Ron’s heartbeat quickened slightly, a sense of alertness rising within him.
Logically, such memory fragments, which were clearly likely to cause Spiritual Contamination, should trigger his "Extraordinary Recognition" and "Hunting Evil" warning Skills.
In previous analyses, these Skills had repeatedly helped him avoid danger in time.
However, at this moment, the warning system was completely silent, showing no reaction to this obviously dangerous memory fragment.
Ron frowned slightly but did not interrupt the connection.
On the contrary, he further adjusted the output mode of his Spiritual Power, exploring the memory with increased caution.
As the explorer’s consciousness delved deeper, the vague outline gradually became clear...
It was an existence beyond comprehension, its form constantly changing, each change defying the fundamental laws of the physical world.
Sometimes it resembled a giant sphere with countless tentacles, with eyes, mouths, and various organs growing at the ends of the tentacles;
Sometimes it appeared as a mountain composed of living tissue, with every surface continuously writhing, growing new limbs, only to swiftly wither again.
Even more frightful was that this entity seemed to exist simultaneously in multiple dimensions, causing its form to remain in an indescribable "superposed state."
Staring at it for more than two seconds induced intense dizziness and nausea, as if the brain were forced to process some informational structure it wasn’t meant to comprehend.
This scene should have triggered a strong reaction of Spiritual Contamination, at least causing the "Hunting Evil" Skill to issue a severe warning.
But bizarrely, Ron still did not feel any signs of contamination.
There was only a pure sense of discomfort, like the instinctive reaction caused by seeing a nauseating image, rather than the soul-deep pain of contamination.
"Interesting..." Ron murmured internally, his mind racing:
An "Apostle" revealing its true form, yet not triggering Spiritual Contamination?
There is only one explanation for this anomaly—the "Apostle" is fake.
The explorer in the picture clearly did not possess Ron’s composure and analytical ability.
When he saw the giant entity slowly moving, with countless bizarre organs simultaneously turning their gaze toward him, fear instantly drowned his rationality.
A pure, primal fear erupted in the explorer’s heart, a fear far beyond normal experience, as if the soul itself were screaming.
As the fear continually accumulated, the explorer’s vision began to distort, shatter, and then completely fall into darkness.
He lost consciousness.
As for what happened afterward, the Memory Crystal left no clues.
Whether the explorer was consumed by this fake "Apostle" or escaped by sheer luck remains unknown. After all, the "Memory Crystal" generated by the Abyss only records what the observer witnessed.
"Terminate connection, analysis complete."
Ron said calmly, carefully withdrawing his Spiritual Power,
ensuring that no residual effects or possible entangling follow-up effects remained.
He opened his eyes to find Uther’s virtual phantom observing him in an unusual manner.
"It was quite a fruitful analysis, wasn’t it?" The old man’s voice was slightly more cheerful than usual.
"Indeed, Professor."
Ron looked at the Memory Crystal and, after pondering for a moment, got straight to the point:
"I discovered some anomalies. The ’Apostle’ appearing in this Memory Crystal is very likely a fake."
"Oh?" Uther’s phantom wavered slightly, showing some curiosity, "Tell me your analysis."
"Firstly, my contamination detection system did not react at all when it appeared."
Ron explained clearly:
"Normally, even a memory projection of an Apostle should carry intense Abyssal high-level contamination.
But I did not sense any signs of contamination, only a purely visual discomfort."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Secondly, the behavior pattern of this ’Apostle’ is overly theatrical, as if deliberately creating a terrifying effect.
Real Apostles are usually more... efficient. They rarely spend time on visual intimidation of their prey, preferring direct Spiritual intrusion or Energy Absorption."
As Ron spoke to this point, he suddenly realized that his description might seem too expert, not fitting the image of a novice just entering Abyss research.
Uther’s phantom remained silent for a moment, with the silvery light in the air flowing slowly as if engaged in some deep level of thinking.
"Very precise observation and analysis, Ron."
Uther’s tone carried evident praise, yet also a difficult-to-grasp deeper meaning:
"Your understanding of Abyssal creatures seems far beyond a beginner’s level. Especially those insights about Apostle behavior patterns... very interesting."
Ron could feel the silver eyes within the phantom deeply observing him, seemingly trying to discern some hidden secret.
But he had long since learned to remain calm under any circumstances, and facing such veiled inquiry, he merely smiled slightly, his gaze untroubled:
"I have always had a special interest in Abyss research and have obtained some non-public information through various channels while at the Black Mist School."
Uther’s phantom swayed gently in the air, chuckling softly.
He evidently saw through the subtle control in Ron’s words and did not pursue further, instead turning to a more scholarly discussion:
"Your observation is entirely correct. It’s not a real Apostle, but rather a disguise of an extremely rare Abyssal plant—’Pelor Pelor Grass.’
"Pelor Pelor Grass?" Ron raised an eyebrow, the name indeed sounded a bit peculiar.