Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Exit the game

The world before my eyes began to blur.

…………

Sylvia opened her eyes.

I've regained control of my body.

She stood in the first-level slum, surrounded by dilapidated tents and huddled figures. Paul stood not far away, warily scanning the surroundings.

“Let’s go,” Sylvia said. “It’s time to go back.”

The two followed the path they had taken, passed through the second floor, then through the first floor, pushed open the heavy iron door, and returned to the ground.

Sylvia sat in the back seat of Starr Silver Shadow, leaned back, and looked at the familiar buildings outside the window. Paul started the engine, and the black car silently glided into traffic, the street scene outside the window rushing past.

When will Mr. Mambo come again? What will it be like next time he comes?

Will something like today happen again?

It wasn't until the car stopped in front of the Claire family's manor that Sylvia opened the car door, stepped into the hall, and her mood returned to cheerfulness: "Mom, I'm home."

In the living room, Mother was sitting on the sofa, holding a newspaper. Hearing the sound, she looked up, her expression not good.

"came back?"

"Hmm." Sylvia walked over. "What's wrong? Where are Dad and brother?"

“In the courtroom,” the mother said. “Something happened, and he won’t be back for the next few days. Sigh, your coming-of-age ceremony was just a few days away, and of all times…”

"What happened?"

The mother simply handed the newspaper to Sylvia: "Take a look at this."

Sylvia took the newspaper, looked down, and saw that the headline on the front page had only three words—

"There is an illness above."

Sylvia's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

Is Your Majesty ill?

The Queen is seriously ill, the Princess is missing, and the throne is vacant.

The Kingdom of Konoma is about to undergo a major upheaval.

…………

The eighth floor of the underground city.

Kong Wenbin walked in front, Yang Chen followed behind carrying a giant axe, Li Xianyu held a staff and looked around, and Tie Dan counted how many manhole covers were left in his backpack as they walked.

"This has been a smooth journey, Captain," Li Xianyu said cheerfully. "Should we take down the eighth-floor boss in one go?"

Kong Wenbin turned and glanced at her: "Are you serious?"

"Hehe, just kidding." Li Xianyu shrank his neck. "I just feel like it would be a waste to go back empty-handed after all this trip."

“What loss?” Tie Dan sighed. “If Her Majesty the Empress hadn’t ordered the army to take complete control of the underground city a few months ago, we wouldn’t be unemployed and have to come all this way to make a living…”

The Elf Empire's dungeon, named "Fengdu," has nine levels, each deeper, more dangerous, and more terrifying than the kingdom's dungeons.

But that was the battlefield for the army; ordinary adventurers like them had no chance of survival in the empire.

With a single order from the Empress, the army took over everything—the dungeons, the monsters outside the city, and even the ruins in the wilderness were designated as military restricted areas.

The empire has no need for adventurers.

The empire only needs warriors.

"Shut up, or you'll lose your head if you witness this again," Kong Wenbin quickly warned.

In the Elven Empire, officials and commoners who directly point out His Majesty's faults are punished severely; those who submit written remonstrances to His Majesty are punished moderately; and those who slander or criticize His Majesty in the marketplace or court, reaching His Majesty's ears, are punished severely.

Tie Dan was so frightened that he immediately shut his mouth.

"Alright, stop complaining," Yang Chen said in a gruff voice. "We're already here, let's do a good job. The dungeons here in the kingdom are pretty good, at least no army is fighting us for them."

"Well..." Li Xianyu muttered softly, "I wonder how the Empire's Abyss War is going."

Kong Wenbin looked up at the gray sky in the distance.

He wanted to know too.

…………

Elf Empire.

Beneath the capital lies the entrance to the abyss.

The ninth level of the dungeon—Chesed, the benevolent.

There is no sky here.

Looking up, all that could be seen was an endless expanse of grayish-white mist, surging, flowing, and spreading like an inverted ocean, or a veil that could never be penetrated. The mist was so thick that it was almost solidified, and as it flowed slowly, it had a viscous texture, as if the entire space was being soaked in some ancient, slumbering liquid.

