Vol. 3 Chapter 26: The Nest of the Mother Serpent (Part 1)

Chapter 26: The Nest of the Mother Serpent (Part 1)

Upon entering the instance, Lu Li was immediately hit with a debuff preventing him from using healing abilities on himself. He created a bowl of healing potion with magic and, after confirming it was ineffective on himself, stored it in a small vial to carry with him.

The item Lu Li took out now was that very healing potion. Although an hour had passed since its creation, reducing its efficacy slightly, its restorative effects were still noticeable. After administering the potion to the nurse, her wounds began to heal visibly. Lu Li sensed the "worms" integrating into her body. This potion was different from those previously crafted with the aid of a great entity; after being consumed and expelled by the mysterious presence in his mind, the spell became something Lu Li could fully comprehend.

The new spell utilized only Lu Li's own shadow magic. The "worms" were born from his shadow magic and shared an inseparable connection with him, entirely unrelated to any external forces.

As the "worms" entered the nurse's body, their instinct was to bite into her flesh and spirit. Yes, these "worms" did not exist physically but fed on spirituality instead of flesh. After devouring spirituality, the worms would replace the consumed portion with themselves, entering a gestation period. This prevented a decline in physical flexibility, unlike Lu Li's initial experiences.

The "worms" gestated new "worms" and continued to feed on fresh spirituality until the entire body's spirituality was replaced by the worms. While the person could still control their body, they had essentially lost ownership. The worms would then attack the consciousness and soul, hollowing them out step by step.

Once the consciousness and personality were replaced, the person was effectively dead, their identity supplanted by the worms' collective consciousness. When the soul was also devoured, they would fully transform into a new creature, the "worm nest." The terrifying part was that this process was silent and insidious; one might not realize they were mostly replaced until it was too late.

However, these worms reproduced very slowly. With only occasional consumption, they might not hollow someone out even in a lifetime. A person with strong willpower could maintain their consciousness even if their body was taken over.

Lu Li tested this method extensively, discovering that the game store treated these worms as a beneficial state. Unless specifically removed, the store's healing services would overlook them, making it a sly method to undermine others.

Now, with the nurse on his side, Lu Li controlled the worms to head toward the root of her abilities. Within her, the shadow magic, giant type's vitality, and beast type's power were intertwined.

The worms, originating from Lu Li's shadow magic, seamlessly integrated into the shadow magic and thrived, feeding on the entangled powers but soon being killed.

Observing this, Lu Li cut his palm, collecting his blood in his hand. He recited the incantation again, transforming his blood into healing potion and administered it to the nurse.

The new batch of worms, tinged with red from Lu Li's blood, quickly absorbed the remaining worms, turning them red. These worms were even more aggressive, consuming the shadow magic before rapidly reproducing and attacking the other two power sources, feeding, dying, transforming, replacing, and continuing the cycle.

Seeing this, Lu Li channeled more magic from the mask into the nurse, providing another round of support. Gradually, the worms turned black and red, adapting to the giant type's vitality consumption, and fully replaced it.

As time passed, Lu Li felt the space tremble, realizing the domino effect had reached here. This space was about to collapse, reverting to normal soon.

Within the nurse, the worms finally consumed and replaced the beast type's power, increasing her fusion with the mask to 99%. The combined worms became a black and red substance, forming the nurse's new power source.

Externally, the nurse's body began to transform. Her legs fused, bones softened, and her back sprouted menacing dark red scales, while her abdomen was covered in soft white scales.

Opening her eyes, now vertical snake pupils, she exuded a wild beauty.

"Eh, what is this..." Her serpentine tail wriggled as she propped herself up and spoke.

However, the next moment, she felt confused, her hands forming syringes filled with a liquid Lu Li recognized as healing elixir or the essence of the magic serpent.

"Master, what's happening to me?" The nurse was bewildered, but upon seeing Lu Li, her heart fixated on him, his scent alone making her excited.

"Very good. You were gravely injured, so I made some modifications. Your new abilities and form will help me even more." Lu Li assessed the nurse.

Standing tall with her serpentine tail, she was now almost as tall as Lu Li, about 178 cm. Her upper body, covered in a torn nurse uniform, showcased a perfect figure. Her lower body, a black and red tail with white scales, coiled slightly, its tip swaying.

Observing the nurse, Lu Li felt something amiss. He noticed her mask hadn't changed and commanded, "Lower your head, come closer."

Excitedly, the nurse approached Lu Li's lower body [TL: Suddenly R18], only to be smacked on the head [TL: Saved(?)], leaving her dazed. Lu Li then removed her shadow mask, revealing a face with an enchanting serpentine beauty, unlike anything artificial.

Without the mask, the nurse looked weak. Lu Li considered and then tied the mask to her left arm. Now, before him was a delicate serpent woman.