My setting is above yours!

Chapter 2 Dissolving Fantasy
Ron frowned and immediately tried to pry open the shackles on his feet.

The bronze shackles appeared to be rusted and could be easily pried open.

He tossed it aside and looked around. The kerosene lamp was dim, casting shadows that made it difficult to see clearly.

He could only make out the rust on the iron bars of his cell. Looking out, he could barely see several other figures slumped in other cells, their chests rising and falling weakly, their feet bound with bronze shackles just like his.

Unexpectedly, the previous era before the Great Cataclysm was a time similar to the Victorian era, which was three or four hundred years earlier...

But before Ron could think any further, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

It was as if a block of ice had pierced his heart, the coldness being pumped into his entire body by his heart, as if a special force was being injected into his body.

[Version 3.0 has been detected; version settings are in progress.]

[Setting taken out: Ember of the Age of Gods.

After everything from the Age of Gods was banished to the stars, the blessings of the gods could no longer reach the earth.

As the last remnant of the burnt-out era of the gods, you are merely able to bear the mysterious embers.

"The Holy Journey of Chasing Fire has come to an end; all that remains in our hands are embers."

—One of the twelve supreme paths, [existence] of ▆▆】

[This is the basic setting for the 3.0 major version. After loading this setting, you will unlock Magic Vision and gain Mystic Affinity, which allows you to accommodate extraordinary traits.]

Setting extraction? What is that?
Ron blinked and looked at the manual panel, only to discover that his player panel was not just a simple personal ability gauge, but also had other functions.

[Player Panel]

Name: Ron

Setting: [Fantasy Dissolution], [Embers of the Age of Gods] (Not Loaded)
So, I arrived in this era with a new setting?
Upon seeing the new settings extracted from the manual, Ron did not hesitate to load them.

But the manual popped up a prompt:
[A conflict was detected between "Setting: Fantasy Resolution" and "Setting: Embers of the Age of Gods". Continue loading Embers of the Age of Gods? (Selecting continue will uninstall Fantasy Resolution)]

【Fantasy Dissolution】? What kind of setting is that?
Ron clicks to view the detailed introduction:

[Setting: Fantasy Dissolution]
Since the "omniscient" Atina hacked the anti-mystical equation into the world, all transcendent fantasies have fallen into the dust of the mundane world.

As humans who have completely erased the influence of the Age of Gods, you are powerless to pursue the mysterious, nor can the mysterious pursue you.

"On the seventh day, God rested from all his work of creation, and I broke his wings and sent him to rest."

—Moen Ideal City, CEO of Tianting Media.

[This is the basic setting for version 4.0. After loading this setting, you will gain resistance to mysticism, increase your mystic repulsion, and neutralize the effects of mysticism on you.]

Let's remove it for now.

Ron did not hesitate to continue loading the Embers of the Age of Gods—his purpose in traveling to this era was to seek the opportunity to take the potion and become a superhuman.

This setup would obviously help him go further down the path of "mystery," so there's no reason to refuse it...

[Settings already loaded: Embers of the Age of Gods]

The next instant, Ron felt the icy sensation, which had previously only flowed within his body, instantly permeate his entire being, reaching his very bones—

His pupils were tinged with the brilliance of stars, and his magical vision was opening, clearing away the darkness before him.

The kerosene lamp's flame was no longer dim, but instead rose with a bright, dark green light.

Everything in sight suddenly took on a different luster, and everything in Ron's field of vision transformed into a new appearance.

The cold steel fence became warm, and the spots that Ron thought were rust spots became vivid.

He finally saw his cell clearly... The bars were not steel, but scarlet limbs stretched into long, thin shapes, forming a fence.

It was stained with dried blood. Looking out, you could clearly see prisoners in other cells writhing and groaning on the ground, trying their best to tear off the gleaming scarlet shackles on their feet, but they tore their flesh and splattered blood because they used too much force.

Although his ears were filled with piercing wails and screams, Ron no longer cared about them.

Because right in front of him was the very corpse he had noticed at the beginning, slumped in the corner, already rotting and infested with maggots…

Braving the crimson light that symbolized danger, she opened her eyes, which were half-eaten by insects, and looked at him!
What is this?
Why does it look so much like the zombies summoned by that magician?!

It's just more ferocious, more terrifying, and obviously more horrible!
Could it be that the magician summoned a supernatural being from this era?

Ron's mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. He watched as the rotting corpse, its claws outstretched and its pupils trembling, noticed him and staggered toward him. He felt an indescribable sense of chaos rising in his mind.

At that moment, everything became blurred. Ron clearly felt a bone-chilling cold creep up his spine, as if he had fallen into the deep sea and could barely breathe.

