“Oh, so it can only be traded for a little something.”

“In that case, I won’t trade it. I’ll keep it as a souvenir. I quite like the design.”

With that, Wu Wang moved to stuff the ring into his pocket.

The Gentleman Penguin stared fixedly. With a flick of its cane, it pinned the back of Wu Wang’s hand down.

It smiled. “I’m not an unreasonable person. Seeing as you’re a rather pitiful young man, how about this?”

Duang!

As it spoke, the Question Mark Box at its feet popped open. Five items of various kinds flew out. There were weapons, armor, a skill scroll, and even a consumable.

“You can choose one of these five items in exchange. It’s a great deal, you know.”

The Gentleman Penguin smiled, its expression exceptionally sincere. But above its head, text appeared.

【They’re all just trash collecting dust in the warehouse anyway. I was just worrying about how to get rid of them.】

Wu Wang glanced over. The quality of these items was, without exception, 【Fine Quality】.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

If he remembered correctly, the lottery in the Settlement Space had clearly stated that the lowest possible prize was an 【Epic】 level item.

This Black-hearted Penguin was obviously trying to scam him, not even willing to part with a single 【Epic】 item!

Oh, wait.

There was one 【Epic】 item.

Wu Wang recognized a familiar cup of flower tea.

“Have you considered it, young man? Which one will you draw?”

The Gentleman Penguin maintained what it believed to be its most benevolent smile.

Hearing the word “draw,” Wu Wang was instantly reminded of the standard operating procedure of a certain large company from his world.

He subconsciously retorted, “You’re not going to tell me that these are Hero Shards, and I need to collect a hundred of them to exchange for something, are you?”

The Gentleman Penguin froze.

A shocking realization dawned on it. Why hadn’t it thought of that? This young man was no simpleton. His heart was even blacker than its own!

“Hahaha, of course not. I am a very trustworthy businessman.”

It spoke of trustworthiness, but the text above its head had already changed.

【I’ll try this method next time. I’ll definitely earn more!】

As soon as it finished speaking, the penguin noticed that Wu Wang’s gaze wasn’t on the items before him. Instead, he was staring at the Question Mark Box next to it, the one wrapped in colorful ribbons.

Instantly, a strange chill crept into its heart.

The Gentleman Penguin shivered. Before it could even wonder why it suddenly felt like it was being targeted by a robber, Wu Wang spoke.

“I like an unknown adventure. How about this, esteemed Mr. Teng Xun Adolf? Let me reach into the box myself. Whatever I grab is what I get, no take-backs. What do you think?”

“Deal!”

Pat!

As if afraid Wu Wang would go back on his word, the Gentleman Penguin popped open the Question Mark Box. The smile on its face grew even more brilliant.

It knew it could not lose.

The space inside the box was nearly infinite. The area where items of 【Epic】 quality and above were stored was simply not a place the young man before it could possibly reach.

He was too weak. So weak that if they weren’t in a world suffused with the aura of that one, it wouldn’t have even given him a second glance.

If his luck was bad, he might even pull out something worse than the five items it had laid out.

Of course, it wouldn’t be 【Inferior】 or 【Common】. That kind of junk wasn’t worthy of entering its precious box.

Wu Wang smiled, too.

He also knew that he absolutely could not lose.

Walking up to the Gentleman Penguin, he slowly reached his right hand into the Question Mark Box. This was the hand engraved with the Abyss God’s Mark.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong…

Under the Gentleman Penguin’s confused gaze, the Question Mark Box began to tremble violently.

At the same time, Wu Wang’s face turned deathly pale.

The Abyss God’s Mark was once again drawing on his life force, sending red tentacles forth to explore. Since the Question Mark Box didn’t try to flee this time, the tentacles remained hidden inside, invisible from the outside.

A moment later, Wu Wang pulled his hand out.

He clutched a purple scroll the tentacles had hooked for him.

“Wow! An Epic!” he said joyfully.

The Gentleman Penguin stared in disbelief.

No way! it thought. He really got an 【Epic】? Why didn’t he just pull out a golden Legendary while he was at it?!

It looked at the Question Mark Box in confusion. The box projected a feeling of being wronged, as if it hadn’t willingly given up the item.

