He had to admit, there was something indescribably absurd about this world's power system.
Lin En rubbed his chin.
But if a sequence like the one she had just described really existed...
Didn't that mean he could stop training his waist strength and start training his neck instead?
An image instantly sprang into Lin En's mind: someone going duang, duang, duang like a woodpecker.
It seemed he had just unlocked some strange new knowledge!
"..."
Lin En quickly shook the image out of his head. Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, he asked uncertainly:
"Wait, did you just say that the first Origin Substance everyone awakens is in their brain?"
Hana Ye froze, then widened her eyes.
"Um, that's what the book says."
The first Origin Substance was located in the brain.
The second Origin Substance was located in the heart.
Because these two Origin Substances appeared in such unusual locations, replacing them was extremely troublesome. As a result, the first two Origin Substances generally determined a person's potential and aptitude.
After listening to Hana Ye's explanation, Lin En couldn't help pondering it.
"So, in other words, if the Origin Substance in someone's brain gets dug out, they die?"
Hana Ye immediately replied with a (๑＞︶＜)و expression:
"Isn't that obvious? Of course they do! With their head cracked wide open, how could they possibly still..."
Crack-
Lin En lifted off the top of his skull.
"..."
Then, under Hana Ye's blank stare, he removed his warm brain and examined it closely.
"Then take a look for me. There's a hole right here in my brain. It doesn't look natural; it feels more like someone operated on it. Do you think it's possible that I actually had an Origin Substance, but someone dug it out?"
He squeezed the hole, and liquid immediately seeped out.
Creak-creak-
Hana Ye watched blankly.
[Ding! Hana Ye's Sanity -40!]
Urk-
Hana Ye toppled backward, fainting from fright.
"..."
Lin En froze, then covered his eyes in exasperation.
"Damn, how did I forget again? Seriously!"
You're human! Human! As a bona fide, pure-blooded human, you can't just pop your brain out whenever you feel like it! Do you want to fit into human society or not?
A few minutes later.
Hana Ye slowly came around.
The moment she opened her eyes and saw Lin En, every hair on her body stood on end. She was about to scream with an (ΩДΩ) expression, but Lin En clapped a hand over her mouth.
Lin En stared at her with dead-fish eyes. "All right, no screaming! Do you want your butler and the others to find out? Nod if you won't scream! If you do, I'll eat you!"
Hana Ye nodded tearfully.
Only then did Lin En release her.
Hana Ye immediately plopped onto the floor and clutched her head, o(╥﹏╥)o. "I know you're a Great Demon, but that's still way too scary! Waaaah..."
Lin En said with a (▼皿▼#) expression:
"Enough nonsense! I'm asking you a question!"
Like a little wife being coerced, Hana Ye frantically flipped through the book, (ó﹏ò｡).
"Um... see for yourself. If you have an Origin Substance, it should be right here..."
Her little finger pointed to the spot marked on the brain in the illustration.
Creak-
Creak-
When she turned her head blankly, she saw that Lin En was already holding his brain in one hand. With the other, he had stuck two fingers into the hole at the back and was digging around with disturbing vigor.
Every time he dug, liquid squeezed out of the brain.
Yet he kept forcing his fingers deeper, without caring whether they would actually fit.
[Ding! Hana Ye's Sanity -40!]
She... felt a little numb to it now.
"Is... is there anything?"
"No."
Deep in thought, Lin En shook the liquid off his hand and put his brain back in.
"But judging by the depth, it's roughly where the diagram says the Origin Substance forms. So I strongly suspect someone tampered with this body's brain. When I descended into him, the top of his skull was already open. And I don't have many of his memories."
Hana Ye listened blankly, her entire body turning gray.
A Great Demon!
There was absolutely no mistaking it!
He was a terrifying Great Demon who had taken over someone else's body!
o(╥﹏╥)o!
And she was the Great Demon's little wife, helping him do evil. Waaaah.
Hana Ye! At this rate, Lady Valkyrie would definitely punish you someday!
"Then... do you have any plans?"
