The Secrets of This City

[Random Generation Complete]

[Spirit Body

Mental: 30

Physical: 100

Trait: Calm Lv1]

[Searching for a random drop location...]

[Please note: The spirit body will undergo a 2-second solidification process after the random drop, during which the spirit body will be immune to damage.]

"Quite mediocre stats, huh?"

Indeed, after all, only a core had been dropped.

As for the solidification process, Sophia Johnson simply and bluntly interpreted it as a 2-second period of invincibility.

[Random location selected, beginning drop...]

At the moment this line of narration appeared, Sophia Johnson's vision went dark. There was no dizziness or strange sensation; it was as if she just blinked. The next second, a line of white letters appeared in the dark.

[Drop successful. The moment you open your eyes, the solidification will begin.]

"Just as I thought..."

Sophia Johnson had been curious about how the game would transfer her consciousness into the spirit body. Based on the narration, she had guessed that perhaps a body would be created to contain her consciousness. Alternatively, she had considered the possibility that a controllable pixelated character would simply appear in the game. Now, it seemed the game had indeed created a "temporary body" for her.

In that case, there was much more room for maneuver.

While in the spirit body, she wouldn't need to fear death. She could freely do things that she would hesitate to do in reality. Although the spirit body had its costs, compared to the benefits it provided, the cost was negligible. Sophia Johnson could use it to take risks and gamble in ways that she couldn't in her normal state.

With her mind made up, Sophia Johnson slowly opened her eyes. She first instinctively looked around, but when she saw the environment, she froze in place.

For a full two seconds, her brain went blank. A strong sense of shock overwhelmed her, leaving her breathless, even halting her ability to breathe. Her mind froze, and she couldn't think or react.

Until the two-second invincibility period passed, a blood-red light flashed in front of her eyes, and then her spirit body died. The speed was so fast that she didn't feel any pain, and her consciousness immediately returned to her original body. It took a moment for her brain to restart, sluggish as if it were rusted.

But once she began to think, cold sweat immediately drenched her back.

What had she just seen?

First of all, it was without a doubt that she had been dropped in the city center. When she opened her eyes, she saw a bus stop right in front of her, clearly marked as "People's Park Station." The People's Park in Yun City was indeed located in the city center.

However, the next moment, her vision was filled with something that caused her brain to short-circuit...

They were—

Monstrous creatures, all with distorted and horrifying appearances, densely packed along the streets and buildings, filling every inch of space. They were so numerous that just looking at them made her feel the creeping anxiety of being surrounded, triggering a severe case of trypophobia.

And at the moment Sophia Johnson opened her eyes, it seemed as if the monsters had sensed her, for their eerie eyes, glowing in the mist, all turned towards her. Their gazes were cold, bloodthirsty, and devoid of any rationality.

Even though the street was silent at the time, in retrospect, it felt like she could hear the whispers of countless creatures, as if they were saying: "Look, a lost lamb."

Each monster was eager to pounce, and the moment the two seconds of invincibility expired, one of the monsters was the first to attack.

It was fortunate that her spirit body was far too fragile for the otherworldly creatures, causing her death to come far too quickly for her to even experience any pain.

At the time, she had been completely unprepared, and the first thing she saw was that horrifying sight. Her mind went blank, and she didn't have time to think before she was killed. Now, as she reflected on it, apart from fear, a deep sense of confusion followed.

Why had so many monstrous creatures gathered in the city center?

There were too many possible reasons: something might be drawing them in, or perhaps a more powerful creature was directing them to the city center. There were countless possibilities.

Now that she knew the monsters were in the city center, it explained why she hadn't seen them for a few days.

But the next wave of anxiety and urgency followed quickly.

Because Sophia Johnson had no idea how long these monsters would stay in the city center. What if, the next second, they left and came here?

Not just here, but anywhere in the city. As long as these monsters existed, this city was not safe.

Even more so, the monsters working together were far more dangerous than the news had reported.

If they wanted to, no one in the city would be able to stop them.

Was she really supposed to place her life in the hands of these monsters not deciding to come her way?

Just from that one glimpse, she had counted at least a hundred of them. And that was only because the mist had blocked part of her vision. In the distance, she could barely see the glowing eyes of the monsters flickering in the fog!

She couldn't understand why the monsters had gathered in the city center, but she knew that this city probably had another hidden secret she didn't know about.

