Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

With a mechanical ticking sound, the central air conditioning, which had been silent all night, suddenly blew out a blast of hot, warm air.

At the same time, a figure suddenly appeared on the otherwise empty and neatly arranged double bed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the familiar room.

He almost instinctively got up to observe his surroundings, not even noticing the strange changes happening to himself.

The room's layout was slightly different from what Zhang Wei had left, but not much different from when he checked in. Apart from the backpack leaning against the corner that hadn't been moved, everything was spotless.

But before he left, he clearly left a half-full bottle of water and several empty snack bags on the table in the room, just to make sure he would spend the time inside the "silhouette" after entering it.

But now all of that is gone.

This proves that time has not frozen, but continues to flow.

During this time, my body was not in the room, which is why there were signs that the room had been cleaned by the cleaning staff.

Zhang Wei didn't care whether anything was missing from his backpack; what he cared about was the current time.

Looking at the faint light shining through the curtains, Zhang Wei subconsciously touched his body.

Zhang Wei took his phone out of his pocket, looked at the date January 17th on the screen saver, and breathed a sigh of relief:

"Thankfully, only one day has passed!"

While in the silhouette, Zhang Wei had been vaguely worried about the time flow between the silhouette and the real world.

Although in his mind, online novels often freeze time completely in the story, making the entry and exit points exactly the same to ensure the continuity of the plot, Zhang Wei was facing a real experience, not a fictional novel, so time could not be used as a reference.

But it seems things are alright now!

Seven days in the silhouette, only one night in the real world, and the blank phone screen without any messages made him completely relieved of his original worries.

Zhang Wei licked his dry lips and then focused his attention.

Strands of crimson aura surged forth from the void like a tide, transforming into a thick blood-red mist that enveloped him as he sat by the bed.

Golden glints occasionally flashed through the mist, and amidst the crimson expanse, one could vaguely see a once robust body rapidly wasting away...

But Zhang Wei couldn't care less about any of that.

More precisely, his attention was completely drawn to the subtitles that filled his retina:

[Congratulations, Traveler, on completing the main quest and passing the first [Silhouette] trial. Your identity has changed, and the nameplate is being crafted. Please wait a moment.]

[Currently experiencing the Silhouette Walker journey... Complete the main quest, explore Liu Family Village, discover statues (Kitchen God, Earth God, Door God...), slay 3 monsters, kill the Animal Creator Beggar, overthrow the Evil Temple... Your performance in this Silhouette journey has been evaluated as: One in a Million (Courageous).]

Rewards include 3 chances to select all [silhouette] items (already consumed), 2 chances to perform a qualified idol sacrifice, and 1 chance to select a selectable character's spell or skill.

Based on the fact that the Traveler has not consumed any resurrection attempts, these attempts have now been converted into the Traveler's lifespan.

All items whose ownership has been transferred to the traveler have been taken out; please collect them yourself.

Time until the next silhouette is reached (7-49 days)

Note: The arrival time of the silhouette can be lengthened or accelerated by special items or divine gifts, and the time can be reset by actively going to the [Silhouette].

Different silhouettes reflect different real-world time flows; please choose carefully!

This reward... seems pretty good?

As the focus shifted, the subtitles floating on the retina began to change.

The first thing Zhang Wei was curious about was the rating mechanism.

At the most basic level, simply completing the main quest will earn you a mediocre rating, or perhaps a slightly below-average rating like "flustered" or "panicked." Depending on how many side quests you complete, how many hidden maps you unlock, and how many Easter eggs you find, you'll receive ratings like "one in ten," "one in a hundred," "one in a thousand," or "one in ten thousand." Higher-level ratings are not displayed because Zhang Wei hasn't yet achieved them, but it's likely they exist.

"Courage" is a comprehensive evaluation of the traveler in the "Silhouette" section. The entry says it has an impact on the hidden mechanism, but the subtitles don't say what the specific impact is, and Zhang Wei doesn't know either. However, it does not affect the final reward of the "Silhouette" section.

As the subtitles say, the subsequent rewards allow him to choose whatever he likes, such as magical skills. But what surprised Zhang Wei even more was the number of times he could offer sacrifices to the gods.

Although he has the blessing of the ancestor and can receive many rewards beyond the normal, who would complain about having too many tricks up their sleeve?

After reading all the reviews and some annotations, the Traveler's Nameplate, which is currently under construction, has been freshly made.

[Traveler: Zhang Wei (real name)]

Lifespan: 74 (53+21)

Realm (Cultivation/Level of Expertise): None

Blessing: Kitchen God x2

Props: "The Five Arts of Shenxiao", Golden Cup and Silver Plate, Token, 1x Qingfeng Qi, a certain amount of Dimai Qi, Spell Money, Soul-Stirring Bell

Techniques and spells: True Yang Arrow, Qi Refining Technique, Strengthening Skin and Bones

Spells: Sun and Moon Condensation Technique, Yazi Fighting the Universe Diagram, Calling the Name of the Fallen Soul

Zhang Wei was slightly taken aback when he saw the nameplate.

