Chapter 21

In the black-and-white shadow enveloping the town, a figure clad in a pristine shrine maiden's robe, her face obscured by an elaborate headdress, gripped a dagger and was about to stab it into Tianye Zhenyi's neck.

A stream of unnatural cold wind blew through the half-closed window; Tianye Zhenyi instinctively pulled the curtain tighter, as if feeling the icy draft pierce through her clothes and slow the flow of her blood.

Her body felt frozen; no matter how hard she breathed, she could not relieve the suffocating sensation.

The atmosphere in the living room gradually spiraled out of control.

A chilling message sounded—

【Detected Medium Haunt Event: Task 'Reawakening After' unlocked】

【Task Description: Do not harbor resentment; even if you cannot forgive the world, I still care for you; do not weep, for you who crave truth do not accept that truth—death is not something to fear; I will not leave you alone, for this is our ending.】

【Task Completion Condition: Unlock upon reaching the task location.】

【Task Completion Reward: Three Skill Points / Spectral Servant】

Is this the true Medium Haunt Event?

Niino Li was startled.

He had merely helped Tianye Zhenyi decipher the hidden meaning behind the red lines and spotted the spectral figures on the aerial view of Yinjianze City—yet the reward was so substantial.

Until now, he had thought Bug Grudge as a Medium-difficulty event was absurd, but the cryptic words spoken by the Spider Wraith before death revealed—

Someone was secretly manipulating the triggering and entire process of Bug Grudge!

Now, compared to this true Medium Haunt Event, the difference was obvious.

"What does this mean? A widely circulated malicious curse?" Izawa Ayane's attention successfully shifted from "Why wasn't I called for the prayer ritual?" to "The symbolic meaning of the red lines."

"That ritual allows participants to see the outcome of their prayers..." Her body remained stiff, but Tianye Zhenyi gathered courage, stepped away from the window, and shuffled toward them.

Hearing this, Niino Li quickly asked: "What did you pray for?"

Although there was a saying that voicing a wish would nullify it, he had no time now to care whether it was true or false.

If it truly triggered a Ghost Spirit attack, he'd just deal with it.

Niino Li no longer considered himself a normal human.

Under Izawa Ayane's expectant gaze, Tianye Zhenyi's face showed a complex expression; she twisted her fingers together, turned her head to Niino Li, and whispered: "Will I ever surpass you in Painting..."

Her voice grew quieter—in front of the person herself—

Her shame was no less than being seen changing into sports clothes in the locker room.

Huh?!

Was the shadow left by his predecessor so deep? Niino Li silently grumbled in his mind.

But he couldn't avoid taking on this mess.

Life must go on.

"I understand what happened. Don't worry about the competition—I'll handle it."

Niino Li looked up and saw Tianye Zhenyi hunching her shoulders, too afraid to approach the coffee table; his heart stirred, and he quickly gathered and folded the sketches, handing them to her.

"Niino-kun, shouldn't we hand these drawings over to the police? It would be safer."

Izawa Ayane couldn't see the shrine maiden figure in the drawing; she thought the assembled human shape resembled a serial killer's warning letter from a detective novel.

Shouldn't Tianye Zhenyi's safety matter more than the competition or Art Club activities?

"Ayane." A mist formed in Tianye Zhenyi's eyes; as a close friend, she could guess what the other was thinking.

She was always like this—gentle to everyone.

"Seeking police help is indeed wise. May I take this drawing?" Niino Li made no objection; he cared more about the drawing with the shrine maiden's figure.

It was this very drawing, saturated with despair and hatred, that had formed a connection with Tianye Zhenyi, driving her mad and spreading its corruption to other sketches, forming her death pose.

After reaching consensus, Tianye Zhenyi said her parents were working late; she firmly insisted Izawa Ayane stay overnight, while Niino Li took the elevator alone out of the building.

Night had fallen again, yet the bustling noise from the city center still echoed around the apartment.

Tonight, no clouds loomed overhead; even the usual unnatural crimson sky had returned to the black of crows.

"Tomorrow will be a good day."

August 31, 2018—twenty-four hours before Niino Li's new semester began, yet he still had no solution to the Painting Skill incident.

Gazing at the nine-tailed brat whose eyes burned with hatred and whose face bore six scar-like whiskers on each side, as if waging war against the entire world, Niino Li silently shoved it into the drawer—

He had tried nearly ten tried-and-true shonen manga tropes from memory—all ended without exception in horror art styles.

But his brush, like a witch's wand, could reverse every character's image.

"Am I doomed to spend my life entangled with Haunts? As an artist, unable to draw the thrilling manga volumes myself—what a tragedy!"

Niino Li lay flat on his bed in a "big" shape; outside, the sun blazed fiercely, turning the room into a steamer, yet his heart was as cold as ice.

Manga volumes, sexy beauties, horror art style...

Each factor stacked in his mind like Tetris blocks; when one decisive rectangular piece slid perfectly into the gap, all blocks shattered instantly.

Niino Li thought of someone—

Ito Junji, the horror manga artist who stood out among those who abandoned medicine for literature.

As a dentist, he loved drawing manga; after becoming a full-time manga artist, he developed a peculiar fondness for drawing teeth and tongues.

In his past life, Niino Li was an ordinary office worker who often watched horror films to vent his emotions and maintain his mental health.

Once, by chance, he encountered Ito Junji's works; the eerie, lifelike art and stories deeply captivated him—he could recall nearly every detail.

"His brushwork is meticulous and realistic, his environments rendered with strict adherence to true proportions and perspective, and his stories draw inspiration from mundane daily details—achieving breakout success shouldn't be too difficult."

After settling on a direction, he began analyzing Ito Junji's strengths, uniqueness, and potential reach.

"What should I draw for my first work?"

If an ordinary person wanted to design a horror manga character, they'd think of using heavy shadows and lines to emphasize their distinctiveness.

In short: use prominent features to define the character.

But Niino Li was different—he himself was an abnormal human; the characters he drew were beautiful, vivid, and brimming with vitality, as if they might open their eyes and speak at any second.

Especially when used in horror comics, the sense of fear is self-evident.

Not to mention the effects of Lv4 and Lv5 Painting skills in the future.

A series of eerie, terrifying black-and-white comic images flashed through his mind, shattered, then reassembled.

Niino Li walked to the desk, pulled out the chair, drew out another sheet of paper, and spread it flat and even.

A crisp sound, like the chirping of cicadas, filled the room, adding a touch of summer atmosphere.

"Done." Niino Li smiled slightly, gazing at the work on the desk—

On the front, a delicate and beautiful girl wore a fitting black-and-white sailor uniform; her lips were slender, her bangs fluttered with the charm of youth, and a beauty mark rested beneath her left eye.

On the back, the same black-and-white sailor uniform, but the girl's face twisted and writhed, connected by meridians, gradually mutating into a horrifying two-headed monster.