Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Ling Ishikawa looked at Zhang Jingxu with an incredulous expression and said, "I’ve always considered you, Zhang Jingxu, as my brother, but I never thought you’d have such thoughts about me!"

Zhang Jingxu smirked and pretended to be serious as he replied, "Well, of course, it’s quite thrilling to think about it. But, on a serious note, Ling Ishikawa, is the transformation technique you’ve learned any different from the magic spells Hu Li used on Xiao Mochen? Doesn’t it just change physical features, and the appearance doesn’t change much?"

Ling Ishikawa shook his head and explained, "My transformation technique is more thorough. You could say it completely changes a person. If I didn’t reveal it, and you didn’t witness me using the transformation, you wouldn’t recognize me afterward. Unfortunately, I can’t use this on others, or else I’d have you, Zhang Jingxu, give us some excitement."

Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly had a bold idea.

Hu Li had transformed Xiao Mochen, indicating that she still had some reservations about males. So, if Ling Ishikawa could become female, there might be a chance to gain Hu Li’s trust.

Therefore, Liu Xing suggested, "How about this, Ling Ishikawa? You use your transformation technique and approach Hu Li for a conversation. Building a good relationship with her is essential for us. If you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for this, it would be greatly appreciated."

Currently, in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, orders prohibited players from using persuasion and quick conversation skills on each other. Otherwise, Liu Xing would have tried to persuade Ling Ishikawa now.

After all, Liu Xing was curious about how Ling Ishikawa would look after transformation.

Just then, KP Snow Wind intervened, saying, "I almost forgot to inform all the players that even though some side quests can be shared, to receive the mission rewards, players must contribute during the side quest and be present when it concludes."

Ling Ishikawa frowned; it was clear that KP Snow Wind was forcing him into the limelight. He would inevitably encounter the residents of Panlong Town. If they saw him in his transformed state, KP Snow Wind would likely pass judgment. If that judgment failed, he would likely be mistaken for a monster and attacked by the townspeople.

So, Ling Ishikawa reluctantly said, "I need to think about this matter some more. Besides, I don’t need to leave here until tomorrow."

Given Ling Ishikawa’s response, Liu Xing and the others didn’t press the matter further.

Li Dian was curious and asked, "Ling Ishikawa, besides this tricky transformation technique, have you learned any other magic spells in Hybrier?"

Ling Ishikawa’s eyes lit up at Li Dian’s question, and he said, "Although the transformation technique is a bit tricky, the other magic spells I learned in Hybrier are quite effective. Allow me to demonstrate one for you now."

With a wave of his hands, Ling Ishikawa continued, "This is the first magic spell I learned. Feel it."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and didn’t sense any changes in his surroundings or his body. However, he noticed that his clothing was swaying as if in the wind, even though there was no breeze.

Liu Xing had a realization and placed his hand in front of the swaying fabric. The clothing stopped moving, but his hand didn’t feel any wind.

He moved his hand away, and the clothing swayed again.

At this point, Zhang Jingxu and the others also noticed the peculiar phenomenon.

Ling Ishikawa explained, "As you’ve probably noticed, this magic spell I used is called ’Invisible Wind.’ As the name suggests, it summons an invisible wind. Currently, it’s relatively weak, but as my power increases, the wind’s strength will grow. In most cases, both humans and mythical creatures won’t notice the presence of this wind. Most importantly, this magic spell consumes very little magic energy."

Initially, Liu Xing thought Ling Ishikawa’s magic spell was unimpressive, but he quickly realized its potential. For example, when dealing with the Troll the following day, Invisible Wind could prove very useful.

The first step in dealing with the Troll involved releasing the sedative provided by Hu Li in the basement of the Panlong Town Clinic. Although the basement was a relatively confined space, it was almost impossible to enter and distribute the sedative without alerting the Troll, given its heightened alertness.

Before Ling Ishikawa returned, Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu had considered persuading Zhong Rensan to enter the basement, pretending to retrieve medicine, and discreetly spreading the sedative before leaving. However, this plan had a high risk factor. Persuading Zhong Rensan was no easy task, considering his long-standing control by the Troll. Even if Zhong Rensan were willing to take the risk, nervousness could lead to errors.

In summary, if they chose to have Zhong Rensan administer the sedative to the Troll, Liu Xing estimated the success rate to be less than fifty percent, perhaps even lower.

Now, with Ling Ishikawa’s Invisible Wind, their chances of success would greatly increase. They only needed Zhong Rensan to fetch the medicine in the basement and have Ling Ishikawa use Invisible Wind to deliver the sedative. This way, the Troll likely wouldn’t notice the sedative before it took effect.

So, Liu Xing said, "Ling Ishikawa, your magic spell came at just the right time. Our success in dealing with the Troll will depend on the success of this magic spell."

Ling Ishikawa nodded confidently and said, "Okay, leave this to me. While I can’t guarantee other things, the invisibility of this magic spell is quite strong. It consumes very little magic energy, so it won’t create noticeable magic fluctuations. Now, let me show you another magic spell I’ve learned."

Ling Ishikawa began reciting a complex and arcane incantation.

After about half a minute, a faint blue arc of electricity appeared in Ling Ishikawa’s hand, reminding Liu Xing of the Yis People Electric Therapy Device he had seen in Professor Yang’s module.

