Chapter 167 Devout Prayer
Chapter 167 Devout Prayer
Even with this loophole-exploiting idea, Charles still hesitated.
After all, his earlier performance had been a textbook example of loophole exploitation, but the end result showed it was completely useless.
Combined with that mysteriously appearing translation, Charles worried this was a deliberate setup by Nyarlathotep.
[Fear and despair are the greatest hymn]
Could passing the assessment really be this simple? Charles's heart wavered. He looked up at the still-dark overhead space and, as if possessed, spoke a single word.
"Dread."
The word perfectly matched the emotion Charles was simulating.
Worry or fear toward an unknown future, including uneasy premonitions about everything to come.
Though Charles couldn't feel fear, despair, or other negative emotions, as a writer, he could instantly envision how a protagonist would feel in this situation.
Speaking appropriate words suited to the environment.
In this regard, his earlier performance shared similarities.
But there were differences.
Performance also involved acting according to the environment, but ultimately, that portrayal had been overly exaggerated. Though it fit the mood, excessive acting made it seem false.
Like when children trying to skip school deliberately fake stomach aches—such performances often get exposed precisely because they're too exaggerated.
But speaking words suited to the environment would be more authentic than such acting, often yielding better results.
This could also be illustrated with children.
When a child bumps their head, even if it doesn't hurt, simply pointing at the injury and pouting "it hurts" draws adult concern and care.
At this moment, Charles unconsciously squeezed his fingers, mentally casting himself as the protagonist, imagining what actions a normal person with full emotions would take now.
[God, please help me!]
Suddenly, Sophie's voice echoed in Charles's mind—this religiously tinged cry was saturated with fear and despair.
When facing Ophelia's pursuit, Sophie had quietly murmured this phrase.
In real life, Charles often encountered such people—facing emergencies or difficulties, they'd first invoke God.
Charles's mouth opened slightly, his eyes gradually becoming clear and bright. Joy was about to burst forth in his heart, making a smile bloom involuntarily on his face.
[Fear and despair are the greatest hymn.]
This sentence didn't mean people should sing about these two emotions, but rather that under their influence, people would cast all conceivable praise toward their deity to receive divine mercy.
Thus, the greatest hymn was born.
As this final thought settled, Charles had his method for handling the assessment.
"Dear God, I truly don't know what to do now. I feel trapped in an endless loop, helplessness and fear crushing me until I can't breathe..."
Charles mentally recalled prayers he'd heard before and ones he'd said himself, head bowed low, voice speaking quietly.
While speaking such "devout" words, his feet naturally couldn't continue forward.
He simply stopped before the pillar carved with [fear and despair are the greatest hymn], head lowered, eyes closed, hands clasped—like all worshipers, looking pious and full of longing.
[...May You help me through this trial. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.]
As the final amen left his lips, Charles felt light streaming down from above through his closed eyelids.
He immediately opened his eyes and looked up. The previously pitch-black ceiling now poured down brilliance—the beam was like daylight, so bright Charles had to squint.
The light on his body brought warmth, but this warmth differed from the torches. It was gentle and natural, never carrying the acrid heat of fire—like being wrapped in a blanket, warmth softly seeping into every part of his body.
Long-missed sunlight instantly dispelled the gloom from his prolonged stay in the dark tower. Charles immediately ran upward, feeling both body and spirit relax.
At this moment, he was immensely grateful that the Entropy Insects only blocked negative emotions like fear and despair, rather than stripping away his positive emotional responses.
Otherwise, he couldn't experience this feeling now.
Stepping onto the final stone stair, Charles finally got a clear view of the tower's summit.
This was a circular platform surrounded by walls about waist-high. Weeds grew from cracks between the bricks. Under the overhead sunlight, even the weeds looked lush, green, and vibrant.
But strangely, though the overhead sunlight was so intense, Charles still couldn't see the scenery around the tower clearly.
The surroundings were completely white—as if shrouded in white fog, or perhaps it was simply a void.
Looking at this scene, Charles's heart, previously filled with joy, suddenly grew calm. His brow furrowed as his eyes scanned left and right.
He tried to discern something, but the surroundings were like blank slates—nothing to observe.
Approaching the wall, Charles extended his arm, reaching out to grasp something.
But ahead truly was a void. His fist closed and opened—nothing there. If anything, when his palm passed through that void, his fingertips felt a hint of coolness, like half-imagined drops when raising your hand to catch rain.
Just as Charles pondered that sensation, an ethereal bell suddenly sounded from the front left. The bell struck directly at his soul—extremely low-pitched and drawn out. After one ring, the lingering tone stretched impossibly, miraculously harmonizing with the echo remaining in his heart.
He immediately looked toward the sound's source.
The bell rang continuously. At first, it only sounded again as the previous echo faded, but gradually the bell rang faster—one after another, urgency tinged with irritation.
Where the sound originated, shadows began gathering. Initially scattered all around, but as the bell accelerated, the shadows coalesced until forming one enormous shadow.
The shadow's outline wasn't clear, strange black energy constantly dissipating around its edges.
Charles watched it approach, feeling no fear—only endless calm. He studied that shadow carefully, unwilling to miss any detail.
The massive shadow gradually shrank as it approached, finally becoming nearly Charles's own height.
This deliberate mimicry only heightened Charles's wariness.