The nighttime forest was silent, especially in a primitive forest preserve like this that had never been developed.
In recent days, rumors of shadowy monsters attacking humans at night had caused several disappearances, prompting most campers to pack up and leave. Only a few who scoffed at the legend or had exceptional courage and skill remained behind.
The park authorities had sent patrols to investigate, but the monsters proved to be highly intelligent. They knew how to distinguish which humans were safe to attack and which were not. As a result, the patrols found no trace of them and concluded it was the work of wild animals, eventually ceasing their rounds.
Still, their presence had alarmed the creatures, making them more cautious. Now they only hunted occasionally, clearly trying to avoid drawing too much attention—especially from the Rift Guardians.
After all, their task was to capture and kill humans, using their souls and blood to feed the seal and wear down its righteous energy, weakening it until it eventually broke. Naturally, secrecy was best—they had no desire to draw the eyes of humankind.
Yet even in such a dangerous situation, someone was walking through the vast forest at night.
A pair of shadowy eyes quietly observed the three approaching girls. Drool thick with the stench of blood and rot dripped from between jagged teeth.
The purest kind of soul was that of an untouched girl—one not yet stained by society. Should such a girl suffer an untimely death, her lingering soul would be a delicacy for demonic beings, and their favorite weapon. As sacrificial offerings, these were the most potent for damaging seals.
But these three girls felt suspicious. Why would such young girls wander into a dark forest like this? It seemed off no matter how you looked at it.
However, as they came closer and the creature overheard their conversation, its wariness gave way to overwhelming greed.
"If I can capture these girls and use the bloodiest methods to torment and kill them, their souls will be the finest offering. I'll sacrifice one to the seal and devour the other two—my strength will increase dramatically..."
Driven by desire, a faint red glow began to creep into the creature's dark eyes.
The three girls were none other than Chu Lian, Chu Chu, and Inori, who had secretly slipped away from Qingping Grand Hotel.
They had been walking the forest for quite a while without encountering any monsters. After some discussion, they concluded that their group might be too unusual, prompting the monsters to stay hidden and observe rather than attack.
To lure the monsters out, Chu Lian proposed they act as a group of "young girls separated from the main camping group." Their conversations—well, mostly between Chu Lian and Chu Chu, while Inori listened—were all part of the act.
Since they were all female and had performance-based abilities to fall back on, Chu Lian and Chu Chu played their roles convincingly, appearing like timid, helpless girls. Inori, while less practiced at acting, still managed to coordinate with them fairly well.
Of course, strictly speaking, only Chu Lian could truly sell the role. Chu Chu wasn't lacking in acting skill, but her aura didn't quite match—still more suggestive than fragile. As for Inori, she simply had no experience. But even so, it was good enough to fool these monsters. After all, no matter how smart a monster is... it's still a monster.
"They really are clever creatures... I can already smell the stench coming off them, but there's not a single trace of their presence. If they aren't just naturally that smart, then someone even stronger must be commanding them from the shadows..." Chu Lian had already sensed a monster hiding not far away, yet it hadn't made a move. She couldn't help but admire their cunning.
Just as she was about to speak to Chu Chu again, a figure lunged down from a nearby tree. Its target was clearly the one who seemed easiest to bully—Chu Lian.
"Found you..." Though she hadn't spoken a word, Inori had the sharpest instincts. Her reaction was the fastest too. With a quick motion, she reached to her thigh and pulled out a silver handgun. The silenced muzzle trembled as she fired, unleashing a volley of bullets into the shadowy assailant.
As the bullets struck, two pale violet flower-shaped marks blossomed on its body—Inori's passive skill from her Fatal Destiny ability.
The surprise attack made the monster shriek—a sound like a rat's cry, sharp and grating. It twisted midair before landing on all fours. Blood mist filled its eyes as it locked its gaze on the three girls.
Only now did Chu Lian get a clear look at it. Its head resembled a rat's—long-snouted with razor-sharp teeth. Its body, though humanoid in shape, had indeterminate coloring. Its forelimbs looked like human hands, but the hind legs resembled those of a leopard. She also noted that its claws weren't feline-style five-claws, but three long blades, sharp as knives—clearly its primary killing tools.
Wounded, it stared at them with feral rage and greed. Though it sensed something was wrong, now that it had leapt out, its animalistic fury wouldn't let it flee. It would fight to the death.
"What an ugly monster..." Chu Chu grimaced with disgust at its appearance.
That remark completely enraged the creature. It tilted back its head and let out a piercing cry at a frequency humans could barely hear. Chu Lian and Inori both immediately paled.
More bullets flew from Inori's gun, hitting the monster again. The two pale violet flowers flared on its body, staggering it mid-howl. Still, it howled again, completely ignoring the pain.
