Eldritch Horror Theatre

[Mission Evaluation: Hand of Filth]

[You have completed your mission in a near-blasphemous manner, spreading decay throughout the world.]

[Kills: Jailers, Collison, Priest, Pus of Man Armor, Sacrificial Priest.]

[Rewards: SAN Value +33; inspiration +5; Pending.]

[Current SAN Value: 164; current inspiration: 41.]

[Play event recap?]

'What does "pending" mean?'

Amidst the string of prompts, Fu Qian spotted something he had never seen before.

Quickly scrolling back to the reward column, he found the item marked as pending.

After selecting it, two spheres of light abruptly popped up in front of him, accompanied by a line of text.

'I actually get to choose?'

Fu Qian tried focusing his attention on one of the glowing spheres.

[Name: Completed Ritual]

[Description: A perfectly executed advancement ritual that will upgrade you to the corresponding Demigod Form.]

[Note: The user must be below the Demigod Realm. Upon selection, infusion will begin automatically. The process is irreversible.]

'A direct promotion to a demigod? Isn't that a bit absurd?'

This first option took Fu Qian by surprise.

'And I wouldn't even have to do a thing? Old Man Chen back in Shangjing would weep tears of blood if he saw this!'

With that in mind, Fu Qian shifted his gaze to the second sphere of light.

[Name: Blasphemous Embrace]

[Description: Special item. Upon use, it will temporarily seal the sun, forcing it into a shadow state.]

[Note: An ominous, unholy artifact brimming with the power of filth. Each time it is activated, the user will enter a colorless state for 24 hours.]

'Isn't the contrast between these two rewards a bit too stark?'

After seeing the first reward, Fu Qian had held high expectations for the second, but he certainly hadn't anticipated this.

'Sealing the sun sounds wildly impressive, but I can't think of a single use for it—not to mention the side effects.'

They weren't even in the same league. Logically, the choice couldn't be simpler.

However...

Fu Qian cast his gaze toward the depths of the Warehouse.

Today's job had been rather fishy right from the start.

Not only had a lot of information been missing, but his abilities had also been completely sealed.

Even the mission objectives had been fed to him piece by piece, which felt distinctly like he was being deliberately guided.

Moreover, both the Witch and the Priest had made it perfectly clear that their world was already in an apocalyptic state, completely different from the places he had visited before.

Under these circumstances, presenting two rewards with absolutely zero comparability was practically naked bait.

'When things are abnormal, there must be something sinister at work!'

Fu Qian didn't rush to make a choice. Instead, he tried to close the prompt window in front of him.

He wanted to check on 1-019's Box.

But after trying for a moment, he found the window couldn't be dismissed.

'Forcing an immediate choice, now or never?'

'You're taking quite the high-handed stance here!'

Frowning slightly, Fu Qian selected the second option.

'A real man fears nothing. You think a mere Demigod Ritual can hold me hostage?'

He was already at the Tier 4 level at minimum. Combined with his Mythical Form, the urgent need for a Demigod Grade upgrade really wasn't that massive.

The next moment, the selected sphere of light flickered, and an almost weightless object appeared in Fu Qian's hand.

'A bow?'

Fu Qian lowered his head to look at his reward.

It was a nearly transparent longbow made of an unrecognizable material.

With its crystal-clear appearance and exceptionally exquisite design, it certainly didn't look like something capable of doing anything as absurd as sealing the sun.

Carrying his reward, Fu Qian walked straight into the depths of the Warehouse without hesitation.

'I knew it!'

Fu Qian quickly searched the entire area where Level 1 Items were stored, but he didn't find the Box labeled 1-019 anywhere, which only solidified his suspicions.

While he wasn't sure of the exact reason, there was definitely something shady about today's job!

[Today's work is complete. Thank you for your efforts.]

[You have worked for four consecutive days. To ensure a healthy work-life balance, you will enter a mandatory three-day vacation, during which you will be unable to log into the Warehouse.]

As he was mulling things over, the vacation notice arrived.

'Four days of work have slipped by before I knew it. Passion really is the greatest motivator!'

Amid his musings, Fu Qian temporarily pushed his doubts to the back of his mind and chose to leave the Warehouse.

Returning to his room, Fu Qian stretched his back and weighed the longbow in his hand.

Both its shape and its material were a bit too eye-catching. He needed to find something to store it in.

Otherwise, if Young Master Qin and the others came over and accidentally touched it, an accident would be hard to avoid.

Speaking of which, it was about time to make lunch, and the fridge was fully stocked with the groceries he'd bought earlier.

However, as far as Fu Qian was concerned, cooking depended entirely on his mood. He certainly didn't feel like doing it every day.

Just as he was hesitating between boiling some plain noodles and going out to eat, a knock sounded at the door.

'The neighborhood committee checking household registrations? Highly unlikely!'

He could clearly tell that the person outside wasn't Young Master Qin or any of his usual acquaintances, but an elderly woman.

Feeling a bit puzzled, Fu Qian stood up and opened the door. A frail-looking old woman with gray hair stood outside.

It was his old neighbor from downstairs, Grandma Liu. Fu Qian recognized her immediately.

The elderly woman was in her sixties, still physically sturdy and rather warmhearted by nature.

Back when Fu Qian's parents were still alive, the family had dealt with her quite a bit.

However, she was a highly principled person and couldn't quite stomach Fu Qian's recent change in lifestyle, so they hadn't spoken much in a long time.

"Grandma Liu, did you need something?"

Fu Qian asked in confusion. The older woman was clutching a handful of celery, clearly in the middle of preparing a meal.

Yet her expression was visibly grave, and she kept glancing back over her shoulder, intentionally or otherwise.

"Little Qian."

Grandma Liu looked at Fu Qian and lowered her voice.

"Have you crossed someone out there?"

'Crossed someone? That's somewhat inevitable.'

Fu Qian thought to himself.

He was well aware of his own ability to draw aggro.

"Just now, there were two men asking about you with your picture. One look and I could tell they were up to no good."

Grandma Liu spoke in a rapid whisper, not giving him time to reply.

"I didn't tell them anything. They should still be wandering around the neighborhood."

She cautiously peeked over her shoulder again.

"I saw they didn't look like decent people, so I came up to let you know. If you've really stirred up some trouble, hurry up and call the cops. You're young; don't be a fool and get yourself hurt."

"I still need to cook, so I'll be heading back."

Having quickly delivered her warning, Grandma Liu trotted off, her hurried footsteps echoing down the stairs.

It was obvious she was a little scared, but she had not only covered for him but even gone out of her way to come upstairs and warn him. It was a rare kindness.

Two suspicious individuals asking around with his photo—the chances of it being a good thing were indeed slim.

Grandma Liu's judgment was spot on.

In that case...

Recalling his earlier dilemma about what to eat, Fu Qian quickly decided to head out to McDonald's.

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