Chapter 15 "Impossible"

"Impossible," Billy replied decisively, because it truly was impossible for him. He didn't believe that lying about it being possible would solve anything.

Feng Bujue had already guessed the answer would be negative. He made the request as a kind of negotiating tactic. In this somewhat unequal partnership, the advantageous party could start by setting a very high price, then gradually lower it, probing the other side's bottom line.

"Why?" Feng Bujue asked.

"This gun is an extension of my ability. If it leaves my 'domination' range, it will disappear," Billy replied. "Since I've been in this loop for a long time, my power's compatibility with this space is very high, which is why you can carry the gun all over the prison. But in an unfamiliar environment, if the gun is more than a hundred meters away from me, it will disappear." He paused for half a second, then added, "Also, the so-called one-hit kill and guaranteed hit effects are simply adjustments I make using spatial abilities. Because I can control matter in space very precisely, the bullet's destructive power and hit rate are all under my control."

"That's not right... that guy Faust was guarding outside the prison gate, right? Although there's only a gate between us, that's still outside," Feng Bujue said. "If I follow your original plan and, after a series of inducements, finally enter the first corridor and face that guy, wouldn't I be holding a useless gun...?"

Billy interrupted him. "Among the three of us, only my power's upper limit is above Faust's. So it doesn't matter if you step out of the prison door. As long as I stay near you, I can still give this gun enough destructive power. Also... the so-called 'outside the door' isn't the real outside. The area where Faust is located can be regarded as the 'door' as a whole, and the Time Lord's curse is the most solid lock."

"Oh... I see. But... the gun is materialized from your ability, and I'm just pulling the trigger, so can it really be considered that I killed him?" Feng Bujue asked.

"What's important isn't the method, tool, or source of power used to kill Faust, but... 'who' launched the fatal attack," Billy replied. "Black magic users borrow the power of ancient demon lords when chanting, and elemental magic users borrow the power of nature... So, should the descendants of those killed by these attack spells seek revenge on the casters, or should they seek revenge on the demon lords or the entire world?"

"Um... I understand," Feng Bujue replied. "In short, as long as 'I' do it, right..." He raised his head. "And if you guys kill Faust yourselves, you'll encounter the loop again, and Faust will revive outside the door as usual, right?"

Olden continued, "That's right. The Time Lord's curse is extremely vicious. If a 'prisoner' kills a 'guard,' everything will return to its original state. Faust will reappear outside the door, and our powers will regress to a very low level. It takes a long time to recover to the current state.

Before that, this space is completely out of our control. We can't find the door to get out, we can't change the surrounding environment, and we can't make any warp-like movements. And after each loop, new monsters will be thrown in to torture and kill us. Before we grow up, we're usually killed many times. Sadly, in the prison, we can't even die. After being killed, we'll return to our weakest state and revive."

Hearing this, Feng Bujue turned to look at Rabbid.

Rabbid knew what he wanted to ask and said directly, "Don't look at me. Billy already said that he adjusted the power of the bullet at the last moment, so your gun didn't really 'kill' me. Of course... the way I ran away did look a little embarrassing."

"So... even if I really killed you just now, it wouldn't matter?" Feng Bujue asked.

"How could it not matter! Didn't Olden just say that after we're killed, we'll return to our weakest state, and it takes many days for our power to recover to its upper limit?" Rabbid replied.

"By the way, have you ever tried using SCP-173-like monsters to kill Faust?" Feng Bujue asked again.

"Of course, we've tried," Billy replied. "Although those monsters are all extremely difficult to control and pose a considerable threat even to us in our strongest state, we still managed to lure one or two of them close to the prison gate. But as soon as those monsters leave the door, they disappear, and then a new monster is immediately sent in."

"Oh..." Feng Bujue nodded and said, "Okay, back to the conditions I mentioned, um... I can't take the gun away, so what about the Contra Medal?"

"Same principle. I said, I have absolute domination over the internal space of this prison. As long as you're not transported away because of 'poisoning,' I can revive you as many times as I want," Billy said. "But once you leave here..."

"Then what's there to talk about?" Feng Bujue interrupted. "If there aren't enough benefits, why would I make the Time Lord unhappy for you guys? You're not my relatives. Why should I help you break out of prison?"

"Don't you want to clear the game..." Billy started to say.

Feng Bujue interrupted again. "That's what I was originally aiming for, but after learning about the situation in this 'prison'..." He made quotation marks with his hands. "I think it's very unwise to cooperate with you guys." He said casually, "I'd rather be poisoned and fail to clear the game than go against the Time Lord for a few guys who are trying to trick me..." He paused and added shamelessly, "Especially without any reward."

"Okay..." Billy hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Wait a moment..."

Next was about a minute of silence. Billy, Olden, and Rabbid seemed to be communicating mentally. Since it was difficult to tell anything from their three grotesque faces, Feng Bujue simply stopped trying to read their expressions. He put on an attitude of indifference, as if failing to clear the game really didn't matter, and waited for their response.

"Um... although it's very difficult, we can try to create a Contra Medal that you can use even outside this place," Billy finally said.

"How exactly will you do it?" Feng Bujue asked.

"It's not that complicated," Olden chimed in from the side. "The three of us working together can create a medal that will also be effective in spacetime outside this prison."

Feng Bujue thought for a few seconds. "Is this the greatest benefit you can give me?"

"You have to understand that it's extremely difficult to make such an item in a limited amount of time. It could even shake the foundations of our respective powers," Billy replied. "If you don't even accept this, then..."

"Okay, I accept," Feng Bujue interrupted decisively before the other party could say anything nasty. "Give me the thing first, and then I'll go with you to kill Faust."

"That's not right..." Rabbid said. "What if you take the thing and run away?"

"Since I can get the medal and clear the game, why would I choose to take the thing and run away?" Feng Bujue retorted.

"Killing Faust is easy. I just need to take the gun you made, go in, aim, and pull the trigger, right?" He looked at Billy. "In comparison, I should be wary of you guys. What if I help you kill Faust first, and after you're free from the loop, you not only don't give me a reward, but also destroy the potion in Faust's hand or just kill me directly..." Feng Bujue said, holding up three fingers. "Then, first, I won't get any benefits from you; second, I'll be blacklisted by the Time Lord for no reason; and third, I still won't be able to clear the game."

He shook his head and continued, "Besides... even if you give me the medal first, it can't be ruled out that after I help you finish things, you'll kill me to vent your anger, even if it hurts you too. That way, I'll still get nothing. In short... I'm taking on significantly more risk, so I won't do it until I get the thing!"