Newbie Rips Through Mental Contamination
After that post about the eyeball monster showing up, I can't post anymore. Feels like hours since the front door got ripped off.
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Mental contamination. Those four words silenced the gallery's atmosphere in an instant. In horror story clears, it was no different from a death sentence. Horror stories don't just devour the body—they gnaw at the mind too. When you witness an existence no human reason can handle, your brain overloads and shatters like it burst. That was mental contamination.
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Just curious for real.
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The gallery consensus settled on two possibilities for 's status.
Either way, a hopeless situation. No—death might actually be the more hopeful option.
The gallery's mood sharpened in an instant.
——
The frustration had escalated to outright bickering. The anger toward each other was really just fury at their own powerlessness—unable to do a damn thing for the newbie. Sure, they'd been a mad troll flipping the gallery upside down from the start, but clearing a high-grade horror in 7 minutes and reverse-hunting four newbie hunters in the Lost & Found Child Center? Overwhelming talent. Everyone felt down seeing that potential snuffed out so pointlessly.
Right then.
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Save m e
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Everyone swarmed the new post.
◆
It's dark. Feels like a switch in my head flipping off. Starting with the nearest light, one by one, they wink out. Room lights go, streetlamps outside, distant buildings, sky's moon, sun, stars. Until even the faintest, farthest speck fades hazy.
—— Kuuuung!
A massive vibration shakes the world.
"Hup!"
Han Yujin reflexively exhaled. Lungs emptied, air rushed back in, and she heaved again.
"Huuup...! Heok! Haa a a a k! Heok!"
Ragged breaths turned to coughs, chest burning like fire. Still, like she'd held her breath forever, she gasped endlessly rough.
...Ah.
Consciousness finally returned.
The whole world pitch black. Vision. Touch. Taste. No senses registered. Couldn't even tell if her fingers existed. Limbs attached? Lying or standing? Nothing felt real.
What the hell is this?
The question hit—and
—— Kuuuung!
The ground shook again. The vibration so familiar, buried memories resurfaced. Front door torn like paper. Insect-thin, elongated limbs.
—— Shhh shhh shhh!
A pitch-black hole yawned before her, depthless void. So, the world darkening from that eyeball circle, circle, circle, circle, circle, circle, circle, circle, circle—sucking everything in, must praise it ahaha sorry ahaha a a a......
"Urk...!"
Han Yujin vomited bile. The anomaly's memory ravaged her brain like violation. Leagues beyond any horror denizen so far. Something defying all human logic and sense. Guts twisted, cold sweat poured. Endless terror flooded her mind. She tried scanning around, but still nothing seen, heard, felt.
—— Kuuuung!
No—from far off, a dull thump crushed her heart. Steady, mechanical, numb. Like something huge periodically slamming the floor.
—— Kuuuung!
Each boom, the inky dark quivered faintly. And it was getting closer.
...My mind.
She needed something to anchor her sanity. The thought struck—instinct screamed into the void.
'Gallery!'
A translucent window popped up.
Welcome to the Horror Survivor Gallery
Familiar message. Han Yujin shut her eyes, breaths heaving a few times.
Good. The gallery's still here.
Then—thunk—the memory forced back: the anomaly's eye. Innumerable circles crammed in one, each a universe.
"Uuuuuk!"
Mind on the verge of exploding in chaos, she frantically typed.
Save m e
Didn't even know what she inputted. In the packed dark, only the gallery window glowed hazy. No clue how long passed, but letters faintly reappeared in her narrow view. Someone's comment.
Mental contamination? Human mind shattering from anomaly encounter. Half-gone brain still thought it fit.
Comments flooded below.
Posts pouring in. Mind scrambled, but anomaly's memory shoved aside unconsciously—sanity inching back. Tunnel vision limited her to just reading comments, but still.
...Overcome fear?
Scariest thing now?
No arms, legs. Breathing but no sense of air on skin. No sight. Limbs broken.
Imagine. Imagine limbless self. Really no hope?
"......"
Not quite.
My life's priority is clear anyway.
The gallery. And this Horror Survivor Gallery works fine even now. Usable despite no limbs, fucked mind.
Fear of life or death? Already got a slave. Food and fighting covered, that's enough. Basics met, gallery's endless. No limbs wouldn't ruin life forever.
"...Heh."
Laughter leaked. Crazy even to her. But not wrong either.
And strangely.
"......Huh?"
The fog filling her head dispersed. Brain rebooting from full blackout. Gallery fully visible now.
———
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...Wtf. Gallery froze? Lag?
The thought brief.
———
———
Comments endless. Naturally spawning mental contamination cure memes.
—— Mental contamination? Easy peasy.
—— Answer: 'Gallery troll breath'.
—— Gallery troll breath Form 1: Remember you can gallery even limbless!
Reading the nonsense, her mind fully cleared. Hell, wasn't this enlightenment?
Amused briefly. Then a new post targeted her.
——
...Situation? Oh. Still no senses.
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No vision no senses what do?
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Comments hit like they'd been waiting.
Tried half-doubting. No clue where hands were, but imagined 'clench' and focused every nerve.
"...Huh?"
Faintly, something tight eased. Tingling pain and blood flow from fingertips, toes.
"It... works."
Flash of insight. The sequence so far. Postman-concept anomaly outside...
"Ain't I packaged?"
Like vacuum-sealed chicken breast. Explains no body sense.
Again, imagined curling arms/legs max, hunching, tensed whole body.
Shwaaa—
Blood surged like receding waves. Sensations returning one by one.
Works... got it.
Power of crowd wisdom?
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Thx helpers. Blood flowing, feel membrane around me. Breathing hole ok.
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Sudden panic like big trouble. Fair, ripping bare-handed unimaginable.
But she had it. Summonable anywhere—premium bag!
Worth the cash spending.
Snickering, summoned her pricey item.
'MoneyBag Anywhere.'
Heavy feel, familiar leather handle gripped. Fumbled open, pulled multi-tool MacGyver knife. Sliced the mystery membrane.
———
Vacuum seal overcome. Ripped in half.
———
Ignoring the gallery frenzy, she cautiously scanned. Tight, stuffy space. Tapped ceiling—thinner spot. Slashed, shoved hard. Clank. Ceiling split, light flooded.
"Agh, eye-stab."
Eyes adjusted slowly. Finally, the sight stopped her breath.
Dozens, hundreds of conveyor belts. Mountains of parcel boxes atop. Before her stretched an endless vast space.