Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The unseen children were lurking in the elves' dreams, those long-eared creatures engrossed in their adventure completely unaware of how close they were to despair. Fortunately, neither side noticed the other.

The undulating mountain peaks suddenly rise higher, surpassing the surrounding forest backdrop, climbing into the clouds, gazing up at the bright sun like astray. Like enjoying a sunbath, their soft bodies exposed to the high sky shift and change freely, allowing golden light to bathe them. Like a tree absorbing holy light, transmitting this sacred power along its roots to its people.

The Invisible Ones thoroughly enjoyed this new power.

“The Holy Light is changing us; we are straying from the future given to us by the Father.” The Invisible Child easily sensed the changes within himself; Lyle’s cleverness did not escape the instincts of the chosen one.

But who cares?

“If we become stronger than that future, the Father will approve of our transformation.” Their noble arrogance led the Unseen Children to readily accept the Holy Light, a power that originally did not belong to them. They firmly believed that the power of the evil god could digest everything, just as the clergy firmly believed that the Holy Light was immortal.

“That gatekeeper is truly… a terrifying being. He’s probably an Old God subdued by the Deceitful One…” the Unseen Children whispered. They actually doubted the humble Deceitful One’s strength, but the facts were undeniable. The gatekeeper was Lyle’s ally. What? A senior-junior relationship? That didn’t exist. In the network of evil gods, there were only master and servant, and the divine child was absolutely the master.

The Invisible Children became more humble towards Lyle, especially after witnessing the first "manifestation" of the Divine Child. These growing children became increasingly obedient to the adult, and they seemed to have learned to consider Lyle's feelings. Perhaps, these Invisible Children were also afraid to witness the madness of this fraudster again.

Colossal beings traversed the jungle, yet not a single branch broke, not a single leaf fell from their scraping. The unseen beings moved forward as if they did not exist. For they were the source, the perfect substitute for all the laws of matter. From the moment they descended upon the dream realm, this grand ritual woven by the blue dragons and dream druids was continually being deciphered through their probing. Decomposing laws, discerning magic, traversing without touching lower-dimensional worlds, the unseen beings acquired powers akin to game administrators.

This is the ranch where the fraudster Lyle trains his minions; it cannot be disturbed at will. This concept is etched in the minds of the Unseen Children. Although they don't believe those ant-like, inferior races can be of much help to their masters, the strange quirks of all their masters are almost a characteristic of evil gods. Some evil gods like to collect garbage, some like to raise ants, some like to frighten people, some like to disturb others' sleep. The Lord is a miracle, is tolerance, tolerance of all the strange.

……

When Lyle found the Unseen Children, they were huddled on a mountaintop, watching a group of ants fighting at the foot of the mountain. They made no attempt to conceal their presence; their distinctive aura was as conspicuous to Lyle, a fellow human, as stars in a dark night sky. Moreover, the blue dragon Christo had been monitoring them constantly; wherever the Unseen Children went, the magical network would go out of control and become chaotic. What stopped the chaos was the holy light emanating from the Unseen Children; as part of the game system, the holy light shielded players from the perception of these bugs.

"My Lord." The unseen beings showed respect to Lyle's arrival, extending their intertwined tentacles—communication of thought being a sign of intimacy. Lyle, worried that the players weren't focused, noticed the tentacles that were about to touch him abruptly retract. Following their instincts, the unseen beings regained their senses; they remembered the unsavory contents of this great being, and their desire to avoid anything unclean outweighed their instinctive respect.

Fortunately, this person didn't mind.

Lyle stood atop the hill, watching the brawl between two groups of players at the foot of the mountain. It was a chaotic fight between the Witherers and the Elder Council; they were already quite proficient in their new classes, with magic bullets, holy light, and dragon roars flying everywhere. Lyle turned around, and the Child of the Unseen was a glowing mass of flesh squeezed together, leaving a vacuum two meters away from him, not a single tentacle reaching out.

"You guys..."

【You fraudster.】

Lyle took a breath, recovering from the profound spiritual impact of the collective call of the Invisible Children. These disrespectful servants of God had used all their might to call him, as if they were afraid Lyle wouldn't hear them.

"I will become your Holy Light Leader, your missionary mentor..." After careful consideration, Lyle finally decided to take the lead himself. Continuing to deceive the servants of God would put a lot of psychological pressure on a human who was used to being timid.

Without objection, the unseen beings moved about normally, treating the decision as a settled fact. They were all focused, their eyes wide open, awaiting what would follow.

