Just Like Being Drunk
The system seemed to think that doing was faster than saying, so it decided to give out the sacrifice and title right now.
Then Yu Xing heard the female voice say, "The fusion of the core offering will begin now. The fusion will be painful and somewhat strange, please bear with it."
The unchanging blackness writhed, faintly revealing different patches of color, like a polymer of darkness, shadow, no light, and blindness, squeezed together and bulging.
Yu Xing thought that the core offering was indeed different; the fusion also involved pain. He felt that the surrounding darkness was about to become physical, and something indescribable gradually appeared beneath the surface.
A large, dark hand grabbed Yu Xing and then pried open Yu Xing mouth.
Yu Xing: "?"
A sudden, excruciating pain shot through his mouth, and for a moment he couldn't tell if it was a tear or a cut; all he knew was that blood was gushing out.
Blood gushed from his mouth. He had a high pain tolerance, so he felt almost clearly that his tongue had been "picked off".
The thing before him—or perhaps not just "before" him, but something with such a deep and vast aura that perhaps the entire darkness was its body—wrapped tightly in its embrace, Yu Xing's nerves throbbed, veins on his forehead bulged involuntarily, and he almost choked on blood.
I've heard that there was a hell called "Tongue-Pulling Hell" in ancient times.
He feels like he's in hell now.
"Just bear with it a little longer," the system spoke up at the right moment, reminding him that she was still there and the situation was under control.
Yu Xing chuckled indistinctly. If he hadn't lost his tongue, he might have told the system that he could remain unfazed even with five bloody holes in his head, so this was no big deal.
Then something was stuffed into his mouth by the darkness.
Soft, large, and still wriggling... chunks of meat?
The chunk of flesh completely blocked his mouth, its warm bed of blood churning inside.
The pain subsided rapidly, and soon Yu Xing was left with only a tingling, itchy sensation, as if thousands of threads were connecting with the broken area, blood vessels were merging, and the skin was adhering...
A strange sense of oppression filled Yu Xing's mind. He consciously witnessed an uncomfortable foreign object gradually connecting with him, its bizarre shape conforming to his mouth, finally shrinking and connecting with his nerves.
The blood seeped into the surface layer as if it had never flowed out.
When all sensations subsided, without the system needing to say anything more, a new panel appeared in Yu Xing's consciousness.
[Offering: Curse of the Vengeful Tongue]
[Appearance: A section of bright red soft tissue, which is your tongue. It seems to have lengthened slightly, and there is a simple red eye-like marking on the tip.]
[This offering has fused with "Persona Mask: Sachi," and its fusion ability is: ① Form Transformation: The Curse of the Vengeful Tongue will use your tongue as a vessel, merging with it. Because you possess a tongue that is not human, you will gradually assimilate with unknown entities, greatly enhancing your curse power. You can summon branches and vines from the void; besides providing vision, they are also your lips and tongue, allowing you to perceive and transmit.]
The branches you summon are also a part of you; they will develop a tiny, insignificant sense of self.
[②Every word you utter will be imbued with a certain Karma law, influencing the path of your destiny. All your negative words (such as inducement, curses, deception, etc.) will inevitably take effect, the effect depending on the recipient. Each time an effect occurs, you will receive a layer of backlash, rendering you unable to speak for a period of time.]
[③ Activating the tongue tip pattern will grant you a temporary state of ■■ (analysis solution not found). Your body will mutate towards an unknown entity, becoming invulnerable and indestructible, and you will possess absolute clarity of mind, immune to deception and manipulation. However, your malice will increase, your destructive and sexual urges will be greatly amplified, and the binding force of human cognition on you will decrease.]
[Ability ③ cannot be used for more than one minute, otherwise you will not be able to recover. If you die within ten minutes after the duration ends, it will be a true death, meaning you will die instantly and cannot be resurrected.]
[Description: A core rule offering completely integrated with your abilities. It only recognizes the power you possess and therefore rejects the existence of other offerings. But besides that, integrating with it will also bring you some additional experiences, such as occasionally saying things that even you find surprising, and when you're bored, you can even chat with the branches. Although, is this more like talking to yourself?]
[Note: I hope this offering will help you complete your mission in Yin Yang City -- left by the system.]
Immediately afterwards, a title panel appeared.
