Chapter 52: SAN Value Attack


    "What''s a ''vocal check''?" Liu Xing asked, looking utterly confused at KP Cao.


    KP Cao chuckled and exined, "A vocal check, as the name implies, is when a yer conveys some information rted to the Cthulhu Mythos to another yer. If the receiving yer has not previously been exposed to such information, they must perform a vocal check. It''s simr to a SAN value check, except that no matter how explosive the Cthulhu-rted information is, the result of the check always leads to a fixed oue: sess means losing 0 points of SAN value, while failure means losing 1d3 points of SAN value. Moreover, the yer gains corresponding Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Of course, this is also one of the new features in ourtest Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall update."


    Having heard KP Cao''s exnation, Liu Xing got the gist of the vocal check. In essence, it was a form of persuasion, except the check didn''t depend on the persuasiveness of the speaker but on the SAN value of the listener, to see if they would believe the information about the Cthulhu Mythos provided by the speaker. If the listener passed the vocal check, they would believe the information and lose a certain amount of SAN value to gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. If they failed the vocal check, they would treat the information as just a mythological story, neither losing SAN value nor gaining any Mythos knowledge.


    This made perfect sense. No problem there.


    Liu Xing suddenly remembered a story Wu Lei had shared about a previous gaming session, where yers had the choice to look through a window. The sight of a gruesomely deceased body was guaranteed to reduce SAN value. Logically, the first curious yer who chose to look and was discreetly informed of the oue by the KP should have warned the others not to repeat his mistake. However, this yer did the exact opposite, driven by the thought of not being the only one to lose SAN value, he convinced his teammates to look through the window, diminishing their SAN values as well. It was a cycle of mutual retribution—except for the yer with the lowest initiative, who steadfastly refused to look through the window but was forcibly brought to it by the others, and inevitably lost SAN value as well...


    This was the essence, the most sophisticated tactic in the Cthulhu RPG Game—the attack on SAN value through mutual harm.


    Now, with the introduction of the vocal check, Liu Xing knew that in future Cthulhu RPG games, verbal persuasion could indeed drive someone mad!


    "Alright, since the vocal check is influenced by the environment the yers are in, Liu Xing, having just arrived in this strange mirror world, you believed what Tina said, so this vocal check will automatically seed. Start rolling."


    Liu Xing rolled a 1d3=2!


    The moment the roll result appeared, Liu Xing felt his mind suddenly flood with knowledge about the Elder Sign. However, as he lost 3 points of SAN value in just a few minutes, he began to feel his concentration waver and his mood became irritable and uneasy.


    Liu Xing''s odd behavior was making Tina and the others somewhat anxious. After all, Li Ming had already lost his sanity, and if Liu Xing were to lose his mind as well, this promotional game was likely to end in total annihtion unless Tian Dao and the other two decided to forsake both Liu Xing and Li Ming.


    Despite his trembling mind, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten his skill in psychoanalysis. He immediately contacted KP Cao, "KP, I need to perform psychoanalysis on myself now!"


    "Oh, so you know psychoanalysis," KP Cao responded. "Well, I must remind you that whether sessful or not, psychoanalysis requires you to spend five minutes on the process. You can interrupt it voluntarily, but you need a convincing reason to persuade me. Of course, you might also be interrupted by external events, like a ne crashing down on you from the sky. So, are you certain you want to proceed with psychoanalysis, knowing that your throw will be secret and your teammates will not know the oue?"


    Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated that in this real Cthulhu RPG Game, psychoanalysis would require casting time and a ritual process, and it would be a hidden roll. This meant he couldn''t count on his teammates to interrupt the process should his psychoanalysis fail.


    Nheless, Liu Xing trusted his own luck and his teammates, so he resolutely chose to proceed with psychoanalysis.


    Liu Xing, psychoanalysis, 51/70, sessful.


    Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. However, he immediately realized he had lost control of his body again. With closed eyes, he began muttering to himself, initiating the psychoanalysis on himself.


    Because it was a hidden roll, Akira Akashi and the others knew Liu Xing was undergoing psychoanalysis but didn''t know the result, so they hesitated to act rashly.


    But Tina, with her experience in numerous Cthulhu RPG Games and many titles to her name, was well-versed in such matters. As a seasoned ''Keeper'', she understood what was happening. She reassured Akira Akashi and Tian Dao, "Liu Xing must be stunned by the information I just shared. He''sforting himself right now, so let''s not disturb him. He shoulde around in a few minutes."


    Akira Akashi and Tian Dao nodded in agreement, showing no objections. Tina, however, couldn''t help her curiosity, "By the way, you all seem to be aware of the Elder Sign and mythical creatures. You don''t look surprised at all. Do you know about them?"


    "Ah, yes, I am aware of the Elder Sign and mythical creatures," Tian Dao shared. "It was about half a year ago. I went camping with some friends I met online on an unnamed mountain. One of them, an archaeology professor, brought out a sleeping bag marked with an Elder Sign and exined its significance and function. It was during that camping trip that we encountered a creature resembling a zombie. Fortunately, we were lucky. First, we used the terrain to our advantage, breaking one of the creature''s legs with a rock, which slowed it down. In the end, we managed to kill it. The professorter told us that the creature was a Ghoul, one of the mythical creatures." Tian Dao recounted how he came to know about the Elder Sign and his encounter with the Ghoul attack.