Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 49: Update?!

Chapter 49: Update?!

Liu Xing noticed that at the periphery of the peach grove, Nan Xiaoniao was squatting there, seemingly holding something in her hand.

Suddenly, Liu Xing saw a mirror materialize at the center of the peach trees! And the moment the mirror appeared, Nan Xiaoniao, as if bewitched, started walking slowly towards it.

Liu Xing suddenly felt a loss of control over his body and "he" dashed towards Nan Xiaoniao without hesitation. Tina and Akira Akashi did the same.

As for Li Ming, Tian Dao scooped him up in a princess carry and ran towards Nan Xiaoniao.

At this moment, every player had the same thought—this must be a scripted event in the story!

Although in Liu Xing's eyes, Nan Xiaoniao was moving very slowly, and he could feel "himself" running with all his might, he always remained about a meter away—just out of reach of Nan Xiaoniao.

Tina and Akira Akashi were close on Liu Xing's heels, while Tian Dao and Li Ming, who had been the furthest away, now arrived beside Liu Xing.

Just as Liu Xing was about to catch up to Nan Xiaoniao, her small hand touched the mirror, and then a flash of white light was seen, and Liu Xing lost consciousness instantly.

When Liu Xing came to, he found that control over his body had finally returned, and Nan Xiaoniao was now standing quietly to the side.

"Where is this?" Akira Akashi asked, somewhat confused.

Liu Xing also sensed that something was amiss. The Xianhe Pavilion, normally bustling with the Harvest Festival, was now eerily silent. Aside from the breathing of his companions, Liu Xing could no longer hear any other sounds.

Liu Xing turned his head to look at the Children's Disappearance Center, but there was nothing there. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized something and turned to look in the opposite direction.

Indeed, the little tent of the Children's Disappearance Center was there, but Ray and the other staff were nowhere to be seen...

And beyond the confines of the Harvest Festival venue, visibility was reduced to zero by an encompassing fog, clearly marking zones that players were not permitted to enter.

"So that's how it is." Liu Xing was now certain that he was in a mirrored world, which explained the disorienting reversal of directions.

Furthermore, Liu Xing understood why the "tiger" created the spirits. Since the "tiger" could only move within this mirrored world, it went to the trouble of transforming the relatives of children into spirits to lead the children into the peach trees, and then used the mirror to transport the children into this mirrored world. Here, the "tiger" could enjoy its favorite delicacy, the children, in a sumptuous feast...

"Heh, congratulations to all the players for completing the first phase of the mission. Now, let's proceed to the second phase, which is also your final task in this promotion game: escape the world within the mirror!" After a long disconnection, KP Cao finally came back online. "Now, players can use Private Room time in the mirror world without worrying about being overheard by Nan Xiaoniao, as she lost her hearing upon entering this world."

"However, since you have all discovered that you've entered the mirror world and been stunned by such a supernatural scene, please proceed with the delightful SAN check. Furthermore, there's no need for an inspiration check before this one because I've just received news that the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall has undergone a major update. From now on, SAN checks will no longer require inspiration checks. Instead, inspiration will only be used for obtaining intelligence clues and foreseeing dangers, except in certain special events. The determination of SAN checks will now be solely based on the current SAN value." KP Cao changed the tone and dropped a bombshell—the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall had been updated!

This groundbreaking news momentarily distracted Liu Xing, who then realized that what was once a double-edged sword of high inspiration, costing dearly for each victory, had transformed into an unmatched weapon of excellence. After all, Liu Xing's high inspiration had made him feel like he was becoming a SAN-draining fiend, as nearly all SAN-draining incidents had been triggered by his high inspiration.

Liu Xing considered that, in the lower-level areas of the Cthulhu RPG Game, triggering some SAN-draining events was acceptable, since they usually only deducted a point or two of SAN value; but in the high-level areas, where a single event could result in a loss of more than ten SAN points, it was a minor scene, and Liu Xing doubted his own sanity in these high-stake games.

But now, with this update from the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, the edge of the sword that was inspiration had been blunted. The negative effects of inspiration had been greatly reduced, almost ensuring that Liu Xing wouldn't go mad over something as trivial as the shadow of a plastic mannequin in future games.

"Alright, regarding the update to the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, you will receive a notification when you return to the real world. You can study it at leisure then. For now, let's continue with our game. So, dear players, please roll your dice for the SAN check. If successful, you lose 1 SAN point; if failed, you lose 1d4+1 SAN points," KP Cao reminded everyone, seeing that they were lost in thought due to the announcement and had forgotten that they were in the midst of a game.

Liu Xing, 24/88, success.

Tian Dao, 81/80, failure.

Li Ming, 99/76, failure.

Tina, 38/72, success.

Akira Akashi, 12/77, success.

As the results of the SAN checks were revealed, everyone instinctively turned to look at Li Ming, as a catastrophic failure on the SAN check assuredly meant temporary madness was imminent...

Tian Dao, 1d4=1+1=2.

"Heh, so Liu Xing, Tina, and Akira Akashi will each lose 1 SAN point and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, while Tian Dao will lose 2 SAN points and gain 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. As for Li Ming, due to a significant failure on the SAN check, 5 SAN points will be deducted, and 5 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge gained," KP Cao announced with a sense of schadenfreude. "Since Li Ming has lost 5 SAN points at once, he now enters a state of temporary madness. Let's proceed with the check for temporary madness."

Li Ming, 9, Fear!

"A fine state of madness indeed. Now, it's time to select the source of the fear," KP Cao chuckled with a hint of glee.

Li Ming, 46, fear of fog!