Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [46]

After several rounds of careful experimentation, Artem Vetrovski finally uncovered the unique nature of Crepus’s [Delusion].

Unlike the standard [Delusions] he carried—imitations of Visions that simply drew on elemental energy—this one’s power came from within itself.

In other words, this [Delusion] carried an immense force: the power of a deceased god.

But there was a catch.

Whenever he used it, Artem still experienced that familiar, overwhelming fatigue.

And each time, a foul, tainted force would try to worm its way into his body.

The strange thing was—

Before that ominous power could burrow into his flesh and bone, it would abruptly dissipate, vanishing without a trace.

If this energy was strengthening his body like normal elemental power, he might not have minded.

But all Artem felt was exhaustion—nothing else.

Weird. What’s going on with this thing?

He turned the [Delusion] over and over in his hand, but its secrets eluded him.

Or maybe… it’s not just the [Delusion]. Maybe it’s me—my supposed immunity to backlash. What’s the real principle behind it?

In Snezhnaya, everyone agreed that [Delusion] backlash drained your life. The process was simple: the [Delusion] siphoned your life force and converted it into elemental power.

That was why [Delusion] wielders could unleash far more power than ordinary [Vision] users. But the price? More often than not, you died on the spot after a burst of strength—a power that hurt the user more than the enemy.

Artem’s immunity was supposed to protect him from that: when he used a [Delusion], his life force remained untouched, and even his stamina loss was far less than anyone else’s.

Especially now, after being physically strengthened by elemental energy, he could wield [Delusions] with ease. That’s how he’d managed to use seven elements at once, his physical limits far surpassing any ordinary human.

He’d always assumed that meant he was simply immune to life force loss.

But now, it seemed more complicated.

That force trying to get inside him—its sinister, unnatural feel was clearly the power of a god sealed in the [Delusion].

But here was the thing—

His immunity didn’t just negate backlash. It disassembled the god’s power itself.

Which meant Artem couldn’t actually use this [Delusion] to further strengthen his body.

In other words, the [Delusion] was worthless to him.

A tool that only burned stamina in battle, with no real benefits? Useless.

Artem frowned at the [Delusion] in his palm.

Is it useful?

Sure, in theory. It could create those agile black chains—and, more impressively, black flames that incinerated anything they touched.

But using the black fire drained even more stamina. For an ordinary person, the life force loss would be catastrophic.

No wonder Crepus had only used the chains and not the black fire during their fight in the winery basement.

But no matter how powerful this [Delusion’s] abilities, if he couldn’t use them properly, what was the point?

He did a quick calculation. Four uses, and already my legs are shaking. If I ever face a real threat and can’t win instantly with this thing, I’ll be in deep trouble.

“Dammit!”

“Are you kidding me?”

“After all the trouble, all the bruises, I end up with a dud!?”

The more Artem thought about it, the angrier he got.

He couldn’t use it anyway. If Dottore ever found out he was hiding it, it’d be even more trouble. Might as well smash it and be done with it.

Once the thought took hold, he couldn’t shake it.

Without hesitation, Artem summoned a chunk of Geo crystal and brought it down hard.

CRACK.

With a sharp, clear sound, the [Delusion]—hard as a glass marble—shattered.

And then, everything changed.

From the broken [Delusion], a thick cloud of black mist surged upward, instantly twisting itself into a vicious, purple-black serpent.

With it came a chorus of muttering voices.

"Is that… the scent of Morax?"
"Destroy! Crush! Kill!"
"Barbatos? Barbatos! Barbatos!!"
"So this is Barbatos’s territory—what a delightful flavor!"
"Wait—a human? There’s a human here? Insignificant insect—die!"

Hearing the voice’s pure malice, Artem’s expression shifted.

What in the world did they put inside this [Delusion]?

Wait—Diluc smashed one too. Why didn’t this happen to him? Did I break it the wrong way?

He had no time to dwell on it. The serpent lunged.

Artem dropped his thoughts and drew on elemental power, launching into battle.

He’d seen this thing before—in Dottore’s public research reports.
The Blackflame Serpent—a manifestation of evil, corrupted godly power. Its abilities: Devouring minds, draining life, an insatiable lust for destruction.

The worst part? It was merciless and bloodthirsty; wherever it appeared, slaughter followed.

Could this [Delusion] actually contain a fragment of a god?

No, that can’t be. Without a host, a fragment couldn’t create a Blackflame Serpent…

As he fought, Artem parsed every detail against what he’d read in the Doctor’s experiments.

And then it hit him...

The actual god’s body!
Shit!
This [Delusion] was made from a living god’s flesh!
Dottore, just what the hell are you researching?

At last, the logic was clear:
Using a god’s vengeful corpse as a host, and letting that power birth the Blackflame Serpent to fight. That was how this [Delusion] worked.

That’s why it drew directly on the power of the god’s body—power now sealed and weakened inside the [Delusion] to limit the backlash.

Revelation hit him so hard he hesitated—and the Blackflame Serpent struck, sending him flying with a vicious lash of its tail.

Agony shot up his side. Artem caught himself midair and hastily cast a healing spell.

The Serpent cackled and rushed forward.

No time to dodge.

Thinking fast, Artem summoned a stone wall between them.

But as the Geo barrier rose, the Serpent’s body dissolved into black mist and slipped around it.

Artem’s eyes went wide as the vapor rushed at him, plunging straight into his nose and mouth.

“AAAAHHH—!”

Artem dropped, clutching his head, screaming in pain.

His mind was flooded with endless resentment and mad whispers, waves upon waves of agony.

He thrashed, mind teetering on the edge, as the Serpent’s voice in his head suddenly turned from arrogant to terrified.

"What is this!?"
"Impossible!"
"My body—no, don’t—don’t kill me—let me go! Let me go!!"

The shrieking went on and on, until at last, the Serpent’s voice vanished completely.

Just as all that strange power had before, it was utterly erased.

Only this time, something was different.

Artem could feel it—a new, unfamiliar strength quietly building inside his body, reinforcing him cell by cell.

And with it came a strange sensation. Soaked in cold sweat, gasping for breath, Artem reached forward almost on instinct.

A chain wreathed in black flame shot from his palm.

He hadn’t used the [Delusion].

Yet he had summoned the power of a god.

And this time, it was pure—utterly free of corruption or resentment.

---

T/N: task failed succesfully?

This is a fan translation of 提瓦特之我在至冬做臥底 by 曉風殘月聽荷 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!