Chapter 980: Laugh! Or Do You Just Not Like Laughing?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 980: Laugh! Or Do You Just Not Like Laughing?
"Everyone... are you all bandits by trade?" my voice rang out once more.
As they watched my calm, unruffled demeanor, a cold sweat broke out among the crowd.
The Life Level pressure of dozens of people was a physical force of absolute suppression! This was no mere child's play.
"In this day and age, you can't be a bandit without some real skill," I said, the Book in the Box already having quietly settled into my hand.
The atmosphere had plummeted into a state of extreme tension, as if the slightest movement would trigger an all-out war. Even they didn't understand why the mood had shifted so drastically.
Nearly a hundred people against one. The outcome should have been a foregone conclusion.
And yet, they instinctively felt that they would have to give their absolute all just to grasp a sliver of survival!
The previous groups that had come were far more than just two or three people, yet this crowd had dismissed them with laughs and jokes, even mocking them without the slightest pressure.
But now... they couldn't do it. It was as if an invisible hand had clamped down on the very root of their disdain.
This extreme atmospheric contrast hammered at the cognition of those few who still retained a modicum of reason.
Will we lose?
That was the only thought that surfaced.
The moment that thought appeared, those few rational individuals felt a surge of primal terror from the depths of their hearts! That fear expanded at an unnatural speed, instantly clouding their perception.
We'll lose... we'll die!
She's invincible...
The survival instinct triggered by this ultimate dread began to forcibly seize control of their reason, overriding their thoughts.
Just as these people reached their limit and were about to bolt, a bizarre sound of laughter drifted through the air.
"Humph... hehe... hmph... ahaha... Hahahaha!"
The laughter was bizarre because it transitioned from a suppressed chuckle to an uncontrollable burst, and finally into a state of wild ecstasy. Such a natural progression, occurring in the middle of such a grim confrontation, pushed the sense of dissonance to its peak.
Why were they laughing?
What was so funny?
No one offered an answer to those who couldn't bring themselves to smile.
But those who were laughing knew exactly why.
Because the person they were facing was nothing more than a second-year student!
How could such an insignificant, arrogant brat spout such nonsense?
Wasn't that hilarious?
As the first person burst out laughing, a second followed... then a third! The laughter seemed contagious, spreading across their faces.
They looked so happy! So utterly senseless.
"Haha... why aren't you laughing? Haha... ha..."
"Why... hehe... should I laugh... hahaha... actually, it really is pretty funny, hahaha!"
The laughter gradually wove together into an ocean of joy... and those who couldn't laugh were like a lone boat upon that sea. Isolated and helpless.
Why are they laughing?!
Why?
Shouldn't they be feeling fear? That person... no, that witch... she's going to kill everyone!
Kill every last one of us!
"I don't want to die... I can't die... but I'm so scared. This world has become so strange. Everyone around me has gone mad... they've all gone mad!"
This had to be that witch's doing!
"Aaaah! Aaaaaah!"
Those tortured by fear let out screams of total mental collapse! They wanted to flee this hell!
"You're all crazy... what are you laughing at!"
But their words were useless. The contrast between the joy and the wailing only accelerated the breeding of fear.
The internal equilibrium governed by their emotions was being shattered piece by piece. The excessive adrenaline their bodies produced for survival instead caused them to shake uncontrollably with excitement. Their limbs twitched in a constant state of shock.
But... this was the dilemma of an individual being controlled by their own anatomy. Even your own body can be your enemy.
Emotions are no different.
This was how those with weaknesses could be defeated in an instant. Perhaps, even in death, they wouldn't understand why they had died this way.
Life is like that. It is simple, yet incredibly complex.
It is simple enough to be born into this world with ease, yet complex enough that a single error in a tiny link can result in the loss of a precious life.
The fearful die of fright because they know too much.
The joyful die of stupidity because they know too little.
As the laughing people clutched their stomachs in hysterics, they saw their hands covered in blood, yet they couldn't even feel fear. To them, even their own blood was a joke.
They laughed at their own weakness; they laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Even if they realized something was wrong, they couldn't stop.
