Chapter 3, The Name is a Spell

The Source Force practitioners, through mystical rituals, allow the scenery in their hearts to clearly manifest in their minds, and then obtain the seeds of Source Force based on this 'mental portrayal', reinforcing them through repetitive training. This is the simplest method to acquire Source Force in its literal sense

The world before me has suddenly transformed

A scene emerged in his memory

In the next moment, he beheld the scenery of his heart, the harbor of his soul, and the abstract symbol.

Only one painting remains uncovered by the mist

Amidst the cacophony, a girl with a very soft and weary voice spoke in a calm tone that was different from the fear or panic hidden in others' voices

In the next moment, a warm sensation flowed from the chest

Some fools only need to threaten with the lives of mortals to obediently submit

the large number of

The flames of this harbor of the soul gradually dimmed, and Gwen gazed at this tranquil place growing ever more distant, a sense of reluctance surging within her

It is truly abominable

Those eyes

Old thing, I didn't expect you to be the first beast to be turned into diesel

Gwen clutched his chest; the curse of the heart demon had been dispelled by his source power, yet his heart still felt a profound sense of emptiness

However, even though the training materials are publicly available, the number of individuals who can become source power messengers remains relatively scarce

On the desk in this laboratory, there is a work memo that is not a diary.

This does not contain topics such as the dreams, hobbies, and philosophy of this old thing, but rather cold data and some records

The Heart-Stealing Demon Gwendolyn collapsed to the ground, already dead and controlled by the 'Strange Tale'. The corpse began to wither alongside the *illustration*, as an old man used some kind of fabric to 'seal' it, preventing the corpse from decaying while simultaneously sealing the separating Strange Tale within the corpse. He murmured, 'The subject of the Strange Tale has already been acquired. Although what has been created is a flawed killing puppet, it is still a top-tier killing doll'

... ...

Third, the safe password

Gwen glanced at the corpse of the old man and sighed, "So it turns out you were the one protecting everyone from the Heartstealer's minions?" If it weren't for the premeditated kidnapping of four innocent people, one might have considered this old man to be someone who inadvertently did a good deed. But unfortunately, Gwen inherited the Heartstealer's source power, "Peer into the Similar," which allowed him to see just how many innocents this old man had killed.

Gwen covered her eyes with her hand and turned her head to look at the only mirror in the room

The deceased closed their eyes.

The machinery requires source power to operate, and the most readily available source power comes from the hearts of 'humanoid beings'. If daily consumption is to be maintained... killing one to two of them each day... would be sufficient.

Simultaneously, five different voices permeated his thoughts, whispering in a blend, as the chaotic and complex memories and knowledge of five corpses, including his own, surged into his brain, almost contradictory in nature

At the thought of this, he could not help but reveal a satisfied smile

A massive tree appeared before him, with firefly-like leaves falling from its branches. Glowing vines hung from the branches, and a multitude of luminous 'cats,' resembling fluffy balls, rested on the tree. In front of the tree, a faint yet warm campfire flickered. Surrounding the campfire were five oil paintings propped up by cat statues, their surfaces obscured by a grayish-white mist.

Gwen took a deep breath, noticing that the female corpse in front of him seemed to be looking at him

This body has a lifespan of 90 days

Dong, dong, dong

Indeed, the safe's password. Gwen is aware that this is an alternate world and has no experience surviving in such a realm, yet he believes! Once he accumulates a certain amount of wealth, even if he knows nothing about this world, he can pave his way like a girl from the ancient tomb sect, untouched by the mundane, using money as his means!

That was a face almost identical to that of the 'Heart Snatcher'

Among the five individuals, three have failed

At the same time, the successful experiences of the only two individuals in their cultivation were instilled in his mind

A peculiar force emanated from the mechanical heart, and fragments of five memories began to surge forth continuously. In his mind, he momentarily found it impossible to distinguish whether the consciousness of his own body was 'I', or 'Gwen', or perhaps 'the Heart Thief'. However, this confusion lasted for less than a few seconds, as the five fragments of memories, which lacked numerous clues, ultimately converged into several simple words

I have completely understood

The only two successful individuals are the current Gwen and the "Gwen No. 2," whose true identity is the "Heart-Stealing Demon Tale Vessel" within the ornate coffin

In an instant, a terrifying pain surged from his chest, akin to the agony of being forced to run while experiencing a cramp. He placed his hands over his chest and lowered his head, only to discover that the enormous opening in his chest had inexplicably closed at some point, and that heart, the mechanical heart, began to beat.

