Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 141

A gentle breeze brushed against his face, warming his heart.

The air here was damp—or at least, that’s what the wind seemed to say.

Since working closely with the wind-tamer ranger a few times, Cheng Shi had increasingly felt that he could understand the wind better.

He listened as the wind carried distant sounds to his ears, from faint rustling to noisy chatter, from vague murmurs to clear voices, awakening his sense of hearing.

“Xiao Bai? What, you came down too?”

“Long time no see, Yuan Shuai.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I got matched with you.”

Xiao Bai? Yuan Shuai? They know each other?

Cheng Shi’s consciousness had barely started to awaken when the nearby conversation piqued his attention.

Usually, given the vast number of players, it was rare to run into previous teammates across different trials.

Of course, this didn’t apply to Wishing Trials with specific objectives and directed matches.

So, upon hearing that some players were familiar with each other, Cheng Shi’s first thought was…

Could I leech through this trial?

Yes, just a leech!

Based on the player numbers, familiarity between players could only mean one thing—that he had been matched into a high-level trial!

After all, only high-ranking players would run into each other frequently.

But such trials had their downsides. High-rank players often worked alone, and familiar groups could be exclusive.

Ugh, why does this round feel so complicated from the get-go?

Here’s hoping this one goes smoothly.

Oh, and one more thing… why does this Yuan Shuai’s voice sound kind of familiar?

As his consciousness sharpened, Cheng Shi slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a towering man clad in a red-and-yellow knight’s robe, standing next to a cold-faced woman dressed entirely in black.

The two appeared to be in conversation, but their eyes were sizing him up.

No, to be precise, the towering man was looking at Cheng Shi, while the cool-faced woman seemed to be only following his gaze, as if trying to figure out what was so interesting about this person.

The guy looked decent, she thought, but she had never seen him before.

Probably… a friend of his?

Her gaze swept past him briefly, without lingering.

Cheng Shi, on the other hand, was startled the moment he saw the towering man. His eyebrows twitched involuntarily before his face broke into a wide, joyful smile.

What a coincidence.

It really was a familiar group.

But this familiar face was also familiar to Cheng Shi.

As he recalled his previous encounters with this man, Cheng Shi greeted him warmly.

“Brother Hu, it’s you!”

The towering man, seeing that Cheng Shi had recognized him, also laughed heartily.

He strode over to Cheng Shi, clapping him on the shoulder with a broad grin.

“Hahaha, Cheng Shi!

Long time no see. What, you’ve been slacking lately? It’s been ages since I’ve matched with you.”

Cheng Shi shook his head with a smile, humbly admitting defeat.

“With that big stash of potions you gave us, of course I’ve been slacking. Haha, I could never keep up with your hustle, Brother Hu.”

The towering man before him, as sturdy as a fortress, was none other than Hu Wei—the leader of their group from a previous trial. Back then, he’d led them in a reverse heist of a pharmacy, successfully robbing the place and distributing over a hundred bottles of “Prosperity of Yesteryear Potions” to everyone. Hu Wei was the big brother, the fearless leader.

He was a follower of [War], a warrior with a bold personality and wild behavior!

That trial had taken place about three or four months ago, not long after the [Faith Game] had descended. The trial’s difficulty had not yet ramped up, and most players were still figuring things out.

But Hu Wei had already bulldozed his way up the leaderboard, reaching over 1600 points, placing him firmly in the first wave of high-ranking players.

Now, seeing him again, it was clear that his presence had grown even more formidable.

He didn’t even need to declare his score. His entire being radiated the aura of a big shot.

Listening to Cheng Shi’s modest words, Hu Wei seemed to recall that chaotic trial and laughed even harder.

He kept slapping Cheng Shi on the shoulder, his eyes gleaming with approval.

“Good, you’ve got spirit. Not many people I count as friends, but you’re definitely one of them.

What’s your ladder score now? What’s your rank on the Ladder of Ascent?

Oh, I almost forgot—you’re a Cremator, so you must know Xiao Bai, right?”

As Hu Wei spoke, he turned to the cool-faced woman in black behind him.

However, Cheng Shi’s face darkened as soon as he heard that question, and he froze on the spot.

“……”

Crap, big mistake.

Last time he’d matched with Hu Wei, Cheng Shi had stolen the faith of [Oblivion], disguising himself as a [Oblivion] priest—a Cremator.

But this time…

There wasn’t a single [Oblivion] follower in the last trial!

How was he supposed to fake it?

The woman known as “Xiao Bai,” dressed in all black, had short, choppy hair that draped over her shoulders, her face devoid of any warmth.

She looked at Cheng Shi with an indifferent expression, nodding slightly in greeting.

“Bai Fei, Endwalker.”

An Endwalker—[Oblivion]’s hunter!

Oh boy, talk about running into the real deal.

She was a genuine [Oblivion] follower.

But strangely, Cheng Shi wasn’t surprised when he heard that she was a follower of [Oblivion].

There was something about Bai Fei that reminded him of Yunni, another high-ranking [Oblivion] follower. Perhaps there was a certain similarity in the aura of top-tier [Oblivion] players?

Cheng Shi’s smile stiffened slightly. His mind raced, but he decided to keep up the appearance and remain quiet for now.

“Cheng Shi, Cremator.”

Bai Fei looked at Cheng Shi, her face still expressionless, giving a slight nod to acknowledge him.

“Oh? You two haven’t met before? Interesting,” Hu Wei remarked, his gaze flicking between the two of them, his smile taking on a teasing tone. “Come clean—did you lie to me?”

???

Cheng Shi’s heart skipped a beat, but on the surface, he kept up a dumbfounded expression, blinking at Hu Wei in confusion.

“What did I lie about?”

“Still not being honest, huh? Last time we matched, our scores were only about 100 points apart—I think you were at 1501?

What about now? Even if your score dropped a bit, you should’ve still matched with Xiao Bai at least once, right?

You’re both from the same faction, don’t be sneaky behind my back, man.”

“……”

That scared me. I thought I’d been exposed right off the bat.

Cheng Shi let out a sigh of relief internally, but his face quickly darkened again.

Dude, can you stop stealing my lines?

I was just about to use the “1501 points” excuse, but now you’ve ruined it for me.

He glanced at the cold and aloof Bai Fei, pretending not to care about his ranking, and casually replied:

“I’m just a healer. It’s normal for my score to be lower.”

“You always downplay yourself.

Xiao Bai, let me tell you—don’t underestimate him just because he’s a healer. When it comes to trickery, he’s as good as any hunter, with trap after trap.

Back in that trial, it was him who fooled the entire Knight Guard into running around like headless chickens.”

Hu Wei continued enthusiastically recounting the legendary feats of their previous trial, laughing heartily, while Cheng Shi shook his head and chuckled along. Seizing the moment, he began surveying their surroundings.

He looked down at the stone pavement beneath them, noticing the insignia of the Grand Tribunal etched into the slabs.

As expected, this [Order] trial was set in a city under the jurisdiction of the Grand Tribunal!

A city meant complete laws, strict regulations—perfect for His trials.

The damp air suggested they were likely in the southern region, though Cheng Shi wasn’t sure which city they were in or what specific laws were enforced here.

After a quick glance at the surroundings, Cheng Shi turned his attention to the other teammates in the alley.