Vol. 2 Chapter 20: The Maid

Chapter 20: The Maid

Lu Li looked at the dark green block in the witch's hand. Although the color was different, it felt very much like a module. Hu Wenxu and Gao Xiaowen were also drawn to it, realizing the significance of artificially extracting modules. If they could understand this process, it would greatly enhance their abilities.

Currently, players had to make do with whatever modules they found, occasionally trading with others or purchasing from the store. They cobbled together skills, often with structural flaws. Unlike Lu Li, who gained significantly from his first instance, most players only earned the guaranteed 200 game points and possibly a few extra from clearing rewards. Assembling a skill was extremely difficult with just three or four modules.

Due to the challenges of trading on the forum, most newbies' first skills were haphazardly constructed, forming odd, ineffective abilities. It took several instances to gather enough modules to improve. Even Hu Wenxu and others were severely lacking in modules.

The witch stored the green module, noticing their curious expressions, and explained, "I used that thing to absorb certain elements and then extracted them into a fixed form. This requires extensive knowledge in alchemy, mysticism, and incantations. Even with talent, it would take at least ten years of study."

Hearing this, their interest waned. Players valued time, with each instance lasting no more than ten days to two weeks. Spending ten years on study was impractical. It was better to focus on completing tasks and clearing instances.

"Let's go! We need to retrieve something and then meet the little mermaid enchanted by humans…" The witch sighed, and Lu Li oddly detected a hint of frustration and resignation in her voice.

The witch led the way, with Xu Haoran following closely. His sense of self had diminished, now almost entirely under the witch's control. As they left the area around the witch's hut, the sky turned completely dark, stars twinkling as if foretelling something.

They walked towards the sea, passing the traces left by the black-furred creature. Hu Wenxu had evidently led a monster to the beach as part of his task. Lu Li inferred that it must have been a large creature.

Soon, they arrived at the shore. The witch climbed onto a rock, chanting ancient spells. The sea surged, broken bones washing ashore. The waters seemed to harbor a dreadful calamity. Black clouds covered the stars, and a foul wind brought the sea's stench. A monstrous shape emerged from the depths.

It had a sleek, black tar-like form, constantly shifting like an amoeba. Yellow-green, pus-like eyes opened and closed all over its body, emitting a faint glow before dissolving and regenerating. This abomination's rise from the sea brought a nauseating smell, its massive body crushing bones and rocks as it stood before the witch. From somewhere in its form, it emitted a horrific, mocking sound: "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!" [TL: In my native language it means "Bald! Bald!" I know there is no connection and it's a coincidence, but it's funny XD]

Just looking at this creature could drive one mad. Ordinary people would be terrified to the point of insanity, their sanity plummeting. This was a creature of pure disgust, its mere existence a crime.

The witch continued her incantations, her voice unbroken. The monster's amorphous body was constrained by mystical forces, twisting, shrinking, until it finally transformed into a green-haired girl in a maid's outfit, standing expressionlessly before the witch.

The black clouds slowly dispersed, revealing the starry sky. Everyone's attention was on the maid, formerly the abomination. Hu Wenxu was drenched in cold sweat but exhibited a strong desire to study it. Gao Xiaowen, resigned to her fate, also had sweat on her forehead.

Xu Haoran, on the verge of collapse, gazed at the witch with desperate love to avoid self-destruction. His mind, already fragile, had been further damaged by the monster's visual contamination, leaving him clinging to the witch for sanity.

"Let's go… to complete my final task…" The witch's voice was a sigh. She looked at her increasingly perfect body and the people around her, knowing she couldn't escape fate. The conditions had all aligned; she could no longer avoid it.

The maid obeyed the witch's command, jumping into the sea. A boat appeared beneath her feet. She looked at the group with a calm expression, and they boarded the boat one by one. Even Xu Haoran, despite his reluctance, followed the witch. Lu Li, stepping onto the fleshy boat, glanced at the indifferent maid, considering how he would escape if Hu Wenxu's dissection urge angered her and capsized the boat.

Once everyone was aboard, the boat moved automatically. Tentacles beneath the water propelled it swiftly. Fortunately, the passengers were no ordinary people. Normal individuals would never board such a vessel; those who did were already borderline insane.

In the night, the flesh boat moved steadily forward. Lu Li and the others had given the maid the map. The witch stood at the bow, staring at the calm sea, lost in thought. Gazing at the perfect yet unfamiliar face in the water, he smiled coldly. Since inheriting the witch's power, despite his reluctance, he had finally embarked on this path as the conditions converged.

With all conditions met, he felt the green module in his robes slowly merging with his body. He sensed a change in his soul, becoming less himself, less human. Remembering something, the witch turned to Lu Li, who was curiously peering into the water, and inexplicably said, "All coincidences are not coincidences, all accidents are inevitable, you…" [TL: He == witch(?)]

The witch abruptly stopped, turning away with a sullen expression.

[End of the Chapter]