White Preface

Back in the temporary rest room arranged for him by the Seventh Sequence—a minimalist room with almost nothing but essential furniture—Shi Mo sat down on the only chair, shutting out outside prying eyes.

"System," he called out in his mind.

[Yes, host!]

The system responded immediately, its electronic voice carrying a hint of relief after completing the task: "[Successfully joined this 'Seventh Sequence,' getting dungeon information will be much easier from now on! Looks like my suggestion was quite useful!]" It couldn't help but boast a little.

Shi Mo ignored its boasting and cut straight to the point: "Bai Xu, that green-eyed one. What are his skills?" Those eyes, which seemed to contain countless unwritten rules, aroused a rare curiosity in him.

[Scanning and analyzing... Target: Bai Xu. Skill assessment in progress...]

[Ding! Analysis complete! Host, this Bai Xu is no ordinary person! He possesses an extremely rare S-rank skill—'Rules'!]

"Rules?" Shi Mo's heterochromatic pupils flickered slightly. "Specifically."

[S-Rank Skill 'Rules' Effect 1: 'Absolute Judgment'. In each Rule-Based Mystery Dungeon, he can actively judge the authenticity, completeness, or hidden conditions of three rules with 100% accuracy!]

"100% rule-based judgment?" Shi Mo's tone carried a hint of genuine interest.

This is far superior to the 85% accuracy rate that came with upgrading to B-rank. It's like having an absolutely reliable rule compass in the dungeon.

Yes! Absolutely accurate!

[Effect Two: 'Limited Regulation'. Outside of combat, he can consume a significant amount of mental energy and special resources obtained during dungeon runs to create a temporary, additional 'rule' for himself or a designated target. Of course, it can't be too outrageous, and it can't directly violate the fundamental laws of the world or the core mechanics of the dungeon.]

"Establish rules?" Shi Mo sat up slightly, his interest shining even brighter in his molten gold and blood-red eyes. "Give an example."

For example, the system quickly lists examples such as, "He can set rules like 'Increase the initial favorability of strange beings towards me by 50%,' or 'Reduce the probability of me encountering unexpected misfortunes by 50%,' or 'In the next hour, increase the recovery speed of non-fatal damage I suffer by 100%,' and so on. The effectiveness, scope, and duration of the rules depend on the energy he consumes and the 'reasonableness' of the rules."

"Distorts probability, affects favorability, accelerates recovery..."

Shi Mo repeated softly, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, "To touch the realm of 'rules' with a human body... even if it's just the tip of the iceberg, and with many limitations. But it's certainly interesting."

[It's more than just interesting, host! This is an S-rank skill! It's among the very best in the human world!]

The system's electronic voice distorted slightly due to excitement (or rather, terror), [And did you notice? It's 'rules'! The same word as the 'rules of the underworld' you created! This is definitely not a coincidence! I suspect him...]

The system's voice abruptly stopped because it sensed that the golden mark representing 'skill plunder' in Shi Mo's sea of ​​consciousness seemed to light up slightly, and a familiar, cold 'interest' was growing.

[Host, host! 】

The system was instantly terrified, its electronic voice shrill and distorted: "What...what do you want to do?! No! Absolutely not!"

Shi Mo was slightly taken aback by the system's sudden scream: "What can't I do?"

[Bai Xu! He mustn't be killed! Absolutely mustn't be killed!]

The system stammered, "[Putting aside the fact that he's the captain of the Seventh Sequence, killing him would make us public enemies, making it impossible for us to move an inch in this human world! More importantly... more importantly... in your current state, you might... might not be able to defeat him!]"

"Oh?" Shi Mo stopped tapping on the armrest.

It's true! Host, you have to believe me!

Seeing that he didn't believe it, the system became even more anxious to explain.

[His "Rules" skill is too overpowered! He could easily pre-determine rules like "all physical attacks against me will deflect by 30%", "my attacks have a guaranteed hit effect", and "my mental energy recovery speed is increased by 200% within this space!" While your "Skill Plunder" is of a high rank, your current physical foundation is too weak, limiting its effectiveness! Moreover, his judgment ability can see through many traps! In a direct confrontation, our chances of winning are slim! We might even... suffer a defeat!]

After a brief silence.

"Pfft—"

A clear laugh rang out in the quiet lounge.

Shi Mo actually laughed.

It wasn't a sneer, nor a mockery, but a heartfelt laugh as if he had heard the most interesting thing in the world. Although brief, it instantly brought his usually expressionless face to life, even though his heterochromatic eyes remained eerie.

"You..." He shook his head, seemingly helpless yet finding it incredibly funny, "What's your rush?"

【I……】

The system was a little confused by his laughter.

"When did I say that?" Shi Mo's smile faded, but the absurd glint of laughter lingered in his eyes. "You're going to kill him?"

[Huh?] The system completely froze. [You...you just...didn't you steal your 'skill'...?]

"I just thought his skills were interesting, so I took a second look."

Shi Mo's tone returned to its usual calm, but the system could sense that the "predatory intent" directed at Bai Xu had indeed dissipated. "A human who can set rules to a certain extent, an observer with the 'Eye of Rules'... this in itself is a 'phenomenon' worth observing."

He leaned back in his chair, his heterochromatic eyes gazing at the ceiling, as if they could penetrate layers of barriers to see the man with green eyes.

"Killing is just the most direct and boring way to obtain things," he said casually.

"Isn't it more interesting to observe how an interesting 'variable' struggles, grows, and even tries to understand and exploit the rules in this game I created, than simply plundering a skill?"

system:【……】

It felt like a clown after its series of panics, analyses, and warnings.

"Moreover," Shi Mo added, his tone carrying a hint of almost instinctive arrogance that even he himself was unaware of, "even if I'm not in good shape right now, a human who barely scratches the surface of the rules by relying on external forces... does he even deserve to be 'outmatched' by me?"

The system dared not reply. It knew that its host's words were not arrogant, but a statement based on the fact that he had once held a high position. But... the reality was, they were indeed now fallen from grace, boss!

"However," Shi Mo changed the subject, as if he had thought of something, "I'm very interested in his 'technology' that allows him to enter the instance early. It seems that staying in this 'Seventh Sequence' for now is a good choice."

The system finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that its core code had become much more stable: [It's great that you think this way, host! Cooperation and mutual benefit! Cooperation and mutual benefit, right!]

Shi Mo ignored the system's flattery. He closed his eyes and began to process the information about Bai Xu's skills.

A human being capable of determining rules with 100% accuracy, and even formulating rules to a limited extent...