CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248 THE SMILE ON THE FACE DISAPPEARS COMPLETELY

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

Preparing dark cuisine also requires a certain level of finesse.

Although it was his first time feeding shit, like feeding food, it should follow the same but opposite rules.

Feeding food involves identifying the other person’s hidden desires and providing the right remedy. One must not use other condiments haphazardly, as it might provoke the customer’s resistance.

Feeding shit should follow the same principle: find vulnerabilities the other has not exposed and compel them to recall their own fragility and pain. Similarly, one must not use other condiments randomly, as it might inadvertently increase their strength.

Ren Suo logged into the intranet and revisited the paper "Demonization Analysis" to find the section on "Gradual Changes in a Demon’s Character":

"Demons sinking step by step into demonic insanity will have their personalities become distorted and radical. They lose empathy and sympathy, seeing themselves as a ’Superior Race’ distinct from humans. The pain and sadness of humans can no longer resonate with them, but instead amuse them. Their behavior is just like children peeing into anthills, acting solely out of curiosity and desire."

"They possess a certain level of wisdom and reason and therefore retain human habits. Their memories are still a very important part of them and can be affected by significant mnemonic objects or people from their past (see Note 32 ’Call of the Younger Brother,’ Note 33 ’Touch of the Tabby Cat,’ and Note 34 ’Broken Figurines from the Cabinet’), but these can only influence their actions, not free them from demonic insanity."

"Such influences are often harmful to Demons: the memories can make them fall into uncontrollable self-doubt and even cause personality splits (but regardless of the split, the demonic personality always prevails)."

Ren Suo observed the Obnoxious Customer closely.

The suit he wore was impeccable. Upon sitting down, he set a large black umbrella to the side and took off his red hat, placing it beside him. His fingers interlaced slightly on the table. He sat up straight, a smile at the corners of his eyes as he watched the female shop owner.

If one had to describe him, perhaps ’gentleman’ was the only fitting word.

This time was different from before because the Obnoxious Customer had not specified a dish. Thus, Ren Suo had to make the choice himself.

He chose the steak meal. Although it was about feeding shit, the goal wasn’t a crude, physical assault, but a psychological one, aiming for the heart. The Obnoxious Customer was no fool; a plate of steak might just get him to take a bite.

"Immaculate suit"—Condiment "Filth."

"Erect chest"—Condiments "Senility" + "Vulgarity."

"A polite gentleman"—Suddenly, Ren Suo had an idea and added the condiments "Love" and "Immorality" together, using a small amount of "Love" and a large dose of "Immorality."

After some meddling, a hot steak sprinkled with spices was ready to be served.

The Obnoxious Customer looked at the steak and nodded in satisfaction. He didn’t use chopsticks or cutlery. Instead, his right fingernails suddenly grew longer. He fiercely grabbed the steak as his jaw opened at a shocking angle, revealing all his molars and a mouthful of pale, sharp teeth.

His tongue, like that of a serpent, lightly wrapped around the steak and drew it into his mouth, munching contently.

At first, the Obnoxious Customer’s demeanor remained unchanged; he was still smiling, his eyes crinkling with snake-like contentment. Then, he sensed something was amiss, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock. Finally, his expression changed drastically, and he froze completely, a look of utter dismay on his face.

The smile on his face completely vanished.

"BLUUURGHHHHH—"

The Obnoxious Customer swept everything off the table, clutched his head, and stumbled backward. He screamed and groaned in agony, strange noises emitting from his huge mouth as he vomited chunks of internal organs.

「Entering the combat scene.」

Ren Suo glanced and saw that the Obnoxious Customer’s maximum Health Points were actually 2,000. However, the Obnoxious Customer was bleeding profusely and screaming, "Die... die!"

He had many strange debuffs:

"Filth: Receives +10% damage from all sources, lasts five turns"

"Senility: Damage dealt -10%, lasts five turns"

"Vulgarity: Accuracy -10%, lasts five turns (against female enemies, becomes Accuracy +10%)"

...