"Seven Illusions Bow..." A silver, ornate longbow materialized in Chu Lian's hands. She drew back the string, and a long arrow formed from spiritual power coalesced.
This time, the creature could no longer ignore them. It stopped howling, kicked off with its hind legs, and leapt back into the trees. A raspy, harsh voice echoed through the forest: "Humans... You dare call me a monster and wound me with such weapons? I was going to savor your souls alone, but now I'll give you to my entire kin. They'll make you suffer endlessly. From this moment on—taste despair."
Chu Lian narrowed her eyes and replied coldly in the direction it fled, "You won't get away..." She released the arrow. A streak of white light tore through the darkness. In the distance, a thud sounded—followed by pained screeches.
"We'll kill it first. Then we take out the rest of them..." Chu Lian gripped her bow tightly and led the charge forward. Inori and Chu Chu followed closely behind.
Although Chu Chu's base stats lagged behind her big sister and Inori, she had undergone the strictest training and mastered her abilities well—including some unique ones. Keeping up with them was no problem.
In moments, they covered over a hundred meters. The monster hit by Chu Lian's spirit arrow now had a large hole blown through its head. Black-green blood soaked its body, but even in that state—it still wasn't dead. And judging by its cries, it still had plenty of strength left.
"What terrifying vitality..." Chu Lian felt a bit of a headache. This monster's life force was far too tenacious. Even with a hole blown through its head, it still had the strength to scream—and ten seconds later, it still wasn't dead.
She knew that stamina generally represented vitality. For ordinary people, 1 point of Constitution equaled 10 HP. Chu Chu was an example of that. Special individuals had higher ratios—like Inori, whose 1 point of Constitution equaled 12 HP. Then there were beings like Tina, born with tremendous vitality—50 HP per point. Strangely enough, even Chu Lian herself had a 20 HP per Constitution point ratio.
The arrow she had just fired carried one-tenth of her spiritual power. Enhanced by the Seven Illusions Bow, it dealt about 600 damage. Due to its overwhelming force, it pierced the monster's head, dealing triple critical damage. In addition, Inori's earlier bullets—each dealing around 30 base damage—had hit it. The ones imbued with her Fatal Destiny passive skill inflicted approximately 64 each.
Inori had fired thirteen shots total, four of which were empowered. That put her total contribution around 530 damage. Which meant... this monster had at least 2400 HP. A real damage sponge.
After the girls arrived, it only lasted another three seconds before dying. But the way it had glared at Chu Chu with its dying eyes showed just how savage it truly was.
"Seems like there's a story behind their origin. Otherwise, why would it react so strongly to your words?" Chu Lian stood for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh.
"Hmph, Big Sis, don't be fooled by its vitality. Killing them is actually easy. Just infuse your attacks with spiritual power..." Chu Chu scoffed with disdain.
"You mean—spiritual power deals extra damage to them?" Chu Lian's eyes lit up. That explained why her arrow had been so devastating. Besides the enhancements from her bow and the vital shot to the head, the monsters simply had no defense against spiritual power. That was likely why she had been able to punch clean through its skull.
No wonder it didn't flee after being shot by Inori, but immediately tried to retreat once she began charging a spiritual arrow. It feared the destructive nature of spiritual energy. Which meant, if she could gather enough spiritual power and unleash it in an area-of-effect attack, she might be able to wipe them all out at once. Also...
"Damn you... all of you must die..." Her thoughts were interrupted by a furious roar from nearby.
She looked up to see dozens of glowing red eyes emerging from the darkness. Chu Lian couldn't help but chuckle wryly. Just moments ago, she had been annoyed they were hiding. Now, there were too many of them.
Still, no matter how many there were, to the current her—they weren't frightening.
She raised her right hand. Under the moonlight, a mysterious glowing symbol appeared on the back of it. Smiling gently at Inori, she said, "Inori, help me..."
Inori turned to her and returned the smile, opening her arms wide. "Lian, use me..."
A pillar of white light burst into the sky. Within the void-forged white space, Inori's body floated—clad in a skin-tight white outfit. Chu Lian reached into her chest, and from within, a deep purple object emerged...
She lifted the long, crystal-wrapped object. As the void activated, the jagged crystals shattered away, revealing a massive greatsword over two meters long.
The space around them dissolved. Inori slowly drifted down into Chu Lian's arms. Holding her gently, Chu Lian gazed at the oncoming horde and said softly, "Chu Chu, protect yourself. I know you can do it."
"Leave the rest... to me."
Her greatsword pointed forward—and she vanished in a flash, Inori still in her embrace. A monster nearby was cleaved in half before it could even scream.
"You bastards... it's you..." She pointed the tip of her sword at the speaking monster, her face curling into a serene smile...