Chapter 67 Chapter 67 - Nourishment (Part 2)
The Tainted Miasma mist showed Suthia trying to comfort Pire, wanting to say something encouraging to him.
However, Suthia realized she couldn't do it because she knew that although Her Lord was fond of her, none of her suggestions would ever be heard by him.
She could only watch as Her Lord, shrouded in his cloak and trench coat, with a face expressionless or rather completely obscured, walked in. He took away the contract amidst Pire's cries, not uttering a single unnecessary word before leaving.
The scene in the Tainted Miasma shifted again.
The focus was now on Hina, a young girl filled with romantic dreams. Her restless night, spent in the same cabin as Suthia, was marked by her incessant inquiries about her Emperor.
Hina.
She was a love-struck girl because, during the night, she was awake in the same cabin as Suthia, incessantly asking Suthia to tell her more about Her Beloved Lord.
"Hey, Sis Thia, what does Lord Ashen like to eat?"
"Hey, Sister Thia, do you think Lord Ashen will wear the necklace I gave him?"
" Sister Thia, can you tell me about my awakening tomorrow... After advancing to [Danger Rank] what kind of new ability will I get? I'm so excited!"
"Hey, Sister Thia, do you think... if I confess to His Majesty during tomorrow's promotion ceremony, would he accept my feelings?"
Hina, initially three stars, was an ability-based class, with a very good skill set, at least for Renji who was still in the early stages. Renji had high hopes for her, even using precious 'Eclipse Source Essence' to upgrade her.
That night was clearly a pivotal one - the eve of promotion in the game world.
However, the scene in the Tainted Miasma quickly changed.
Hina, who had been blushing with excitement and hope, imagining a future as her Emperor's trusted aide and yearning for his affection like Suthia, was now...
kneeling on the ground, with a terrible expression, her eyes devoid of any light or spirit.
Renji sighed deeply.
The reason he remembered Hina was because he distinctly recalled that this ability-based character, whom he had placed great hopes on, awakened a completely useless, trash skill after advancing to [Danger Rank], a disappointing turn that marked her downfall.
Visible to the naked eye, further nurturing Hina would have been a waste of resources, and her future looked bleak.
In his frustration and anger, he had directly used his [Reset] ability on Hina.
Renji still remembered his ranting in front of the screen at that time.
"Is this it? I can't believe it! Is this game designed to mess with people's minds? Get lost! Spit out all the resources for me and go eat dust in the sewer! Jerk!"
That was how he was back then, a reclusive shut-in, engulfed in the darkness of his own home.
Now that he thought about it, he realized that he had complained about the outside world being dark and malicious, but in reality, he was no different, just venting all those negative emotions in the game.
Perhaps that was one of the original purposes of inventing games.
In the image in the Tainted Miasma mist, Sister Suthia, the kind-hearted nun, couldn't bear to see Hina, who had fallen from heaven to hell in just one day, and had become a completely "broken" girl..
She tried to comfort Hina, but this time, Hina's dialogue was even more cruel than the previous scene with the young boy.
"Are you here to mock me?"
"Yeah, why? Why is it that only Sister Thia has such talent? Why is it that only Sister Suthia can receive Lord Ashen's love? Why isn't it Sister Suthia who had her contract taken away? Why isn't it you?! ""Wuu... Wuuu wuuu aaahh!"
Hina lashed out at Suthia, cursing the nun's hypocrisy. Suthia became the outlet for the girl's breakdown, but Suthia did not retaliate. She silently bore it all, at least diverting the malice away from her Emperor.
There were many more scenes like this, many more.
These were just a glimpse of the other "contractors" under Renji's command, apart from the top five outstanding "Six-Star" Eclipsed contractors.
Renji's principle was to concentrate all resources, not seeking breadth but excellence. All other three-star, four-star, and even five-star contracted Eclipses were merely nutrients.
They were the nutrients he used to cultivate those five top-notch "six-star" Eclipses.
The Tainted Miasma mist finally dissipated slowly, and no more images appeared.
Through Suthia's perspective, through the perspective of the game characters, Renji finally understood completely why Suthia had gone mad, why she was afraid, and even terrified of being abandoned by him, no matter how much he tried to explain.
Indeed,
In the eyes of the characters in the game, he, as "Thier Master and Lord" was someone who valued strength above all else, someone who always wore an expressionless face, and showed no mercy.
And even Suthia had become like this under the high pressure, Renji couldn't imagine what had happened to the other four.
Only at this point did Renji truly understand.
The second playthrough was no longer a simple cultivation game.
It was...
A horror game.
---
----
On the other side, slightly back in time.
-Blackhole Plains --slum area.
In Eileen's living room, a burst of holy light flickered momentarily. As the light faded, it revealed the mother and daughter, teleported back from the church sewers.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, the girl could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She held her mother and hurriedly ran to the inner room, carefully laying Nolan on the bed.
Afterward, Eileen went to the kitchen, wanting to prepare some food for her mother. However, when she opened the refrigerator and found it empty, she realized that she had been through so much these days that she hadn't even had time to take care of the house.
In desperation, the girl had no choice but to make a phone call for help, reaching out to Brian. It was also a way to let Brian know that they were safe.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel