Picked up by the Protagonist of a Tormented! MC Novel - Chapter 68

Zeno had gone to sleep late, and he was not as energetic as Xi Wei. For that reason, when he was woken up the next day his heart refused, but the refusal was useless. Xi Wei had never indulged his shortcomings.

Therefore, Zeno washed up in a befuddled manner, squinting his eyes as he got dressed. Then, he swayed slightly as he followed everyone on the road.

Xiao Wu watched on with concern, softhearted. She seemed to have transferred her feelings somewhat, like she had shifted over the feelings she had towards that little girl onto this youth with the same name and even a similar personality. However, that Zeno could stay was unexpected, so Xiao Wu did not dare to push Xi Wei in any way.

Without any better options, she snuck a few small candies to Zeno with the hope that he would feel better.

Zeno was very sleepy. The candy had a sweet and refreshing effect, although it was definitely not as good as coffee. He was especially grateful to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu seemed particularly fond of candy. When she was young, she never went anywhere without taking candies with her. After growing up, it seemed that habit had not changed.

They soon arrived at the location of the magic transportation array. Through the magic array, they could immediately travel to Ye Li City, very close to Ye Sa City.

After that, the real battle would begin.

Aside from Tang Yu, who was assured in her knowledge that she had backing, everyone else had subconsciously held their breath. When they passed through that magic array, that was the moment they would face death.

Some of the teenagers were there out of friendship, some for favour, and some out of duty, and others had no choice but to go along. Even so, that did not mean that they did not have the slightest amount of dread in their hearts, so the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Every day, people would try to prove themselves by travelling to Ye Sa City through the magic array. Do not even mention defeating the demon, there were very few who could return alive.

Xi Wei waited for the activation of the magic array, then began to pass on the information he had obtained from Principal Colin.

“Ye Li City is very close to Ye Sa City. Ye Sa City has become a territory under the domain of the plague demon, so Ye Li City was seized by various lesser demons. Since the plague demon was unsealed, many lesser demons responded instantly, seeking shelter as well as guarding the walls around Ye Sa City.”

As Xi Wei spoke, he placed the magic stone that powered the array into an empty space on the magic array.

Evan first asked, “Did the principal say what kind of demons there were?”

“The principal has formidable strength, so those lesser demons would not dare to show themselves. He could only perceive a nightmare demon, heart-devouring demon, and the curse demon.”

Everyone’s complexion was somewhat grave. Providence College offered a class that’s purpose was to study the demon encyclopedia. Although those were common demons, that did not mean that they were easy to deal with.

Furthermore, those were just the species the principal had perceived. There could be others he was not aware of, so they did not fully know what awaited them.

While Xi Wei answered, the magic array had been activated. The young people all stepped one by one onto the magic array, ready to venture into the unknown.

It was clearly still daytime, yet Ye Li City was always shrouded with a layer of dark clouds. Even though it was still late summer and early autumn, the city was isolated from the heat and it seemed a bit gloomy and cold.

Zeno yawned and then attempted to raise his alertness to the utmost. This was no time to be sleeping.

Looking around, he found that the surrounding buildings were all in ruins. The scene was reminiscent of Ye Sa City following the earthquake.

He looked for Xi Wei to discuss it, but he suddenly found that his teammates were exceptionally quiet. When he turned around to investigate, everyone had fallen to the ground except for Tang Yu, who also stood there frowning.

Zeno quietly took two steps towards Xi Wei. He was alert as he asked, “Tang Yu, what’s going on?”

Tang Yu reached over and felt Evan’s breathing with the side of her hand. She replied, “They are in the nightmare demon’s domain.”

Zeno had not attended Providence College for very long. He did not know too much about those demons, so he asked, “What was this demon?”

Tang Yu did not mind educating her younger cousin who did not know anything, “The nightmare demons are able to create a domain, and all the people who enter it fall asleep. The demon makes them dream the deepest fears within their heart but does not allow them to wake up, and then they die of fear.”

Zeno was worried, “So why were we both okay, and how can we save them?”

Tang Yu smiled arrogantly, “As a part of the royal clan, you can easily be around a lesser demon and remain unaffected,” she said with a cold glint in her eyes, “Daring to use this insignificant power in front of me, don’t expect me to go easy on you, demon.”

After that, Tang Yu took the lead and headed in a specific direction, while continuing to explain, “As long as you find the true body of the nightmare demon and destroy it, all those who have fallen into its dream domain will naturally wake up.”

Zeno was wavering between taking care of Xi Wei and the others, and following Tang Yu to find the demon, but in the end he decided to go after the demon. After all, a demon’s domain generally did not contain any other demons, so there should not be any dangers around.

Consequently, Zeno caught up with Tang Yu and walked along behind her.

Tang Yu seemed to know very well where the nightmare demon was, and turning corners without any hesitation.

At that time, Xi Wei was caught up in his childhood.

He was taken back to being an eight-year-old child once again. He was now in the dilapidated rental that he had grown up in since he was young, and he was able to hear the moaning of a man and woman. Xi Wei hesitated, and his mind was a bit chaotic.

After only a moment, the moaning inside turned into quarrelling, accompanied by the sound of things being smashed to bits. After a moment, he heard a woman’s shriek, and then the scream was promptly cut off.

