Chapter 1066

〈 Chapter 1066 〉 1066. Spirit’s Atlantis

“Rae May?!”

The moment I realized it was Rae May, my guard dropped. It couldn’t be helped—it was an involuntary spinal reflex.

“Hehehe.”

Rae May laughed and swung her arm. Three daggers flew through the air, embedding themselves deep into my shoulder and side. Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, I didn’t even have time to dodge or bat them away.

‘Even if I let my guard down, the throwing speed was ridiculously fast—I couldn’t react in time. She’s incredibly skilled.’

I pulled out the three daggers lodged in my body and tossed them onto the ground.

“Hmm? Not even a twitch of your eyebrows. Don’t you feel pain?”

“This is nothing.”

“But they’re poisoned, you know? Though not lethal, I’d expect you to collapse by now…”

My head felt a little dizzy, but it wasn’t enough to make me fall. The dizziness quickly faded.

Thanks to *Celestial Horse Stance (S)*, *Celestial Horse Divine Art (SSS)*, and *Combat Recovery (A)*, average poisons don’t affect me.

“Do I look that weak to you?”

“On the contrary. I thought you were strong. But this…this is impressive.”

Rae May smiled faintly.

「You have fallen under enchantment.」


「Affected by status ailment: Enchantment.」


「Exceptional mental strength resists partially.」


「High luck gives favorable judgment; enchantment effect reduced.」


「Enchantment reduces effectiveness by 5%.」

Alert windows popped up one after another as I looked at Rae May. There’s no way I’d randomly fall into a status ailment—she must’ve done something to me.

Rae May grinned innocently as if she had no idea what I was talking about. Her beautiful appearance somehow made my rising anger dissipate.

“You’re healing already? Even with Combat Recovery (A), it shouldn’t be this fast, right?”

“I’ve got other skills too, plus my vitality is just exceptional.”

“Oh please. What does vitality have to do with anything?”

Rae May laughed as if amused. For someone who tried to assassinate me, she sure seemed relaxed.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“Why I’m trying to kill Mr. #62.”

“I am curious. Will you tell me if I ask?”

“Not like I’d refuse.”

I stopped fiddling with my sword hilt and decided to hear her out—for now, I had no intention of killing her. My mind, however, was busy figuring out how to subdue her.

「You have fallen under enchantment.」


「Affected by status ailment: Enchantment (2).」


「Exceptional mental strength resists partially.」


「High luck gives favorable judgment; enchantment effect reduced.」


「Enchantment reduces effectiveness by 6%.」


「Strength decreases by 1%.」

“…”

I stared at Rae May.

She crossed her arms, accentuating her ample bosom above her wrists.

“Curious, aren’t you?”

Her voice dripped with flirtation. Irritating, but I decided to listen anyway.

‘Status Ailment: Enchantment? Meh, these debuffs are negligible. Sure, they stack, but I’ve got *Heaven’s Heart*—so I’m fine.’

In this situation, I was absolutely dominant.

“Why are you trying to kill me? I haven’t offended your Black Pearl Alliance or anything.”

“No grudges. This is more like…management.”

“Management?”

“Yes. The Forest of Life has a hidden condition. When challengers accumulate 1 million Life Points, they gain the right to challenge the ruler.”

“1 million Life Points? I’ve only gathered 50k so far, and others seem to have even less.”

“Ah, forgot to mention—it’s cumulative. I mean the total accumulated 1 million Life Points.”

This was information I already knew from the setting guide. I was just nodding along to keep her talking.

“Originally, I planned to manage things next time or the time after that… but Mr. #62 has been earning Life Points way faster than expected, so here we are today.”

“So you’re killing me to get the right to challenge the ruler yourself.”

“That’s correct. As both a manager and challenger, I can freely enter the Forest of Life whenever I want. The catch is that you can’t earn Life Points outside of challenge times though.”

“You don’t hand over the challenge rights to anyone. Is that the manager’s role?”

While speaking, Rae May subtly kept using her charm—accentuating her chest, stretching out her pale legs, showing off her slender waist. I watched her movements with amusement. She was so good at seducing men—it made me question whether she was really a virgin.

My lower half started reacting slightly.

“The challenger who gains the right can still re-enter the Forest of Life later. If they bring allies afterward, it could get messy…so better to manage beforehand. Oh, time’s up.”

「You have fallen under enchantment.」


「Affected by status ailment: Enchantment (5).」


「Exceptional mental strength resists partially…」


“…”

“You’re highly lucky. The judgment is going favorably. The effect of fascination is decreasing.”

“Fascination effect slows you by 9%.”

“Strength decreases by 3%.”

“Fascination (5) activates its charm effect.”

“Your tremendous willpower resists part of the charm.”

“You’re highly lucky. The judgment is going favorably. The charm’s effect is decreasing.”