Their Immortality began to repair internal organs ruptured by laughter, the incontinence caused by loss of control, and the respiratory distress triggered by the sheer intensity of their mirth...
The disaster had only just begun.
Laughter is enough to kill an ordinary person easily, but these were all students with Immortality. Their regenerative powers trapped them in a cage of laughter and fear.
This gathering of nearly a hundred people enacted a grotesque tableau upon the Qunluosen Wasteland.
And I was the Little Witch admiring the painting.
This was the first time I had so recklessly used and displayed the power of Emotion Body Cultivation.
Previously, I had only used it to guide or demonstrate for Sister Bai or Long. The only time I had truly used it against an enemy was probably that Fallen Elf in the game world.
That time, I had used almost no effort to guide the opponent into a total descent into the abyss, turning them into a demon.
And this time... these people would also fall into an abyss. The abyss of death!
Their emotions spiraled out of control until they suffered a total mental breakdown. No one knew how long it would last.
In this state, even if they tried to fight back with all their might, I could fend them off with my eyes closed.
They were as weak and pathetic as a Lesser Demon freshly born from a pile of carrion.
I wasn't the only one admiring this eerie scene.
Club members stationed at the Qunluosen Wasteland to monitor the Secret Realm Core had long been standing by in the distance. The newer members recorded the scene, broadcasting these heart-stopping images in real-time.
Whether it was those recording the footage or those watching back at the academy, everyone fell silent.
Fear of the unknown made them uneasy.
They had never imagined that laughter could actually kill.
They watched those people laughing like lunatics, clutching their stomachs with contorted expressions while continuing to roar with mirth. Blood leaked from the corners of their mouths; when too much blood flowed back into their windpipes, they would cough violently and then return to their manic laughter.
Even from a distance, the recording equipment picked up the faint, high-pitched sounds of their glee.
Even when their legs could no longer support them and they collapsed to the ground, they couldn't stop the hyper-excitement rooted in their emotions.
Finally, the only figure left standing in the frame was the culprit behind it all.
That Little Witch!
It took roughly half an hour.
The dispute over the ownership of the Secret Realm had come to a definitive end.
Their Immortality only preserved their lives for now, but death was merely a matter of time.
"This... what kind of method is this?"
After a long silence, one of the club elders watching from the Witch Academy finally spoke, her voice trembling.
"Could it be a Great Laughter Spell created by some mentor?" The person who suggested this was confused by her own words.
Spells that made people laugh existed, of course, but they had never seen a "proper" one. Among the less serious minor spells, there was a Smile Spell that could make someone maintain a standard smile, but using such a spell to laugh someone to death... how was that possible?
They had seen those people—especially the wizards—try to use Spell Dispel, Curse Removal, and other methods once they realized what was happening. None of it worked.
The unknown always breeds fear.
And after witnessing someone else's tragedy, everyone subconsciously puts themselves in that person's shoes and asks: Could I resist this?
They didn't even know what the technique was, so how could they defend against it?
"So... the Secret Realm has been reclaimed just like that?"
After the silence, someone asked this to change the subject. The others immediately jumped on it, completely abandoning the previous topic.
After all... a conversation with no conclusion was just asking for trouble. This wasn't the first time they had seen this Little Witch use incomprehensible power.
However, some secretly messaged their own mentors, but even the mentors could only reply that they didn't know.
After all, this was Emotion Body Cultivation performed using the Eighth Sense, Space Sense, as a medium.
Even if that sentence were spoken aloud, most Transcendent Witches wouldn't understand at least two of those technical terms.
"As expected of our Witch Academy'sLittle Witch Teaching Assistant. She solved a problem involving a hundred people just by standing there."
"Yes, with Teaching Assistant Xiao Han stepping in, reclaiming the Secret Realm was inevitable. It's just... heavily injuring so many students at once, won't that cause trouble?"
"It doesn't look like Teaching Assistant Xiao Han has any intention of letting them go. Is she... going to kill them all?"
"She has the capital to do it. If she dares to go that far, she likely has a mentor backing her... for instance, her girlfriend."
