Chapter 193: Panic Escape
The Monster continued inching toward Stuffed Bun, its grotesquely stitched humanoid form stretching out trembling limbs.
"You... why won't you speak anymore?"
"I still want... to hear your story..."
"Valina's all alone here... it's so lonely..."
Stuffed Bun's expression was not just fear—it was the crushing sorrow of love shattered once more. In real life, discovering a net romance had been a fake was bad enough. But now, in the game world, he’d been deceived by an illusion too?
Of course. Humans were all visual creatures—Stuffed Bun was no exception.
"Monsters! Give me back my heart!"
"Give me back Valina!"
With a cry of anguish, Stuffed Bun drew his Silver Sword and slashed downward with all his strength.
From a distance, Singo nocked an arrow and fired—a shot powerful enough to pierce armor.
Clang! Clang!
Two sharp echoes rang out. Sparks flew. The blade and arrow both bounced harmlessly off the Monster’s thick, scaled hide. No damage. The flesh writhed, and sticky, slimy tendrils shot forth, wrapping around the Silver Sword and dragging it into its maw, swallowing it whole.
"Why... why are you hurting me?"
"Stuffed Bun... brother..."
"Why does everyone do this to me?"
The voice shifted—soft, feminine at first, then deepening into a guttural growl, before erupting into a cacophony of overlapping shrieks, a jumbled chorus of voices. The sound alone sent chills down Stuffed Bun’s spine.
The flesh pulsed and writhed, reshaping itself into a series of twisted, unnatural forms.
"Then I’ll just... keep you forever!"
Seeing their attacks were useless, Singo barked at Stuffed Bun:
"Run! Now!
This thing isn’t something we can beat!"
"How was I supposed to know?!"
Stuffed Bun nearly burst into tears, scrambling after Singo in blind panic, fleeing without direction.
Singo’s face was grim. "That Wooden Hut, that girl—it was all illusion. Lucky I bought a Truth Serum beforehand. Otherwise, you’d be dead right here."
"That tea? It was definitely poisoned. After you drank it, you’d have been nothing but a slave to this place."
Stuffed Bun glanced back at the discarded Potion, then around at the cold, metal walls lined with rusted bloodstains, claw marks from monstrous creatures, and cryptic symbols etched into the surface in jagged, alien script.
And then, the silent Monster stirred once more.
"Why—?"
A layered, echoing voice boomed through the corridor—like a chorus of organs vibrating in unison. A girl’s cry. A frost wolf’s howl. A giant’s roar. The thunderous bellow of a White Dragon. The sheer weight of it froze Stuffed Bun and Singo in place, their minds overwhelmed by sheer dread—Fear state activated.
"That’s Dragon威!"
"This thing is a Dragon-blooded abomination!"
"Damn… what kind of hunger does a Dragon have to be starving to go for this?"
Singo’s instincts screamed. That oppressive pressure—familiar, terrifying.
But he snapped back instantly, shaking off the abnormal condition. He looked up at the approaching Monster, its many flesh tendrils whipping through the air, then spared a glance at Stuffed Bun, still paralyzed by fear. In a flash, he had a plan.
ROOOOAAAAARRR!
Another Dragon Roar—this time, unleashed by Singo himself: [Dragon Roar Charge].
The sheer, primal power of the roar, fueled by Kai Xiusu’s Dragon essence, was overwhelming. Even the monstrous stitched horror faltered—its tendrils froze mid-swing, suspended in terror.
SLAP!
Singo slapped the terrified Stuffed Bun hard across the face.
"I can’t hold it long! It’s waking up—run!"
Stuffed Bun clutched his burning cheek, teeth gritted, but he forced himself to move.
"Hardcore Player, you’re punishing me for old grudges!"
"Wasn’t I just waking you up? You were practically about to kiss a Cthulhu-style abomination—embarrassing!"
"You—!"
Stuffed Bun’s face darkened, a storm of shame and fury. His mind raced—Should I kill him? A murder would silence the secret. If that moment had been recorded and posted online, he’d be infamous—just like Langli BaiTiao and the Old Vampire’s Thirty Seconds of the Unspoken, a legendary meme video with millions of views.
"Brother..."
"Come back to me..."
That sweet, fragile voice sent ice through Stuffed Bun’s veins. His scalp prickled.
Behind them, the Monster inched forward, its massive, grotesque body writhing, scales shimmering as it squeezed through the narrow corridor. But its sheer size made it clumsy—its flesh pressed against the walls, slowing its advance.
They barely escaped, bolting into a hidden door just as the "Valina" lunged.
"Come back!"
At the very last second, the creature opened its maw—wide enough to swallow a man whole. Strings of blood connected its jaws. From its throat, a blast of freezing breath erupted—Frost Breath. The air turned to ice. Mist froze midair. The door, in an instant, was encased in a thick, solid layer of frost.
"Phew... phew..."
Stuffed Bun exhaled shakily. "You know... you’d have been better off not telling me. Let me die peacefully in my Soft Paradise..."
He muttered, almost dreamily, still tasting the illusion of warmth, the phantom touch of a lover—then his face twisted. The image of the true form flashed in his mind. His expression darkened.
"What is this thing?"
"Your beloved Valina, of course."
Singo said it with exaggerated sweetness, dripping with mockery.
"Get lost!"
Stuffed Bun turned crimson, face twisted in despair. He’d been lost in the fantasy of a beautiful companion—only to have it ripped away by Singo’s brutal truth. The blow still stung.
Singo sneered. "Pathetic. No wonder you’re still single."
He turned, scanning their surroundings, rubbing his chin. "That final breath? Terrifying. If it hit us, we’d be frozen solid. From what I know, that’s the White Dragon bloodline—part of the Five-Colored Dragon lineage. White Dragons do exist in the Anzeta Great Wasteland."
He paused. "As for this place... it’s the Tower of Eternal Night. At least a century old. Rumor says it holds something unspeakably terrible. Survivors? Almost none. No one’s ever left it completely unscathed."
Stuffed Bun suddenly remembered something. "Wait—where’s War Fury Brother?"
Singo shook his head. "Dunno. We split up when we met the Wolfman. But War Fury Brother’s mind is steel. He once crushed a Succubus with his bare hands in another game. He wouldn’t make your kind of rookie mistake."
Stuffed Bun turned red with frustration, but words failed him.
"I—"
Singo placed a hand on his shoulder, voice calm, heavy with warning.
"Stuffed Bun... I’m serious. Watch your step. You’re not in the game anymore. You’re in the real danger zone."
(End of Chapter)
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