Hana Ye pressed her legs together nervously, (ó﹏ò｡).
Lin En thought it over carefully and said:
"Until the lockdown is lifted, I definitely can't go back to Gear Street. But if possible, we can visit the place where I descended tomorrow. Maybe I'll find some clues about my identity."
Because no matter what happened...
If he wanted to establish himself in human society without an identity, people would easily get suspicious, however he looked at it.
A few minutes later.
"Aaah-"
With a (*￣︶￣) expression, Lin En tossed aside the sheet wrapped around him and flopped onto the soft bed. His whole body sank into it, and he felt every muscle relax.
So this was a little girl's bed?
Not only was it soft, it carried the fresh scent unique to a little girl. It had been a full ten years since he had properly slept in such a soft bed.
Thinking of his miserable life over those ten years nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Besides only being able to wriggle around like a tadpole...
He had been chased by a bitch trying to hack him apart every day.
If he had any choice in the matter, he never wanted to return to that hellhole!
"All right, it's too late today. Tomorrow, come with me to investigate my identity first. Once I figure out who I actually am, everything will be much easier! As for right now..."
Lin En lay on the soft, spacious bed with his eyes closed.
Ah!
He didn't want to move a muscle anymore.
"What are you even talking about?!"
Hana Ye stood there clutching a towel, her little feet curled inward, (ó﹏ò｡).
"How can you just take over Hana Ye's bed... I brought you upstairs because I wanted you to sleep in the guest room next door... waaah..."
"Didn't I leave room for you?!"
Lin En was exasperated.
Hana Ye immediately protested, o(≧口≦)o. "Are you kidding?! I'm a girl! How can I sleep in the same bed as a boy?! And we only met today! You're being so rude!"
With his eyes closed, Lin En said:
"But aren't you already my wife? Isn't sleeping with my wife perfectly natural?"
"Uh..."
Hana Ye's expression instantly went blank.
His argument did seem airtight. For a moment, she had no idea how to refute it.
Hana Ye hugged her arms, (ó﹏ò｡).
"Well, that's true... but..."
If they slept together already, there was a real chance he'd bang her!
No! That wasn't okay!
An image instantly appeared in her mind of herself going to the academy with a huge belly.
Boing-
A shiver ran from the soles of her feet to the tips of her hair, straightening even her curls.
Her expression went blank.
No! Absolutely not!
｡ﾟ･(＞﹏＜)･ﾟ｡
B-but if she didn't get into bed, would he get angry and eat Hana Ye right up?!
Or would he force himself on her first, then eat her?! Or eat her before banging her, then bang her before eating her!
Eep!
(Scared)
Clutching her head, she said with an (ó﹏ò｡) expression, "Um... um, Lin En, could I..."
Lin En: "zzZ"
"..."
Hana Ye, o(≧口≦)o: "Did you have to fall asleep that fast?!"
Click-
The door closed.
But a few seconds later, Hana Ye's eyes peeked back inside. Gripping the edge of the door with both little hands, she whispered:
"I... I'll go next door for now! Tomorrow, Hana Ye will bring you a set of Dad's clothes. Don't make any noise, okay? If the butler finds out, he'll definitely tell Dad what happened today. And if Dad finds out Hana Ye brought a man home, Hana Ye will definitely be killed!"
Lin En: "zzZ"
Night fell.
The room was dark and silent.
Only the faint candlelight filtering through the gap beneath the door illuminated the lavish walls.
But unnoticed by anyone, the eyes of the portrait in an oil painting above the head of the bed suddenly seemed to gush scarlet blood. Sticky tentacles slowly extended from its eye sockets, one after another.
And at the head and foot of the bed, in the reflected candlelight...
They crowded together.
Like countless hands, they slowly reached toward Lin En's bed, seeming hesitant, yet also wary.
But just then...
Suddenly...
Creak-
Downstairs, the sound of the Castle's front door opening rang out.
In an instant, all the shadows vanished, as though they had never appeared.
"I'm back..."
It was the weary voice of a little girl.
Before you continue