Chapter Six: Spiritual Entity Derivatives-Abnormal Paradise(More than half a year)

If agreeing means being one of their own, what if he refused? Would it come down to a fight to the death? Ashes had no interest in whether Rain Tomorrow was telling the truth or not, nor did he want to get entangled any further. He simply tossed his hair with a flourish, unrestrained and free.

“In fact, I am an artist.”

“What?” Rain Tomorrow was taken aback.

“I said, I am an artist!” Ashes replied with utmost seriousness.

Rain Tomorrow opened his mouth. “But didn’t you just say you were unemployed?”

“And you didn’t just say you were recruiting me, did you?”

“Then why claim to be an artist?”

“Well, didn’t you just claim to have inside information about the Abnormal Paradise?”

Ashes shrugged. He played the game for amusement, unwilling to be shackled by rules. So what if he could join Thunder? Earn a penny, exert a penny’s effort—such a life held no allure for him.

Rain Tomorrow was left speechless. Even if Ashes wanted to brush him off, did he have to claim to be an artist? There were so many types of artists—who could tell which kind he was? No, there was no way this rascal was an artist!

Shaking his head, Rain Tomorrow realized he’d almost been misled by Ashes’s nonsense. Seeing that Ashes was dead set on refusing, he gave up entirely on recruiting him. His eyes drifted into the darkness, his fists alternately relaxing and clenching...

Suddenly, a faint, distant, lingering sound floated over.

Both men halted, listening carefully. The source—a little girl’s sobbing—became clear. She seemed to be muttering something, but her voice was so low it was impossible to make out the words. At the same time, Ashes noticed the beam of his flashlight had grown even narrower, and patches of gray mold now mottled the filthy walls. As the light swept past, spores drifted visibly through the air.

Seeing this change, Ashes did not retreat but continued onward. Rain Tomorrow, however, rolled his eyes and intentionally lagged behind by a step.

The eleventh floor, the twelfth, the thirteenth...

They rushed down five more flights without improvement. The little girl’s cries grew clearer; faintly, one could make out her repeating “Come down,” “Help me,” and similar pleas.

A chilling atmosphere suddenly suffused the stairwell. Rain Tomorrow checked the time instinctively—two minutes had passed since they’d entered the stairwell, but the mission target was still nowhere in sight. The Security Deputy had allotted only five minutes for the task; with the critical point approaching, if he didn’t turn back soon, he risked being abandoned by the main group. Being abandoned meant detachment from the main storyline, or even death due to unforeseen events.

Rain Tomorrow glanced at Ashes’s resolute silhouette and realized he was intent on completing his unique mission. “If something unexpected happens, I’ll be at a disadvantage. Competing with him won’t be easy. But if I just give up, I’ll never be able to stomach it!”

With eyes burning, Rain Tomorrow bit his lip and forced himself to keep moving forward, determined to pierce the dense darkness.

Ashes, too, sensed the mission timer nearing its midpoint, and he noticed Rain Tomorrow’s odd behavior. At this stage, Rain Tomorrow ought to know when to retreat and secure his own gains from a safer task. Yet, as if out of stubbornness from their earlier spat, Rain Tomorrow recklessly stayed on, determined to compete to the end.

Is this man really so reckless?

Ashes raised an eyebrow, quietly increasing his vigilance. And when the flashlight beam swept over the eighteenth-floor landing, the situation took a turn—

A Chaos Apostle lay motionless on the stairs, his equipment marred by cracks and scorch marks, his shattered weapon scattered in a pool of blood. Most striking of all, a necklace dangled from his hand, shimmering with a wondrous azure under the light, the blood’s reflection lending the entire scene a twisted, otherworldly beauty.

Treasure!

Ashes’s eyes lit up at once, but behind him, Rain Tomorrow lunged forward like a starving beast, violently shoving Ashes aside and dashing ahead.

[Notice: You are struck by player “Rain Tomorrow.” You must pass a Strength check to avoid taking damage.]

[Notice: Checking... Your Strength is not higher than your opponent’s, and he has initiative. Check failed.]

[Notice: You take one point of health damage.]

“Sorry, brother!”