His rationality was being eroded in this moment, and for a split second, even he, who was usually calm, stopped and stood frozen in place—

Then, the rotting corpse walked over step by step and got right in front of him!
His rotting eye sockets glowed red, and he opened his mouthful of rotten teeth, emitting a foul, putrid smell.

Just inches away, Ron saw him open his mouth wide, and yellowish-green saliva dripped onto his shoulder, sending waves of burning pain through him...

Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!

Get out of the way!

Ron roared inwardly, but his hands and feet seemed to be bound, and he was completely unable to move.

Only when a cold, icy notification sound rang in his ears did the daze and confusion in his mind shatter, severing the magic that was binding him and bringing him back to his senses:
[Player's sanity has been detected to be decreasing due to unacceptable magical pollution. Uninstall the setting: Embers of the Age of Gods?]

I'm about to lose my life, of course I have to uninstall it!

Ron snapped out of his daze and, in his panic, kicked the rotting corpse.

But the light, rotting corpse wasn't kicked away as expected; instead, it jolted Ron's foot so hard it hurt, as if he'd kicked a concrete wall.

If he couldn't kick it, so be it. He used the momentum to jump back, and with a few steps back, he quickly retreated to the edge of the fence. Without hesitation, he opened the manual and uninstalled the setting "Embers of the Gods".

But nothing has changed.

Everything before him had lost its shimmering glow, but still retained its terrifying appearance.

Even the fence of limbs, which had been barely moving before, began to stir restlessly, like a shark smelling blood, because of Ron's approach.

Ron had no doubt that if he got any closer, those limbs would immediately come to life and excitedly tear him to pieces!

But he had no choice but to leave.

The rotting corpse was shrieking as it rushed toward him, its swollen, bony claws brushing past him, leaving a distinct stench of decay.

That's the smell of death.

There is nowhere to go, nowhere to retreat.

Almost everything within reach... can bring about a fatal crisis!

Why is this still the case?
Ron's forehead was covered in a fine sweat as the rotting corpse continued to rush towards him, lunging and biting him.

He could almost see his throat being ripped open, his heart being torn apart, and finally his bones being crushed and his marrow sucked out, leaving him as a mangled corpse scattered on the ground...

But, in this life-or-death moment, he suddenly remembered the shackles he had just casually torn off.

He immediately understood the key to it.

Mysterious! Mysterious! It's because of a resistance to mystery!
These monsters are the most obvious form of mystery!

The instant the rotting corpse lunged at Ron, he punched the corpse's head with his fist while simultaneously clicking on the manual to load the setting [Illusion Dissolution].

"boom!"

The sound of a heavy punch hitting a sandbag rang out, and then the piercing shriek disappeared.

The stench of decay was wiped away in that instant, replaced by the grassy scent of moss.

The once as hard as steel, decaying corpse rapidly became shriveled and decayed in an instant. The next moment, it collapsed into ashes.

The snow-white gray scattered everywhere, and a piece of jet-black finger bone fell to the ground, bounced a few times, and made a tinkling sound.

At the same time, Ron felt as if his brain was being boiled, and he was momentarily dazed before regaining his senses.

Only then did he realize that the bloody fence, the prisoners' screams, the gleaming scarlet shackles... everything had suddenly changed.

It's like being pulled away by God's great hand, erased by the eraser that wipes away the world—

The scarlet, eerie colors have all been stripped of their vibrancy, returning to their original cool tones.

The stone brick walls covered with moss, the cold and rusty steel fences, and the black finger bones half-buried in the snow-white ashes, gleaming with a steel-like luster.

The sound of a steam train whistle came from outside the window, its clanging echoing through the prison, mingling with Ron's rapid breathing.

He looked at the pile of ashes with lingering fear, his mood far from the calm he had felt when he first arrived.

He saw a prompt pop up in the manual:
[The "Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" is being eroded by excessive "occult influences."]

[Performance impairment: 29%]

[When the feature impairment reaches 100%, this setting will be temporarily unavailable. The setting will be automatically patched upon returning to a major version that uses this setting.]

It turns out that [Illusion Dissolve], despite suffering 29% damage, directly erased the mystery from this rotting corpse.

That's why it turned to ashes in that instant, as if it had been burned to ashes.

"Ding."

The manual beeped, and Ron looked at it to see new text popping up on the screen—

[Enemy defeated: Corpse Shell!]

[Because you defeated the enemies of the world's "Potion Age," you have unlocked a new record.]

New records?

Ron saw a new interface pop up on the screen, displaying a full-color image of a giant husk similar to the corpse standing there, surrounded by several obviously thin and broken members of its kind kneeling.

[Primitive Extraordinary Creature: Corpse Shell]

"Perhaps you will see such terrifying monsters in ancient underground prisons or cold, gloomy cemeteries—"

A figure, dragging a crippled leg, raising a swollen arm and a broken hand, staggers into your field of vision.

This is a corpse shell, a supernatural creature transformed from the body of someone who died unjustly.

