Since the Abyss exploration had been initiated by William, he naturally stood at the front when they approached the Curtain and reached out first.
Hmm! Even the sense of touch is real!
The sensation transmitted from his fingertips felt like touching some kind of delicate fabric.
The instant he touched it, filament-like structures only micrometers in size immediately grew across the fabric's surface, attempting to pierce William's skin and enter his body.
Abyss Infection
This was the first time William had suffered an "active invasion" by the Abyss since arriving in this region. The ratmen he had encountered before had merely been affected by the Abyss.
With the body of a Perfect Offspring, William could easily perceive the entire process of the invasion.
In an instant, his frenzied brain had already produced several plans to block the invasion. Just as William chose the most reliable method and prepared to use the Death Plague, itself a product of the Abyss, to annihilate the invading Abyss tendrils—
Buzz! A flash of insight passed through his mind.
William recalled the scene of his first journey to Zion, when he had first accepted the "Gentleman's Skin."
The substantial sensation given by the pitch-black Curtain before him was somewhat similar to that of the Gentleman's Skin. Moreover, both had attempted to invade his body upon their first contact.
And William had two choices: "accept" or "reject."
If he had rejected the Gentleman's Skin back then, he would have been unable to become a gentleman and embark on that unique path.
Thinking of this, William instantly withdrew all the Death Plague within his body, allowing the tiny Abyss tendrils to enter his flesh.
Jin, Price, and Candle Puppet Thirteen, who remained connected to William, noticed this at the same time.
Jin said nothing and merely smiled