I Don't Agree to the Terms

"A resurrection method that's not entirely complete," but as for side effects, it seems to be about self-diminishment, diminishing oneself with each use of the spring for resurrection, until the self vanishes to become a puppet of the spring."

Unlike the other's formless and immaterial Abnormal Destiny, the spring is easier to investigate; for Gu Shanhai, something tangible and analyzable is more approachable.

This must be the secret location the other has reserved, surrounded by supplies of all sorts, from clothing to food, everything is available.

After his resurrection, he got up to take a piece of clothing and started to put it on.

"Could the side effect of this Abnormal Destiny be attracting other anomalies?" Gu Shanhai suddenly thought of this.

The spring was located in a cave, inconspicuous, and where he stored his clothing also contained some scattered anomalies, all items of sorts.

"If that's really the case, this side effect is quite interesting."

Gu Shanhai watched as the other prepared and then took out an artifact similar to a mirror before starting to use it.

The mirror's edges grew something like a mouthpiece, which clamped onto the other's hand, a large amount of blood was drawn into the mirror, and subsequently, an image emerged within it.

The image was of the area he had originally been in, after which the person's expression shifted unpredictably, as if contemplating whether someone had deliberately attacked him or if it was an accident.

In another world, this would definitely be deliberate, but in this world, it could just be the work of some anomaly, so it might really be an accident.

"Well done, even surveillance capabilities are included, it's quite comprehensive," Gu Shanhai did not immediately move to kill.

If he killed him, where would he find another Abnormal Destiny?

According to the data obtained, the anomaly primarily exists by hosting; naturally, if the host is gone, it will dissipate and then seek a new host.

Imprisonment comes with many risks too.

Mainly because if you imprison the protagonist without killing them, you become nothing but a Treasure Delivery Boy, as if you really believe the protagonist's destiny is just for show.

Though it's an anomaly, it's an officially world-recognized protagonist; if Gu Shanhai could just blow up the world at will, nothing would matter, but unfortunately, he doesn't have that power, so it's better not to do something that clearly leads to self-destruction.

There is always someone stronger, and in this world, Gu Shanhai is not invincible; being cautious is better.

"But this way, it seems I'm also influenced?" Gu Shanhai couldn't help but smile.

It was like some great power who, facing a newly-debuted protagonist, hesitated to kill them for amusement, only to end up amusing himself to death.

Naturally, Gu Shanhai knew his situation and circumstances well, having been mixed up with quite a few protagonists.

As for taking the other as a Disciple, he'd rather not; mainly because the other's situation just didn't mesh with Gu Shanhai's.

If the other's protagonist halo is no problem, playing the role of mentor and part-time Treasure Delivery Boy isn't off the table, since it's all extraneous to himself, but it's a pity—the other's protagonist halo is an anomaly, clearly not a regular protagonist's halo and with side effects to boot, who knows if it might go berserk or cause trouble.

"So, I need to figure out a way to pluck away the other's Abnormal Destiny," Gu Shanhai had no intention of doing anything to the other; without the Abnormal Destiny's influence, even if the other wished to rebel, he couldn't; the age of adventurers has passed, now anomalies reign supreme.

"It's just a bit troublesome."

If it was just a protagonist halo or a matter of destined fates, Gu Shanhai could find ways to pull them off, but with an anomaly, it's trickier.

Just as he was pondering how to proceed, Gu Shanhai noticed that the person's face began to undergo irreversible changes.

A subtle bulge emerged in the center of the forehead, its shape like the sun.

"Sun corner dragon face, is this the mark of an emperor?" Gu Shanhai was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected such a drastic change to happen so suddenly, clearly the result of the Abnormal Destiny exerting a new influence on him.

"Wait, my actions just now, could they be considered as having slaughtered the Abnormal Destiny?"

At this point, Gu Shanhai also realized that it definitely counted, hence why the Abnormal Destiny underwent a mutation, becoming even more powerful.

"If I keep going like this, could it cause his appearance to take on even more imperial symbols, thereby intensifying Destiny's influence on him?"

Thinking of this, Gu Shanhai seized the moment while his opponent was distracted and struck again.

In an instant, his opponent's form burst open, turning into a puddle of blood and flesh.

Then the fountain water boiled, and the person reappeared naked.

But this time, the bewildered look on his face included caution; he wasn't an idiot, how could he not realize he'd been targeted.

"Indeed, killing him once is like destroying the Abnormal Destiny once. However, I suspect he's the only one who can farm like this." Gu Shanhai observed as his opponent's eyebrows transformed, with a long dragon running between them, greatly increasing his own majesty.

Gu Shanhai also knew that it was because of the resurrection fountain that his opponent could be killed so easily; had it been a protagonist without the power to come back to life, he would not have been killed so effortlessly. This made the protagonist an anomaly among protagonists.

"It seems I need to kill him a few more times to get more data from the Abnormal Destiny. Otherwise, being intangible and formless, I wouldn't really have a way to deal with it."

Abnormal Destiny was now too weak, too weak for Gu Shanhai to even find his opponent, and with each death and resurrection, the process of growing stronger also gradually made it harder for him to hide himself.

But how many times he needed to kill to reach the standard wasn't something Gu Shanhai was clear about.

"Teacher, you truly deserve your reputation, finding the solution right away."

As Gu Shanhai was preparing to make the third kill, Rein had already arrived.

"The strengthening of Abnormal Destiny now allows you to locate him?" Gu Shanbai asked with surprise in his expression.

"Yes, it was blurry before, but just now it all cleared up instantly." Rein's connection with Abnormal Destiny was far deeper than Gu Shanhai had imagined.

"No wonder, I was wondering why he would incite a rebellion. You can vaguely sense Destiny, and Destiny can probably feel you too, thus influencing him accordingly," Gu Shanhai quickly identified their connection.

"There's something to that reasoning? But why revolt? Is it because he's not eating or drinking well or something..." Rein was somewhat surprised; understanding a rebellion against divine mandate was one thing, but under his rule, while life wasn't luxurious, it was comfortable. Of course, it wasn't as good as during the era of adventurers, but even then, the lower classes were poor, and they had it better now than before.

So theoretically, it seemed unlikely that anyone would rebel.

"I have no idea; when I arrived, he was already trying to coax others into rebelling with him, probably just full from overeating." Gu Shanhai commented. He didn't know the full story and didn't want to know.

"It seems like you must have tried killing him to no avail; do you have any solution?" Rein asked.

When in doubt, ask the teacher.

"What can I do... Maybe you could try to 'AFK farm' and see if you can pluck the Abnormal Destiny from him. I must say, it really suits you. Combined with your own abilities, it could take our civilization to the next level." Gu Shanhai had a sly suggestion.

For Gu Shanhai, all he could do was kill again and again, waiting for the Abnormal Destiny Volume to grow, then figuring out how to capture it; otherwise, it's too insubstantial to even leave a trace.

"That suited for me? Then I really do need to give it a shot." Rein wasn't shy and directly started the automatic system to farm, but nothing happened, followed by "System startup failed."

"..." Gu Shanhai was at a loss for words; that automatic system was outdated, the kind not even a perfect set of keywords could save.