The excessive tension and anxiety made Sophia Johnson feel a surge of anger. She had to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Fortunately, the pressures of sickness and death that had always followed her had prepared her for moments like this. The sudden confrontation with such terrifying events didn't break her, and after a brief period of reorganization, she managed to regain her composure. She opened her eyes again.

"Looks like I have to be more aggressive."

Her rate of growth was still too slow!

Now, Sophia Johnson's mind was entirely focused on the terrifying scene she had just witnessed. Her goal had become survival at all costs against the assault of these monstrous creatures.

Before witnessing this scene, her objectives had been far less grand, but the more she knew, the heavier the pressure on her shoulders.

Under this pressure, Sophia Johnson made a decision.

She took out the gray[Moth]attribute core, and without hesitation, she swallowed it.

She knew one core wouldn't add much energy, but it was a decision made out of resolve.

The moment she swallowed the core, the crystal-hard core dissolved into liquid in her mouth, flowing down her throat. Her vision blurred, and a dream-like illusion began to take shape before her eyes.

She saw countless gray moths trapped under glass domes. Then, one by one, they were released into the night, flying toward burning candles as if in a ritualistic manner, only to die, their bodies turning to ash as they fell to the ground.

Countless moth corpses filled the ground, and the black markings on their gray wings resembled silent eyes, twisting and changing, gazing up at the candle flames in the sky.

Sophia Johnson's gaze followed the drifting flame, and she felt a strange pull to approach it, even though it emitted an intense heat that was burning the moths to death.

But the next second, the scene before her distorted, and a violent dizziness swept over her, pulling her out of the moth-like trance.

Her back was covered in sweat, and she was vaguely frightened. If she hadn't snapped out of it in time, would she have flown into the flames like those moths?

Sophia Johnson tried to sense if her body had changed in any way, but unfortunately, after a while, she couldn't detect any difference. So, she picked up her game console to see if there would be any updates from the narration.

Sure enough, the narration never ignored her actions.

[The sight you witnessed in the spirit body was deeply unsettling and led to a decisive change in your actions. You swallowed an attribute core, a bold move, but one that might very well have been the right choice at this moment.]

[Your affinity for the Moth attribute has increased, but this is not enough to grant you a supernatural ability. You might need more attribute cores.]

[However, please be aware that consuming attribute cores carries risks for rational beings, especially those with dangerous attributes like Moths.]

[Please maintain your composure and do not fall into obsession.]

"Obsession?"

So, the feeling of wanting to "self-destruct" like the moths was a sign of obsession?

Well, one core definitely wasn't enough...

Where could she find more[Moth]attribute cores?

Sophia Johnson glanced at the time, thinking it hadn't passed long since her spirit body was killed. The illusion hadn't lasted too long, but when she looked at the clock, more than an hour had passed.

Soon, her two minions would finish their rounds.

But up until now, the game hadn't provided any hints about the black fruit. It seemed her luck wasn't great today.

Sophia Johnson put down the game console, got up to wash up. Although she had brought medicine when she moved, that was just in case. After her dog leveled up to 10, her physical condition had improved a bit. Now, she was still weaker than normal people, but she could manage without medication.

After washing and changing clothes, she fiddled with the washing machine in her room, washed some clothes, and then returned to her bedroom.

She sighed. "It's the apocalypse, and I still have to wake up at 5 a.m. to wash clothes myself."

Once she became stronger, she would definitely get someone to handle her laundry and other chores.

After finishing this, she checked on her minions again. Neither of them had found much.

"Well, I can't expect to find good stuff every day."

Sophia Johnson sent her minions out again, letting them level up, while she kept herself busy. Besides some daily necessities, her luggage only contained books.

She knew she wasn't going to have time to train her weak body or go looking for opportunities. The only thing she could do now was use every spare moment to enrich her mind and acquire more knowledge—even if that knowledge didn't end up being useful. It's better to be prepared than not.

She also instructed her minions to look for nearby libraries. She had already cleared a relatively safe route this morning, so after finishing her books, she would be able to continue.

"Ugh, if only there were still internet..."

The city's network had been cut off. Otherwise, she wouldn't need to go to a library; she could use her phone or tablet.

But that was impossible now.

The monsters' siege was coming. Everyone knew it.

All she had to do now was get stronger.

If she wasn't strong enough, it was better to leave the city than stay here.

She already knew that the monsters were drawn to the city by something. This was not the same as before. It was all... unpredictable.

Sophia Johnson had already decided that she would continue to grow stronger, even if it meant paying an even greater price.

That was the only way out.