Ron closed his eyes, trying to capture the source of the strange feeling, but the sound disappeared in an instant.
"Strange..."
He murmured to himself, feeling a little uneasy as he turned over and got up.
Just at that moment, the noises next door suddenly intensified.
Those were no longer sounds that humans could make, more like the pained howling of some beast mixed with eerie metal scraping.
"It seems the thing I least hoped for has really happened..."
Ron muttered to himself, a strong sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
He quickly turned over and got up from the bed, moving lightly and swiftly without making a sound.
The hunting exercises his father forced him and his brothers to occasionally join back in the Kingdom now came in handy.
The sounds next door became more urgent, occasionally mixed with the dull thud of something heavy striking the wall.
It seemed as though something was struggling, crashing, and roaring in that small room.
Ron hesitated for a moment, quickly considering his current situation.
As Darrend's direct neighbor, he was the one most likely to be affected.
Andre had once specially warned him about the terrifying nature of the mutants in Black Mist Jungle.
In the initial stage of mutation, most mutators could still maintain the most basic sanity, but as time passed, the sanity would gradually be devoured, eventually turning into a monster that only knew how to kill.
Even more terrifying was that once sanity was completely lost, the power of the mutation would skyrocket at an astonishing speed.
By relying on a complete release from self-restraint and frenzied consumption to gain nutrients, it could even reach a terrifying level comparable to an Advanced Apprentice in a short time.
There were still two months before the assessment, he couldn't take risks here.
"Darrend has already started mutating, it would be too late by the time the Law Enforcement Team finds out..." Ron quickly thought, "I must leave here immediately."
He dressed quickly, grabbed his wooden sword, tucking valuables into his chest.
"Better him than me." Ron murmured to himself, "Saving my own life comes first; I'll sort it out in the morning."
Just as he finished packing, he heard the strange sounds next door suddenly cease, replaced by a more terrifying silence.
This silence lasted only a few seconds, followed by the crackling of bones breaking and the squelching sound of muscles writhing.
Ron's heartbeat sped up as he carefully walked to the edge of the door, gently opened a crack, and peeked outside.
The corridor was empty; most of the Candidate Apprentices were either resting or still in their rooms, cultivating in seclusion, completely unaware of the lurking danger among them.
He needed to get away from here and consider notifying the Law Enforcement Team once he was safe.
Taking a deep breath, Ron silently pulled open the door, preparing to leave quickly.
Just as he stepped out of the door, the wall suddenly burst open, and a twisted figure shot out like a cannonball, crashing through the wall directly into the corridor.
Bricks, wooden fragments, and dust scattered everywhere, mixed with a non-human howling.
Reacting quickly, Ron instinctively retreated two steps, narrowly avoiding being knocked away by the charging monster.
"Damn it!"
Was that... the former Darrend?
His eyes widened, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
Standing in front of Ron was no longer the slightly chubby researcher, but a deformed monster.
Darrend's body appeared to be twisting painfully, his clothes torn open, revealing the constantly wriggling muscle tissue beneath.
The most terrifying was his head—the entire skull looked as though it was being pushed open from within by some power, a huge, pulsating, semi-transparent brain protruding out.
The surface of that malformed brain was covered with writhing blood vessels, some areas even emitting a faint blue light, as if electricity was coursing through it.
"Ro...n..." The monster actually recognized him, struggling to speak a few words with a double-layered voice: "Es...cape..."
But that spark of humanity vanished in a flash, Darrend's eyes quickly becoming vacant, pupils dilating into pitch blackness.
"Wu...ow!"
His words turned into a beast-like howl halfway through, the light on the exposed brain surface becoming even more blinding.
Ron felt an invisible shock wave approaching him, instantly feeling as though a massive hammer had struck his chest.
Thanks to the constitution enhancement brought by his Knight's Squire profession, he barely resisted this attack, but still felt as though his insides were being kneaded by an invisible hand, causing excruciating pain.
If it were the old him, he might have already suffered severe internal bleeding from the force.
The mutated giant-brain monster no longer responded to calls, instead letting out a series of piercing shrieks, each sound wave attack stronger than the last.
The wooden railings in the corridor began to show cracks, several nearby doors shaking on their hinges.
Ron understood that the situation was beyond salvage.
Darrend had completely been transformed by the potion, turning into a dangerous mutant.
In Black Mist Jungle, there was only one way to handle such a situation—eliminate the threat!
Seeing the monstrous form covered in sinews, and the continuous powerful penetrating sound waves, he didn't think turning his back and running would result in anything good.
With this thought, Ron's gaze turned icy and focused, all hesitation and fear suppressed deep within his heart.
His mind now contained only one thought—survival!
The deformed Darrend seemed to sense the threat, letting out an angry roar, then charged at the target.
Its speed was unexpectedly fast, the sinewy thick legs stomping on the ground, crossing the distance between them almost instantly.
Ron didn't panic and attack; he followed the principles of Corona Swordsmanship, perfectly matching his breathing with his movements, sidestepping the attack at the last moment.
Simultaneously, he wielded his sword with his right hand, accurately slashing at Darrend's leg.
[Perfect evasive counterattack! Basic Swordsmanship Experience Points +2]
The sword hit the target with a dull thud.
Darrend staggered in pain but quickly regained his balance, turning to attack again, although his speed noticeably decreased.
This time, instead of a direct charge, he opened his mouth and emitted a special sound wave vibration.
The energy in the air began to twist, forming translucent sound wave rings that rushed towards Ron.
Ron tried to dodge, but the sound wave rings were astonishingly fast, nearly impossible to completely avoid.
He barely sidestepped the first wave, but the subsequent second wave hit his shoulder directly.
"Ah!"
A wave of pain surged through him, and Ron felt his right arm temporarily lose sensation.
This wasn't just a simple physical impact; it was an attack fusing Spiritual Power with sound waves—a prototype of the Sound Wave Magic Darrend had been researching.
He struggled to create distance, but Darrend suddenly raised his head, letting out a sharp shriek, more powerful sound waves radiating from his deformed brain, forming an all-encompassing blast.
Blood oozed from the corners of Ron's mouth; he knew he had to end the battle quickly, or he would certainly be shaken to death.
Seeing the opponent charging up to unleash a stronger sound wave attack, he had a quick inspiration and cast a zero-circle magic he had mastered.
"Slime Splash!"
Accompanied by the flow of Spiritual Power, a glob of sticky liquid shot from his fingertips, accurately hitting Darrend's feet.
The liquid quickly solidified, firmly trapping the giant-brain monster's feet to the ground.
[Precise hit! Slime Splash Experience Points +2]
The mutated Darrend roared in anger, trying to break free, but the slime was extraordinarily sturdy.
Unable to move his feet, he could only stand in place and continue firing those sound wave attacks.
The restraining effect of the slime was rapidly weakening; in just a few seconds, Darrend had already freed one leg.
If it completely broke free, he would surely die.
Seizing the opportunity while the target was briefly restrained, Ron dodged the sound wave rings while looking for a chance to strike.
Soon, he noticed that after each sound wave attack, Darrend would pause—the mutated brain needed to rest after attacking.
"Now's the time!"
Seizing the gap at the end of the sound wave attack, he quickly circled behind Darrend.
At this distance, Ron could clearly see the pulsing blood vessels on that deformed brain.
Hesitating no longer, he raised his sword—plunging it with all his might into the exposed vulnerable area!