"The third type consists of Anomalies whose rules are related to time. I generally like to call them 'Clock-in' Anomalies."
"For example, there's 'It's High Noon.' It can only act during the hour of the Horse, but during that entire hour, it can kill at will. Then there's 'Ghost Festival,' which is even more pitiful; it can only manifest once a year, but it stays active for an entire day."
"For them, essentially every person they kill counts as 'feeding' once."
Ren Yi was surprised to find that he felt absolutely nothing when Dr. Lin talked about "killing." In fact, he instinctively felt it was only natural.
Am I already being influenced by something?
"That's about it for the main ones. There are various other messy rules and abilities classified as the fourth type, 'Other,' but you probably won't encounter those."
"Oh, by the way, the rules I mentioned only apply to situations outside of an 'Anomaly Domain.' Inside a 'Domain,' the rules expand and become even more chaotic. You'll learn more about that in university."
"Uh..." Ren Yi hesitated. "After all that, what exactly is my ability?"
"Let me finish," Dr. Lin waved his hand dismissively. "Cubs generally have very weak abilities with extremely strict conditions. For now, you can just treat your ability as 'illusion.'"
"Oh... that sounds pretty ordinary." Ren Yi felt a bit disappointed.
Wait, what did he mean by "treat it as"? Did that mean it wouldn't be an illusion after it evolved?
"Why the long face? It's very powerful if used correctly!" Dr. Lin glared at him. "But your problem isn't with the ability itself; it's with the trigger rule."
"Even though there are many rules, the energy sources are always similar. Killing people, specific negative emotions, or more abstract things like lies... anyway, at the very least, they fit the name 'Anomaly.' That's why the Alliance usually collects those types of energy crystals for Cubs..."
"Make it brief," Ren Man said from the side, his tone cold enough to form icicles. He had been patient for a very long time.
"Cough. Your ability belongs to the second category, the Ammunition-type. But the rule... it's likely 'positive emotion.'"
"Ammunition-type sounds strong, but what do you mean by 'positive emotion'?" Ren Yi asked, confused.
"At the Cub stage, it means if you make someone happy, you can cast one illusion on them."
Dr. Lin explained, sounding like he had given up on hope.
Ren Yi: "Oh, that works."
Ren Man: "That's quite good."
Dr. Lin: "Sigh, it's not that weak. It's just that the Alliance hasn't really prepared energy crystals for this kind of emotional energy... wait, what did you two just say?"
Dr. Lin looked at the brothers, doubting his own ears.
Ren Yi was tilting his head in thought, while the frown on Ren Man's face had finally smoothed out, leaving him looking completely relaxed.
Dr. Lin looked at Ren Man with suspicion.
"So, everything is normal with his body," Ren Man explained calmly. "I am very happy... I will find a way to handle the food."
"I think it's pretty good too." Ren Yi opened his phone and looked at his status panel. "Besides, it seems my 'food' doesn't require the Alliance's energy crystals."
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear." Dr. Lin decided to pour some cold water on their enthusiasm. "You're still just a small E-rank Anomaly. In this state, your ammunition capacity is limited, you understand?"
"Basically, your magazine capacity is only one. In other words, you only have one chance to use your ability."
"After using one illusion, you must make someone happy before you can cast the next one. And they have to be happy because of you. We Anomalies usually host horror Instances; how do you plan to make someone laugh inside a horror Instance?"
"In that case, there is indeed some operational difficulty," Ren Yi agreed with a nod.
"You see? So it's almost impossible for you to forage for food on your own. Your brother and I will find a way to get you..."
"Dr. Lin," Ren Yi interrupted before he could finish. "I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"First, regarding my level-up. I think I understand now. My first 'meal' must have been the positive emotion my brother provided, which is why I advanced immediately after my energy stabilized this morning."
Ren Yi turned his phone screen toward Dr. Lin.
【Name: Ren Yi
Rank: E (Progress 1/100)
Rules and Abilities: Not Recorded
Family: Ren Man
Profession: Cub
Status: Energy Stable】
"Just now, after my brother said he was in a good mood, my rank progress increased again."
"So, compared to energy like 'fear' which can only be obtained in so-called Instances, 'positive emotion' can also be obtained from our own kind, right?"
Dr. Lin stared at the screen and remained silent for a while.
"Based on the current situation, you're right." Dr. Lin calmed down quickly and began to think seriously. With that expression and his white coat, he actually looked quite professional.
"However, according to the Alliance's research, for each rank-up, emotional energy cannot be repeatedly obtained from the same unit. Previous experiments showed that repeatedly obtaining fear or pain from a single individual doesn't work."
"Therefore, for each level you advance, the energy you can get from your brother is limited to this single point."
"I see." Ren Yi nodded.
"Then, the second question: what are the duration, consumption, content, and effects of this illusion ability? Can it be resisted by someone strong enough? Is it possible for someone to wake up through sheer willpower?"
This time, Dr. Lin didn't answer immediately. He pondered for a moment, a faint shimmer appearing in his eyes.
"I've gone through the worlds we've encountered so far. I believe that among the Participants you might encounter at your current rank, there is no one who can actively break free from this kind of rule-based ability."
"So, once your ability is used on a target, the duration is infinite, and the probability of it being resisted or broken is zero. However, the content and effects depend on your own imagination."
"At E-rank, you can probably only affect vision, and perhaps only a portion of it. I suggest you combine your illusions with the actual environment."
Understood. So, his ability was essentially planting an "illusion seed."
He only needed to use it once per target, and after succeeding, he could manipulate the scenes before the target's eyes at will.
However, he needed to "reload" after every use.
Ren Yi nodded thoughtfully. "I understand what you mean... then, I have one last question."
At that moment, Ren Yi looked at Ren Man. "Brother, I have some things to discuss with Dr. Lin. Could you step out for a moment?"
Ren Man looked at the two of them and walked out without a word, pulling the door shut behind him.
"This is getting interesting, little Ren Yi." Dr. Lin showed an intrigued expression. "Do you know what you just did? Just how interesting is the question you plan to ask that requires you to send your brother away?"
Ren Yi grinned. "This question might be unexpectedly boring. Dr. Lin, can you teach me how to weave illusionary realms?"
"Oh?" Dr. Lin stretched. After Ren Man left, his previously disheveled and panicked aura changed instantly, becoming cold and sharp.
"To be honest, I would have been more likely to agree before your brother left. But now..."
"It's different. You will agree," Ren Yi said seriously. "If I used my brother to threaten you directly, I would still be asking a favor of you. My brother might be too embarrassed to actually hit you and would only give you a warning like before."
Dr. Lin's expression stiffened.
Ren Yi acted as if he saw nothing. "But if I told him that you used his death to scare me during the Awakening Ceremony, he would really beat you up."
"So, this is a threat."
Dr. Lin's expression completely froze. "Whatever happens in an awakening environment is normal and necessary."
"You're right, but my brother will beat you up."
"You can't even prove that what you're saying is true..."
"You're right, but my brother..."
"Fine, fine, I get it! I'll teach you! From now on, when you go to sleep in the sleep pod at night, I'll come find you!"
Rate on N.U.
