Chapter 553

The [Reset to Zero] quest rewarded a random item and a skill scroll; no need for bathing and burning incense this time—just rub your palms together and click to open the skill box.

A flash of intense light revealed a scroll lying inside the chest.

[Skill Scroll Name: Highlight Moment]

[Attribute: Consumable (limited to 20 uses)]

[Type: Universal]

[Usage: Active]

[Quality: Perfect]

[Effect: Protagonist Aura. After preparation, perform specific actions or speech; if they align with the world’s definition of “cool,” “stylish,” “awesome,” or “high vibe,” temporary special effects are triggered.]

[Cost: 50 Qi points]

[Cooldown: None]

[Requirement: Level 5 or higher]

[Note: Protagonist Aura effects include, but are not limited to—objects behind you suddenly explode without harming you; enemy targets’ Intelligence temporarily plummets; 100% evasion of low-tier unit stray bullets; smoke without damage, survive falls from cliffs; increased luck and higher gambling win rates; continue moving despite severe injuries by breaking physiological limits; temporarily boost opposite-sex targets’ favor and attract same-sex targets’ hostility; increase persuasion success rate through verbal sparring.]

[Note: If, after preparation, no high-vibe actions or speech are performed—or if the actions appear extremely awkward to observers—the Protagonist Aura fails, and a multi-hour curse of bad luck is inflicted.]

[Note: Maintaining specific hairstyles (e.g., bald, gel-styled, side-swept bangs, white hair) or wearing specific attire (sunglasses, suit, trench coat, high school uniform, magical girl outfit) increases the chance of summoning the Protagonist Aura.]

[Note: “On my return to this world, all traitors shall perish.” “I will not let the sky blind my eyes, nor the earth bury my heart.” “I am the Heavenly Emperor—I shall crush all enemies.” “Three million sword immortals dwell in heaven; all must bow before me.” “Already darkened (age 8).”]

[Note: Okay guys, all eyes on me, look at me, I’ve got an announcement—I’m a paratrooper!]

Uh.

Li Cheng’s eyelid twitched violently as he pulled the scroll from the chest, his expression utterly exasperated.

Though it was a consumable scroll of perfect quality, slightly inferior to epic and learning-type scrolls, it made up for it with sheer quantity—20 uses total—and approached the nature of a rule.

The cooldown was negligible; he could even pre-battle, like doing calisthenics, recite several lines of ultra-cool, ultra-dramatic dialogue to stack all buffs on himself.

With no restrictions on the skill scroll, Li Cheng directly placed it in his inventory slot, then turned to examine the random item inside the other chest.

It was a book. With a green cover.

[Item Name: Book of Unclean Plague]

[Type: Divine Artifact]

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect 1: Eternal Plague of the Cosmos. The Book of Unclean Plague self-replicates, recording every disease known to its user and embedding them within its pages. No species excluded. Passive effect.]

[Effect 2: Share Suffering. Select a category, randomly flip to a page under that category, and spread the disease effect to a designated area and to yourself. The disease will not directly cause death. Consuming more Qi reduces the category scope.]

[Effect 2 Cost: Varies by disease type, range, and number of targets]

[Effect 2 Cooldown: 5 seconds]

[Requirement: User must have simultaneously suffered from one thousand diseases]

[Note: Diseases applied via Share Suffering naturally heal over time, depending on the afflicted’s constitution and disease compatibility. Contagious diseases continue spreading to other susceptible living beings after the skill ends, losing their mystical properties.]

[Note: Double Qi cost allows selection of Share Suffering to affect only other living beings, but inflicts equal direct damage upon the user.]

[Note: All things decay; all beings endure.] Holy shit holy shit holy shit?!

Li Cheng’s eyes widened as he stared at the Book of Unclean Plague’s description; even after witnessing countless grand events, his body still trembled involuntarily.

With a thought, the book appeared in his inventory. It was over seven hundred pages thick, bound in hardcover, its green cover adorned with intricate, lavish golden patterns.

Resembling both garden flora and incomprehensible alien script.

Li Cheng dared not touch it directly; he hurried into the 3D warehouse, donned a full airtight hazmat suit, entered the sterile chamber, and retrieved the Book of Unclean Plague inside.

The book felt unnaturally heavy—about twenty kilograms—far heavier than its page count suggested.

Opening it, the frontispiece bore no publisher, printing, or edition details—only a deer skull entwined with thorny vines.

The vines hung down from the antlers, sinking into a swamp of flesh and blood. Beneath the surface lurked a vast shadow.

Gazing at the grotesque image for more than two seconds gave him a splitting headache and a creeping chill down his spine.

Turning past the frontispiece, the book’s table of contents was surprisingly clean and scientific—coded similarly to the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD).