Chapter 28: Demon Arena (26)
Report?
009 was still frozen in shock, watching as the number of reports skyrocketed before his eyes.
As NPCs, 009 and the others couldn’t see it, but five minutes earlier, the user with ID 92673 had finally pieced together the complete alchemical formation based on the symbols found on the lower floors—and had cheerfully dumped the entire revelation into the livestream chat.
Fortunately, today’s message limit hadn’t been used yet. The “Expert Team” had discussed this multiple times, and now, using their ten-per-day message allowance, they began to send them out one by one.
[Image.jpg]
Thank the heavens the chat supported image attachments. The team had struggled, but they finally uploaded the restored alchemical array directly into the stream.
[The alchemical formation spanning twelve levels of the tower begins with four main symbols representing the fundamental elements—fire, air, water, and earth. Corresponding to them are the smaller symbols beneath, signifying the four bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile…]
For a moment, the chat went dead silent. Then, a few minutes later, people finally realized what they were seeing.
—Wait… Are they publishing alchemy knowledge?
Alchemy was one of the most profitable crafts circulating through the upper levels of Hell. Alchemists were in high demand across the Demon realms—but unfortunately, all alchemical knowledge was monopolized by the Jade Society. There were no wild, self-taught alchemists out there.
And even if one appeared, the Jade Society would either recruit or erase them. No one in their right mind would ever publicly share alchemical knowledge. It’d be like someone giving away a gold mine they just discovered.
The expert team only posted the first three interpretive messages about the formation—just enough to prove that the staff had cheated. Then, they craftily followed with:
[We will continue to reveal information about Revival formations and alchemy itself to prove the NPCs are cheating. In exchange, please help us report them. Once the report count reaches a certain number, we’ll continue the release.]
At that exact moment, in Hunger Hell, inside the Streamer Hall—Massive screens were broadcasting the adventures of countless demonic streamers across various worlds. The more dangerous the mission, the bigger the crowd.
Most of the people watching were casual staff or freelance demons without guild affiliation. Those who belonged to guilds sat proudly in their reserved areas, wearing uniforms embroidered with their guild symbols, standing out from the rabble.
Besides the high-tier world missions, the Newcomer Trial livestreams were the most popular—guilds used these trials to scout and recruit talent. Securing promising newcomers was a sign of power and prestige.
Today, the newcomer rankings had just updated. The top three all had the Jade Society emblem glowing beside their names. The guild members watching in the hall looked smugly satisfied.
“Damn, Jade Society took the top spot again. I heard that one cleared an S-rank achievement?”
“Yeah, supposedly opened a brand-new route—rare for a mental-type rookie too. Jade Society’s definitely going to nurture them.”
“This batch is strong. Second and third place aren’t bad either. The third one’s world even had connections to alchemical tech—they’ve already been marked for alchemist training.”
“Three in a row. Figures. The alchemy monopoly guild never fails.”
As scattered onlookers gossiped about the guild’s success, the hall suddenly erupted—
“Holy hell! Look at the Revival Match stream! Something huge’s happening—someone’s leaking alchemy knowledge in there?!”
“What? Where?!”
“No way—you serious?!”
Even the Jade Society members froze. Whether for curiosity, greed, or damage control, the demons rushed into that Revival Match stream. The other broadcasts, even the Newcomer Trial finals, were instantly forgotten.
Within seconds of the expert team’s message, 009’s system flooded with report notifications.
Even though the verdict hadn’t yet been made, the sheer number of reports was enough to temporarily restrict their staff privileges.
The collars around Tang Mobai’s and Seth’s necks loosened back to normal size. Both gasped desperately, feeling the air flood back into their lungs.
The black-robed figures’ faces turned as dark as iron.
Impossible. How could there be so many reports? Were those demons suddenly filled with compassion?
Seeing 009’s confusion, Tang Mobai rasped out, “You look surprised. It’s simple. They’re not helping us out of kindness—they’re helping us out of greed.”
Their own accounts didn’t have access to reporting or the marketplace—but the other spectators did.
Malice and curiosity were one thing—but they couldn’t compete with profit. Alchemy knowledge had no fixed price. For the sake of obtaining a unique formula, any faction would pay anything.
