Pain Immunity: Worried the Villains Aren’t Twisted Enough

Chapter 139: A Twist, Then Another Twist—Despair After Hope

The five-minute time limit was just way too short. Compared to the previous absolute death rounds, this voting system really wasn't much better.

If the game time were extended to an hour, maybe there would’ve been room to play things out.

Everyone was just after more stars. Aside from “Sin” who had offended people frequently in previous games, there wasn’t really much bad blood among the others.

If more time had been given, there’d be room to maneuver. The high-star players could team up and try to win others over by giving away stars, trying to split alliances and get themselves out of the crosshairs.

Worst case scenario, give away all 15 stars, as long as you don’t get voted out.

But that kind of possibility was completely shut down by the Slime’s game rules.

—Because you only had five minutes!

In five minutes, there was no time to think, to plan, and the worst part? The people voting didn’t even want to think about it!

If the time was longer, maybe people would wait and talk it out. But now? No one was waiting—plenty of them had already voted!

“Sigh, everyone.....”Right now, because Jiu Tian had never done anything reckless, he actually had the second-highest star count!

Just as he was about to struggle to say something, he realized something was off. It was like... everything was already too late.

Yan Hong’s star count was more mid-range. He wasn’t in a position that usually got targeted. But watching Jiu Tian’s situation spiral, he could only feel helpless.

In the outside world, the staff constantly monitoring them couldn’t help either.

All they could do was rely on the players’ own judgment.

The top-ranked players were all pale, wanting to say it was unfair.

They were told this was a gamble. No one expected the rules would protect the ones who lost more and screw over the winners.

Seeing the protected ones with smug expressions like they were enjoying the drama, the top players could only stew in silent anger, turning it into bitter frustration.

All they could say was—Hell Mode games really are impossible to predict.

As time ticked on, Jiu Tian couldn’t think of a better plan, so he took out his Exit Token too.

The other top-ranked players were about the same, pretty much ready.

Anyone who could rank top five at this point obviously had skill and played carefully. But faced with this kind of scripted elimination, no one could accept it.

But Xie Antong wasn’t thinking about that anymore.

She was just wondering how “Sin” had figured all this out.

Just from that one line the Slime said at the start—“As long as you’re still in the game, failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing”? And he just... went all in against 725 stars without even blinking?

......

【Alright, time’s up!】

【Everyone, stop writing!】

The five minutes had passed in the blink of an eye. The Slime’s voice, which was starting to get on everyone’s nerves, rang out again.

【Now, let’s tally up the votes.】

【Hmm… let me take a good look. Who’s the most hated here…】

The Slime waved its two chubby hands in the air, like it was trying to pull something out of thin air.

【Alright! It’s you five!】

As the words dropped, five special beams of light shone down, covering five people, including Xie Antong.

They were the top four ranked players, plus one person from around 10th place.

Most people had voted for those in the lead. The lower-ranked players didn’t get many votes. That 10th-place guy? Just pissed someone off and got hit with two votes. Instantly eliminated.

As for Xie Antong, being first meant she got more than half the votes. She was locked in.

【Hmm, what a shame. Looks like everybody really hates you guys, huh…..】

【Well, too bad. Rules are rules, everyone, now—】

【Aha! Just kidding! Surprise, huh?!】

Halfway through the sentence, just as everyone had lost all hope, the Slime flipped the script!

Xie Antong had been clutching her Exit Token this whole time, ready to quit the moment the weightlessness kicked in.

But now, this sudden breath of relief made her chest rise and fall violently—she nearly lost her balance.

She had been hoping for a twist, but didn’t expect there really would be one!

【Haha, just joking. If no one’s jealous of you, you’re probably a nobody. How could I let you get eliminated just from votes?】

【Besides, I made it super clear earlier, didn’t I? Okay, the five of you who got voted and the five who were protected—everyone else can leave.】

【Same rule as before. You’ve got ten seconds. If you don’t walk out yourselves, I’ll “help” you out.】

The Slime waved at the remaining twenty-something players like it was shooing away garbage, telling them to get lost.

Didn’t even spare them a glance.

Those twenty players hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise. After a short moment of processing, they quickly disappeared.

Of course, there are always unlucky ones. A few stray organs appeared again on the polished floor.

Next second, everything on the floor vanished, and the area became quiet again.

Only the five who’d spent the most and the five who were voted “out” remained.

【Alright, the useless ones are gone. Let’s move on to the next phase.】

【You ten are both the strong and the losers.】

【So, the ten of you will take part in a special “Redemption Round”!】

After speaking, the Slime let out a cackling laugh, clearly proud of its arrangement. It really made you wonder if it just came up with this on the spot.

“Is it… a 5v5 match?”

Having narrowly dodged elimination, Xie Antong asked with a grim expression.

【Oh, nope.】

The Slime replied, then gave Xie Antong a huge grin.

【1v1, death match.】

【As for the matchups, don’t worry your pretty little heads—I already set them up for you. No need to thank me.】

【Just match your opponent by the color of the light.】

After that, five colored beams descended from the sky, two of each color, pairing up two people each.

When Xie Antong saw that her light was purple, her heart dropped.

Then she looked around—and sure enough, the other person bathed in purple was “Sin.”

Her vision darkened. Since entering this game, she felt like some unseen force was constantly targeting her!

So much for a twist—it was no different than before.

This was despair after hope.