The concept of cultivation realm is incomprehensible. After all, whether it is a ritual or the spells taught by the master, they are all methods to increase strength and lay a foundation. There is no method to discuss realms. The last page of the Shenxiao Five Arts Manual also says that if there is a moderate and peaceful cultivation method, he can choose to cultivate it himself. The Qi Refining Method is a method of absorbing and releasing spiritual energy to strengthen life, which does not conflict with cultivation methods.

To put it more bluntly, one increases the base stats, while the other increases the level and raises the maximum mana bar.

He could understand that. Anyway, he didn't have any skills that required mana. Not having Taoist cultivation or power didn't mean he had no way to deal with things. Apart from not being able to use the Yazi Technique to save people, it had almost no drawbacks!

Not to mention supplementary methods like calling out to the fallen and the True Yang Arrow.

Among the many regulations displayed on the nameplate, Zhang Wei was somewhat shocked to learn that he still had fifty-three years of life left.

His lineage, starting with his grandfather, had a history of short lifespans. His grandmother passed away in her early sixties, his grandfather died at sixty-eight or sixty-nine, and his father, Zhang, followed him in his early fifties. As for Zhang Wei himself, he didn't feel that his lifespan would be very long; he just wanted to live to a reasonable age.

But he is now twenty-three, and with fifty-three he will be seventy-six. Although this is still less than the average lifespan of people in the world, it is not a short lifespan for him!

And this is his original lifespan, plus the extra years from the number of resurrections, which would bring him to 97 years old, just three years shy of becoming a centenarian.

How should I put it? Surprisingly, it felt pretty good.

The remaining skills, spells, and magical items were mostly things he already possessed, so there was no need to savor them again. The only small surprises were the lucky charms and the unknown little bell he had found on the old beggar.

Winning coins

Quality: Semi-ritual artifact

Amulet coins, also known as talisman coins, are a type of talisman. The term "talisman" originates from ancient witchcraft, which began in the Western Han Dynasty and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Based on the incantations engraved on the surface of the copper coin, as well as the casting materials, techniques, and the ability of the maker, amulet coins are believed to have the effects of conveying good fortune, warding off evil spirits, ensuring peace, and protecting the home.

Effect: This amulet is for warding off evil spirits and protecting the wearer. The coins are made of copper and depict the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. This particular amulet is a dragon coin. Collecting all twelve amulets will grant a stronger warding-off effect and improve the quality of the item.

The Bell of Drowsiness

Quality: Objects with a touch of spirituality

Effect: It can cause confusion and simplistic control over living beings with weak will and unstable spirits. When combined with spells and items, it can better confuse others and manipulate their minds.

Note: Objects refined through evil rituals have unstable spirituality and have not yet become magical artifacts. The previous method must be continued or a different method must be used for refinement. Otherwise, the spirituality will gradually disappear and the object may revert to an ordinary object.

Amulet money?

Good stuff. Zhang Wei doesn't need it, but he can give it to his mother for self-defense.

After all, with a traveler like him in this world, it seems normal for there to be a few more demons and monsters.

As for the Soul-Stirring Bell... it's alright, but it overlaps somewhat with the scope of the Calling-for-Name-and-Destitute Bell.

In contrast, while the bell has the added ability to control others and is not restricted by knowing their names, its effect is ridiculously weak and it must be crafted into a magical artifact to maintain its effect consistently.

This thing... well, Zhang Wei felt it wasn't of much use to him, and he didn't want to give it to anyone else, so he just left it to gather dust for now...

After examining the nameplate and placing the pile of odds and ends that had exploded from the void beside the bed, Zhang Wei pushed aside the crimson mist before his eyes and looked expectantly at his [Silhouette] reward.

Before his eyes, illusory orbs of light appeared out of thin air in the room, and as Zhang Wei's consciousness shifted, the items and descriptions within them also appeared before him.

These items included hunting logs he had collected from Liu Family Village, a large, deadly sword, a killing blade, chicken blood, Blind Wang's talisman, and the mutilated flesh and blood of the unsacrificed wild boar king and the old cat-monkey...

After browsing through them one by one, Zhang Wei selected the astragalus and ginseng that his master had used to replenish his foundation.

These two medicinal herbs, along with some auxiliary ingredients, make up a perfect offering for a sacrificial ceremony.

Although ordinary objects can be offered as sacrifices as long as they meet the needs of the deity's worship, the effectiveness of the sacrifice cannot be guaranteed.

These two medicinal herbs are perfect; they not only enhance the effect, but the remaining offerings can also be used to nourish the family members.

As for why he didn't eat...

After settling the [silhouette] and returning to reality, Zhang Wei finally understood what his prospective master meant by "emptiness."

In the short time it took to return to the real world and sit on the bed sorting out the rewards, Zhang Wei went from slightly chubby to lean, and then to a normal physique, achieving the basic goal of being muscular when undressed and slim when dressed.

In that brief moment, his body underwent unimaginable changes:

Rapid shrinkage followed by expansion, repeated fine-tuning and reconstruction of flesh and bones... The skin on the body and the flesh of the body have been torn countless times, and the feet are piled up with layers of dried skin covered with blood scabs, reaching up to the calves.

These are just the external changes; the internal changes are much more complex.