Xi Wei reached out and pushed open the door that was not even locked. He was greeted by the sight of a beautiful woman lying on the bed with her head at an unnatural angle, and a breathless man with a ferocious expression and a flushed face.

That woman was Xi Wei’s ‘mother’. Her head was at an odd angle, her eyes were open wide, there were marks encircling her neck, and she was not breathing.

Xi Wei looked at her expressionlessly, and there was no feeling in his heart. It was as if he had known that such a day would come.

The man threw a single copper coin at Xi Wei. “Boy, this is for you. Drag this woman out and bury her.”

A copper coin was already a very generous reward for a beggar in Ye Sa City. Xi Wei took the copper coin and stood with his head down and stood by the door waiting for the man to pass.

The man seemed to be very satisfied with his tactfulness. He walked past him after tidying up his clothes.

However, that man did not make it through the door after all. Xi Wei calculated the height of the man and the distance from the threshold. When he walked past, Xi Wei used the seemingly rusty knife to sever the man’s achilles tendon.

The man cried out and went to step forward, but instead fell headfirst into the doorway and was knocked unconscious.

Xi Wei stood up from his squatting position and slowly walked up beside the head of the man lying face down on the ground. He then drove the bloody knife into the back of the murderer’s neck.

Despite that, in his heart, there was neither the joy of revenge nor the fear of killing people that a person should have. He remained calm, as if it was someone else’s problem.

After burying Jasmine’s body, Xi Wei was left without a fixed residence from that day. He was reduced to sleeping on the ground, exposed to the elements. On several occasions, he nearly froze to death in the snow and ice, but somehow he managed to endure.

That continued until he met the pair who would change his destiny—a desperate mother and her child at the end of their rope.

The mother shed tears as she entrusted her child and treasure to him, and then made herself bait to lure away their pursuers.

Xi Wei sold the child to a trafficker in exchange for a brief period where he had enough food and warm clothing, then joined the local underground organization. As a child, he started as a hoodlum, after which his determination and forbearance helped him fly all the way to the top. Thanks to that, when he finally reached adulthood he took the position of leader from the one who held it previously.

Later, Xi Wei finally had the ability to defend himself, and the jade pendant from the mother was given to another person with a high status. Since then, he had become a ‘winner’ of Ye Sa City capable of making waves.

He lived the life of indulgence and luxury that countless people could only dream of.

The dream continued in that way. Without the baby, surviving was not so challenging. There was no need to eat crude food and everything was quite fine. That was the road Xi Wei should have walked in his life.

On the other hand, Zeno still followed Tang Yu and they quickly found the nightmare demon’s lair.

The nightmare demon appeared to be a dashing young man, but his expression was a bit grotesque and his whole person was very gloomy.

Tang Yu continued to speak, “The nightmare demon is truly one of the most disgusting demons. Only a parasite of the dead, yet still so smug.”

The nightmare demon spoke up, “Shadow Race, us demons always mind our own business. Why are you setting yourself against me?”

Tang Yu spoke with a surprised tone, “When did I go against you? I just wanted to see something fun.”

As she spoke, she hauled Zeno out from behind her and pushed him forward, “This will be your opponent.”

Zeno stared blankly, failing to understand how he became the vanguard.

At that time, Tang Yu’s voice sounded near his ear, “Weren’t you going to help your little father? This is just the opportunity to prove yourself. If you’re unable to defeat this nightmare demon, then it’ll be the perfect opportunity for me to take you away while you’re down for the count.”

Zeno cursed her for being despicable, but he also knew that Tang Yu did not intend to intervene.

The nightmare demon seemed to be stunned, then spoke hesitantly, “Human? A different Shadow Race? No, you are a mixed blood!”

Zeno grinned, “What about the mixed blood, you’ll still end up crawling around on the ground searching for your teeth.”

The nightmare demon showed a cold and gloomy smile, “Not even a pureblood of the royal race yet you dare to be so arrogant.”

Zeno stepped forward with a solemn expression. Although he had spouted those confident words, in his heart he was vigilant. The nightmare demon was not so easy to deal with, but he also had weaknesses. The main one was that it would be the most powerful within a dream. In reality, it was much weaker.

The nightmare demon began to launch an attack. The black fog that surrounded him began to spread towards Zeno, as if it was reaching for him.

Zeno’s spiritual strength was very powerful, but he did not know many magic spells. He could only use it in the simplest way, putting up a mental barrier around himself and isolating himself from the black fog.

This was actually acting without thinking. The nightmare demon was also known for its spiritual strength. Zeno had turned it into a contest of spiritual power.

After a while, Zeno’s forehead was covered in a layer of perspiration, and the nightmare demon also bore an unpleasant expression.

Their stalemate lasted for a few minutes. Suddenly, the nightmare demon’s complexion changed and a gap opened in his mental barrier. Zeno keenly seized at the shortfall and, in a spurt of energy, sent an attack straight into the opening. The spiritual power of the nightmare demon was left in complete shambles.

The black fog dissipated and the nightmare demon screeched. The demon’s body stiffened up and then it toppled over, after which there were no more sounds.

Zeno’s complexion was also a bit pale, which was a sign of excessive use of mental power. He could only lie on his back as he panted heavily.

Tang Yu squatted down next to him and looked him over, saying, “Not bad, not bad. Time to come back to the clan with me now.”

Zeno clenched his teeth with regret, “This opportunistic scoundrel.”