"Immoral Love: Causes damage equal to 50% of maximum Health Points and inflicts 3% maximum Health Points damage at the start of each turn. Receives +100% damage from female enemies and cannot act, lasting three turns."

Ren Suo’s attempt at feeding shit wasn’t perfect, but his spur-of-the-moment combination of ’Love’ and ’Immorality’ condiments seemed to strike a critical blow to the Obnoxious Customer—judging by the negative effects, the depth of his inner torment was clear.

Combined with the "48-year-old Xiao Qiang," Ren Suo now had a total of four preemptive attack opportunities, while the Obnoxious Customer only had half of his Health Points remaining!

The female shop owner, equipped with "Mysterious Sovereign’s Secret Record Chapter One," gained +300 Health Points and +50 Attack in battle.

At that moment, Ren Suo suddenly noticed an odd "+" symbol next to the "Wax and Wane" skill in his skill bar.

When he clicked on the "+" symbol, a list of condiment choices appeared. Ren Suo was taken aback and selected "Joy."

The shop owner, wearing an apron, stretched out her hand and drew a line in front of her. A bright yellow crescent moon then shot out like a blade towards the Obnoxious Customer—

"The most important thing in life is to be happy."

The Obnoxious Customer was attacked by the "Happy Crescent."

The Obnoxious Customer received -222 points of Critical Damage.

The duration of all the Obnoxious Customer’s negative statuses was reduced by 50%.

Ren Suo blinked, beginning to understand the game mechanic: the protagonist could add condiments not only to food but also to skill attacks. He now realized that a ’Joy’-seasoned skill attack would guarantee a critical hit, but it would also halve the duration of the enemy’s negative statuses.

In the second round, the condiment Ren Suo chose was "Love."

The Obnoxious Customer was attacked by the "Crescent of Love."

The Obnoxious Customer suffered -130 points of pure damage.

The duration of the Obnoxious Customer’s "Immoral Love" negative status increased by one turn!

In less than a minute, the Obnoxious Customer hadn’t managed to launch a single attack. He remained in a state of anguished twisting and screaming as the female shop owner completely depleted his Health Points.

He reverted to his normal human form, trembling and kneeling on the ground. Plumes of black smoke from burning Spiritual Energy rose from his body. The female shop owner approached him and said, "Is there anything left that you cherish?"

The Obnoxious Customer’s hands trembled as he untied the red necktie from around his neck and placed it on the ground. After doing this, he seemed to lose all strength, as if his very soul had been drained, and he bowed his head.

"Blood-Stained Red Necktie: All self-augmenting effects +20%."

Now that the enemy was defeated, Ren Suo naturally had no reservations and directly said, "Give me your hand."

The Obnoxious Customer obediently stretched out his right hand, and the female shop owner touched it:

"Target Type: Primate Hominidae Adult Male"

"Consumption Package: Steak Set (Love 20, Immorality 100, Vulgarity 100, Filth 100...)"

"Effects after consumption: Spiritual Qi Cyclone purified (Qi Cyclone has disappeared), humanity recovered, continuous torment from strange desires"

"Can the Desire Meal be consumed again: No"

The Obnoxious Customer shakily stood up, his expression somewhat ambiguous. Although his appearance hadn’t changed, the drool at the corner of his mouth, the narrowed angle of his eyes, and the trembling of his hands transformed him from a tidy gentleman into a somewhat vulgar and indecent freak.

"I... will turn myself in to atone for my sins..." After the Obnoxious Customer said these words, the strange aura around him instantly dissipated. He breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to look at the female shop owner anymore, and scurried away from this heartbreaking place.

Someone who had fallen into demonic insanity was actually cured by eating shit?

「Another fifteen minutes passed.」

The first day of Ghost Walking in Ben Gang City concluded, with a total of 1,031 Desires collected—barely a passing grade.

After an intense internal struggle, Ren Suo finally decided to write a new paper and post it on the intranet: "Eat Shit to Save the Demonized Person."