Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Carry me through it?"

In the Corridor, the Persuader looked at Fu Qian with shock and suspicion, clearly not expecting such a proposal.

"What's wrong? You should still have a way to go in with me, right?"

Fu Qian beamed at him.

"I do, but—"

"I know. I don't need your help this time."

"I can feel that my time has not yet come—"

"It doesn't matter. Grinding some experience is still a good thing."

"Any other problems?"

For now, he held serious reservations about whether this guy was friend or foe.

There were far too many bizarre aspects to this task, and this Nightmare Corridor was utterly unheard of.

Because of that, Fu Qian was even less likely to let the Persuader hide in the dark.

No matter what, he had to drag him along and observe his reactions.

If the guy refused to come along, Fu Qian didn't mind dragging out a standoff right here.

Speaking of which, last time in the Heart-Questioning Sword Prison, had he counted to seven nines?

He could keep up the good work this time.

His abilities were restored anyway. Transcendence was ready to use at a moment's notice, so the initiative lay firmly in his hands.

"Alright, since you insist."

The Persuader stared into Fu Qian's eyes, seemingly sensing his determination.

"Then I will accept your gift."

"That's more like it!"

Fu Qian's smile grew even brighter as he pointed behind the door.

"Do we just walk in together?"

"If we do, we might not appear in the same place. Besides, I cannot enter in this form right now."

As the Persuader spoke, his body rapidly shrank and flattened until he was like a sheet of paper.

The paper drifted over to Fu Qian's hand and slowly wrapped around it, transforming into a bizarre tattoo.

"I can only exist in this form to minimize rejection."

"Also, a special reminder: the scenes in a Nightmare can change at any moment, so your previous experience won't be a reliable reference."

"Understood."

Fu Qian gave a sound of acknowledgment and stepped straight into the room.

A darkness that felt almost tangible instantly swallowed him.

...

"Fu Qian, are you okay? Why is your face so sallow?"

The instant his senses returned, a familiar voice rang in his ear.

It didn't sound like anything had changed—fuck!

Fu Qian turned his head toward the counselor expressing concern for him.

It was the right person, except right now, his head was cradled in his own hands.

In fact, it wasn't just him; everyone in the entire room looked exactly the same.

Of course, this didn't stop them from sitting neatly in their seats, maintaining a rich atmosphere of study.

Fu Qian subconsciously touched his own neck. He could clearly feel flesh and blood writhing as a massive, gaping wound slowly healed.

"Due to your previous actions, your blessing has dissipated."

The Persuader's voice echoed in his mind.

"That thing was your reliance for surviving here. As I see it, this was absolutely not a good idea."

"Why do I feel like your method was an even worse idea? Replacing my own perception with that thing's, ending up looking like I had polio."

Fu Qian muttered.

"I already told you. Although I activate the ability, its specific manifestation is out of my control."

"However, since it took that form, it means that state would give you a greater chance of escaping this Nightmare."

"Forgive me for finding that hard to imagine."

As he retorted, Fu Qian looked down to inspect himself.

His right hand bore black armor with yellow patterns, looking exactly as it had when he'd gutted himself.

His left hand was slightly more normal, but the massive tattoo of a bug's body with a human face was completely devoid of aesthetic appeal.

"Are you alright?"

The counselor had approached while cradling his head, his tone full of concern.

"Also, as a student, why do you have such a massive tattoo?"

At that, quite a few surrounding heads gasped in alarm, as if they had just witnessed something utterly heinous.

A guy holding his own head in his hands actually had the nerve to say that!

And wasn't your focus a little weird? Out of my entire body, this tattoo should be the least conspicuous part, right?

Despite the endless string of complaints in his heart, Fu Qian didn't voice them.

His intuition told him that provoking them and making this bunch realize their own state would very likely raise a death flag.

"It's just a temporary sticker, sir."

Fu Qian smiled, showing off his arm.

"Think about it. Why would anyone tattoo such an ugly design on themselves? That completely defies common sense!"

"That makes sense."

The counselor froze for a few seconds before his tone softened.

His arms even bobbed up and down, as if he were trying to nod.

Sure enough, after undergoing the previous devastation, their thinking had become extremely simple. Only tiny fragments of consciousness might be keeping them going.

Fu Qian silently made his judgment, then stood up.

"However, I really do feel a bit unwell. Can I head back and rest?"

"It's fine, go ahead!"

The counselor replied without the slightest surprise, even proactively making way for him to leave.

Fu Qian quickly packed his things into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out the door.

To his astonishment, the Corridor was currently bathed in pale red moonlight.

Outside the window, it was a startlingly clear night.

[Current task updated: Find the young child, break the Nightmare]

The new task prompt finally chimed.

Not only had the weather changed, but the task itself had updated.

"Where are we going now?"

Fu Qian probed as he stood in the moonlight.

"To find a way out, of course! Weren't you doing the exact same thing last time?"

It seemed the Persuader couldn't hear his task prompts.

Fu Qian silently reached a conclusion.

"But everything looks incredibly normal this time. There isn't even a trace of fog."

"Indeed, the fog that could awaken spirituality has completely dissipated."

The Persuader's voice was also tinged with confusion.

"However, the anomaly still exists. For instance, that group inside the room has clearly been deeply affected."

"If you don't have any clues for now, I suggest you first look for the others who received a blessing."

"That's exactly what I intended."

Fu Qian opened his hand, revealing a card resting right in his palm.

It was the Library Card from that book.

Aside from his own, there were three other names on it, all belonging to people who had borrowed it previously.

There was also Liang Yuntian, whom he already knew of, and he hadn't seen a trace of Liu Yi in the classroom just now either.

...

After heading downstairs, Fu Qian stopped and observed for a moment.

Although it was night, the visibility was remarkably good, and Sister Ox-Head was nowhere to be seen.

"The essence of the Nightmare hasn't changed, but its manifestation is influenced by consciousness."

The Persuader's voice chimed in.

"The existence of these scenes means that similar memories and concepts are being projected."

"I see. I was just thinking this was far too close to daily life, even if the accuracy isn't very high."

"Projections... but not necessarily your projections."

"Hmm?"

"They might belong to the last person who died here."

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