Bound by Darkness: Mastering the Immortal System

6

Chapter 6: Omen of Terror

Sebastian glanced at his strength attributes once more. The numbers remained a mocking [0 ~ 0].

After a moment of grim reflection, he pushed himself up and gripped his hardwood cane. With a rhythmic *thud, thud* against the floorboards, he made his way toward the front hall of the apothecary. It was a clear day, and despite the chilling rumors of bandits lurking on the outskirts, Riverside Village was slowly waking up. There was no reason for the Healing Apothecary to remain shuttered.

As the vibrations of his cane sent ripples of information through his ink-wash world, a path of pale lines unfurled before him. He navigated around the privacy screen and entered the main shop. Behind the counter, he "saw" the delicate silhouette of Ellen, her form rendered in shimmering white strokes against the dark background of the medicine racks.

"Ellen," he said softly. "Do we have any tonics or medicines to fortify the body? I wish to become stronger—sturdier."

Ellen froze for a second, then raised a hand to her lips, suppressing a giggle. "You aren't sick, Sebastian. Why would you need tonics?" She stepped closer, her tone softening with affection. "We still have a bit of cured meat left. Once we close the shop, I'll prepare a hearty meal for you."

It was a known truth: to build strength, one must first build mass. That meant meat, and meat required silver. The apothecary's reserves had been bled dry during the last round of forced conscriptions and grain taxes. What little remained was barely enough for daily survival, let alone a diet of high-quality protein to transform his frail frame.

As Sebastian pondered their dwindling finances, Ellen circled the counter. She gave him a playful, affectionate swat on the arm and whispered with a mischievous glint in her voice, "Perhaps we should skip tonight then, lest I, the little enchantress, drain the very marrow from your bones."

Sebastian didn't back down. He leaned in slightly, a ghost of a smirk on his face. "Do you think you can?"

Ellen's eyes widened in surprise before she burst into a bright, melodic laughter. "Do you truly fancy yourself a titan now, my brave husband?"

The young couple continued their shameless flirting until the sound of approaching footsteps broke the spell. Two village women appeared at the entrance. Sebastian focused his inner vision; their data was identical.

[Strength: 0 ~ 0]

[Affection: 60]

"Doctor Ellen! Doctor Ellen! We need treatment!" one of the women shouted, her voice laced with the weariness of age.

Ellen immediately shifted into her professional role, performing the traditional four steps of diagnosis: looking, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse. After a thorough examination, she spoke. "Sister Cauliflower, this is a lingering ailment where rheumatism and cold have settled into your joints. I have some dried herbs—Clematis and Pine Knot—in the shop. Take three packets and steep them in medicinal wine. Drink it for three consecutive days, and the cold evil within your body shall be expelled."

The woman hesitated, her face scranning in worry. "How much?"

"Thirty copper coins for three packets," Ellen replied.

"Thirty coins?" The woman immediately shifted into haggling mode. "That's far too expensive!"

"Sister Cauliflower, it truly isn't," Ellen insisted. "The medicinal wine alone is costly to prepare."

The other woman chimed in, "We both have the same ailment. How about six packets for thirty coins?"

A fierce round of bargaining ensued. Ellen stood her ground at sixty coins for both. She had spent days climbing steep cliffs to harvest those herbs; she wasn't about to give them away for nothing. The two women huffed in anger, shouted that they would rather let the herbs rot in the shop, and stormed out without even paying the two-copper consultation f*e.

Ellen stomped her foot in frustration. "If they went to the county seat, a single packet would cost them fifteen coins or more!"

Sebastian turned his head. Through the walls, he saw the two women standing at the corner of the alley, their affection ratings dropping from 60 to 50. They weren't leaving; they were whispering, plotting their next move. Sure enough, one of them returned a moment later, offering forty coins for the lot. Ellen remained unyielding: "Sixty-two coins, including the consultation fees!"

After another round of insults, the women left again. Ellen was fuming, her breath coming in short, angry gasps. Sebastian walked up behind her and began to gently massage her tense shoulders. "Why be so angry? It's always been like this, hasn't it?"

Ellen leaned back against his arm, letting out a long sigh. "Only you are good to me, Sebastian."