"First, you need to know why you should believe in the Holy Light."

The Invisible Children were collectively bewildered. They writhed violently, trying to communicate with each other. [Why? Why would the Deceitful One ask such a question?] [We do what the Divine Child commands. Why? Do we need a reason?] [Is the Divine Child testing our loyalty? That makes sense. Although we are all relatives of the Father God, we originate from different fragments. Perhaps the Divine Child is questioning our purity.] [Stop! Don't think, don't hide anything. Express our most honest and straightforward selves. The Deceitful One understands our purity.]

The Child of No Form froze in an instant, becoming a thick, distorted backdrop standing behind Lyle, staring at him with an almost idiotic, mindless gaze.

Lyle looked at them and saw only his own reflection in their large eyes, and a pure, empty void. This was the first time Lyle had ever experienced such gazes. In Cassandra's petty calculations, in Andrea's treacherous schemes, when had Lyle ever been stared at by a group of idiots? Those he knew were either wise men or clever scoundrels. Even Karen was far more astute than these Invisible Children.

"Have you never thought about anything? Right or wrong, or anything like that..."

“What the divine child says is all true, and the divine child’s interests are our interests.”

Lyle looked up at the sky; the sun, a manifestation of [Justice], was shining upon the dream. With their power restrained by the Holy Light, these unseen children were practically mindless terrestrial jellyfish.

Lyle casually tossed aside the Holy Light Bible, which he had painstakingly consulted with the gatekeeper through numerous scriptures, and raised his index finger. At this moment, this fragile human finger bone was the sword of judgment, the Ten Commandments, and the divine law.

The divine child issued a divine decree.

"You should remember..."

"The purpose of life is to experience joy."

Chapter 735 BOSS Game

"The purest pleasure is often built upon the suffering of other things, and one should spare no effort for the sake of pleasure."

“The Son of God is the forerunner of deception; we should listen to Him. The words of the noble are always more effective than trying alone.”

"Holy light is a gift, an aid in the pursuit of pleasure. We should worship holy light as we love the thrill that shakes the mind."

Each syllable stirred an indescribable tremor within them; the sound was a mixture of chewing and tearing. Each unseen being was illuminated by holy light, appearing like a shimmering seaweed forest on the seabed. Mental analysis and the power of the evil god exerted their influence simultaneously, shaping the unseen beings within their bodies with the power of justice. Everything was designed to "support" them, endowing the evil god's followers with a way of thinking close to the human soul, and creating channels for them to experience pleasure. Brainwashing—the operations Lyle performed were far more complex than that term. He wasn't changing their thoughts, but rather installing a human-like thinking cheat code within the unseen beings. The Creator's code and the evil god's knowledge provided the theoretical basis for it. Lyle was certain that the flaws in the séance ritual that had occurred at Andre Academy had greatly helped him.

This is the first step in leading the unseen children to rebel against the evil god; after all, becoming a fanatic requires discarding a clever mind. It's an evolution in accordance with the laws of nature: the servants of the gods gain wisdom, they begin to think, and they become cunning. But before all this, Lyle will fill their minds with pleasure.

Lyle patted the air around him, and magical grids began to radiate outwards from the empty space. He had used his administrator privileges to trigger a resonance in the basic code. The exposed data vanished after a moment; Lyle had achieved his goal. He glanced at the battle that had ceased at the foot of the mountain and pointed to a nearby unseen being.

"Go down and get acquainted with my players, your toys." The individual separated from the mass, and the Child of No Path fell down the cliff like a huge boulder, crashing at the foot of the mountain, less than ten meters from the players. Its twisted and chaotic limbs began to extend tentacles, instinctively displaying the fear of the servant of the god.

The dream elves stood around the Child of No Form, their gazes fixed on the enormous monster before them, but their expressions held more confusion than fear. They pulled up the notification bar to confirm the latest administrator information.

"This is the new test monster? I was wondering how I could get a new content test qualification just for playing a team battle. Isn't this just a bunch of pixelated images? I shouldn't have let those unscrupulous administrators have any expectations." In the Dream Elf players' vision, the holy light on the surface of the Child of No Form was faintly glowing. The enormous terror from the abyss was covered by the pixelated holy light. If it weren't for the system prompt, they wouldn't have thought it was an interactive object at all. At most, it would have been a crazy background.

"Come on, the test rewards are real, don't be so ungrateful!" Dream Elf Player Two withdrew his gaze from the Child of Mosaic. Although the light wasn't strong, staring at it for too long still hurt his eyes.