Deep within the fog, a massive outline could be vaguely seen—that was the canopy of a tree.

A canopy that blocks out the sky.

a tree.

A colossal tree, its trunk so thick it seems to have no end—like a mountain range, the spine supporting an entire world. Its bark is grayish-brown, cracked into countless furrows, each fissure seemingly bottomless, as if leading to an abyss in another dimension.

Its canopy stretches upwards, piercing the endless gray-white mist, its top invisible. Its branches extend in all directions, each wider than the empire's widest street, adorned with countless aerial roots, as thick as centuries-old trees, dangling from unknown heights, sinking deep into the ground, from which new trunks, new branches, and new aerial roots sprout—

This cycle continues endlessly.

Jianmu (建木).

The legendary divine tree that connects heaven and earth.

She is also the guardian boss of this floor, one of the 22 demon lords, the "Priestess" Immortal Demon.

At this moment, countless imperial soldiers are besieging this giant tree.

From high above, the soldiers looked as tiny as ants—a dense swarm of ants surrounding the towering tree, launching an attack using every means at their disposal.

Red Lotus Burns with Karmic Fire!

Thousands of mages stood in a square formation, chanting and casting spells simultaneously, converging into a sea of ​​fire powerful enough to incinerate the capital, like a reversed meteor shower, all crashing against the trunk of the Jianmu tree, blasting it into charred patches—

Then, the charring faded.

The bark has been restored to its original state.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The Great Wilderness Sky-Splitting Axe!

The vanguard battalion—30,000 men—divided into thirty teams, took turns advancing, unleashing their martial arts skills and swordplay. A hail of blades, axes, hooks, and forks rained down on the roots of the Jianmu tree, carving deep cuts and gaps.

Then, those gaps healed, healed, healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Not even a scar was left.

"Get on the chainsaw demon!"

That was one of the superior demonic fire seeds possessed by the Imperial Army. After use, huge magical chains of saw energy would grow from the head and arms, with anti-magic runes attached to the teeth, capable of cutting through the hardest substances in the world.

The saw chain dug deep into the tree trunk, sending sawdust flying and piling up like a mountain.

Then, the newly grown bark got stuck in the saw chain.

Then, the newly grown wood swallowed the chain sawman whole, and he couldn't pull him out.

Magic, martial arts, fire—the imperial army used everything at its disposal. The demons were attacked at will, offering no resistance, yet they could not be killed at all.

It is always healing.

It is always growing.

forever--

eternal life.

And amidst this endless siege, something even more terrifying is unfolding.

"what--!!!"

A scream came from behind the army formation.

Everyone saw it—a young soldier who had been brandishing his weapon suddenly froze in place.

Then, his skin began to crack, and tender, emerald-green shoots sprouted from the cracks. These shoots grew at a visible speed, piercing his muscles, penetrating his bones, and gushing out wildly from his seven orifices, from his eye sockets, and from his mouth.

Within seconds, he transformed into a humanoid tree, and when he stood up again, his limbs were twisted at bizarre angles, and then—

He rushed towards his comrades.

"Demonic Yin! His demonic Yin form has activated!"

"Kill him now!"

As the swords fell, the humanoid tree was cleaved into several pieces, but the severed branches continued to wriggle, grow, and try to piece themselves back together.

This is the curse of the immortal demon.

Every day, hundreds of warriors fall into demonic possession.

They are corrupted by immortality, gaining infinite lifespan and near-immortal self-healing abilities—yet they lose consciousness and become insane madmen who cannot distinguish friend from foe.

Then it was chopped into countless pieces by its comrades, burned with raging fire, and finally separated and sealed.

Every day, the Empire cremates hundreds of such remains, and every day, hundreds of families receive notices of death.

This fierce battle has been going on for a week.

Five thousand three hundred and nineteen soldiers perished here.

The Jianmu tree still stands tall.

Still immortal.

still--

Invincible.