Chapter 40: Swan Castle Witnesses the Reversal of Alienation for the First Time...
Before Yu Naixin could finish speaking, Luosiluna, who had been behaving very gently, suddenly changed her demeanor.
Her once normal eyes vanished in an instant, turning from the pupils to the whites of her eyes into a completely black color, like a bottomless black hole.
Luo Siluna's joints seemed to have lost their flexibility, and she turned her head somewhat unsteadily, staring intently at Yu Naixin with her eyes.
[Oh dear, has this NPC mutated?]
[The mutated NPCs are like zombies; they attack the show's guests indiscriminately. The more crucial an NPC's role in the challenge, the more lethal they become after mutation. With this NPC head maid's status, she's going to give the female guests a run for their money, hahaha.]
[Here's the fun part: the mutated NPCs have a certain chance of killing the show's guests. Let's see if this female guest can handle it!]
[The guests who can enter the mutated fusion instance shouldn't be defeated by an NPC, but at least there's some exciting content, otherwise I would have gone to another live stream.]
Yu Naixin's most direct feeling was that she was no longer facing a living person.
Instead, it was a corpse that had been dead for an unknown period of time, its entire body exuding an aura of stiffness and decay...
“The people of Swan Castle naturally know the time without clocks,” Rosluna said, her voice mechanical and devoid of emotion. “Don’t you—know the time?”
Luna suddenly brought her face close to Yu Naixin's, their noses almost touching.
At such close range, Yu Naixin could clearly see that the skin on Luosiluna's face had become pale and withered, and even lividity was faintly emerging.
"You wouldn't be—" Rosluna asked, emphasizing each word, "not from Swan Castle?"
[Hahahaha, doesn't the female guest know one of the hidden rules of "Heartbeat 1000%"—don't let the NPCs know you're from the outside world?]
This is her second appearance on the show, right? It's normal that she didn't know; ignorance is bliss, after all!
[The main reason is that her previous episode was quite unique; the guest's identity was set as an outsider, which didn't apply to this implicit rule, so it was indeed difficult for her to notice this.]
[Didn't the female guest have a fan that actually has a built-in science education function? Didn't she ask about it?]
The moment Rosiluna changed, the priest with the folding fan, who had been hiding in the shadows, tensed up, and the fox head image on the fan stood up with its ears perked up.
Oh no!
This is something that is basic common sense to it, and if Yu Naixin hadn't asked, the priestess folding fan really wouldn't have remembered to mention it.
It wasn't until the NPCs underwent mutation right before her eyes that Priest Folding Fan suddenly realized that Yu Naixin had no idea what it was.
It immediately tried to appear beside Yu Naixin, but received a "don't be impatient" signal from Yu Naixin.
There is a special sensory connection between the user and the bound special spiritual artifact. As long as the special spiritual artifact is within its range of operation, the user can issue commands silently in their mind.
The paper puppy almost rushed out on its own, but Yu Naixin managed to stop it in time.
[This is hilarious! You have to know when to stop when it comes to extracting information. If you accidentally ask something you shouldn't, the NPC who seemed harmless a second ago might suddenly turn on you and tear you to pieces!]
[It's a pity that such a valuable source of information as the head maid was wasted so quickly. The only ending for the mutated NPC is that he will be completely wiped out by the show's guests. Oh no, there's a very small chance that he will kill the show's guests. Then, in addition to the show's guests' flesh and blood, the dungeon guests will also need to seize the flesh and blood of the corresponding mutated NPC.]
[This is when you can truly see the difference between new and veteran guests. No matter how talented you are, without experience and knowledge, it's all for naught; you'll just be easy prey for the other guests.]
Amidst the jeers and mockery in the comments, some viewers spoke the truth.
[What does one mutated NPC prove? This female guest can even enter the Mutation Fusion Dungeon, so her access to the regular shop can't be that low. Aren't all those firearms there meant for dealing with NPCs?]
[Yeah, NPCs don't have any spiritual power. If you have enough skill or luck, you can kill them with a regular kitchen knife.]
The viewers in the live stream were unaware that Luna actually possessed a very low level of spiritual power.
Even so, Yu Naixin does not feel that her current situation is particularly dangerous.
