I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Was it a cockroach? A rat? Or perhaps... that comically smiling rag doll?

With a sanity level of 80, Lu Ban knew that he should explore the area ahead later.

He sat up, checked his phone; it was 12:30.

Thirty minutes have passed since that last experience?

He found it incredible.

Five hundred heartbeats in thirty minutes—if your heart rate is fine, then that frequency is way too low.

After such a long period of oxygen deprivation, he should have died long ago... Lu Ban didn't dare to think about it further.

All talk of demons and monsters is idealism.

One's own cognitive consciousness is also idealistic.

Therefore, as long as you don't pay attention to it, ghosts and monsters can't harm you!

As expected of me.

As he thought of this, he saw the font on the phone screen distort, turning into cold, impersonal system text.

Congratulations on completing the task!

Settlement will now commence.

[Mission Exploration Progress: 30%]

[Task Completion Status: Mediocre]

[With your eyes closed, you couldn't see the true nature of this room, but regardless, after exchanging greetings, you are now friends.]

[Gained Silence Points: 100]

[Reward for New Player Tutorial: Inherent Skill: All or Nothing]

[Received a career reward: a video that cannot be opened at night]

Settlement complete

[Having gained inspiration, have you felt a strong urge to create?]

[Choose to complete career development tasks and receive advanced rewards]

Welcome back to the Silent Land!

As the words faded, Lu Ban subconsciously glanced again at the dark shadow under the edge of the bed.

Just then, his phone suddenly beeped.

Lu Ban hurriedly opened it and saw that a video file had suddenly appeared in his phone's memory.

The file name is: "[A video that cannot be opened at night]".

Chapter 004 [A Desperate Gamble]

A simple and unpretentious name.

Lu Ban thought for a moment and resisted the urge to open the video file immediately.

After all, I told him not to turn it on at night; he didn't necessarily want to do something so reckless.

Putting down his phone, Lu Ban casually flipped open the book that had once suppressed Lanlanlu's doll, "The Stars of Humanity."

However, Zweig's poetic words have disappeared, replaced by the system's cold and austere panel description.

Name: Lu Ban

Occupation: Director

Education: Bachelor's Degree

……

[Willpower: 80]

[Education: 70]

Luck: 20

[Rationality: 76]

Silence Points: 100

[Unique Skill: All or Nothing]

Upon opening his personal panel, Lu Ban discovered three things.

First, his rationality dropped by four points.

Secondly, the rewards for the beginner quests have already appeared on his panel.

Again, an entry for Silent Points, which resembled a system currency, appeared.

Finally, there's the section on his profession; the original lead-black text has turned dark green, making it seem like it can be clicked on.

"Is the reason for the loss of rationality due to experiencing what just happened?"

Lu Ban had some exposure to horror movie theories and related literary works, and knew that in some world settings, human rationality could be quantified, and seeing terrifying things would lower rationality until it became 0, leading to complete madness.

Just this one exploration under the bed and it cost me four points of sanity? That's a bit of an exaggeration...

Lu Ban didn't know how to regain his composure, so he could only accept it as a fait accompli.

He looked at the dark gold text that read "Desperate Gamble," and next to it, the words describing the great composer's life had transformed into an explanation of this unique skill:

【put all one's eggs in one basket】

【inherent】

[This ability can interfere with the operation of the Silent Land; it can be used once per mission.]

Below these descriptions are several lines of small, gold-embossed text.

Dice originating from an era that cannot be traced back.

[A legendary item capable of altering fate]

Once the ball is thrown, even the gods cannot interfere with its outcome.

Even with such immense power, the dice are still at the mercy of others.

Or perhaps, the deity who created it used it to glimpse the fate of all living beings.

Those who try to control their destiny will ultimately be devoured by it.

Beside these enigmatic, riddle-like explanatory texts, a pair of lifelike dice are drawn in a classical style. Unlike ordinary six-sided dice, these dark gold dice have ten sides, with numbers from 0 to 9 written in cursive script, exuding an eerie beauty.

"So, if you encounter trouble during a mission, you can try your luck with this die?"

Lu Ban seemed to have grasped how to use this inherent skill.

Simply put, it's a safety net skill. If you're lucky, you can escape even the wrath of the gods; if you're unlucky, a minor scratch might turn into a fatal injury.

As a steady player, Lu Ban felt that he couldn't wait until he was in a crisis to use this skill. In other words, he had to be well-prepared and preferably avoid using this skill altogether.

He wasn't currently on a mission, so he couldn't use it. He looked at the [Silence Points].

Based on Lu Ban's experience, this item should be able to be used to purchase goods provided by the system, or to exchange for something.

With a shift in thought, Lu Ban flipped through a few pages of the book in his hand, from a composer who had become a genius overnight to a general who was defeated at Waterloo. The words on the book were distorted, turning from a bitter and grand narrative poem into cold and indifferent data entries.

"Sure enough, you can use this to buy things."

Lu Ban saw that next to the words "Silent Department Store" was a blacked-out option with gray text indicating that at least 5000 Silent Points were required to unlock it.

Clearly, he cannot make a choice yet.

Let's see what's in the store.

He took a closer look.

Good guy.

Lu Ban exclaimed, "Wow!"

This online store doesn't have any classic works of art or entertainment for purchase; instead, it offers a variety of strange and unusual items.

"So this wasn't originally an entertainment system? Then what's the point of choosing a profession at the beginning?"

While puzzled, Lu Ban casually glanced at a few items.

An out-of-control revolver

【excellent】

[An ordinary and unremarkable revolver]

[The shooting accuracy is not high, but it can sometimes be surprisingly effective.]

This pistol once belonged to a detective who went to investigate the ruined city.

In a moment of crisis, she chose to fire, but accidentally hit her companion.

"I've dealt a heavy blow to my teammate!"

Price: 666 Quiet Points

……

[Interdimensional Stealth]

【excellent】

Stealth Techniques

[Use with caution if contaminated]

Skilled thieves from the Black Tower are often able to conceal themselves in the shadows; this was the precursor to stealth.

However, excessively advanced techniques often lead to unpredictable consequences.

"Hey buddy, if you're lucky, even the gods might not be able to find you!"

Price: 777 Quiet Points