Chapter 255: Approaching Doom [Bonus Chapter] Golden Gachapon Bonus Chapters (1/2) Thanks to "Name_Not_Listed" for the super gift. ♢♢♢♢ Moon’s eyes widened in pure disbelief as a notification suddenly blazed across his vision, his heart pounding violently in his chest. [You have died] [You have lost 2,000 Lives] "W-What? I died... I didn’t feel anything though," Moon stammered, looking down at his own hands, examining his own body with growing panic. But nothing was visibly wrong. No injuries. No pain. No indication whatsoever that he’d just experienced death. Not to mention the feeling of spawning back in did not occur. Moon’s anxiety spiked sharply as the horrifying moment settled over him: somehow, he was dying without any awareness of it happening. Something was actively killing him right now, yet the only indication of his death was the system notification. Without that alert, he would have had absolutely no idea his life was being drained. ’Is it the fog?!’ Moon’s mind seized on the most obvious culprit. He instantly held his breath, refusing to inhale any more of the potentially lethal mist. Lightning crackled around his legs as he began sprinting toward the north, moving as fast as his speed would allow in an attempt to escape the fog. He didn’t dare summon Mirage, terrified that exposing his companion to whatever was killing him would result in the horse’s permanent, true death. Five seconds had barely passed since his first death notification when another appeared, sending a fresh wave of anxiety crashing through his body. [You have died] [You have lost 2,000 Lives] Four thousand lives lost in less than ten seconds. And Moon had absolutely no idea how it was happening or how to stop it. "SHIT!" Moon couldn’t help but curse aloud, his usual calm completely shattered by the invisible, inexplicable threat that he couldn’t perceive. Realizing he was losing his composure—something that could get him killed faster—Moon forced himself to take a deep breath and think critically. He hurriedly retrieved a support rune from his storage, the same one he’d used on Nina. His hands moved quickly to activate it, and it took effect. As the rune worked, Moon was also casting his [Purify] skill and [Minor Mend] skill. But Moon was still not relaxed, his mind racing through other potential solutions in case the rune and healing didn’t work either. [You have died] [You have lost 2,000 Lives] His expression darkened dramatically as the same notification flashed once more, marking his third death in under twenty seconds. The rune had done absolutely nothing, so did his two healing skills. ’Appraisal!’ Moon thought desperately, activating his epic-ranked skill and directing it at the fog surrounding him, hoping to understand what he was facing. Nothing happened. The skill didn’t activate. Didn’t provide any information. Didn’t even acknowledge his attempt to use it. Moon’s shock penetrated deep to his core. "H-How is that possible..." He activated the skill again, this time directing it at the ground beneath his feet—something that should absolutely have a readable description. ’Appraisal!’ No effect. The skill remained completely inactive, as if it didn’t exist in his arsenal at all. "No... something is wrong." No matter what circumstances he faced, [Appraisal] should have worked. Even if it couldn’t penetrate some high-level concealment, it should have at least activated. The skill should have revealed basic details about the stone floor beneath his feet at minimum. The fact that it wasn’t even registering his attempts to use it meant something was horribly, terribly wrong within this fog. His mind immediately jumped to his other skills. He tried activating them, testing each one. They all functioned... except for the two skills that remained completely unresponsive. [Appraisal] and [Calmness]—which could possibly be attributed to the fact that no beast was within sight. [You have died] [You have lost 2,000 Lives] Another notification blazed across his vision, and with it Moon’s heart sank further as he desperately searched for the critical difference between the skills that worked and those that didn’t. Only one distinguishing factor stood out. "I’ve used all the working skills before, physically demonstrated their effects in combat or practice," Moon realized, his voice barely a whisper. "But Appraisal is primarily mental, informational. And Calmness... I haven’t used it within this gate at all..." At that exact moment, a new notification appeared before Moon’s eyes—one he’d never seen before. [Title: Inheritor of Flaws partially activated] [Hint: Your mind is your enemy] Reading through the text, Moon’s confusion intensified, ’Title? Inheritor of Flaws? Is this related to the pavilion?’ He had countless questions, but this wasn’t the time for contemplation. He needed to escape his current predicament before his accumulated lives were completely emptied. Focusing on the hint provided, Moon’s brain worked frantically for a solution. ’Your mind is your enemy...’ His gaze snapped to one of his skills: [Tenacity], the ability that protected him from illusions and mental manipulation. ’I’m trapped in an illusion...?! The skill was meant to give me immunity...what kind of entity can overpower an epic rank skill!?’ Based on the hint and the evidence before him, Moon realized this was the only logical explanation that fit all the data. His mind raced backward, reviewing every moment since entering the gate on earth. His skill usage, his interactions with his crew, Nina’s attitude and Mara’s. At that moment, terrible understanding crashed over him like a tidal wave. The abilities he was currently using—the lightning, the fire, the rune—they were all fake. Byproducts of a powerful llusion constructed by whatever entity was actually killing his real body while his consciousness remained trapped in this false reality loop. "The lightning is fake... the lighting rune doesn’t work because it’s fake," Moon whispered, the pieces falling into place, filling the puzzle. "The mist isn’t being moved by wind because the mist is fake. The fog, the floor—everything is fake!" The moment that thought solidified completely in his mind, Moon began to feel something changing. As if his consciousness was finally returning to his original body, reconnecting with his physical body rather than the illusion he’d been inhabiting. His eyes widened as the entire scene transformed before him like shattering glass. The fog disappeared. He was no longer standing or running. Instead, he was lying motionless on cold stone ground, his body completely prone and vulnerable. And above him, its face mere inches from his own, was a creature Moon had never seen before. A fox with luxurious purple eyes that gleamed malevolently. Its claws were extended, digging slowly into Moon’s chest and torso, drawing blood as it fed on him while keeping his mind trapped in illusion. Moon’s body moved on pure survival instinct before his conscious mind could fully process the threat. His arms crossed together defensively, and he activated [Advanced Elemental Body] with lightning element, channeling it through his entire body rather than just his limbs. Moon did not hold back, channeling a good portion of mana into it. CRACKLE! ZAP! His body became a conduit for lightning, streaks of blue arcing across his skin and immediately transferring to the fox whose claws were still embedded in his flesh. Feeling the lightning surge through its body, the fox released a sharp yelp of pain and surprise. It leaped backward away from Moon’s crackling body, landing several meters away.