Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

"It saw me, and I'm absolutely certain it was looking at me."

"Because, when I lowered my head in fear, I discovered that my limbs were covered with dense, blood-stained feather patterns."

"After that, for a considerable period of time, I didn't dare to look up."

"I'm afraid to see the sky, afraid to see the sun, afraid to see the clouds, and sometimes I even see rain as blood."

"I am afraid of those boundless wings, afraid of the giant eyes that suddenly open on those wings."

Even when I live a life of quiet contemplation, I always feel that... He is watching me from time to time.

Ethan looked at Wayne and stopped the story.

Wayne paused, then asked, "Is that all?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"What else? What else do you want? It's just so inexplicable."

"I was terrified at the time and didn't know what special characteristics were. It wasn't until later, when I was fighting someone and on the verge of death, that I felt the mysterious power within me, the mysterious power that came from Him."

It was truly inexplicable and indescribable.

It was only glanced at and noticed that it acquired its characteristics.

Moreover, Ethan seems to be similar to the messenger; before acquiring his traits, he did not plan according to the five-dimensional standard, but was simply a result of being noticed and selected.

Of course, the fact that Ethan is able to achieve a symbiotic balance with the pollution and stabilize his internal characteristics is mostly because two of his five dimensions have reached the required standard.

Wayne continued, "Isn't it said that we need to pay a certain price for the Old Ones to bestow traits, like... the kind we often see in the Bureau, using mysterious rituals to communicate with the Old Ones, thereby completing the sacrifice and receiving the traits?"

Ethan nodded and continued recalling:

"cost……"

"Actually, I don't know what price I paid. Since joining the Special Bureau, I have been searching and thinking about many kinds of prices: emotions, body parts, personality... but I have no conclusion. In the end, I can only think about lifespan. Perhaps I sacrificed my lifespan."

"Of course, people with special characteristics tend to have short lifespans, but mine might be even shorter."

Ethan's tone was very optimistic.

It seems that the Bureau of Special Cases' old sequence system is incomplete, and there may be insufficient information for special cases like Ethan.

Therefore, Ethan has never faced the past up close.

Wayne turned to Lillian: "Lillian, what were the circumstances when you acquired your trait?"

Lillian sat up straight and listened attentively as soon as she heard the story being told.

When it was her turn to tell the story, she began to organize her thoughts and recall:

"At that time... I was in a secluded church, receiving a mysterious ritual."

"At the beginning of the ritual, there is a feeling of death, just like before birth. There is no consciousness, no perception, everything is nothingness, and you can't even feel the concept of nothingness."

"But there was a subtle... indescribable feeling, I felt my soul was falling, falling to the bottom of some unknown space."

"I don't know how much time passed, but I slowly developed a kind of perception. I sensed that I was surrounded by boundless darkness. Although it was darkness, as long as it wasn't nothingness, I felt a primal curiosity and a thirst for knowledge."

"I wandered aimlessly in the darkness, unable to find anything to rely on, until I looked up... or rather, I raised my senses, and I discovered a blurry gray light above me."

"Using that gray light as a reference, I realized that I wasn't floating on a flat plane, but was constantly rising, gradually moving closer to that gray light."

"As I floated upward, I saw countless souls around me, rising with me."

"As I got closer to that gray light, as the darkness was dispelled, I saw the souls around me falling down. I saw them plummet into the darkness below and disappear completely."

"Until I touched that gray light, my vision brightened, I woke up, and that's when I gained the ability."

It seems that Lillian has never truly faced the past either.

"I see."

Wayne sighed softly:

"The situation I encountered today is different from yours. That ancient being... He came before me, but He did not give me any special abilities. He only said that He would devour me tomorrow, but I suspect it was not in the physical sense of devouring me."

Ethan noticed Wayne's doubts and suggested:

"Is He... communicable?"

Communication? He spoke human language, but I couldn't speak at all.