Who will be the first to be tested?

"I'll take it." An impatient berserker player raised his greatsword and charged forward bravely.

*Thud!* The player, still halfway through their journey, was suddenly crushed into blood and gore. The next second, the unseen child's tentacles stretched forward, swallowing the still-on-the-ground flesh. The entire process took less than a second. A second later, a tombstone fell from the sky. Lyle stared intently at the fragments of the deceased's dream. After being devoured by the unseen child, the holy light within it surged dramatically, enveloping the victim's soul as it separated from the monster's head, transforming into a tombstone that fell to the ground. The dream elf's soul remained unharmed; the corruption from the evil god's power was isolated by the holy light. Lyle breathed a sigh of relief. The unseen child, imbued with the power of holy light, would not harm the player's physical body; this was finally confirmed.

This process is an automatic sacrifice guided by justice. Paladins have a custom of offering spoils to the power of the Holy Light, and the Holy Light bestows corresponding blessings based on the glory offered. The Child of the Unseen passively sacrificed the soul of the player who offered the spoils, and in return, he received a large amount of Holy Light—a win-win situation for everyone.

At this point, the stunned players erupted into a riot.

"Holy crap, we got one-shotted! What's the point of our testing?! Is this even a monster a human could fight?"

To the players, a new notification appeared above the ever-changing mosaic, along with a despairing health bar.

[Test Boss: The Child of No Form, Hint: You die if you are touched.]

"You should have said so earlier!!! You're just trying to fix things after you've already updated the record, huh?!" Startled, the player walked over to the tombstone and tapped it to show concern. The tombstone began to shake, chipping away at its front, updating its companion's epitaph.

[Dying was too quick, I didn't even feel anything. I've already received the reward, dying once was even a win. Quick, let the priest resurrect me! I can still die!]

"..."

While the players were communicating, Lyle was also communicating with the Invisible Child.

"Any thoughts? About that ant you just crushed?"

The Child of No Form answered concisely.

No. Crushing an ant casually, performing such a trivial task, evokes no feeling whatsoever.

Lyle nodded, glancing at the chaotic crowd behind him.

“Simply erasing them won’t make a difference. These ants have already covered the Father God’s entire body, and no matter how much we clean them up, their sheer number won’t change until the Father God descends. So, we can find some amusement in cleaning up these ants.”

Lyle used his administrator privileges to land invisibly, walked to the side of the isolated Child of No Return, and pointed to the top of its head.

"Now, I'll teach you how to play this game with these players. First, you need to weaken yourself. See the red bar above your head? That represents your health. If your health is depleted, you lose. And when you deplete the health of those players, you win."

The unseen being stirred, its tentacles on both sides beginning to thrash wildly.

【I understand, Divine Child, I will blast their health bars to smithereens!】

“Wrong. Winning or losing is not important. What’s important is happiness.” Lyle seemed to sense the Invisible Child’s doubt and issued a new command: “Before I give the command, you cannot attack the player in front of you. Also, you need to pay attention to their expressions. Now you should be able to analyze emotions by observing their expressions.”

"Let's begin."

[Test Boss: The Invisible Child and player Chicken Dumpling begin their battle.]

A hunter player was putting up a fierce fight against the boss, consistently dodging the swinging tentacles with perfect timing, eliciting cheers from the battlefield. Sweating profusely, the hunter's face was filled with the satisfaction of a master. Meanwhile, on the side of the Invisible Child, Lyle could feel the frustration. It was hesitant and poorly behaving. It always seemed to pause just before the tentacles landed, giving this idiot a chance to dodge. Moreover, this hunter loved to run around aimlessly, always precisely landing within the Invisible Child's attack range, causing the servant of the god considerable annoyance. If it weren't for the quick reflexes of the Invisible Child, this moron would have almost walked onto the tentacles and fallen to its death. The Invisible Child was incredibly frustrated; if it weren't for the god's command, it would have strangled the hyperactive player.

While attacking with all their might, they also desperately held back, finally reducing the BOSS's health bar to one-fifth. The Child of the Unseen looked at the flea before him, his face glowing with hope, his smile bathed in holy light, brimming with carefree joy. He seemed to have already seen the future, standing alone on the BOSS's corpse, leaving a dashing silhouette amidst the cheers and praises of his companions. Wearing the coolest gear, raising the strongest parrot, the first hunter of the Dream Kingdom is born today.

However, this beautiful dream was shattered by a demon.

