Special Item Drop, Departure

Special Item Drop, Departure

[Your Familiar has completed a long solo hunt. The following is its list of hunting gains.]

[Evolution Points: 1700/1500]

[Trait Improvement: None]

[Special Item: Attribute Core +1]

[Because your Familiar is injured, it can set out again after evolving or resting for six hours.]

There had already been 700 Evolution Points left over, meaning Little One had only gained 1,000 Evolution Points from this hunt—less than last time. Its traits had not improved at all, and it had even been injured. But...

Xu Zhi's gaze settled on the Special Item section.

"Is it because of this energy core?"

It was something she had never seen before. Was that why Little One's gains this time had been so much lower than before?

Xu Zhi opened the game inventory and, sure enough, found a small gray crystal inside. It looked a little like a diamond fragment. Unlike the dazzling brilliance of a diamond, though, it merely flowed with a dim gray light.

She selected the core, and a word appeared beside it: [Moth].

[Congratulations on obtaining your first Attribute Core. Now, perhaps you would like to learn something about it?]

[Please choose: Yes, No]

"Attribute Core?"

Xu Zhi immediately thought of the attributes possessed by both of her Familiars. Both of them were [Blade].

She tapped Yes, and a new line swiftly appeared in the center of the screen.

[All things possess traits and affinities. These can collectively be referred to as: attributes.]

[Energy naturally possesses attributes as well. All Aberration monsters may produce energy cores corresponding to their attributes within their bodies. The stronger the monster, the greater the likelihood.]

[Attribute Cores are precious. They involve an unspeakable secret, and they divide intangible power, allowing it to descend into the mortal world rather than remain lofty and unreachable.]

[There are eight major categories of attributes. All living things are drawn to the attribute most compatible with them. You have obtained the core of Moth. Is it drawing you in? Or are you drawing it in?]

After those words faded, another option popped up.

[Would you like to briefly learn about the Moth attribute?]

Xu Zhi stared at the word [Moth], utterly confused. She desperately needed an explanation.

When she pressed Confirm, the Narrator appeared again.

[Moth: wild and perilous, the principle of chaos and Craving.]

[Moth is the law of change, fancy, irrationality, intuition, seeking, chaos, Craving, passion, nature, and Woodland. It is connected to forgetting and casting aside unnecessary things. Its characteristic lies in secretive, unstable behavior.]

[You have briefly learned about the Moth attribute. Other attributes will unlock once you possess the corresponding Attribute Cores. As for the specific function of Attribute Cores, please explore them yourself.]

"That's it?"

Xu Zhi could not help asking aloud, but the Narrator gave her no further explanation.

The girl's lashes trembled slightly as she looked at the description of [Moth] on the screen, revealing the unrest in her heart.

Her first instinct was that everything related to [Moth] had nothing to do with her. After all, she had always been an obedient, well-behaved child—repressed and dull. But on second thought, she realized that it suited the person she had become.

Or rather, it suited her heart, not her outward appearance.

Now, she would do dangerous things based on instinct and speculation. Since being trapped in this Dead City, her thoughts had constantly changed. Her ideas were unstable, and even her actions were no longer rational. Even when it came to killing that girl—though she could no longer truly be considered human—less than a day had passed, yet when Xu Zhi thought back on it, little Fear remained. What she remembered was the excitement and intensity of that moment.

She thought of something the Narrator had said: Is it drawing you in? Or are you drawing it in?

Xu Zhi raised her gaze and stopped looking at the Game Console screen. Over the past few days, she had occasionally felt that, in this empty house and this city that was no longer normal, she was undergoing some indescribable change. But until now, she had never seriously examined those changes. Only when the Narrator abruptly pierced through them did she suddenly realize that, in just a few days, she seemed to have become another person.

Oh, no. It had been her all along—one version of herself that had been suppressed, and another that was gradually letting her nature free.

Once she realized that, the girl smiled.

She had always been beautiful, with the cool, distant face of a beauty. Even her pupils were a pale amber, carrying a natural sense of distance and mystery. Yet her excessively thin body and pale complexion added a hint of sickliness to her. Cheap, outdated clothes hung casually on her frame, while her poorly tended hair was somewhat dry and yellow. One look was enough to tell that she was severely malnourished.

Like a glass porcelain vessel that had never been properly treasured, she barely maintained a delicate exterior through sheer natural beauty. But inside, she was already cracked and damaged, lingering at the edge of shattering. It felt as though, if someone drew just a little closer, they could hear the sound of her about to break.

Yet no matter how rough she looked, her smile was still beautiful. At this moment, it carried a clarity she had never possessed before, as though even the sickly air around her had been lightened by that smile.

Xu Zhi suddenly no longer cared so much about being abandoned by her biological parents. That did not mean she had let go or forgiven them. Rather, she had finally understood completely what kind of person she was and what she ought to do. Why should someone like her remain trapped in such sorrow and resentment every day? She clearly had more important things to do.

If they met again one day, she would still take revenge for their abandonment. She would never forgive those who had betrayed her, no matter how many reasons or excuses they had.

But that was all. She did not need to let this matter consume any more of her time, energy, or emotions.

Merely having her long-hidden true nature exposed made Xu Zhi feel as though she had undergone a complete transformation.

From this day onward, she would completely bid farewell to the past. The demands and codes of conduct her parents had repeated in her ears over and over again were decisively cast aside by her as [unnecessary things].

Even those two parents were the same.

As though her mood could affect her body, Xu Zhi felt that at this moment, her body seemed to have grown a little lighter as well.

Silently, a line of text suddenly appeared on the Game Console screen.

[You have undergone a certain transformation. You have lost some things, and gained some things.]