Viewership was skyrocketing. Word spread like wildfire through Hell: someone in a Revival Match was freely spreading alchemical knowledge.
Even though the expert team couldn’t completely decipher the array—most of their work was educated guessing—the act itself was already explosive.
Every major power that had ever hoarded alchemical secrets kept them hidden under lock and key. No one had ever voluntarily broadcasted them before.
Until today.
[Wait—they’re actually giving it away??]
[No joke—my guild paid for a blue-tier relic just to decode one of those symbols, and this guy’s dropping it for free?!]
[Bro… reporting = free alchemy lessons? This is basically charity!]
[Everyone, hit report! The guy said once we hit 1000 reports, he’ll keep teaching!]
[Is his goal to ruin the staff or to bless us?! This is insane…]
[Mad respect, streamer. You’ve officially gone nuclear.]
Everyone who’d followed Tang Mobai’s stream knew he had backing. Some assumed, like Yan Wuzhen, that he was secretly a guild operative scouting for lost alchemy knowledge.
They all thought once the secret was found, Tang Mobai would be discarded—after all, he was just a “useless rookie.” Pretty face, zero strength. In Lost Paradise, cosmetic surgery was cheap—beauty alone meant nothing.
But now, the narrative had flipped.
The “romantic fool” everyone mocked turned out to be a succubus-level manipulator. With a patron this rich and reckless, everyone was desperate to cozy up.
“Please, teach us! Open the next class!”
The flood of reports forced even Lost Paradise’s system to intervene and review the case.
But then… everything froze.
The review stalled.
Because while the experts had decoded parts of the formation using symbols similar to Earth’s alchemy systems, the two worlds didn’t share the same linguistic roots. Even if they understood some meanings, they couldn’t fully interpret the intricate logic behind what 009’s people had built over centuries.
It was like trying to solve advanced quantum equations with grade-school math.
The black-robed figures stood in silence. After a long pause, 009 finally chuckled coldly, “Looks like you still don’t have the complete evidence chain.”
Even with all the reports, the best that could happen was a temporary suspension of their abilities. Without a conclusive follow-up, Tang Mobai and Seth’s fates were still the same—Victory or death.
Tang Mobai gave a small shrug. “Yeah, we don’t have full evidence.”
“But who said we need to decode it?” He smiled faintly. “Since your voting and control systems run on the alchemical circuit… all we have to do is blow it up.”
At that moment, everyone heard it— the rumble.
The ceiling trembled. The explosions began.
“You thought Yan Wuzhen’s chaos was just a distraction—to draw your attention and buy us time?” Tang Mobai said softly. “No. You’re wrong.”
“The real bait—is us.”
Their infiltration into the final floor had never been about finding the array. Tang Mobai already knew the formation covered the entire tower, not just one layer. But they’d come anyway. Why?
009’s gaze darted toward 018. Because of the supposed “uprising” among the newcomers, most of the black robes had been recalled to the bottom floor to suppress it—leaving the upper twelve floors undefended.
A cold shock ran through 009’s skull. His mask of calm finally cracked.
“What did you do?! Where are our people?! Are there any left upstairs?!”
018 immediately tried contacting the two black robes still on the higher floors.
Their answer came back panicked, “We’re still chasing Yan Wuzhen! He’s slippery as hell—keeps using smoke bombs to break line of sight, we can’t lock him down!”
“Impossible!” 009 snapped. “If he’s been running from you—then who the hell planted the bombs?! They couldn’t have built them here on the spot—so that means… they have accomplices!“
Even using process of elimination, the answer was obvious. It couldn’t have been the newly arrived recruits—they hadn’t had time to conspire. That only left four people:
The four veterans.
The same ones who had killed Qiong.
The slaves who’d survived in the arena for years—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The ceiling began to crumble.
A chain of explosions ripped through the tower, shaking it to its core. Normally, the structure could regenerate—but not this time.
Somewhere among the damned, there were still engineers. They knew exactly which support pillars to target for maximum collapse. The regenerative power couldn’t keep up with the cascading destruction.
Even from the lowest floor, they could feel it— the tower shuddering, groaning, falling apart.
