What truly terrified Robb, however, was what came next.
Frightening visions began to flood his mind along with the influx of information.
Between the stars, something was moving. It was vast beyond comprehension, its form so warped it defied all human understanding.
It writhed, extended, devoured everything in its path, planets, stars, like a black hole, but with something worse: awareness.
Robb suddenly realized that what he was witnessing might be the lingering impression of what the traveling mage, the one who created Whispers of the Star-Eater, had once seen.
This was no mere anomaly. It was a cosmic horror. A primordial entity far beyond the limits of human comprehension.
"So this is the weight of knowledge... no wonder that mage went mad."
With that thought, his consciousness began to fray. His mind throbbed as if pierced by a thousand blades.
He hadn't even looked directly at the entity, he'd only glimpsed it between the folds of the stars.
But even that fleeting glance brought a terror beyond words, washing over him like a tsunami.
His mind began to dissolve. His thoughts unraveled, like an ant trying to understand a volcanic eruption, or a single drop of water trying to comprehend the ocean.
"My cognition is overloading... I have to stop… disconnect…"
His mental sea began screaming warning signals at him.
The observer tried to end the meditation and return to reality, but he found that his awareness had already been ensnared by that vision. He couldn't tear himself away.
The stars began to flicker at a frantic, unnatural rhythm. The whispers became piercing shrieks, like a swarm of insects crawling through his brain.
"No… this isn't what I wanted… I have to hold on…"
At that critical moment, the effects of the Artificial Stardew peaked.
A thin, silvery-blue membrane formed around the edges of his consciousness, like a protective shield, filtering out most of the sanity-shattering signals.
[Artificial Stardew Effect Activated: Mental Shield]
[Resisting External Mental Shock , Shield Strength: 83%]
Thanks to the shield, Robb barely managed to maintain a sliver of clarity.
He knew without a doubt, if he hadn't taken the Stardew in advance, he would already be deep in mental contamination.
[Whispers of the Star-Eater EXP +10]
The protective array in the room continued to hum steadily. The incense had burned out, leaving a faint, herbal fragrance lingering in the air, the dissipated trace of the Stardew's energy.
Robb opened his eyes. Though his entire body was soaked in cold sweat, his mind was, surprisingly, clearer than he expected.
Madam Elena's warnings had been dead-on. And his precautionary use of the Stardew had saved him at the most critical moment.
As he calmed down, he noticed that his lips were bleeding, bitten open during the intense mental strain. A thin trail of blood dripped down his chin.
[Warning: Mental Contamination Detected]
He immediately reached for the silver pocket watch by his bedside and directed his mind into it, attempting to purge the abnormal state.
The black gemstone on the watch lit up at once, starting to absorb the negative condition afflicting him.
[Negative State Reset: Moderate Mental Contamination , Energy -5]
As the watch cleansed the contamination, Robb's mind grew clearer. His thoughts became orderly again.
The invasive presence and bizarre impulses faded away, leaving behind only a mild weariness.
"That was way too close…" he whispered, his back still clammy with cold sweat.
Even with all the warnings, he hadn't expected his first meditation with Whispers of the Star-Eater to be this dangerous.
But then again, danger and reward often went hand in hand.
His mental strength had clearly been forged through this ordeal, like muscle torn and rebuilt stronger. Pushed to the brink, his psyche had reached new heights.
[Mind Endured Extreme Challenge!]
[Spirit: 2.4 → 2.6]
"If I hadn't prepared the watch and the Stardew in advance… Next time, I'll have to be even more cautious. The dangers of this world really do push the limits…"
Robb let out a deep sigh of relief.
He opened the window, letting the crisp night air sweep into the room, clearing away the lingering pressure that still clung to the space.
The night was dark and still, but his mind remained wide awake.
He knew this was a normal after-effect of the mental breakthrough. It would take a few hours to wear off.
"Since I can't sleep anyway, I might as well make use of the time."
He pulled out a notebook from under his bed, intending to record the experience and insights from this meditation, however roughly, for future reference.
By the time he had finished documenting everything, the tension in his mind had finally begun to ease, and his eyelids grew heavy.
The pocket watch still had five points of energy left after cleansing the contamination, but his spirit was too taxed to begin another training session.
Luckily, the watch's energy would refresh at midnight. He could do his extra training after returning from Madam Elena's tomorrow.
Lying in bed, Robb replayed the vision of the starfield, its vast, terrifying beauty still vivid in his memory.
"So this is the path of a mage... where the weight of knowledge and the edge of madness stretch side by side."
With that final thought, he finally fell into sleep.
Morning.
Robb stood by his window, watching as the rising sun burned away the mists hovering over the Black Mist Forest. The lingering fear from the night before slowly dissipated.
During his brief sleep, he had dreamt, an eerie, lucid dream.
He wandered through an endless sea of stars, and the whispers echoed all around him.
In the depths of that cosmic sea, something was watching him. Its gaze was ancient and cold, deeply unsettling.
"Was it just fatigue? A hallucination?"
Robb rubbed his eyes. His status panel showed everything was normal. The pocket watch had fully purged the contamination, no residual effects remained.
He shook his head. Right now, his priority was to master Whispers of the Star-Eater's core structure, as preparation for the many challenges ahead.
"First, I'll report my experience to Madam Elena. Then I'll resume learning."
With a clear plan in mind, Robb headed out.
The herb shop that morning was peaceful and quiet. A soft herbal aroma lingered in the air as Madam Elena sorted through yesterday's ledgers behind the counter.
"You're here?" she asked without looking up, as if she'd been expecting him.
"Yes, Madam," Robb replied respectfully, closing the door behind him.
Madam Elena was already waiting. The moment Robb entered, her ghost-green eyes locked onto him like daggers, trying to see into his soul.
"Looks like you've already tried it," the old witch said bluntly, skipping any pleasantries.
"And faster than I expected."