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The monster was still wriggling toward Mantou, the distorted humanoid figure stitched onto it reaching out its arms to Mantou:

"Why aren't you... talking anymore..."

"I still want to... hear stories..."

"Valenna is so lonely staying here all alone."

Mantou's expression showed not only fear but also the sorrow of a love shattered once again. In real life, a catfished online romance was bad enough, but to be deceived by illusions in a game world?

Sure enough, humans are all visual creatures, and Mantou was no exception.

"Monster, give me back my sincere heart!"

"Give me back Miss Valenna!"

Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Mantou unsheathed the silver sword at his waist without hesitation and swung it forcefully at the monster.

Not far away, Singo also bent his bow and nocked an arrow, shooting a powerful armor-piercing bolt.

"Clang! Clang!"

Two crisp sounds echoed as sparks flew. The sword and arrow were both deflected by the monster's tough and resilient skin, covered in impenetrable scales. They caused no damage whatsoever. The writhing flesh extended slimy tentacles, coiling around the silver sword and swallowing it whole.

"Why... are you... hurting me?"

"Mantou... brother..."

"Why does everyone act like this?"

The humanoid mass of flesh squirmed, its voice shifting from a soft, feminine tone to a deep roar, and finally to a cacophony of mixed voices that sent shivers down Mantou's spine.

The chunks of flesh trembled and transformed into various grotesque shapes on the spot.

"Then I can only... keep you here forever!"

Seeing their attacks were futile, Singo shouted to Mantou, "Run! Run now!"

"This thing isn't something we can fight!"

"How was I supposed to know—"

Mantou, on the verge of tears, quickly followed Singo, fleeing in a panic without knowing the way.

With a grave expression, Singo said, "This so-called wooden house and the girl were all illusions. Good thing I bought a Potion of True Sight in advance to see through the illusion; otherwise, you would’ve lost your life here!"

"That cup of tea must have been problematic. If you drank it, you’d likely become a slave here."

Mantou looked back at the potion on the ground with lingering fear, then glanced around. All he saw were cold, metallic walls smeared with mottled bloodstains, massive claw marks of unknown creatures, and strange, chaotic symbols.

The long-dormant monster began to move again.

"Why—"

A layered, eerie voice echoed.

The roar sounded as if produced by many organs resonating together, containing a girl’s call, the howl of a frost wolf, the roar of a giant, and even the wrathful cry of a white dragon. It sent chills down Mantou and Singo’s spines, rendering them momentarily paralyzed with fear.

"That's dragon might!"

"This monster must really have dragon lineage!"

"Damn it, the dragons in this world have such peculiar tastes. How starved must they be to go for something like this?"

This familiar sense of oppression set off alarm bells in Singo's mind.

But Singo quickly snapped out of it, shaking off the abnormal state. He glanced at the advancing monster swinging its tentacles, then at the still-terrified Mantou, and came up with a solution in an instant.

"Roar—"

Another dragon roar rang out.

But this time, it was Singo who unleashed the 【Dragon Roar Charge】.

Faced with a roar of higher dragon essence originating from Cassius, even the terrifying stitched-together monster froze momentarily. The flesh tentacles reaching for the two were suspended in mid-air.

"Smack!"

Singo slapped the fear-stricken Mantou awake.

"I can't hold it for long; this monster is about to snap out of it. Run!"

Mantou clutched his slapped-red face, gritting his teeth as he fled.

"Singo, you petty bastard, settling personal scores!"

"Didn't I wake you up? You were practically kissing that creepy monster; it’s embarrassing."

"You—"

Mantou’s face darkened immediately, so much that water seemed ready to drip from it. He thought to himself whether he should silence Singo to prevent the story from spreading and causing his social death.

If the earlier scene was recorded and posted on the forums, his reputation would be ruined. It might become a classic clip like 《Langli Baitiao and the Unspeakable 30 Seconds with the Vampire》."

"Brother—"

"Come back and stay with me!"

The "delicate" voice made Mantou’s hair stand on end and his scalp tingle.

The monster behind them wriggled closer, its entire body of scales shifting. Luckily, its three-meter-tall frame was too massive and twisted to move efficiently, with its flesh scraping against the walls, making it hard to navigate the narrow corridor.

This gave them just enough time to widen the gap and duck into a hidden door, narrowly evading "Valenna's" pursuit.

"Come back!"

Just as Mantou and Singo escaped, "Valenna" opened an astonishingly large mouth, with threads of blood connecting her upper and lower jaws. From deep within her throat, she unleashed a terrifying icy breath. The freezing air instantly turned the surrounding mist to ice and coated the door with a thick layer of frost.

"Huff, huff."

"Singo, you might as well have let me die in that tender embrace."

Mantou muttered softly, seemingly savoring the earlier intimacy, but his face darkened again when he thought of the monster's true form.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"It's your beloved Miss Valenna."

Singo mocked him with an exaggeratedly sappy tone.

"Get lost—"

Mantou's face turned bright red, his expression mournful. He had been basking in the romantic fantasy of being with a beautiful woman, only to have Singo expose the truth—that the "beauty" was a stitched-together abomination. The revelation was too much for him to handle.

Singo rolled his eyes in disdain. "Useless guy, no wonder you’re always single."

"That last breath attack was terrifying. If it hit us, we’d probably be frozen solid. Based on what I know, this should be from the bloodline of a white dragon. White dragons are found in the Anzeta Wasteland."

He then scanned their surroundings, rubbing his chin as he said, "As for this place, it should be the fabled Polar Night Demon Tower. It has at least a hundred years of history and is said to imprison terrifying entities. Few have survived entering the tower, and even fewer have escaped intact."

Mantou suddenly seemed to remember something. "By the way, where's Battle Maniac?"

Singo shook his head. "I don’t know. We got separated when we encountered the gnolls. But Battle Maniac has a rock-solid mind; he once smashed a succubus to death in another game. He wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake like you."

Mantou’s face flushed with anger but was at a loss for words.

"I—"

Singo patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Mantou, I advise you to get your act together."

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