Chapter 116: Enchantment

The narrow room resembled a cluttered general store, with every surface—from the tabletops to the wooden shelves—crowded with a motley assortment of objects.

Having gained some experience, Fan Li did not panic. Instead, he observed his surroundings carefully, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"There it is!"

After scanning the area, Fan Li finally spotted an English textbook on the side of a wooden shelf.

The book's cover featured two children, a boy and a girl. While it was likely intended to appear inviting, in this eerie environment, the two children seemed to have come to life; their complexions were far more vibrant than before, and their eyes possessed a newfound, uncanny intelligence. They looked at Fan Li like two children eagerly waiting to be adopted, their large eyes fixed steadily upon him.

"Don't look back. There is someone behind you."

Suddenly, an aged voice echoed in Fan Li's ear, making him jump. At the same time, he felt a genuine sense of pressure at his back—a subtle, persistent sensation of his clothing being brushed, an urge that made him want to turn around and investigate.

"Revenge is good for your health!"

Fan Li had steeled himself before entering the cabin, but as these abnormal voices filled his ears, his brows could not help but furrow. Much like the Scissor Woman he had encountered earlier, these were horrific urban legends capable of dragging ordinary people into an abyss of despair. Every sentence signified that the protagonist of a legend was lurking nearby, watching him with curiosity.

Fan Li knew these voices would not fade; the longer he stayed, the denser the chaotic whispers would become, weaving a web to trap him here forever.

"Grab the English book and get out of here."

This place housed too many sealed monsters. A single Butcher had already been a headache; a room packed with countless creatures of the same caliber would hold a power equivalent to a volcanic eruption or a lethal tsunami.

Fan Li hurried forward. Just as he reached out to touch the textbook, a soft voice drifted from the front.

"Hehe... men are such simple-minded, boring creatures. They only look at the surface, yet they know nothing about who I really am."

The voice felt like a feather brushing against his inner ear, causing a tremor to run through him as an indescribable emotion spread within his body. Fan Li felt a moment of trance, and suddenly, a young girl in a miniskirt appeared before him.

She possessed a fiery figure and captivating eyes. No, Fan Li shook his head, rejecting the thought. Those were merely vulgar adjectives, suitable for ordinary beauties, but to describe this girl, any praise felt like an insult. She radiated an unparalleled charm from the inside out; any man who laid eyes on her would be hopelessly ensnared.

She stood in the corner, staring straight at Fan Li. Her red lips parted, as if she were talking to herself or confessing to him:

"People always call me a monster, but in my eyes, ordinary people are the true monsters. They grovel before the powerful and treat the weak as food, oblivious to their own ignorance, forever envious, jealous, and betraying others without a second thought. Shouldn't such people be the ones called monsters?"

For a moment, Fan Li found her words incredibly logical and couldn't help but nod.

"You are truly witty. Life by your side would surely be a joyous thing."

Fan Li felt her suggestion was sound and caught himself contemplating whether he should stay and live with her. He felt a vague sense that he had forgotten something, unable to recall why he had come here in the first place.

Then, he saw the girl's mouth stretch wide, and an arm suddenly thrust out from within it. One arm appeared, followed by a dense swarm of limbs emerging from her mouth, the owners of which worked in unison to pry her jaws open.

Dozens of faces were exposed to Fan Li’s gaze. They all shared the same features, yet they were shrunken countless times, no larger than insects, looking at him with the same shy, bashful smiles.

Fan Li’s gaze froze, a single word exploding in his mind:

"Monster!"

There were no ordinary humans in this room; it was home to a gathering of sealed entities that were either different from or similar to humans.

The girl standing before him was a bizarre existence on par with Ellie and the Butcher. Her terrifying charm was leagues beyond that of the Weeper.

Fan Li snapped out of the enchantment. In his fleeting moment of clarity, he grabbed the English textbook without hesitation. As the sense of trance returned, he vanished from the room containing the mediums.

Gray, ripple-like streaks flashed before his eyes, giving him a surreal feeling, as if he were looking at flowers in the water or the moon in a mirror. Even knowing the girl was a monster, it took Fan Li a long time to recover from the sensation of being drawn to her.

Every time he subdued a monster, he had to endure the scrutiny of the entire room. Despite his thorough preparations, his attention had still been diverted the moment he picked up the book.

Stunning beauty, the ability to communicate, and a parasitic nature that created countless tiny versions of herself—this was Fan Li’s instant analysis of that monster.

He forced himself to purge her from his mind and pulled the Monster Manual from his pack, turning to the newly added page.

Obtained Item: [Obsession Textbook]

Obsession Textbook Note: This is a depressing book. When any English passage within it is recited, the monster residing inside will appear. Note that while summoning, one will also hear the monster's mental interrogation.

[Summoning limited to twice per day. Exceeding this limit risks overexposure to mental interrogation, potentially causing hallucinations, fainting, or madness.]

[This is an ominous book. Aside from the owner, any ordinary person who reads its contents will be invaded by evil forces; the mental interrogation will increase tenfold or more, potentially resulting in immediate death or transformation into a zombie.]

[This is a monster of considerable strength, but it is currently in a critical state following the containment process, harboring deep resentment toward its master. Affinity: 0]

[Currently in a critical state; self-recovery is slow. It is recommended to expend Killing Points to repair its injuries.]

[Affinity is too low. Mental interrogation will be intensified during summoning. It is recommended to increase affinity before summoning.]