Eldritch Horror Theatre

[Task Evaluation: True King]

The moment the Bright Light dispersed, the first light of dawn indeed appeared on the horizon.

Of course, it was only a fleeting glimpse. The next moment, Fu Qian was already sitting in his seat in the Warehouse.

The entire process was so seamless that he hadn’t even needed to lift his ass.

While he maintained his posture of looking down upon the world, ruling over the Warehouse before him, the task summary had already appeared.

[As the epitome of power and splendor, dragons inherently possess a charm that compels worship.

And as an entity calling itself the Dragon King, the moment it appeared, countless people witnessed their own insignificance and impurity.

Compared to the many Divine Entities that manifested in human form, it displayed even greater tolerance and generosity.

Believers did not need to chant its name to receive enlightenment; they could establish a connection far stronger than faith, sharing in and serving its glory.

This method was once mocked as barbaric, a blurring of the lines between the revered and the lowly. Yet years later, when the gods fell silent and struggled in their cages, they finally set aside their pride to imitate this savagery.Of course, very few knew that the original reason the Dragon King hid its true name was that it would expose its origin from the stars, rather than this land.]

[Kills: None]

[Reward: SAN Value +20]

[Special Reward: Dimensional Poison]

[Current SAN Value: 127, Current inspiration: 99]

[Play event recap?]

True King? Has my domineering aura finally been recognized?

They had some eye for talent, at least. No matter how you looked at it, this seat’s calm and impartial kingly demeanor had been pushed to the absolute limit this time.

Fu Qian snorted coldly, locating the special reward with a haughty expression.

[Name: Dimensional Poison]

[Type: Weapon]

[Description: A Glove densely lined with internal needle-like teeth—a highly unusual murder weapon.

Although it appears in this form, ”tooth” is its actual classification.

Originating from the depths of the cosmos, it contains the power the Dragon King kept hidden for a millennium. Yet, while roaming among the stars, this power was the true essence that made the gods tremble.

After you endure the agony of putting it on, it will not only conceal itself within your flesh, but its crystalline fangs can also be imbued into any of your attacks.

And the withering decay inflicted by its wounds is said to force even the gods into prolonged wailing before there is any hope of healing.]

[Note: The Dragon King is not a dragon; its scales are merely a magnificent garment it wove for itself.]

This... I’ve heard of gloves studded with spikes on the outside, but embedding them on the inside is certainly an eye-opener!

After reading the description, Fu Qian weighed the object that had appeared in his hands, feeling a momentary surge of emotion.

Just as described, he held a semi-long Glove. It felt hard and icy to the touch, yet weighed almost nothing.

It was almost completely transparent; precisely because of this, he could clearly see the dense cluster of barbed fangs lining the inside.

How considerate. I just mentioned having too few items, and it immediately sends me a weapon?

Even if it is a bit unorthodox.

”Sounds like it hurts a lot.”

Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Fu Qian slipped it onto his left hand.

How could he not use a reward meant for a True King?

...

The description was absolutely correct.

Fu Qian quickly came to that conclusion.

Although putting it on was fairly smooth, without a single drop of blood spilling, there was no doubt that the sheer agony of countless fangs piercing his flesh belonged to an entirely different dimension than that old pain-simulation machine.

Fortunately, he was on a different level now, too.

Fu Qian flexed his hand and discovered that once it was fully put on, the outer layer of the fang-lined Glove rapidly softened and vanished, leaving no trace behind.

It seemed its only purpose was to serve as a carrier.

Of course, as long as he wished, he could manifest it again to take it off.

But there was no rush.

The next moment, the five fingers of Fu Qian’s right hand transformed into tentacles, stretching and dancing in the air.

Unlike before, the smooth surface of these tentacles was now lined with rows of barbed fangs, looking incredibly savage and vicious.

The visual effect was fantastic, and it really was remarkably convenient!

Fu Qian turned one of the tentacles around and lashed it against his own body.

He had rolled up his sleeves beforehand, of course. After all, this wasn’t a mission, and his clothes wouldn’t repair themselves.

Flesh and blood splattered. The fangs effortlessly tore through his skin, leaving a gash deep enough to reveal bone.

This was nothing, naturally. Fu Qian carefully inspected the wound.

Aside from the agony that had transcended the physical level, the healing speed was actually so slow it seemed almost stagnant.

Any granulation tissue that tried to extend and knit back together withered and decayed in the blink of an eye, dissipating into the void in a surprisingly elegant manner.

Like a fluttering One-Winged Butterfly.

The practical effect was great, too!

With a mere thought, the fangs retracted into his flesh, and the tentacles shifted back into fingers. Fu Qian was extremely satisfied with the test results.

Thanks to his Scholar ability, the added lethality of the ”teeth” wasn’t actually that important to him.

If he wanted to, growing teeth on his tentacles was something he could have done easily anyway.

But this withering decay that made even Deities wail truly filled a gap in his offensive arsenal.

Dimensional ”Poison,” fully deserving of the name.

Of course, this wasn’t the item’s only value. Its name and notes, combined with the contents of the task summary, made Fu Qian feel that a certain speculation of his had been confirmed once again.

There were even some far more incredible implications.

The Dragon King was not a dragon, and hid its true name to avoid exposing its origin from the stars; even its scales were just a woven garment...

Combining these absolute ancient secrets naturally brought to mind a term he had recently learned—Cosmic Deity.

It seemed this world had been quite lively during the legendary Mythological Era.

A Higher Existence from the stars actually managed to leave behind such magnificent ruins on this land.

Of course, judging by its attempts to hide, this sky-descended entity must have had conflicts with the native Deities.

As for why it didn’t just pick a random title, Fu Qian could think of a plausible explanation.

Just like how Young Master Qin and the others called out to him, a true name likely pointed to the conceptual essence of one’s being within a specific domain. For a Higher Existence like this, it might even be directly linked to its authority.

If it messed around with a fake name, there was no guarantee its believers would even be able to invoke it.

That would not only look highly suspicious but could potentially trigger a crisis of faith.

And to solve this problem, it pioneered the covenant.

...

After using Wen Li to verify his ”architecture” theory regarding the secrets of the transcendent, Fu Qian had actually been pondering the true nature of the covenant, which was known as an absolute dead end.

Whether they were sinners or Angels, how exactly did they become the tools of Divine Entities?

This was also why, when facing this mission target known as the Oathbreaker, Fu Qian hadn’t chosen the most efficient way to resolve things.

The outcome had not disappointed him.

Regarding Sunny’s fear and confusion about ”merging into the whole and fundamentally altering the self,” Fu Qian now had a vague answer: relying on a Deity’s authority, they used a part of their own concepts to encompass these tools.

Simply put, once a covenant was established, the transcendent would no longer be the ”architecture” itself, but merely one element of it.

No matter how dilapidated a thatched cottage might be, it was still fundamentally different from a single pillar of golden thread nanmu wood.