Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Portrait of the Mad Woman - 3
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Torn dress revealing bruised skin.
Pupils like an abyss.
Disheveled hair, wriggling background.
The close-up portrait of the woman was so horrific it made my stomach churn.
...I need to solve this quickly and get out of here.
I approached the portrait without a moment's hesitation and activated my ability.
⚙ Omnia Wiki ⚙ [Portrait of the Mad Woman (Anomalous Phenomenon)] 1. Overview An Incertus-class anomalous phenomenon. Thanks to its outstanding style and technique, it's easy to mistake it for a beautiful oil portrait at first glance, but the closer you look, the more you glimpse the madness captured within. 2. Characteristics An oil portrait of a woman; artist and date of creation unknown. Initially perceived as a beautiful woman, but sustained observation reveals her mad true nature. 1. The woman's expression in the portrait begins to gradually distort. Living creatures within a 200-meter radius suffer auditory hallucinations. 2. At this point, if you make eye contact with the woman, the observer experiences severe headaches along with hallucinations. 3. If the hallucinations persist for 3 minutes or more, the wriggling background in the portrait starts to move. This is not a hallucination but a real phenomenon. 3-1. If hallucinations persist for 5 minutes or more, the wriggling background begins pulling the observer into the painting. 3. Containment Level (Danger) Incertus-class anomalous phenomena cannot be accurately assessed for danger level. Likewise, the exact danger level of the 'Portrait of the Mad Woman' cannot be measured, but once auditory and visual hallucinations are experienced, the symptoms persist eternally until 'resolved'. If the hallucinations are left untreated without resolution, the observer's sanity rapidly collapses, fully breaking down within a maximum of 5 minutes. 4. Resolution Methods Fundamentally, if not yet afflicted with 'hallucinations or auditory hallucinations', it can be completely prevented by covering the portrait with opaque cloth. However, if already afflicted with 'hallucinations or auditory hallucinations', the following resolution methods are required. 1. Attacks generally do not work on the portrait. 2. If hallucination symptoms persist for 5 minutes or more, the wriggling backgrounds escape from the painting. 3. The escaped wriggling backgrounds are vulnerable to physical attacks. Physically attacking the wriggling backgrounds gradually weakens the observer's hallucinations and auditory hallucinations. 4. Successfully eliminating all wriggling backgrounds removes the observer's hallucinations and auditory hallucinations, and the portrait halts all functions for 30 minutes. At this time, the portrait changes from a mad woman to a 'beautiful woman'. However, halting the portrait's functions does not restore the sanity of observers already afflicted with hallucinations and auditory hallucinations. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...What the hell."
After checking the wiki entry, I let out a hollow laugh.
"Euisul, this thing... aside from how grotesquely it's made, it's surprisingly no big deal, right?"
"Don't get cocky. Hurry up and brief me."
"Just cover it with some opaque cloth and it's done."
"...Is that really all it takes?"
"Yeah, for real."
I quickly explained the portrait to Yoo Euisul.
Once the auditory hallucinations start, it does become a big problem.
If the hallucinations following the auditory ones last 5 minutes or more, the wriggling background escapes into the real world.
And if you successfully eliminate all of them, the portrait's functions temporarily shut down.
The minimum condition for resolving this anomalous phenomenon is to let the hallucinations go on for 5 minutes to force the wriggling background out into the world.
Ironically.
But if you let the hallucinations drag on for 5 minutes or more, the observer's sanity collapses.
...In other words.
If you're already hit with hallucinations—no, even just the auditory ones.
You're pretty much screwed.
Well, since prevention is so ridiculously easy, this level of risk is to be expected.
Fortunately.
I hadn't experienced even auditory hallucinations, let alone full hallucinations yet.
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on the sounds.
Yep.
Nothing.
"See? I told you I have a good eye for people. I figured you had some resistance to mental attacks."
"...Isn't it because of the Cube's effect?"
"The Cube helps, but you probably have high innate resistance too."
Is it the Cube's effect?
Or, as Yoo Euisul says.
Am I somewhat immune to mental attacks because I'm already half-insane?
If it's the latter, it's not a very pleasant conclusion.
Anyway.
"Is it really okay for resolving an anomalous phenomenon to be this easy?"
"You still don't get how ridiculous your ability is?"
"Oh."
Come to think of it, yeah.
If it were some other Awakener here instead of me.
They wouldn't even think of the 'cover it with opaque cloth' solution.