Even the little bear he encountered in the wild, who was a bit hungry, and the big cat with a bit of a temper, did not instill in him such a sense of crisis. It was as if he were being targeted by a type of hunting rifle capable of taking down an elephant with a single shot, and not just one, but hundreds of them.

Gwen heard the unbearable sound of his mechanical heart beginning to strain, but at that moment he had regained his composure, able to resist the power of the Source, only the Source. Many memories of arduous training surfaced in his mind, stemming from the four corpses, and the recollections of the five corpses, including his own, regarding the 'forging of the Source' flooded back.

So it is like this

As soon as one speaks the name along with the location, the Heart Stealer will come knocking at the door

Opening her eyes, Gwen returned to reality

This sentence structure is very simple, yet when Gwen unconsciously uttered it, she felt as if the nonexistent heart was being pressed down by some force. The warm source of power surging from the mechanical heart resisted the chilling cold that clung like a bone. At the same time, signs of blurriness began to appear in her field of vision.

Even the instinct of the heart's demon believes, 'Since you are so capable of killing, why do you still come to find me'

The Heart-Stealing Demon Gwen on the Train

He looked over, raising his eyebrows in surprise, his eyes squinting with laughter, and his lips, which were not very typical for a boy, curved into a silent statement

Fairness is not pallor, delicacy is not gaudiness, and a handsome face is merely ordinary. What truly captivates attention are the eyes, which no longer reveal their original color, resembling a blue flame encased in ice within a crystal ball

Secondly, the list and locations of the Source Force Envoys are not intended for him to hunt these individuals, but rather to obtain the list and clues of the 'Source Force Envoys so evil that even if he were to carve them open and make them into roast goose, others would only applaud in delight.' In his understanding, acquiring a bit of power would lead to beings that do not regard their kind as human; wouldn't there be a corpse lying at his feet?

His numb fingers and toes felt a slight warmth, and his consciousness, spirit, and soul returned. It was as if he had walked for an hour in deep snow and then returned to a room where the heating was on, filled with the warm glow of the fireplace

When the awakening of the source power occurs, anomalies will manifest

Thank you, Heart Snatcher

The name itself is a curse; within the phenomena formed by the source power, there exists a technique whereby uttering the name results in a curse.

The source power technique is of an extremely high level, echoing the tales of horror from a certain carriage in the nation aboard this train. In 1903, during the frost season, a report of a sighting of a corpse unveiled a gruesome serial murder case that has persisted for 17 years to this day, known as the Heartthief Gwen, as they referred to her. If one connects 'Heartthief Gwen' with 'a certain scene', it will trigger the residual source power of the horror tale, leading to the heart of the speaker being extracted.

A young person, resembling the Heartthrob Demon to a degree, is depicted above. With a charming smile, they hold a medical book in both hands, their azure eyes curiously surveying everything in the study.

... but he patiently finished reading the memo quickly, noting down three important clues from it

Even Gwen found it difficult to suppress the nausea rising within her

First, how to produce diesel

He seemed to sense Gwen's gaze

What Gwen can discern is that within her fragmented memories, there are many evident "disguise techniques" and "assassination techniques," which are likely things inserted into her mind through the manipulation of memory. Since the boundaries of life have already been toyed with, why not further explore the ethical boundaries of memory? This old thing probably wouldn't be satisfied even if it died tens of millions of times.

That is a curse ... ... That is a legend on the train ... ... That is a story ... ...

Of course, this is merely the 'instinctive words' of the Heartstealer's instinct. The Heartstealer Gwen created will naturally not be used for something as undemanding as 'killing ordinary people.' The Heartstealer will be employed for the purpose of 'assassins'.

To allow it to develop and generate source power like a normal person, one can use the heart of a source power envoy, which can be utilized for approximately 90 days. Some easily accessible source power envoys have been identified from the list provided by the organization

The orphanage car on the train, the relief station car, there is an abundance of materials

The eyeballs beneath the closed eyelids seem to still possess vision and perception

Having gained double the training experience, Gwen felt the source power within her mechanical heart operating more smoothly than ever in her chest

A mass of darkness suddenly enveloped the surroundings, and Gwen realized that he was in the midst of a vast starry sky, where countless glowing leaves were swept away by a storm, obscuring his vision, only to be immediately scattered again.

While looking at my ... ... heart

Gwen extracted the mechanical heart from the female corpse and inserted it into her own empty chest cavity

Indeed, this old thing can no longer be considered human, as it actually uses the term 'only' to describe humanity