Chapter Two: The Awakening of the Enigmatic

Ignoring Chen Lian, the young man crouched down, his interest piqued as he rummaged through the corpse of Qi Tian lying there.

Watching this scene, Chen Lian felt a chill run down her spine. Could he be the same type as Qi Tian? Had she just escaped the tiger’s den only to fall into the wolf’s lair?

“I’m Chen Lian, may I ask—”

“Mu Rongxun.”

The youth replied offhandedly, and, apparently losing interest after his brief search, placed his gloved hand directly on Qi Tian’s corpse. Suddenly, a faint light shone in the darkness.

Only then did Chen Lian see clearly that at the wrist of the silver glove was a row of small holes. All but one were empty; a single green gem was now gleaming, casting the light she had just noticed.

Following the glow, she was horrified to see Qi Tian’s body slowly melting like wax, being absorbed bit by bit by the young man’s glove, until before long, the corpse had entirely vanished.

Chen Lian was terrified, but she kept her composure, covering her mouth to stifle any sound that might alert the youth.

Once finished, Mu Rongxun rose from the floor, the light on his glove faded, and darkness returned to the room.

“Um… The surname Mu Rong is quite rare, isn’t it?” Chen Lian tried to ease the tension with conversation.

She didn’t know who this young man was, but both he and Qi Tian had overturned everything she thought she knew.

“My surname is Mu,” Mu Rongxun replied coldly, turning to leave.

“Wait!” Seeing his blurry silhouette about to depart, Chen Lian summoned her courage and called out.

“Speak.” Mu Rongxun’s voice was cool and concise.

“What exactly is going on? What… was he?”

The memory of Qi Tian’s grotesque, predatory demeanor sent another shiver through her.

“A ghoul, who fancied himself a new human, believing he had evolved.”

Mu Rongxun’s tone was indifferent.

“This world is no longer as you once knew it. Take care of yourself,” he added, before swiftly vanishing from the luxurious apartment, leaving Chen Lian alone.

Even after he left, Chen Lian had no idea how he had entered, or how he had exited.

Meanwhile, Mu Rongxun, having left the apartment, strode into the sweltering night toward another marked red dot.

Now, the coldness had vanished from his face; he was just an ordinary youth.

He had inexplicably arrived in this strange world, and through the so-called invitation from the Magic Tower Amusement Park, he had become a player, now embarking on his first mission.

[The eerie is awakening; the world of men is falling!]
[Mission Background: This is a world where the bizarre is beginning to resurge. The monsters lurking in the shadows are no longer content to stay hidden. You must hunt them down!]
[Main Mission: Eliminate the eerie 0/20, to unlock subsequent tasks!]

This was the prompt Mu Rongxun had received upon entering this world.

Now, following those instructions, he had already slain two of the eerie.

The streets were shrouded in darkness, the former neon lights and bustling nightlife vanished without a trace. There were no pedestrians, no vehicles.

On the silent street, only Mu Rongxun’s footsteps echoed.

Tap, tap!

The clear, crisp sounds reverberated through the night.

Suddenly, Mu Rongxun halted, his sharp gaze shooting toward a nearby alleyway.

From within came the faint sound of something being gnawed on.

A flash of disgust crossed his eyes, but Mu Rongxun moved toward the source.

Without a sound, a short sword appeared in his right hand.

Whoosh!

Without warning, he spun and stabbed backward, forcing a shadow that had been creeping up on him to retreat.

Mu Rongxun was not about to let it go. His short sword remained poised to strike, and he pursued the shadow.

The shadow floated upward, as light as a piece of paper, drifting weightlessly.

But a glint of silver pierced the darkness, suddenly transfixing the shadow, which was then drawn in like smoke and absorbed by the glove.

Mu Rongxun shook his hand with distaste and continued toward the alley where he had heard the noise.

Though he had been quite frightened when he first encountered these things, he had since grown accustomed, and now found them merely grotesque, with some abilities beyond those of ordinary people—nothing more.

Though he had once been an ordinary person himself, he now possessed abilities too, and there was no need to fear the eerie.

This was a world in which the bizarre had returned. Many of the eerie were not all that powerful—just strange beings with odd abilities.

For instance, the first eerie Mu Rongxun killed could transform into a beam of ghostly light. That was how it had silently climbed into Qi Tian and Chen Lian’s car, following them home without their knowledge.

His glove could store the abilities of those he had slain. The green gemstones allowed for long-term storage, while the other sockets were for single use only. Even so, it was a great help to him.

Having dispatched another eerie, the mission’s progress was now a fifth complete. Mu Rongxun walked with a lighter step, eager to finish off the one in the alley and finally get some rest.

Since arriving in this world, he had not had a proper rest in a long while.

The sounds of chewing and whimpering grew clear.

Mu Rongxun dared not be careless. Sword in one hand, his gloved hand was ready to unleash the ghoul’s power he had just acquired.

The alley was pitch dark, and even though Mu Rongxun moved as quietly as possible, his footsteps still echoed loudly.

The feeding noises ceased, replaced by a series of snarls—a warning, as if to say this was its territory.

Unmoved, Mu Rongxun pressed on.

Hearing the disturbance, a woman’s head suddenly stretched from the depths of the alley. Her face was deathly pale, blood trailing from the corners of her mouth, eyes wide and golden, her hollow mouth gaping wide. A forked tongue flicked out, hissing menacingly.

At this, Mu Rongxun instinctively checked the information he had uncovered.

[Serpent-headed Abomination…] He hadn’t finished reading when a tremendous force struck from behind, as if he had been hit by a speeding truck, sending him stumbling toward that ghastly head.

Sensing fresh prey, the woman’s head lunged forward in excitement.

Only then did he see that behind her head was the body of a snake, boneless and coiling, clinging to the wall as it slithered rapidly toward him.