[Title: Unseeable Anchor (Unique)]
[Unseeable Anchor: ① The more memories you possess, the stronger your anchor points become. When you're in dire straits, discarding some memories can help you temporarily escape danger; all your abilities cannot make you completely lose control. But lost memories are irretrievable. When you remember nothing... you are no longer yourself.]
[②With this title, you can prevent other things from looking at you. Once they look directly at you, your deepest memories will be stolen, and their sanity will decrease. (Active use)]
"After the fusion, you will be in a brief period of cognitive distortion, but with your abilities, it won't last long," the system said. "You can rest assured that I won't extract any deduction Yugi from you until you are fully recovered."
A tremendous force surged within him; Yu Xing heard it, but was too dull to respond.
It seemed to take him some time to adjust, but in this living darkness there was no concept of time, and he didn't know how much time had passed.
It might only last for a moment.
Gradually, the light and shadow before his eyes flickered, the system had long since departed with the darkness, and he could smell the warmth of human life, with the buzzing of voices around him.
Until one moment, he finally awoke from his daze, and the heavy weight covering his consciousness collapsed with a crash.
The sound of voices entered my ears, and everything was clear and bright.
"It's so beautiful! Take a picture of that mountain peak!"
"It looks nice, but it's too cold. Don't go without gloves!"
"Ugh, why aren't we there yet? I'm exhausted..."
"The pavilion is just ahead, and there are vendors selling grilled sausages. Let's rest there!"
A bustling crowd walked through the snow, the sunlight dazzling, life flowing endlessly.
Yu Xing stood under a tree, facing a snowy landscape. A cold wind blew against his shoulders. He realized he was holding a cell phone, and his thumb had just pressed a number.
"...?"
What is he doing?
Upon waking up, Yu Xing saw so many ordinary people from the real world, and she had perfectly blended into the crowd, a question mark slowly appearing on her mind.
I have a bit of a memory lapse.
Where is this? When did he get here? What is he doing?
Whose phone is this? No, who is he calling?
A series of questions made Yu Xing look bewildered, a rare sight for him. This time, he wasn't pretending at all; he could only tell that the snowy scene seemed to be a tourist attraction, surrounded by hikers.
It was freezing cold, and the tourists were all dressed like penguins. He was even wearing a white down jacket with a fur collar tucked to his ears.
He retained a power that distorted vision and senses, and no one could notice him.
Just as Yu Xing was lost in thought, the call was answered.
"Hello?" Zhu Yan's voice came from the other end of the line, "Who is it?"
Yu Xing was starting to lose his composure. Why was he calling Zhu Yan?!
Zhu Yan doesn't know about his disappearance and return yet. If they talk now, Zhu Yan will definitely cry, ask questions, and... well, the situation might get out of control.
Two seconds later, he didn't respond and hung up the phone with some guilt.
After a while, he realized that his condition was what the system called cognitive distortion.
If I had to describe it... he was like someone who was completely drunk, with no idea what he had done while intoxicated, and was utterly bewildered when he sobered up.
After trying to recall for a while, Yu Xing finally managed to recover some of her memories.
It seems that after emerging from the darkness, he was placed by the system near a mountain forest in the real world.
He was dressed in clothes that conformed to the understanding of the real world, and also had some cash on his body. Zhao Yijiu was unconscious, and he was carrying her on his back.
Then... he probably originally intended to return to Mijin City, but along the way he overheard someone praising the recent snow scenery of Dome Snow Mountain as particularly beautiful.
So, for no apparent reason, he went to see the snow scene.
Yu Xing rubbed her throbbing temples.
Fortunately, even though he was "drunk," the ability to conceal his whereabouts using the fused power was ingrained in his instincts. He even managed to take the unconscious Zhao Yijiu on the train, and no one remembered them.
And then... he hasn't thought about what happened next yet; perhaps it will take some more time.
Yu Xing looked around and saw all the signs of life, the signs of death buried under the snow, the withered branches, the dormant seeds... all clearly visible.
He felt it necessary to search for Zhao Yijiu, whom he had taken to the snow-capped mountains.
He didn't lose anyone, did he?
He wouldn't bury Zhao Yijiu like Snowman, would he?
Yu Xing himself couldn't be sure what he had done, after all, he was afraid of himself when he blacked out.
.