Wayne continued:

"Communication? I couldn't say what I wanted to say in front of Him at that time, and I wasn't even conscious. You should understand that feeling."

Ethan recalled the information he already knew about acquiring the property:

"I think communication is key. As far as I know, we cannot communicate with the Old Ones under normal circumstances, but the Old Ones can see through us with just a glance. The essence of the mystical ritual is also communication, but since you messengers can face the Old Ones directly, it is possible for you to communicate with them face to face."

Wayne nodded in agreement:

"That makes sense. Could it be related to my low level of willpower? My willpower is only 1 point, just an ordinary person's level. If my willpower were higher, would I have a chance to regain a sliver of clarity in His presence?"

Ethan said:

"Theoretically, that's how it is. As long as you can maintain a sliver of clarity, even without saying a word, He can see right through your thoughts and thus achieve communication."

"learn."

Can you stay even a little bit clear-headed?

It is difficult to improve one's willpower in a short period of time; one can only rely on external aids.

Wayne looked at the string of dark blue beads made of soul-amber wood on his wrist.

The section chief initially said that this thing was a rare item, mixed with some unknown contamination, and had a positive effect of protecting one's will, but also a negative effect of making people unsettled.

But even though I wore this string of beads all night, I still couldn't resist the pollution, and I didn't even feel a little unsettled.

Even if I had been a little distracted at the time, I might have been able to regain a bit of my composure.

Could it be because the contamination inside the Soul Amber Bead wasn't fully released, resulting in insufficient strength?

Now, all we have is this one mysterious object related to willpower, which is our only breakthrough.

Wayne examined the Soul Amber Bead in his hand and secretly made up his mind:

If another unforeseen circumstance occurs, crushing the beads should release all the contaminants inside at once.

Whether it's a matter of maintaining one's will or a wavering mind, it's possible to bring me back to my senses.

As long as I retain some consciousness and am watched by Him, as His messenger, communicating with Him will most likely yield results, at least I will be able to figure out how to acquire the attributes.

The prerequisite is that I can clearly remember this plan at that time; otherwise, I'm afraid there will be no chance to implement it.

With a clear idea in mind, Wayne stopped dwelling on the problem and began to focus on his current nightmare.

In nightmares, the progress on the panel is ten times that in reality.

With a thought, Wei En saw the twisted threads before him converge.

【physique】

[Breathing Lv.1 - Empty Breath] Progress 30.4%

[Sports Lv.1 - Extreme Body] Progress 0.11%

[Feeding Lv.1 - Digestion] Progress: 62.4%

【Spirit】

Knowledge Lv.——

[Perception Lv.1 - Observation of the Microscopic] Progress 65.6%

[Charm Lv.1 - Affinity] Progress: 60.4%

[Features] (Locked)

"During the competitive eating contest, I was completely unaware of bringing up the control panel."

"While chatting with Ethan and Lillian, my Charm skill is also increasing. In nightmares, the easiest skills to improve are Movement and Breathing."

"With the progress of the [sports] event improved, let's look forward to the battle later."

【Extreme Body: The entire body's muscle fibers undergo abnormal reconstruction, instantly stimulating the body's potential and mobilizing specific body parts to their physiological limits】

The fragments of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord's Secret Scripture" are outside the room, in the southern cemetery shrouded in crimson mist, in the cave beneath Benjamin's tomb.

With the equipment now, plus the combined strength of Lillian and Ethan, the chances of obtaining that fragment are very high.

With these thoughts in mind, Wei En spoke:

"Alright, thank you. Your experience in acquiring traits has been very helpful, but now, if we want to get out of this nightmare, we still need to defeat that rat mutant."

At the same time, he opened the rat extermination kit on the bed.

Flamethrowers, incendiary bombs, chemical agents, and rodenticides.

"These are all equipment from the bureau. If you two need any equipment in the future, you can let me know in advance, and I might be able to bring some in."