Volume One, Chapter Three: The Liar

“Who among you is the Trickster? I won’t target you in the first round. Let’s work together to complete the mission first.”
“Friends, any hidden clues that the Trickster can see must be shared. Otherwise, with our current conditions, there’s no way we can clear this level.”
“Especially since the presence of the Trickster means there’s also a Godslayer among us.”
“The Godslayer’s appearance raises the difficulty of the dungeon. Without the Trickster’s hidden hints, we definitely won’t succeed...”

At that moment, the Sheriff’s expression flickered unpredictably. He took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

His words rallied the group immediately. The noblewoman revealed a fierce expression and was the first to step forward in agreement.
“Why lie? Whoever the Trickster is, just come out willingly!”
“Because of you alone, we’re facing a graver danger. Don’t you bear any responsibility?”
“Share the hidden clues with us, and then we’ll clear the dungeon together!”

Others chimed in as well.

Qin Shang hesitated the moment those words were spoken.

Should he reveal the truth?

Two burning questions lingered in his mind.

First, what was the relationship between the Trickster and the other players?
Why was the Trickster considered the public enemy?

Second, what was the connection between the Godslayer and the Trickster?
Why did the Godslayer only appear in dungeons where a Trickster was among the players?

Clearly, only the Sheriff could clarify these doubts.

Yet when Qin Shang noticed the fleeting coldness in the Sheriff’s eyes and saw him silently tuck his left hand into his pocket, a chill ran through him, and he immediately abandoned the idea.

The Sheriff was deceiving them!

He meant to exploit everyone’s herd mentality to flush out the Trickster!

What was he hiding in the left pocket of his pants?

Qin Shang had no doubt that revealing his identity now would lead to the Sheriff changing his expression and acting instantly to eliminate him.

Indeed, in such an environment filled with unknowns, self-preservation was the first priority.

I’m just a passerby with no ties to them; I have no obligation to share hidden conditions.

Moreover, I haven’t received any hidden clues myself.

Suppressing his thoughts, Qin Shang continued to feign ignorance.

The Sheriff’s expression gradually shifted from agitation to anxiety.

He scanned everyone’s faces and found no abnormality. With a resigned deep breath, he said,
“Fine, let’s proceed with the dungeon mission first!”

[Death Train, activated.]

Simultaneously, a cold alert tone echoed in everyone’s minds.

The ground trembled briefly, and the scenery outside the window began to change.

The wheels screeched against the iron tracks—a truly novel experience for Qin Shang, who had never been on a steam locomotive before.

As the train started, the lights inside the carriage dimmed considerably.

What was already a pitch-dark environment now plunged completely into darkness.

Vaguely, Qin Shang could only make out the blurred outlines of the others.

[Chime! Train started, hidden clue triggered.]

It had come!

Just as the Sheriff said, the Trickster seemed to possess hidden clues within the dungeon.

Qin Shang remained composed.

A few priests in the group could still see in the dark, so he couldn’t afford to appear too pleased.

[Trickster class exclusive hint: During the self-introduction, one player among the six lied about their profession. Their game ID is “GreenGrassByTheRiver.”]

Qin Shang’s expression shifted slightly, surprised that the Trickster’s exclusive clue was of this nature.

How could the hint know that they had just been candidly revealing their professions?

He pondered briefly.

Could it be that the Trickster’s exclusive clue was not fixed, but dynamically generated based on the dungeon’s circumstances?

No wonder it was considered the profession most skilled at clearing Divine Path dungeons.

Compared to other players’ limited class skills, the Trickster’s exclusive clue was especially flexible.

Truly remarkable!

However, upon seeing the clue, Qin Shang’s heart sank once more.

He never expected that aside from himself, another player had also lied.

That person… was not the Godslayer.

The hint revealed that among the six players, someone had lied about their profession during self-introduction. What was their motive?

Only the Teacher and Priest classes were easy to identify; the Martial Artist and Healer’s abilities remained uncertain.

Besides, the Sheriff held the highest authority in the team. If Qin Shang asked around, it might seem like he was overstepping.

Perhaps they would suspect his profession again or even accuse him of being the Godslayer.

At that point, the Godslayer would surely exploit the suspicion to pin the blame on him.

As an NPC, Qin Shang felt no psychological burden.

