Chapter 2: A Thousand Faces, Ten Thousand Forms

Lin Xun’s left hand was now gripping a thin, rectangular sheet of paper.

It seemed to be… a page from a book?

Suppressing his shock, he examined it closely.

The page was about the size of his palm, made of something like parchment—soft yet durable, slightly yellowed, and covered in densely packed alien script that closely resembled the writing on the cover of The Book of Salvation. The entire page faintly glowed.

“An item from the game… appeared in real life. This game is definitely not normal!”

Lin Xun had no intention of continuing to play. He opened his browser and searched for information on The Book of Salvation.

After scouring the internet, he found nothing.

For a game ranked number one on the charts, this was absolutely bizarre.

He opened the app store again—only to find Honor of Kings sitting at the top. The Book of Salvation had vanished without a trace, not even appearing in search results.

If not for the game’s icon still sitting on his phone’s home screen, Lin Xun would have doubted its existence entirely.

“What the hell?”

His first instinct was to call the police. An item from a game suddenly materializing in reality was beyond normal comprehension.

But just as he was about to dial 110, he hesitated.

“As a web novelist, I’ve fantasized about having the same kind of overpowered cheats as the protagonists I write.”

“If items from the game can manifest in reality… this might be the opportunity that changes my life.”

His gaze gradually hardened with resolve.

Sensing something, he clenched the Soul Page tightly in his hand.

With a soft poof, the page dissolved into countless shimmering motes of light, merging into Lin Xun’s body.

At the same time, text began appearing on his phone screen.

[You have used the ‘Soul Page.’]

[You have acquired a Soul Talent: A Thousand Faces, Ten Thousand Forms (Unique)]

[A Thousand Faces, Ten Thousand Forms: Your soul has a unique taste—eclectic and indiscriminate. Possessing any shell comes effortlessly to you. Talent Effect: Greatly increases compatibility with all shells. Shell Slot +1 (Upgradeable)]

Lin Xun felt a sudden surge of energy, as if an inexplicable power had fused with his body. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but when he focused, he realized the exhaustion from writing and gaming had completely vanished. He was now brimming with vitality—even bordering on hyperactivity.

“This soul talent…”

He turned his attention back to the screen. The compatibility percentages for the remaining two shells in the church had changed.

[Black-Robed Priest’s Shell: An elderly priest with a hunched posture, clutching a prayer book tightly to his chest. His lips were stained crimson, and the ground before him was splattered with what appeared to be his own organs. His insides were likely hollowed out. Compatibility: 94% (+15%)]

[Choir Sister’s Shell: A young, beautiful nun. The lower half of her body was covered in blood, filthy and defiled. Her face was twisted in madness, two trails of bloody tears streaking down her cheeks. Her tragic state reminded you of a saintess rescued from a goblin cave. Compatibility: 87% (+15%)]

Thanks to A Thousand Faces, Ten Thousand Forms, both shells now had compatibility above 80%, making them viable for possession.

[Gifted Apostle, you may choose to expend Soul Strength to reshape the ‘Guardian Knight’ shell or possess one of the two remaining shells before you.]

[Due to your unique talent, Shell Slot +1. Current Shell Slots: 1/2.]

[If Shell Slots are full, possessing a new shell will require discarding an existing one.]

Lin Xun quickly grasped the rules. Shell Slots functioned like inventory space in a game—if it was full, picking up a new item meant dropping something first.

The White Moon Church Guardian Knight shell occupied one slot, leaving one slot available.

“Reshaping the knight’s shell costs 1 Soul Strength, but possessing a new one doesn’t. With two shells available, this talent effectively gives me two extra lives.”

“Since I can discard shells, why not try the nun first? Learn more about different classes, then come back later for the priest.”

True to his gamer instincts—never leave loot behind—Lin Xun selected the Choir Sister’s Shell.

[The feeble wandering soul has possessed the shell of the Choir Sister.]

[Current Shell Slots: 2/2 — Guardian Knight, Choir Sister.]

[You have taken control of this unfamiliar body. The memories within are similar to the Guardian Knight’s but more detailed.]

[The church you are in is located in a town called Moonlight’s Hometown—Saint Rance. Once a prosperous settlement, it has now fallen under the corruption of the Blood Sun Church. Even the White Moon Church at the town’s center, the strongest defensive stronghold, could not withstand the assault.]

[You have unlocked the Shell Panel.]

“Oh? A new feature?” Lin Xun tapped to open it.

[Shell — Choir Sister]

[True Name: Unknown]

[Compatibility: 87% (+15%)]

[Shell Quality: Ruined]

[Shell Level: 1]

[Shell Equipment: Bloodstained Church Gown (Ruined) — Aside from aesthetics, utterly useless.]

[Shell Skill: Hymn (Ruined) — Slightly heals devout followers of the White Moon. Can also deal minor damage to heretics.]

“A lousy healer.” That was Lin Xun’s verdict.

Seeing the string of Ruined quality tags, even without knowing the game’s tier system, he could tell this was a garbage shell.

“I’ll play around with her for a bit, then toss her.”

[Unlike your feeble wandering soul, the nun’s delicate shell fills you with a tangible sense of physical weight.]

[You look down and can no longer see your toes. This makes you feel invincible, unstoppable.]

[Brave Apostle, will you push open the church doors to explore the apocalypse’s origin, or will you stay and search for useful items?]

“So that’s what ‘invincible and unstoppable’ means.” Lin Xun scoffed and chose to stay.

[Learning from your previous death, you refrain from rashly opening the doors. Instead, you scour the church for anything of use.]

[Searching…]

[The weapons and armor scattered throughout the church were all destroyed in the earlier battle. Nothing usable remains.]

[Searching…]

[Inside the pulpit’s drawer, you find a woman’s breast bindings wrapped around half a bottle of Healing Holy Water.]

[Searching…]

[You’ve turned the church upside down but found nothing else of value.]

He opened his inventory to inspect the Holy Water.

[Healing Holy Water (Item): A thick, glossy, milky-white liquid with extremely mild restorative properties. For some reason, it was tucked inside breast bindings—perhaps it has other, less orthodox uses.]

After a moment of thought, Lin Xun understood the intended progression path: Possess the knight’s body—choose to stay in the church to find the holy water—heal the body’s injuries—then venture outside to fight monsters.

Suddenly, a glass vial materialized in his hand.