Chapter 252: Have You Ever Joined the Seven Deadly Sins?

After a few minor hiccups, it was finally Su Mu's turn, the head of the greatest villainous organization, the Seven Deadly Sins.

However, he had already figured out how the Heart-Inquiring Instrument worked. Similar to Specter's mind-reading, it detected fluctuations in a person's thoughts as they answered questions.

This level of interrogation was child's play to him, but just to be safe, he fished the dark gold Ouroboros Pocket Watch from his pocket. He pretended to check the time, but in reality, he hypnotized himself, temporarily blocking his memories of the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Name."

"Su Mu."

The examiner frowned slightly at the silent instrument. Since it hadn't reacted, the young man wasn't lying. It seemed his previous judgment had been wrong—this candidate was no noble.

"Where are you from?"

"Star City."

"Are you a spy sent by another empire?"

"No."

"Have you ever joined any domestic reactionary organizations, such as the Seven Deadly Sins or the Revolutionary Army?"

"No," Pride, Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, replied.

"You pass. Next."

The interrogations continued until dusk. Once everyone was finally screened, the examiners dismissed the group to rest. The Law Enforcement Bureau had prepared individual rooms for everyone, with strict orders that no one was to leave the bureau for any reason.

Naturally, Su Mu didn't leave the bureau either. He was too busy entering dreams to hypnotize people. Since he was already here, how could he pass up the chance to recruit a few new subordinates?

He didn't attempt to hypnotize any Silver transcendents; the risk was simply too high. Instead, he limited his targets to a few civilian clerks and bottom-tier Bronze transcendents.

Hypnotizing people wherever he went was a good habit he had cultivated. Sooner or later, he would have his people in every corner of the world.

...

...

The next day.

The crowd gathered on the training grounds once again, though their numbers had been reduced by more than half.

The more observant among them quickly noticed a pattern: every single person gathered today had been assigned to Area No. 3 the day before. They were all Silver 1.

The same three examiners from yesterday appeared again.

"As you have probably guessed, today's test is live combat," the examiner announced. "The Empire needs nightmare apostles, but it has no use for garbage. In the perilous Nightmare World, a teammate dragging you down is far more terrifying than any enemy. Because of this, today's eliminations will be drawn exclusively from you Silver 1s."

The examiner's words naturally sparked resentment. Singling them out for elimination just because they were Silver 1 was completely unfair.

Yet, no one dared to say a word. This was simply how the world worked—strength reigned supreme. They only had themselves to blame for not being Silver 2.

"Next, you will be randomly divided into pairs for one-on-one duels. Even if you lose, it won't matter, because eliminations are not based on victory or defeat. This is a scoring system. You must display as much of your strength as possible during combat. As long as your score is passable, you will not be eliminated."

Someone immediately asked, "What is the scoring standard?"

"There are three scoring standards. The first is combat experience. This doesn't need much explanation. Because everyone's Law varies, some of you excel at fighting, while others excel in different areas. Therefore, sheer strength is not our absolute standard; we look at your combat experience.

"If a non-combatant faces a combat-oriented opponent, as long as they demonstrate an appropriate level of experience, their score won't be low.

"The second is the diversity of your abilities. Naturally, the team for this mission into the Nightmare World cannot consist entirely of frontline fighters. The lineup must be as diverse as possible, with dedicated scouts, healers, and so on. If you display a unique ability during your battle, we will award you bonus points based on our practical needs.

"The third is your experience in exploring the Nightmare World. This standard is very simple: the number of nightmares you have survived. We need seasoned nightmare apostles, so the nightmare count you tested for yesterday will count as part of your score today.

"Those with fewer than five explorations need to be careful. If you fail to perform exceptionally well in the first two categories, your chances of elimination are very high."

As he spoke, the examiner shot a subtle glance toward Su Mu. This young man had left a deep impression on him: he carried the elegant aura of a noble, yet had the absolute lowest nightmare count in the group.

In his view, Su Mu was the most likely to be eliminated first among this batch.

"Enough talk. Once your name is called, step up to the arena for your match. Remember, these matches are primarily for demonstration. Maiming or killing your opponent without cause is strictly forbidden.

"First group: Liu Ming versus Li Yuan."

The two men whose names were called quickly stepped into the arena and began their match under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

They stared each other down solemnly, neither willing to strike first. As fellow Silver 1s, neither could easily claim victory, especially without knowing the other's abilities.

In battles between those of the same rank, victory was typically decided by ability counters, combat experience, and intelligence.

They faced off for a moment until Liu Ming finally lost his patience. With a low roar, his muscles swelled and a metallic sheen flashed across his skin as he charged at Li Yuan like a humanoid tyrannosaurus.

The moment he moved, the crowd instantly recognized his Silver Law. It couldn't be helped, as this Law was simply too common: the Silver Law [Follower of Strength].

Seeing that Liu Ming was a [Follower of Strength], Li Yuan's solemn expression instantly relaxed, and a faint sneer of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth. Raising his right foot, he stomped heavily onto the arena floor.

Rumble!

The arena instantly trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake. Spiderweb-like cracks surfaced on the previously smooth floor, spreading rapidly toward Liu Ming's feet as if locked onto a target.

"This is... Silver Sequence 40, [Earth Stomp]! It can control the power of the earth. Liu Ming is finished." An experienced nightmare apostle immediately recognized Li Yuan's Law.

Sure enough, the sprinting Liu Ming suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his feet. He nearly fell, but his tremendous physical conditioning allowed him to regain his balance. Stepping on the rubble, he leaped out of the fissure.

However, the surrounding rubble seemed to come alive. It frantically converged, forming into stone spikes that thrust outward to impale Liu Ming.

Liu Ming sneered, not even bothering to defend himself. He had absolute confidence in his body. A second later, however, the sneer froze on his face. The stone spikes weren't trying to impale him; instead, they crisscrossed, passing through the gaps under his arms and over his ankles, pinning him in place.

Restricted, Liu Ming instantly flew into a rage. His current pose made him look like a whole roasted sheep mounted on a spit. He immediately strained his muscles to snap the stone locks, but more and more stone spikes erupted from the earth, threatening to bury him.

Liu Ming struggled desperately. Breaking the stone spikes only caused more to appear. It was endless—completely endless.

The battle instantly became a war of attrition. The stone spikes could hardly break through Liu Ming's defenses, but Liu Ming would also find it difficult to break free from his bindings anytime soon.