In the dim little room within the building's corridor interlayer, Lu Ce's somewhat suppressed laughter occasionally surfaced alone.
"Has your mind gone completely off the rails, buddy?"
Black Knight asked with exasperation from beside him.
"Oh? Why would you say that? I feel like I'm in perfect condition."
The voice still clearly belonged to Lu Ce, but the emotional quality had undergone significant changes.
"You haven't even entered the game yet, and you're already trying to turn yourself into a complete lunatic first?"
Black Knight couldn't help but complain, though it roughly understood that Lu Ce was actually raising his own "threshold" right now.
He was acclimating to that surge of madness while wearing the mask, so he could better reach the "overload" level during the game.
Lu Ce didn't just want overload—he was greedy, unwilling to pay the price; he was arrogant, not believing he should pay any price.
He wanted to maintain self-control even while in an overloaded state.
So he needed to adapt. If he wanted to master "loss of control," then "madness" needed to become somewhat normalized.
Watching his condition, Black Knight spoke with grave warning:
Black Knight couldn't help but comment, though it roughly understood that Lu Ce was actually raising his own "threshold" right now.
"You really don't consider yourself human anymore..."
"By the way, when you die, you won't drag me down with you, will you?"
Lu Ce casually waved his hand, smacking Black Knight onto the table before clutching him in his palm.
"What nonsense are you babbling about..."
[Attention, Supreme Player! The game is about to begin.]
[Time remaining until next game start: 00:35:59.]
[Please choose whether to become a "Spectator" or a "Player"!]
"Heh... interesting. This game's invitation sound is so persistent, and it's slightly different every time."
"Actually, I want to know—do you want me to participate more, or not participate?"
"I genuinely want to know the answer."
On the bed, Lu Ce leaned back, his blue mask tilted upward as he stared at the ceiling.
[Please choose whether to become a "Spectator" or a "Player"!]
The game didn't respond with words, just continued pressing.
"Player!"
[Supreme Player, welcome to CHOSEN'S PARADISE!]
Similar voices echoed in the ears of hundreds of millions of chosen ones worldwide.
Some were already players, some had always been spectators, but now this choice had become fundamentally different from before.
Stepping into this paradise might bring danger, but it could also be an opportunity to ascend to heaven!
Undercurrents were swirling at this very moment.
Just as Lu Ce was preparing to enter the game, the game's announcement actually appeared once again.
[This game's participant count has reached a historic high, currently undergoing game reorganization.]
[Welcome more players to the game. Paradise welcomes players, the world belongs to players.]
[Wishing you a pleasant game experience.]
As the game's voice spoke, Lu Ce nearly laughed outright—the intentions were just too transparent.
[Game preparation complete. Please make final preparations.]
[Welcome to CHOSEN'S PARADISE, Hell Mode—Garden of Amusement, Shock of Dreams!]
[Game start!]
As the final voice faded, Lu Ce had long been prepared, lying on the bed quietly waiting for the dizziness to arrive.
Thanks to wearing the mask, the mental discomfort was completely dissolved.
After the familiar sensation passed, Lu Ce felt the solid ground beneath his feet. When he opened his eyes again, he had entered the game world.
Before him stretched a massive amusement park with complete facilities, looking so luxurious it was almost exaggerated.
The roller coaster directly ahead coiled like a winding dragon, while the roller coaster beside it truly shot straight into the clouds—its peak seemed to have pierced through the heavens.
Further away stood various other amusement facilities. This enormous amusement park definitely covered more area than any location on Earth.
"Amusing. Making it so flashy just to psychologically deceive people into thinking something good awaits. Hell Mode is really running out of new tricks these days."
Lu Ce, wearing some random mask, blurted out without thinking.
"Big brother~, big brother~."
At that moment, a child emerged from somewhere, calling out in a milky, childish voice.
In his hands, he held a bunch of bright lollipops.
"Big brother, would you like an extra-large lollipop?"
Lu Ce looked down, casually took one, and used it like a mirror to check his mask.
Since this game session, he no longer had any unlocked mask forms, so one had been randomly assigned, though he could change it freely.
But from Lu Ce's perspective, unlocking was just the first step—he needed overload, and for that, it was best to use one mask extensively.
To gradually adapt and then push the madness to its extreme.
This time, he'd randomly gotten pink—Envy.
"Hmm, fine. This one hasn't reached overload yet anyway."
Since the game content remained unknown, using it for now wouldn't hurt.
"Big brother, big brother, if you like it, please buy one. Just one thousand dollars for an extra-large lollipop."
Just then, the child at his feet continued speaking.
"Ah? It costs money? Then I don't want it." Envy glanced down and casually tossed the lollipop back.
"Get lost! Annoying child."
Since when did lollipops cost a thousand each?
"No! You already took it, so you have to buy it!" The little boy steadily caught the thrown-back lollipop, his voice already carrying hints of tears.
Immediately, a thought emerged in Lu Ce's mind:
—What would happen if I just robbed him?
Looking down, the pink mask displayed a benevolent smile. The child stared blankly for a moment before scampering away in a flash.
Probably some bad premonition.
"Boring."
[I presume everyone has seen the amusement park before them. Welcome to the large-scale entertaining game, Garden of Amusement, Shock of Dreams!]
[This game has gathered one hundred outstanding players for player versus player mode. We hope everyone competes with skill, competes with style, competes with...]
"Tch. Which Divine Envoy is it this time? Or some avatar thing? Could you be more direct?"
The pink mask showed clear impatience as Lu Ce spoke scornfully. He'd already learned to identify these voices.
[This player versus player competition will divide into two major factions.]
[Now, please choose your faction. Each person has the same two choices available for distinction.]
The game ignored Lu Ce's insolence, continuing to advance the progress as it spoke.
Then, before every player in the amusement park, two different virtual buttons appeared.
One read [Amusement Park].
The other read [Visitor].