Vol. 2 Chapter 15: Ghouls

 Chapter 15: Ghouls

Leaving the witch's cabin, Lu Li found no sign of Xu Haoran or Hu Wenxu. The cabin door closed automatically behind him, and he wondered what the witch and Gao Xiaowen were discussing, but that was no longer his concern.

Heading west, Lu Li moved through the forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating a dappled pattern on the ground. Alone in the forest, it was easy to lose track of time. He could only roughly estimate that he had been walking for quite a while, possibly even leaving the witch's territory. The presence of life reappeared around him, and he occasionally saw traces of human activity, suggesting that there might be a village or town nearby.

A strange sense guided him to the cave mentioned by the witch. He suddenly realized that the witch had only mentioned a direction without specifying the exact location. He had followed this mysterious guidance almost unconsciously. It was likely the witch had used some method to influence him, highlighting her terrifying abilities—able to affect him without his awareness.

"The gap is quite large..." Lu Li muttered, frowning. His exceptional control over himself seemed insignificant compared to the witch's powers.

Clearing his mind, Lu Li conducted a thorough check of his body, smoothing out any incongruities to ensure no lingering influence. He then continued his search for the cave, mentally noting the witch's subtle manipulation.

It didn't take long for Lu Li to find the cave. It was large and sloped downward, emanating a nauseating stench. Bones, both human and animal, littered the entrance.

With his dark vision, Lu Li didn't worry about seeing in the dark, though the smell was nearly unbearable. While he could block his sense of smell, he couldn't avoid breathing the foul air into his lungs, which was unpleasant.

Entering the cave, Lu Li's mood soured. He sought interesting challenges, not this revolting task. Still, to ensure future fun and avoid failure, he had to grit his teeth and endure it. This added to his frustration.

As he ventured deeper, the cave grew darker until it was pitch black. The limited outside light, already sparse due to the trees, was almost nonexistent here, allowing Lu Li to utilize his abilities fully.

One of his skill slots lit up, drawing on his shadow magic. Two figures appeared before him, entirely black with only red glints where their eyes should be. In the dark, they were practically invisible, kneeling on one knee before Lu Li, heads bowed, awaiting his command.

"Go inside and kill every living creature except me," Lu Li ordered. The shadowy figures immediately sped off, moving with eerie silence, each wielding black throwing knives.

Lu Li sensed the connection with the shadow figures and followed them deeper into the cave. He had discovered a special module in the game's shop to enhance his shadow clone skill: the Assassin Class module.

[Special Module: Assassin Class. This module provides an assassin template. Note that the template is informational only and requires suitable materials for completion. The class includes stealth, throwing, assassination, and weapon generation. Cost: 200 game points.]

Seeing this module, Lu Li bought it immediately. It suited him well but was highly specialized and demanding. Without suitable modules to fill it, the assassin module would be useless. Combining it with his intelligent module was crucial to unlocking its potential.

He optimized his skill, integrating the assassin module. Now, the skill included magic, will, control, endowment, fixed, intelligence, and assassin modules, combining to form a sophisticated control mechanism.

This skill was now quite powerful, possibly surpassing those of many experienced players. However, the timing of finding this module was too convenient to be mere coincidence. Lu Li pondered this but set it aside to focus on the task at hand.

The shadow assassins moved swiftly and silently, eliminating creatures with deadly efficiency. Lu Li followed, monitoring their progress. These shadows were his to command, completely obedient.

Suddenly, he sensed the presence of humanoid monsters. The assassins lurked, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Lu Li grinned, his bad mood making him eager to release his frustrations. He advanced with a cold smile, his shadow trailing behind.

After long practice, Lu Li had mastered fine control over a single shadow. He could now split his power into two effective shadow assassins, maximizing his capabilities.

Annoyed and wanting to vent, Lu Li marched forward, a cold smile on his face. His shadow shot out, piercing a creature lurking on the cave ceiling. The creature had pale skin and a dog-like face. "You pathetic thing," Lu Li sneered, "Have you decided how you want to die?"

(End of the chapter)