In an instant, the black letters seemed to sprout fleshy buds, or perhaps tiny tentacles. They slowly writhed, then stretched and spread.
It seemed he heard someone whispering, then perhaps devout believers murmuring their prayers, along with the hiss of a great serpent drawing closer.
The illusory, ethereal voices circled in his mind, making his thoughts grow hazy.
A piercing scream drifted in and out amid the grand sounds of the ritual. In a daze, he heard a croak, its low tone echoing through his mind like a spell.
His vision blurred, and his consciousness sank into darkness.
The black letters peeled away from the stone tablet as strands of tentacles, burrowing into Wang Changle's head.
Wave after wave of knowledge came, accompanied by reverberating whispers, plaintive as a sob.
[Notice: You read a fragment of the Book of Eibon (copy). You gained knowledge related to Cthulhu—"N'kai," and your Cthulhu Lore increased by 30. Health -20%.]
[Notice: You heard the "indescribable" whispers. An Intelligence Check is now being made. Intelligence: 10. You resisted the fear. Magic -30.]
[Notice: You heard the devout prayers of the "Vormi." A Strength Check is now being made. Check failed. You received a moderate Weakness Curse. You gained information about the "Vormi." Health -10%.]
[Notice: You heard the "Serpent People" hissing. An Agility Check is now being made. Check failed. You received the Serpent People's curse, "Serpent Transformation." You gained information about the "Serpent People." Health -10%.]
[Notice: You heard the "Kunjyan" ritual. A Charisma Check is now being made. Check passed. You received mild bloodlust. Magic -10.]
[Notice: You heard Sathogua croak. A Stamina Check is now being made. Stamina: 10. You resisted the parasitism. You gained information about the "Formless Child." Health -20%.]
[Notice: You passed three checks. You learned the summoning circle for the Children of the Forest (Black Goat Cub). Magic -50. Health -30%.]
In the darkness, he seemed to enter another world:
He descended slowly through an endless expanse of darkness. The sun seemed very far away as he walked along the shadowed side of a massive planet.
Terrifying shadows enveloped him, filling him with loneliness and oppression. The weightlessness of walking in space left him helpless.
Then, as his speed changed, he plummeted, as if the enormous planet were about to swallow him.
Its surface was covered with boundless black, oily matter that writhed and roared.
As he fell, he saw three-toed, long-haired men on the Frost Highlands. Savage and stocky, they prostrated themselves and prayed to something beneath the earth.
In the endless darkness, he saw a grand sacrifice of human victims. Dark red blood flowed through the ravines as the ritual proceeded.
Deeper underground, he glimpsed enormous shadows, entwined and hissing. They had deep black, vertical pupils and exuded a cold, bloodthirsty murderous intent.
In his endless descent, amid the endless darkness, he finally saw a pair of enormous pupils in the eternal night, bearing a "divine laziness."
At that moment, his body began to change. He not only grew fine black scales, but also developed a greater thirst for blood. All around him was darkness and an inescapable, clinging dampness.
At the croak, he jolted awake!
"Thud!"
He pitched forward onto the floor. Dazed, he opened his eyes and found himself still in the hotel suite. But in front of him lay a heap of incense ash, scattered with tiny snake scales.
He tried to get up, only to find his hands and feet weak. Even breathing left him winded, and the slightest movement sent tearing pain through his entire body.
He struggled to his feet, his stomach gripped by an intense hunger, as though he hadn't eaten in ages.
Only after eating something did he notice that his whole body was coated in black, oily matter, and his skin seemed to have been slashed by something, leaving countless tiny wounds.
His health was nearly depleted. What was more, that single study session had lasted a full 72 hours!
After selecting Paradise's notice, he understood what had happened during his "study."
Fortunately, he had gained quite a bit. He had learned about the world of "N'kai" and gained a thorough understanding of Sathogua, that Great Old One, along with its followers and servants.
He had also obtained a sacrificial summoning circle. Most of all, he was glad he'd bought two sticks of Spirit Calming Incense.
Otherwise, he would have become a bloodthirsty monster covered in scales and afflicted by a weakness curse.
In this world, he would have been even more Quanxing than Quanxing itself!
He let out a long breath. Though he'd suffered terribly, he now understood more about the hidden mission and knew how to use the Formless Child scroll.
Unlike summoning, which required various sacrificial materials and flesh, all he needed to do now was make "Suleiman's End." As it happened, he had the materials.
That was thanks to the knowledge in his memory—a practical application of what he'd learned.
He took out the powdered corpse from earlier, then brought out frankincense, sulfur, and saltpeter. Following his memories, he ground them into ingredients, then mixed them together in the right proportions.
[You obtained 3 Simple Suleiman's Dust.]
Simple Suleiman's Dust
Origin: The Outcast
Type: Consumable
Rarity: White: 5
Effect: Deals fixed damage equal to 10% of health to creatures from worlds other than The Outcast. Ineffective against Contractors.
Description: Gray-green powder made from a Cthulhu corpse. Its effects are diminished.
Price: 500 Paradise Coins (cannot be taken out of the Derivative World)
Each palm-sized vial held a small pinch of gray-green powder.
The next day, at the Tianxia Group's training room.
With a crash, the plastic training dummy shattered into pieces. His retreating backfist struck a heavy punching bag. The bag burst with a bang, spilling sand across the floor.
"The gloves are thin and don't affect my punching speed. They offer some protection, and increase the force of my punches by at least ten percent. When I channel qi through them, they boost my punch power by another ten percent."
Feng Shayan stroked the scale-armored gloves on her hands, reluctant to take them off. They suited her perfectly. She'd never expected Mr. Ode to be a genuine "artifact refiner."
"Mm, looks like he really is an artifact refiner. Shayan, make sure you cultivate him well!"
Feng Zhenghao's voice came through her earpiece. Clearly, he'd been watching everything happening in the training room.
Meanwhile, Wang Changle received a notice from Paradise.
[Notice: You completed the side quest "Artifact Refining." You received 1,000 Reputation Points.]
[Notice: You have been promoted to senior cadre. Current reputation: Respected, 2,500/5,000.]
"The gloves are great. I'll take them. Now that you're a senior cadre, want to spar again?"
"Miss, I just gave you a Magic Tool, and now you're going to use it to beat up the person who made it? That doesn't seem right!"
He spoke with a teasing lilt, shrugged, and turned to leave.
"I'm a senior cadre now too. I should go find something to do. Sparring with you won't earn me any reputation!"
"Why do you need so many contribution points? Do you want to enter the Luotian Grand Ceremony too?"
Feng Shayan took a sidestep and shattered another wooden post, her tone teasing.
"Of course! The Luotian Grand Ceremony! So many heroes and great talents will be there. I'm old enough to enter, and once I save up 2,000 reputation points, I'll naturally go take a look! Besides, there's a Heaven Communicating Talisman Art reward~"
He turned and tossed Feng Shayan a bottle of water, then hopped onto a bench and pulled out his phone to check the Tianxia Association's announcement.
"Beep, beep, beep, beep."
"Hello, is this Mr. Ode? There's news about the task you posted earlier. Could you come by when you have time?"
His eyebrows shot up. He immediately ran outside. His chance to get stronger had arrived.
Before you continue