Vol. 1 Chapter 6: Dance

**Chapter 6: Dance**

A crystal-like object rolled to Lu Li's feet. Picking it up, a prompt appeared in the corner of his vision: **[Obtained Special Item: Rule Module - Fear]**.

Nearby, the marionette, her body somewhat damaged, collected black fragments from the shattered headless Buddha. Strangely, these fragments turned into coal-like fuel.

Silently binding the fragments with her strings, the marionette apologized, "I'm so sorry. I didn't expect to encounter the headless Buddha here. I put you in danger, young master. I'm glad you're unharmed, or I would never have forgiven myself."

"It's alright. I'm fine," Lu Li replied with a smile, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes. Afterward, they returned to the fire, where the old man, who had been sleeping, suddenly became faint and transparent. The marionette's expression changed as she urgently said, "My master is about to wake up, and you'll soon return to the real world!"

"Remember, don't let the fire go out. I'll find a way to bring you back here soon, and then I'll give you something impo—"

Before she could finish, everything around Lu Li began to distort. It felt like he was drifting into sleep. The last thing he saw was the marionette saying something, but her words were lost as darkness reclaimed him.

"Young master! Young master!" Lu Li was awakened by the old man. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the dilapidated temple. Looking up, he noticed the headless Buddha statue was now covered in cracks, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Seeing Lu Li awake, the old man anxiously said, "Young master, don't sleep anymore. There are monsters outside! It doesn't matter if I die, but you're young. You shouldn't perish here."

"Monsters outside?" Lu Li immediately focused, listening intently. He could hear creatures moving and the low growls of ghouls outside the temple.

"Yes, I woke up hearing a lot of footsteps and peeked through the door crack. The place is full of those pale-skinned monsters!" The old man's face was full of worry, clutching the marionette tightly.

"I'll take a look," Lu Li said, glancing at the marionette in the old man's arms. He grabbed a piece of firewood and opened the temple door. Ghouls retreated into the shadows, avoiding the firelight.

Growls from the darkness made it clear the ghouls hadn't left. They seemed to have a purpose—perhaps vengeance for their fallen comrade or something within the temple that attracted them.

Suddenly, the commotion outside intensified. Heavy footsteps approached, and a towering ghoul emerged from the shadows. It was twice as tall as the others, with a massive frame and a grotesque mouth full of oversized teeth, a worm-like tongue protruding.

A prompt updated in the corner of Lu Li's vision:

**[Mutant Ghoul]**

**[Physical Assessment: 2.48; Life Energy Derivation: 3.0]**

**[Soul Assessment: 1.2; Spiritual Energy Derivation: 1.0]**

**[Origin: A person who died unexpectedly, whose body, after being infested with maggots, touched something and reanimated into this monster!]**

**[Special Abilities: (1) State Fixation: Similar to the previous ghouls. (2) Life Absorption: Through a specialized organ, it can extract life energy from living beings and store it! (3) Life Contamination: The life energy it absorbs is corrupted and can be injected into other beings, turning them into ghoul servants!]**

**[Weakness: Fire is effective but it has developed some resistance...]**

**[Monster Evaluation: This is the boss. Survive this, and the scenario is almost over!]**

"Ahhh!" The mutant ghoul roared, grabbing a smaller ghoul and pushing it toward the temple. Lu Li quickly placed the firewood between them. The smaller ghoul screamed and scrambled back into the shadows.

Lu Li then threw the firewood at the mutant ghoul. The approaching fire forced it to retreat, its skin barely melting before it started regenerating once the wood landed in the snow and began to extinguish.

Lu Li dashed back into the temple. The old man, trembling with fear, asked, "How are things? Have the monsters left?"

Seeing the old man's panic, Lu Li thought for a moment before saying, "These monsters fear fire. They won't come close for now. Once daylight arrives, we'll be safe. How long have we slept, and what time is it?"

"We slept for about two hours. It's at least three more hours until dawn," the old man replied, his body shaking with fear.

"We shouldn't sleep anymore. Let's stay by the fire and talk until morning. The monsters won't come out then," Lu Li said, calculating the time. Despite spending only half an hour in the dreamscape, four to five hours had passed outside—a strange discrepancy.

Lu Li added more wood to the fire and, seeing the old man's worried expression, smiled and said, "Don't worry. These monsters aren't that frightening. We just need to wait until dawn."

"Ah, getting old has made me a coward. I must look foolish to you," the old man said, trying to calm himself, but the fear in his eyes remained. While he had resigned himself to die, the prospect of being eaten alive was terrifying.

"To pass the long night, why don't you perform a puppet show?" Lu Li suggested, looking at the marionette. Standing up, he gave the old man space and moved to the headless Buddha statue.

"This... alright," the old man agreed, picking up the marionette and reciting lines. In his hands, the marionette danced gracefully, moving with lifelike beauty. The old man's performance told stories of sorrow and joy, and even though Lu Li didn't understand the script, he felt the emotions deeply.

End of the chapter.