009 stared in disbelief. “How… How did you convince them to cooperate?!”
It was inconceivable. The damned had never united in all these years. If they’d ever been capable of working together, they wouldn’t have been trapped this long.
Had they all suddenly been “enlightened” overnight by Qiong’s death? Or… had Tang Mobai somehow persuaded them all to abandon despair and rise together?
Was Tang Mobai some kind of saint reincarnated? Impossible.
“I don’t have the ability to make them cooperate,” Tang Mobai said lightly, rubbing the bruises around his neck. “Just like you said—most of those so-called villains are jealous bastards who can’t stand to see others doing well. A pack of greedy curs, powder kegs ready to blow, lazy scum and degenerates. So how do you make a bunch of bastards like that work together?”
He raised one finger and pointed to 009, “Isn’t the answer right there? Our dear master. Our dear judge.”
“You are the ones every villain wants to drag down from your throne.”
*
Yan Wuzhen was gasping for breath, nearly forced into a dead corner. Footsteps behind him closed in like the swing of a reaper’s scythe. He didn’t dare turn around—just hurled his last smoke bomb with all his strength.
But that was his limit.
Using the smoke as cover, Yan Wuzhen managed to widen the distance again, his lungs heaving like broken bellows, each breath scraping up the taste of blood and rust.
Those people… should’ve started moving by now, right?
*
Earlier, before the operation began, Tang Mobai was still painstakingly refining nitro sugar, while on the other side, Yan Wuzhen stood leisurely in front of a urinal, waiting.
Four men entered the restroom. Since only a handful of them were still alive, there was no need to hide anymore. They surrounded Yan Wuzhen, their silent stares pressing in on him.
“It’s time to hand over the intel, Spider.”
“Oh my, so scary. You’ve frightened me so much I can’t even pee,” Yan Wuzhen shrugged.
The knife-wielding man grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall. “Don’t play smart.”
“Let go,” Yan Wuzhen dropped his smile, eyes turning cold. The man hesitated, then released him. Yan Wuzhen said calmly, “I can give you the intel—free of charge, even.”
That only made the knife man step back in alarm. The four exchanged wary looks. “What are you planning?”
“Relax,” Yan Wuzhen said with a thin smile. “I just want a little help… Don’t you want to show those high-and-mighty slave masters what happens when the dogs bite back?”
From the moment they realized the NPCs had rigged the voting results—when it became clear this revival match was unwinnable—no, maybe even earlier, back when they were forced to execute Qiong…
The slaves had been left with only one choice.
*
Now, at the tower’s corner, a black-robed figure appeared. The instant Yan Wuzhen saw them, 002 also spotted him—and the control authority activated. His body stiffened; he stumbled and fell, limbs locked and unresponsive.
Footsteps approached, unhurried.
011 stopped before him, tilting Yan Wuzhen’s chin up with the tip of his shoe. “Didn’t expect it to be you. Weren’t you living quite comfortably here, my little slave?”
Yan Wuzhen raised his head, disheveled and bleeding, smirking faintly. “Comfortable enough, thanks to your generous care.”
“Then why do this?”
“No matter how comfortable it is here, I still have to crawl. Out there, even if I live like a dog, at least I can stand tall.” He licked his dry lips. “That’s my life—I can be a dog for a while, but I won’t be a slave forever.”
A vicious kick cut him off. His head snapped sideways, pain flaring across his face. Blood trickled from his nose, his glasses clattered to the floor.
“As expected,” 011 said coldly, “demons can’t be tamed. Kill him. Bring the head back—let his friends see it.”
002 crouched down, grabbing Yan Wuzhen by the hair. “Alright~ Let’s just use the collar to slice it clean off, shall we?”
Yan Wuzhen’s eyelids twitched violently. He glared at her, trying to invoke the power of Satan’s left eye—but before he could, his eyelids slammed shut against his will.
002 giggled with girlish innocence. “Oh, right. 011 said your ability’s a bit of a hassle. Better keep those eyes closed.”
Just as she raised her hand, she froze, frowning. “Wait… something’s wrong.”
011 had also just received multiple warning prompts. Both stood still uncertainly—then boom, boom, boom! A series of explosions tore through the tower.
