One of Crystal's eyes was already blind, while the other stared unblinkingly at the snake-man beside me.

She continued, "How about we swap? My host is really nice. He's really not scary at all."

My mouth twitched. I knew exactly what kind of person she was, and without a second thought, I turned and strode off.

At the same time, the scene before my eyes shifted. The clearing morphed into streets and walkways that looked like something from the '70s or '80s, before finally focusing on the doorsteps of a paper effigy shop, with two dim lanterns hanging at the entrance.

I looked up at the lanterns. They were translucent, about as thin as butterfly wings, yet they glowed with an eerie light. After staring for a few seconds, realization hit me, and I abruptly took a step back.

On the surface of one of the lanterns was a faint greenish image—it was unmistakably a human tattoo.

These were lanterns made from human skin.

The snake-man scoffed. "This skin is of terrible quality. If they'd used newborn babies or unmarried maidens, it would've looked a hundred times more beautiful than this."

Hearing his disdainful words, I instinctively took a step away from him.

Suddenly, the door of the paper effigy shop flew open, and a brisk, middle-aged woman stormed out.

There was a greenish hue to her complexion, and despite the blazing summer heat, a scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck. Without missing a beat, she grabbed my ear and yanked me inside.

"You little wench! I asked you to gather pig feed, yet you ran off to fool around with the male student again! Have you no shame?"

As she yelled, she shot a fearful glance at the snake-man beside me, seemingly wary of him.

I stood rooted to the spot, utterly confused. What pig feed? What male student? Wait… Role-playing! Was my role here this woman's daughter?

Before I could figure it out, she slapped me across the face with both hands, hard enough to leave me reeling.

I looked down, and only then did I notice I was wearing ragged clothes covered in patches. My high ponytail was gone. It was replaced by a braid.

As for the white-haired snake-man who had been watching the drama unfold from the doorway, he had, at some point, transformed into a black-haired male student.

A few more slaps came flying my way. Trying to deflect the attacks, I went straight for her arm and yanked hard.

The woman fell to the ground and immediately started rolling around, wailing loudly. Her already greenish face now alternated between darkening and turning pale in a deeply unsettling way.

As I stared at her face, a strange sense of familiarity suddenly struck me, but I couldn't remember why.

Since this was the role-playing stage, I must be playing the middle-aged woman's daughter right now. In that case, what were the conditions for clearing this stage?

While I pondered, the snake-man's airy voice drifted over. "Do exactly what the original owner of this body did when she was alive. Once you trigger the key plot point, you'll clear the stage."

Amid the heart-wrenching wails, I finally caught what he said and asked, "What if I can't trigger the key plot point?"

He glanced at me coolly. "If you don't trigger it within two days, you'll be trapped in this storyline forever. And just so you know—time spent surviving here also counts toward the seven days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman dragged me straight into the bedroom.

The room was filled with paper effigies of all sizes. Their pallid cheeks were rouged in patches, making them look extremely creepy.

The woman seized me and viciously kicked the back of my knees. "On your knees!"

She spat at me. "You little wench. I'll sell you off tomorrow. Serves you right for messing around with that poor student!"

A middle-aged man entered from the next room, presumably the head of this household. The man had a thick, brutish-looking face, yet his complexion was deathly pale. He was nearly eight feet tall, and when he spoke, the floor seemed to tremble.

He produced a whip and lashed it mercilessly across my body.

The man's strength was tremendous, and the blows landed with dull, heavy thuds. But for some reason, I wasn't injured at all.

He cursed as he struck. "You little bitch! You dare seduce people? How shameless of you! How on earth did we Effins end up with a daughter like you?"

His yelling continued as a piece of paper fluttered onto my face.

"Planning to elope tonight? Do you think we're dead or something? Dream on!"

I turned a deaf ear to their cruel words.

Could eloping with a poor student really be the key plot point?

I stared at the paper, both surprised and doubtful, but I had already made up my mind. Whatever happened, I had to go and see for myself.

When night fell, I followed the address written on the piece of paper and arrived at the rendezvous point. Immediately, I spotted the black-haired male student—currently being role-played by the snake-man—standing with his hands behind his back.

"Hey, is eloping the key plot point?"

I wasn't afraid. Compared to all the half-human, half-demon creatures lurking in the dark, this snake demon, who looked more human than not, actually seemed safer.

"Elias Vaughn," he said, turning his head slightly.

Under the pale moonlight, his usually sharp, deep features seemed exceptionally gentle. The sight of this spectacular, god-like beauty stunned me, and it took me a long while before I realized he'd been telling me his name.

After a few seconds, I asked again, "Does this count as the key plot point?"

Elias didn't answer. He just stared thoughtfully past me.

Realization struck, and I spun around, only to find the middle-aged couple chasing after me, like vengeful spirits here to drag me into the abyss.

They drew closer and closer. I panicked and grabbed Elias' hand, wanting to run. Elias, however, remained rooted to the spot.

As I saw the distance between them and us closing fast, an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning.

Looking at his gorgeously beautiful face, I steeled myself and leaned into him, pressing my lips against his. The cold breath he exhaled brushed evenly across my face.

Elias' golden pupils dilated slightly, reflecting my face, which held an equal measure of horror and bashfulness.

"What about this? Does this count?"

His warm fingertips brushed my cheek, and his usually stoic and indifferent expression now held a trace of flustered helplessness. Pursing his lips tightly, he looked at me with an exasperated look that suggested he was at a loss for words.

For a few seconds, everything went silent. Then, suddenly, I found myself plummeting downward. He had pushed me straight into the river below the bridge.

Icy river water mixed with mud rushed into my body. I felt like a kite with a broken string, diving lower and lower.

Just as I felt like I was about to die, a warm current suddenly surged in, enveloping my entire body.

My vision blurred from the mingling lights. Through the water, I caught sight of Elias' slightly guilty-looking face.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the paper effigy shop. I tried to move but found that I couldn't. Only then did I realize that my whole body had been bound.

A blubbery face zoomed into view. He grinned at me before turning to Mrs. Effin, the middle-aged woman.

"This is the deposit. Once we consummate our marriage tonight, I'll give you the rest of the money."

Great. I'd been sold again. Soon, I'd be tied up and thrown into the bridal carriage, again, and delivered to wherever it was he was going to consummate the marriage.

Suddenly, fragmented memories flooded my mind, finally settling on the day we first arrived at the village. There had been a middle-aged couple standing right in the center.

Even though their faces had been shrouded in black mist, the couple shared one identical feature—both their heads had been cleanly severed. That was why they had looked so familiar to me. The Effins had been from this very village, too.

Snapping back to reality, I glanced at them. Sure enough, I found a faint, almost invisible red line around their necks.

"Mom, Dad… I've come to my senses. I'll marry him. That poor student? He can get lost."

At my words, the Effins' heads twisted unnaturally, turning in unison to look at me with vacant eyes.

All the gazes in the room fell on me, carrying a deadly chill. Combined with the already dark and gloomy room, I dared not move a muscle for a moment.

"That's good. Marrying a butcher means you'll never have to worry about feeding yourself again, even in the next life."

However, he still didn't untie me. While the Effins were busy talking, I quietly worked at the bindings around my wrists until they came loose.

Just then, a chilling voice belonging to a little boy rang out.

"Sissy, where are you going?"