Endless Debt-Chapter 771 - 239: The Path of Rapids

When Bologue returned to the game board carriage, Ewen had just rolled the dice, marking the start of a new round of the game. Amidst the dense miniature models on the board, Dawn charged along the tracks, continuing its advancement on the desolate coast.

Now they had reached a new area, unknown dangers lurking in the shadows, constantly ready to strike them.

Aimou was bandaging Bologue’s wound and casually complaining about how he managed to get injured again so quickly. Bologue silently stared at the head in the center of the board, where scarlet blood coagulated into thin arms, while Bai Ou picked up a stack of cards and displayed them one by one. It was Bologue’s turn to draw a card.

Picking up a card, it was the familiar Event Card: Calm Times. This card had no effect, but in this perilous game, having nothing happen was a great stroke of luck.

The card drawing continued, with Palmer drawing next. Perhaps the previous Event Card: Uncertain Fortune had taken effect, as Palmer drew a large amount of supplies once again. Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps echoed as ghost soldiers moved crates of ammunition, stacking them inside the game board carriage.

Bologue leaned out of the train, the terrifying storm blurred the boundary between heaven and earth, resembling the end of the world.

"I suppose that storm is definitely not just for show, right?"

Bologue asked Palmer, the player most familiar with "Journey Through the Absolute Night," who should know something.

"Absolutely not, the effect of the environment varies with different areas."

Palmer explained while loading ammunition, "The wilderness is considered a beginner’s zone, where the environment’s impact on the game is not substantial, but the coast is different."

Upon hearing Palmer’s explanation, Cinderella opened the rulebook, searching along the index for the relevant section.

"Different areas will have unique events specific to that region."

Bologue didn’t quite understand, but that didn’t prevent him from realizing the situation’s seriousness. He reluctantly closed the window, which diminished the roaring wind significantly, yet stones continued to endlessly pelt against the train, like several machine guns firing at them.

Ewen also spoke at this time, "If I were the game’s designer, I would definitely not treat that thing as merely a decoration."

"Decoration... How could this possibly be a decoration?"

Bologue said as he removed the card pinned to his chest and re-hung Gold on the wall.

At the moment the game started, the static scene began to flow, stirring up an earth-shattering horror spectacle, just as Ewen predicted, Bologue suspected that with the Joyous Desire Witch’s dark humor, there must be game designs associated with the storm in the upcoming rounds.

As they were conversing, the card drawing continued, and the first round in the new area was fortunate, encountering no vicious events. Moreover, after this round, Palmer was surprised to find that Hart, who had always looked pained, now had a more relaxed expression.

"Is he about to wake up?"

Palmer exclaimed joyously, having Hart as a meat shield would make the upcoming gameplay much smoother.

"Not sure, it looks more like the nightmares have become less terrifying." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Canary pried open Hart’s eyelids, his gaze still hollow and dull.

Aimou said, "Regardless, it’s a good signal."

"Round number."

Ewen thought of the reason, reminding the others, "Remember the round number? Maybe the erosion rounds are almost up!"

According to the rulebook, Hart would not be trapped in nightmares forever; once they surpassed a certain number of rounds, he could regain freedom. Since Hart got trapped, they had undergone countless rounds of gameplay.

Seeing this, Bologue grabbed the dice, eager to advance the game’s pace. The card drawing commenced for another round, but this time the good luck didn’t persist — Bologue unfortunately drew a vicious event, though fortunately, it was merely a routine Demon attack.

Bologue grasped his long sword, vigilantly looking around. He couldn’t comprehend how Demons could invade amidst such harsh wind conditions outside. Could they charge onto the train against the howling gale?

Soon, reality provided Bologue with an answer. As Palmer was busily drawing cards, a series of piercing howls echoed, quickly followed by continuous heavy impacts smashing against the carriage from above.

"What the hell!" Palmer shouted, "Are they being thrown over directly?"

Bologue tried to open the train door, but as soon as the door opened, the fierce wind forced him back inside the carriage, and under the rapid winds, breathing became extremely difficult.

Now Bologue truly experienced the severe impact of the environment on the game. Under such conditions, they couldn’t possibly combat the Demons outside. Moreover, the damage from Crossbow Arrows and firearms would be greatly reduced due to wind speed interference.

Harsh scraping noises were constant; Bologue couldn’t see the Demons but could determine their positions through sound. These hideous and ugly monsters were crawling like geckos across the train, searching for gaps between the armor, trying to find ways to burst into the carriage.

The sound of metal tearing erupted from the rear carriage, and through the glass on the train door, Bologue could clearly see Demons intruding into the next carriage.

Before Bologue could step forward and swing his sword, Palmer pulled the trigger, and a concentrated barrage shredded the Demons into blood and flesh, staining the freshly cleaned carriage with blood once again.

The others didn’t stand idly by either, drawing cards continuously, revealing one Event Card after another, while Dawn also accelerated its pace on the game board, moving quickly.