The Betrayal Room

Tan Yuhan also exited the room when He Mo charged in.

After all, as a member of the ‘True Sight’ squad, she couldn’t be oblivious. And knowing she was a burden in his eyes, she had to be self-aware enough to step aside.

“?”

Tan Yuhan frowned at her own thought.

It wasn’t that the thought was abnormal, just ill-timed. Matters of priority—she wasn’t worried about what would happen to He Mo, but instead dwelled on her earlier words, finding herself complaining about him.

Clearly, that was odd.

Tan Yuhan’s black irises turned blue, a sea of 1s and 0s swirling within.

A light screen rose in her vision.

[Tan Yuhan Lv.31

Status: Betrayal 2

Betrayal: Slightly affects thought processes. Next attack on an ally deals double damage. Each attack on an ally reduces damage value by one. After leaving the room, this status decays over time.]

“Ah, this…” Tan Yuhan shifted her gaze to the light screen blocking the room. It bore the label of a battle room, with a cracked heart in the center.

Battle rooms also come with negative effects, mostly related to the calamity beasts’ attacks—chain effects or add-ons.

But when they entered, the calamity beast was already frozen. So…

Could this ‘Betrayal’ status have been present from the start?

As if to confirm her thoughts, the original ‘Battle Room: ???’ changed to ‘Battle Room: Betrayal’.

She could view more detailed information.

Battle Room: Betrayal.

Effect: Grants Betrayal 2 to all heroes entering.

Wasn’t this a bit too nasty? Trap rooms at least let you trigger them—though every step might set them off, they at least went through the motions. But this one just slapped you on the neck and stamped you right away. That was just unfair.

Fortunately, there were no other bonuses for the monsters, and it seemed to be a one-time application. As long as she didn’t attack an ally, the effect wouldn’t trigger.

Hmm…

Tan Yuhan recalled the scene in the room and shuddered.

How exactly did that happen?

As far as she knew, those three should be the trio from ‘Lucky Garden’. The ice effect was too recognizable—apart from Frost Snow Sovereign, only that new leader could achieve such an effect.

But she and He Mo were people she had just met today. They hadn’t even thought of attacking each other. In fact, He Mo had even told her to leave the room to save people.

Could the Betrayal effect deepen over time? Impossible. If it acted on her, her ability would describe it clearly; there wouldn’t be any lingering special effects.

Tan Yuhan blinked, dazed. Then she saw He Mo come out of the room carrying an unconscious purple-haired girl on his back.

“Xiao Tan, take care of her. I saw another girl turned into an ice statue; I have to save her!”

“Oh, okay.”

Tan Yuhan replied blankly. Before she could react, He Mo had already turned back into the room.

“Ah…”

Tan Yuhan looked down at the girl in her arms. From a small leather satchel, she pulled out a red potion. With a ‘pop’, she uncorked it, pinched the girl’s nose, and as the girl gasped, poured the potion down her throat.

[Sister Tan’s feeding technique is clearly maxed out!]

[Such smooth moves!]

“Eh? Am I still streaming? Oh, you~ I’ve always been gentle, a sweet girl~” Tan Yuhan flashed a sweet smile, then added, “This is a life potion produced by our ‘True Sight’. Besides life potions, we have various other types—cures all ailments~ Order now and get a free matching small satchel like mine~”

“Cough, cough~” Zijinghua coughed violently and slowly regained consciousness.

“Little sister, you’re awake. Are you alright?” Tan Yuhan asked with a gentle smile.

“Lily… sister…” Zijinghua stared blankly at her, then came to her senses and covered her mouth. “Ah… that… did you save me? Thank you~”

“Lily must be ‘Saint Lily’. So you’re from ‘Lucky Garden’, right? Little sister, can you tell me what happened to you?” Tan Yuhan’s smile faded slightly as she asked seriously.

“Ah…”

****

“I… I followed Senior Hyacinth and White Rose… into that room.” Zijinghua recalled, frowning in disgust at the mention of ‘White Rose’. “According to our usual coordination—since we couldn’t fly here, we couldn’t dodge in the air like before—I and Senior Hyacinth were up front defending, buying time for White Rose to use her Rose Blast for a one-shot kill.”

“Uh… and then?” Tan Yuhan frowned slightly, nodded, and continued.

“I had a gap in my defense.” Zijinghua bit her lip, her emotions beginning to crumble. “But was that my fault? Yes, I admit I’m weak, a rookie, only ‘Sprouted’. I only have one ability, and it’s not even defensive. I used my body to withstand attacks; how many wounds did the calamity beast leave on me? When it lunged at me, I didn’t know what to do…”

“But what about her? Throughout our journey, she only ever said I was too weak, a burden, and kept telling me to get stronger. But how could I get stronger? Could I suddenly become powerful? After every battle, she never let us rest, immediately entering the next room. My mana recovery couldn’t keep up with the consumption. She even forbade Hyacinth from healing my wounds, saying it was a waste and that I was being overly dramatic about minor injuries. This time, I almost died again—almost died because of her! I can’t take it anymore!!! Waaah~ She’s crazy! I tried my best to defend, but as soon as I fell, she didn’t care about us at all; she activated her Flower Domain and only thought of herself! Senior Hyacinth was frozen by her! Big jerk!”

“……” Tan Yuhan’s expression twisted. She looked at the sobbing Zijinghua and gently patted her head. After a few moments, when Zijinghua had calmed down a bit, she asked hesitantly, “Um… Zijinghua, do you know that in the ‘Dungeon’, killing monsters makes you stronger?”

“Huh? Isn’t that a lie? If it were true, why haven’t I felt anything?” Zijinghua sniffled, pouting, a little dejected. “It’s not that easy to get stronger.”

“Actually, only those who defeat the calamity beasts gain experience.” Tan Yuhan paused, her eyes filled with sympathy as she spoke.

“……”

“White Rose!!!”

“You’re such a jerk!!!”

[……]

[Well… how to put it? This girl’s really had it rough.]

[Honestly, as soon as she mentioned that coordination, I thought it was weird. She meant for others to tank while she hogged the experience, right?]

[Not only that, but she also heavily manipulated her.]

[Time to fight, no time to rest—treating people like beasts of burden, huh?]

[No wonder Dandelion and Saint Lily quit the team. Who could stay in a group like that?]

The comments were flooding the screen. Just then, He Mo rushed out again, carrying an ice statue—it was Hyacinth, frozen solid. Half of his own body was coated in frost.

“Xiao Tan, hurry! Take them and go! I’ll hold off that villain ability user! It looks like the villain alliance really has invaded this place!”

He Mo declared righteously.

[Uh… White Rose is a villain ability user?]

[Brother He from the C-rank super squad probably doesn’t recognize the people below, it’s normal~]

[Seems like White Rose is pretty strong! Even He Mo ended up like this?]

[Actually, if she’s that strong, she might not need teammates or coordination. So, could it be that Zijinghua was the problem all along?]

[Don’t let your opinions flip-flop so wildly! Saying that—doesn’t your conscience hurt?]