Inherent settings—

[The Nature of the Dead]: The evil magic of [death] infuses vitality into the remains of the unjustly killed, reviving them in the form of corpses. Their resentment makes them instinctively hate the living and attack any living thing they encounter.

【Ignorant Servant】: As unconscious supernatural beings, due to magical guidance and influence, more powerful and potentially intelligent advanced corpses can control their lower-level counterparts, causing them to exhibit absolute obedience.

[First defeat of the enemy "Corpse Shell," setting extraction in progress.]

Defeating these monsters might unlock new settings?
This prison is clearly not simple; there are obviously more monsters waiting for him in its depths...

If we could kill those monsters, wouldn't we be able to unlock even more settings?

Ron seemed thoughtful as he continued looking at the manual:

[Setting Excerpt: Ignorant Servant]
The dead are merely playthings in your hands; you manipulate the magic of death, drawing upon their unconscious nature.

[Upon loading this setting, you will possess the special ability of a husk, allowing you to control low-level husks that have not yet developed intelligence.]

Control has not produced a low-level, unintelligent shell?
Upon seeing this, Ron couldn't help but think of the husk that the magician had summoned with all his might.

The husk was much weaker than the one Ron had just killed, and clearly had no chance of awakening any intelligence.

Therefore, as long as Ron loads this setting, he can easily control the magician's summoned creatures and make them turn against him...

So, even if he returns to Ideal City now, wouldn't he still have a chance to defeat the Magician?

Ron seemed to be deep in thought when he suddenly noticed a faint glimmer of light flickering in the pile of ashes from the corpse.

what is that?
Ron was curious and immediately started rummaging through the small pile of white ash. After a simple process of crushing the bones and scattering the ashes, he quickly found a finger bone.

The finger bone exuded a chilling coldness, its crevices stained with a deep black.

Presumably, in the magical realm, this finger bone should be radiating pure black magic.

What is this... a remnant of a corpse?

Could it be some kind of extraordinary material?

Just as Ron was examining the finger bones, a sudden burning sensation came from his chest, reminding him that he still had a magic book he had been carrying around...

He picked up the magic book and found that he could finally open it—

Unfortunately, I can only turn one page.

Upon opening the first page, a passage of text appears:
[Potion Recipe]

[Death] Sequence Nine "Gravekeeper"

"Potion ingredients: a finger bone of a wronged person + a consecrated item + 100 ml of pure water + 13 g of algae + 20 g of blood clots from birds."

"Method of making: Place the finger bone and the consecrated object together and ignite them, then heat the mixture of pure water, algae and blood."

Above this text, the finger bones of the wrongfully killed are shining brightly!

A Sequence Nine... potion recipe?!

Ron stared in slight astonishment at the spellbook in his hand, then at the severed finger bone, a sense of absurdity rising within him.

Clearly, this finger bone is the "finger bone of the wronged" mentioned in the recipe.

Unexpectedly, the problem of "how to achieve extraordinary things," which had troubled him for more than a decade, was half solved within minutes of him arriving in this world.

Aside from the fact that "blessing items" are obviously a bit hard to find, the other materials are easy to gather in Ideal City...

In other words, as long as Ron finds a consecrated item in the Potions Era, he can return directly to Ideal City to create the [Gravekeeper] potion and become a Sequence Nine extraordinary being!
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel excited, but after careful consideration, he calmed down.

Unfortunately, gathering all the necessary materials is far more difficult than accidentally obtaining a finger bone.

The consecrated items can only be found if he escapes the prison, but the duration of [Illusion Dissolved] is limited, and Ron may not be able to escape the prison before it is completely dissolved.

Especially now that [Illusion Dissolution] has been reduced by 29% by a single corpse, if you're unlucky enough to encounter a monster stronger than the corpse...

Wouldn't Ron be immediately exposed and torn to pieces?
Thinking of this, he glanced at the rusty bars of the cage with a hint of apprehension.

Although the iron bars look harmless now, Ron hasn't forgotten how grotesque and flamboyant the limb cage looked in the Magic Vision.

Perhaps... even this cage is better than that corpse.

So, let's go back to Ideal City first.

Since we already have a setup that's strong enough to defeat that old magician, we can wait until [Illusion Dissolves] is fully repaired before exploring the prison.

Ron was thinking to himself, putting the finger bone into his pocket, and was just about to use the manual to leave this era when he suddenly heard an extremely hoarse voice:

"how did you do it?"

Is someone talking?
Ron looked in the direction of the sound and was shocked to find that the gaunt figure who had been slumped on the ground in the next cell and locked in bronze shackles had actually stood up shakily!
This person… no, this living corpse that looks like it just crawled out of hell—

Now, it's staring intently at me with its reddish eyes!

　The internal investment agreement has already been signed; those interested in investing can consider it.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)