[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-93":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298062,4496,"Chapter 93: Deceitful (Requesting Monthly Votes)","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-93",93,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi danced a ritual to attract strange creatures, aiming to use “Invisibility” to sneak closer and observe the Flame Monster’s patterns and daily behavior, gathering sufficient intelligence for the upcoming hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just thirty to forty seconds, he used Ancient Hermes language to make the mouth-creature reattach to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense hunger surged over him; Lu Mi couldn’t control himself—he opened his mouth, as if he too had grown a mouth with spiral-arranged teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly suppressed the bloodthirsty, mad impulses flooding his body, pulled out a small biscuit and a cut block of cheese, shoved them into his mouth, and chewed them down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he amplified the mouth-creature’s innate instinct for invisibility and vanished from his spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After slightly suppressing the hunger, Lu Mi tightly closed his mouth, preventing the scent of biscuit and cheese from escaping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he followed the edge of the road, directly tracking the Flame Monster’s trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Lu Mi saw the monster—its entire body charred, burning everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was setting up new traps in the same open field as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as a monster, it’s still this dedicated? Lu Mi silently mocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he knew this was merely the monster acting on instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi didn’t dare get too close; he stopped beside a broken wall at the edge of the open field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He studied the Flame Monster for several seconds, then turned to look back at the path he’d come from—he saw his footprints, though faint and barely noticeable, hidden in hard-to-spot spots, were undeniably real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking down at his current position, Lu Mi had an idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closely watched the monster’s movements; when it picked up a larger stone and hurled it to the side, he immediately pressed his right hand against the broken wall and leapt up with a swift whoosh, landing steadily atop the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud! The noise Lu Mi made was perfectly masked by the stone crashing to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After changing his observation point, Lu Mi felt more at ease—he monitored his spiritual energy consumption while carefully observing the Flame Monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed the traps the Flame Monster had set this time weren’t hidden or hard to detect; they offered no psychological traps or behavioral exploits—they were simple, unhidden, and blatant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A prime example: the Flame Monster had strung a rope between two collapsed buildings on the opposite side of the field, at just above ankle height.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any human or monster with normal vision could spot this trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Lu Mi didn’t understand its purpose, but after putting himself in the target’s position, he gradually grasped its possible meaning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goal of these traps wasn’t to directly injure or trap the enemy, but to create an environment more favorable for the hunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In intense combat, targets who aren’t naturally observant must constantly divert attention to avoid these restrictions, sometimes slowing down or adjusting posture to leap over traps, while the “hunter” excels at constant vigilance and full use of the environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the balance of power shifted in the hunter’s favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Aurora’s words—it was an open strategy… Lu Mi nodded in sudden understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, he felt the Flame Monster was like a strict teacher, imparting certain “hunter” experience through this method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, he recalled a passage from one of Aurora’s novels:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stealing skills will get you killed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, the Flame Monster stopped moving and instinctively scanned its surroundings with its charred face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with flames erupting from within its body, it walked toward the edge of the open field near Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Following a fixed route to the next location?” Lu Mi muttered to himself, thoughtful and excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a hunter, knowing the prey’s movement pattern is extremely valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most traps are laid along such routes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it walked, the Flame Monster constantly scanned its surroundings, inspecting the ground, showing extreme caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Lu Mi frown—he realized high-rank “hunters” were truly hard to deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest suppressors of the extraordinary were often those one or two ranks higher on the same path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What you’re good at, I’m better at; what I have, you might not even possess!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the “Dancer” abilities and the “Fallen Mercury” dagger, Lu Mi would never have dared consider hunting this Flame Monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven or eight seconds later, the Flame Monster reached the edge of the open field, about five to six meters straight from the broken wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As before, its gaze instinctively turned toward this side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its eyes paused—seeming to fix on the faint footprints near the wall’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump, thump—Lu Mi’s heartbeat accelerated slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t ready to hunt the Flame Monster yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the five-to-six-meter distance—just the fact that the “Fallen Mercury” hadn’t stored any fate to exchange meant Lu Mi had no confidence in killing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a fight broke out now, without time to half-activate the Black Thorns symbol, he’d be the one being hunted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi forced his heartbeat and breathing under control, placed his right hand on the black cloth wrapped around the “Fallen Mercury” blade, ready to rip it off at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this distance, a powerful leap could let him close in on the Flame Monster, avoiding its greatest advantage—long-range combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two