Bruised skin peeking through a tattered dress.
Eyes as deep as the abyss.
Disheveled hair, a writhing background.
Seen up close, the portrait of the woman was so grotesque it made my stomach churn.
I need to resolve this quickly and get out of here.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I stepped closer to the portrait and activated my ability.
[Portrait of a Madwoman (Anomalous Phenomenon)]
1. Overview:
Classified as an Incertus-level Anomalous Phenomenon, this painting, due to its exceptional artistry and technique, may initially be mistaken for a beautifully rendered oil portrait.
However, the longer one observes it, the more evident the madness embedded within the painting becomes.
2. Characteristics:
An oil painting depicting a woman’s portrait, with no known artist or date of creation.
Initially perceived as an image of a beautiful woman, prolonged observation reveals its deranged and unsettling nature.
1. The expression of the woman in the portrait gradually begins to distort.
All living beings within a 200-meter radius experience auditory hallucinations.
2. If one makes eye contact with the woman at this moment, the observer will suffer from severe headaches accompanied by hallucinations.
3. If the hallucinations persist for more than three minutes, the crawling background in the portrait starts to move.
This is not an illusion but a real phenomenon.
3-1 If the hallucinations persist for more than five minutes, the crawling background in the portrait begins to pull the observer into the painting.
3. Containment Level (Danger Level)
Incertus-class Anomalous Phenomena are impossible to assess accurately in terms of danger level.
Likewise, the Portrait of a Madwoman cannot be precisely categorized, but once one experiences hallucinations and auditory distortions, the symptoms will persist indefinitely until the phenomenon is “resolved.”
If left unresolved, the observer’s mind rapidly deteriorates, leading to total mental collapse within a maximum of five minutes.
4. Resolution Methods:
If one has not yet succumbed to hallucinations or auditory distortions, simply covering the portrait with an opaque cloth is sufficient to prevent any effects.
However, if one is already affected, the following methods must be used:
1. Generally, attacks have no effect on the portrait itself.
2. If the hallucinations persist for more than five minutes, the crawling background escapes from the painting.
3. The escaped crawling background can be physically attacked.
Eliminating them gradually weakens the hallucinations and auditory distortions.
4. Successfully destroying all crawling backgrounds will remove the hallucinations and auditory distortions from the observer, and the portrait will cease all activity for 30 minutes.
During this time, the portrait transforms from the Madwoman into a Beautiful Woman.
However, even if the portrait is deactivated, it does not fully restore the mind of the affected observer.
*
“…What the hell.”
After reading the Wiki entry, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Yui Seul, this thing… aside from looking grotesque, it’s not actually that big of a deal.”
“Don’t get cocky. Just give me the briefing.”
“You just have to cover it with an opaque cloth. That’s it.”
“…That’s really all?”
“Yeah, seriously.”
Without delay, I quickly explained the details of the portrait to Yui Seul.
If one starts hearing the auditory hallucinations, it becomes a serious problem.
If the hallucinations persist for more than five minutes, the crawling background escapes into reality.
However, if all the crawling backgrounds are eliminated, the portrait’s functions temporarily cease.
The minimum condition for resolving this anomaly is to allow the hallucinations to last for five minutes, forcing the crawling background to manifest in the real world.
Ironically, if the hallucinations persist for five minutes, the observer’s mind will already be in ruins.
In other words, if you’re already affected by the hallucinations.
You’re screwed.
Well, considering how absurdly easy it is to prevent, I guess that level of risk is only natural.
Fortunately—I hadn’t experienced any hallucinations or even auditory distortions yet.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I focused on the sounds around me.
Nothing.
As expected, I couldn’t hear anything unusual.
“See? I told you—I’m good at reading people. I figured you’d have some resistance to mental attacks.”
“…Could it be because of the Cube’s effect?”
“The Cube might be helping, but you also have a naturally high resistance.”
Was it the Cube’s effect?
Or, as Yui Seul suggested—Was I already half-mad, making me naturally resistant to mental attacks?
If it was the latter, that wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.
Anyway.
“Is it really supposed to be this easy to resolve an Anomalous Phenomenon?”
“…Do you still not realize how absurdly broken your ability is?”
“Oh.”
Now that I thought about it, she was right.
If another Awakened had been here instead of me.
They wouldn’t have even thought of ‘just covering it with an opaque cloth.’
“Anyway, let’s leave it alone for now and head back.”
“What about the Item?”
“We’ll deal with it later. Resolving the anomaly comes first. Even if the danger level is low, it’s still an Anomalous Phenomenon. Let’s go grab an opaque cloth first.”
