The instant Nyx spoke those words, a virtual panel materialized before Lin Qiye's eyes.
"Nyx Treatment Progress: 3%
Reward conditions met — initiating random draw for Nyx's divine abilities…"
A virtual prize wheel immediately appeared, spinning rapidly!
Lin Qiye could see the wheel was split into at least twenty segments, each about the same size — meaning his odds of pulling any one of Nyx's divine powers were perfectly even.
"Nightfall, Dusk Eye, Falling Stars, Starshatter, Twilight Blink, Children of the Dark, Supernatural Fertility…"
The myriad powers spinning on the wheel left Lin Qiye nearly dizzy — though, he couldn't help but notice some were a little… odd.
Supernatural Fertility? What kind of godly ability is that?!
If he actually drew that one, would he be able to give birth to a bunch of divine kids without even needing a wife?
Hmm… now that he thought about it, maybe that wouldn't be so bad…
Meanwhile, Lin Qiye spotted one segment tucked in the corner of the wheel—a long, narrow sliver, barely taking up 1% of the whole thing.
This power was simply called "Unknown".
Unknown? What's that supposed to mean?
Well, it didn't really matter. Given his crap luck, he figured even if he spun the wheel a thousand times, he'd never land on "Unknown".
Drawing in a deep breath, Lin Qiye locked his gaze on the wheel — then willed it to slow down!
The needle swept across ability after ability, finally coming to a halt, settling on a particular region of the board.
"Starry Night Dancer…" Lin Qiye gazed at the words, sighing in resignation.
Judging by the name, this skill was leagues below things like Starshatter or Falling Stars, but at least — thank heavens — it wasn't Supernatural Fertility.
Luck like this… it truly is my destiny.
As soon as the needle ceased turning, the spinning roulette began to dissipate from Lin Qiye's vision. Only the words "Starry Night Dancer" hung suspended in midair, their color deepening with each passing second.
Lin Qiye reached out and grasped them.
The instant his fingers closed around the words, they dissolved into a jet-black beam of light, pouring like liquid into Lin Qiye's body.
He could feel a mysterious power swiftly remaking him from the inside out — every fiber of soul and flesh being washed clean, leaving him in a state of utter comfort.
The feeling was indescribable and bizarre.
It lasted all of five seconds, and when it faded completely, Lin Qiye could sense, unmistakably, that something fundamental within him had changed.
Before his eyes, new lines of tiny script began to slowly emerge.
"Starry Night Dancer:
At night, your speed, strength, endurance, and recovery are five times your usual capacity.
In the darkness, your presence becomes exceedingly hard to detect.
By night, your very being radiates a potent aura, instilling fear into other creatures.
You've gained the power to communicate with all nocturnal animals."
Lin Qiye couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath as he read.
This ability might not sound impressive at first glance, but in truth, it's frighteningly powerful… Just the part about being five times faster, stronger, tougher, and more resilient — that alone bordered on the monstrous!
Even with his utterly average physical condition, if Lin Qiye were to compete in something like an triathlon at night, he'd easily set a Guinness World Record.
A fivefold boost would push his body right up to the edge of human limits.
And that was just with his baseline stats — if he underwent proper training, Lin Qiye couldn't even begin to imagine how far he might go.
Not to mention the added perks of stealth and the ability to communicate with nocturnal animals. These abilities already placed him far beyond the realm of ordinary humanity.
Lin Qiye suppressed his excitement and took a deep breath.
He had no intention of joining the Night Watchers, nor did he wish to fight mythical beasts. Still, he was only a high school student. It was impossible not to feel a thrill at the prospect of supernatural power.
Besides, only by growing stronger could he truly protect his family.
At last, Lin Qiye steadied himself and fixed his gaze on Nyx before him.
At that moment, Nyx gazed at him with gentle eyes, softly running her fingers through his hair as she murmured to herself, "Thanatos, where have you been for these three thousand years? Do you have any idea how much I've missed you…"
Lin Qiye sat quietly, meeting Nyx's gaze with a tangled mix of emotions.
Just as he had suspected — in her current condition, Nyx couldn't tell her own son apart from a vase. There was no way she could recognize Lin Qiye wasn't her child.
Her longing had become an illness — everything around her was shaped into the image of her son. But… jars and vases, for all her fantasies, couldn't answer her back.
So, when Lin Qiye — a living, breathing, moving boy, calling her "Mother" — appeared, Nyx seemed to come alive again, finally finding something to anchor her spirit.
This was the first step toward opening her heart, and the reason her recovery immediately jumped to three percent.
"Thanatos, do you have any idea how much your brother misses you? Go on — give him a hug." Nyx's lips curled with a gentle smile as she lifted a vase toward Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye: …
Left with no choice, Lin Qiye accepted the vase and went through the motions, pretending to give it an affectionate pat.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Nyx's arms — and saw his supposed "other siblings…"
He shuddered.
Clutched in Nyx's embrace were several jars and bottles, each one tagged with a label and varying in color.
On one particular bottle's label, Lin Qiye noticed a bold line of text.
— Haloperidol (for divine use)
Lin Qiye stared at the label, his mouth slowly falling open in disbelief…
Haloperidol? Why did that name look so familiar?
Wait a minute — that's the same drug the psychiatrist listed on his prescription sheet earlier today. And what was with those extra words —"for divine use"?
In that instant, something clicked in Lin Qiye's mind, and a rush of excitement seized him.
He quickly handed the vase back to Nyx, blurting out, "I'll be right back!"
With that, he shot upstairs to the second floor of the asylum like a gust of wind, heading for a room at the end of the hall.
The medicine storage room.
The door to the room was open — Nyx must have been here earlier. Otherwise, how would she have taken so many "brothers and sisters" with her?
Lin Qiye stepped quickly inside, searching around until he stopped before a massive metal cabinet, his eyes growing ever brighter.
Before him was an entire wall lined with medicines!
The variety was staggering, and most were psychiatric drugs — haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and all manner of sedatives.
Each medication carried two extra characters on its label — "for divine use".
A smile broke across Lin Qiye's lips. Of course! This was an asylum for the gods — if it's a hospital, there had to be a medicine store, and all the drugs inside would be tailored for divine physiology.
He couldn't bring real-world medicine into this place, but here he could find equivalent drugs, formulated specifically for gods.
With that, everything seemed suddenly much simpler.
Lin Qiye picked out a few bottles of medication from the doctor's list that morning and hurried downstairs to Nyx's side.
"This one — you take it once a day, two pills at a time… And this one — three times a day, one pill each time… Don't forget your doses!'
Nyx gazed at Lin Qiye intently, as though a flower were blooming on his face, seemingly oblivious to anything he was actually saying.
"Uhm… never mind. I'll just come feed you your medicine every day myself." Lin Qiye sighed helplessly at her response.
Expecting someone with severe mental illness to remember her daily medication — it really was asking too much.
But as soon as Lin Qiye finished speaking, Nyx's face lit up with a wide smile.
She looked genuinely, joyfully happy.