Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 99: Mythic Form
Done!
After the mission summary ended, Fu Qian felt a wave of satisfaction.
Overall, aside from the monster designs that could easily cause mental pollution, the difficulty of this mission wasn't too high.
Although the final dreamscape repeated continuously over a hundred times, he didn't find it arduous at all.
Compared to before, this was the first time he got the feeling of grinding mobs.
The key was that the mob himself helped with the reloading, which didn't consume Sanity Value.
Leading him to snatch the 'One-Life Clearance' achievement.
As for the replay, there was no need.
There really was no desire to see some of the scenes from the mission ever again.
Having high resistance didn't mean having bizarre tastes.
Other than that, it was an abundant harvest.
After the mission was completed, his Sanity Value reached 115 points, officially crossing the three-digit threshold.
Fu Qian first scrolled to the achievement rewards section.
[Transcendence: Skill. Upon casting, returns you to your original starting point. Limited to one use per containment attempt.]
[Note: A dream technique for perfectionists, but it is said to actually increase the probability of failure.]
Return to the original starting point? That means restarting, right?
Had to say, it fit the 'One-Life Clearance' achievement perfectly.
Only, this skill... it's hard to tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing!
Fu Qian frowned in thought.
Theoretically, this absolutely counted as a strategic skill.
On one hand, it gave him an extra chance in each containment attempt, almost equivalent to doubling his Sanity Value.
At the same time, it made him more flexible, as he wouldn't need to wait for a 'Containment Failed' to restart.
But that was exactly where the problem lay.
According to his experience in previous missions, many things didn't show their true colors until a life-or-death moment.
Suddenly having a restart option might instead lead him to miss clues due to misjudgment.
This was probably what the note was trying to express.
A strategic skill, not to be over-relied upon.
Fu Qian quickly made his judgment, then continued scrolling up to find the other reward.
[Mythic Form: Upgrades your next attack into a Mythic Form. Each use consumes 1 point of Sanity Value.]
[Note: Peeking into myths means paying the price in sanity.]
This?
Fu Qian was completely dumbfounded.
For him, 1 point of Sanity Value was one—no, two lives!
You might as well just rename it 'Perish Together'!
He instantly felt like he didn't have enough Sanity Value.
And there was another issue: it only said it upgraded a skill into Mythic Form, but completely omitted any details on the actual effect.
Considering the cost of testing it once was a bit steep, he could only find an opportunity to research it later.
Still, it was a life-burning skill; the effects couldn't be too trash, right?
He could only conclude that this skill was even more strategic than Transcendence.
Either way, obtaining two skills on top of the base rewards meant this mission yielded quite a handsome haul.
It made watching all those grotesque scenes worth it.
Before leaving the Warehouse, Fu Qian specifically went to find the spot where 2-088 was kept.
Opening the box, inside lay a ferociously designed black and red crown, with dried bloodstains clinging to each sharp spike.
...
Green beans, tomatoes, beef, Kuruma prawns...
Humming a song and strolling leisurely through the supermarket, Fu Qian continually tossed food into his cart.
Even though his current physique meant he absolutely wouldn't starve to death without eating, he never once considered giving up this enjoyment.
Previously, when he was so broke he was about to eat dirt, he only had noodles and chili sauce for company. He hadn't been to a supermarket in ages.
Now, he supposedly boasted an annual salary in the tens of millions, so achieving basic "supermarket freedom" wasn't an issue.
Of course, there was another most important reason... Considering his work environment, Fu Qian believed he ought to make appropriate contact with human society, lest he become a pervert without even realizing it.
"Mr. Fu?"
The next moment, fully immersed in his shopping, Fu Qian was actually called from behind.
"It really is you!"
Turning around, Pei Yanqing in casual clothes was linking arms with another girl. Both of their eyes were wide; one expression was excited, the other curious.
"Hello," Fu Qian nodded.
"I heard it was you who brought me back yesterday. Sorry for the trouble!" Pei Yanqing thanked him sincerely.
"It was nothing," Fu Qian politely brushed it off.
She certainly didn't know that she was actually the victim.
But if she hadn't reminded him, he would have vaguely thought that happened days ago.
Was his workload really too heavy after all?
Fu Qian looked Pei Yanqing up and down a few times. She appeared to be perfectly fine now.
"Are you physically okay now?"
"No problems at all, thanks for asking." Pei Yanqing smiled attractively. Looking at Fu Qian's overflowing shopping cart, she couldn't hide her shock. "You bought so much stuff! Are you having guests?"
"I just have a good appetite." Fu Qian had no intention of explaining too much.
"You don't have to work today?"
"I just work part-time there occasionally." Pei Yanqing giggled. "Today is Friday. We came out to buy groceries; we're having hotpot tonight!"
College life sure is rich and colorful!
Fu Qian nodded without speaking.
At this moment, the girl next to her tugged at Pei Yanqing's clothes, and the latter suddenly remembered something.
"I forgot to introduce you. This is my roommate."
The other girl, named He Xian, could be described as having red lips and white teeth; her dark, round eyes were very lively.
After a brief greeting, Pei Yanqing was quickly pulled away by her to continue shopping, and a snippet of conversation drifted over.
"So you weren't bragging this time."
"Obviously."
"Someone that handsome got stood up? Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? I watched him eat a whole table full of dishes all by himself with my own eyes."
"I can't imagine who could be so heartless... Wait a minute, you deliberately passed by closer places to come all the way here to shop. You don't happen to have some ulterior motives, do you?"
"Do you think I'm a psychic? How could I have predicted we'd run into him here?"
...
Watching the two walk away, Fu Qian fell deep into thought.
This girl named He Xian actually thought of the exact same question he did.
Lin University wasn't close, nor was it too far from here. There were several places to buy ingredients in between. There really was no need to come all the way here specifically.
Pei Yanqing's answer was quite natural; there was no trace of guilty concealment in her voice. That was exactly the problem.
It would be normal if she had intentionally sought him out to thank him. The scary part was if she didn't realize it herself and subconsciously chose this place.
The key point was that she conveniently bumped into him. It just felt a bit too coincidental.
Was his very existence beginning to have some sort of special influence on this world?
He had absolutely no interest in such things.
But regardless, she was a victim of his own mistake, so he might as well do her a favor in passing.
Shaking his head inwardly, Fu Qian grabbed a pack of colas from the shelf and casually tossed it.
Following a beautiful arc, the colas solidly hit a young man brushing past the two girls.
Caught completely off guard, the young man was slammed so hard he rolled right onto the ground.
He and Pei were startled. They instinctively reached out to help him up, but unexpectedly, the guy scrambled to his feet nimbly and fled in a panic.
Comments
Post a Comment