Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Finally, Su Zhisu plunged his blade into the dim core of the Abyss Anchor Binder.

A dull cracking sound rang out.

The Abyss Anchor Binder's body collapsed like a sandcastle, scattering across the ground.

[Network Notification]: You and your teammates defeated "Abyssal Anchor Binder (Weakened) (Lv.7)" and gained a small amount of experience.

[Rewards]: 300 Disaster Coins, 100 Iron Coins

[Current Dungeon Erosion Level]: 15%

"The rewards have indeed been reduced... The experience points are negligible, and the loot is only 300 Disaster Coins."

Su Zhisu was not surprised.

"The remaining anchor hasn't dissipated yet, let's try using the Gathering spell..."

He walked to the pile of wreckage, squatted down, and placed his palm on the largest piece of rusted anchor fragment.

"Gathering spell activated..."

[Network Notice]: The first time this unit is collected, a perfect collection is triggered.

[Obtained]: 500 Iron, 1 Blank Obsession Core

[The core of an obsession remains blank]

[Quality]: Excellent (Green)

[Additional 1]: Container: After holding a strange item, sacrifice it to a ship to add a skill to the ship. It can also be used directly to add a detachable strange item equipment slot to yourself.

【Additional 2】: Activation: After inserting an Emotion Crystal, infusing it with Mystic Power can activate the corresponding emotion, causing an area-of-effect effect. Emotion Crystals can also be consumed to charge Mystic Objects. Note: Currently, only Emotion Crystals of Green Excellent quality or lower can be inserted.

[Information]: A pure container formed from the lingering resentment of a dungeon boss after its destruction; extremely rare. Higher quality is required to unlock more effects.

Su Zhisu was startled and carefully put away the crystal-clear core that emitted a faint white light.

"A blank core of obsession? After use, it can equip bizarre items and imbue the Redemption with skills?"

"And it can even stimulate emotional crystallization?"

"...This thing is extremely valuable!"

The two continued their exploration.

After the erosion level dropped to 15%, the beach appeared much "cleaner," with not even the faintest twisted fragments visible.

Soon, they arrived back in the middle of the flat beach.

The small music box remained lying there quietly, as if it had never been moved.

The crying face pattern on the surface looks particularly eerie against the backdrop of pale sand.

"We meet again... With the core of obsession, I'm much more confident this time."

Su Zhisu stopped in her tracks, not daring to approach rashly.

Lilia gripped her staff tightly, equally tense.

The pale beach was deathly silent, save for the viscous sound of the dark red "seawater" slowly rising and falling in the distance, like the breathing of some enormous creature in its slumber.

The small music box lay quietly in the center of the flat "sand". The crying face pattern on its surface was particularly glaring in the dim light, like a solidified tear stain.

Su Zhisu's gaze did not fall on the person's face.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze focusing on the rough wood grain on the edge of the music box.

"Lilia, don't look at that face..."

"Be careful, this is the first step, you absolutely must not make eye contact with it!"

I took a deep breath, and the cold, rusty air filled my lungs, bringing a sense of clarity.

He slowly closed his eyes, and the world plunged into darkness.

With vision blocked, hearing and perception become exceptionally acute.

Lilia's tense breathing came from not far behind her, along with the whistling of the sea breeze through the gaps in the wreckage...

And there's my own heart, with its steady, resonant beating.

"Ready."

In the darkness, time seemed to stretch out.

A few seconds, or tens of seconds?

A soft "click" sounded, and the lid of the music box opened.

The ethereal, melancholic melody flowed out like an invisible stream, seeping into Su Zhisu's ears and into his mind.

Without visual distractions from the surrounding environment, the music box's music becomes purer and more... penetrating.

An indescribable sadness, like a cold tide, silently washed over my heart.

"Sadness...pure sadness."

At that moment, he remembered many things.

The lonely courtyard of my childhood, the blurry silhouettes of my parents as they left, the chill in my heart when I first faced the larva of the Deep One…

Those not-so-profound emotions that had been deliberately suppressed in my heart were now magnified infinitely, as if they had turned into heavy lead weights, weighing on my chest.

Su Zhisu did not resist.

He felt the sorrow spreading through his body, cold and heavy, but not chaotic.

He tried to take a step forward; his steps were heavy, but he could still control them.

"You can move! As long as you don't see faces, you won't be forcibly locked in place!"

Keep moving forward, heading in the direction from which the music is coming.

One step, two steps... Each step made a slight sound as it landed on the soft gravel.

As he drew closer, the music seemed to become clearer, and also more... sorrowful.

"The closer the music box is, the stronger its musical influence."

The tide of sorrow is rising.

This time it was no longer a simple regret, but a deeper despair, as if everything had been lost.

The empty eyes of the inhabitants when Atlantis fell, the resolute determination of Nautilus as he burned his essence, the barely perceptible weariness at the corner of Cthulhu's mouth as he ignited the power of dreams...

These images, which he would never normally notice, surged uncontrollably into his mind.

"Why me? Why do I have to bear all this?"

A thought slithered into my mind like a venomous snake.

"This world is so twisted, so full of suffering..."

"What's the point of my life?"

Su Zhixu stopped abruptly, her body trembling slightly.

The grief was so intense that it almost drowned him.

The thought of giving up was like a whirlpool, pulling at his will.

"We can't stop! If we stop, it's really all over!"

"What I wanted when I came into this world..."

"This is true freedom!"

He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain jolting his nerves.

Just then, he felt a faint, cool sensation from the blank core of obsession he was holding.

"Now!"

Su Zhisu suddenly opened his eyes!

Instead of looking at the music box, he stared intently at the core of obsession in his hand!

Without hesitation, he immersed his mind into it, and at the same time, retrieved the failed product he had obtained during the purification of the [Emotional Crystal]—the [Twisted Crystal (Chaos)].

Just as a mixture of sadness and anger can lead to impulsive suicide.

"A mixture of single emotions is too dangerous..."

"In that case, let the storm rage on!"

He slammed the distorted crystal against the core of his obsession!

At the same time, the strange and dormant power within his body acted like a fuse, frantically pouring into the core of his obsession!

"Buzz—!!!"

The core of the obsession erupted with a blinding, chaotic light!

The chaotic, multicolored emotional energies, like enraged dragons, instantly broke free of their restraints, colliding, tearing, and merging with each other!

A violent and chaotic emotional storm erupted, centered on the core of obsession!