Rain Tomorrow, springing into action, rammed Ashes into the stair rail. The reason he’d braved the risk and stayed was for this very moment—if only he could snatch that necklace, the venture would be worth it. At this instant, Rain Tomorrow was full of smug satisfaction. He wanted to shout back at Ashes, “This is the price you pay for crossing me!” Yet his triumph lasted barely a few seconds. As soon as he neared the corpse, his scalp tingled with alarm—he was too late!

Yes, Rain Tomorrow was already a step behind, for something else had beaten him to the Chaos Apostle’s side.

A gray, featureless face—no eyes, no mouth—clung to the Apostle’s head like a facehugger. As Rain Tomorrow approached, it suddenly rose up like a specter, darting straight for his eyes.

Neither Ashes nor Rain Tomorrow had been able to see this ghostly thing lurking in the shadows, and now Rain Tomorrow was paying dearly for his greed.

[Notice: You are attacked by a spiritual entity. You must pass a Will check to avoid taking damage.]

[Notice: Checking... Your Will is zero. Check failed!]

[Notice: You take two points of sanity damage.]

...

[Rookie Warning: If your sanity drops to zero, you will enter a state of madness. At intervals, you will face instant death checks, and your actions will be hindered.]

[Warning: Escape the spiritual entity as soon as possible. The more your sanity is depleted, the deeper your madness, and the greater the chance of instant death.]

[Warning: Your sanity has dropped by one-third. Escape the spiritual entity at once.]

A hysterical scream tore from Rain Tomorrow’s lips. There was no time to read the barrage of game prompts; the gray, faceless thing had already latched onto his head again, like a facehugger. His vision was shrouded in gray mist, with ghastly white phantoms flashing intermittently—needling his fragile nerves.

Pure terror drove Rain Tomorrow stumbling backward, forgetting all about the necklace he’d coveted. The sudden horror nearly shattered his courage—his heart pounded wildly, his composure lost. Groping clumsily at his face, he barely tried to tear off the gray visage before instinct sent him fleeing upward, crashing blindly into Ashes once more.

“Get out of my way!” Rain Tomorrow’s voice trembled with rage—it was unclear whether he was shouting at Ashes or the ghostly face. This time, Ashes deftly sidestepped, watching Rain Tomorrow stumble up the stairs, footsteps fading into the distance.

Of course, Ashes could have taken advantage of his adversary’s distress. But more than that, he preferred to sweep the battlefield.

After all, with the task timer already half gone, wasting precious minutes on that failed schemer was hardly wise.

Ashes shone his flashlight downward and immediately spotted the Fifth Security Officer, lying on the nineteenth-floor landing, bleeding heavily and barely clinging to life, a sharp dagger buried in his heart.

Without hesitation, Ashes snatched the blood-stained blue necklace and rushed to the officer’s side. Detecting someone’s approach, the Fifth Security Officer’s eyes snapped open, his gaze steely and determined. Only the distinctive Foundation uniform kept him from attempting a desperate, mutually fatal attack.

Ashes breathed a sigh of relief. Abnormal Paradise rendered the death-defying will of the dying with uncanny realism—those fierce, unyielding eyes nearly startled him.

“Who are you?” The officer’s voice was weak, but his guard was not wholly dropped. Foundation infiltration was no secret.

Ashes gave the briefest, clearest account of his identity and intent. The Fifth Security Officer fell silent for a few seconds before, under Ashes’s earnest gaze, producing the quest item—a Pass Clearance Card.

...

[Pass Clearance Card] (Five)
Type: Quest Item
Function: 1. Unlocks security doors; 2. Temporarily copies security clearance
Description: This card’s clearance is valid only within the Fifth Security Team’s jurisdiction, and for certain abnormal containment facilities.
[Notice: The back of the card bears a map of the Fifth Security Team’s district. Improper use will trigger indiscriminate attacks by automated defenses.]
[Notice: This item cannot be removed from the current test area.]

...

With the item in hand, Ashes felt a surge of relief. As long as he could escape Endless Stairwell, his unique quest would be complete. Yet, just as he turned to leave, the officer’s frail voice called out.

“Let me see... that necklace.”