"Alright, kill him, my servant."

Oooooo!! A terrifying roar sent earth and rocks flying, the tentacles of the unseen child rose high, and a euphoric mental shock surged like a tidal wave, causing all the tentacles to crash down.

[Following your will, you great fraudster!]

When the second tombstone appeared, the system notification was delayed.

[The boss, the Child of the Unseen, has less than 20% health and has entered a berserk state.]

Lyle shrugged, a twisted grin on his face, and patted his calm tentacles like a heartless bastard.

"how do you feel?"

This was so awesome!

Chapter 736 Blasphemy, Madness

The test was over. Lyle watched as the elf players at the foot of the mountain left, some satisfied and some frustrated. He had achieved his goal of letting the Child of the Unseen experience pleasure, and he wouldn't give these greedy players any more benefits.

Behind him came a series of strange, rustling noises, like wood and mice being shoved into a shredder, the sickening screech and screams making the hairs on his skin stand on end. Without turning around, Lyle could tell what a chaotic and blasphemous scene lay behind him: the unseen beings huddled together, devouring the emotions of their companions, their divinely bestowed bodies capable of crushing anything they touched, exchanging information, matter, and energy at the particle level.

Like a group of fat, well-dressed giants savoring a small cake in their hands, meticulously dividing their fellow beings to savor even a hint of sweetness, leaving nothing behind. The unseen children are immortal; those who are devoured without the will to assimilate separate from their kind and recombine into a single individual. Emotions are contagious, so he retains just as much pleasure as he did.

Restless tentacles clung to the ground, the invisible entity bowing obediently like mud. Beneath its golden, translucent surface, bubbles of thought bubbled and churned. It knelt before Lyle like a mad, joyful, and greedy dog. The emotionless monster experienced joy, like a tasteless person tasting sweetness for the first time; the invisible child displayed unimaginable submission. Like liches who had attained their desires, Lyle even had the illusion that he was repeating the same actions over and over.

The collective surrender of the invisible children was like a plague, and Lyle concluded that they were absolutely loyal to the sleeping Triton until he awoke, loyal to the deceitful divine child, the pleasure mentor Lyle.

Lyle curled his lips into a smile, and a crescent-shaped crack appeared on the face of the ominous phantom. In the most dutiful devil's tone, Lyle coaxed God's servant.

"We love fun, and we can make a game with those players. Listen to me, and you'll experience fun, lots of fun..."

The unruly children are restless; pleasant words have become their stress response. Lyle, while basking in his own accomplishments, imparts new knowledge to them.

The Boss's Self-Cultivation

The formless beings chewed on the knowledge bestowed upon them by the divine child, their newly grown tongues endlessly repeating what they read. "Fast and slow blades, read commands, attack interruption and change of moves, second-stage transformation, aggro reset, intermittent berserk mode, terrain kill..." As time passed, the formless beings trembled more and more frequently, their bodies spontaneously generating pleasure, as if they had already foreseen that bright future. They imitated the divine child's humble disguise, learning to emit demonic laughter.

[Sir, what are the details of this background story, self-model design, loot planning, and BOSS ranking?]

Lyle clasped his hands together and answered matter-of-factly, “A qualified BOSS needs to learn how to introduce himself. You need to develop your personal charm, have an epic and magnificent backstory, and have a cool appearance and skill attacks. You need to be diverse, according to the personal aesthetics of those ants. In short, you need to find ways to attract players and get them to play with you. Do you understand? Players are limited, and the most popular BOSS will get the most players and the most pleasure. This is a war, my servants. You must make yourselves the most charming, the most powerful, and the most unforgettable characters in the dream kingdom, according to the aesthetics of those players.”

In other words, my kind will become my enemies; they will steal my pleasure. The unseen children glared fiercely at each other, a clear dividing line drawn between their tentacles, intimacy turning into brutal lashing. With pleasure comes greed, and with greed comes enmity. By tearing apart the unity of the evil god's legion, Lyle added another achievement to his list.

Mr. Lyle was pleased with the satisfactory result, and the kind administrator decided to reveal a little more.

"That's right, fabricate it, create something from nothing, create a fake BOSS character, but you have to make those arrogant players think you are qualified to be a BOSS, you have to have prestige, my ignorant servants."

"What truly defines sophistication, sir?" An unseen being raised its tentacles.

"It's the kind of person who makes others feel fear when they learn your identity, just like me, the name of the God Child Fraudster."

Roar~ Roar~ Roar~