Was this really an accident?

“W-well… congratulations…”

The corner of the Gentleman Penguin’s mouth twitched.

Just as it was about to tearfully accept the ring and leave this heartbreaking place, it noticed something odd about the scroll in Wu Wang’s hand. After a careful look, a relieved smile bloomed on its face.

This time, it was a genuine, heartfelt smile.

“Hahaha, your luck is just too good! This scroll needs to be paired with another skill to be used, and that skill happens to have been taken by the Red Tentacle Thief I mentioned.”

The Gentleman Penguin was smug.

It recalled the last time it had lost a deal. A certain human with a longsword had forcefully hacked his way through a nightmare instance. No, that guy was a monster! Other than him, it had traversed the Myriad Realms and had almost never made a losing deal.

It thought it was going to suffer an unexpected defeat this time but was relieved the other party had drawn a completely useless skill scroll. In that case, it was just helping to clear out warehouse junk, not making a loss.

“Is that so? What a pity.”

Wu Wang shook his head and sighed. Inwardly, however, he was laughing his head off.

【Heaven-descended Palm Technique (Epic). After performing a double jump with 【Cloud-Stepping Steps】, the user enters a free fall with their palm facing down. This can deal high damage to the target it strikes.】

【The more double jumps performed, the higher the damage. Stamina consumption is calculated cumulatively based on the number of jumps.】

【Note. Have you ever heard of a palm technique that descends from the heavens?】

The Gentleman Penguin thought it had profited.

Wu Wang also thought he had profited.

A world where no one gets hurt had been achieved.

Well, a certain Question Mark Box was severely hurt on the inside, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a person.

Just as the man and the penguin began to smile, a prompt appeared before Wu Wang.

【You have completed the Main Quest】

【You can remain in the current Instance for a maximum of 2 hours】

【Leave the Instance now?】

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Wang chose no.

He still had things to do in this village. He had said it before. Human blood mantou were not so easily swallowed. Sooner or later, their consumers would choke to death on them.

Two hours.

That should be enough to get most of it done.

He put the 【Heaven-descended Palm Technique】 scroll into his backpack. He couldn’t possibly learn it in front of the Gentleman Penguin. Even an idiot would realize something was wrong and connect him to the “Red Tentacle Thief.”

After a quick check of the bullets in his Backpack, Wu Wang gently picked up Second Sister. He laid her body on the offering table, so she wouldn’t get cold lying on the ground.

Then, he turned and walked away, his posture radiating resolve.

“Hey, young man, catch!”

The Gentleman Penguin’s voice came from behind. Wu Wang subconsciously turned and reached out, catching the two things it had tossed him. One was the dagger he had used to find the Yin Fate Great God; the other was a piece of coarse linen cloth.

“Seeing how unlucky you are, I’ll provide a little bonus service. Take a look at the effects of the dagger and the map yourself. The duration is only two hours, you know.”

With that, the Gentleman Penguin placed the traded ring into its top hat. It raised its cane and drew a circle on the ground. The circle became a pitch-black wormhole, obscuring whatever lay on the other side.

The penguin jumped directly into the circle.

And then it vanished.

It came quietly and left quietly, with a wave of its sleeve, not taking a single cloud with it.

Wu Wang glanced down at the gifts.

【Deceitful Thorn Dagger (Modified). When used in a place with sufficient Resentment Qi, it can release the Resentful Spirits bound within.】

【Coarse Linen Map (Modified). Displays the location of all living beings within a certain area. Restricted Area is Yin Fate Village. Duration is two hours.】

“Heh heh, Black-hearted Penguin, you’re so nice, I almost feel bad for ripping you off.”

Wu Wang shook his head and sighed.

“But thanks anyway. Now, no one can escape.”

The next second, his gaze hardened.

He picked up his AK, shoving bullets into the magazine one by one. A familiar grin spread across his face, the same crazed smile he had worn in the broadcasting room of Fight Back to School.

“Second Sister, your hometown is a terrible place.”

“I’m a terrible person too.”

“And what’s worse? I don’t feel any remorse.”

“Some debts can only be repaid with blood. This place is about to become a truly deserted village.”