Eldritch Horror Theatre

What the fuck...

This entire world is actually called the Furnace?

He had to admit, the contents of this prompt were even more heart-stopping.

And this time, it laid out the Containment Fulfillment Conditions. The concept was perfectly clear: complete them, and the task ends.

At the same time, the previous task hadn't registered a failure, which meant the two were running in parallel.

So I need to follow the task guidance while searching for a way to escape the Furnace?

If so, the nature of these meticulous task prompts had completely changed.

They weren't here to help him complete the task. They were here to kill him.

They were like Spikes hanging over his head. If he failed to fulfill them, his SAN Value would drop.

At a glance, this was nothing short of a death match.

He had no idea what would actually happen if his SAN Value drained completely. Would the task automatically fail, sending him back home to live out his days as a drooling idiot? Or would he remain trapped here, locked in a vegetative state forever?

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Seeing Fu Qian stay silent, Medea clearly thought she had guessed right.

Her expression instantly relaxed. She leaned in, tilting her head to study him with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

"Actually, I'm very glad you came to see me."

"You might be on the quiet side, but I've always kept an eye on you."

"Am I usually very quiet?"

A faint, alluring fragrance drifted toward him. Fu Qian didn't pull away; he simply returned her smile with a question.

"You are. You never seem to get along with anyone else, and you barely speak. A lot of people say you're antisocial."

"But in my eyes, you're one of the most unique students I've ever taught. You aren't close to your classmates simply because you're far too mature for them. You just don't share a common language."

As she spoke, Medea leaned in until her lips were practically brushing his ear. The dazzling expanse of her cleavage was now dangerously close.

"So when the other teachers suggested giving you some psychological counseling, I immediately vetoed it."

"You don't need that at all, do you?"

She blew a soft breath against his ear.

Of course he didn't. Most students his age clearly needed physiological counseling far more than psychological.

Fu Qian thought to himself, completely understanding her implied offer.

And she obviously didn't mind providing that kind of counseling herself.

"Yes. Actually, I am having a bit of a physiological issue right now."

Fu Qian replied with total sincerity.

"I don't feel so well. Can I take the rest of the day off to go home?"

"You don't feel well?"

Sparks of anticipation had practically danced in Medea's eyes at his first sentence, but the sudden twist completely caught her off guard.

"You look perfectly fine to me!"

She looked him up and down a few times. Then, as if realizing something, she giggled and shook her head.

"It's not good to lie. Besides, I still have a class to teach. I can't exactly leave right now!"

"What a shame."

Fu Qian infused his tone with regret, though his expression remained totally blank.

"Don't be in such a rush."

Medea shot him a breathtakingly seductive wink.

"And you don't need to worry about what happened earlier."

"Daniel can be impulsive, but I promise he was just startled. He absolutely won't cause trouble for you over what happened."

"That's a relief."

Fu Qian nodded, his face still completely passive.

"Hehe!"

Assuming he was simply acting indignant, or perhaps refusing to back down in some subtle masculine rivalry, Medea just offered a light smile and left it at that.

"Good. You should head back to class."

She licked her lips as she spoke, looking more than a little reluctant to see him go.

"All right."

Fu Qian agreed, rising from his seat without another word.

"Wait a minute."

Unexpectedly, just as he turned to leave, Medea called out, motioning for him to wait.

She took two quick steps forward and pulled open one of her desk drawers—not the locked one.

To his surprise, she pulled a Polaroid camera from the unlocked drawer.

"Can I take a picture of you?"

She waved it slightly, gazing at him with a smile.

"Be my guest."

Fu Qian waved a magnanimous hand, even adjusting his posture for the shot.

"Can I ask what you plan to do with it?"

"No."

Medea gave him a playful smile.

"It's a secret."

With that, she pressed the shutter.

The white film spat out of the slot. She carefully pulled it free and watched the portrait slowly develop, looking extremely satisfied.

Medea then shifted slightly sideways, subtly blocking Fu Qian's line of sight. She pulled out a shiny Key and slid it into the desk's only locked drawer.

If his eyes didn't deceive him, she had palmed it right out of the shoe beneath her desk while rummaging for the camera.

Fu Qian shook his head, once again grateful he'd picked up a few extra skills along the way.

Right now, however, trouble was obviously brewing.

He hadn't re-locked the drawer after picking it, and there was no way she would fail to notice.

Sure enough, Medea suddenly froze.

After a few seconds, she slowly turned her head, fixing Fu Qian with a bizarre expression.

"The things inside... Did you see them?"

"Yes."

Fu Qian nodded honestly.

"Goodness... It seems I really have been out of sorts lately."

Medea lowered her head, thumbing the Key in her hand.

"To think I'd make a mistake like forgetting to lock my desk."

Wait, that's not right. Isn't this reaction a little strange?

I sneak into her office under highly suspicious circumstances, and her secret drawer happens to be unlocked. No matter how you look at it, I should be the prime suspect, right?

Why is her very first assumption that she simply forgot to lock it? And why is she so absolutely certain about it?

Medea's words filled Fu Qian's mind with suspicion.

"Why assume I didn't open it?"

If you don't understand something, ask. Fu Qian raised the question without a second thought.

"You opened it? How could that be possible?"

Medea let out a bewildered chuckle and shook her head.

"First of all, I hid the Key myself. I would know perfectly well if anyone had touched it."

"And without the Key, how could this drawer possibly be opened?"

"Why couldn't it be opened?"

Hearing her absolute certainty, Fu Qian suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"What do you mean, 'why'? It just can't be opened!"

Medea shot him a bewildered look.

"Didn't the prompt state that clearly?"

...

He drew in a cold breath.

As Medea's words sank in, Fu Qian took another deep breath.

This Furnace is even more twisted than I imagined!

It isn't just me.

It seems everyone can see the prompts, and they treat them as the most ordinary thing in the world.

Just what kind of world is this? It really sets the imagination running wild.

"Are the prompts always right?"

Fu Qian asked, keeping his tone perfectly neutral.

"Are you joking? How could a prompt be wrong?"

Medea's jaw dropped. She stared at him as if he had just asked why water flows downhill.

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