Chapter 6: The Murder of a Musician

"Hiss..."

Stunned by the scene inside, Zhou Yuan drew a sharp breath. What the hell is this?

Notes immediately popped up:

[This scene has been marked as heavy content (Warning).

Please be aware that this scene contains extremely heavy content that may cause nausea, dizziness, or other symptoms of discomfort, and may also have a negative impact on your emotions. Hence, we believe this scene is not suitable for any audience.

If you still insist on viewing, you will bear the consequences afterward on your own. If you experience any discomfort, please stop viewing immediately and seek help from a physician promptly.

All right, to be serious.

After Bob went mad, his wife and lover were also infected and fell into a hell of madness. They connected and gradually merged together in the ceaseless symphony, enjoying eternal pleasure.]

Seeing Zhou Yuan standing there in a daze, Bob chuckled triumphantly:

"Been captivated by my wife, haven't you?"

"Yes... yes, your wife is really beautiful."

Zhou Yuan was sweating coldly, saying things against his will, while his gaze swept through the room, focusing on the piano in front of Bob, where there was a yellow music score.

[You're a smart kid; guess what it's made out of?

Correct, it's made of human skin.

Anyone who knows music theory will become fanatical like a crazy fan after seeing this Human Skin Score, frantically trying to play the music on it.

The score contains a bizarre tune that mentally corrupts both the player and the listener. When rationality is exhausted, a terrifying aberration will occur. Suggest that you deal with them quickly.

Hint: This is one of the evil instruments made by the infamous cult "Land of Truth." There are six more instruments like this.]

The system notification sound then rang.

[Task trigger conditions met]

[Task Name: "Murder the Musician"]

[Task Objective: Collect the evil instruments scattered around the world by "Land of Truth" 0/7]

[Task Reward 1: For each evil instrument collected, receive Experience Points*500, Star Coins*1000, Normal Quality Item Pack*1, Normal Quality Skill Scroll*1]

[Task Reward 2: Collect all 7 evil instruments to receive Experience Points*7000, Star Coins*35000, Perfect Quality Item Pack*1, Perfect Quality Skill Scroll*1]

[Accept/Decline]

A task was triggered?

Surprised, Zhou Yuan mentally accepted it, and then he heard Bob urging:

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up, I'll play accompaniment for you guys. I can't wait any longer!!!"

Bob panted heavily from excitement, his hands trembling with eagerness, and his bloodshot eyes shone with a frenzied light as if about to participate in a sacred ritual.

"Answer a few questions first, and I'll join you—who gave you that music score?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"Last Saturday, I attended a private music gathering. Halfway through, we started a gambling game, and I won this score from a lady."

Bob answered everything without reservation; now, all he wanted was to see Zhou Yuan in bed with his wife and was willing to pay any price for it.

"Where was the gathering held? What did the woman look like?" Zhou Yuan continued questioning.

Bob answered truthfully:

"The gathering was held at 128 Elm Tree Avenue, in the private manor of the famous musician Soren Wilson.

That woman… that woman…"

His gaze suddenly fell into a deep abyss of confusion; the woman's appearance seemed shrouded in a thick fog, impossible to recall.

"I can't remember what that woman looked like…"

Memory manipulation? Zhou Yuan thought to himself.

After a moment, he nodded seriously:

"Play it then."

Bob, overjoyed, prepared to play the piano.

—Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

A bullet pierced Bob's temple, spewing crimson blood that splattered on the walls and floor.

Thud.

Bob's corpse fell to the floor with a dull thump, his face still frozen in a maniacal grin.

[Eliminate the aberration corrupted by the Human Skin Score: 1/3]

This was Zhou Yuan's first time shooting someone, yet it didn't bring the fear or discomfort he had imagined; instead, it felt incredibly natural, as if he had done it many times before.

Bang! Bang!

He moved his arm, firing two more shots onto the twisted creature on the bed, carving bloody holes into the two faces. Pieces of flesh and bone flew like rain.

The Steel Rose Revolver was an extraordinary weapon; though it fired "normal revolver bullets," its power was stronger than the famous ".50 Magnum bullets."

However, the aberration wasn't an ordinary being either. Despite its male and female faces being shattered, it still let out a horrifying scream and lunged at Zhou Yuan with astonishing speed.

Zhou Yuan's gaze turned sharp, his left hand forming a fist—

—[Condensed Qi Fist]!

Visible white energy gathered at his fist, exploding into a massive energy-wrapped punch as he swung.

Boom!!!

