This was the first time the system message had used the word greatly. Usually, it was a simple warning—You are in a hostile environment—but this time, the addition of greatly sent a chill down Ludwig's spine. Something was different, something far more dangerous than anything they had faced before.
"Here," Van Dijk said, handing Ludwig his mask back. "Tell me what you see."
Ludwig donned the mask, and the world shifted. The library, already a grotesque tapestry of slime and gore, began to writhe and twist as though alive. The eyes that dotted the walls and ceiling bulged unnaturally, their gazes filled with a rage that seemed almost sentient. The blotches of slime and corrupted flesh pulsed and squirmed, as if reacting to some unseen stimulus. The candle-holding librarians, once docile and mindless, now moved with purpose, their blindfolded faces turning toward Ludwig and Van Dijk with unmistakable hostility.
