Chapter 38: 666

The interface was slightly different from last time.

This time, Wen Xishu did not receive a prompt to register an account. To his slight surprise, the maximum floor he could access was still the seventh.

This was actually a good thing.

Although he had reached level six and his magic resistance had increased, if the accessible levels had risen accordingly, then relatively speaking, he would have made no progress at all.

While challenging floors above one's level is undeniably cool, no one can be certain they can perfectly crack the puzzles in this bizarre world every single time.

Wen Xishu decisively chose to roll the Madness Dice.

The outcome of this roll was, on one hand, the polar opposite of the last, yet on the other, it shared several similarities.

The numbers were six, six, six.

When all three dice—black, white, and red—showed six, Wen Xishu thought he had misread them.

"How is it a triple again? If this is a coincidence, it’s an awfully convenient one."

Last time, he rolled three ones; this time, he rolled three sixes. It made Wen Xishu wonder if it was a coincidence, or if these dice were simply prone to rolling triples.

However, the number of options available for three sixes was far greater than last time. Wen Xishu didn't bother complaining about Wen Zhaohua being a master at sabotaging her brother.

Because the effects of this roll were, in fact, quite practical—some were even downright broken.

[Please select one from the following effects.]

[1: Triple High. (Triggered when all three dice show the same number. Effect: Tower climbing level x3)]

[2: Power of the Three Phases. (Triggered when all three dice show the same number. Effect: Allows simultaneous use of rules and abilities from three Tower lineages.)]

[3: Large Number Tendency. (Triggered when the total sum is greater than nine and each die is greater than three. Effect: Increases the trigger probability of all probabilistic events, regardless of whether they are good or bad luck.)]

[4: Maximum Value. (Triggered when the total sum is greater than 16. Effect: All unstable attributes in the Three Towers, and all attributes with defined maximums and minimums, have their minimums erased and are presented at their maximum values.)]

[5: Unobstructed Passage. (Triggered when at least one six is present among the three dice. If multiple sixes are present, the number of successful transits increases. Effect: You will receive an invitation letter at the start of the game, granting you free passage through the Three Towers.)]

[6: Not Unique. (Triggered when all three dice show even numbers. Effect: When the team size is two, if your teammate receives a reward, you also receive an identical extra reward. Note: If the other party obtains a unique sequence, that sequence will be stripped from them and granted to you.)]

[7: Good Things Come in Pairs. (Triggered when at least two of the three dice show even numbers. Effect: Options +1. This option does not consume an option count.)]

Seeing this series of options, Wen Xishu couldn't help but marvel at how heaven-defying these dice were.

There were seven options, one of which didn't consume a count and even added an extra choice. This meant he could actually pick two out of the six.

This time, all the options were different from the first round, with no mention of "cannot trigger due to lack of lineage or level being too low."

"This thing is truly terrifying. Where on earth did Wen Zhaohua get it?"

This question, naturally, remained unanswered.

Wen Xishu’s attention returned to the choices themselves. He was about to be sent to the rest area, and if he didn't make a choice before being forcibly teleported...

He would be considered to have forfeited his choice, resulting in a random selection.

Based on his near-death experience at the start last time, Wen Xishu decisively abandoned Option 1. Things like "Triple High" that forced cross-level challenges were better left for his future self.

"I must take 'Power of the Three Phases,' because only then can I make the attributes of the Slaughter Tower and Desire Tower function."

"Although I don't know what the 6 points of luck in the Desire Tower are for, this is surely a core attribute."

"'Large Number Tendency'... looks like a heaven-defying cheat, but unfortunately, it includes bad luck, and I’ve never had confidence in my own luck."

"'Maximum Value.' If my attributes were higher, this would be equivalent to guaranteed critical hits, right? The problem is I have no attributes to speak of. Even with guaranteed crits, given the massive gap in magic resistance... I’d probably just be tickling the creatures of the Ghost Tower."

"'Unobstructed Passage,' this is definitely a 'six.' It seems to follow the rules of a board game where rolling a six allows you to move. Starting with an invitation letter is simply fantastic."

"'Not Unique'... not great. If I had a teammate who I trusted implicitly and who would never betray me, this option would be god-tier. But unfortunately, I don’t have such friends in the Bunker."

In truth, Wen Xishu saw how terrifying "Not Unique" could be, but ultimately, he didn't believe there would be any teammate more capable than himself, especially now that he had an invitation letter.

After some deliberation, Wen Xishu quickly made his choices.

Power of the Three Phases and Unobstructed Passage.

With the Three Phases, he could verify his internal suspicions; with the invitation letter from Unobstructed Passage, he could unlock hidden plotlines.

Wen Xishu could certainly try to find an invitation letter through exploration, but based on his last experience, he realized that such items were heavily dependent on luck.

After all, he couldn't exactly sync brainwaves with every creature in the Ghost Tower.

Do not underestimate the earlier floors just because he conquered the twenty-first. The Ghost Tower follows no logic.

Wen Xishu might be mad, but he wasn't stupid.

After making these selections, his figure vanished, and under the influence of the login device, he entered the rest area.

...

...

There was no difference in the appearance or structure of the rest areas among the three tower lineages.

When Wen Xishu opened his eyes, he found himself near the center area.

Unlike last time, when he was on the twenty-first floor at the absolute central "Heavenly Origin" position, he was not at the center this time.

He was exploring the sixth floor.

He was dozens of meters away from the center, where various exhibition stands blocked the view of those in the middle, making it impossible to see them clearly, though he could hear their curses.

Those on the fringes were rejoicing, having drawn the simplest path amidst their misfortune. Those in the center were cursing and sighing; exploring the Ghost Tower was already a misfortune, and drawing the maximum values was the greatest misfortune of all.

Wen Xishu was not at all surprised by his landing spot.

After all, the floor levels fluctuated between one and seven. If enough people were exploring the Ghost Tower, there would always be some who were unlucky enough to land on the seventh.

Unlike the rest area of the Desire Tower, no one in the Ghost Tower’s rest area was shouting to sell information.

That was because the Ghost Tower had no information to sell.

Actually, if someone were to fabricate intelligence about floors one through seven, they might be able to trade it for quite a lot.

But no one did.

It wasn't that these people were particularly moral; it was because they were all painfully aware of how dangerous the others were.

Most people here had rough skin and fierce, predatory eyes.

The men looked exactly like the knife-licking exiles Wen Xishu imagined, and the women all exuded a viciousness that warned: "Stay away, or I'll risk my life to kill you."

In stark contrast to the Desire Tower's rest area, there was their attire.

Everyone in the Desire Tower was soft-skinned and clad in fine silks. People like Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan clearly came from wealthy backgrounds.

In the Ghost Tower's rest area, everyone was thinly dressed, as if he had arrived in the slums of a pre-apocalyptic India.

As soon as Wen Xishu arrived... he noticed something immediately. Many gazes were fixed upon him.

Wen Xishu knew that there must be "spies" from the higher floors among them. But he didn't care; after all, he couldn't escape the fate of having to form a team.

However, Wen Xishu had a premonition that even though he was exploring the sixth floor, this time...

The mortality rate would be very high.