011 looked down at Yan Wuzhen. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me,” Yan Wuzhen grinned, “It was them.”
Finally.
*
Tang Mobai and Seth were creating a diversion on the ground floor; Yan Wuzhen had drawn away the last pursuers. The remaining black-robed guards were locking the panicked newcomers into rooms, and the four forgotten old-timers finally unleashed everything.
Third floor.
“Ha ha ha, now this is living!” the knife man shouted, lighting a fuse and hurling a bomb down the corridor Yan Wuzhen had led them through. The explosions rippled behind him—like the good old days of chaos and blood. Now this is life! What kind of villain can’t make some noise, huh?!
Sixth floor.
“Good thing Yan Wuzhen took on the most dangerous part,” chuckled the fat man with a Buddha’s smile. “If it were up to me, I’d never have dared to face those slave masters.”
Ninth floor.
“Worth it!” the scarred man bellowed. “Even if I die here, it beats dying a clown in that damn arena!”
[What are they doing?! Blowing up the tower?!]
[Are they crazy?!]
[What’s going on???]
[Everyone! Check out Tang Mobai’s stream! Some pro is explaining alchemy stuff!]
[??? On my way!]
[I came from that stream—I get it now! They’re bombing the tower along the alchemical formation nodes shown in the live feed! But… will that even work?!]
No one knew.
Tang Mobai had simply chosen the most possible path. If they couldn’t prove it by pure alchemical theory, then they’d destroy the ritual to prove it in reverse. If the ghosts went berserk after losing control, it meant the ritual had been real. And if it stopped affecting the living—then their hypothesis was right all along.
The outcome, however, was beyond their control.
The ground began to tremble.
Even with 009’s quick reaction, it was too late to stop them. When the last of the nitro sugar was gone, Tang Mobai, Yan Wuzhen, and the others all felt the shockwave ripple through the tower.
The black-robed overseers froze. One by one they stiffened, staring upward—as if listening to something.
“…Failed,” 009 murmured.
“What did you say?” Tang Mobai asked reflexively.
He’d discussed this with the experts before. Destroying the alchemy formation could cause one of two things—something catastrophic in the audience stands… or nothing at all.
009 slowly raised his head. “The formation really was the ritual for controlling and reviving them. But if you interrupt it halfway… do you know what happens?”
Tang Mobai’s heart sank. Every instinct screamed—something big was coming.
“They go berserk,” 009 whispered. “Once the hope of revival dies completely, those vengeful souls will annihilate every demon before the end.”
Tang Mobai froze, remembering the ghostly attack on their first night—the hatred and madness on those faces.
The tremors grew stronger. Throughout the tower, everyone—newcomers and veterans alike—heard distant wails, rising like the cries of the damned.
“Ahhhhh—aaahhhhhh!!”
In the arena, Deville stood alone at the center as the “audience” around him broke free from the flat backdrop. Faces once blank with illusion now twisted in agony, clutching their heads, howling.
The destruction of the ritual shattered the last of the suppression. They remembered their pain, their ruined homes. Blood-tears streamed from every ghostly eye as their despair fused them together.
The luminous stones in the tower dimmed—the alchemical power fading—but no one cared anymore.
A colossal figure, made of countless wailing souls, rose from the arena floor.
The knife man, closest to it, stared blankly at the sight—then instinctively hid the last bit of nitro sugar behind him.
“Uh… wasn’t me that woke you up…”
The wraith giant ignored the ants scurrying below. Its entire body—every inch of its skin—was made of writhing, screaming faces. A single step shook the world; whole floors of the tower collapsed in its wake.
This time, the tremor was real.
Tang Mobai and Seth, watching through the live feed, were stunned. The four old men were stunned. Even Yan Wuzhen, pinned beneath rubble, was stunned.
Wait… what kind of plot twist is this?! The tower’s collapsing?! What about them?!
Then Tang Mobai felt the weight on his body vanish—the slave masters’ suppression gone. He immediately looked to the live chat, but the reports were still under review.
Which meant… they still hadn’t cleared the stage.
“Wait—what?! We’re about to die here!”
Even Lost Paradise plays bureaucratic ping-pong?!
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
Where are the previous chapters?