"...What? How do you plan to use it?"

Hearing Murray's tone while questioning the proposal immediately made Mir realize that his older brother had thought of this method he had come up with already.

"You know what I'm trying to say, Murray. The diary can control one's thoughts and actions to a certain degree. The only way the active virus can turn a person into a mutated abomination is if the person gives in to the hallucinatory temptations to mutate without following the proper rules and regulations, without the guidance of a Virus Neutralizer Manual. The less self-control one has, the easier it is for one to fall into the abyss of uncontrolled mutation, turning into a monster.

So if I consumed mutated meat, or any food that contains a high density of active viruses, and then wrote a wish in the diary stating that I would not give in to any temptations or desires to mutate...wouldn't I be just fine?"

Murray sighed. It took him a long time to reply.

"I saw that coming. But I hoped it wouldn't be this fast...Whatever, I suppose you could try it. If the worst outcome happens, I'll just mail Father Vincentious for the Virus Neutralizer Manual saying my extent of infection has crossed the 85% score."

Mir pumped his fists in the air silently. From his waistline, he pulled out the small diary. Knowing that he might need to use it, he had already brought a pen with him. Using the light from his communicator, he wrote down his third wish in the diary.

'I, Mir, will not give in to any temptations to mutate without the guidance of a Virus Neutralizer Manual.'

He felt that this statement was much easier to make into a reality compared to his previous wish where he had written that he wouldn't fall asleep or lose focus even with external influences trying to make him do so. That wish was far more materialistic, needing hormonal secretion, brainwave manipulation, and sensory control. As a result, he had survived the attack of the robbers unscathed. But the toll it had taken on his body must have been greater, because, unlike the first time when he had studied seven hours without a break, he had fallen unconscious barely an hour after making his wish.

It was evident that the diary could affect the material world to a small degree, but that influence came with heavy tolls.

This time, the diary only needed to make his mind refuse hallucinatory temptations. As long as his mind didn't falter, the virus couldn't activate any mutation in his genetic chains. It could only infect him at a deeper level to attempt a stronger attack, which would just increase his stats like the extent of infection, the rate of saturation of the infected zones, the possibility of greater, stronger mutations, and overall guaranteeing a better outcome upon the usage of a Virus Neutralizer Manual.

As usual, Mir didn't feel any different after writing the wish down. He closed the diary and gestured at Murray to hand over the bottle of honey.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Just one gulp. Drink slowly. Don't rush the consumption. And then close your eyes to ready your mind for the hallucinations."

Murray sounded both cautious and curious. Mir took the advice and drank at a deliberately slow speed, letting the thick honey crawl slowly down his oral cavity.

Right after the first gulp, Murray snatched the bottle away.

"They'll appear soon! Prepare your mind! Do not give in, no matter how dangerous it seems! It's all an illus-"

Murray's voice suddenly disappeared. Mir froze and tried to touch him with a hand, eyes still closed.

He wasn't where he was supposed to be. What the hell? Unable to contain his surprise, Mir opened his eyes...only to find himself sitting alone under the trees. Murray couldn't be seen anywhere!

Was this an illusion? Why did it resemble his current surroundings so accurately?

Mir felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was wrong...

A crunching sound from nearby made him jerk his head to the left. From within the grove, something large was approaching him.

Mir felt his heart go cold.

Why did this hallucination feel so incredibly real? He could feel every bit of his skin, sense his limbs, hear his surroundings, and inspect anything as accurately as possible under the weak starlight. He could even see the distant light on the data tower, silhouettes going in and out of the building at the bottom.

Yet Murray had inexplicably disappeared, and now something, definitely a large creature, was approaching him from the depth of the woods.

...Should I move? Make a run for it?

Mir considered the idea, but he still clung to the hope that all of this, in fact, was a hallucination caused by the virus in the honey.

Maybe the fear, the feeling of insecurity, the urge to run away were a way to trick him into following the formula of the hallucination.

Suddenly, Mir felt like he had understood the essence here. One of his greatest fears since stepping into the sacred ground had been that Murray would not be around to protect and guide him; that he would face a horrifying, mysterious mutated creature and be hunted down. Maybe if he tried to run towards the data tower, he would find-

He immediately noticed it. Several figures had shot out of the data tower toward his direction. Their speedy approach gave off the impression that they knew exactly where he had taken a temporary shelter to avoid unwanted attention.

Yes, of course. His second greatest fear: being found by the hunters of the Ravensworth family.

Mir felt a thin grin form on his lips. A second later, the creature emerged from the shadows on his left. In the dark, Mir could see several blood-red eyes glowing dimly, hear heavy feet leaving deep imprints on the soil, teeth grinding, tentacle-like limbs twisting in the air as it approached his body.

For a brief moment, Mir wanted to get up, scream and run to somewhere safe. His body almost shook from the urge. But his will refused.

This had to be the temptation! No matter how terrifying it appeared, he refused to comply with its formula. He wouldn't run even if this creature attacked him, even if the hunters of the Ravensworth family attacked him-

"Run, boy! That's a grade- 3 creature behind you! Why the hell are you still sitting there?! Run!"

The shout was from one of the men rushing towards him. His tone was panicked, sounding genuinely worried for his wellbeing.

Mir was confused for a second. This didn't seem to be the setting he thought he was in. Were these guys not the hunters?

Right then, the familiar hum of bees rose up from within the woods. The so-called grade- 3 mutant creature jerked to a stop before it decided to run away. Two seconds later, it was gone, having disappeared into the grove it had come out of.

The people rushing towards Murray also came to a sudden stop.

"Are those from that hive we saw earlier today?" one of them asked in a fearful tone.

Mir turned his head to look at the direction they were starting at.

Hundreds, no, tens of thousands of bees were flying above the canopy of the forest. Their flight was frenzied, disorderly, as if they had lost their commander, all of their discipline broken.

"Fuck! Run away! Back to the tower!"

This time, these guys didn't even look at Mir. They sprinted away at fast as they could. Staggering, stumbling, but still running at an insane speed.

While many bees were attracted by these moving targets, a greater number of them seemed to sense Mir's existence.

Mir looked down and noticed the bottled honey placed right beside him.

Oh boy.