Eldritch Horror Theatre

Although he wasn't sure of their exact purpose, Ariel's presence here undoubtedly represented the will of the Origin Council.

As the head of the Rebirth Club, their long-standing rival—even though he had consistently gained the upper hand in their past dealings, constantly proving that limb grafting was the future...

...Fu Qian had still never once underestimated this seemingly well-resourced organization—

Behind it stood at least one higher entity named Rom...

They possessed a deep understanding of the Warehouse Manager...

They could offer technical advice on ascending to become a New God...

They even maintained covert ties with the premier violent organization, the Night Watchers...

From everything he had seen during their interactions, they were practically the most powerful faction around right now, second only to the Night Watchers.

Given that they were stirring up disasters across the transcendent realm while their organizational philosophy remained vague...

For instance, what they intended to do with the "Red of Life" mentioned in the task introduction.

Click—

Amid his musings, the door shut once more.

Everyone seemed perfectly clear on the procedure. Without even needing a reminder from the interviewers, the eldest candidate stood up and walked in. The others showed no intention of cutting in line—nor of fleeing at the last minute.

The waiting room was noticeably spacious, and through an open door on the opposite wall, the street outside was clearly visible.

It was expansive but entirely deserted, which only made it feel vaster.

...

A dead city?

As an aura of supreme confidence washed over him, Fu Qian grew increasingly curious about the nature of this place.

Although the architectural style leaned retro, the overall condition was fairly well-maintained. It should have been quite livable.

Yet calling it a dead city was by no means an exaggeration.

The sky was bright, and an interview was clearly in progress, yet not a single living creature could be seen outside.

The complete absence of vitality was so overwhelming that it almost formed a tangible field, making the wide-open door feel impassable—

Under the watchful eyes of his three competitors, Fu Qian stepped right through that metal-skinned door and strode down the ink-black steps.

He certainly looked confident.

Glancing around, he once again admired the interviewers' composure.

Despite the closed door separating them, he had no doubt that with their Rank, sensing his movements out here would be trivial.

Yet even with his glaring display of impatience, no one stopped him.

Would this impact his final score?

What a joke. As gatekeepers, shouldn't they be thrilled that a candidate was so interested in the place?

Of course, exceptions were always possible, especially since this place hardly seemed normal to begin with—so was it truly somewhere akin to Akons?

Strolling along, Fu Qian quickly reached a conclusion.

...

The task introduction was abstract, but that didn't mean it lacked information.

Especially not for an Academy professor—an academic pioneer who could launch a research project anywhere, anytime.

The most abstract line of all was, "You have examined yourself countless times; otherwise, you would not have wandered here."

How an idealistic action like "examining oneself" connected to "wandering here" had been a point of enduring curiosity for Fu Qian.

To guess the underlying reason, he even had a direct analog to draw upon—

Delving too deeply into the inner world, visiting a peculiar town as an outsider, and ultimately ending up tragically turned into a Doll.

During his first encounter with Master Yuhun in Akons, he had seen an entire Tower full of such examples.

Yes, almost immediately, Fu Qian thought of that place—the one that had plunged into the depths of the Mind World to become a barrier protecting human will.

And the sight before him now only reinforced that notion.

Anomalies were only ever anomalous when their underlying cause remained hidden.

In Akons, hadn't the Natives quietly vanished under the ravages of time as well?

Perhaps a simple comparison wasn't fair. After all, unlike Hilaria's intimate embrace, the reception here felt far too formal.

But at the very least, it offered a theory to explain the empty city.

That had been one of Fu Qian's core motivations for stepping outside to take a walk.

As for his other findings, the most glaring revelation was just how thoroughly the people were gone.

From the moment he stepped out until now, he truly hadn't spotted a single living creature.

Compared to this, Akons was practically bustling. Beyond the handful of people in the Church, there had been more than one survivor peeking from behind the windows—so, what exactly was His Excellency Ariel's current status?

He didn't seem to be in the interview group, nor anywhere in the city before him.

Could he have already passed the gatekeepers' test, reached the "finish line," and erected a barrier around his task?

It couldn't be ruled out, which meant the only remaining question in this scenario was what the "finish line" actually was.

Was it this town? Then where did everyone who passed the test go?

Or was it possible that His Excellency Ariel was just like him, currently in the process of demonstrating his "resolve"?

This was an earlier theory, and Fu Qian was never one to hastily dismiss his own ideas.

Even though he wasn't in this interview group, what if there was more than one group running simultaneously?

Not spread across other parts of the city, but directly overlapping like parallel worlds?

It sounded incredible, but thinking about it, it wasn't much more bizarre than a "finish line" devoid of people after passing a test.

Either way, the sheer state of existence in this place felt deeply abnormal.

Besides, enough time had passed. He could consider switching up his exploration method.

Fu Qian didn't venture any deeper, opting instead to retrace his steps.

...

"We were just about to look for you."

His return was nothing short of efficient. Yet by the time Fu Qian reached his starting point, the interviews appeared entirely concluded.

The male and female "gatekeepers" had stepped out of the inner room, and his four competitors were all sitting there obediently.

The moment he entered, everyone's gaze naturally converged on him.

Yet in the stifling silence, the male gatekeeper simply dropped that casual remark, seemingly unbothered by his absence.

"So, I passed?"

Fu Qian's response was just as easygoing.

"Even for the rejected candidates, we wait until everyone is present before announcing the results."

The male gatekeeper paused for a moment before emphasizing the formality of the interview process.

Meaning that going to look for him didn't guarantee he was the final winner—

"But you're right. You are indeed the chosen one."

Yet after that minor display of protocol, the female gatekeeper immediately took over, confirming Fu Qian's statement as she looked toward the remaining four.

"As for the rest of you, thank you for coming—"

She didn't just offer lip service. Stepping forward with a sweet smile, she actually embraced the eldest candidate.

Uh...

His somewhat dazed face, along with all the flesh and bone of his body, abruptly shattered into pieces.

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