After putting Aeron back to sleep, Zaen got up, unable to sleep.
[Perception: 0.85]
Just a point thirty-five increase had improved a lot, and it also made him realize more about the working of [Perception].
It wasn't as simple as improving it meant improving his vision. It was more of a collaborative effort of his remaining senses, which were anchored into his brain through the walking stick.
Essentially, the smell around him, the echoing sounds, and the sensations on his skin worked together along with the stick to map everything around him within a ten-meter radius.
Improving perception either improved the sensations he felt or it made them work together better, hence clearing his 'vision'. That's why all the obstacles he faced during the task had something to do with his other senses.
However, it wasn't what was going on in Zaen's mind.
"There are no scars," he mumbled.
The wounds he had accumulated throughout the task were nowhere to be seen. His body had healed all of it without him leveling him. The game was truly strange.
Other than that, he checked the [Tasks] page again. After realizing how much his perception had improved, he wanted to improve it further. Unfortunately, the system was too smart to let him exploit it.
[Please complete a primary task before accepting a beneficiary task.]
"Tsk… this is getting out of hand."
The first page Zaen saw in the [Tasks] section, involving slaying anomalies in the real world, was called primary tasks, as for the tasks on the second page that helped him improve were called beneficiary tasks.
To ensure no one gets overpowered and ruins the game's balance, the [Tasks] were designed so that one would have to put their life at risk to benefit.
Zaen closed the page and went back to bed. Even though he could see the room's outline and a few items there, it didn't mean he would risk his life in the middle of the night just to get better at surviving.
"I can look for an easy task to complete tomorrow," he whispered. "…what if I took a difficult job and took Hina along? Maybe if she gets scared around me, she'd leave me be?"
As much as Zaen wanted to put that theory into action, he knew it wouldn't work. Hina had something seriously wrong with her head. Instead of turning her away, his reckless actions might even fuel her infatuation further.
"…going solo is the right choice for now."
***
The next day, evening…
Zaen sighed.
I didn't expect the system to select a task for me, all because I took too long to decide.
From the look of things, Zaen had to accept a task every twenty-four hours or else the system would select one randomly for him. Since there was no way to know what kind of quest the system would give him, he made a mental note to select one himself from tomorrow onwards.
He shook his head before reading through the task the system had picked for him.
[Task: The Last Supper.]
[Objective: A strange restaurant has spawned in your locality. It would be a shame not to taste the food there.]
[Task: An anomaly is at work turning innocent individuals into its slaves. Hunt down the anomaly in its domain.]
[Condition: This is a one-man operation. Taking help from others might alert the anomaly. Proceed with caution.]
[Rewards: Exp Capsule, additional rewards will be provided based on the player's performance.]
Zaen stood before the small restaurant which seemed to exist only in his vision. Everyone else was moving around it without a second thought in their minds.
Even he wouldn't notice the building if not for the strange buzz around it.
While everything in his vision was white and the buildings had outlines, the restaurant before him was filled with static, like in those old television screens without a signal.
That's how he knew the building housed something strange.
There goes another one.
Just then, someone lifted their nose as if they smelled something delicious and entered the building tucked inside an alley.
Every ten minutes or so, a wonderful wisp of smoke would emerge from the building. It would float in the air before an individual from the street would sniff and walk inside.
"It is just like the task condition stated," Zaen mumbled. "The anomaly only targets individuals."
Zaen waited on the bench across the street for three hours, yet people only walked in, no one ever walked out. Something shady was definitely going on inside.
With the walking stick in hand, he approached the restaurant. Immediately, he was hit by a dense, yet fragrant aroma. Just smelling it made his mouth water up, and he felt lightheaded.
The hunger in him surged like he hadn't had a morsel of food ever before.
It's so fragrant...
I'm so hungry...
I want to eat!
Just as he was about to rush inside, a notification brought him back to his senses.
[You smelled a rotting corpse.]
[Sanity -1]
[Current sanity: 149/150]
"Rotting corpse?"
The smell he took in was nothing like the rot. It was more of a spicy blend with hot sauce and grilling meat… however, after the notification appeared, the smell reverted to its original form.
"…ugh!"
He subconsciously took a step back, unable to bear the dense rot. However, stopped reacting to it. Everyone who got hit by the aroma almost hungrily sprinted inside. By not doing the same, he was essentially blowing his cover.
Just then, another set of notifications appeared in his mind.
[Anomaly's suspicion: 1%]
[Note: Once the suspicion reaches 100%, the anomaly will kill the player.]
[Pro tip: It is advised to blend in with other guests to lower suspicion and find an opportunity to kill all anomalies before suspicion reaches 100%]
…blend in. Got it.
After taking a deep breath, Zaen entered the building, and within a second, all his thoughts about blending in went out the window.
The people inside… they were eating themselves!?