“Now, do you know who I am?”

A sick grin spread across the Purple Mask, locking eyes with that sickly-looking man.

The man swallowed hard. Even though the Slime had already assured him nothing would happen, staring at this person in front of him still filled him with fear.

A voice in his mind kept screaming at him to fight back, to say something in return—but when the words reached his mouth, he couldn’t open it at all.

Facing this person head-on brought a pressure that was simply too much.

“Alright, since all of you have decided not to exit, I’ll assume you’ve all mentally prepared yourselves.”

“Here’s a friendly reminder....”

The “Sin” Purple Mask swept over everyone’s faces, and almost instinctively, people looked away.

“In the next phase, I might not go easy on you......”

【: He’s basically just making enemies for himself. Doesn’t seem very rational. If this backfires, now that would be interesting.】

【: The main issue is, his insane combat strength is useless here. This game doesn’t seem very friendly to ‘Sin’.】

The Lust Mask was the flashiest of all the masks, and its overwhelming need for attention was starting to make even the viewers feel uneasy.

Not to mention the people present—during a shared game, the weak tend to band together to fight the strong. He was clearly painting a huge target on his back.

But it looked... intentional...

【Alright! Now it’s getting fun, this is the vibe we want!】

The Slime immediately started dancing excitedly, like it was afraid the others might change their minds, so it quickly continued:

【I’ll count to three. After that, the exit portal will close.】

【Three!】

【Alright, closed. The number of remaining players is... 47!】

Just a single round of identity-guessing had already eliminated more than half the players.

The first wave of exits was the lightest psychologically—people hadn’t yet fallen into that gambling madness.

A lot of folks, seeing the Hell Mode label, chose to leave. They weren’t willing to wager their entire lives on this game.

The remaining 47 players fell into two groups.

Those with three Stars or more, and those with none at all—afraid that exiting now might mean dropping a heart on the floor...

It fit the two types you’d find in a casino: those who’d won big and gotten hooked, and those who’d lost everything and gone bloodshot with desperation.

What can you say, this game was incredibly educational. Sure, the price was steep...

【Alright! Now let’s move into the next game mode. Duration: three hours!】

【Free Trade!】

【In this phase, the entire space becomes a fully open paradise for the players to enjoy.】

【Here, we’ve got all sorts of game machines available. Your chips are the Stars you’re carrying.】

【Or, you can play with the Fake Humans.】

【Or, you can place bets with each other. The game content can be randomly generated by the casino based on the number of people, or you can negotiate the stakes and rules yourselves, and sign a contract.】

【In short, make the most of your time—play, have fun! For these three hours, this hall is completely yours!】

As it spoke, the severed hands and legs scattered across the floor, the various organs, the stench of blood and seawater—all vanished in an instant!

The hall returned to its original grandeur: golden décor, gourmet food and fine wine, piano music, and a bunch of gaming machines with inscrutable rules.

【Also, there’s one more thing worth discussing—if you make it to the end, the more Stars you have, the bigger the reward.】

【If you’ve got too few Stars... well, that’s just unfortunate......】

The Slime didn’t spell it out, but everyone understood exactly what it meant.

【Alright... game now....】

“Wait a second!”

A small voice piped up, “I want to ask—what happens if you have no Stars left right now?”

A short man asked, his chest completely bare—no Stars at all.

He hadn’t dared to exit earlier, so he had no choice but to push through.

【Oh? So we’ve got people like you too, huh. Tch, forgot about the dead weight....】

【If you have no chips, then you are the chip. Pick one.】

As it spoke, several items suddenly appeared in the air—no, not items, torture devices!

There were arm braces with needle-loaded springs that could instantly punch bloody holes into your arms.

Boots filled with acid. A helmet lined with spikes. Even an earpiece.

Basically, all kinds of creatively deranged contraptions. The moment the short man laid eyes on them, he went completely stiff with fear.

His body trembled like a leaf, clearly not ready to accept this reality.

【Pick one. Or a few, if you like.】

【Oh right, these will only let you stay in the game. Each use adds a penalty point to your score.】

The short man’s legs could barely hold him up. Just imagining it was already too much to handle.

“I... Is it too late to exit now?”

【Of course it is.】

The Slime answered cheerfully.

Everyone’s mood sank. Honestly, they had all expected something like this to happen.

After all, this was Hell Mode—how could there be no torture at all?

Shaking uncontrollably, the short guy began reluctantly making his choice.

Right then, an angry voice suddenly rang out.

“Hold on—what the h*ll did you just say? When you’re out of Stars, you can use those things instead?!”

The eyes behind the “Sin” mask widened, staring at the Slime like he’d just been lied to.

【Uh... it’s not about replacing your debt—it just adds a penalty point, and then you can continue... why?】

The Slime looked confused.

“You fing pk, you absolute b*****d, why didn’t you say that earlier!”

“I don’t have any Stars either. Give me a set!”

Slime: .......

No one knew why Lu Ce was doing this, but whatever the reason, the Slime was happy to oblige. A few minutes later, a pair of “arm braces” appeared on both of Lu Ce’s arms.

【Game start!】

The Slime didn’t waste another word. A three-hour countdown appeared on the wall.

The crowd dispersed immediately, no one daring to come near—especially keeping a safe distance from “Sin”—as they started thinking about what to do in those three hours.

“What’s your plan?”

Jiu Tian finally dropped the act and directly asked his teammate.

The teammate stared at “Sin,” eyes locking in with growing determination.

“I want to challenge him.”

Jiu Tian: ?

“You do know it’s really hard to get recognized as a martyr when you’re the one who gets yourself killed, right?”