Chapter 368: Test Results and a New Challenge

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Looking at everyone who was about to head deep into the blood mist, Ansu opened the 《Future Diary》 he carried with him.

Celia had been taking inventory of the potions and magic scrolls, but catching a glimpse of the exquisite notebook in his hand out of the corner of her eye, she subconsciously leaned closer.

Meeting her peeking gaze, Ansu curled his lips helplessly.

“This notebook...” Celia blinked curiously. “Is it what you use to record future information?”

“Smart,” Ansu said, nodding.

“No wonder you're always so keen on writing things down. It turns out you just don't like keeping a regular diary...” She leaned in even closer, her tone carrying a hint of righteous probing. “Let me see?”

“Not yet,” Ansu suddenly closed the notebook. “But... you'll find out sooner or later.”

He paused, his gaze landing on her face as he promised:

“You'll know everything.”

“Oh...” Celia looked slightly disappointed, but she didn't press further. Instead, she turned to look at the others, who were fully prepared and ready to go.

The six of them were split into three groups, partnering up in pairs to head deep into the blood mist zone to search for the Filthy Heart based on the coordinates marked on Ansu's map.

Ansu also looked over. The first group to set off consisted of Vera and Altina.

In the previous simulations, although the team had found the Filthy Heart, he had been dragged directly into the illusion as soon as he got close. Thus, he only knew its general location—specifically, southwest of their current teleportation point.

Vera and Altina walked side by side, maintaining a vigilant posture. Gradually... their figures were swallowed by the churning blood mist.

Ansu in his mind summoned the simulation system.

【Future】

【10 hours later (October 16, 18:11), consumes 50 points】

【Remaining points: 103】

【Beginning simulation...】

The world in front of him suddenly froze, and darkness surged in like a tide...

When he opened his eyes again, the blood mist world seemed unchanged, but the temporary camp was already in utter chaos.

Ansu looked over. Near a tent not far away, Altina was holding a cup of water, trying to feed it to Vera, only to have it violently swiped away by the seemingly possessed girl.

Vera's deep blue eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at the blood-colored mist. She kept muttering unintelligible whispers, completely trapped in a state of emotional hysteria.

Altina crouched beside her, gently soothing her. “Isn't your brother right over there? He never said he didn't want you.”

“Ansu won't abandon you, so don't worry. Come on, be good. Drink this inhibiting serum, and you'll feel better after a little sleep.”

She coaxed Vera like a child, finally managing to get her to lie down and rest. She then turned her head toward Ansu and flashed a helpless smile.

Ansu gave her a look of deep gratitude.

On the other side, Danielle and Sean were arguing heatedly, once again transforming into a bickering couple.

Ansu listened for a long while. The two seemed to be accusing each other of being possessed by a demon again. Furthermore, their words were laced with decades of accumulated marital resentment and various trivial grievances...

Though they deeply loved each other, fear had magnified every crack in their relationship. Looking at them, they seemed ready to fight to the death right then and there.

Ansu deeply felt the terror of “bringing up old accounts”...

He subconsciously glanced at Celia.

Celia was keeping a close eye on the two, worried that the fight between the two demon hunters would damage the camp. She was clearly prepared to step in and control the situation at any moment.

The final group was Professor Duncan and Valger, and their condition was just as bad.

Professor Duncan was lying flat on the ground, surrounded by manuscripts covered in formulas and rune calculations. He roared at the bickering couple nearby, “Keep it down! Don't disturb my thinking!”

After shouting, he buried his head back down, muttering to himself like a madman.

“As long as this paper of mine is published... once it's published, I'll definitely make a name for myself!”

“I'm going to make a triumphant return to the Royal Academy! I'll show all those people who looked down on me!”

Meanwhile, Valger crouched in a corner of the camp, one lens of his glasses shattered, looking disheveled and dazed.

He clutched a small locket containing a photo of his daughter, staring blankly at the picture. There was no telling what he had seen in the illusion.

The camp was in a noisy uproar. Although everyone had gone dark... it was well within Ansu's expectations.

He flipped open the 《Future Diary》 in his hands. The ten-hour simulation record filled the pages.

Though the handwriting was hurried, it was highly organized. All the test results he wanted were there.

