I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 98

Shi Beng’s entire body was covered in molten lava, and the hand gripping the gray mineral tribe member kept dripping red magma downward.

The magma flowed over the gray mineral tribe member’s body, leaving black marks wherever it touched.

Shi Beng didn’t give him any chance-he tightened his grip, snapping the gray mineral tribe member’s neck, then stomped the fallen body to pieces.

He stood there for a long time, but the gray mineral tribe member’s body never moved again. It seemed he was truly dead.

In his molten form, Shi Beng stood at the center of the black, high-temperature crystals, looking at his own arm, as if studying his current state.

“I wonder if killing this gray mineral tribe member will also bring that surge of power.”

Mo Ling stared at the gray mineral tribe member, shocked.

This seemed to be a Vein Mutation Disease infected.

But perhaps because of Shi Beng’s molten rock armor , he hadn’t been infected by the Vein Mutation Disease.

Or maybe, since this battlefield wasn’t real, the disease couldn’t spread here.

Not only that, Mo Ling clearly saw that after Shi Beng grabbed him, the gray mineral tribe member’s expression shifted from regret to relief.

Even as he was killed, his head rolling to the ground, he kept that relieved expression, as if deeply satisfied with Shi Beng’s performance.

“He’s about to die, and he’s still so happy?”

Mo Ling was utterly baffled.

But for now, it seemed Shi Beng had won this battle.

Dazzling white light covered the entire Needle Stone Forest , and the ground suddenly transformed into countless multicolored gems, surging into Shi Beng’s body.

Immediately after, Shi Beng vanished from the spot, and darkness fell all around.

Yet Mo Ling was still floating in the darkness.

“Not letting me go back?”

While he was confused, the scene rapidly reconstructed itself, returning to the surface of the Needle Stone Forest, but this time there were no collapsed pillars or swirling dust.

That small, gray mineral tribe member sat on a stone ahead, four hands braced behind him, two legs swinging in front, looking utterly relaxed, still with that satisfied expression.

He glanced at Mo Ling, and a white stone bracelet instantly appeared on Mo Ling’s arm.

Mo Ling raised his hand to study it, discovering that, at his will, sound could come from the bracelet.

“You’re not dead?” The moment Mo Ling realized the bracelet’s function, he blurted out.

“It’s all simulated, of course I’m not dead.” The gray mineral tribe member patted the stone beside him, gesturing for Mo Ling to sit.

Though suspicious, Mo Ling felt he could leave the battlefield at any time, so he walked over and plopped down beside the gray mineral tribe member.

He hadn’t looked closely during the battle, but now that the fight was over, Mo Ling noticed something mysterious about the gray mineral tribe member’s body.

The gray basalt  looked copy-pasted-every piece had exactly the same pattern, something you’d never notice unless you looked for it.

“No need to look, that’s fake too.” The gray mineral tribe member seemed very happy now, his tone relaxed.

“So, what does your real body look like?”

“I’ll tell you later. I’m not here.” The gray mineral tribe member kept it mysterious.

It seemed most things in this simulated battlefield were fake.

Thinking back to why he’d entered the battlefield, Mo Ling asked, “So where are you? Are you the one sending out the incentive signal?

The gray mineral tribe member didn’t answer about his location, but nodded, admitting, “Yes, I’m the one sending the signal.”

Ci Xing’s  guess had been right-there really was an invisible hand manipulating all the mineral tribes of the Needle Stone Forest.

“Why do you want to start wars? Are you also responsible for the earthquakes?” Mo Ling seriously suspected this was the culprit behind the destruction of civilizations.

To his surprise, the gray mineral tribe member admitted it again.

“Yes, that was me.”

His face was still full of joy, completely unconcerned about the destruction of civilizations, as if admitting to something trivial.

Mo Ling felt a chill run down his spine.

He’d destroyed so many civilizations and started wars with his signal, yet now he was so relaxed, as if it didn’t matter at all.

Too arrogant.

“Why do you do this?” Mo Ling was deeply confused.

After all this time, Mo Ling really felt the mineral tribes lived in endless suffering.

Clearly intelligent beings, yet forced to fight like beasts every day; even if they built civilizations, they’d be destroyed instantly.

And the culprit behind it all admitted it as casually as chatting about the weather.

The gray mineral tribe member finally noticed Mo Ling’s seriousness, stopped acting so relaxed, and sat up straight, looking at the ground, exhaustion and helplessness returning to his face.

“Why do I do this?”

“Because, I’m dying…”

The gray mineral tribe member began to slowly explain his reasons to Mo Ling.

……

He was an ancient mineral lifeform .

He’d lived so long he couldn’t remember how long anymore; he only remembered being born from a stone.

He had no companions, never saw another of his kind.

Unlike the mineral tribes of the Needle Stone Forest, who were born with intelligence, he only gradually accumulated knowledge after many years.

He began to understand himself, to study himself.

His long life gave him plenty of time to build his strength. Though he lived in the perilous Abyss , his power was enough to survive disasters.

He’d had a long story,met companions, explored the Abyss, come close to death.

In his endless exploration, he slowly came to know the world. Though he was slow-witted, with time he gained vast experience.

But one ordinary night, he suddenly felt a terrible thing-

-he was going to die.

It was a painfully clear feeling; he sensed his abilities and consciousness fading, becoming dull.

Like turning back into a stone,a “dead thing.

He panicked, searching for ways to save himself, but the change seemed inevitable.

Though it took a long time, he could feel his power weakening, and it took longer and longer to think.

Sometimes, he’d suddenly go blank, and when he woke, years had passed-like an old man slowly losing his sense of time.

It was agony.

While searching for a way to save himself, he met many other ancient, powerful beings.

But none of them suffered this kind of aging; the older they were, the stronger they became, and none could help him.

Even with great power and knowledge, he was as helpless as when he was first born.

He could only keep trying, using various relics and seeking advice from even older, stronger beings.

Until one day, he visited a creature like a purple gauze veil, who told him:

“You can’t be saved. This is the spread of death. But you can try another way to escape death.”

“Have you ever heard of the word,descendant?”