Chapter 31: Diary Written in Blood

(In your eyes, the cardboard boxes are just cardboard boxes.)

(In the deer-headed person's eyes, the cardboard boxes are folded beds.)

(The patient handbook states, “There are always two people in the ICU,” but it doesn't emphasize that they are “patients.”)

(If you think about it carefully, when would a hospital add folded beds in the ward?)

(Of course, it would be when patients need their family members to accompany them.)

(Therefore, the role you are playing actually has a family member as a caregiver, and this family member is a deer-headed person.)

(You inhale sharply.)

(Could it be true that you are not actually human but a native of this world, just as you suspected?)

(But then, how do you explain having human diseases and being admitted to a hospital designed for humans?)

(No, the line of thinking is wrong.)

(You immediately reject your reasoning.)

(Since entering this dungeon, each animal mask has a symbolic meaning corresponding to the culture of the real world.)

(Dogs are known for guarding, so the security department people wear dog-headed masks.)

(During the time of the Black Death, doctors wore bird beak masks as a symbol of warding off evil spirits.)

(Deer represents elegance and nobility, while pigs represent greed and laziness.)

(Therefore, deer became the buyers of humans, while pigs became the merchants.)

(Therefore, the symbolism of the cardboard box must also be combined with reality.)

(You ponder for a moment.)

(You previously speculated that deer-headed people buy humans to keep them as pets.)

(The only connection between pets and cardboard boxes is that they can become the nests for cats and dogs.)

(Isn't the barking that only you can hear in the hospital a hint to this?)

(Yes, that's the correct interpretation!)

(In the eyes of “I”, the indigenous people like the deer-headed person should be pets living in cardboard boxes, and “I” should be their owner.)

(Now, “I” have transformed from an owner to a pet, and even under the influence of the “Unspeakable,” “I” have become a helpless guinea pig, completely losing their freedom.)

(The entire dungeon is telling the story of how “I” escaped from the hospital under the control of the “Unspeakable.”)

(You feel a surge of clarity in your mind.)

(You have completely grasped the truth behind the hospital and identity of “I”.)

(With only one step remaining, you're getting closer to a perfect clearance.)

(There's no path ahead, so you head towards the right at the intersection.)

(The original human specimens disappeared, replaced by some biographies of the hospital's Dean.)

(You discover a wooden door that you didn't notice during your previous exploration.)

(You kick open the door with force.)

(The room is filled with dust, and you can't stop coughing.)

(You see nothing in the room.)

(You try to remove the mask in the room, but the entire room is covered in blood-red flesh walls, and your ears are filled with incoherent murmurs.)

(You turn your head to look behind you, and the wooden door has vanished.)

(Black hair is rapidly growing on your arms.)

(You bite your lip hard, using pain to keep yourself alert, and continue walking towards the depths of the room.)

(Amidst a wriggling mass of flesh, you find a small box.)

(You hold the box in your hands and put on the deer mask again.)

(The room returns to its normal state, and you breathe a sigh of relief.)

(With the box in your arms, you leave the secret room.)

(You open the box, and inside, there is only a stack of paper notes, all written in blood by “I,” resembling diary entries.)

(1.
Month of Melting Moon, Star Water Day: Today, Mom taught me a new word.)

(Freedom.)

(I told Mom that I'm not free.)

(2.
Month of Melting Moon, Star Gold Day: Math is really difficult, and I don't want to study anymore.
But Mom told me that if I don't study, I won't grow up.)

(In order to grow up, I must study hard.)

(3.
Month of Blossoming Flowers, Star Gold Day: Mom said I've grown up, and so it's time I find a boyfriend.)

(Mom told me I used the wrong word.)

(I should find a mate, not a boyfriend.)

(4.
Month of Blossoming Flowers, Star Water Day: Mom showed me a few people's photos, but I think they are too old and not suitable for me.)

(Mom said finding a mate is a long process, and I don't need to rush.)

(5.
Month of Abundant Harvest, Star Water Day: Lately, Mom seems very busy.
She hasn't come to see me for a long time.
What is she doing that she needs to hide from me?)

(6.
Month of Abundant Harvest, Star Fire Day: They asked me many questions, and even though I answered them, they are still very harsh on me.)

(Did I give the wrong answers?)

(7.
I have dignity too.)

(8.
I am human! I am human! I am human!)

(I am not an animal! I am not an animal! I am not an animal!)

(Do not let them imprison me, I beg you!)

(Mom, tell them I am human! You tell them, please.)

(9.
I am human.)

(10.
It told me that if I cooperate with it, I can regain my freedom.
I have no choice.)

(Now I know, it's usin@#$ me–!)

(Am I still ryfhhhhuman?)

(It's %@$&! manipulating me!)

(So I'm not human after all.)

(Mom, I love you Mom, I hate you.)

(Another new clue.)

(The first 7 entries in this diary are legible, but the last 3 become very blurry and sloppy, with no dates.
The 10th entry turns into a completely messy draft.)

(From these writings, you can deduce the following information.)

(1.
“I” is a female.
“I” have a mother, and “I” have reached the age where “I” should seek a “mate”.)

(2.
Mother told “I” that “I” should seek a “mate” rather than a “boyfriend,” indicating that in her mind, “I” have never been “human”.)

(3.
Starting from the 5th entry, it seems like the mother did something strange, and this strange thing is likely to be “I” being sent to the hospital.
The date in the 6th entry, “Month of Abundant Harvest, Star Fire Day,” coincides with the time you were admitted, which is a clear hint.)

(4.
The “It” mentioned in the 10th entry likely refers to the “Unspeakable.” It is because of this cooperation between “I” and the “Unspeakable” that the blood-written hints can possess the power of rules.
However, from the latter half of the 10th entry, it can be seen that “I” is the one being used and have become delirious.)

(5.
It is highly likely that “I” was the first Petz, and the mother was the one who invented and cultivated Petz.
However, based on the previous hospital posters, it was the dean who was credited as the inventor of Petz.
Perhaps this is the reason why “I” was being used.
The mother's research achievements were stolen by the dean, who made a fortune from unethical means and even created this hospital controlled by rules.)

(You feel a heavy emotional burden.)

(Your heart stings with pain.)