socalfunplaces Chapter 61 Under the Vines
Chapter 61 Under the Vines
In the quiet forest, Suren's gaze was fixed on the man, his gun already pointed at him, but Suren did not pull the trigger. The man's landing point was too coincidental; it was precisely where the old elven had left the unidentified object.
The man had already fallen completely to the ground, his back hitting the soft grass with a dull thud. He instinctively raised his right hand, pressing it against the soft earth, but a strange sensation came from his palm, a sensation that made him stiffen for a moment, as if he were pressing on some kind of living thing.
Was it an insect, or something else? Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He didn't forget that there was still a threat in front of him. The moment he raised his right hand, he rolled on the spot and activated his ability to distort his vision.
In Suren's eyes, the other party's figure disappeared again, but Suren was not worried, after all, "Spirit Bridge" could perfectly restrain the other party.
"what!"
Before Suren could even begin to act, a piercing scream echoed throughout the forest. Suren turned his head, his gaze falling on the spot where the scream had come from, but the scene before him made him pause in surprise.
There was a person there—no, he could no longer be called a person.
The body was standing still, its face no longer recognizable. Tiny vines grew from its ear holes, nostrils, eye sockets, and mouth, continuously growing and covering its entire face.
The vines trembled in the sunlight, full of vitality.
Cracks spread rapidly across his limbs and body, and then emerald green branches sprouted from the cracks, first as buds, then as entire branches. The leaves on the branches grew at a visible speed, but strangely, no blood oozed out.
The figure stretched out his right hand towards Suren, seemingly begging Suren to save him.
His right hand was also covered with branches, and there were even a few pink flower buds on his fingertips, which were slowly blooming.
Faced with such a sight, even Suren couldn't help but hold his breath.
In just a few seconds, all that could be heard was the sound of branches growing, and the person opposite Suren was no longer there.
What remained was a thick, sturdy tree about three meters tall. It had stopped growing, with emerald green vines entwined around its trunk and pink flowers blooming on it.
A gentle breeze blows by, and the leaves sway softly, making a rustling sound.
Lush and verdant.
Lively.
Suren inexplicably thought of these two words, but he did not feel the fragrance of nature, only a bone-chilling cold.
Composing himself, Suren did not touch the large tree, but slowly walked to the spider's corpse.
The corpse had long since turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared, leaving behind three glittering objects: a crystal-clear, palm-sized blue sphere, a heart with four-pointed stars and starry sky symbols floating around it, and a green, gland-like object.
Suren put the three items into the "Mandala Ring," turned around, pressed his aching temples, and without lingering, dragged his tired body away quickly along the path he had come from.
After a half-hour journey, Suren finally arrived at the path, and for the first time, he felt that the rune lamps on the path were so warm.
He sat on the edge of the stone path, and only then did he feel the pain in his right leg. He pulled up his pants and saw that the wound, which had just begun to heal, had reopened due to the excessive movement, and blood had soaked his trouser leg.
Suren took out a bottle of "Intermediate Life Potion" and drank it. Then he sat quietly, waiting for his body to recover, while mentally reviewing the battle that had just taken place.
Neither the professor's information nor Bald Toby's intelligence mentioned the spider's second form. Even in the church's records, Suren had not seen any record of two forms of demons.
The spider's second form is very similar to the power of the professor's brooch. Does that mean the items made from its demonic heart are even more powerful?
Unfortunately, although the gains were substantial, Suren also paid a considerable price.
Suren looked at the tentacles that occupied almost half of the Book of Secrets and sighed. The "Evil in the Mirror" was invading even more severely.
With one projection of the "Mirror Demon," one "Forced Judgment," and the accumulated erosion, at this rate, Suren will be completely swallowed up by the "Mirror Demon" after at most two more uses. Suren can even hear some strange murmurs now.
Although feeding with "Demon Hearts" could alleviate the erosion, Suren did not intend to use that rare dual-attribute "Demon Heart" for that purpose. After all, according to Suren's deduction, advancement could also slow down the erosion, and the materials for advancement had already been obtained. All that remained was to resolve the ritual issue, and the opportunity for advancement was just around the corner.
As for the requirement of "scale", after the battle just now, Suren's "scale" has reached the standard for advancement. It was a very strange feeling. Now Suren can release his ability with just a thought, without needing to consciously communicate with his mind.
Suren took out his pocket watch from his waist, opened the cover, and glanced at it—3:40.
After calculating the time, he decided not to linger. The wound on his calf was almost healed, and as long as he didn't engage in strenuous exercise today, it should be fine.
Suren limped along the stone path toward the town, the image from earlier still lingering in his mind—the large tree covered in vines.
The old man seemed to possess the same precognitive abilities as the "Causality" superhumans, and had taken precautions in advance, saving Suren from one of the "Mirror Demon" opportunities.
But what is their purpose? And if elves are real, what about the other races?
Su Lun continued forward, lost in thought, and arrived at the "Star Club" at dusk.
Two burly men stood at the entrance of the "Starry Night Club," both dressed in black uniforms and with their backs straight.
The two men glanced at Suren, and after noticing the raven emblem on his shoulder, they nodded to him and then fell silent.
This is considered a benefit of the Deathbirds; no membership fees or registration/guarantee are required.
Suren walked up the steps, pushed open the door, and was about to go in when she heard a familiar voice.
"Caw!"
Suren stopped in his tracks, then looked up. A raven was circling in the sky, its black feathers almost blending into the twilight. Suren frowned. Why was it a raven again?
He shook his head and pushed open the club door. The room was bright and clean under the glowstone lamps. In the center of the room were several round tables where a few gentlemen were playing cards.
To the left of the room is a classically styled staircase, and to the right is a long table with some tea sets on it. Behind the table stands a young lady dressed as a waitress.
Suren's gaze swept across the room and found Mrs. Howard.
Mrs. Howard's maid was standing by the door, while Mrs. Howard stood on the open ground-floor balcony, holding a red ivory feather fan and looking up as if she were looking at something.
Suren walked over to Mrs. Howard, who seemed to sense something and turned to look at Suren.
At this moment, Suren looked somewhat disheveled. His Deathbird uniform was covered in dust, had several large tears, and his trouser legs were stained red with blood.
At this moment, Suren's scent was not pleasant, causing Mrs. Howard to frown. She looked at Suren and confirmed that he was not carrying the "Oath Bloodstone".
She wasn't disappointed, but instead gave a flawless smile and said slowly with a hint of comfort, "It seems you failed, but don't blame yourself. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters. Actually, I was initially against sending you on such a dangerous mission alone..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the black-haired young man in front of her.
"Although this was indeed a bit difficult, things went relatively smoothly. The problem is that the thing is quite large, so I've temporarily put it away. How should I hand it over to you?" Suren's lips curled up as she spoke, extending her right hand and gently holding up two fingers. "That's right, two."