Inner Fears

"Those eyes are hidden in an empty fuel tank," the scale beast confessed. "This place is a gas station. When I first came across it, I was still a normal person. But these people, with their guns, could threaten me. I was afraid someone might take them away, so I left them there."

Sandra stood silently by the side, but she was puzzled. Why couldn't she understand a word of what these two were saying? Eyes? A mirror? Why did the scale beast immediately assume that Clark's mention of these two unrelated things was related to his secret?

Clark noticed Sandra perking up and listening intently, finding it somewhat amusing. It seemed that the girl wasn't as indifferent to everything as she appeared.

"Those eyes... no, the mirror!"

When the scale beast mentioned those eyes, a trace of fear flickered in his eyes. Even I have only seen it once! There can't be a second person who has seen it!

"So I'm very curious, who are you, and how do you know about those eyes! If you've seen it, you wouldn't be the way you are now!"

Clark remained silent. In his previous life, he had also encountered those eyes by a stroke of luck, so he could understand the scale beast's fear when talking about the eyes. That's because those eyes acted like a mirror, showing your own reflection. Just by holding them, your soul and consciousness seemed to dive into them, allowing you to see your own face in the mirror.

But it didn't stop there. If you gazed into them for more than 2 seconds, you'd watch yourself slowly transform into your innermost fear. This change wasn't an illusion, but a real transformation, affecting everything from your physical body to your mind, spirit, and thoughts.

Once the gaze extended beyond 10 seconds, the player would witness their body melting and turning into their deepest fear. Hence, when Clark mentioned the eyes and the mirror, the scale beast instantly understood that Clark must have seen those eyes.

It appeared that before the scale beast's transformation, his deepest fear was turning into the monster he had become. After all, in this world, there's nothing scarier than becoming your innermost fear.

If you fear insects, you'd turn into a giant cockroach or a bedbug, with your head becoming the insect's mouthparts and your eyes multiplying into countless tiny compound eyes. Your limbs would elongate into disgusting, segmented appendages.

If you fear snakes, you'd helplessly watch as your hands and feet fell away, turning into a creature that could only slither with its body.

If you fear "ghosts," you'd forever face yourself, never finding release.

"Which container is it?"

Without answering the scale beast's question, Clark calmly asked, then casually handed the scale beast's skull over to Sandra.

"The sixth one."

"If you're not sure, you can take me there. I also need the mirror to restore my body."

Without hesitation, the scale beast cooperated fully. For anyone who had seen those eyes, turning into a reflection within the mirror, in a certain sense, provided a chance for rebirth through a blood ritual, where the body wouldn't perish. As long as there was a glimmer of life, you could rebuild your form by gazing into the mirror once more.

"You know, even if I regain my body, I still can't defeat you."

"And, I don't want that mirror anymore. After taking a few more photos, I have a feeling I will completely turn into a monster. Who would want to become such a monster if it's not for power? So, after recovering my body, I will leave on my own."

On top of the solitary head, the dead white vertical pupils revealed honesty. Clark nodded, indicating understanding.

The transformation of the scale beast is different from Arnold's transformation. 

One truly becomes a monster, with the habits of a monster, and even their own most feared image.

While the other is just an illusion.

However, those who haven't experienced it won't understand this kind of pain. Only after looking in the mirror once?

Clark chuckled coldly, as if the scale beast had only looked at it for the first time, how could he know so much information?

It's obvious that it has been tested multiple times. Even lying is impossible, it seems like even the mind has mutated.

...

"Here it is."

There was some fear in the scale beast's voice, but it wasn't feigned.

"I've already told you where it is. You promised not to kill me, and I hope you'll keep your promise after I've fully recovered."

Clark turned to look at the scale beast and nodded in agreement.

"I won't kill you, don't worry. I, Clark, never break my promises."

His gaze was honest, just like the one the scale beast had just shown.

The scale beast breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. With a sensitivity to the intent to kill, he could feel that Clark really had no intention of killing him, so he couldn't help but urge him.

"Then let's go in first. Maybe we can fight side by side in the future."

"I was wrong before. I hope you don't take it to heart. In the future, whenever there's a need for me, I won't hesitate to help."

One's life is in the hands of others. At this critical moment, speaking harshly and being stubborn is the mark of a brainless villain.

"There will be a need for you."

Clark's words had a double meaning. The scale beast was slightly stunned when he heard it, but he just considered it a casual remark.

As he watched Clark prepare to open the container, a hint of anticipation couldn't help but flash in his eyes. He thought getting through this ordeal by pretending to be dead would be a stroke of great luck, but things were turning out even better than he had imagined.

Inside the container, he had placed over thirty mirrors, and his eyes were right in the center. Although he didn't know how Clark had managed to look into his eyes without undergoing any mutation, perhaps it was just a brief glance? But with the reflection from over thirty mirrors, the time required for the mutation to set in, originally needing a full 10 seconds of direct eye contact, would be shortened to just 1 second.

He was absolutely confident that this arrangement would catch Clark off guard. The transformation process was long and painful, and during that time, he wouldn't be able to move at all. And as a player who had undergone mutation, his limbs would instantly regenerate upon entering the container. By then, Clark, who was stuck in the process of melting and mutating, would be helpless against him.

Suddenly, a flash of light passed, and the scale beast felt a sharp pain in his head. In his panic, he saw that half of his skull had been sliced off and lay on the ground.

"Damn it! You promised to spare me!"

"You actually broke your promise!"

Clark looked at the furious scale beast with a strange expression on his face. "I said I wouldn't kill you."

"But I didn't say others couldn't kill you," came the reply.

As soon as the words were spoken, the scale beast felt an icy little hand plunge into his exposed brain, stirring things inside.

"Sandra, wait for me here. Tell me about your abilities when I come out."

Resentful and unwilling, the dead white vertical pupils gradually lost their light, and life faded away. Waves of black and white light floated up from the lifeless skull and slowly entered the girl's body.

"Do you still want to go in?"

"That guy clearly set up something."

Sandra frowned, and although her delicate face was still wrapped in several bandages of unknown purpose, it was clear that she was in pain.

The advancement of symbiotes was not like that of awakened individuals, who could feel the pleasure of their power increasing with each upgrade. For them, every advancement was a struggle against the virus within their bodies, ultimately reaching a balance.

Clark remained silent and entered the container without hesitation. The most likely setup by the scale beast involved using the mirrors' inherent abilities, either to accelerate the mutation or enhance its effects. Becoming the embodiment of one's deepest fears was indeed terrifying.

However, for Clark, who had experienced the depths of his own fears in a past life, it wasn't that big of a deal. Because what he feared the most was himself - a cold-blooded killer who desired to destroy the entire world.

In the dim light, beams of light shone through the cracks, reflecting layer upon layer. In the center surrounded by thirty-one mirrors, a pair of eyeballs floated slowly.

In an instant, Clark indifferently locked eyes with the floating eyeballs. The perspective shifted, and he saw himself.

"Hello, Clark."