One-Eyed Monster

「Atop Guru Mountain.」

On a moderately flat area halfway up Dawn Peak on Guru Mountain, Igor and his companions were staring in bewilderment at an unbelievable scene. Individually, the elements of the scene appeared ordinary, but combined, they were decidedly peculiar. There was at least one aspect of this scene that surpassed the comprehension of many among them.

The situation Igor and the others witnessed wasn't overly complicated. These enigmatic figures, upon hearing the sound of firecrackers from down the mountain, had their eyes light up. As if by unspoken agreement, they all began to do the same thing. The group seemed incredibly excited by the sound of the firecrackers, their earlier demeanor of surrender and defeatism instantly vanishing. Some even regained their former arrogance, shouting and jeering on the mountainside.

"Just you wait, you're in for it!"

"You're about to witness what real power is!"

"Prepare to eat shit!"

These men had been lying on the ground, barely alive, just moments ago. Now, they were suddenly shouting at the top of their lungs. It was a mystery what gave them such confidence. While shouting, they quickly drew black bottles from within their clothes. Simultaneously, they uncapped them and brought the bottle mouths to their lips.

Igor couldn't clearly see what was in the bottles these people drew, nor did he understand their intentions. In the blink of an eye, he saw them tilt their necks and gulp down the substance that fell from the black bottles. Everyone, from the injured rolling on the ground to the burly men still standing there shivering, unhesitatingly swallowed the fallen white object.

The white object that fell from the black bottle looked viscous, like a large Booger Worm.

After swallowing the "Booger Worms," the group started laughing uncontrollably. Their laughter was filled with many meanings: contempt, arrogance, and a chilling disregard for their opponents.

Igor grew increasingly puzzled. Have these people lost their minds, laughing for no reason? This is truly bizarre, he thought. He felt that every incident he'd encountered that morning was abnormal.

However, events allowed Igor no time for slow contemplation. A new scene unfolded before him. In the blink of an eye, some of the men who had been laughing incessantly suddenly changed their expressions; their previously smiling faces became vacant.

The scene that followed was even more astonishing. The laughter gradually faded, and expressionless faces became their hallmark. Soon, this too changed. Their bodies began to contort. Those lying on the ground started bucking, their bodies forming unnatural arches as they leaped—like fish out of water, flopping and thrashing on the ground.

"Watch out! These guys are being controlled! Don't make contact with them!" Just then, someone, as if jolted from a dream, began to loudly warn those nearby.

Vister was also shocked. His companions who had eaten the "Booger Worms" had been fine just a moment ago. But in the blink of an eye, they had all changed. Not only were their faces devoid of expression, but their bodies also began to emit continuous, harsh RATTLING sounds—clearly the grinding of joints under excessive contortion.

Seeing the distorted bodies of his companions around him, Vister was suddenly filled with apprehension. I also swallowed that 'Booger Worm,' he thought. Will I end up like them...?

But events, as they often do, allowed no time for prolonged thought. Before Vister could recover from his apprehension, the expression on his face vanished completely.

Then, as if dancing, Vister began to move his arm joints in complex, difficult ways. A series of sharp CLACKS and CRACKS suddenly emanated from his body.

The expressionless Vister soon stopped moving his arms. He now looked like a motionless puppet.

"Get clear, they're taking formation!" The warning cry floated through the air once more.

The one who shouted the warning was Axia. Although he was merely an Alchemy Servant in the Alchemy Workshop and hadn't learned many advanced skills, he recognized everything he was supposed to. He also knew a fair bit about Alchemy Arrays; from certain signs, he could identify the type of Alchemy Array the enemy was deploying.

These expressionless individuals before him began to move in an orderly fashion, swinging their arms and heading towards a designated spot amidst harsh, GRATING sounds.

"They're setting up an Annihilation Array! They intend to wipe us out in one go!" Axia continued, "This is clearly Dark Alchemy being manipulated from behind the scenes!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Igor felt a surge of energy course through him.

"I despise those who pledge loyalty to the Dark Arts the most. I thrashed one of them before, yet he dares show his face again today. Utterly despicable!" Igor's internal Scale of Faith seemed to tilt. It was as if that old storytelling woman was about to emerge and begin her tales again.

"Move!" Stan Sol, who had been mostly silent, suddenly grabbed Young Master Hustace and leaped aside. Igor and the others then saw an expressionless puppet hop like a toad to where Young Master Hustace had been lying. After landing, this toad-like figure opened its mouth and spat out a thick **.

"That thing like a large Booger Worm seems to be a type of Summoned Beast. The Chief mentioned it in a lecture before..." Axia wanted to say more, but the current situation no longer permitted him to elaborate.

The puppet-like figures who had swallowed the Booger Worms attacked again. This time, their assault was far more organized than before.

"Battle Pet, protect him!" Stan Sol set down the dumbfounded Young Master Hustace and instructed the flame entity.

Upon hearing this, the flame entity flared up several times, then with a WHOOSH, it enshrouded Young Master Hustace in layers of fire.

"Young Master!" Qi Liu was still greatly concerned about Young Master Hustace; he paid no mind to anything else.

"I'm going to teach these guys a proper lesson!" Igor's eyes began to gleam. It seemed the Scale of Faith within him had decisively tilted. That storytelling old woman seemed about to step out once more and begin her ramblings beside Igor.

However, Igor first had to evade the attack from these walking corpses.

Right now, except for Hustace, who had a flame guard, everyone else had to fend for themselves.

Once the attack of these puppet-like walkers became organized, they grew incredibly tricky. These puppet corpses advanced in waves with lightning speed, completely shedding their previous image as a disorderly mob.

And this perilous scene had only just begun.