Eldritch Horror Theatre

So this was why Professor Lisa had gone to report it? Her regard for his opinion was truly touching.

Cas’s sudden, astonishing remark hinted at his true purpose in coming. Yet in that moment, Fu Qian could only marvel at Lisa’s absolute trust in him.

It seemed that even though the patient had insisted she was perfectly fine during his initial diagnosis, she had still run off to seek a second opinion the moment he left.

As for the current situation, it was even simpler. If the follow-up had found nothing wrong, why would Cas rush to a place he hadn't visited in years?

"Yes. To be precise, this didn't start with a bad night's sleep yesterday. It began much earlier than that."

Seeing that Professor Lisa remained silent, merely looking over with some apprehension, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and unceremoniously twisted the knife.

"So, where do you think the anomaly lies?"

Ignoring Lisa, who had turned deathly pale from the verbal jab, Cas shifted his gaze to Fu Qian and naturally followed up.

"It's as if she's being nourished by nature itself, in a state of constant growth."

...

To be honest, it sounded like a positive effect.

Leveling up while idling was something even the most casual gamer would find hard to refuse.

Yet, as the person in question, Professor Lisa's expression didn't relax in the slightest.

From this perspective alone, Cas's decision to assign her the duty of guarding the Divine Flesh had paid off.

Regardless of how much she actually knew about Claudora, Lisa clearly understood that power always came with a price.

Reaping benefits for doing absolutely nothing was a surefire way to breed suspicion.

"What do you think the cause might be?"

Even the highly respected Dean of the Apocalypse Branch hadn't denied the assessment, instead continuing to press Fu Qian for the cause.

"It's hard to say. My guess is there might be some environmental triggers. The place we're staying has undergone some changes recently."

Fu Qian began to analyze the situation in all seriousness. Pointing toward the window as he spoke, he casually recounted his recent academic observations.

"I went over to the Benevolent Curse Institute earlier. Professor Ah Kai ran into a little accident, and a group of people spent quite a while searching for him.

"During that search, they seemed to discover something special—something that could even alter the effects of a Miracle."

He was referring to Professor Boyd's discovery, which was practically the sole harvest the Benevolent Curse Institute group had reaped from the previous incident.

The invisible snow covering the entire Academy had intensified due to some incomprehensible effect.

When he had arrived, the group had reported this discovery immediately.

It was obvious that Boyd and the others had long been pondering the connection between Ah Kai's disappearance and this phenomenon.

And this was exactly where the importance of crossing disciplines became apparent.

The tutors had searched diligently to resolve the accident within the Benevolent Curse Institute, but it was precisely their preconceived notions that constrained their thinking.

For Fu Qian, the very first thing that had come to mind was Professor Lisa and her excessive energy.

Why must that special effect be strictly limited to the confines of the Benevolent Curse Institute?

This was especially true considering that, even after Professor Ah Kai was eventually found, this anomaly hadn't seemed to earn a spot in the incident analysis report.

All in all, this was why Fu Qian hadn't expended any effort investigating that discovery, and why he had simply declared the situation under control when Boyd ultimately brought it up to Lanaya.

It was also the reason why he wasn't all that surprised by Lisa's arrival.

"The power of a Miracle is indeed astonishing. Even I could only roughly deduce such a possibility."

Faced with this explanation, Cas let out a long sigh, faintly expressing his agreement.

"And that's while being under its influence myself."

...

Huh?

Although the preceding conversation had grown increasingly bizarre, Professor Lisa had wisely maintained her self-knowledge and stayed out of it.

But when Cas uttered that final statement, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Letting out a low gasp, she turned her head, only to see that Cas had already extended a hand possessing an extraordinary bone structure.

It was painfully emaciated and grayish-yellow, looking terribly unhealthy. But at first glance, it was still, at the very least, a human arm.

Fu Qian followed her gaze and scrutinized it closely. It didn't seem too outrageous at first glance.

Fu Qian was one of the few who knew about Cas's unique constitution. Perhaps it wasn't a transcendent creature's Transformation like Lisa's, but owing to the rituals and materials used for his advancement to the Demigod Realm, the constitution of the Apocalypse Branch's Dean was actually quite similar to hers.

Those vertical pupils, so different from an ordinary human's, were proof of that.

Thus, if a few reptilian scales were to sprout on Cas's body right now, it wouldn't look completely out of place.

"Your condition doesn't look all that ideal."

But that didn't mean there were no changes at all. After silently observing the hand for a moment, Fu Qian shook his head and sighed.

It hadn't grown scales, indeed, but that grayish-yellow skin was moving.

The texture, the pores, the keratin... everything seemed to have lost its anchor.

It might not be obvious to others, but it was all too easy for Fu Qian to detect the unnatural shifting beneath the surface.

It was like an originally calm sea suddenly surging with a strange vitality, teeming with hidden undercurrents.

"Of course it isn't. This is a sign of losing control."

Faced with this sharp critique, Cas accepted it with utmost candor, casually dropping a term that all transcendents feared.

"How could this happen?"

Lisa, for instance, was clearly startled, instantly throwing her own problems to the back of her mind.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. The good news is, it seems Professor Fu already has some idea. My decision to come here was the right one."

The situation looked somewhat grim, but Cas waved his hand anyway, signaling for Lisa to stay seated and not worry.

Hmm...

Lisa was exceptionally cooperative; not only did she remain firmly seated, she even slowly closed her eyes.

...

Young people really do have an easy time falling asleep.

In the span of their brief exchange, the situation had rapidly deteriorated.

However, staring at Lisa, who seemed to have slipped into some sweet dream, Fu Qian's first reaction was a flicker of envy.

Professor Lisa obviously wasn't naturally this lethargic. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this sudden change was Cas's doing.

A Demigod against a Tier 4—never mind the absolute level suppression, this man already knew Lisa's background inside and out, making it incredibly easy to deal with her.

The only question was: why would he do this?

"Unfortunately, it seems my attempt was not entirely perfect after all. I've left behind a hidden danger."

Before Fu Qian even had to ask, Cas let out a long sigh and took the initiative to explain.

"My original idea was that regular contact with the Claudora Flesh could help maintain the balance of Lisa's condition.

"What I didn't expect was that there seems to be something amiss with this Academy."

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