"W...Was delirium-Do your needles cause hallucinations, Ripha?"
I'm not hallucinating, I'm just looking at something here...
"And could you please stop moving? I need to make sure I get them off before those balls are thrown in. I don't imagine you would want to feel the pain of these things slapped even deeper," he looked at the needles which had locked up most of his limbs, except his left arm.
like whack a mole, huh...
"..."
"..."
He sighed inwardly taking in delight, the peace and quiet that was now in that demon's stead,
It's like a vacation that I don't want to end...
"Nice!" Gionne loudly butted in as he pulled out the longest needle yet. Now weirdly, absent of weight, it gently landed on the floor below, "that was our biggest one yet!"
"Yet! more remain," Lily quipped, "...," "All in a day's work, dear friend," Lily walked over to the needle rolling around the feather light object around, "also these look waay longer than the original version," "y...yes it's one of our defense abilities, ok more like the needle's defense abilities, we call it restraint."
"Gionne, focus."
"Wait, how did you...?"
"Please continue."
"Uh..."
"How about why they become longer?"
"Incoming."
She sidestepped, moving out of another needle's way.
That's awesome, it's like she knows it even before it comes-
"Hey, kid! Curiosity's gonna kill me."
"Oh, r...right longer,why...,"
Beep beep! Beep beep!
"See now? Thank you so much for killing me."
"Wha...? Huh...?"
"Ignore her, she's joking," he turned to lily, "and you missy, come help me pull this one out, it's suddenly become more stubborn than its predecessors."
"Just...," Lily turned into a thread of green energy absorbed into Gionne, altogether they clasped their immediately transformed furry clawed hands around the needle, "yank it off!" and pulled it off in one sweep. She jumped out of Gionne's body and morphed back into her cat form.
" Sorry! "
"Too much suspense and the kid's clearly not even normal to begin with, even amongst us."
[Amount of vitality in the user's has slightly dropped.]
"..."
[Congratulations, you have gained some understanding of a certain species.]
"Thank you very much...!"
He closed the window as he sprung from the top bunk of his bed, he let out a good stretch heaving a great sigh of relief, "... Now we train!"
What's happening?
"... Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
"..."
"Sadly today it seems that- just a second," a hand was let in by the barricading tentacles, purple fluid from its suckers marinating the invisible barrier, preventing contact with the slightly thick mucus.
"Thank you very much," the hand signed a thumbs up before retreating.
"... Now where was I?"
"Sadly today it seems that...," the hand lowered after answering.
"Right," the teacher expanded the force field that he set in place, after the mysterious hand retrieved its own, letting the mucus run on the grass, far away from the box's reach. Once the field dissolved, there was a ring formed around the tattered box.
"So here we have some things that will help you..."
His brain saddens me.
"Oh! I was going to say that it's sad that there will be no fights today. Anyway...,"
Finally.
He opened the tatters and whatever was held back by the worn-out, brown defenses fully made itself known amidst the general public there. It rushed forth and into the student's air pathways, some eyes stung while others hurled their meal away from view.
"... This is always how it begins, I am aware of its 'overbearing presence' but that's not even the half of it. I'll show you something interesting instead. You," a boy who was among the purgers was reeled in by a force towards G'yonna, "since you asked the first question in my class, you get the honors of being the first one to try,""I don't think I really want to...!"
"And down the hatch it goes, also,"
Pop!
"Just to make sure that you don't spill it out. It's really a one-of-a-kind medicine and you're all very lucky that you're getting it-"
"!"
"... Next."
Isn't he going to, well, drown?
The baked sand gave way into the darkness beneath and with a scream Park plunged into the abyss. Something broke his fall. The mysterious cushion crunched and cracked under his weight.
There was a strong metallic scent, and he was in the dark to top it all off. Not a good combo
"Seismic sense"
He followed the waves and could finally get a feel of where he was. There was a path ahead of him. He obediently followed as he placed his blind faith on his armor. He would at times stumble and fall but he still kept on going. As he walked even further, the waves became brighter. Clearly, he was coming out to some opening.
He deactivated his sense and opened his eyes. He was almost at the entrance of this unknown system. The more he approached the entrance, the heavier the sight feedback was. He was out now and with a good grasp of his senses.
The first thing he saw was a bush and a dark trail that disappeared beyond the leafy growth. He followed the trail back into the hole that he just got out of.
It wasn't really a hole, but a small passageway made of cobblestone. There were other passageways similar to what he just came out of.