“You can’t move for one second.”

“Vitality decreases by 1%.

“…resisted the charm? That’s impossible!”

“My willpower is just really high. So, what should I do about you now?”

“Hold on. Don’t you want to end this with a conversation? We still have time.”

“Maybe you mean body talk.”

He grinned as he approached her, his manhood stirring at the thought of raping her.

Ting Ting Ting!

Unlike before when he was caught off guard, this time he deflected all the incoming daggers. Li Mei turned and fled. She dashed through the forest path with considerable speed, likely due to her high agility stat.

“Is this a game of tag? Let’s enjoy it together.”

He followed after the fleeing Li Mei with a pleased expression. Her cheongsam was akin to a miniskirt. The more vigorously she ran, the more her garment flapped, revealing her black T-panties. Her moon-like, round buttocks were firm.

“You’ve been fascinated.”

“You fall into Fascination (6).”

Whether fascination was a skill or inherent trait was unclear, but its cooldown was definitely one minute. It seemed to stack and was likely psychic in nature.

“The activation condition is key… Could it be because I’m male?”

He dismissed the thought as unlikely. If the condition was that simple, the effect would be proportionally weaker.

“Stop! Stop following me! I give up!”

“Just let me confirm something.”

“What kind of confirmation?”

“Whether you’re a virgin or not!”

“You insane bastard!!”

While running and ogling her T-panty-clad butt, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him collapse. A cold draft hit him as he noticed sharp spear tips below.

Heavenly Demon Art (天魔神功): Adamantine Demon Dragon (金剛魔龍)

Surrounded by dark heavenly demon energy, he landed on the ground, shattering the upward-thrusting spears.

Clang! Clank!

Iron bars blocked his path toward the ceiling. Looking at the wall, he spotted the hidden iron bars.

Li Mei peered down at him from above. Between her thighs, her black panties barely concealed her privates.

“You’ve been fascinated.”

“You fall into Fascination (10).”

“You resist Infatuation (2).”

“There you go resisting infatuation again. Quite impressive. Though you’re so easily ensnared by fascination…”

Li Mei sounded exasperated.

‘Infatuation triggers every 5 stacks of fascination?’

He grabbed the iron bars. They were quite sturdy.

“Did you prepare these?”

“Nope. I don’t know much about traps. This person prepared them.”

Li Mei pointed to the side. A man appeared, his eyes devoid of focus, wearing a vacant grin. He was one of the four contestants who had fled from him earlier.

“Hehehehe… I did as Lady Li Mei wished…! Reward! Please give me my reward!”

“Yes, here’s your reward. Bash your head against that tree over there until you die.”

“Thank you, Lady Li Mei!!”

Shortly after, a “thud” sound echoed. The man had apparently smashed his head against the tree and died.

The man wasn’t in his right mind.

“Was that guy’s state caused by infatuation?”

“Yes. He endured fascination 15 times and infatuation thrice. Each time infatuation hits, he becomes my loyal slave for half a day. After three infatuations, he’d readily sacrifice his life for me. Normally, men can’t resist infatuation, but you, Contestant 62, are exceptional.”

“What’s the condition for fascination?”

“To feel sexual attraction toward me.”

“So that’s why you’re dressed like this despite being a virgin?”

“This cheongsam is an incredible piece of clothing. Over 90% of men feel sexual attraction upon seeing me. It makes it incredibly easy to fascinate them.”

“The remaining 10% of men surprises me.”

“Turns out they’re gay.”

One in ten men being gay was unsettling.

Regardless, Li Mei’s abilities were remarkable. She was like a nemesis to men.

“That trap expert’s death was your mistake. Surely you don’t think such trivial tricks could stop me?”

With effort, he shattered the iron bars. Though they weren’t ordinary, his hands tingled from the strain. Li Mei prepared to flee with a wry smile.

“It’s fine. That trap specialist has already fulfilled his role.”

He soon understood what she meant.

Traps were already laid all around.

“Tch.”

Annoyed, he clicked his tongue. His stamina wasn’t infinite, especially after dealing with the maggot monster. He was exhausted. Moreover, it was hard to focus on the traps due to Li Mei. Every time she ran, her fluttering skirt and jiggling braless breasts drew his gaze.

BOOM!

Caught in an explosive trap, he slammed his head against falling wood and fell into a pit. He had endured over 20 traps. But eventually, the traps ran out; their preparation had limits.

“You’ve been fascinated.”

“You fall into Fascination (25).”

“You resist Infatuation (5).”

“Argh, seriously! You’ve been infatuated five times! Why are you still mentally intact?!”

“My willpower isn’t ordinary.”

“So annoying!”


Rimei kept running away. The fear in her eyes as she looked at me began to seep out bit by bit. As time passed, she too grew exhausted from fleeing. Her body was drenched in sweat, and her pink cheongsam, soaked with sweat, started revealing her underlayers.