“Got it.”
“Look at me.”
“Huh?”
I stared directly at Yui Seul’s face.
She frowned, looking annoyed.
“…I looked. What now?”
“…What the hell are you doing?”
“You told me to look.”
“I said, look at me.”
“I am looking at you right now.”
“…What kind of nonsense—”
At that moment.
Yui Seul, who had been getting more and more irritated, suddenly turned toward the anomaly as if she had just realized something.
Then, she turned back to me and said.
“…Hey.”
“…Yeah?”
“Close your eyes. Now.”
“Why would I suddenly—”
“Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.”
“Look. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare.”
“Make eye contact. With me. Make eye contact. With me. Make eye contact. With me. Make eye contact. With me.”
I thought it was Yui Seul’s voice.
But it wasn’t.
How I had mistaken that ear-scraping voice for Yui Seul’s, I had no idea.
At this point, even the dumbest person in the world would realize it.
This was—“…Auditory hallucination.”
“Yeah. So just shut your eyes already.”
Shit.
This was really bad.
…
…
…
I hadn’t experienced visual hallucinations yet.
That made sense.
According to the Wiki, the hallucinations only triggered if I made eye contact with the painting.
As long as I kept my eyes closed, I wouldn’t experience them.
But still.
“Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.”
“Look. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me. Stare. At me.”
Listening to that crazy woman’s voice for three straight minutes was enough to drive anyone insane.
Not that I actually lost my mind—it was just a figure of speech.
My mind was still completely intact.
It was just loud.
“…What do I do now?”
“No idea. But you’re the one who said the Wiki never lies. So until we resolve this anomaly, the auditory hallucinations will go on forever.”
“Fuck!”
This was a trap.
If I looked at the portrait to stop the auditory hallucinations, I’d trigger the visual ones.
And if I experienced the visual hallucinations.
My mind would collapse within five minutes.
Oh, right.
“If you use your sword to cut through the painting’s nature—”
“It’s immune to attacks.”
“Still, isn’t it worth a try—”
“I already tried while you had your eyes closed. Didn’t work.”
“Why the hell doesn’t it work?! If only this were Excalibur instead of Rusty Iron Sword No. 3, I could’ve cut through it!”
“…The fact that you’re still making jokes means you’re fine. Now, just open your eyes and make eye contact with the painting.”
“No way! If I open my eyes, I’ll get the visual hallucinations—”
“Exactly. You need to experience the hallucinations for the auditory ones to stop. One way or another, you have to look at that anomaly to deal with it.”
“And what about my sanity? Are you going to fix that too, Yui Seul?”
“Yeah. Probably.”
“…What?”
“Well, not me personally, but the Association will. They have items and Awakened who can restore sanity. You’re a valuable asset, so they’ll take care of you. Now—hurry up and make eye contact with that crazy bitch.”
“…Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. Do you know how many Awakened have lost their minds while handling anomalies? There are plenty of cases.”
“Well, that’s a relief…”
“But you won’t be able to live a normal life for at least a month.”
“…”
That’s basically—The same as telling me to just die.
If I go a whole month without streaming or writing Wiki entries about anomalies and items, I’ll be discarded anyway.
“…”
“Got a problem with that? If you do, you can just live with the auditory hallucinations forever.”
“…No thanks.”
I wasn’t joking.
I felt like my eardrums were going to burst.
That crazed, desperate voice had been screaming at me to look into its eyes for ages now.
Yui Seul let out a troubled sigh.
“There’s nothing I can do about this. The fact that your mind will break is practically guaranteed… but I’ll promise to fix you somehow.”
I exhaled slowly.
Then, I looked at Yui Seul and spoke.
“No, I appreciate the offer… but I’ll endure it.”
“Endure what, exactly? Didn’t you say the Wiki never lies?”
“Yeah, the Wiki doesn’t lie. So…”
I finally opened my eyes.
And I walked straight toward the painting.
Locking eyes with The Portrait of a Mad Woman.
Then, I dropped to my knees.
Clasped my hands together.
And opened my mouth again.
“I’m not lying when I say I’m a follower of God.”
It was about time I proved it.
Now, more than ever.
I needed grace.
“O almighty Beachy Mutbyeol, who grants me my daily sustenance…”
“…What the hell are you doing?”
“A prayer. Be quiet. Just focus on handling whatever comes out of the background, Yui Seul. O almighty Beachy Mutbyeol…”
And with that , I began an emergency worship session.
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