When Xu Zhi lowered her head and picked up the Game Console again, she saw those words.

"...What kind of cryptic nonsense is that?"

After a moment of speechlessness, the girl switched the interface to Little One.

The accumulated Evolution Points could be used to level up again, but considering that Midnight would arrive soon, Xu Zhi first had Little One hurry over. Before Midnight descended, she had Little One evolve and rest immediately afterward. Once she had also arranged for Little Dog to find a safe place to rest, it was finally Xu Zhi's turn.

"...Why does this feel like going to work?"

The girl silently pulled the blanket over herself and grumbled. After setting her alarm, she fell into a deep sleep.

When the alarm rang, Xu Zhi struggled twice before climbing out from under the covers.

She hurriedly took out the Game Console and woke both Familiars. After arranging for Little Dog to go hunting, she had Little One come to the entrance of her home.

Before Xu Zhi placed her suitcase on the wheelchair, pushed it to the door, and opened it, she was still a little nervous.

This was her first time meeting one of her Familiars!

In the game, even though she knew Little One was already as large as a python, it had always been on a palm-sized screen in a pixel game. It had never felt real.

This was her first time seeing a snake in the real world! And a huge python at that!

With a mixture of curiosity and excitement, the girl pushed open the door. Only when she truly saw the black snake coiled outside did she finally let out a sharp breath of relief.

It was not as if she had not worried that the in-game map might simply have been modeled exactly after reality.

But at this point, even without a Familiar escorting her, she had to leave while everything was asleep.

Fortunately, the thing she feared most had not happened. Her Familiar truly existed in reality.

Though less than twenty-four hours had passed, Xu Zhi could already smell the stench coming from the corpse beside her.

Without changing expression, she stepped out of the apartment. Looking at Little One, which was probably five or six meters long, she did not feel afraid at all. If anything, she felt a little fondness.

Still, as she watched it stare straight at her, Xu Zhi seemed to sense its eager desire to cling to her. Yet for some reason, it did not dare approach her directly. It only gazed at her with those narrow pupils, full of longing. If Xu Zhi had not been able to sense its feelings, she might have thought Little One saw her as prey.

"A strange connection, but not a bad one."

Little One was a snake. Even though it was a massive python, Xu Zhi truly had no idea how to make it carry her luggage, so she could only place the suitcase on the wheelchair and push it herself.

Fortunately, after Little One evolved again, her body had received a small amount of nourishment. She could at least walk slowly for a while. Otherwise, even if she wanted to leave, she probably would not have the strength to run.

However, Little One had not thought that much. Its tail flicked, easily hooking the suitcase off the wheelchair and setting it behind itself. Then, as if showing off, it lightly tossed the suitcase into the air with its tail before steadily catching it again.

The sight gave Xu Zhi quite a fright. She hurriedly said, "Stop! I know you're amazing! But there are fragile things in there! Don't break them!"

The girl looked a little exasperated. She had probably never expected her Familiar to be so "childish."

Still, Little One had now reached Level 12, and its stats had changed again. Its Body had reached 640, while its Mind had reached 160. A suitcase was not enough to trouble it.

The apartment elevator still worked, probably because its backup power had not yet run out. After pressing the button for the ground floor, Xu Zhi sat back down in her wheelchair without the slightest guilt.

Why stand when she could sit? Besides, she was in poor health!

The wheelchair was much faster than walking, after all.

While waiting for the elevator, Little One occasionally flicked its tongue and made faint sounds. Xu Zhi felt that it was deliberately trying to draw her attention. Though she could not understand its noises, she could seemingly sense the emotions radiating from every part of it. They were simple and easy to understand. If translated into words, they would probably be: Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me. Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle, cuddle, cuddle, cuddle.

Honestly, it was childish—and a little noisy.

Xu Zhi never would have imagined that one day, she would find a mute snake noisy.

Were snakes really this lively and clingy?!

Xu Zhi endured it. After all, it was her Familiar. It was their first meeting, so she could understand it being a little excited.

Then something cold, with a faintly slick texture, swept over her ankle. Caught off guard, Xu Zhi broke out in goosebumps.

There was no doubt—it was the snake's tail.

A vein throbbed on Xu Zhi's forehead. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned to the black snake beside her and demanded, "What are you doing?"

The black snake stared at her, tilted its head slightly, and obediently flicked its tongue. It looked utterly innocent.

—Ding.

The arrival of the elevator interrupted Xu Zhi. Looking at Little One, she said helplessly, "Don't touch me suddenly, understand? It's really scary!"

The black snake flicked its tongue again. It looked a little wronged, but it still nodded with surprising humanity.

Only then did Xu Zhi guide her wheelchair into the elevator.

When the elevator reached the first floor and opened, thick Black Fog streamed into the elevator through the gap in the doors.

Once she guided her wheelchair completely out of the apartment building, all she could see was black fog and the vague outlines of surrounding buildings. Beyond five meters, even the buildings were impossible to make out.

Through the game's perspective, Xu Zhi understood that a Familiar's eyes could see more clearly through the Black Fog than a human's. After evolving, Little One could now see extremely far. So she looked at the black snake and said, "Little One, lead the way. Stay alert for anything nearby." With her first Familiar beside her, Xu Zhi stepped into the Black Fog for the first time.

I really enjoy playing Cultist Simulator and some of its settings, but the book is not the same as the game. Some things have been simplified and altered, sort of like the difference between modern Cthulhu-style works and the original Cthulhu?

You do not need to have played Cultist Simulator to enjoy this.

If you have played it, do not immerse yourself too deeply in the game's setting while reading. The book's setting takes precedence.