Feng Rui clenched his fists tightly, facing the demon who stood before him in the form of his grandfather.
"I need to get out..." he repeated, his voice firm and resolute.
"You'll die outside," the demon replied with a mocking grin.
"If I stay here, I'll die too."
"It's different. Here, you might possibly revive like last time."
The word "possibly" didn't escape Feng Rui. He knew the demon was toying with him, and worse, it seemed like the demon knew far more than it was letting on.
"How much do you know?" Feng Rui asked, not breaking his gaze.
The demon smiled but didn't answer immediately.
"Why should I tell you anything?" it replied, crossing its arms.
"Then I'll break the matrix," Feng Rui threatened, stepping toward the weak point he had identified.
"You court death!" the demon growled, its eyes flashing dangerously.
"Even if I die, the shock will be enough for my father to investigate. No, if he sealed the lake, he'll seal you too," Feng Rui said with confidence.
The demon hesitated for a moment, and Feng Rui didn't miss the opportunity.
"What? Didn't you know? You can go check for yourself, then."
"You!" the demon roared. "I won't let you harm the matrix."
"I won't do anything, I just want to figure out what's going on here, save my life, and leave."
"Tsk," the demon snarled, flicking its tongue.
"If you know so much, why don't you explain it to me?"
The tension in the air was palpable, and Feng Rui knew things were about to escalate.
However, the demon spoke:
"I was cultivating here until I entered the demon realm. However, my transition is still unstable. That's why I wanted to devour your soul too," it confessed.
"And you? How is it that you're alive?"
"Am I alive, or am I only alive like the others?" Feng Rui replied, returning the question.
The demon stared at him as if trying to discern his nature. After a moment, it finally responded:
"Definitely alive."
"Mmh," Feng Rui nodded.
He couldn't trust anyone or anything inside the Han mansion, but if the demon was a player, things might be different.
Just as he was about to speak, the sound he had hated in the past, but now sounded like celestial music, resonated in his mind:
"Ding!"
[An ongoing Rank S mission has been found: Save General Han and prevent the kingdom's destruction.]
[Would you like to issue a secondary mission?]
Feng Rui didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
A new panel appeared:
[Secondary Mission: The Fallen Guardian
Description: An ancient guardian of the Han mansion, now transformed into a demonic creature due to failed experiments, has begun to lose his humanity. His soul was corrupted by the matrix's malignant energy, but it may still contain valuable fragments of information about the corruption.
Objective:
Option 1: Defeat the Fallen Guardian and extract its essence to obtain information about the secret experiments.
Option 2: Purify its energy and gain its help.
Rewards:
Exp +250
Karma Points: +50
Item: Essence of the Fallen Guardian (can be used to purify or destroy a corrupted area)
100% chance of acquiring the "Ghost Voice" ability.
20% chance of acquiring the "Protective Aura" ability.
Do you wish to assign this mission?]
[Yes] [No]
Feng Rui hesitated, looking at the demon before him. Wasn't the mission referring to him? Could a player purify themselves? Was this a trigger?
Anyway, in the end, he selected "Yes."
Thousands of dark hands emerged from the shadows, gripping both Feng Rui and the demon. It happened too fast, too unexpectedly for them to react. A pulling force nearly ripped Feng Rui's soul away, while the demon's surrounding malignant energy was violently drained towards him.
Both screamed as if electrocuted, their bodies shaking as the shadows channeled the dark energy through them.
After what seemed like centuries, the pain finally ceased, and the shadows released them. Feng Rui fell to his knees, gasping, struggling to stay upright. With effort, he sat in a lotus position, closing his eyes to regulate the chaotic energy within. He guided the energy, condensing it like he had done millions of times in his other character until it formed a pearl. Drops of sweat fell from his forehead as time seemed to slow around him.
He couldn't focus on the ghosts or anything else if he didn't want to explode like confetti.
He frowned, trying in vain to divide his attention.
'Argh.'
When he finally opened his eyes, the scene before him was shocking.
The demon, or rather, his grandfather, had regained his human form. His ghostly aura and malignant energy had disappeared, and his expression was now filled with regret. Beside him, a child made of shadows was cultivating the Fallen Guardian's essence. The shadows that formed his body slowly dissipated, revealing a young man covered in scars, with strands of white hair.
"Ah... I thought I'd never speak again," said the young man, his voice hoarse.
"Thanks for the mission, kid."
"What?"
"Eh, thanks to your will to save your family, now I can speak? Yeah, that sounds better. I was a victim of this place, but thanks to you investigating actively and distracting the old man, I was able to fulfill my goal of saving him."
Feng Rui stared at them... and a new hypothesis arose in his heart...
The boy is the player, not the demon!?
That's why they hadn't penalized his influence!?
He definitely didn't make a mistake choosing to be an actor, as a detective he'd starve to death.
Even when he was in the Xiao clan, it was his sister who shone with her guesses. Had he become complacent because of that?
'Sigh.'
"I... regret my actions from the past."
The grandfather lowered his head, embarrassed and remorseful.
"That's in the past. Now help me protect the family, grandfather. Please tell us what you know."
The grandfather raised his head and looked at them deeply.
Feng Rui turned to look at the boy. "You too, tell us what you know."
"Eh, young master Feng, don't you remember me? I was originally a small servant sent by your fiancée, the First Princess, but then everyone said I died, and that was the excuse. I mean, it was a huge loss for your Royal Highness, so much so that they cut off communication with you. Afterward, other things happened, and your engagement was broken."
Feng Rui tilted his head, trying to recall. Indeed, something like that had happened.
"And how did you become a shadow?"
"I don't know. My soul wandered until I became like this. I lost my consciousness until the young master's blood awakened me."
"My blood?"
"Yes, it smelled so delicious! Ahem, apparently young master Feng has a mysterious and incomprehensible strength to me, a deep talent and..."
"I understand now."
Feng Rui frowned. If he were a player and his character ended up cursed, he'd probably restart the character, unless he was in the middle of a major mission, or had some treasure he couldn't lose... or a very deep affection for the character?
'Ah, right, the system registered an S-rank mission.'
'This kid is more special than he seems, like a true protagonist. Tsk, tsk.'