"Anyway, let's leave this thing as is and head back for now."
"What about the item?"
"Items later. Anomalous phenomenon resolution comes first. No matter how low the danger level drops, it's still an anomalous phenomenon, so let's grab some opaque cloth first."
"Got it."
"Look at me."
"Okay."
I stared straight into Yoo Euisul's face.
She frowned like, what the hell do you want.
"Done. What now?"
"...What are you doing?"
"You told me to look."
"Look at me."
"I am looking right now."
"What nonsense have you been..."
Suddenly.
Yoo Euisul, who had been radiating irritation, seemed to realize something and hurriedly turned to look at the anomalous phenomenon.
Then she turned back to me.
"...Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Close your eyes for now."
"Why my eyes all of a sudden..."
"Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me."
"Look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look."
"Meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes, meet, my, eyes."
I thought it was Yoo Euisul's voice.
But it wasn't.
How I mistook that voice—like fingernails scraping my eardrums—for Yoo Euisul's, even I couldn't comprehend.
At this point, even a complete idiot would realize.
This is.
"...Auditory hallucinations."
"Yeah. So close your eyes first."
Fuck.
This is bad.
...
...
...
The 'hallucination' symptoms hadn't kicked in yet.
And rightly so.
The wiki said hallucinations only trigger after eye contact with the portrait.
As long as my eyes are closed, no hallucinations.
...However.
"Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me."
"Look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look, at me, look."
Listening to that crazy bitch's voice for 3 straight minutes is driving me insane.
...Not literally insane, just figuratively.
My mind is still perfectly fine.
It's just noisy as hell.
"...What do I do now?"
"Beats me. You said it yourself—the wiki doesn't lie. So the auditory hallucinations will persist forever until we resolve the anomalous phenomenon."
"Shit!"
We're caught in a bind.
To resolve the auditory hallucinations, I'd have to look at the portrait, which would trigger full hallucinations.
And if hallucinations hit.
My sanity collapses in 5 minutes.
Ah, right.
"If we slash the portrait's properties with Euisul's sword..."
"It's immune to attacks."
"Still better than doing nothing..."
"I already tried while your eyes were closed. Didn't work."
"Argh, why not! If it weren't Iron Sword No. 3 but Excalibur, we could've sliced it!"
"...Seeing you spout nonsense like that, your mind seems fine still. Okay, now open your eyes and make eye contact with that portrait."
"Hell no! If I open my eyes, the hallucinations..."
"Yeah, but the hallucinations have to trigger first to get rid of the auditory ones. Either way, to resolve it, you have to make eye contact."
"What about my sanity! You gonna fix it, Euisul?"
"Yeah. Probably."
"...Huh?"
"More precisely, the Association will fix it. They have items and Awakeners that restore sanity. They'll handle it since you're valuable manpower. So go on, make eye contact with that crazy bitch and trigger the hallucinations."
"...You're sure?"
"Yeah. Dead sure. Tons of Awakeners have lost their minds resolving anomalous phenomena. Plenty of precedents."
"Then that's a relief..."
"Just figure on being out of commission for daily life for at least a month."
...
That's.
You might as well tell me to die right now.
They said if I don't stream or update the anomalous phenomenon and item wikis for a month, I'm done for anyway.
...
"Got a problem? If you do, live with the auditory hallucinations forever."
"...I'll pass on that."
No joke.
My eardrums feel like they're gonna burst.
These desperate shrieks begging me to look at her eyes have been nonstop.
Yoo Euisul spoke with a troubled expression.
"I can't do anything about this either. Your sanity breaking down seems inevitable... but I promise I'll get you fixed somehow."
I let out a sigh.
And opened my mouth toward Yoo Euisul.
"No, thanks for the offer... but I'll tough it out."
"Tough out how? You said the wiki doesn't lie."
"Yeah, the wiki doesn't lie. That's why..."
Then I opened my eyes.
And strode toward the painting.
Making eye contact with the Portrait of the Mad Woman.
I dropped to my knees on the floor.
Clasped my hands together.
And spoke once more.
"I'm a devotee of the divine too. That's no lie."
Time to prove it.
This is the moment.
When I need that grace.
"Ahh, Reflecting Myriad Stars, the almighty, who provides me daily bread today as well..."
"...What are you doing?"
"Praying. Be quiet. Euisul, just handle the background if it starts crawling out. Reflecting Myriad Stars, the almighty..."
And with that, I began my impromptu worship.