"Might have been a labyrinth," he mumbled to himself.
He squinted to see if he could make out more details.
He saw a boot.
Sticking out from the darkness.
And a dried-up patch of liquid.
[Ink is happy for the feast that has been provided to him]
"What Feast?"
[50/10 souls have been consumed]
"Souls?"
[Quest Completed]
[New Achievement Earned]
[Here comes the Choo-Choo Train (I) has been unlocked]
[Here comes the Choo-Choo Train (II) ....]
[Here comes....]
The notifications blurred out of focus.
"So, what I fell on earlier was..."
An explosion.
Park's thoughts were interrupted.
It was huge enough to rattle the whole region. He took off. Park wanted to see it. He brushed past the vegetation.
But it had other plans...
[You have been exposed to poison]
...and he was having none of it.
[Poison has been nullified]
He dashed past the last leaf and stumbled on a large field with runic markings on the floor.
"Who are yo..."
"WATCH OUTT!!!"
A large whip struck one of the recruits. He flew back into the jungle.
There was silence. They all stared at him.
"Hehe, Oops?" Park innocently responded.
They continued fighting the creature before them. Each sector a different shade of color that resonated with an elemental frequency. There was a white lining that separated each shade.
"ATTAAACKKK!!!"
They all advanced at the creature. The remaining survivors shot various projectiles.
But it was all futile.
Then Park did the unthinkable. He gathered strength behind his legs and together with the sudden erupt of earth, he leapt towards the creature like an arrow of sorts.
And weirdly enough the hit connected. It was as if the creature was welcoming him. The core cracked and Park saw it.
He was hit by a sudden flash of memory.
There was a dark red bump...
...similar to the one during the resource incident.
He didn't get a good feeling.
"WE DIIDDD IIITTTTTTTTT!!!!"
[The Poison Chapter is leaking]
[Some texts have been erased]
[The Chapter has lost some power]
[A mysterious power had interfered with the Night shade]
[Night shade has been forcibly terminated]
"No no no no no no this can't be happening," Park mumbled to himself.
Park's shell shattered and fizzed into nothingness.
Sommmmmmeethhinnggg goooonnneee.
"Ink?"
"Hey, doesn't he look familiar?"
The survivors whispered behind Park.
{THE F@34INAL PIEC#@$E HAS BEEN C@!#4ONFIRM#@$ED}
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?"
All of the survivors were puzzled. They shouted at the glitching interface.
But Park knew it all too well.
{ALL THE FRE@#4%QUENCIES HAVE B33N CONF1R@#4MED}
{EVOL@#$U$#TION HAS BEG#@4AN}
"EVOLUTION?"
Everyone was restless.
Everyone except Park.
The cracked core started floating. It swallowed all of the matter that littered the field.
"EVERYYONEE ATTACK IT BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENS!!!"
Immediately everyone started charging, roots sprung outwards and held them in their place. Everyone was placed before the unraveling spectacle.
"Such rash ones they are."
"I cannot let you interrupt such a beautiful moment."
"Witness the birth of a new species."
The core spewed a multicolored layer of light then formed a cocoon.
{CHECKI#@$NG REQUIRE#$%*MENT$#S}
{A NE#@$W FORM IS A%^VAILA$#BL3}
{EVOLUT#@3ION COM%$#PL(ET#E}
There was a dazzling light.
Then they saw it.
A humanoid creature broke through.
The intruder then broke into a maniacal laugh.
{QU@#!est I#@S Bei@#$NG R3F@#R3$SH3D}
[QU@#!est I#@S Bei@#$NG R3F@#R3$SH3D]
{Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes}
[Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes]
{Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes}
His laughter echoed...
[Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes]
{Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes}
[Kill @#$%^!2345% Slimes]
and echoed...
{K@#il$%l @#$%^!2345% S$%lim%$&es}
[K@#il$%l @#$%^!2345% S$%lim%$&es]
{KIL2#$L T$3HE AM@#4ALGA!@$%MATIO$#@N}
[KIL2#$L T$3HE AM@#4ALGA!@$%MATIO$#@N]
and echoed...
[KILL THE AMALGAMATION]
{Mission Failure...}
[Rewards]
[Stats increase, attune increase.....]
[System unlock]
[Mission Failure: Abnormalities or...]
{Death}
and echoed.
[Death]
Park looked at the recruits.
He could see it in their faces.
Fear.
Pure Unbridled Fear.