Chapter 655: The King of Drama

【NAME: King of Drama (Puppet, Fictional, Domain)】

【APPEARANCE: Currently manifests as a middle-aged human male with neat, refined attire and a fondness for wearing a tall top hat, his face showing slight weariness; this human identifies himself as the great dramatist Wang Erde, frequently seen near the backstage of the Morning Star Troupe】

【ABILITIES: Soul Puppet, Fictional Will, Drama Domain】

【COST: The user of this anomaly must possess unparalleled passion for drama; when this passion begins to fade, their soul is replaced by the King of Drama, and the King's appearance changes accordingly】

【FILE: As the twelfth user—and the greatest—of the King of Drama, Master Wang Erde's passion for drama never waned; on the contrary, it grew stronger with each real-world scene he witnessed during his tours.】

Unfortunately, though his soul still burned brightly, his weary and fragile body cooled three years ago, accidentally triggering the King of Drama's replacement effect.】

After Master Wang Erde's true soul departed, the "King of Drama" that replaced him possessed neither his artistic skill nor a new user whose passion surpassed Wang Erde's.】

Thus, the "King of Drama" has been forced to fulfill Master Wang Erde's final wish: completing his unfinished script and continuing the Morning Star Troupe's world tour.】

But as the reception of new plays declined and the members of the Morning Star Troupe kept changing, the "King of Drama," who believed himself to be Master Wang Erde, grew increasingly unable to accept these changes, until he finally reached the brink of total loss of control…

【EVALUATION: Great criminals and great artists share one trait—they dislike the world as it is. For art capable of changing the world, its creator is the sole sovereign who commands it.】

【CONTAMINATION LEVEL: 16】

Through his own observation and deduction, you acquired extensive intelligence on the "King of Drama." The Chromatic Badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" has activated.】

Having understood the rules and effects of the "King of Drama," your resistance to it has increased dramatically—you can now block deeper levels of influence.】

……

So it's an anomaly that went rogue after losing its user… And its contamination level is insane—equivalent to two bowls of black goat offal. Looks like I'm in serious trouble this time.】

Using the resistance granted by 【Materialist】, he tore off the transparent threads tied to his forehead; his will restored, Li Ang stretched his limbs and surveyed the eerily real seaside town before him.】

"Ankara…"

Seeing the sign at the dock reading "Ankara, City of Passion and Waves," Li Ang's brow furrowed slightly.】

If he remembered correctly, this was the setting of "Twelve Days Together"—where the male lead, Elias, would meet the voluptuous, beautiful barmaid Agatha in a tavern and embark on a serendipitous romance.】

So… am I now trapped inside Master Wang Erde's script? As one of its "actors"?】

As this thought crossed his mind, Li Ang hesitated briefly—and instead of removing all the threads using 【Materialist】's resistance, he left some of them intact.】

Senior Emma had once told him that for domain-type anomalies, unless his Li Ang value exceeds the user's by more than double, brute force alone cannot break free—he likely couldn't escape on his own.】

According to Senior Emma, the only true "solution" to such anomalies is to kill the user before they act; otherwise, you must obediently follow the domain's rules.】

Judging from the "King of Drama"'s file, the core rule of this domain must be "drama." Since he was unfamiliar with "Twelve Days Together," he might still need these threads—better not tear them all off yet.】

Also, after being turned into a puppet, his strength had been drastically reduced; he lost contact with Young Ha, and neither his sniper rifle nor any other anomalies could be retrieved from the Mirror World. Though his pendant of the Holy Spirit remained on his person, its power was heavily suppressed… Thinking of this, Li Ang channeled the pendant's energy to make a shallow cut on his arm; watching his body heal slowly but still reliably, he exhaled in relief.】

Good news: the Goat Heart still works.】

Though the "King of Drama" can affect the soul and bypass the Goat Heart's protection, since its effect is "manipulation" rather than "damage," it's unlikely to inflict direct soul trauma—his safety is at least somewhat assured.】

So now, his task is to find the Princess, who was also pulled into this world, without triggering the drama domain's suppression.】

Once he ensures her safety and that of others caught in this, he'll figure out how to deal with the rogue "King of Drama" and clean up this anomaly… Huh?】

Feeling a distinct tug from the threads tied to his body, Li Ang relaxed and stepped forward, following the pull along the road.】

Is the "plot" starting? Do I need to participate?】

As he vaguely guessed what was happening, Li Ang glanced down at his clothes.】

Shiny patent shoes with false heels, tight pants adorned with tiny metal studs, a bizarre suit made of garishly colored printed fabric, mismatched trinkets on the cuffs and collar, and a bright yellow pompadour slicked down with wax…】

Honestly, this outfit looks less like a person and more like a deranged peacock.】

So in this drama world, my character is a clown?】

His face involuntarily formed the "subway, old man, phone" expression; Li Ang muttered a disgruntled "tsk," then let the threads guide him toward the tavern where the protagonists were meant to meet.】

Fine, clown it is.】

Right now, what matters most isn't what role I play—it's getting to the scene of the "plot" and finding the Princess as soon as possible.】

……

Soon, Li Ang's character strode into the tavern with the signature "gawky shuffle," plopping himself down loudly at a window table.】

Moments later, a curvaceous, beautiful barmaid with a name tag pinned to her chest glided over on butterfly-like steps, smiling sweetly.】

"Mr. Joseph, what would you like to drink today?"

"…"

Oh come on!

Glancing at the woman's chest—no, her name tag—Li Ang recognized her instantly, despite the changes in her appearance and demeanor; this barmaid was unquestionably the Princess he was searching for.】

And worse still…

"Agatha…"

Reading the name on her tag, Li Ang blinked in utter disbelief.】

Holy hell—we haven't even been apart five minutes, and now I'm a spiky-haired idiot while you've become the female lead?】

(End of Chapter)