Chapter 561 - 274: A Midnight Rendezvous

Chapter 561: Chapter 274: A Midnight Rendezvous

A stream of distorted text scrolled downward like a data feed.

There was more below, a dazzling array.

This single pot had cooked up quite a few things.

[You have successfully comprehended ’Phase Walking’!]

[Acquired permanent status: "Madness Infection"!]

Zheng Xiu stared intently at the lines of tiny, fly-speck script until his eyes ached.

When Zheng Xiu confirmed that the "strange thing" cooked up in the Large Cauldron could indeed be called an "Incarnation," he first couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, which was quickly followed by a look of pure joy.

’No matter what I cooked up, at least it had to be an Incarnation.’

His biggest fear was that he would "cook a foot and only get a foot." In that case, he’d be beyond tears, having wasted a blank Character Card for nothing.

The new Incarnation of Madness, fresh from the pot, stood with a hunched back. Long iron chains dragged from the shackles on its hands and feet, making it look just like a bound lunatic.

"Abyss Walker?"

"A special character?"

The Abyss Walker’s appearance filled the Heart Prison with an oppressive, grim atmosphere. And yet, Zheng Xiu felt a dissonant sense of joy, the kind one gets from a great pull on a ten-draw gacha.

’This is fucking perfect.’

Zheng Xiu gave it a mental thumbs-up.

After emerging from the pot, the "Abyss Walker" shrank, transformed into a streak of black light, and zipped back to the Game Table, becoming a tiny figurine.

The pitch-black figurine had an oversized head. From behind its iron mask, two red eyes stared out, dim and lifeless. It looked less like an avatar of Madness and more... adorably blank.

Zheng Xiu sat upright, holding the Character Card, and silently recited the name.

"Zheng Kuang."

’The new Incarnation’s name.’

This Incarnation’s mouth was sewn shut; it couldn’t speak or communicate. The name was purely a designation.

A moment later, a wisp of black flame flared up, branding the new Incarnation’s name onto the card. Zheng Xiu couldn’t wait to check his new character’s Attributes.

...

[Name] Zheng Kuang

[Birth] Abyss Walker

[Path] Walker

[Epithet] The Mad

[Age] 336 (In his prime)

[Muscle Strength] 18 (Formidable)

[Rapid Walk] 52 [Phase Dash]

[Constitution] 30 (Impervious to illness)

[Appearance] 2 (Fresh Lotus)

[Madness] 23 [Madness Infection]

[Destiny] 1 (Hated by gods and loathed by ghosts)

[Physique] 23 (Tall and graceful)

[Scholarship] 0 (None)

[Traits] [Abyssal Claw (Peak of Perfection)]

...

Zheng Xiu stared at the black Character Card, his jaw hanging open.

The new Incarnation, cooked up by the "Large Cauldron" and the "Dark Cooking Skill," had a style that was clearly and completely at odds with his other characters.

It was like a creature from another world entirely.

Zheng Xiu muttered to himself, analyzing the new stats.

’Walker? Is that a branch of Wandering? Or... a similar Path?’

’Three hundred and thirty-six years old? And that’s considered "in his prime"? What the hell?’

’The Muscle Strength is a bit low, but that’s fine. I can grind it up slowly.’

’Phase Dash? When an Attribute breaks its cap, it produces a new "variation." I’ll have to set aside some time to figure that out.’

’Appearance... Two? Two?! Two?!? Fresh?? Lotus???’

Zheng Xiu was completely baffled.

Although he had added relevant "Restrictions" during the cooking, he never imagined the Appearance could get this low. If it dropped any further, would it break the cap on the negative end? Would he end up with the face of an Ancient God or something? That was a bit much.

What surprised Zheng Xiu even more was that a paltry two points in Appearance was rated as "Fresh Lotus." ’Do certain entities have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a "Fresh Lotus" is supposed to look like?’

He glanced at the stats again. [Physique] 23, tall and graceful. Looking at the Incarnation’s build, Zheng Xiu nodded. Not a big issue. [Scholarship] was zero... well, the character was insane, so having no [Scholarship] was understandable. Zheng Xiu nodded again. As for [Destiny], at least there was still a tiny bit left, which was a small comfort.

The [Madness] Attribute gave Zheng Xiu pause for a long time. ’It seems to be the flip side of [Will],’ he mused. ’[Madness] is what’s formed when [Will] is reduced to its absolute limit, breaking the cap on the negative side.’

Stroking his chin, he considered the "Madness Infection" that came with the [Madness] Attribute. It reminded him of his experience confronting the Darkness in Baili Village. This "Madness Infection" was clearly not a positive buff, but a negative status effect.

Just like Zheng Shan and Zheng Baimei, Zheng Kuang was born with a "Trait."

[Abyssal Claw (Peak of Perfection)] Born of the abyss, you walk in the abyss, you come from the abyss, and you will die in the abyss. Your flesh and blood can transform into claws that tear through all things, leaving your prey with wounds that will never heal.

Seeing yet another "Peak of Perfection" Trait, Zheng Xiu was starting to feel numb to it. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of power creep, recalling the time his frail Painter had trudged alone through the storm in that first Ghostly Realm. What a difference.

"Peak of Perfection" was starting to feel rather ordinary.

Zheng Xiu smiled to himself, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin, giving him the faint air of a returning king from some cheap drama.

The sun had set, and the sky was growing dark. In the bustling city, decorative lanterns were just beginning to light up the streets.

Now that the new Incarnation was fresh from the oven, Zheng Xiu couldn’t just keep it hidden. He opened his eyes, his consciousness returning to the real world. The cat that had been curled up in his lap, soaking in the scent of the Red King, was now long gone.

After a moment of thought, Zheng Xiu got up, left his study, and began searching the estate for Feng Bei.

As he neared the courtyard where Feng Bei lived, Zheng Xiu could hear the sounds of playful laughter coming from within—one person and one cat.

Feng Bei was still dressed in her sharp, black attire, her hair tied back. She was sitting primly on the roof, holding a toy that looked like a fishing rod and dangling it below. A piece of yarn was tied to the end of the "rod," and on the other end of the yarn hung a fish-shaped, fluffy ball.

As Feng Bei bobbed the toy rod up and down, the Orange Cat darted about below with phantom-like agility, chasing the fishy toy.