The woman couldn't hear his voice, but miraculously, he could clearly hear her pleas and shouts.
It was likely because his way of 'listening' was different from ordinary people.
He grabbed her shirt and pulled her back into the Overworld...
The sudden brightness made her instinctively close her eyes, but she quickly realized her current predicament and immediately opened her eyes, looking in terror at Yang Tao, who was standing in front of her.
"Hey, can you hear me now?"
Yang Tao looked at her dazed and foolish expression and couldn't help but ask. The woman nodded blankly, "Where is this?"
"This is my level. Are you from the Speedrunners Association? But that's not important now. What's important is that you've probably been targeted by the Backrooms. If you use special methods to switch levels again, you'll be sent to that place immediately."
Mentioning that place, the woman couldn't help but shiver. Clearly, Level 363 'You Cheated!' had left a deep impression on her.
"Then... what exactly is that place?"
"Level 363 'You Cheated!' This is a level prepared for you guys who don't 'clear the levels' properly. I imagine you've tried cutting out and using warp berries and Hermes devices, right?"
The woman nodded.
This was also the most despairing point for her.
Any method of leaving that room had lost its effect. The existence of this level was entirely built to target the Speedrunners Association.
Another special Entity, the Suqie Wretch, was also specifically for them.
He reached out his hand and pulled the woman, who was slumped on the ground, to her feet, leading her to the wooden door leading to Level 1 'Abandoned Warehouse' and opening it.
"This is the M.E.G. base located on Level 1. Go! I think they'll help you."
By this time, the woman had regained some of her composure and looked at Yang Tao, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Yang."
It was clear the woman recognized his identity. Yang Tao smiled and waved his hand, signaling that she could leave.
"I hope I won't see your corpse on Level 363 'You Cheated!' in the future... Remember, you only have one life."
The woman nodded and turned to walk towards the M.E.G. guards.
He took a bright red warp berry from his backpack. It looked exactly like an ordinary strawberry, which made Yang Tao very puzzled. Why was it called a warp berry and not a warp strawberry?
Leaving the transfer station...
Seeing the figure sitting on the chair, the warp berry in Yang Tao's hand fell to the ground.
"Lancelot?!"
The Blue Knight stood up from the chair and walked towards him.
"You're back? I've been waiting for you for an hour..."
Yang Tao: "..."
By his calculations, he had only stayed on Level 363 for an hour and a half. The Blue Knight had waited for him in the Overworld for an hour. So, in less than half an hour, the awesome level war was over?
"You... how did you do it?"
"I went, found the level's Lord on the other side, and then asked him if he would submit."
Yang Tao: "..."
Recalling the Blue Knight's previous health, and then glancing at the Blue Knight's current health of 2.99 million, the brutal scene from back then had already appeared in his mind.
"So you've gained a new level? Why hasn't your strength increased?"
"Becoming a god isn't that simple."
Yang Tao nodded slightly and chatted with the Blue Knight about the situation at the time, then followed the Blue Knight back into Stormstone Keep.
"Yang, thank you. If it weren't for this level war, I'm afraid I would have completely disappeared..."
Gazing at the city in the distance, Yang Tao heard the Blue Knight's words, immediately put his arm around the Blue Knight's shoulder, and said with a smile, "We're brothers, you're being too polite. Come, take me over there to see..."
The Blue Knight nodded slightly. Yang Tao only felt the scene before his eyes change, and when he saw clearly again, he and the Blue Knight were on a street in a modern city.
However, the city was silent at this moment. Let alone humans, there wasn't even a single Entity.
"Yang, if you like it here, then I'll carve out the authority here for you..."
Yang Tao quickly waved his hand and said, "No need. I'm not interested in territory I didn't personally seize."
The Blue Knight had nothing to say about Yang Tao's words.
"Can a level war be initiated actively?"
This question was crucial. The Blue Knight immediately understood his thoughts when he heard Yang Tao's question.
He immediately shook his head and said, "No, and triggering a level war requires at least waiting until the next Great Reckoning..."
"Are you talking about the Day of Reckoning?"
The Day of Reckoning refers to when all humans in the Frontrooms fall into the Backrooms, and even the Frontrooms themselves are divided into individual levels.
The Blue Knight nodded slightly.
"After the Day of Reckoning, the Backrooms will connect to a new Frontrooms, an endless cycle."
Yang Tao didn't know why, but when he heard the Blue Knight say this, he didn't feel the slightest surprise or other emotions. He even felt it was very normal.
"Tsk... To be honest, to be on the safe side, I shouldn't have increased your strength so much. Taking it step by step would at least allow you to safely pass through a few level wars. Then, when my faith power is sufficient, I'll push you onto the altar..."
"Being a god isn't that easy. When you're an ant, only ants target you. When you become a god, all those who target you are gods."
The Blue Knight's voice was full of melancholy. After all, his original body was once a god, although now it had been shattered by another existence...
"I'm relieved to see you're fine. You should properly digest your new territory."
"Mm, actually, I don't really like crowds."
He summoned the wooden door and, hearing the Blue Knight's words, laughed, "Slowly adapt. If it's really not working, I'll help you clear out this city."
Returning to the Overworld.
Yang Tao stretched.
'Having strength truly allows you to do whatever you want. It's just a pity my strength isn't enough yet.'
He looked at the 'strawberry' that had fallen to the ground, picked it up, and walked to the sink to wash it.
Then he came to Level 4 Abandoned Office and directly threw the warp berry into his mouth.
Delicious food makes you feel happy.
HP Cap +1
'It looks like a strawberry, tastes like a strawberry, isn't this just a strawberry? They just changed the name?'
As the strawberry was swallowed, the surrounding environment changed.
A forest in darkness, stretching infinitely under a new moon with no stars twinkling in the sky.
Yang Tao once again stepped onto an unknown level. The first thing to do upon arriving at a new level was to observe the surroundings.
He looked around and soon saw many skeletons hanging from the surrounding trees. Their pale bones shimmered with an eerie light in the moonlight, making an ethereal sound in the wind.
Regardless of how these skeletons were hanging there, at this moment, the hollow eye sockets in all of their skulls were looking at him.
'Forest of the Skeleton Empress?? Warp berries found in this place? Isn't this just a pure scam?'