He didn’t care if the first person eliminated was the Trickster or not.

For the Godslayer, the easiest way to win was to annihilate everyone. Then, regardless of who the Trickster was, their mission would be accomplished...

“Come to think of it!”

“If I were the Godslayer, I’d try to sow discord to make the team self-destruct, preventing them from uniting and disrupting their cohesion.”

“Only by dragging the team into internal strife and suspicion could the Godslayer stand a chance to win.”

This wasn’t a computer game. Game IDs were not displayed. There was a traitor named “GreenGrassByTheRiver,” so the simplest solution was to ask.

Though Qin Shang held little hope, he addressed the Sheriff nearby.

“We don’t know each other’s names yet. Could we share our game IDs? It would make coordination easier since some of us share the same profession. We can’t all rush to the Priest’s call!”

He maintained a calm expression.

The Sheriff pondered for a moment before agreeing.

“My Divine Path ID is ‘Eagle of Justice.’”

That ID suited his real-world profession perfectly.

Upon hearing the Sheriff’s approval, others also revealed their IDs one by one.

“Buddha Saves Those Destined.”

“Anyone Who Messes with Me Gets Greenlit.”

“Too Handsome to Be Cut.”

“Heartfelt Sister.”

Now only Qin Shang and the pink-dressed little girl who had barely spoken remained silent.

The others had all introduced themselves. “Buddha Saves Those Destined” was the priestly uncle.

Qin Shang glanced at him with a strange look, wondering if he believed in Buddhism.

If his game profession was a priest, wouldn’t that make him a Christian?

Tsk.

May Buddha forgive him...

A mischievous thought flickered in Qin Shang’s mind.

“Anyone Who Messes with Me Gets Greenlit” was the beautiful woman, while “Too Handsome to Be Cut” was the little punk.

“Heartfelt Sister” was the odd one out—it belonged to the man who claimed to be a healer.

A handsome man in his early twenties naming himself “Heartfelt Sister”...

Chills ran down Qin Shang’s spine. He didn’t dwell on the poor taste but instead turned to the pink-dressed girl.

She seemed shy about revealing her name.

That feeling of hesitation was familiar to Qin Shang.

Because his game ID wasn’t self-chosen either.

It was assigned automatically upon entering the dungeon.

He suspected his wife, Jiang Qiqi, was behind it…

The ID was exactly the same as her Taobao username.

The punk “Too Handsome to Be Cut” noticed their silence and looked over.

“Why aren’t you two saying your IDs? Don’t NPCs have game IDs?”

Qin Shang’s mouth twitched.

Seriously? If you don’t have a game ID, can’t you just make one up?

“If only you were the Godslayer, I wouldn’t vote to cut you during the vote later!”

At that moment, the pink-dressed girl muttered shyly,
“Grandpa Niu cosplaying as a maid to seduce Mom Zhuang… my Divine Path ID was randomly generated.”
“When I entered the dungeon, my hands and feet went numb, as if I was being controlled. I couldn’t move, and the next thing I knew, I was here. It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t scared. I was so nervous I had no time to think about an ID.”
“The alert tone kept buzzing, so I just…”

Hmm!

That explanation was quite reasonable.

Qin Shang took a deep breath and, without giving others a chance to question him, said coolly,
“Devoted to licking cockroach’s jade feet.”

The entire carriage fell silent instantly.

Countless people exchanged puzzled glances between the little girl and Qin Shang, especially the Sheriff, “Eagle of Justice.”

His expression was the most bewildered.

Qin Shang braced himself under their gaze, a feeling he was already used to.

Whenever he helped his wife pick up packages, the courier would repeatedly ask, “Are you Cockroach’s Jade Feet?” “Is that you?” “Are you really Jade Feet?”

Called out like that in front of the whole neighborhood...

Qin Shang was so embarrassed his toes could carve out a three-bedroom apartment on the floor.

But clearly, the group’s attention wasn’t on the IDs anymore. Having familiarized themselves with each other’s nicknames, under the Sheriff and the priest’s leadership, they slowly moved toward the front carriage.

Qin Shang stared at their backs, his heart sinking to the depths.

Just as he thought, among the seven, there was no “GreenGrassByTheRiver.”

The one who lied during the profession introduction... had lied again.