or three seconds passed, time nearly frozen—the Flame Monster withdrew its gaze and continued forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem to have noticed Lu Mi’s footprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking over ten meters, the Flame Monster suddenly turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clusters of flame erupting from its body instantly coalesced into a massive, pale-white fireball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fireball, like a cannonball, hurtled toward the spot where Lu Mi had stood beside the broken wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crouched on the wall, Lu Mi didn’t think—he acted on instinct, leaping straight down to the other side of the wall, into the open field where the Flame Monster had just set its traps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of fire exploded; the already unstable broken wall collapsed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After landing, Lu Mi rolled twice in succession, avoiding falling bricks and the fiery shockwave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he sprang up, maintaining “Invisibility,” dashed through the Flame Monster’s traps, and sprinted toward the other exit of the open field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Flame Monster failed to spot its enemy immediately and focused on searching for traces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, it spotted a series of faint footprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, Lu Mi had reached the rope stretched between the two collapsed buildings, leapt over it effortlessly, and escaped the open field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ran all the way back to a natural trap and completely lost the Flame Monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing what had just happened, Lu Mi—having already ended “Invisibility”—cursed loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So deceitful! So deceitful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These monsters’ brains are smarter than Pons’s—after spotting my footprints, realizing the distance was too close and I might counterattack, they pretended not to see anything and naturally created distance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he raged, Lu Mi felt he’d learned something again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this tactic had clear drawbacks:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The increased distance gave Lu Mi room to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with his invisibility, it meant the Flame Monster couldn’t lock onto his location immediately—making his successful escape highly probable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After catching his breath and regaining some spiritual energy, Lu Mi ate biscuit and cheese while muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judging by what just happened, if I set it up right, after stabbing the bastard, I could fully use ‘Invisibility’ to create distance, escape farther away, and wait for the fate exchange to complete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—When launching an attack, “Invisibility” breaks, but once contact is broken, Lu Mi can reactivate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his greatest takeaway from this reconnaissance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he noticed another problem:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a hunter, ‘going up the mountain to hunt’ and not bringing water?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m dying of thirst!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both cheese and biscuits require water to be palatable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dried meat Lu Mi planned to make later also fell into this category.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resting a while, he decided to hunt the “Noodle Person,” strip away some of its bad fate, and store it in the “Fallen Mercury”—he couldn’t be caught unprepared again like before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The fate of puppets also belonged to the “Fallen Mercury” and could be exchanged, but Lu Mi wasn’t a “Blade-Bearer,” so he couldn’t exchange his own fate for another’s; otherwise, he’d gladly get rid of the bomb on his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About half an hour later, Lu Mi found the “Noodle Person”—its limbs and facial features chaotically stitched together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having performed the ritual dance beforehand, he walked up openly; as expected, the “Noodle Person” immediately prostrated itself on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quite obedient…” Lu Mi complimented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his right hand he held the iron-black axe; in his left, he gripped the “Fallen Mercury,” its silver-black blade now exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After holding this sinister dagger for so long, Lu Mi had learned that even without direct flesh contact, he gradually absorbed its lingering corruption—most extraordinary beings might slowly slip into loss of control, but Lu Mi was already accustomed, with some resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched the trembling “Noodle Person” for several seconds, then pulled his gaze away from its mouth on the forehead and sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to Aurora, your state means death is liberation—die sooner, rest easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he knelt on one knee and swiftly plunged the silver-black dagger into the back of the “Noodle Person’s” neck, burying it deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Noodle Person” trembled harder but offered no resistance or struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi then withdrew his left hand and gripped the handle of the iron-black axe with both palms, swinging it down with full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a dull thud of blade and axe sinking into flesh, the “Noodle Person’s” head, still impaled on the “Fallen Mercury,” severed and rolled to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A torrent of blood gushed out, staining the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Noodle Person’s” body twitched a few times, then fell utterly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stepped forward and knelt beside the head, reached out with his left hand, and grasped the “Fallen Mercury.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, he saw a phantom river shimmering with faint ripples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The river seemed woven from countless silver-mercury complex symbols, each symbol like a tiny river twisting upon itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the river’s end, all tributaries had vanished—only the main channel remained, severed mid-flow, curving as if trying to return to its origin but unable to complete the loop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ps: Requesting monthly votes~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1712,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2ec21bd7a5aa08ac0de9f4e7333718c8b991e0dca5b52a9d2029a87c1fd657cb","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-94","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-92",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]