But the guidance offered him three choices.
Option A: Bringing people into the painting is not the right answer. You can no longer control the evil in the painting world. Let me purify everything.
Option B: The world within the painting is false, and all satisfactions within the dream. If you return to reality, everything will only become more oppressive, like a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water.
Option C: I have come to destroy the Balance Curse.
Wen Xishu couldn't freely compose his words; he could only choose one of the three options.
[Based on your performance in the painting and your choice at this moment, the direction of the subsequent plot will be determined.]
The guidance made its final prompt.
The artist's slow struggle, protruding himself from the wall, at the same time, a brush appeared in his hand.
Wen Xishu had to make a response when he completed the new painting, or something might change unexpectedly.
After all, just because he can't be killed doesn't mean he won't be imprisoned.
Various information flashed through his mind.
Wen Xishu quickly made a choice:
"I don't yet know the truth of the Balance Curse; this statement is unlikely to bring peace between the artist and me."
"Yes, if I want to kill the artist... then there's no need for a choice."
"Combining clues from the second level, the mad scientist turned organisms into Mechanical Beasts, but the mad scientist is not an enemy, and can even be recruited by the tavern..."
"Although I can't abandon Devon and others... but undoubtedly, Devon and his party know very little about the Balance Curse."
"Only those strong heroes can know the truth about the curse."
"The first and third options both involve killing the artist..."
Wen Xishu suddenly had the answer:
"The world within the painting is false, and all satisfactions within the dream. If you return to reality, everything will only become more oppressive, like a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water."
"You painted the dreamscape, absorbing everyone, but... it's all just your dream. Your guilt, your fear, your sorrow are continually twisting your vivid dream."
"You painted everything you remember—the streets, the schools, every person in the town..."
"You thought putting them in the dream would allow everyone to live happily forever."
"But you know it's all false. They are just things from your dream, like objects painted with a brush."
"They are not real."
"Everyone has died, the Balance Curse has killed them all. They died in reality, and living in the painting is merely your memory of them."
"You should wake up."
Wen Xishu was surprised; he didn't expect such a long dialogue to follow after choosing option B.
But it seems he chose correctly. Next, like defeating a boss in a game, Wen Xishu saw the CG performance after the boss was defeated.
The artist dropped to his knees with a thud, like Conan finding the murderer, who then starts to explain their pitiful past and their unavoidable reasons for killing.
At this moment, even Nico's song changed to a mournful tune of "If You Were Here."
"Who... who exactly are you?" The artist looked pained.
He asked the question but quickly dismissed it, gazing at the paintings surrounding him, his face full of struggle.
"I can't save everyone... My ideas were wrong; everyone's dream can't be connected, and I can't paint a world for them to enter."
"My ability can't achieve this... The Balance Curse... cannot be broken!"
"Everyone has died... Everyone has died! This damn curse! This damn curse!"
"Each person bids farewell to me, they all long for my survival. I shouldn't be like this, I shouldn't be like this... I've let them down."
The artist let out a mournful cry.
Wen Xishu was not particularly moved by this scene.
After all, the place was too eerie.
But he could imagine it was all forced by the Balance Curse.
Through the whole plot, Wen Xishu understood clearly; according to the guidance, he could roughly imagine such a story——
Without a doubt, the artist before him had outstanding talent.
To tackle the Balance Curse, he tried many methods.
Paint a world for everyone to hide within his painting, but he failed...
The painting is in the cursed land, and the world in the painting is also in the cursed land.
The artist failed, facing the Level 3 Balance Curse and the gradually dying town residents...
The artist even wanted to paint "dreams." So, his ability actually wasn't related to dreaming but rather painting.
Allow everyone to enter a dream world that doesn't belong to this dimension, to escape the curse.
But the artist couldn't do it, everyone's dreams were different.
In the end, the people in the town died one by one, each bidding farewell to the artist before dying. Because to them, the artist had miracle powers.
People like this must live to the end, must carry everyone's hope, and strive to break the curse.
But the artist couldn't bear the pain of everyone's departure.
He painted everyone, eventually imprisoning himself in the "dream" painting world.
But the dream was not beautiful.
Because of guilt, fear, oppression, and knowing everything is illusion...
So everything in the dream quickly began to twist, and every place with signs of human life and lights in the painting no longer felt warm but terrifying and eerie.
Yet the artist didn't want to leave the painting because reality was too bleak—the reality where all his partners had died long ago.
Wen Xishu suddenly realized he seemed able to speak.
"I am like you, someone with special abilities. I am leading my team, trying to unravel the mystery of the curse."
"Would you like to join me?"
"Or do you plan to continue sinking into your dream?"
"Wake up, remember the beautiful images of those who have departed, don't let nightmares swallow their true faces."
In terms of persuasion, Wen Xishu's level was not weak compared to the guidance.
The artist was evidently moved, falling into thought.
He cried at times, punched himself at others; after spending a while, he slowly stood:
"You... Can you break the curse? What kind of deity are you?"
Wen Xishu suddenly thought, even though no one knows who he is, once he mentions the commander, they seem to understand what's going on.
So Wen Xishu said:
"My name is Wen Xishu. You might be unfamiliar with my name, but everyone calls me Commander."
"I have been sent by God to dismantle the curse."
The artist was visibly shocked upon hearing the word Commander.
He had heard the legend, seen the guidance, but he didn't believe.
But now, the Commander had fought his way into the dream world, shredded many bizarre paintings, arrived in front of him with an immortal body, waking him up.
With these actions, he began to look forward to the Commander's legend.
"Even so... they won't come back, will they?"
"Yes, the dead cannot be resurrected, but if I were you, I wouldn't want to carry such heavy guilt anymore. Revenge can bring me joy."
Wen Xishu paused slightly:
"Or do you not want to seek revenge for them?"
The artist obviously did, his eyes soon lit up with hatred:
"Let's go! I'll go with you!"
Wen Xishu really liked the artist's expression at the moment, like an old principal.
He could feel the artist's power was terrifying, unquestionably not of the same level as Colonel Devon, Cavendish, and others.
The guidance timely appeared:
[Completed the hidden storyline—Artist imprisoned in the painting. Successfully recruited SSS-level hero, Artist.]
"Welcome to my team. Now, let's leave this dream and see the sunlight in reality."
(Posted first, have things to do during the day)