“Pink nipples!”

Of course, I’m also drenched in sweat. I suppressed the urge to use Full Restoration. I wanted to pounce on her with this current state of my body.

As we both grew tired, our speed slowed compared to the beginning.

“Ah, really! Until when will you keep chasing me? I give up! Mr. 62, you should give up too!”

“I won’t give up!”

Just as I was chasing her, something appeared and got in my way. It was a small monster with a rabbit’s body and a lizard’s face. All the monsters that interfered while I was chasing her met the same fate. The rabbit monster was kicked by my foot, collided with a tree, and died instantly.

「You have gained 20 Life Points.」

「You have collected 55,000 Life Points.」

「You have obtained a Great Luck Talisman.」

「Great Luck Talisman

Using this talisman increases luck by 3~10 times for 10 minutes.

Type: Consumable

Rank: A」

It was an ambiguous item.

The stat Luck is the hardest one to increase, and the duration where luck is amplified is only 10 minutes.

‘If my luck is currently at 49, should I see what happens when I use it?’

While pondering about the luck talisman, I realized how far the distance between Rimei and me had grown, so I hurriedly ran. We couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

「Charmed」

「Affected by Charm Status (77).」

「Resisting Enchantment Status (15).」

“Stop… please stop already!”

“If you just surrender peacefully, it’ll be over.”

“You’re going to rape me if I stop!!”

“Hehe. I’ll never stop. Let’s see how long you can keep running from my grasp.”

「Challenge Time has ended.」

「Killing creatures in the Forest of Beings no longer grants Life Points.」

“Time’s up! Aren’t you coming back?!”

“My goal is you!”

“Why did I have to get stuck with such a crazy guy….”

Rimei sniffled. But I had no intention of letting her go. Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I continued to chase her. Rimei was also drenched in sweat.

「Charmed」

「Affected by Charm Status (115).」

「Resisting Enchantment Status (23).」

「Exceptional Willpower partially resists charm.」

「Extraordinary Willpower allows partial resistance to enchantment.」

「Movement slowed by 35% due to charm effect.」

「Strength decreased by 20%.」

「Stamina decreased by 20%.」

「Agility decreased by 17%.」

「Recovery rate decreased by 34%.」

「Unable to move for 15 seconds.」

「Unable to attack target for 20 seconds.」

「Vision reduced by 50% for 30 seconds.」

The number of debuffs was overwhelming.

The biggest debuff was the inability to move for 15 seconds. Looking ahead, I saw Rimei sitting on a rock with a faint smile, taking a break. This notification window was visible to her as well.

‘Good thing Rimei is tired too. Otherwise, she would’ve escaped.’

The notification that high luck resisted charm disappeared. Of course, it made sense—it was 115 layers of charm.

‘Will increasing luck change anything? I could use Full Restoration, but…’

I wanted to try using the luck talisman.

‘If I want to, I’ll just do it.’

「Using Great Luck Talisman.」

「Luck increased by 10 times for 10 minutes.」

10 times the luck.

Since my luck was at 49, for the next 10 minutes, it increased to 490.

This would be absurd if it were Strength or Agility… but this is luck.

‘…Nothing’s happening yet. Or maybe not yet. Rimei might trip while running.’

When the 15 seconds were up, I could move again. Rimei fled, and I chased after her. Even after 30 seconds passed, she didn’t trip.

‘Damn it. Luck! What are you doing?! Help me quick!!’

Soon, a minute passed.

Charm was about to take effect again.

And once more, I wouldn’t be able to move for 15 seconds.

“This is it, this will be the last time.”

Even while fleeing, Rimei smiled slyly. In her hand was a dagger. She seemed to have regained her senses this time around.

‘…I should use Full Restoration when I get closer.’

I had an ultimate trump card.

「Charmed」

「Affected by Charm Status (116).」

「Resisting Enchantment Status (23).」

「Huge luck reflects status effects onto the opponent.」

「Opponent’s luck is extremely low!」

「Opponent affected by Charm Status (116).」

「Opponent cannot resist Enchantment Status (23).」

「Opponent possesses Unique S-Class Charm Resistance. Partial resistance to charm.」

“Aaaahhh! No wayyyyyy!!”

Rimei let out a scream and abruptly stopped. She looked at me with a melting expression. Her gaze was sticky, and her cheeks turned red.

“Hnnnnggg… Mr. 62… I love youuu…”

Rimei opened her arms and approached me.

「A special situation has occurred.」

「The Sleeping Rag King (False) has appeared.」

「The snake tail of the sleeping Rag King (False) bit its own thigh.」

「The Rag King (False)’s poison resistance has weakened due to eating a monster rat yesterday.」

「The Rag King (False) has been poisoned.」

「The Rag King (False) is slowly dying.」

‘What is this now?’