It was evident that Ling Ishikawa’s magic was related to electricity, which happened to be a reliable damage-dealing magic type in the Cthulhu RPG Game. This was because neither humans nor mythical creatures had inherent resistance to lightning.

However, electric magic had its drawbacks. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, most magic had some quirks and downsides. Electric magic, in particular, had a chance of causing a backlash, just as it had happened to Ling Ishikawa when the electrical arc briefly went out of control between his hands.

Ling Ishikawa was aware of this risk and quickly "threw" the electrical arc out of the window. The arc sped towards the water surface, causing a slight explosion, and a few small fish floated belly-up to the surface.

It seemed that this electric magic had quite some power.

"This is the second magic spell I’ve learned, called the ’Thunder and Lightning Technique.’ While the name sounds good, its current power is only enough for fish hunting. Like the ’Invisible Wind’ I showed you earlier, this magic spell can also improve with my abilities. Eventually, it should allow me to summon thunder and lightning from the sky directly. However, this magic spell has a somewhat long incantation time, and its control needs improvement. With my current abilities, I can only control it for up to ten seconds. If I exceed that time, it might go out of control and harm me," Ling Ishikawa explained.

Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He estimated that Ling Ishikawa’s "Thunder and Lightning Technique" would deal around 2d2 damage with a likely paralysis effect, as most electric magic in the game had paralysis as a secondary effect.

At this point, Zhang Jingxu asked, "Ling Ishikawa, can this magic spell be cast in a different way, such as an electromagnetic field?"

Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and replied, "It’s possible. The ’Thunder and Lightning Technique’ actually has many variations, and what you mentioned, Zhang Jingxu, is one of them. I believe it’s called the ’Electric Net Technique.’ However, the ’Electric Net Technique’ consumes about five times more magic energy than the ’Thunder and Lightning Technique.’ With my current capabilities, I can use it only once, and after using it, I would enter a state of mental weakness."

Liu Xing understood Zhang Jingxu’s intention and asked, "So, Zhang Jingxu, are you suggesting that Ling Ishikawa uses this ’Electric Net Technique’ to deal with the gu worms of Gu Master Chaxi?"

Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly. Because, from what I know about the Gu Masters in the Miao territory, their homes likely contain various types of gu worms, possibly hundreds of them. Even if we succeed in obtaining the jade pendant from Zhong Rensan, which could deter Gu Master Chaxi’s gu worms from approaching, there’s a chance he might force his gu worms to launch suicide attacks on us, rendering the jade pendant ineffective."

"So, in the end, we might still have a direct confrontation with Gu Master Chaxi. But the truth is, we lack the means to deal with those gu worms effectively. Their numbers are too large, and their size is tiny. We can’t catch them all at once. However, if Ling Ishikawa can use his ’Electric Net Technique’ effectively, it might deliver a devastating blow to those gu worms."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Zhang Jingxu was treating Ling Ishikawa’s ’Electric Net Technique’ like an electric bug zapper.

But it made sense; dealing with swarms of gu worms or rodents in the Cthulhu RPG Game was indeed challenging. According to the game’s mechanics, when dealing with groups of insects or small animals like rodents, they could be calculated either as a collective entity or as individual creatures during skill judgments and combat rounds.

So, players often found it challenging to deal with insect swarms or rodent hordes because unless they could eliminate the entire group in one go, they were likely to suffer some damage. There were always some stragglers.

Therefore, as Zhang Jingxu pointed out, without Ling Ishikawa’s ’Electric Net Technique,’ their upcoming confrontation with Gu Master Chaxi would likely come at a cost.

As for what that cost might be, Liu Xing suspected that, according to the game’s mechanics, their party would likely be plagued by various debuffs before the module ended.

Ling Ishikawa’s three magic spells came in incredibly handy.

"Alright, I’ll spend the next few days practicing how to use the ’Electric Net Technique.’ Before this, I only knew the basic casting method, and I’ve never actually used it," Ling Ishikawa said.

He then proceeded to demonstrate the last magic spell he had learned during his time in Hybrier.

Standing in front of the window, Ling Ishikawa began chanting a spell while facing the Panlong River. Liu Xing observed as a thumb-thick stream of water surged out of the river and flew towards Ling Ishikawa. Soon, a water curtain formed around him.

Ling Ishikawa then merged the water curtain into a water sphere and transformed it into various shapes. Finally, he turned the water into a short blade entirely composed of water.

With the water blade in his hand, Ling Ishikawa struck the table, creating a noticeable dent.

Watching in astonishment, Liu Xing and the others were left speechless. Ling Ishikawa confidently explained, "Hehe, this is the magic spell I’ve mastered the most during my year in Hybrier. It’s called the ’Water Control Technique.’ It’s an extremely versatile magic spell, as it can manipulate most fluid substances. While it’s called ’Water Control,’ it can actually manipulate various fluid materials. However, it has certain requirements. For instance, the casting distance must be within ten meters, and there should be no obstacles between the caster and the target except for the air."

"Moreover, different fluid materials require varying amounts of magic energy. But this ’Water Control Technique’ can increase the density of fluid materials, temporarily turning them into solid substances. Just as I demonstrated earlier, the water blade I created is nearly as strong as a regular kitchen knife. I can also transform it into a water saw for cutting, which is just as effective as an electric saw."

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