Chapter Sixty-Four: The Mist Has Cleared (Grand Finale)

Countless eyes enveloped him.

At this moment, Mu Chen did not choose to look around, but instead focused intently on a pair of eyes by his side.

To be precise, he was locking gazes with them.

More importantly, he did not know how much time had passed. The pair of eyes slowly closed!

Simultaneously, a cool sensation surged through his mind, invigorating him.

"Does this count as an exchange?"

Without hesitation, Mu Chen resolutely picked another pair of eyes to gaze into.

This time, he silently counted the minutes.

Fifteen minutes later.

The timing was just right; the second pair of eyes that met his gaze also slowly closed, and the refreshing feeling swept over him again, leaving his whole body at ease.

After mastering the "trick," he no longer hesitated. His gaze swept toward a third pair of eyes!

Ten minutes...

Fourteen minutes...

With less than a minute remaining, the environment around Mu Chen suddenly shifted, and his eyes cleared.

Mu Chen: "......"

"What kind of pitfall is this?"

He was just about to conquer the third pair of eyes!

"Hmm?"

Mu Chen suddenly discovered that all negative states afflicting him had vanished, and his mental clarity was better than ever.

He quickly opened his personal information, and found that his panel had changed.

【Name: Mu Chen】
【Race: Human】
【Level: Lv11】
【Contained Item: Eye of Altenis (click to view)】
【Danger Index: Tier 2】
【Annihilation: Consumes 2 points of mental energy; targets stared at will lose 2% of sanity per second for 5 minutes.】
【Annihilation Ray: Consumes 1 point of mental energy; constructs a ray imbued with destructive rules from the void, lasting 5 minutes and controlled by consciousness.】
【Special Effect 3: ???】
【Passive Effect: See through all illusions; immune to any hallucination effects.】

【Territory: Level 1】
【Skills: Mental Entry: Fusion (click to view), Expulsion】
Mental Entry: Fusion (fused soul item: Soul-Pacifying Nail *3)
Constitution: 8
Mental: 15 (15)

"......"

His body had fully recovered, and both his constitution and mental stats had increased by one! Moreover, the eye had not only unveiled its name, but also revealed a new skill!

【Though you regrettably failed to enter the state at first, the last forty minutes clearly satisfied the other party, and in return, you received generous rewards.】

The information that surfaced in his mind made Mu Chen thoroughly understand how to communicate with the eye from now on.

Looking at the newly unlocked second skill, Mu Chen pondered.

"Annihilation Ray..."

Was it the lines that surrounded him when the eye revived?

Back then, the lines around the eye were so numerous they couldn't be counted; now, with his limited mental energy, producing two would already be impressive...

"Hu~"

He stood up from the ground, regulating his breathing to calmness.

His mental energy and sanity had returned to their peak, but he did not rush to further fuse the Soul-Pacifying Nail.

Because—

The survival task had entered its countdown phase.

He opened the 【Task List】 and found the original quest.

【Survival Task: Live until the countdown ends. Current countdown: 00:11:36...】

Note: Reward: 100ml of the dim Marrow of the Sufferer, 1 stale bread, 500ml of fresh water.

He vaguely recalled that when he first opened the task list, he had fretted about the time being too long. Unexpectedly, the task was about to end.

The dim Marrow of the Sufferer was a material needed to upgrade his territory; lacking it had stalled his progress.

He walked out of the base.

Within the territory, everything was as usual, and the servants were still busy gathering resources.

He walked straight to the mine, as this task was emblematic—the first survival task since the eruption of the Red Mist. He wanted to complete it with his sister at the last moment.

Countdown: 00:08:07...

The numbers in the sky continued to tick precisely. Ivy was purifying water at the supply zone.

At this time, Mu Chen and Mu Jiuer quietly sat on the newly crafted wooden bench.

"Brother, it was only a hundred hours, but it feels like so much time has passed..."

Mu Jiuer stretched lazily and gazed at the distant Red Mist, sighing.

Mu Chen did not immediately respond, but felt the same way inside.

From fleeing the hospital, the restaurant incident, to containing the Eye of Altenis, regaining the use of his legs, crafting gunpowder, confronting the infant creator, building the shelter, and establishing the food storage base...

So many memories.

He had never imagined experiencing so much in such a short time!

Time continued to slip away, and after reminiscing, Mu Chen no longer hesitated. He rose from the bench and looked into the distance...

"Jiuer, once this task ends, the dim Marrow of the Sufferer will surely circulate in the exchange. We need to buy some."

Before Mu Jiuer could reply, the countdown in the sky entered the final three seconds.

"00:00:03..."

"00:00:02..."

"00:00:01..."

In the next moment, the Red Mist in the sky rapidly dissipated, as if being unraveled!

At the same time.

All surviving humans on Earth heard a faint voice in their ears.

The 【Survival Task】 has been completed.

"Reward received..."

"Reward received..."

"The era's survival task has ended. The current fusion progress of the era is 1/3. The next task will begin in fifty years."

"Brother, did you hear that? Fifty years..."

On the wooden bench, Mu Jiuer stared, eyes wide, utterly incredulous.

Mu Chen: "......"

Just then, new information surfaced in his mind.

【The Gluttonous Banquet has not ceased. For 'It,' fifty years is but a subtle pause. When 'It' draws near again, things will not be as simple as now.】

......

......

The End.