The sheer force made the entire villa tremble as the fierce power generated a gust of wind in the confined space, knocking down countless items and scattering sheet music like snowflakes.

The aberration slammed against the wall so hard it nearly broke through. A clear fist imprint appeared on its profane body, the flesh inside a mangled mess—completely punctured.

[Eliminate the aberration corrupted by the Human Skin Score: 3/3]

[Task complete, return countdown—9:59]

"So strong?"

Zhou Yuan was astonished by the power of "Condensed Qi Fist," utterly blown away by its one-hit-kill strength.

Suddenly, he felt dizzy, almost collapsing—with that punch nearly draining his spirituality to its limit.

Zhou Yuan fought the dizziness brought on by spiritual depletion, moving around the piano to avoid accidentally seeing the Human Skin Score and getting mentally polluted.

Though not knowledgeable in music theory, the Human Skin Score should not affect him, but given his current weakened state, he decided to be cautious.

Zhou Yuan grabbed the Human Skin Score and stuffed it into his player's pack, the chilling, slippery texture making him frown in disgust.

Since he was already here, he decided to take the piano too, hoping it might fetch a good price.

[Name: Bob's Piano]

[Note: The piano most loved by musician Bob, it accompanied him for many years. However, with its former owner driven mad, this piano has also become eerie.]

[Price: 100 Star Coins]

"Nice!"

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up, the pain in his head subsiding, and he sold it immediately.

[Star Coins +100]

With time still on his side, he eagerly searched the room for valuable items.

Bob owned many instruments and collectibles, but none could be sold. It seemed only "supernatural" items were eligible for sale.

Hence, Zhou Yuan set his sight on the ground.

"Buddy, although you were nice inviting me to sleep with your wife, I really need some startup capital.

In the crematorium you'll still shine, so give me a round of angel investment, and I might even burn some incense for you during holidays.

If you don't say anything, I'll take it as a yes."

Zhou Yuan easily overcame his internal qualms and reached out to Bob's corpse.

[Name: Aberration's Corpse]

[Note: Poor little thing, in his final moments, he thought he could enjoy supreme art.]

[Price: 200 Star Coins]

Next, Zhou Yuan approached the aberration's corpse and picked it up.

[Name: Damaged Aberration Corpse]

[Note: Who would have thought this thing was two people?]

[Price: 100 Star Coins]

"Sell all."

[Star Coins +300]

Zhou Yuan exhaled in satisfaction.

"Return!"

·

·

With just a blink, Zhou Yuan found himself back home.

The task ended, and the one-time transformation card's effect wore off.

[Task "Frenzied Music Score" complete]

[Task Rating: S (experience points and star coins rewards increased to 150%)]

[Review: A corner of the real world opened before you, and at your first touch with the Extraordinary World, you demonstrated remarkable adaptability. Perhaps you are naturally an extraordinary person.]

[Task Reward 1: Experience Points*300]

[Task Reward 2: Star Coins*3000]

[Task Reward 3: Random Quality Item Pack*1]

[Task Reward 4: Random Quality Skill Scroll*1]

[Task "Murder the Musician" updated...]

[Current collected evil instruments: 1/7]

[Task Reward 1: Experience Points*500]

[Task Reward 2: Star Coins*1000]

[Task Reward 3: Normal Quality Item Pack*1]

[Task Reward 4: Normal Quality Skill Scroll*1]

[LV2→LV5!]

[Experience: 210/300]

A cascade of prompts flashed before Zhou Yuan, leaving him with a strong sense of accomplishment.

"I got an S rating... Hmm... the newbie task indeed feels like a freebie with points; getting an S rating shouldn't be hard. I wonder if I can get an S rating in future tasks, 150% rewards and all..."

Zhou Yuan eyed the extra S-grade rewards eagerly, hoping for more such welfare tasks, so he wouldn't have to worry about experience points and star coins.

"I leveled up three times this round. Let me calculate... Each level-up increases the experience threshold by 50 points, which is manageable. At least it doesn't double, or it'd become astronomical in no time.

Where should I allocate these 3 distributable attribute points?"

Zhou Yuan pondered.

All into Charm would break his human limits and reach "Transcendent," but playing the charm route felt risky; what if he encountered a strong fighter like Nan Tong and got caught up in a deadly game?

"Having a main attribute is good, but other attributes shouldn't be too low; balance is key for overall development."

After some thought, Zhou Yuan decided to start working out, aiming to enhance his Strength, Agility, and Constitution for better point allocation later.