Chapter Eleven: Hospital Tales (End)

At this moment, Luo Hanya watched helplessly as his health bar, once a vivid red, gradually faded. He could feel his bones and blood being drained away bit by bit, fully aware that death was imminent. Yet Luo Hanya felt no regret; after all, this was only a script within a game. He was almost certain now that the avatar of the Fear-devouring Demon would be destroyed by the Black Crow, and that Shanshan would not be guilty—so the Black Crow would not kill her. With this in mind, despite the agony of his marrow and blood being siphoned, Luo Hanya still managed a satisfied smile.

As his paralysis rendered his smile eerily unnatural, tiny pitch-black fissures gnawed at the surrounding space. Electric arcs flickered and vibrated along the edges of these dark cracks, emitting sharp, snapping sounds as they spread wider.

Soon, the fissures expanded into a massive rift. At last, the great rupture ceased its transformation and began to contract and stabilize. Luo Hanya, who had sacrificed almost all his marrow and blood, saw the light fade from his eyes. With a nearly imperceptible "bang," his broken body crumbled to dust, vanishing in the hell of icy confinement, leaving only a single streak of rainbow light shooting off into the distance.

Current task has failed. Main quest has failed. The system voice, cold and mechanical, repeated.

A flash of white light, and Luo Hanya was back in the login space. System prompts rang out in quick succession.

Script completed. Calculating rewards.

A new window popped up on the game menu.

Gained 900 experience points, 5000 game coins.

Item acquired: Little Girl’s Mirror.

Accepted Task 21 completed.

Special ending reward: Cruel Black Crow. Please wait to claim.

Special, hidden tasks completed: 0.

Your script rating is [blank], granting you one additional reward. Please select shortly.

Achievement points: 300.

Achievement bonus: 300 experience, 1800 game coins.

Script reward: 80 base experience plus 1200 bonus.

Settlement complete. Please proceed.

You have reached Level 6. Maximum health increased.

Your title has changed. New title: Sufferer.

Honor points: 3.

Title: Sufferer.

Type: Title.

Quality: Fine.

Attribute: Slightly increases your health.

Special skill: Embrace of Suffering.

Note: It is said that when a person endures endless suffering, astonishing strength may erupt—that is the legendary positive effect of suffering. Yet, the truth is most are destroyed by suffering. That is its greatest power.

Name: Embrace of Suffering.

Skill type: Active.

Skill tier: [blank].

Effect: When you are injured, your attack power increases substantially. The more severe your wounds, the greater your attack boost.

Note: In the martial world, there is a move called Seven Wounds Fist, which first harms oneself, then the enemy. This skill is similar, but you must maintain balance—otherwise, excessive wounds will leave you powerless to strike. In the embrace of suffering, don’t let yourself die before you can unleash your strength.

"Phew, finally got a new title. At last, I don’t have to carry that old one anymore." Luo Hanya let out a relieved sigh. Then he noticed something odd: "My system rating actually exists!"

"I failed the main quest, didn’t I?" Luo Hanya thought. "I didn’t really shine anywhere during the whole process. How bizarre."

So why did our protagonist Luo Hanya achieve such a script rating? The root lies in the exorcism effect he triggered by chance. Normally, Sleep Spirits are unstoppable for Luo Hanya, and the main quest given by the system was simply to defeat the Fear-devouring Demon.

The system intended for Luo Hanya to enter the dream and defeat the demon there. Yet unexpectedly, Luo Hanya never entered the dream; instead, he deduced the demon’s location from other clues. Had he done so, the main quest would have been far easier—it was just an egg, easily destroyed.

But then, Luo Hanya stumbled into a spatial node, straight into the Frozen Hell—a clearly advanced area, and so overwhelming force crushed him. The script’s difficulty soared, becoming almost a nightmare scenario.

All these events meant Luo Hanya discovered two hidden plotlines in succession. Although the main quest was unfulfilled, such deep script exploration earned him a high rating.

Put simply, this game offers remarkable freedom. Players can explore scripts in depth, even disregarding the main quest set by the system—though that is a bit fanciful. In summary, the Haunted House runs on a model of free exploration plus main quest, rather than a traditional linear path.

Luo Hanya then took out the Little Girl’s Mirror from his pack, gently stroking it. He couldn’t help but worry for Shanshan’s current situation. He recalled the moment he departed the script: blizzard raging, wind sweeping the earth, a mysterious black void forming a door, the Black Crow quietly pushing it open.

"Ah! Let’s hope the Black Crow is truly a devil with boundaries," Luo Hanya murmured, glancing at the mirror’s information.

Name: Little Girl’s Mirror.

Type: Special item.

Quality: Ordinary.

Effect: Slightly boosts your willpower when carried.

Note: This is just an ordinary mirror, but it holds Luo Hanya’s love for Shanshan.

Reading the note, Luo Hanya’s heart trembled, and tears flowed uncontrollably. "It will always be with me, at least in this game," he resolved silently.

He then checked his character info, noticing major changes.

Game nickname: Cold Crow Luo. Level: 6. Experience: 50,600.

Achievement points: 450. Game coins: 9,800.

Knowledge base: Paranormal Studies, Beginner.

Inventory: 320—Little Girl’s Mirror, battered wooden sword, Chain of Health.

Mutation ability: Demonic transformation, mid-level evolution.

Effect: Allows you to enter demon form.

Demon form:

Attribute: Darkness.

Body strength: Strong.

Special abilities: Dark Vision, Demon’s Flame, Demon’s Allure, Damaged Demon Wings.

Status: Mid-level demonization [20100].

Name: Dark Vision.

Type: Special ability.

Effect: Grants ability to see in darkness.

Note: Night gave me black eyes, but I can still see.

Name: Demon’s Flame.

Type: Special ability.

Effect: Summon a demon’s flame.

Note: Even the lowest demon can summon Demon’s Flame. It is exclusive to demons, and undeniably powerful.

Name: Demon’s Allure.

Type: Special ability.

Effect: Has a chance to control creatures with weak willpower.

Note: A petty trick used by low-level demons, said to have been invented by a high-level succubus but later became standard for demons.

Name: Damaged Demon Wings.

Type: Special ability.

Effect: Grants brief flight; the wings have strong offensive power.

Note: An incomplete product of evolution, missing many functions expected of demon wings, but at least they are wings.

After reviewing his gains from the previous script, a new option appeared:

Please choose your extra reward: 1. Randomly draw an item of your level, or 2. Receive game coins and experience.

Without hesitation, Luo Hanya clicked the first option. A beam of light radiating divine energy shone before him, and then a broadsword appeared!

Luo Hanya was stunned, clearly startled by the size of the blade. After a moment of surprise, he quickly picked it up to check its attributes.

Name: Broadsword.

Type: Weapon.

Quality: Ordinary.

Attack: Average.

Attribute: None.

Special effect: None.

Note: This is just a broadsword used for martial arts performances—not particularly powerful, but at least it’s a broadsword, with some offensive capability.

Previously, Luo Hanya had some expectations for the broadsword, but after seeing its stats:

"Damn it, what a stupid game," Luo Hanya couldn't help but grumble.