Emotion Spectrum
Linsey did not tell Savat the truth.
The fact that this artist is in the Eighth Stage of Fallen Artist could destroy everything that the Blue Robe has worked so hard to maintain, even if the news were simply leaked.
Linsey then reactivated her stealth mode and left the Fimbul Theater.
He looked up and gazed northeast, where the towering towers of the Red District stood high in the clouds, like a giant looking down on the world.
"Savat and the others couldn't have been deliberately recruited."
"The Red District —the place where they entered this Hallucination Dream —should be the anchor point of the entire world."
"Wala Wala..."
Linsey called out her lover's name.
He was absolutely certain of this, and then took a step forward.
Click!
Almost simultaneously, the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the world.
In the blink of an eye, the darkness that shrouded the entire city turned into a sharp, bright red light, and an unnamed fire suddenly rose in Linsey's heart.
"I..."
Linsey was about to burst into a tirade.
But the scene I just saw in the basement is still vivid in my mind.
In the last sliver of clear consciousness he retained, he realized he was being influenced by external forces and, suppressing his anger, activated his Datafication state.
"..."
Linsey's body trembled.
He immediately opened the Attribute Panel. Sure enough, a bright red "Impulse and Fury" buff was displayed on the status bar.
It's simply because of Datafication.
This emotional impact became a special state for Linsey.
[Impulse and Fury - Increases attack power, reduces hit rate, and makes the player take more damage. (Current progress: 20%)]
"..."
"I've been found out?"
Linsey regained her composure.
He turned to look around; the people on the street still adhered to the fundamental principle of art above all else. The extreme emotions brought about by the Dark World had evolved into impulsiveness and boundless fanaticism.
People interact with each other in the city.
Opinions on a work of art, distinctions between art forms, and even preferences for colors.
Once disagreements arise on these issues.
Reason vanishes from their minds in an instant, and they engage in a life-or-death struggle in the street without any hesitation or composure.
"..."
Linsey stared in astonishment at this familiar yet strange world.
He activated the [Map] skill.
Savat and the others in the basement behind them remained calm.
They remained largely unchanged, unaffected by the significant changes in the world.
"The people on the street are residents of this world. They cannot resist the changes in the world's rules, so their status will change in an instant."
"The progress of outsiders like Savat will be greatly slowed down."
"But... what about me?"
Linsey extended her right hand and made an opening and closing motion in front of her eyes.
The bones and muscles creaked and groaned in his hands.
He was acutely aware of the existence of his own body, but inexplicably felt as if his body was not under his control.
"The sudden increase in impact is only directed at me."
"I've been found out?"
Linsey was momentarily at a loss.
He looked around and saw a crimson curtain of light enveloping the street, making him feel as if he had nowhere to hide.
Or perhaps the world itself is casting a hostile gaze upon him.
"Since you've already discovered me, why use this method?"
"Is she trying to guide me into her own script?"
"..."
"No, there's another possibility!"
Linsey dispelled his confusion on his own, taking a step forward from reality and drawing inferences from his experiences.
No matter how terrible the crisis or how powerful the enemy, the facts are the facts.
The truth can only be found in the facts:
"This overreaction is precisely because she needs to deal with me."
"I am a 'variable' that needs special treatment; in other words, she is also afraid of something developing!"
Linsey immediately took action.
Based on the information he received from Savat, he launched a direct assault on the Red District.
Within the City of a Thousand Sails, enveloped in crimson light.
Linsey leaps across the city's raging flames, her silhouette flashing between the ancient brick streets and winding waterways.
He pressed on with all his might.
It unleashes the power of Life Source Material, activating the movement module.
At speeds unimaginable to ordinary people, Linsey's figure was so light that he seemed unbound by the laws of physics. With a powerful stomp of his foot, he leaped more than ten meters.
Linsey.
The next second, a blue ripple appeared, and his movement was almost impossible for the naked eye to detect.
Bridges, streets, angry pedestrians...
The scene flashed before Linsey's eyes: flags fluttering along the shore, and reflections rippling on the water's surface.
Linsey didn't know how long it took her.
However, in his subjective perception, a distance of several kilometers would probably be completely traversed in just a few minutes.
Click—
Once again, the sound of shattering glass rang out.
The crimson light transformed once more, and a deep purple, mysterious glow enveloped the city.
Linsey's eyes flickered.
[Nobility and Sorrow - Increases perception, significantly increasing damage from falls from heights. (Current progress: 35%)]
"..."
After Datafication, Linsey examined the Data Panel with the calmest gaze.
The atmosphere of the entire city changed, and people were no longer as extreme and combative as before.
But on his personal panel.
Both states, "Impulse and Fury" and "Nobility and Sorrow," exist simultaneously, and the progress reaches 35% at the same time.
At this very moment, the towering building in the Red District stood right in front of Linsey.
Passersby, seeing Linsey, also reacted with arrogance, influenced by the shift in emotional dynamics:
"Where did this guy come from?"
"Come and look up at the Red Tower, after all, this is the heart of the art capital."
"Ha—country bumpkin."
"..."
If Linsey were emotionally charged, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist taking action upon hearing these taunts.
But Linsey remained completely calm.
Even the slightest doubt he had before setting off was resolved through his reflections.
"Upon careful consideration, from the last world to here, I have never been subjected to any direct attack from you in any real sense. You have only been influencing people's mental behavior, and in this world, you have only been changing the rules."
Linsey looked towards the top of the tower:
"You unknown fellow, you should be dead by now."
"Yes—the artists of the City of a Thousand Sails destroyed your Black Tide Island. As long as you are alive, this will not happen."
"I've heard the saying, 'To dedicate oneself to art.'"
"Let me guess—you may have integrated into this world through some kind of rule, hoping to gain the power of a former Ninth Stage awakener and break free from the shackles of your past skills."
"At that time, even the concepts of life and death will be easily reversed."
"Am I right?"
Click—
Almost in response to Linsey's probing questions, the world shattered once more, and the light shifted.
But Linsey has stopped paying attention to him.
He calmly looked at the road beneath his feet and stepped directly into the Red Tower.