achieving a perfect score - paji paji."

Cheng Cheng and Freya exchanged a glance and then clapped.

"But it's a pity." The witch looked at Freya. "Freya only completed half of her trial. Although she is no longer obsessed with family, she is trapped by another kind of emotion for her entire life... I'll give you sixty points, that's passing."

Freya thought she had failed the trial, but she was surprised to pass and quickly thanked him.

"Now, it's time for the witch's reward!"

Elle clapped her hands and conjured a deck of cards out of thin air, spreading them out in her palm.

Then, the cards were laid out face down on the tea table, seven cards lying on a white lace tablecloth, each one gleaming softly.

"What is this?" Cheng Cheng hadn't reacted yet.

"W-w-w-—" Freya's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward. "This is a legendary blasphemous card? You're giving this to us?"

Blasphemy!

Only heroes who vanquish the Demon Lord are qualified to place the Demon Lord's fire within their bodies and, through a ritual, refine it into a blasphemous token!

From then on, their lifespan became endless, they gained divine power, and they truly stood on the chessboard of this world, becoming the one who played the game!

Now the witch can just casually pull out seven cards?

"Dream on."

The witch scoffed and tapped her fingers on the table: "I only have one blasphemous card myself, where did all these come from?"

Cheng Cheng raised an eyebrow: "I thought witches were some kind of observers from outside the world, but I didn't expect you to be a legend too?"

"I just need a sufficient position to intervene in this world."

The witch shook her head, and a gorgeous playing card suddenly appeared in her hand.

The card was larger than the seven on the table, with silver patterns around its edges. On the card was a figure in a cloak, leaning on a cane, standing on a snow-covered mountain peak, holding a lamp aloft in his right hand, and lost in thought.

The Hermit.

The witch put it back into her sleeve and pointed to the seven cards on the table.

"These are imitations of the Blasphemous Cards that I made. They have nothing to do with the twenty-two paths or the nine particles. They are more like superior sparks. But they can be improved, just like your Gun Demon Spark."

Seeing Cheng Cheng's confusion, she explained, "Your Gunfire Seed can be enhanced by spreading firearms and fear. And that ultimate move, the Sacrifice Finger, naturally becomes more powerful the more people who have used firearms."

She paused.

"Also, don't forget that this move can only be used once in a long time. After all, a person only has one right index finger."

Cheng Cheng nodded.

He had previously sacrificed the index fingers of every gun owner in the world in his dream to successfully defeat the Rock Queen. But firearms haven't been widely adopted in the game world yet, so there aren't that many fingers he could burn.

“My cards are similar; you need to do what the cards represent to enhance their effects.” The witch rearranged the seven cards on the table. “There are seven cards in total: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, and Pleasure.”

Cheng Cheng raised his hand: "Wait! Isn't lust the one in the Seven Deadly Sins? What the hell is pleasure?"

"To avoid censorship. Look, you can't help but add punctuation between two words yourself."

Cheng Cheng: "..."

"Anyway, come and draw one."

Cheng Cheng and Freya exchanged a glance.

Freya reached out, her fingertips gliding over the seven cards. After hesitating for a few seconds, she drew the rightmost card, while Cheng Cheng casually drew the leftmost card.

The two cards are turned over.

Cheng Cheng looked down at his card. The card depicted a man standing on a mountaintop, looking down at the sea of ​​clouds and mountains below. His posture was arrogant, and a disdainful smile was on his lips.

arrogant.

A line of small text appeared below the card: "When using any ability on someone you perceive as weaker than yourself, the effect is doubled. The more you believe the other person is inferior, the stronger the effect."

Holy crap, is this pure idealism buff?

Does believing you are better than someone else mean you are truly better?

Cheng Cheng happily accepted the cards.

Freya also looked down at her reward. The card depicted a girl dancing among flowers, her skirt fluttering, her long hair flowing, her eyes narrowed into two crescent moons, and she was smiling happily.

Joy.

"When you are in a pleasant mood, all your talents, abilities, and training effects are doubled. The happier you are, the stronger the effect."

"When it's astringent, all the effects are doubled again."

What's your card?

Cheng Cheng looked over curiously, and Freya quickly turned the card face down, glared at Cheng Cheng with a flushed face, and then quickly lowered her head.

