32. A: Dark

Why is analyzing it the second most dangerous thing, you say?

“well, you know? about the thing that happens in horror movies, when if you were to learn information that you should not know, you usually get mentally attacked, or even physically in some cases. So, yeah, it’s dangerous.”

Of course the most dangerous is when you stupidly try to make physical contact.

But anyway. Taking a deep breath, and trying to calm down the excitement I am feeling, I make a little distance between me and the black mist, returning to my previous location behind the tree.

And then getting my halberd ready in my hands just in case, I try using the skill Analyze on the black mist that is floating upward from the puppet’s corpse, before vanishing into normal air.

But the moment I used the skill, without waiting for me to check its result, a notification appeared surprisingly.

-Conditions have been met.

Skill: Analyse Lv2 has become Lv3.-

“hmm? I was thinking that it was time for it to level up, after all, I did, but now of all times? really? did you need a little push to do it or were you just making fun of me ?”

Well, it’s not important now.

Instead of that, what’s important for me, is to use the newly leveled Analyse skill on the black mist.

Then choosing to do so, I read the result appearing.

-Curse: also know as Corrupted Mana or Miasma. And it’s a result of mana been corrupted by human feelings.-

Oh, the description is longer this time and is also more informative.

As expected of a level up.

But curse ? miasma? and corrupted mana?

Is this the true identity of that mist? so it’s not some apocalyptic supernatural virus? or a devil’s power? but just your old average human’s feeling?

And wait ? what did it say? mana corrupted by human feelings? just what the hell does that mean?

To begin with, aren’t I seriously lacking information here?

Sigh.

But somehow, I feel like I am getting closer to an answer.

But hmm ? human feelings? human feelings it’s said. Where did I hear that?

“no wait, of course. Such a dark power. I should have recognized it faster.”

If it’s a power of human feelings and is dark and corrupted, then it should be that, right?

To think that I, of all people, would fail to recognize it, how shameful of me.

Looking at the black mist, and pointing with my finger, I confidently say my guess of its true name.

“it’s you, right? Power of friendship.”

chuckle.

I always knew that the power of friendship and feelings was an evil power, but to have such an appearance, how scary.

No wonder, poor half-asleep ancient evil beings always end up losing.

“But seriously, it’s said human feeling, not negative feelings, but all of them in general, right ?”

So, what exactly is the meaning of this ? are you saying that a human’s heart is inherently evil, or something? or is the black color meaningless?

“but man. Let me say it again. Just what exactly is this ?”

To begin with, I don’t know what mana is.

Hmm ? you know what mana is? well, good for you smart-ass. But the question is not what the word mana means, but what is referred to in here, you know?

And except for my MP stats, I still don’t have a clue on how to use it.

“guess, for this type of things, only time tell, right ?”

After all, it’s just a matter of time, before all the answers show themselves.

“and speaking of answers. At least this Curse thing has revealed a clue to the questions of mine from before.”

Of course, I am not talking about the disappearance of the rats’ corpses.

“I mean who needs them anyway. It’s not like I am interested in its meat, or anything. For I have better things in my diet.”

Instead, it’s some of my earlier questions that were answered.

The first time that I logged in, and I was searching that apartment. There were multiple anomalies, and I was questioning myself.

‘then why is it, relatively clean, for a deserted house ?’

‘Why is it that everything is in its natural place ?’

‘Everything is normal as if it was just another everyday life.’

‘the whereabouts of the residents became unknown.’

‘at the same time, there are signs that nobody got out, from inside the room.’

‘to begin with, the door of it was actually closed from the inside.’

And thing like that. Now, looking back at it. What if, let’s just say what if the disintegration happening to this puppet, and the one that possibly also happened to the rats, have happened before, but just on a larger scale? like a city’s size for example.

What if you were to normally wake up one day in your house, just like every other day, but then suddenly you start to feel pain. An extreme amount of pain as if your flesh is being shredded to pieces, suddenly looking at your hand and checking it, you find that it’s actually melting into black dust particles, then following that in seconds, all of your body parts start suffering the same symptoms.

While looking at all of that, and somehow staying conscious, feeling the pain, and suffering, you start to vanish into oblivion while despairing at your unforeseen death.

What kind of hellish nightmare will that be ? for a normal day to suddenly become mankind’s last?

“But even with that as a possible theory. It’s still unlikely to be the complete truth.”

No matter how you look at it. The curse alone is not enough to do so. Or at least I don’t think this small amount of curse will do so. Otherwise, this whole puppet should have disappeared already.

So if you were to try doing it on a larger scale, I am sure it will fail.

Prove? I am still here without getting affected, even though I was a level one before, which means it possibly can’t affect a living person, right?

“if not it would have to be an impossible game. To die just by login in is kinda? Cough. Anyway, with this, I am getting closer to understanding the settings of LSO. Then just a little more to go.”

But still, if just the curse is not strong enough to erase a city, then can it be artificially manipulated to do so ? or is it simply the need of a certain condition?

It’s really confusing and scary. Just imagining a landscape full of people consumed by an unnatural black mist.

“So, just what’s truly happened ?”