Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Despicable Well Tower, Multiple-Choice Questions, and The Nine Walk Together

“I see now—I’ve already died once.” Watching the life counter drop from three to two, Haoren murmured to himself.

It made sense; struggling through such excruciating pain left no strength to even wonder if he was truly alive. In fact, dying early and being reborn seemed like a preferable option. Previously, Haoren thought his death was merely the brain’s protective mechanism putting him into a self-induced coma.

The thought of nearly being separated forever from his sisters turned Haoren’s face ghostly pale, sweat pouring down his cheeks in heavy drops.

If he hadn’t awakened the bloodline ability known as the “Residual Mechanism,” perhaps he would have truly died by now.

He had underestimated the “Spirit Jade” and overestimated his own willpower. He was not as strong as he imagined—just a human under twenty years old. If he hadn’t been such a shut-in, maybe this protagonist-like ability wouldn’t have manifested in him.

Thank the golden treasure chest, thank the awakening pill.

When he first got the little blue pill from the treasure chest, Haoren nearly threw it away, mistaking it for something trivial. But upon reading the description—“the main brain cannot control or enhance it”—he immediately realized its value.

Simply put, it was priceless.

Being outside the main brain’s jurisdiction meant that no matter how much the main brain tried to suppress it, the bloodline ability would persistently show up in the skill list, never graying out.

Haoren had drooled over it, then carefully stowed it in his inventory, only swallowing it when he used the Spirit Jade.

It was an unintentional act that saved his life.

Reflecting on this, Haoren resolved never to gamble with his life again.

He spent the remaining time cultivating his “Mental Energy.”

The airship landed atop a flat high tower, and everyone disembarked.

“This is the summit of the Scoundrel Well Tower, the venue for the third-stage trial,” the chairman’s secretary, a round-faced man, introduced solemnly. “The rules are simple: all you have to do is reach the ground alive within 72 hours.”

After the rules were announced, the candidates dispersed once more, and Haoren, Urameshi, and Kuwahara—the trio of fools—gathered again.

“Hey, where have you been? Over thirty hours missing—is that how you sneak off?” Urameshi grabbed Haoren’s neck, and Haoren could feel the spray of his saliva.

“You really seem stronger. Could it be you’ve learned to harness mental energy?” Kuwahara’s instinct was unnervingly sharp. He pushed the noisy Urameshi aside and pressed Haoren’s head down, whispering.

“Yeah, though the process was utterly miserable, I’ve officially joined the ranks of mental energy users,” Haoren said, looking as if recalling a nightmare.

“Miserable? So that blood-curdling scream was you?” Kuwahara shuddered. What could have caused such a harrowing cry?

Haoren didn’t answer but turned his head, tears streaming silently down his cheeks.

Kuwahara wisely refrained from further questions, and Urameshi remembered the torturous training of Grandmother Illusion’s Sleeping Blade Mountain and Boiling Oil Pot.

After a devoted climber was snatched away by three bald-headed humanoid bird monsters, the candidates obediently began searching for hidden doors atop the tower.

Fortunately, Haoren’s feet landed right on one—a particularly loose secret door. He didn’t find it so much as he fell through it, leaving Urameshi and Kuwahara staring at each other in shock.

Only then did Haoren recall that his Sonic running shoes allowed him to walk on steep 90-degree cliffs as if on flat ground.

That was pure fate.

The room Haoren fell into was spacious and empty, except for nine wristband-like objects resting on a stone platform nearby.

“Damn! So many people?” Haoren swore instinctively.

Nine of them—was this some kind of Three Kingdoms kill game?

Suspicious, Haoren eyed the white wristbands, picked up a stone, and threw it at them to check for traps.

What if they were bombs?

Having died once, Haoren’s paranoia kicked in.

Poor kid—he could sense the malevolence emanating from the main brain.

After nearly an hour, the other eight candidates appeared one by one, slipping, sliding, or crawling down.

The atmosphere in the room was oppressive; everyone’s gaze carried varying degrees of hostility toward the others.

“Alright, all candidates in the room, put on your wristbands,” came a lecherous male voice from a communicator-like device beneath the stone platform.

“This Scoundrel Well Tower offers many different paths and choices. The path you take will be decided by the majority.”

“Your first question is: the stone door before you leads to the next passage. If you agree to open it, press the circle button; if not, the cross button. Simple, right?”

The nine exchanged wary glances and silently pressed the buttons on their wristbands.

Eight pressed one, one pressed the other.

Everyone froze, then quickly opened their eyes, searching for the one who defied the group.

The one under suspicion looked innocent, shaking his head in confusion.

Others might not know who it was, but Haoren did.

Among the crowd stood the short, stocky newcomer assassin—Tōba.

Watching the mutual suspicion, Tōba was nearly overwhelmed with excitement. But when he caught Haoren’s icy gaze, he shivered involuntarily.

Tōba clearly remembered this newcomer: aside from that exceptional cook in the prior test, he had no remarkable strengths, his abilities so weak they were embarrassing. How had he become a threat after just over a day?

Tōba marked Haoren as a potential rising star and vowed to show him the meaning of despair.

“Oh, and if anyone dies in your team, you won’t be able to answer subsequent multiple-choice questions—that means you won’t clear the Scoundrel Well Tower,” the mocking voice warned, silencing those who had entertained thoughts of forced eliminations.

Tōba’s grin widened.

Along the way, there were many trivial questions, but some deliberately chose options to irritate others. Besides Tōba, there were a few other troublemakers.

With no better way to pass the time, the candidates introduced themselves to gather intel on their opponents:

Number 7: Martial Artist Yano
Number 16: Newcomer Assassin Tōba
Number 106: Exorcist Musashi
Number 203: Professional Killer Kuroda
Number 213: Lower-tier Gamer Black Flame Dragon
Number 295: Ninja Descendant Kazemaru
Number 444: Lower-tier Gamer Itō Makoto
Number 527: Kung Fu Youth Shaolin
Number 600: Mysterious Girl Saya
...

Things were starting to look a little grim...