【Test 1: Are the illusions interconnected?】

【For the Vera and Altina group, because Altina was protected by her amulet, the illusion ultimately only affected Vera.】

【The married couple, Danielle and Sean, were always synchronized in the illusion. Based on their subsequent fragmented descriptions and the data from the portable mana fluctuation detectors, they seemed to have experienced the exact same "fear event."】

【The connection between Professor Duncan and Valger was much weaker. Their illusions only had brief intersections, and they likely served as "NPCs" in each other's worlds, with their respective "main storylines" being completely independent.】

【Through the results of these three test groups, it is confirmed that the illusions are not completely independent. The depth of the emotional bond between the intruders directly determines the degree of correlation between their illusions.】

The deeper the emotional connection, the higher the overlap of the illusions, Ansu thought to himself. In that case, he and Celia would definitely enter the same illusion.

Ansu breathed a sigh of relief. Since it was a multiplayer game, this gave them a foundation to work with.

Aside from this, the diary also recorded some other valuable pieces of intelligence.

【The Filthy Heart's method of attack is to induce people to end their own lives.】

【The perception of time within the illusion is warped. While several days might pass inside the illusion, only a few minutes might pass outside. The window of opportunity to act is much more generous than expected...】

That was all for the ten-hour simulation record.

In the remaining time, Ansu verified several other hypotheses.

For example: How could one maintain consciousness within the illusion?

After some deliberation with Celia, the solution was quite simple.

When the Filthy Heart induced fear, it had to be a moment of extreme spiritual fluctuation.

They could design a "spiritual fluctuation monitoring" formula. Once the fluctuation reached a certain threshold, it would force-activate 【Etheric Blink】, interrupting the illusion's influence and restoring consciousness.

This new magic Celia had painstakingly researched had finally come in handy.

Although 【Etheric Blink】 couldn't block a false god's curse, it was more than enough to break free from the Filthy Heart's illusion.

The simulation ended, and his consciousness abruptly returned to reality.

【Reality】

【Radiant Calendar, October 16, 625, 08:11】

【Rating: D+】

【Reward: 12 points】

【Remaining points: 115】

Ansu immediately put away the notebook and looked up at Celia.

Meeting his astonishingly bright eyes, Celia was taken aback for a moment before she smiled and asked:

“Why are you suddenly so excited? Did our next plan succeed?”

“It will!” Ansu's tone was firm, as much to reassure himself as her. “We've at least succeeded halfway.”

Celia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long, finally settled. She had always trusted Ansu's judgment.

“That's good. You've been carrying all this pressure on your own for so long... Things are finally taking a turn for the better.”

“Next,” Ansu said, tightening his grip on Celia's hand as he looked toward the direction of the Filthy Heart, “it's our turn to go in.”

Celia nodded. “Mhm!”

...

Once everything was ready.

In the afternoon, the two of them stepped into the depths of the blood mist together.

After walking for less than an hour, the ground beneath their feet began to look strange. At first, there were only scattered dark red nodules, but they quickly grew denser until they were almost joined together.

The earth beneath them was crawling with writhing nodules, the filthy mana so dense it was almost tangible.

“Ansu, are we there?” Celia subconsciously gripped his hand tighter, warily scanning their surroundings.

The path they had come from was completely swallowed by the scarlet, leaving nothing in their sight but the boundless blood mist.

Ansu stopped walking. “This is it.”

According to his experience in the simulation, the moment they arrived, the Filthy Heart's mental attack would trigger. The illusion would not give them any time to prepare.

Yet, he had still underestimated the speed at which this power penetrated. Almost the very instant the words left his mouth, the world in his eyes began to warp.

Ansu felt his consciousness growing heavier and heavier. He tried hard to see Celia beside him, but her outline was already beginning to blur, merging with the churning blood mist around them.

A long time later...

He blinked.

When he raised his hand again, only a trace of fading warmth remained in his palm.

He looked blankly to his side. It was completely empty now.

Just now...

Who was holding my hand?

His memory felt shrouded in a thick fog. Frowning, he walked forward aimlessly.

After only a few steps, a door suddenly appeared.

It was an incredibly ordinary, old wooden door, but its edges and corners were wrapped in writhing flesh, giving off a bizarre sense of discordance.

His feet moved uncontrollably as Ansu stepped forward and gently pushed the wooden door open.

The moment the door opened, soft, warm sunlight instantly enveloped him.

Ansu froze on the spot, looking around in confusion.

It was a deeply familiar, old living room. Warm golden sunlight spilled in at an angle, with dust motes drifting lazily in the beams of light.

Was this... his home in Benalu City?

But right now...

The massive house was so quiet that only the sound of his own breathing remained.

He was the only one home.

...

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