Eldritch Horror Theatre

'So this is the main event after all?'

Watching the eyes of the crowd light up in an instant, Fu Qian confirmed his guess.

Judging by Roldon's phrasing, what Cha Soon-young had done was indeed a significant ritual, one that had yielded a response.

This also proved that while this little group wasn't particularly strong, they were genuinely bizarre.

In the transcendent world, rituals were extremely mysterious and unpredictable. Figuring them out and mastering them was incredibly difficult, yet this group discussed them like everyday gossip.

After all, even Ian, a dignified professor of the Academy who had devoted years to research, had only managed to figure out that cuckoldry method.

At the same time, Fu Qian noticed that Li Min beside him couldn't hide her surprise. Clearly, she had never witnessed a scene like this either.

"What is the ritual, exactly?"

Someone asked as soon as Roldon finished speaking.

Roldon struck a deliberate pose, intentionally glancing in Fu Qian's direction.

To his disappointment, Cha Soon-young showed none of the expected apprehension. Instead, he waited with the same keen interest for Roldon to continue.

Ahem.

A little disappointed, Roldon cleared his throat and finally broke the silence.

"In an environment below zero degrees, drain more than half the blood from your body, wait for at least ten hours, and then transfuse it back."

...

As soon as Roldon finished, the entire room fell dead silent. The group exchanged stunned looks.

"That's far too dangerous. Even a transcendent specializing in physical vitality would struggle to survive that completely unharmed. What is the reward?"

After a long while, someone finally asked.

"High risk naturally yields high rewards. From what we've seen, this directly nourishes the physical body."

Seeming quite satisfied with their reactions, Roldon looked around with a smile.

"Once the ritual is successfully completed, there's a chance of massively increasing your physical vitality, along with gaining the ability to rapidly heal injuries by consuming fresh flesh and blood."

"That's a very practical ability, but the limitations are just too severe."

The moment Roldon finished, the crowd burst into discussion.

"Unless the enhancement is significant enough to serve as a means of breaking through a bottleneck, it's largely meaningless."

"True. After all, not every transcendent possesses that level of physical vitality. Even if someone barely managed it, they would most likely need someone to guard them during the process."

Roldon agreed.

Having someone guard them during the process meant, plainly speaking, placing their life entirely in another person's hands for ten solid hours.

For a risk of that magnitude, it would be incredibly difficult to find someone trustworthy enough.

For a time, the group was caught up in mixed feelings, finding the ritual Roldon shared practically useless despite its theoretical value.

"Alright, that is what I've gained. Do any of you have something to share?"

Roldon didn't elaborate further, signaling the crowd to discuss freely.

The atmosphere instantly heated up. Everyone voiced their opinions, bringing up all sorts of bizarre and eye-opening concepts.

Merely listening from the sidelines, Fu Qian learned of outrageous methods—such as surviving a jump from extreme heights, or inducing mass panic among a crowd of over a hundred people.

'If the content of their exchanges is this rich every time, then the sheer output of rituals here is genuinely absurd!'

As the group fervently debated, Fu Qian listened with keen interest, faintly realizing why this place held so many legendary tales.

With a group of Directors lurking in the shadows like this, everyday life for the clueless bystanders must have been quite a spectacle.

Still, it was evident that the group showed a great deal of restraint in certain areas.

Whenever a more wicked ritual involving injury or murder came up, they desperately emphasized that it was for educational purposes only, and urged everyone to forget it within twenty-four hours of the discussion.

'That's probably why the Night Watchers haven't wiped them out yet,'

Fu Qian thought to himself.

'They still know their limits.'

By comparison, Cha Soon-young's previous actions could basically be considered heinous crimes.

"How did Mister Cha obtain his reward? Could you share it with us?"

Right then, someone suddenly looked at Fu Qian and asked.

The person asking looked thirty at most, with thoroughly average strength—basically in the weakest tier among the crowd.

Yet when facing a newcomer like Fu Qian, this spirited young man clearly felt a strong sense of superiority.

Following his question, everyone else's eyes converged on him as well.

It seemed the so-called 'lucky ones' were basically those who had haphazardly performed a ritual and survived with a reward.

"By ripping out my own kidney."

Fu Qian glanced at Roldon and answered nonchalantly.

He didn't believe for a second that this bunch was as innocent as they let on. There was no way they hadn't guessed the recent news was tied to a ritual; this guy was clearly probing.

"That brutal? Mister Cha is truly extraordinary."

At these words, not only the man who asked but the entire crowd was taken aback, turning to look at Roldon.

Evidently, they hadn't heard Roldon share anything about this before.

Even Roldon's smile vanished as he narrowed his eyes at Fu Qian.

"May I ask what reward Mister Cha received? Was it related to physical control?"

Clearly unwilling to let it go, the spirited young man couldn't help but press further.

'My reward?'

Fu Qian thought for a moment, took off his jacket, and tossed it aside. Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he raised his right hand.

The next moment, like weeds springing from the earth, stiff black hairs sprouted from his skin.

Not only that, but his muscles and bones swelled, shredding his shirt. Soon, a towering, fur-covered humanoid beast stood in his place.

Boom!

As he clenched his fist lightly, his knotted muscles pulsed with explosive power.

The next moment, Fu Qian stomped his foot, immediately caving in the floorboards beneath him.

Propelled by the force, his body shot forward, charging straight at the spirited young man.

Amidst faint gasps of alarm, Fu Qian threw a punch. The strike tore through the air with a howling gale, stopping mere centimeters from the other man's nose.

"It really is an enhancement of physical strength. And quite a significant one at that."

The young man swallowed hard, his face a little pale.

"I don't know much about it, but it certainly feels good."

Fu Qian pulled back his fist and looked around as if nothing had happened.

He still had a mission to complete. Blindly keeping a low profile wasn't the best option.

Since Roldon had essentially vouched for him, putting on a proper display of strength was no bad thing.

Following his display, almost everyone wore a look of shock. It seemed the intensity of Fu Qian's reward had far exceeded their estimates.

Even Roldon couldn't hide a newfound solemnity in his expression as he stared thoughtfully at Fu Qian.

As for Li Min and Rachel, their solemn expressions were mixed with a trace of disgust.

Evidently, as women, they were rather repulsed by his aesthetically lacking new form.

"The ability Mister Cha received is quite impressive. Speaking of which, I have a ritual on my end that happens to require a bit of help. I wonder if you might be interested?"

In the midst of the silence, someone suddenly spoke up.

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