She would leave the priest's folding fan and paper dog inactive, showing her confidence that she could handle the situation on her own.
Yu Naixin met Luo Siluna's incredibly eerie gaze without blinking, her expression remaining completely calm and natural.
“How could that be?” Yu Naixin even smiled. “Of course I know the time at Swan Castle. It’s 4:13 PM now, isn’t it, Head Maid?”
She wasn't from Swan Castle, but she did have a system panel with a function that could be used as a clock.
Since the result is the same anyway, what does it matter if the process is a little different?
Upon hearing Yu Naixin accurately report the current time, Luo Siluna moved her neck, as if she wanted to nod, but due to the excessive stiffness of her joints, she was unable to do so.
[Holy crap, aren't mutated NPCs supposed to continue rotting until they become tattered skeletons? Why has this NPC's mutation suddenly stopped, and isn't getting worse?!]
[What did the female guest do? She only said one sentence! How did she manage to stop the NPCs from transforming with just one sentence?!]
[Wait a minute, the female guest didn't just say one sentence! She calmly and swiftly dispelled the NPC's suspicions the moment they arose!]
[Damn, that's true! Previously, those who could trigger NPC mutations were basically inexperienced newbie show guests. When they discovered the NPC mutation, they either panicked or ran away; no one even tried to clear their name!]
[Actually, this female guest is also a newcomer to the show with little experience... Oh well, she's not an ordinary person at all, there's no need for comparison.]
[So, proving you're not an outsider to the NPC before they completely transform into a broken skeleton is the way to stop their further transformation?! I remember the higher the NPC's level of transformation, the more aggressive they become towards the show's guests. This could be an effective way for new show guests to survive!]
While viewers in the live stream were shocked by Yu Naixin's new discovery, "Heartbeat 1000%", some more perceptive viewers noticed even more subtle details.
[Wait a minute, it's not just the female guest acting strangely; this NPC is acting odd too! She seems to have retained some consciousness after her transformation, and didn't attack the female guest purely on instinct!]
[The NPCs I've seen before who have gone mad all started attacking the show's guests without pause after discovering they were outsiders and asking a fatal question. But this head maid, after asking her fatal question, clearly waited for the female guest to respond!]
[Yes, yes, it seems the NPC gave the female guest a special chance. If her response proves she's not an outsider, she can escape this predicament!]
[Hmm... Is it possible that the female guest raised the NPC's favorability too high?]
Soon, the two parties involved confirmed Yu Naixin's suspicion that she had raised Luo Siluna's favorability too high.
Seeing that Luna's body was stiff and her expression was very blank, Yu Naixin reached out and gently touched the top of her head.
It is a very common soothing gesture.
Just as Yu Naixin finished the action and withdrew her hand, the lividity on Luosiluna's face suddenly began to fade.
Her pale, withered skin regained its color and elasticity, the darkness in her eye sockets disappeared, and her amber pupils, the same color as her hair, regained their original luster.
The speed at which Luna underwent mutation is exactly the same as the speed at which she is now reverting back to normal.
She transformed from a rigid, decaying body back into a living person.
As if nothing had happened, Luna's face regained its gentle smile. She nodded and naturally took over Yu Naixin's words: "Yes, it's 4:13 PM now."
[What the heck?! "Heartbeat 1000%" has a live stream rewind function?! How can NPCs turn back after being corrupted?!]
I thought I was seeing things!
[Holy crap, I'm totally dumbfounded! This is the first time I've ever seen an alien transformation reverse!]
The live stream chat was stunned by this scene, refreshing much faster than when Luna underwent her transformation.
【What?! What's all this about?! Isn't mutation completely irreversible? Unless the mutated NPC's original form is killed, that NPC will continue to exist in its mutated form until the episode where the mutation occurred ends, at which point the production team will format it and re-place it into the instance, waiting for the next episode to begin!】
[I knew the Great Demon King didn't follow the usual path, but I never expected her to be this unconventional!]
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Author's note: See you tomorrow night!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 05:54:58 on July 23, 2024 and 16:41:41 on July 27, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xiaosen-Yuanyuan (13 bottles); Nanbei (10 bottles); Tieguodunda'e (5 bottles); Huiyuyue (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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