"Heh... probably more than just one, right?"
And indeed, it was more than just one.
The Academy Dean and a certain Rebel Witch were also following the event.
Even though this was a conflict between non-transcendent students, the final result was staggering.
This method of dying made Mei Lind take the concept of Emotion Body Cultivation seriously. She remembered that Long was also being guided down the path of Emotion Body Cultivation.
She sent the footage to Long and contacted her directly. Coincidentally, Long wasn't currently on her rotation at the Primitive Dream Laboratory.
"Long, in the Witch Academy, you're one of the few Emotion Body Cultivators besides Xiao Han and Bai Yu. Does this power work on Transcendent beings?"
Mei Lind asked the question that concerned her most.
Theoretically, no matter how much one laughed, an individual whose life essence had leaped to the Transcendent level—touching the level of Real Time—should not be able to die from it.
Because Transcendent beings have moved beyond standard Immortality, anchoring their life essence within the deeper layers of Real Time. Those who cannot reach that level of Real Time cannot kill such an existence.
This was the primary reason for the widely held belief that "non-transcendents cannot kill transcendents."
"I've only learned the basics of Xiao Han's methods," Long replied. "But what I can say is... Xiao Han might not be able to kill a Transcendent with this, but she can absolutely manipulate their emotions without them even noticing."
"She can bypass the Transcendent life barrier?" Mei Lind asked solemnly once more.
"I'm not sure. The emotion I've mastered isn't one of those two. But if I were to act against an ordinary Transcendent Witch, I could use this method to bring her spirit to the brink of collapse."
Long knew well that the emotion she mastered was "Urgency." Against an urgent enemy, her Body Arts had ten thousand ways to exploit every single opening to kill them.
Emotion Body Cultivation... was never meant for head-on combat.
This was her long-standing realization regarding the discipline, especially when paired with her Body Arts, creating a terrifying "1+1 > 2" effect.
But now, seeing the video Mei Lind sent—seeing Xiao Han take down so many people using "Laughter" and "Fear" without even lifting a finger—she realized her understanding and development of Emotion Body Cultivation were nowhere near their limit.
"So it works, but it's not quite that terrifying?" Mei Lind roughly understood Long's point.
"No... Emotion Body Cultivation is more terrifying than you imagine," Long sighed. "As long as a lifeform can be swayed by emotion, they can be killed through Emotion Body Cultivation. I just haven't reached that level yet."
"What about lifeforms without emotions?"
"Lifeforms without emotions..." Long paused at the question, but eventually gave her interpretation. "That would only be more hopeless for them. Because they have no adaptability or resistance to emotions, they would only die more miserably. The potential ceiling for emotional dominance in Emotion Body Cultivation is far beyond your imagination."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation. I'm sorry for disturbing you..."
"It's no disturbance. If that's all, I'm hanging up. I've had a new realization regarding Emotion Body Cultivation and need to verify it through practice immediately."
"Alright... I won't keep you."
Mei Lind hung up and looked back at the broadcast.
Before all this, she had thought Xiao Han'sEmotion Body Cultivation was just a minor curiosity.
But even Mei Lind had selectively ignored one point: she had almost glossed over the fact that Xiao Han had killed so many people the moment she acted. Instead, she was marveling at how terrifying the Emotion Body Cultivation system Xiao Han created truly was.
It was as if the deaths of those people served only to help her realize the value of Emotion Body Cultivation—a worthy end for them, in a way.
"Next, she'll be entering the Secret Realm. I wonder what other surprises you'll show me, Xiao Han."
Mei Lind zoomed in on the screen. This perspective was a permission Xiao Han had deliberately left for her; even inside the Secret Realm, she would be able to see the footage.
She was truly starting to look forward to those three plans Xiao Han mentioned—the ones that had been hindered by the Glacial Throne Secret Realm.
With developments so pleasing to a witch's heart, she felt it was truly necessary to let the entire Main World tremble a little.
But... there was no rush. As that Rebel Witch had said, why not leave such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Xiao Han to experience personally? Let's see if she can truly tear a hole in the sky.