That night, they didn't engage in their usual intimacy. Instead, they lay together in the quiet darkness, their skin meeting in the warmth of the blankets while the winter wind howled against the windowpanes. In that silence, the warmth they shared felt like a tiny spark in a vast, cold ocean—a dawn in an eternal night.

The next morning, the notification appeared:

[You spent a harmonious night with Ellen. Obtained 5 attribute points.]

A "happy" night had downgraded to a "harmonious" one. Sebastian had already made his decision. He poured all 5 points into the Ancient Pagoda Visualization, bringing his progress to [Accomplished (6/8)].

There was no sudden leap in power, but a wealth of "combat experience" regarding soul projection flooded his mind. He now understood the nuances of the technique: what weather was suitable for night travel, how to react to unexpected spiritual threats, how long he could remain outside his shell before falling ill, and the toll it would take on his physical heart. In his mental trials, he had been wounded and fallen ill many times, but the real Sebastian remained unscathed, inheriting only the hard-won wisdom.

Suddenly, the sound of Ellen's voice exploding in anger echoed from the front hall. Sebastian gripped his cane and hurried forward. Through the walls and curtains, he fixed his gaze on the two figures with "Affection: 50." It was the same two women from yesterday.

As he approached, their affection began to plummet—dropping from 50 to 40 in a matter of seconds. Their hatred for Ellen was spilling over onto him and the entire apothecary. Sebastian listened. It seemed the women couldn't endure the pain through the night and had returned to buy the medicine, but Ellen refused to budge on the price.

Sebastian stepped forward and placed a calming hand on Ellen's shoulder.

"What now?!" she snapped, turning around with a look of murderous fury. Since giving herself to him, Ellen had shed her reserved, "maidenly" exterior, revealing a fierce, fiery nature.

Sebastian stepped in front of her and let out a long, heavy sigh. "Sister Cauliflower, Sister Baojin... I know life is hard. In this world, no one has it easy. We are all struggling."

He began to chat with them, listening to their woes. One woman's husband had been taken for the army; the other had lost her son to the draft. They were overflowing with bitterness. Sebastian listened, nodded, and offered kind words. Slowly, their anger melted. Their affection ratings began to climb, reaching a staggering 80. His refined, handsome face and gentle demeanor were clearly working in his favor.

Half an hour later, Sister Cauliflower sighed. "Fine, fine. For Sebastian's sake, thirty coins it is. We all have it hard." They paid and left.

"They still didn't pay the consultation f*e!" Ellen grumbled, though her anger had vanished.

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh. "My wife is truly adorable."

Ellen's face flushed crimson. Seeing no one around, she leaned in and gave him a quick, appreciative kiss. "I didn't know you had such a way with words."

Sebastian started to respond, but the words died in his throat. His eyelids flickered open, revealing his clouded, pearl-white eyes staring intensely at the mouth of the mud road.

In his vision, a terrifying, blood-red mist was drifting past. It was a shifting, grotesque vapor, appearing as if it were still incomplete, struggling to assemble its form. Against the absolute black of the blind man's world, this crimson hue was bone-chillingly vivid.

A sudden, paralyzing cold gripped his limbs, as if he had been plunged into an abyss of ice. His instincts, honed by his knowledge of the "Eternal Hell" game, screamed at him to look away.

"What are you looking at?" Ellen asked, following his gaze. All she saw was a dry field, the rustle of straw bags on wooden stakes, and the cold shadow of an old gray tree. There was nothing else.

Sebastian took a deep breath and looked back with his peripheral vision. The red mist was gone. 'Did I imagine it?'

He quickly checked his panel. At the very bottom, the iron-gray line that read [Taboo: Locked] had begun to crack. It looked as if something monstrous was bulging underneath, trying to break through and crawl into the world.

In his past life, Sebastian had read the forums for "Eternal Hell." One rule was undisputed among players: A Taboo is like a program. Its creation is "coding," its possession is "loading," and its trigger is "execution." Once executed, horror is inevitable.

If you wish to avoid a Taboo, never use your senses to contact it. Do

not look at it, do not listen to it, and above all—do not know it.

Never. Absolutely never.