The girl on the card is still smiling.

"This is just a passing grade," the witch's voice came from the other end. "Cheng Cheng, you also have an extra bonus for a perfect score."

Cheng Cheng raised his head.

The witch reached out and gently touched his forehead with her fingertips. A warm sensation seeped in from between his eyebrows and spread outwards along his forehead.

He subconsciously touched his forehead, but felt nothing.

But a faint, almost invisible halo appeared around it, covering a distance of five meters, as thin as a film of water. He tried to infuse it with a little magic—the halo brightened for a moment, its color changing from silvery-white to pale gold, and the circle of light grew larger, like someone had thrown a pebble into the water.

Then it goes dark and returns to normal.

"This is the 'IQ-lowering aura' of the 'Idiot Bar,' which can lower the IQ of those around it; it's a standard feature of online novel protagonists."

The witch withdrew her hand, took a step back, and a hint of nostalgia appeared on her face: "Also, this ability is related to the Fool's Card, and can help you find it as soon as possible."

"The Fool's Card?"

"Of all the legends, the Fool and the World are the most important. If possible, try to keep these two cards in your hand."

Before Cheng Cheng could ask anything, the witch clapped her hands.

"Alright, the witch's trial is over. It was a pleasure meeting you both—"

She took two steps back, and her figure began to fade.

"Well then, goodbye."

"Wait, if we go out now, we'll be..."

Before the words were finished, the starry sky and the garden began to shatter. Everything was like a mirror that had been smashed, breaking into countless tiny fragments, each reflecting the starry sky, the garden, and that smiling face wearing a pointed hat.

The fragments fell, faster and farther, until they disappeared into the darkness.

Cheng Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed at No. 13 Mink Street—the witch seemed to have teleported Freya's body to a safe place, avoiding the pursuit of the two legends.

He glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight. He quickly told Freya to exit the game.

I feel like I've regained control of my body.

Freya walked to the window, pushed it open, and the night breeze blew in, carrying the scent of the city—car lights flashed in the distance, pedestrians thronged the streets, and life seemed peaceful and serene.

She recalled the tyranny during the trials, and her fifty years as a tyrant. Even though these memories had vanished like bubbles, some still lingered in her heart...

I am still too weak, not even as good as the Tang God King that Cheng Cheng mentioned, and I can't even revive my lover!

Must get stronger!

The reward for the witch's trial is an opportunity—Cheng Cheng said that he can become stronger just by playing, and the Pleasure Card can multiply the rewards when things get awkward...

Thinking this, Freya lay back on the bed and began to try to recall the days she spent with Cheng Cheng.

Then the curtains were drawn.

…………

"Damn it! Who is that witch?!"

Silverlight City, the office of the Supreme Judge.

Villette slammed her fist on the table, cracking the solid wood surface and scattering the documents all over the floor.

Sylvia, standing to the side, was slightly taken aback: "A witch?"

“It’s the guy who killed the Gun Demon on the fourth floor and stole the Fire Seed.” Vilette plopped back into her chair and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her drawer. “That’s the code name Karen and I gave her.”

He struck two matches to light his cigarette, took a drag, and the smoke spilled from the corner of his mouth, slowly dissipating under the lamplight.

"He actually disappeared even when Karen was doing everything she could to block his abilities..." He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, his voice weary. "This world is getting more and more chaotic."

"More importantly, we killed the Obsidian Bishop, but we can't produce the Gun Demon's Fire Seed as evidence. The Holy Kingdom is already objecting and says they'll send investigators. That'll cause another diplomatic dispute, and just thinking about it gives me a headache."

hum.

Sylvia chuckled to herself.

After all, that's Mr. Mambo, who possesses all sorts of amazing abilities. It's normal that you can't beat him, Father.

She glanced at the clock on the wall—the hands were almost at twelve.

By this time, Mr. Mambo would usually have already left.

But Freya hasn't sent me a message yet... Could it be that she and Mr. Mambo haven't come out of the dungeon yet?

Feeling a little anxious, Sylvia greeted her father, left the office, and walked into the corridor.

The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of her boots on the floor. She pushed open the door to her room, went in, closed the door, and turned on her phone screen.

Start a video call with Freya.